Chapter 2374 - The Heart-Inquiring Sword Hut

Moonlight flowed, and the light of the Dao shone.

The aura of the Grand Dao surged like the tides, gathering around Su Yi and resonating with his aura to produce a wondrous, rhythmic motion.

This was the blessed ground manifested of the Osmanthus Tree of the Toad Palace. Thus, it was called “the Toad Palace.”

Cultivating here was enormously beneficial to one’s powers of the Grand Dao.

Su Yi was now immersed in a wondrous state of enlightenment.

Sometimes, visions of reincarnation floated around him. Other times, he manifested the mysteries of Profound Ruin.

His Sea of Chaos boiled within him, and the Epoch Spark scattered a rain of chaos fire. His sword-shaped Manifestation of Fortune hovered within the Epoch Spark.

And within his sea of consciousness, his divine soul avatar sat solemnly atop his divine dais, guiding his powers of the Grand Dao between his flesh and his sea of consciousness, all the while glowing with immeasurable radiance.

In this wondrous and grand state of enlightenment, Su Yi’s cultivation base, soul, physical body, and powers of the Grand Dao gradually stabilized and advanced.

A pile of heavenly materials and earthly treasures lay around him, but he took them for mere cultivation resources and refined them continuously.

Three months passed in a flash.

During that time, Su Yi's cultivation smoothly advanced to the late-stage Fortune Realm!

Actually, he’d advanced to the mid-stage Fortune Realm during his year of wandering. His breakthrough into the late stage was thus as natural and smooth as water flowing through a channel.

Su Yi wasn’t at all worried about breaking through. If he wanted to, he could break into the Undying Realm and become a Master God overnight.

But there was no need for that. Cultivating strength while neglecting to cultivate the heart was a taboo!

In this lifetime’s cultivation, he’d never sought rapid breakthroughs. Even so, his cultivation advanced at absolutely shocking, unparalleled speed.

Later that day, Su Yi emerged from seclusion.

He first went to chat with the Lord of Sleepless Nights. The Lord of Sleepless Nights took out some Dao Enlightened Tea Leaves and treated Su Yi to the full extent of his hospitality.

Next, Su Yi went to see the little monkey, Xin Yuan.

Xin Yuan was recovering well. He’d already rebuilt his body, and his soul was about half recovered. Su Yi was delighted to see this.

Last of all, Su Yi called the River Child over and asked what had happened over the past three months.

There’d been no major storms, but according to the River Child, lots of people had come calling. Some had even left their cards.

Su Yi glanced at the names, then tossed the calling cards aside.

Most of his recent visitors were prominent figures from the Endless Ocean. A small portion were from the four divine continents, too.

But there was no one Su Yi found worthy of notice.

In other words, most of the visitors were trying to curry favor with Su Yi. Su Yi had no need for such attention.

He was, however, surprised to learn that no enemies had attacked over the past three months. He was a bit disappointed, too.

In his life as Yi Daoxuan, he’d had eight dear friends.

Yan Chizhen had killed Demon Master Shen Ning, the founder of Nine Demon Mountain, and the founder of Divine Gale Mountain, Jin Yuanzi.

And Gu Huaxian had captured Yan Chizhen’s soul.

The three of them aside, Master Golden Crane and the Divine Billows Sage Monarch were in hiding.

That left three others: Demon Venerate Five Desires, Master Goddess Butterfly Cloud, and Demon Ancestor Treasure Leaf.

Su Yi had asked around for information regarding the three of them earlier.

Not long after Yi Daoxuan’s death, Demon Venerate Five Desires disbanded his sect and left the Endless Ocean. Even now, he’d yet to reveal himself, and there was no word of him whatsoever.

Master Goddess Butterfly Cloud had changed her name and gone into hiding. She’d appeared in the God Domain a few times since, but she was mysterious and hard to trace. No one knew what she was up to.

Furthermore, almost thirty thousand years had passed since her last appearance.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Demon Ancestor Treasure Leaf’s situation was the most unusual. A long time ago, he’d accepted the Dipankara Buddha's teachings and converted to Buddhism!

He was now one of the Nine Temple Guardian Buddhas of the Western Paradise Spirit Mountains!

Based on this information, all Su Yi could guess was that Demon Ancestor Treasure Leaf, the one who’d joined the Dipankara Buddha and sought refuge in the Western Paradise Spirit Mountains, had almost certainly betrayed Yi Daoxuan.

As for Demon Venerate Five Desires and Master Goddess Butterfly Cloud? It was hard to say.

Su Yi had originally thought that causing such an enormous disturbance in the Endless Ocean was sure to draw his old friends’ attention. He figured one or two of them might even show up.

Unfortunately, it had been three months since he’d taken up residence on Sunset Perch Island, but nothing of the sort had happened.

“Your Excellency, just twenty-or-so years remain until the Dark Days of Legend. Seems to me that none of those old codgers will dare to cause any trouble here until then,” said the River Child.

Su Yi agreed.

However, there was no way he could spend over two decades here!

First, there were lots of things he’d yet to do.

Second, if he relied purely on secluded cultivation, he’d have no hope at all of proving his Dao and becoming a Master God prior to the Dark Days of Legend.

Back in the River of Epochs, the River Lord said that it was only by becoming a Master God that he could establish himself during the Dark Days of Legend!

Su Yi didn’t even need to think to know that the God Domain would become incomparably dark and terrifying!

And Su Yi naturally wouldn’t forget that his third incarnation, Xiao Jian, was still fixated on him!

I’ll go into seclusion a while longer. Once I’ve reached the peak of the Fortune Realm, I’ll go out to explore,

thought Su Yi.

......

The Eastern Victory Divine Continent.

Pine Hut City.

This was an unassuming little city with sparse spiritual energy. Most of those who lived here were rogue cultivators on the lowest levels of the world of cultivation, and there was even no shortage of ordinary mortals.

Thirty miles away from Pine Hut City, there stood a mountain covered in a sea of bamboo.

Under ordinary circumstances, it was common for people to come here to cut mature bamboo and harvest bamboo shoots.

But now, this ordinary, unassuming little mountain was shrouded in mysterious black fog. Anyone who drew near was instantly reduced to ash, no matter who they were.

This strange development had alerted all of Pine Hut City. Everyone was discussing it, and everyone paled at the mere mention of the black fog.

Although no one knew it, there was now a mysterious world within the black fog on the bamboo-covered mountain.

Within that hidden world, there were mountains, clear waters, and dense, auspicious energies of the Grand Dao covered the dome of heaven year-round.

A straw hut stood at the center of the hidden realm.

A stone stele stood beside it. The words “the Heart-Inquiring Sword Hut” were written on its surface.

Lu Qingmei stood outside the straw hut. Her slender, graceful figure emanated stingingly bright silver flames, manifestations of Undying Laws, that rumbled around her.

She held a piece of black jade. She was pouring her cultivation base into the jade, making it quiver and clang with the humming of a sword. The sound reverberated throughout the hidden realm.

The jade was a whetstone, as well as the key to controlling the source energies of this hidden realm!

A jeering voice emanated from within the hut. “Senior Apprentice Sister, it’s useless! You might have trapped me here, but you cannot hurt me here, nor can you save my nephew!”

Lu Qingmei pursed her lips, suppressed her frantic anxiety and fury, and said coldly, “Junior Apprentice Brother, I said it already. If you want to live, let Chen’er go. If you do, I promise to let you leave safely!”

Her fair, slender, jade-like hands clutched the black jade.

It was just that her beautiful face was extraordinarily pale, almost translucent.

Three months ago, Lu Qingmei found the hidden realm on the bamboo-covered mountain, but she was one step too late. Her junior apprentice brother had already captured Yi Chen!

Fortunately, just as Yu Xun was about to leave, Lu Qingmei intercepted him, then used the power of the hidden realm to trap him in the straw hut.

However, out of concern for Yi Chen’s life, Lu Qingmei hadn’t dared to strike the killing blow.

To prevent Yu Xun from escaping, she’d had no choice but to continuously activate the hidden realm’s power, keeping him trapped in the straw hut.

Their standoff had lasted a full three months now!

These three months hadn’t just been mental anguish for Lu Qingmei. To maintain the hidden realm’s operations, she’d had to continuously circulate her cultivation base and pour her power into the black jade.

By now, she was severely depleted, like an arrow nearing the end of its flight!

“Senior Apprentice Sister, I’m afraid you won’t last much longer.” Lu Xun’s voice emanated from within the hut. “If things go on like this, you’ll be defeated, so why not just give up and lower your head now?”

Lu Qingmei said icily, “When I really can’t hold out any longer, I’ll drag you down to the grave with me!”

“Hahaha! If you dare try it, I’ll just have to drag my dear nephew down with us!” laughed Yu Xun. “You have no idea how wretched he is right now. He’s sprawled out beneath my feet like a dead dog, covered in wounds. Even his soul is agony; it’s as if countless ants were gnawing away at it, and he’s convulsing repeatedly, like he’s having a seizure. It’s truly fun to watch.”

Lu Qingmei gnashed her teeth so hard that they almost shattered.

She was certain that Yu Xun wasn’t lying to her. He was really doing just that: torturing and humiliating Yi Chen to provoke her.

“Still, I’ve got to say that his will is terrifyingly strong. Even I’m surprised. Even now, he’s gritting his teeth and bearing it all. He hasn’t begged for help or cried out, much less tried to commit suicide.”

Yu Xun sighed. “His stubborn determination is a lot like his father’s.”

Lu Qingmei’s face was pallid, and her expression filled with undisguisable, seething murderous intent.

But she had no choice but to force herself to stay calm. She absolutely couldn’t show any sign of losing control.

If she did, her insidious, ruthless junior apprentice brother was sure to notice!

“But the stronger his will, the more I want to torture him. I want to shatter his stubborn pride, inch by inch, and grind it away to nothing. I want to make his Dao Heart crumble and reduce him to a terrified little dog, helpless to do anything but wag his tail before me!”

Yu Xun said leisurely, “Senior Apprentice Sister, you can’t blame me for this. You forced me to do this.”

Lu Qingmei couldn’t see Yi Chen, but she could imagine how badly he’d been brutalized, and how much it must hurt.

Her heart felt as if it were on the verge of shattering, and two streams of tears poured down her pallid, beautiful cheeks.

She could disregard everything in this world.

Except for Yi Chen.

He was her flesh and blood, her reverse scale!

“Hahaha! Senior Apprentice Sister, you’re actually crying!! It seems this little beast really is your weak point!” Yu Xun burst into gleeful, sadistic laughter.

Lu Qingmei kept silent. Inwardly, she fought with all her might to keep her anger and hatred from erupting.

But it was then that a feeble, hoarse voice emanated from within the straw hut.

“Mother, if you... were my birth mother all along, why... why only acknowledge me... as your adopted son?”