Chapter 2744 - An Incomplete Will of the Heavens, a Severed Path

Mu Qing had watched from several thousand miles away as Su Yi and Yu Guangjun fought. He was ready to intervene at any moment.

But when Su Yi suppressed Yu Guangjun, he did nothing.

He didn’t dare to.

Because it was then that a tall, powerfully built man with a strange blood-red lotus imprint appeared beside him.

He was tall and thin, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His features were coarse, and he was utterly ferocious. Even just standing there, his presence made Mu Qing’s whole body tense. He dared not move a muscle.

This was Yao Monarch Lian Luo, a bandit famed throughout the Eternal Heavens Domain and the master of White Sparrow Tower.

A shocking spectacle was built atop the tower, a pile of countless skulls. Every night, the skies above this mound of bones turned as red as blood!

When Lian Luo appeared, he grinned broadly and whispered, “Let’s gamble. If that baby from True Martial Sword Court dies, you’ll die too. If he lives, you’ll have a chance at salvation. How about it?”

Mu Qing was a powerful Sword Monarch of True Martial Sword Court, a top combatant with a Dao Heart like iron and dense murderous intent.

But he knew that when it came to murderousness, he was far, far inferior to this unparalleled bandit; even Heavenly Sovereign-level factions were largely helpless against him.

It wasn’t just that Lian Luo had a powerful backer. He himself was an unparalleled elite among Heavenly Monarchs!

The mound atop White Sparrow Tower had the skulls of nineteen Heavenly Monarchs, all people Lian Luo had killed over the years.

Moreover, rumor had it that he’d killed far more than that; he had only saved those skulls that were relatively intact.

In response to Lian Luo’s question, Mu Qing asked, “Is that young man a junior you’re protecting?”

But Lian Luo staunchly denied it, insisting that he was just an errand boy and that he was in no way qualified to be that man’s Dao Protector. He... was entirely unfit!

This shook Mu Qing to the core.

When he confirmed that Yu Guangjun was still alive, Lian Luo patted Mu Qing on the shoulder and smiled. “You were lucky. As promised, I’ll give you a chance to save your life. Right, don’t mention my presence here. Not one word, or else... well, you understand."

Mu Qing sighed in relief, but at the same time, a chill coursed through him.

Everyone in the Eternal Heavens Domain knew that Yao Monarch Lian Luo never made empty threats!

Mu Qing arrived on the battlefield shortly after, but he didn’t dare to answer Su Yi’s questions honestly. Instead, he apologized with as much sincerity as he could muster and killed Su Yi’s enemies, all in the hope that Lian Luo would spare him.

He said solemnly, “True Martial Sword Court makes a clear differentiation between friend and foe. We know how to accept defeat, and we know how to make amends for our wrongdoings. As Yu Guangjun’s Dao Protector, I naturally won’t repeat my mistakes.”

He spoke forthrightly, but Su Yi laughed it off. There was no substance to anything Mu Qing said; it was all just pleasant, empty nonsense.

Su Yi pointed to Yu Guangjun. “No matter what, he was right earlier: he’s indeed particular. Very well. This ends here.”

Mu Qing felt a massive weight lift from his shoulders. That was just what he was waiting to hear!

Yu Guangjun was surprised, but this meant he’d live to fight another day. This was naturally a welcome surprise.

Only Yang Lingxiao felt conflicted.

The lofty Sword Monarch Mu Qing of True Martial Sword Court was treating Su Xuanjun with such politeness and respect. That meant that there was more to Su Xuanjun than met the eye!

Pu Xuan watched from the city walls, an inscrutable look on his face. Mu Qing’s behavior was obviously strange, but no matter how hard Pu Xuan racked his brains, he couldn’t figure it out. Eventually, he just set the matter aside.

He just knew that Mu Qing’s strange behavior had something to do with Su Yi!

Pu Xuan smiled, floated off the city wall, and started leisurely gathering the spoils. He hadn’t contributed much to the battle, so all he could do was assiduously carry out various odd jobs.

Qin Cangtu led the experts of the Great Qin Empire to express their gratitude. Even Qin Suqing was obviously far more reserved than before, and she addressed Su Yi as “His Excellency!”

She no longer dared to view Su Yi as a newcomer from a lower realm.

Su Yi couldn’t help but feel a bit melancholy. There was no doubt about it; today’s incident had changed Qin Suqing’s impression of him, and their relationship would never be as relaxed as it was before.

This was reality.

“Rest assured. True Martial Sword Court will take full responsibility for this disaster!” Mu Qing smiled and promised. “Furthermore, I’ll pay the factions hostile to the Great Qin Empire a visit before I leave the Blue Peak Continent.”

His meaning was readily apparent. Going forward, anyone in the Blue Peak Continent who dared to provoke the Great Qin Empire would face True Martial Sword Court’s wrath!

Qin Cangtu and the others were delighted. They quickly invited Su Yi, Pu Xuan, Mu Qing, and Yu Guangjun to the palace.

Su Yi didn’t refuse.

Mu Qing pondered briefly, then agreed. Some disasters could, if handled properly, transform into good fortune. He hoped to use this opportunity to get closer to this mysterious Fellow Daoist Su!

Yang Lingxiao’s position was the most awkward of all. He and Wen Lingzhong had led cultivators of three of the continent’s top factions, but now, he was the only one left.

He’d been taken captive, too. His predicament was sheer torment.

The group soon set course for the palace.

Yao Monarch Lian Luo watched from a little hill thousands of miles away.

Sword Monarch Mu Qing might be cautious of me, but there’s no way he’s afraid to die. How could an ironhearted sword cultivator like him be afraid of death?

Lian Luo gently rubbed the lotus imprint at the center of his forehead and sank into thought.

He was certain that Mu Qing had realized that Su Yi was someone extraordinary. That was why he’d been so eager to make amends; it wasn’t just out of fear of Lian Luo’s vicious reputation.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Very well. Whether or not you manage to guess His Excellency Su’s identity, if you manage to establish a connection with him, consider it your good fortune. If you have malicious intentions... Well, True Martial Sword Court will have to weigh the risk of annihilation....

Lian Luo stood, then gazed into the distance.

To think so many old-timers had set their sights on the good fortune left over from the Devastation. That’s no good.

He couldn’t help but worry.

Master entrusted something so important to me. Isn’t he worried I’ll mess up and ruin his plans?

But before long, he smiled again, his mind running wild.

Master wouldn’t have entrusted something so important to me if he didn’t think I was worthy of his trust!

Lian Luo strode off, a brazen grin on his face.

Let’s see how many blind old fools try to compete with me!

The Five Supreme Continents stood above the rest of the Eternal Heavens Domain’s thirty-three continents. Its experts were the strongest in the Eternal Heavens Domain’s cultivation world.

In stark contrast, the Blue Peak Continent was the lowest of the low, a barren backwater.

The reason was simple. Its Will of Heaven was incomplete!

Thus, the ancient orthodoxies of the Five Supreme Continents called the Blue Peak continent something else entirely: the Abandoned Continent.

Its Will of Heaven was incomplete, and its Laws of the Grand Dao were barren. It was a remote, impoverished backwater!

In the million years following the end of the Devastation, the Blue Peak Continent’s cultivation world had weakened.

The cultivators here walked a fragmented, incomplete path right from the start!

That was why its cultivators had such lacking foundations. It was the reason they were so weak, and why no Heavenly Monarchs arose here!

That was what happened when your path was severed.

But only those few who understood the secrets of the Devastation knew why the Blue Peak Continent had become like this.

......

A grand banquet was underway in the Great Qin Empire’s imperial palace. The atmosphere was lively with clinking glasses and conversation.

Pu Xuan sat beside Su Yi in robes as white as snow, taking in everyone’s expressions. Qin Cangtu, the emperor of the Great Qin Empire, was smiling, but when he looked at Su Yi and Mu Qing, he was obviously cautious and reserved.

But he was still relatively calm. The other experts of the Great Qin looked like they were sitting on pins and needles. They were trying their utmost to stay calm, but in the end, they came across as overly reserved.

They were practically trembling. They all seemed to realize they were walking on thin ice.

That was true of the eldest prince and the second prince, too.

Pu Xuan felt no desire to laugh at them. This was the result of a real difference in strength.

In the world of cultivation, large differences in strength led to large differences in status.

Besides, the Great Qin Empire had benefited enormously from this disaster. They’d remained intact, but more than that, they’d be the new hegemons of the Blue Peak Continent going forward. None would dare to provoke them.

After all, Mu Qing was backing them up in the name of True Martial Sword Court!

In the face of such enormous benefits, it was easy to understand why the experts of the Great Qin were so respectful to Mu Qing.

Of course, any member of the imperial family at all clever knew the true source of all these benefits.

Thus, although Su Yi said nothing about it during the banquet, he was their most distinguished guest and the center of attention.

The Great Qin Empire’s imperial family toasted him repeatedly. It wasn’t just them, either. Mu Qing did the same.

Pu Xuan could tell that two people felt the most conflicted about all this: Qin Suqing and Yang Lingxiao.

The former was struggling to adjust. She was afraid that excessive politeness would make Su Yi look down on her, and she was afraid of creating distance between them, but she also dared not be remiss in her manners.

She was afraid she’d fail to strike the right balance, leaving her unable to advance or retreat.

As for Yang Lingxiao... He was a captive, so it was only natural that he’d be nervous.

Pu Xuan pondered briefly, then walked over to Qin Suqing and offered her a toast. He transmitted gently, “Don’t worry so much. For you, and for the Great Qin Empire, this is cause for celebration, don’t you think?”

Qin Suqing pursed her lips. “I understand.”

Pu Xuan smiled. “That our paths crossed was a stroke of fate. To Fellow Daoist Su and me, we were once fellow Daoists who travelled side by side. That’s enough.”

With that, he returned to his seat.

Qin Suqing’s eyes silently lit back up, all of her worries swept away. All she felt now was gratitude and delight.

It was true. She had indeed once travelled alongside these two legendary figures!

It was a positive karmic tie, a stroke of fate.

They were fellow Daoists. She ought to feel honored and take pride in their connection!

As soon as she thought this, Qin Suqing raised her cup to offer Su Yi a toast. Su Yi smiled and straightforwardly accepted it.

Qin Suqing broke into a charming smile.

Pu Xuan smiled too. Inwardly, he said,

Good.

Meanwhile, Sword Monarch Mu Qing finally asked the question he’d been pondering for a long time. He whispered to Su Yi, “Fellow Daoist Su, forgive my boldness, but have you perhaps come to the Blue Peak Continent in search of the unparalleled good fortune leftover from the Devastation, too?”