“Sixth Highness, aren’t you worried that Su Yi’s brutality will bring you endless trouble?” Kang Shanjing fixed his cold gaze on Zhou Zhili. “If His Majesty discovers that you allowed your companion to engage in wanton slaughter and that you brought chaos and devastation to the Imperatorial Provincial Capital, what will he think of you?”

First, he rebuked Su Yi. Now, he was warning Zhou Zhili. It was clear that he assumed that Su Yi dared kill like that with Zhou Zhili’s permission. 

Zhou Zhili was momentarily stunned. Then, he was so angry that he burst into laughter. “What does our Tea Party have to do with you, a member of the Hidden Dragon Sword Sect? Who do you think you are, rebuking me and my Brother Su?”

But Su Yi only sighed. “Why waste words with someone about to die?”

Clang!

The hum of a sword rang out. 

Su Yi shifted his wrists, and Guiding Mysteries arced, slicing through the air and toward Kang Shanjing.

Simple and to the point.

Even Kang Shanjing was caught off guard. Earlier, he dared argue with vehemence and indignation because he thought that his status would be enough to make Su Yi rein it in a little.

Who'd have thought that Su Yi would attack without so much as a wasted word?

But then, Kang Shanjing lived up to his reputation as a member of the Hidden Dragon Sword Sect. He reacted extremely quickly, instantly drawing his greatsword and holding it across himself.

Clang!

The greatsword shook, scattering sparks. A shockingly eye-catching crack appeared on the blade.

The terrifying impact of that clash of spiritual power left Kan Shangjing’s old face flushed red. He couldn’t help but feel stunned, and he immediately bellowed, “Everyone, if you don’t attack now, what are you waiting for?”

Xiang Tianqiu and company had long since realized that they were in trouble, but when Kang Shanjing asked for their aid, they couldn’t help but hesitate.

Wealthy, prominent figures such as themselves were loath to place themselves in danger.

Besides, even if they all attacked at once, how could they possibly be a match for Su Yi?

Didn’t Kang Shanjing realize that even a fifth-level Grandmaster like Qin Changshan had perished here?

“Run!” Xiang Tianqiu bellowed, then turned and fled down the mountainside.

The others’ eyes lit up. Countless experts had gathered by the foot of the mountain. So long as they escaped the peak, what need would they have to fear? 

Whoosh!

These top-level big shots of the Imperatorial Province immediately took action. They planned to flee down the mountainside.

Kang Shanjing was dumbstruck. He’d planned to join forces with Xiang Tianqiu and his allies. Who’d’ve thought that all of them would flee, each faster than the one before?

Even Zhou Zhili and his allies were wide-eyed and tongue-tied. Their opponents had been majestic and imposing mere moments before. Who’d have dared believe they’d become so spineless in a pinch?

Su Yi saw this, but he couldn’t help but shake his head. Do they really think they can escape?

Clang!

He took a deep breath, and Guiding Mysteries hummed in his hand. An obscure and mysterious pattern of inscriptions appeared on its blade, outlining the Edict of Profound Gathering. 

Then, Su Yi stabbed.

Boom!

The vast, limitless sea of clouds hovering above the peak instantly roiled and churned, as if some grand but formless power were calling them. They surged towards Guiding Mysteries in a mad frenzy, vast and mighty, like the waters of heaven pouring down to earth, booming and rumbling like muffled thunder. 

Down by the foot of the mountain, countless people were stunned.

They watched as the clouds suddenly blotted out the sun, obscuring its light from view. It was like an unseen hand had seized every cloud within a thousand-meter radius; all of them surged toward the peak.

Shortly after, the low rumbling of thunder reverberated throughout the heavens.

“This….”

“Don’t tell me an Earthly Immortal has gotten involved?”

“My heavens!”

The sound of uproar arose on all sides. Who knows how many people were tongue-tied and dumbstruck?    

Even the well-informed and experienced Hua Yan and Uncle Ying were visibly stunned.

In this world, only Earthly Immortals could move mountains and fill seas. Only they could wield the power of wind, lightning, earth, and fire.

What they saw now was no different from the work of an Earthly Immortal! Just who had provoked this terrifying spectacle? 

Meanwhile, atop the peak.

Zhou Zhili, Qing Jin, and Mu Zhongting stared in wide-eyed shock. They couldn’t help but recall the Qingding Military Drill Grounds, where Su Yi had called upon the power of the storm to slay his foes.

As for Chang Guoke, he recalled that night in the wilderness, when Su Yi’s sword called upon the lightning to kill his foe from a thousand feet away.

Now, Su Yi’s sword gathered the sea of clouds, as if he were a deity!

Xiang Tianqiu had been the first to turn and flee down the mountainside. He’d only just charged down the path when the dense current of misty clouds slammed into him.

Bang!

He felt as if a mountain were bearing down on him. The impact sent him flying, and throughout his body, countless bones snapped and broke. 

“Dammit….!” Xiang Tianqiu was astonished. He struggled to his feet, but the sharp edge of a sword flashed, piercing through his throat. His eyes instantly widened.

In the moments before his death, he saw blue clothes streaking through the clouds.

“Out of my way!” Meanwhile, Yu Baiting roared in fury and waved his blue battleax, slicing into the dense layers of misty clouds.

However, although the mists looked ethereal, they were dense and heavy as could be, and when they attacked, they were as sudden and forceful as a meteor descending to earth.

However, in the blink of an eye, Yu Baiting, a Grandmaster-level expert, was sent flying back repeatedly. He was already on the verge of being swallowed up in mist.

“How is this possible….” Yu Baiting was completely frantic. Shock and rage were written all over his face.

It was just a Tea Party! This was supposed to be a battle of trickery and tactics!

Who would have thought that Su Yi had no plans of letting them off even after they admitted defeat?

“A father repays his daughter’s debts. If you die, she can live. Isn’t this the better ending?” an indifferent voice suddenly reverberated throughout the sea of misty white clouds.

Yu Baiting’s entire body instantly tensed up. Wordless panic and terror surged through his heart.

He couldn’t even tell where Su Yi was.

“Su Yi, I admit defeat. I’m willing to accept you as my master. So long as you spare me, my Yu Family and all of its authority will be at your disposal!” Yu Baiting shouted, his voice quavering.

Splurt!

Before his voice even finished echoing, the sharp tip of a sword penetrated his threat. Blood poured down like a waterfall.

The tempestuous sea of cloud swathing the mountaintop surged, sealing the peak off completely. Those inside saw nothing but an indistinct patch of white; they couldn’t see what was happening at all. 

From time to time, they heard piteous shrieks from within the mist, making their hair stand on end. 

After the clouds dispersed.

Zhou Zhili and his allies’ pupils dilated.

Another section of the peak was piled high with corpses.

The head of the Hidden Dragon Sword Sect’s Kang Shanjing rolled across the ground, his expression still filled with terror. It seemed that even in the moments before his death, he couldn’t imagine how Su Yi dared kill him.

Provincial Governor Xiang Tianqiu, plus Yu Baiting, Zhao Qing, Bai Hanhai, three peak-level big shots of the provincial capital, as well as the governor of Huai’an Prefecture, Zhang Lingyu, had all perished here. Some had been stabbed through the throat, while others had been decapitated. 

Su Yi stood not far away, clad in his usual blue, sword in hand, as calm and indifferent as ever.

Wisps of mist curled around his tall, lean figure. Beneath the dazzling light of the heavens, this seventeen-year-old truly seemed like a banished immortal. He was swathed in a mysterious light that made onlookers’ hearts tremble. 

Zhou Zhili, Zheng Tianhe, Mu Zhongting, Chang Guoke, and Qing Jin all fell silent. Waves coursed through their heart, and they couldn’t calm down.

Even Cha Jin looked dazed and bewildered. Her eyes seemed glued to Su Yi, and her peerless, stunning features looked utterly entranced. 

“Did you see that? When you’re strong, you have no need to concern yourself with your enemies’ schemes and tricks. Just cut them down and be done with it.” Su Yi turned and looked at Zhou Zhili.

The prince shook, then bowed solemnly at the waist and clasped his fist. “Brother Su, you have my deepest gratitude for what you’ve done for me today. I, Zhou Zhili, shall remember this benevolence for the rest of my life!”

His voice was full of gratitude, straight from the heart. He was so overwrought that even his voice trembled.

Mu Zhongting hurriedly bowed as well. “Young Lord Su, today, you turned the tides, and you’ve made me gasp in amazement. 

“Aren’t you worried that by killing so many people, I’ll bring disaster upon you?” asked Su Yi.

Zhou Zhili gnashed his teeth. “The loser is always in the wrong. It doesn’t matter how impressive they were in life; now, they’re nothing but a bunch of corpses! It doesn’t matter whether the Yu, Bai, Zhao, and Xue families or the faction backing Xiang Tianqiu attempt revenge. I’ll naturally take them all on!”

This really was an enormous upset, to the extent that Zhou Zhili’s heart quivered just thinking about it. He realized that the days to come would inevitably contain great waves and widespread uproar.

But there was no way out now. He had to face it head-on!

“Brother Su, you’ve fallen out with the Jade Capital’s Su Family on my account, and it’s highly likely that numerous factions will soon set their sights on you. I….” Zhou Zhili was somewhat worried.

However, Su Yi merely waved and cut him off. “To me, the petty squabbles of the mundane world are as irrelevant as the clouds drifting overhead. Don’t speak to me of such grating, tedious affairs.”

Zhou Zhili instantly fell silent. 

Then, Su Yi suddenly gazed off into the distance and said, “Seen enough yet?”

Everyone was stunned. They instinctively followed Su Yi’s gaze.

Scree!

A clear, sonorous cry rang out. A swift and extraordinary Bluescale Eagle swept in from the distance, hurtling through the sea of clouds. Its radiant, metallic wings caught the sunlight and shone with dazzling luster.

Two figures stood on its back.

One was the youthful-looking palace master of Heaven’s Origin Academy, Ning Sihua.

The other was a man in silver imperial robes embroidered with dragons and a feather headdress. He was tall, upright, and thin as a spear.

In a few blinks of an eye, the Bluescale Eagle landed gently on the mountaintop.

“I just knew I couldn’t escape your notice, Fellow Daoist.” Ning Sihua directly ignored everyone else present, turned to Su Yi, and smiled.

The gaunt man in imperial dragon robes and a feather headdress smiled and approached as well. He clasped his fist in respect. “I am Shen Jiusong. Greetings, Young Lord Su.”

So, he’s the man in charge of the Redscale Army, the Imperatorial Province’s Cloudlight Marquis…. Cha Jin looked enlightened.

As one of the Great Zhou’s eighteen non-Zhou marquises, the Cloudlight Marquis was unquestionably famous throughout the empire. 

He had a glorious record of military achievements to his name, and he commanded his troops like a god of the battlefield. In terms of pure military merit, he was in the top five of the eighteen foreign-surnamed marquises! 

And he himself was a long-established, influential figure amongst Martial Dao Grandmasters. How strong was he, exactly? There were numerous conflicting opinions.

This was because, throughout the past ten years, he’d practically never fought in person. However, there was no doubt about it: someone like him was incomparable with an ordinary Grandmaster.

Yet now, the man who led the entire Redscale Army, a marquis whose name shook the entire nation, had taken the initiative to step forth and greet Su Yi!

Even Cha Jin took pride in this.

Almost simultaneously, Zheng Tianhe whispered a hurried reminder to Zhou Zhili, telling him who Ning Sihua was.

Zhou Zhili’s heart shook. He took a deep breath, then greeted them both respectfully. “Greetings, Palace Master Ning. Greetings, Marquis Shen.”

Chang Guoke, Qing Jin, and Mu Zhongting came to their senses too. They looked at each other, and they couldn’t help but feel stunned. 

They would never have guessed the mysterious palace master of Heaven’s Origin Academy, Ning Sihua, and the Cloudlight Marquis would appear together!

Furthermore, from the look of things, the two of them had been watching the battle for quite some time!