Chapter 948: Three Stones of Rebirth

The world-famous lord of the City of Safe Returns carried himself humbly from beginning to end, but Su Yi nonetheless refused.

“Perhaps some other time.”

With that, he continued into the distance.

They weren’t familiar. Even if they feasted together, it would be dull.

“Brother Su, wait! We can’t let the spoils of war go to waste,” said Cui Jingyan.

It was only after she’d deftly gathered the trophies scattered across the stage that she followed Su Yi away.

Yin Xiulin made no attempt to stop them. It was only after watching Su Yi and Cui Jingyan fade from view that this mighty Profound Serenity visibly relaxed.

As if he’d been under some sort of pressure before.

“Don't just stand there. Quick, get up.” Yin Xiulin looked at the woman in black sitting on the stage.

“Yes.” Only then did she dare rise to her feet.

“Your Excellency, might I ask just who that young man was?” someone couldn’t help but ask in a low voice.

Yin Xiulin said with a complicated look on his face, “All you need to remember is that he’s the man who saved my life.”

The crowd was instantly silent.

“Ol’ Weng, are you displeased?” Yin Xiulin looked at Weng Xuanshan.

Weng Xuanshan hurriedly shook his head. “All I feel is lingering terror; I don’t feel the least bit bitter.”

Yin Xiulin nodded. “You really ought to celebrate.”

Celebrate?

After a brief daze, Weng Xuanshan realized what the city lord was getting at. A chill coursed down his spine, and his back was drenched in cold sweat.

There was no doubt about it. The city lord was telling him that he ought to celebrate having survived his encounter with the young man in blue!

“Fellow Daoist Xing, are you and your companions willing to enjoy my hospitality?” Yin Xiulin smiled and faced Xing Tianfeng and company.

Xing Tianfeng was briefly dazed, but a moment later, he said with a smile, “How could I refuse?”

He was naturally well aware that Yin Xiulin had invited them to his residence because of Su Yi.

However, this was still an opportunity to establish a connection with the powerful and influential lord of the City of Safe Returns. Of course Xing Tianfeng was delighted!

Yin Xiulin smiled and nodded. He wanted to seize this opportunity to learn more about Su Yi from the ancient Xing Family.

𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

A moment later, Yin Xiulin ordered, “Ol’ Weng, send word of what happened here today to Demon Mountain. Tell the full truth, including our stance on the matter.”

Weng Xuanshan said solemnly, “Please instruct me, Your Excellency.”

Yin Xiulin said gravely, “Wei Jingkui and his companions brought their fates upon themselves. If Night Demon Mountain pursues this grievance, they’ll only create an even greater disaster. Tell them to watch themselves.”

The crowd’s hearts shook.

Who could fail to realize that, the way Yin Xiulin saw it, if Night Demon Mountain and Su Yi became enemies, Night Demon Mountain would face disaster?

……

The City of Safe Returns.

A private room on the second floor of a restaurant.

The table was laden with all manner of delicacies.

Su Yi raised his jug of wine and poured himself a cup of Winter Jujube Wine.

This was a local specialty of the City of Safe Returns. The liquid was like red-tinged amber, and it was reportedly brewed from the Winter Jujube Trees that grew on one of the islands in the Sea of Bitterness. Its flavor was unmatched.

“How are your wounds?” Su Yi looked at Cui Jingyan, who was seated across from him.

The young woman’s pretty little face was slightly pallid, and she still had numerous injuries.

“They’re just flesh wounds,” Cui Jingyan said with a laugh. “It’s no big deal.”

She’d always been clever, vivacious, and lively. She was stunning to begin with, and her smile was like flowers blooming after the rain: pure and exquisite.

Su Yi drank a cup of wine. “Why have you come to the City of Safe Returns? And how did you come into conflict with Night Demon Mountain?”

Cui Jingyan then explained the entire series of events.

It turned out that she’d come here on her father’s orders. Cui Chang’an had told her to seek out information regarding Cui Longxiang in the City of Safe Returns.

As for how she’d come into conflict with Xue He, the leading disciple of Night Demon Mountain’s younger generation? It was simple.

Earlier that afternoon, Cui Jingyan had participated in an auction at Emerald Cloud Tower. There, she set her sights on a piece of jade of unknown origins.

Who’d have thought that Xue He would take a fancy to it too? The two of them competed, but in the end, Cui Jingyan paid a sky-high price and successfully acquired the jade.

To her surprise, Xue He came looking for her as soon as she left Emerald Cloud Tower. He was dead set on seizing the mysterious jade, and he repeatedly provoked her.

When she reached this part of the story, Cui Jingyan said indignantly, “He even joked about my grandfather’s life and death. He said that without my grandfather to hold down the fort, the Cui Family would fall sooner or later…”

Su Yi couldn’t help but arch his eyebrows. “So you agreed to duel him?”

Cui Jingyan shook her head. “How could I be that stupid? I knew he was trying to provoke me. I agreed to duel him after he took out another piece of jade, one just like the one I bought at auction.”

Su Yi was stunned. “Is there something strange about that jade?”

Cui Jingyan flipped over her palm, and a three-inch piece of jade floated into the air.

It was dull gold, with blood-colored markings all over its surface. That aside, there was nothing outwardly special about it.

However, Su Yi’s pupils immediately constricted, and his heart shook.

“I once saw a diagram of a stone just like this in one of the ancient tomes in our scripture repository,” said Cui Jingyan. “According to that ancient tome, it’s a Xiantian Divine Jade born of the depths of the Sea of Bitterness, and it hides wondrous and unbelievable applications. Its value is inestimable, and obtaining one is a stroke of fortune as grand as the heavens themselves.

“That’s why I paid such a high price to acquire it at auction.”

Su Yi had an inscrutable look in his eyes. “Your luck really is quite something. That stone’s value cannot be measured in worldly treasures.”

He paused, then added, “Xue He wagered his piece of jade to stage a battle in Dragon Cloud Arena?”

Cui Jingyan said indignantly, “That’s right! At first, I refused, but Xue He said that if I didn’t duel him, he’d ‘invite’ me to Night Demon Mountain. I was all alone, while Xue He was accompanied by an entire group of experts, including two Emperors. There was no way I could escape, so I had no choice but to agree to duel him.”

Su Yi finally understood.

The crux of the matter was that although their duel in Dragon Cloud Arena had seemed fair, Cui Jingyan had been forced to participate!

“Night Demon Mountain is gutsier than ever. They’d actually act against you on account of a piece of Divine Spirit Nirvana Stone?” Su Yi’s eyes flashed with cold light.

Cui Jingyan was Cui Chang’an’s daughter. She was the young mistress of the Cui Family, and her position was unquestionably lofty.

Despite that, Night Demon Mountain had resorted to threats to seize the jade from her. It was obvious just how brazen and arrogant their behavior was.

However, this also made it clear just how great an effect Cui Longxiang’s disappearance had had on the Cui Family’s prestige.

It was to the point that Night Demon Mountain dared disregard the Cui Family completely.

“Divine Spirit Nirvana Stone? Is that what this type of jade is called?” Cui Jingyan asked curiously.

Su Yi nodded. “In ancient times, Divine Spirit Nirvana Stone, Profound Enlightenment Stone, and Blood-Cleansing Stone were collectively known as the Three Stones of Rebirth.”

“The Divine Spirit Nirvana Stone lets a cultivator revisit earlier stages of their journey to cleanse and temper the heart, dispel unwanted karmic ties, and rid themselves of their heart’s demons.

“Profound Enlightenment Stone targets the cultivator’s soul. In an Emperor’s hands, it can be used to make a first-rate avatar of will.

“Blood-Cleansing Stone targets the physical body. It can help an Emperor achieve inexhaustible, undying vital energy, as well as immortality of the spirit.”

Su Yi paused, then added, “And rumor has it that if you combine all three stones, you can refine Threelives Rebirth Stone!”

“When used during a breakthrough, this stone can help a cultivator achieve a sublimation of the mind, soul, and body, a shocking metamorphosis akin to rebirth. Their foundations in the Grand Dao can then give rise to Xiantian Profound Qi!”

The depths of Su Yi’s gaze lit up.

Xiantian Profound Qi!

This was a rare and wondrous Xiantian power of chaos. So long as one accumulated it during their daily cultivation, it was unbelievably useful both in battle and when contemplating the Grand Dao.

While exploring the Sea of Bitterness in his past life, Su Yi gathered such treasures.

Alas, his cultivation had already reached the peak of the Imperial Apex Realm. Although he gathered all three Xiantian Divine Stones, he couldn’t put them to use.

When he returned to the Wilds, he instead gave them to his sixth disciple, Ye Luo, who was on the verge of breaking into the Profound Serenity Realm.

But now that he’d reincarnated, these three Xiantian Divine Stones would play a critical role in his cultivation.

He’d come to the Sea of Bitterness in part to gather all three stones; he planned to use them when he proved his Dao and became an Emperor.

That way, when he stepped into the Profound Illumination Realm, he could achieve a supreme, perfect breakthrough, establishing foundations in the Grand Dao far beyond those of his past life!

“So, this jade has such miraculous applications…” Cui Jingyan looked down at the jade resting in her palm. Her heart shook.

She finally understood why Night Demon Mountain had gone so far as to irrevocably offend the Cui Family just to acquire a piece of jade.

“Brother Su, you’d best hold onto this piece of jade.” Cui Jingyan passed the Divine Spirit Nirvana Stone to Su Yi.

Su Yi exclaimed, “You sure are generous.”

Cui Jingyan giggled, and her eyes shone with a hint of smug, crafty pride. “I helped gather the spoils before we left Dragon Cloud Arena, didn’t I? I pocketed Xue He’s Divine Spirit Nirvana Stone.”

She flipped her hand, revealing a similar piece of jade. “See?”

Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh. “Ah, so that’s how it is.”

“Right, the spoils are yours too.” Cui Jingyan tried to hand them over, only for Su Yi to refuse.

“You’d best hold onto them. This piece of Divine Spirit Nirvana Stone will be enough for me.”

It hadn’t been long since his excursion into the City of the Wrongfully Dead. He’d acquired countless rare and precious trophies; he had no shortage of treasure whatsoever.

As the two of them drank and conversed, a sudden commotion emanated from the streets outside the restaurant.

“Word just arrived that the mysterious Netherworld Vessel was spotted again just two days ago!”