Novel Full Chapter 2003: Spine
Chapter 2003: Spine
“My apologies, but I’m claiming this treasure.”
A long-haired man in a feather coat appeared in the distance, smiling and narrowing his eyes. He gripped a hunk of copper emanating misty blue light.
Su Yi said calmly, “I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”
The man in the feather coat smiled faintly. “You plan to seize it from me?”
“No, no need for that,” said Su Yi.
The man in the feather coat found this response strange, but before he could ask questions, he felt a rending pain in his hands. Then, the copper erupted with firelight, broke out of his grip, and whooshed through the air.
Just as the treasure was about to flee, chaos sword qi descended and suppressed it, preventing it from moving any further. All Su Yi had to do was walk over and pick it up.
The man in the feather coat glowered.
Su Yi opened his palm to show off the hunk of copper, then laughed, “Want to seize it from me?”
The man’s eyes flashed, and he stared intently at Su Yi, his expression brimming with irrepressible murderous intent.In the end, he forced it back down and said, “Want to hear a word of advice?”
Su Yi looked the copper fragment up and down, then said distractedly, “Sure, let’s hear it.”
He could tell that the copper contained an Undying Material. It was obviously a fragment of an Epoch Treasure!
Perhaps because it had been lost in the bed of the River of Epochs for far too long, the years had corroded it. The copper was damaged and discolored in numerous places.
The man in the feather coat said, “Give me the treasure. Consider it making a new friend. Do so, and I’ll lead you to the Fire Crow Watershed, and I guarantee you won’t suffer any mistreatment.”
He paused, then continued, “You can, of course, refuse…. But then, you’ll be on your own!”
Su Yi said airily, “Is that a threat?”
The man in the feather coat was about to respond when something whooshed over from afar.
A group was headed their way. The leader was a gaunt man in plain cloth robes. He rose in on a bone boat, and he wore a tall black hat. His entire body emanated the imposing majesty of the Great Profound Stage.
He was accompanied by four others, three men and one woman. Each was more terrifying than the one before.
But then, no one capable of traversing the River of Epochs was a wimp.
“How could it be them….?” said the man in the feather coat. His pupils constricted.
“Wu Lingchong, do you know this man?” The gaunt man on the bone boat asked with cold indifference. His companions, meanwhile, spread out, and their imposing presences blanketed the entire area, enveloping Su Yi and his surroundings completely.
The man in the feather coat laughed and waved the question away. “Your Excellency Yuchi, he and I don’t know each other at all!”
He then glanced at Su Yi with sadistic glee and decisively retreated, creating as much distance as possible.
Su Yi, meanwhile, looked at the gaunt man and his companions. “Are you after me?”
“That’s right, said the gaunt man. “If you don’t want to die, offer up every treasure you have on you, and we’ll spare your life.”
His four companions stared coldly at Su Yi. Their murderous intent made the surrounding space tremble.
But Su Yi didn’t even seem to notice. “Did that Shan Ruoqin woman send you?”
“Friend, you ask too many pointless questions,” a red-robed, bald elder said expressionlessly. He was one of the gaunt man’s companions. “If you want to live, be good and cooperate. Hand over your treasures immediately, or else, this place shall become your grave!”
The atmosphere was increasingly oppressive.
Off in the distance, the man in the feather coat suddenly called out, “Brother, hurry up and admit defeat. Opposing His Excellency Yuchi will make you the common enemy of every fellow Daoist in the Fire Crow Watershed. If you want to live, don’t do anything stupid!”
It might have seemed like a well-intentioned warning, but his tone was jeering and provocative. It seemed he was in it for the spectacle, the bigger the better.
Su Yi disregarded him completely. He took out a jug of wine, had a sip, and sighed. “That woman really was trouble. Had I known, I wouldn’t have spared her life.”
Before his voice had even finished echoing through the air, he took a step forward. A moment later, he appeared directly in front of the bald old man in red.
“You really are courting death!” The bald old man laughed hideously, then swung his massive hammer with all his might.
Boom!
Divine radiance flowed as the hammer descended with shocking force and momentum.
“You think you can fight the Red-Robed Fiend under His Excellency Yuchi’s command? You really are throwing your life away!” When the man in the feather coat saw this, he couldn’t help but pity Su Yi. It’s that guy’s first time in the Fire Crow Watershed. He has no idea how mighty a faction he’s up against!
But he’d only just thought this when a heaven-shaking impact rang out.
The man in the feather coat watched in astonishment as Su Yi shattered the massive hammer with a casual, airy swing of his palm.
His palm then continued ahead, its power undiminished. The red-robed bald man’s body exploded on impact.
Destroyed, body and soul!
It was just a palm strike, but he’d destroyed an old monster who’d run amok in the Fire Crow Watershed for years!
Everyone was stunned.
Su Yi snapped his fingers and sighed. “I’m to blame for overestimating you. I carelessly used too much force.”
He’d originally thought that the old man in red was, at the very least, a peak expert within the Great Profound Stage. Thus, when he attacked, he used forty percent of his true strength.
Who’d have thought that his opponent wasn’t anywhere near as powerful as he’d anticipated?
Thus, a moment’s incaution smashed him to bits.
Of course, Su Yi didn’t find this a pity.
“You… carelessly used too much force?” Off in the distance, the man in the feather coat watched in astonishment, and the corners of his lips twitched. Just what epoch did this ruthless character come from?
“Get him!” The gaunt old man in plain cloth robes and his three remaining companions attacked in unison.
Boom!
Each summoned their treasures and attacked with all their might.
The only woman among them shouted, her voice booming like spring thunder as she tapped the air. A massive beast immediately charged out of the water beneath Su Yi’s feet, creating a massive wave as it lunged at Su Yi.
The wind and water ran rampant, emanating the terrifying aura of the epochs.
These were experts strong enough to travel the River of Epochs, but the vicious beast’s presence was even more terrifying and strange. When it attacked, its whole body erupted with bloody light, like countless sharp knives, all of them whooshing toward Su Yi.
The other two men, meanwhile, attacked Su Yi from the sides. It was a pincer attack!
Their tacit understanding made their attack all but seamless; it was obvious that they’d tempered these skills over the course of countless bloody battles. When they were at peace, they seemed entirely unassuming, but when they attacked, they struck like lightning to kill their enemies in a single strike.
Even in the face of his pincer attack, Su Yi remained in place, not moving a muscle. He unhurriedly raised his hand and pressed down.
Boom!
The entire area was thrown into upheaval.
The monstrous wave, the charging giant beast, the two men, and the woman all exploded simultaneously, as fragile as paper window paneling!
Even the sky split and broke.
Countless currents scattered, the blood washed away before it could even stain the surrounding river water red.
One palm strike, and he’d effortlessly crushed multiple foes!
The man in the feather coat was watching from a distance, and when he took in this tyrannical scene, he gasped. His heart trembled uncontrollably in his chest. Just…. Just who is this person?
Meanwhile, the gaunt man on the bone boat froze. Chills coursed through his entire body, and his face twitched.
This young newcomer to the Fire Crow Watershed is no naïve greenhorn; he’s a dauntless dragon with reason to be confident!
“You attacked me to please that ill-intentioned woman. Was it worth it?” Su Yi looked over, leisurely and relaxed.
He was someone who’d slain gods even in the Great Unity Stage, and now, he’d long since reached the Great Profound Stage. Moreover, he was nearing the peak of the stage, and… he was a sword cultivator.
Su Yi really could crush other Great Realm cultivators like ants, and when he did so, his heart didn’t so much as ripple with emotion.
The man on the bone boat thudded to his knees and said in a quavering voice, “This old man admits defeat. Please, show mercy. I’ll do everything in my power to compensate you!”
He was a Great Profound Stage expert of extraordinary status, yet now, here he was, kneeling and begging for mercy. In the Immortal Realm, a scene like this would have been shocking, and it would have caused widespread uproar.
But in the River of Epochs, such things were commonplace.
Some old timers would go to any lengths to survive. They didn’t care in the slightest about dignity or deportment.
Of course, there was also no small number of fearless, unparalleled figures. After all, these were people who dared to explore the River of Epochs. Who among them wasn’t a ruthless expert who’d fought and killed their way through the ranks of the Grand Dao?
Simply put, how much someone feared death depended on the individual.
Furthermore, some people seemed to fear death, but in truth, it was just an act. Others acted fearless, but when it really came time to go bravely to their deaths, they wimped out faster than anyone.
Su Yi disregarded all that and said, “Oh? How do you plan to compensate me?”
The gaunt man in plain cloth robes said, “I’m from the Fire Crow Watershed, and I’m a commander working beneath the Blazing Sun Demon Monarch. I’ve waged war over the River of Epochs for years, and I’ve gathered no small number of treasures. I’m willing to give you every last one of them to make amends!
“That aside, if you have any requests, I’ll happily agree to anything within my power to grant. I won’t so much as furrow my brow!”
The man in the feather coat watched from afar. Despite himself, he was stunned.
He turned to leave, only for Su Yi to say out of nowhere, “Don’t move. Be good and wait.”
The man in the feather coat stiffened. His feet suddenly felt as if they weighed ten thousand pounds; he could no longer even budge them. He forced a smile far more hideous than weeping and said bitterly, “Got it!”
“Get up. Bring me to the Fire Crow Watershed.” Su Yi glanced at the gaunt man in plain cloth robes.
The gaunt man was instantly overcome with delight, and he hurriedly kowtowed in gratitude. “Thank you, Senior! Thank you!”
He knew that he’d managed to hold onto life this time.
“Come here.” Su Yi gestured to the man in the feather coat, who stiffened. His expression filled with uncertainty, but in the end, all he could do was gnash his teeth and do as he was told. He looked as if he were heading toward his own execution.
He knew he couldn’t possibly escape, and that Su Yi could kill him with ease!
So he might as well cooperate. After all, everyone must sometimes bow to circumstance, and a wise man knows how to adapt.
“Go with him to search the Epoch Whirlpool’s vicinity for treasure,” ordered Su Yi.
“Ah? Um…” The man in the feather coat froze, and his mind buzzed.
This guy is ordering me about like a servant! Seriously? He’s taking this too far! Does he really think I’m like that spineless old man?
But despite the thoughts racing through his head, when the man in the feather coat saw Su Yi look his way, he nodded repeatedly, like a pestle grinding garlic. “No problem! Leave it to me. You can just stand back and watch!”