Chapter 2636 - Lingering Echoes

Little Willow City.

This was one of many ordinary little cities in the God Domain. There were others like it all over the place, as numerous as the grains of sand on the beach.

Two weeks had passed since the battle in the Borderless Mountains. Word of it had already spread.

Little Willow City was remote, and the cultivators here were so low level that they received word several days later than most.

To the inhabitants of Willow City, reports of the battle felt distant and abstract. The disparity in their cultivations was just too enormous.

These humble cultivators’ greatest ambition was simply achieving immortality. Master Gods, Half-Step Eternals, and False Eternals were unimaginably distant.

Thus, even after hearing the reports, all they knew was that Su Yi was strong, and that he’d killed several legendary figures.

Only that and nothing more.

...

A group of heretical cultivators appeared outside the city.

“Boss, I finished my investigation. The strongest cultivators in Little Willow City are just Transcendents. There isn’t a single immortal in the whole city. The place is perfectly suited for Blood Refinement!” someone said softly. “There are eight hundred thousand people living here, including several cultivators. Combined, I’m sure they’ll be enough to refine a Blood Demon Pearl!”

Someone else chimed in, “It would have been hard to take action when the two alliances still stood. If we’d slaughtered the city, the alliances’ subordinate factions might well have targeted us. Now, however, the two alliances are no more. We have nothing left to fear!”

“That’s right. The world is in chaos, and we chose an unimportant little city. We’ll be able to kill everyone in the city within ten minutes. There's no way we’ll attract attention.”

Everyone chimed in, rubbing their hands together with anticipation.

Their leader, a thin Daoist with an iron crown, furrowed his brow in thought. “The two alliances are history, it’s true, but Sword Venerate Su rules in their stead. They say that after the battle in the Borderless Mountains ended, Sword Venerate Su issued three decrees.

“One of them specifically forbade fighting in cities. Anyone who violates this decree is to be executed without mercy...”

Before he could finish, someone jeered. “Boss, no matter how strong Sword Venerate Su is, he’s ultimately just one person. How vast is the God Domain? It’s home to trillions of people and countless minor cities. Even if we kill everyone here, there’s no way we’ll draw Sword Venerate Su’s attention!”

“It’s true. To an existence like Sword Venerate Su, we’re no more than ants. How could mere ants fighting amongst themselves possibly draw his attention?”

Their leader, the Daoist in the iron crown, couldn’t help but be tempted. In the end, he gnashed his teeth. “Let’s attack tonight, then!”

But then, a voice rang out of nowhere. “It’s true that you’re no more than ants to Su Yi. That goes for me, too. But you just so happened to dance about impudently right in front of me, so I’ve got no choice but to crush you beneath my feet. After all... Ants are ants! Who cares if I squish a few?”

The heretical cultivators looked around in alarm. A moment later, they saw a mountain-sized foot descending from the heavens.

Bang!

The sky collapsed, creating a massive foot imprint. Blood pooled beneath it.

It was all that remained of the heretical cultivators. They’d indeed been crushed like ants.

The owner of that foot, meanwhile, was drinking at one of the city’s many taverns. He was tall and thin, with steely features.

This was the Butcher, a tyrant among saber cultivators. He’d once lost to Li Fuyou, and he’d guided Mu Bai’s cultivation.

“It’s time I set course for the Central Divine Continent.” He drained his cup, got up, and left.

......

The Donghua Sword Pavilion.

As one of the greatest factions in the Southern Flame Divine Continent, they had numerous Master Gods in residence.

At least, they had once. Over the past ten years, they’d suffered a major blow to their vitality. All of their Master Gods had died.

All of this was because they’d opposed Su Yi!

By now, it had been reduced to a second-rate faction, its predicament worsening by the day.

“Sect Leader, throughout the four Divine Continents, more than half of the God Domain’s factions have expressed their support for Su Yi’s decree. They’re willing to help him restore the peace!”

An elder was delivering a report on recent developments in the God Domain while the sect leader listened quietly.

“Yesterday, even the survivors of the Heavenly Court of the Five Sovereigns announced their willingness to turn over a new leaf and make amends for their past misdeeds. They say they’ll support Su Yi to the best of their ability and work to restore peace to the God Domain!”

The sect leader was unwittingly stunned. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “Even the Heavenly Court of the Five Sovereigns gave in?”

It was truly unbelievable.

Prior to the battle at the Borderless Mountains, the Heavenly Court of the Five Sovereigns had led the Myriad Daos Alliance!

Their ranks included numerous False Eternals, but all had perished beneath Su Yi’s sword.

Who could have imagined that just one month later, the Heavenly Court of the Five Sovereigns would cave and publicly announce their intention to follow Su Yi’s decree!

“Sect Leader, Su Yi has already become the true ruler of the God Domain. Who’d... dare to disobey his decrees?” that elder said bitterly. “Don’t forget that just three days prior, a faction from a spacetime forbidden zone disregarded Su Yi’s orders and fought over a Fragment of Heaven’s Will too close to a city. The entire faction was summarily flattened. Not one of them survived.”

The sect leader’s expression shifted erratically. After a while, he slumped and said, “Unless something happens to Su Yi, the God Domain... really is his to command going forward.”

He waved his hand through the air, disheartened and discouraged. “Announce that from this day forth, the Donghua Sword Pavilion shall uphold Sovereign Venerate Su’s decrees and work to restore peace to the world!”

The elder felt a massive weight lift from his shoulders. He nodded. “Yes, sir!”

So what if there was an irreconcilable blood debt between them? This was reality. They had no choice but to lower their heads!

That was true for the Heavenly Court of the Five Sovereigns, and it was true of the Donghua Sword Pavilion, too.

All of this was because Su Yi’s prestige was as radiant as the midday sun illuminating the world.

He was the true ruler of the God Domain!

After the battle in the Borderless Mountains, Su Yi made three announcements.

First, he commanded the world’s top cultivation factions to step forth and work together to restore peace to the world.

Many of them responded immediately. It didn’t matter whether they agreed of their own volition or because they had no other choice. Over the past two weeks, the vast majority had already publicly expressed their support and willingness to follow this decree!

This was the prestige of a ruler. A single sentence was enough to change the world and alter the course of history!

......

Late at night, a frigid gale blew past the swaying lamps.

Yu Xun gazed intently at the jade slip in his hand, his heart ill at ease.

The slip contained a list of those Su Yi wanted dead. It included seventy-nine names in total.

Including his!

A while later, Yu Xun shattered the jade slip and rose. He no longer planned to hide. He’d decided to set course for the Central Divine Continent and seek out good fortune!

But just as he was about to leave, the door silently opened, and a graceful figure with ample curves came into view. She was a woman dressed in black with skin as fair as snow.

“Senior Apprentice Sister!?” Yu Xun exclaimed.

In the past, when he saw her, fire built uncontrollably in his chest, and he longed for nothing more than to have his way with her.

But this time, the sight of her sent chills coursing down his spine. His heart sank into the pit of his stomach.

“Your mother, Gu Huaxian, is dead. Your father has long since hidden himself in the Central Divine Continent. He... seems to have forgotten you,” said Lu Qingmei. She paused in the doorway, then said, “But I haven’t forgotten.”

Before her voice had finished echoing through the air, Lu Qingmei attacked. Moments later, she floated off, a bloody, severed head in tow.

Killing Yu Xun was like untying a mental knot!

All she wanted to do now was return to Sunset Perch Island and spend time with her son, Yi Chen.

There was now one less name on Su Yi’s wanted list.

......

A group of cultivators were drinking in a tavern in a lively, bustling city.

“For the first time since the Dark Days of Legend began, good times have finally returned!”

“It’s true. Of Sword Venerate Su’s three decrees, the ban on fighting cities is enough to give us hope of clinging to survival until these dark, turbulent times pass!”

“Moreover, the world’s top cultivation factions are all announcing their intent to follow his decrees and work together to restore the peace. I can see it already. Things will only keep getting better!”

“Sword Venerate Su is incredible! His sword dominated the world, and his heart is full of concern for everyone living in it!”

“It’s truly rare. Sword Venerate Su actually cares about the masses like us. That’s the bearing of a true ruler!”

“They say that more than half of the people on Sword Venerate Su’s wanted list are already dead!”

...The crowd went on to discuss other recent developments. They were full of emotion, and they spoke of Su Yi with the utmost reverence and awe.

But then, seemingly out of nowhere, someone laughed. “Sword Venerate Su? He’s nothing special.”

The lively atmosphere instantly stilled. Everyone looked over, then saw that the speaker was a scholarly man in teal.

“Why do you say that?” someone probed.

The man in tea laughed. “Because even though I might not be capable of becoming as strong as him...

he

can never become as weak as me, either!”

“....” The crowd didn’t know what to say to that.

This guy... sure is a fucking moron!

Someone laughed coldly, “In that case, if Sword Venerate Su and I joined forces, we’d be able to sweep across the entire world!”

Someone else said, “I cultivated for three thousand, nine hundred years just to raise my cultivation by a hair. Could Sword Venerate Su do that?”

A man pounded his chest and said, “Everyone I’ve ever duel-cultivated with ran off with someone else. By this point, my whole head is bright green. Sword Venerate Su can forget about ever understanding how that affected my Dao Heart in this lifetime!”

The room fell completely silent as the crowd gaped. All of them looked at the speaker with admiration and astonishment.

Over by the window, Xi Ning covered her mouth and laughed, her beautiful eyes narrowing into crescent moons.

Su Yi sat across from her, rubbing his nose. In the end, he couldn’t help but laugh, too. “It’s quite interesting, isn’t it?”