“That’ll be as easy as turning over my hand. Do you really need to ask?” Old Yao Kun Peng said icily. “You ought to be asking when the Sword-Bearer will seal the Ancient Nine Luminaries City!”

Granny Snake laughed. “I see you still hold a grudge.”

Earlier, Old Yao Kun Peng suffered badly at the Sword-Bearer’s hands. He was clearly still resentful about it.

“After seeing Su Yi’s display of military might in front of the Starry Stele, don’t you feel the urge to squash him like the loathsome fly he is?” Old Yao Kun Peng suddenly looked at Bi Yunzi. “Can you really tolerate seeing him bully your Sevendeaths Court like that?”

They’d seen everything that happened before the Starry Stele.

“Losing my temper now would ruin our plans,” Bi Yunzi said calmly. “The greater the fuss Su Yi causes now, the more unsightly his ultimate demise!”

Fu Yong nodded. “Two weeks, that’s all. It’ll be over in a flash. When the time comes, we’ll seal off the city. No one will be able to escape, not even if they have a Nine Luminaries Medallion.”

Old Yao Kun Peng snorted coldly. “There’s always a chance that something will go wrong. I hope that the Sword-Bearer can really do as he said and help us take down Su Yi!”

Fu Yong said, “Our founder arranged this trap personally. We’re naturally fully assured of its success.”

No one argued.

The founder of the Heart-Tempering Sword House was Jiang Wuchen, and Jiang Wuchen was one of Su Yi’s past lives!

Naturally, no one understood Su Yi better than Jiang Wuchen.

A trap he’d constructed himself was sure to be extraordinary.

“Still, watching him jump around like this is most displeasing,” sighed Old Yao Kun Peng.

Granny Snake, Bi Yunzi, and Fu Yong exchanged glances. They were inwardly frustrated. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Su Yi really was just in the Unfettered Realm, but they couldn’t attack directly. No matter how great a scene he caused, they had no choice but to hold their nose and endure.

“Is it over?” Granny Snake suddenly exclaimed.

The old monsters looked over. Only then did they realize that Su Yi’s duel with Dong Liujia was already over.

......

The Sword-Bearer sat facing the wall in the Forgotten Palace.

Shang Wuhui stood before the palace, his hands behind his back.

“Bullying Unfettered Realm juniors? How juvenile. You’re truly worthless!” Shang Wuhui shook his head.

He’d long since noticed everything happening before the Starry Stele.

The Sword-Bearer said, “Were you as strong as him when you were in the Unfettered Realm?”

Shang Wuhui’s brow furrowed. “What, do you look down on me?”

“You can’t measure a sword cultivator by his cultivation base, but rather, by how he compares to others of the same cultivation. You and he were originally the same person. If you were weaker than him when you were in the Unfettered Realm, that proves he’s stronger than you!”

Shang Wuhui suddenly laughed. “Ah, but the stronger he is, the happier I am. After all, everything he has will one day be mine.”

The Sword-Bearer fell silent.

Shang Wuhui silently turned to face him. “His name is Su Yi, not Jiang Wuchen. Please keep that in mind, Fellow Daoist!”

“I know what I owe you,” said the Sword-Bearer.

Shang Wuhui pondered briefly, then smiled.

......

The city center, in front of the Starry Stele.

A rain of spatial light scattered, and Su Yi appeared out of thin air. His blue robes billowed around him, and he looked leisurely and relaxed.

He showed no sign of injury whatsoever.

Dong Liujia appeared shortly after. He, too, was uninjured, and he looked like he was in high spirits.

The onlookers were unwittingly stunned. Who won?

But they didn’t have to wait long for answers. Dong Liujia immediately smiled and said, “Everyone, I regret that Big Brother Li and I didn’t meet earlier. One hero recognized another. Our battle ended in a tie!”

The crowd was stunned. A tie? Who the hell would believe that?

Their gazes shifted to Su Yi, who just raised his jug of wine to his lips and said nothing.

Dong Liujia furrowed his brow, then laughed coldly. “I’m sorry to disappoint those who believed I’d lose!”

With that, he made no further attempts to explain himself. He just smiled and clasped his fist at Su Yi. “Big Brother Su, I’ll be on my way. When you have the time, pay me a visit. Despite my modest means, I’ll be sure to welcome you with the full extent of my hospitality!”

Then, the crowd watched in bewilderment as Dong Liujia put away the Five Elements Divine Space Crown, brushed off his clothes, and left.

Su Yi, meanwhile, sat down on Dong Liujia’s former Divine Contemplation Lotus Platform and crossed his legs.

He paused briefly to confirm that nothing had happened to Fu Lingyun, then relaxed.

A wondrous aura of the Grand Dao arose from the lotus platform’s petals, bathing Su Yi completely. Within moments, Su Yi felt the endless power of the Grand Dao coursing through his heart.

But he was in no mood to contemplate the Dao.

Something strange was afoot!

He’d sensed somebody—or rather, somebodies—watching him from the moment he entered the city. Thus, he suspected that someone had figured out who he really was.

He’d come to the Starry Stele in part to confirm this. That was also why he’d caused such a commotion.

He’d thought that this would surely bring the hidden threats to the surface.

But the results didn’t line up with his expectations. Even after causing such a scene, none of the hidden threats revealed themselves. Even the Heavenly Monarchs present were standing out of it, just like the rules said they should.

It was truly out of the ordinary.

Su Yi racked his brains, but in the end, he could only come up with one possibility.

His enemies were planning something. Rather, they weren’t yet fully confident that they could take him down, so they’d chosen to endure for now!

“Daoist Brother Li.” Suddenly, a soft, charming voice floated into Su Yi’s ears.

He looked toward its source and saw an exquisite, starry-eyed beauty. She looked at him bashfully. Her flowing hair went past her shoulders, highlighting her long, snowy neck.

She was just too charming, an unparalleled stunner. Hers was a natural, soul-stirring beauty, with no need for embellishment. Every smile and every frown stirred the heart!

What Eternal didn’t have a Dao Heart as firm as iron?

Yet even most Eternals would have succumbed to this enchantress. Hers was the type of beauty that toppled nations!

Even Su Yi couldn’t help but gasp when he saw her at such close quarters. What a stunner!

But he quickly calmed down.

Even when he looked at her without the barest hint of desire, there was no denying that she was an unparalleled, natural charmer!

“Do you have business with me?” asked Su Yi.

Xia Rouyun smiled faintly. “Thank you for not fighting me, Daoist Brother Li. If you had, I’m afraid I’d have had to directly admit defeat.”

She sighed, as if she found it an awful pity. “But it’s a shame, as many romantic tales begin with fighting. First experiencing hatred, anger, and resentment only makes love all the deeper when it finally blooms.

“If I’d gotten the opportunity to lose to you earlier, wouldn’t it have been romantic and joyful in its own right?”

She gently bit down on her red lower lip, as if struggling to accept this. “Dong Liujia really can’t read the room. He ruined what should have been our beautiful first conflict!”

Su Yi didn’t know what to say.

Lian Yue was typically cold and aloof, but she couldn’t help but find the bewilderment on Li Muchen’s face amusing. She barely managed to hold back laughter.

“Daoist Brother Li, you needn’t consider me overly abrupt or forward,” said Xia Rouyun, twirling a lock of her hair, her beautiful eyes sparkling. “I, Xia Rouyun, am of the Celestial Fox Race. We’ve never been afraid to hate—or to love. Witnessing your majesty firsthand has stirred my heart!”

Su Yi fell silent. He really didn’t know how to respond to that. Is she insane? No, a madwoman could never have taken ninth place in the Unfettered Rankings.

But if she isn’t insane, why is she talking like a lunatic?

Xia Rouyun suddenly took a deep breath, her ample chest outlining a startling, full curve that tugged the fabric of her lapels.

Many of the spectating cultivators gasped, practically losing control of their Dao Hearts. This woman really is a walking harbinger of disaster!

“Daoist Brother Li, I’ve decided to pursue you,” Xia Rouyun said with the utmost seriousness. “I don’t expect you to like me exclusively, but that doesn’t matter. It’s enough that I like you exclusively!”

Su Yi couldn’t help but rub his forehead.

The other Eternal Lightning Court cultivators looked flabbergasted.

One of Xia Rouyun’s sectmates had always had a crush on her. He was so angry and jealous that he longed to draw his sword and cut Li Muchen down on the spot.

Heavenly Monarch Jin Xun’s expression darkened. Steam practically billowed from the seven apertures of his face. How could you be so unreserved in front of a crowd? Do you have no shame?

You’ve disgraced the entire sect! You’ve left our reputation in shambles!

There was no denying that Xia Rouyun’s declaration had left many of the onlookers mad with jealousy. What on earth did Li Muchen do to deserve such treatment!?

Meanwhile, outside the Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone, beyond the nine heavens, Lu Hongpao had only just taken a sip of wine when she spat it back out, clutched her sides, threw back her head, and burst into uproarious laughter. Before long, she was rolling back and forth across the cloud.

“I’ve got to say, that Celestial Fox girl sure has good taste!” After a while, Lu Hongpao wiped tears of laughter from her eyes and said, “She’s got guts, too!”

Yao Monarch Lian Luo was completely bewildered. What happened in the Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone to make master so... gleeful?

Over on the Divine Contemplation Lotus Platform, the corners of Su Yi’s lips twitched. In the end, he just closed his eyes and entered meditation, paying no heed to the outside world.

Xia Rouyun grinned. “Daoist Brother Li, if you’re really so in control, why are you too afraid to even look at me?”

Su Yi said calmly, “You like me, right?”

“Right.”

“Then shut up.”

“Okay!” Xia Rouyun clamped her jaw shut.

But she placed her chin on her hand and stared intently at Su Yi’s seated figure, her eyes full of infatuation, as if she couldn’t get enough of looking at him.

Su Yi couldn’t be bothered to argue. It’s inevitable that I’d run into the occasional inexplicable madwoman.

Su Yi was no blushing virgin. He certainly wasn’t the type to let beauty overpower his good judgment.

No matter how charming, beautiful, and enchanting Xia Rouyun was, Su Yi’s heart was as calm as the clear waters of a lake.

But then, Xia Rouyun’s soft voice was transmitted directly into his ears. “Daoist Brother Li, I know that Dong Liujia lost to you, and I’ve already guessed that your identity is extraordinary.

“But you’d best be careful. The Ancient Nine Luminaries City might look peaceful, but danger lurks at every turn. A moment’s incaution could lead to doom!”