Novel Full Chapter 2786 - The Burdens of Empty Fame
Chapter 2786 – The Burdens of Empty Fame
Su Yi glanced at Mo Lanhe.
The Mountain Lord of Snowy Pine Peak maintained his humble bow, his steely face utterly calm.
After a while, Su Yi asked a question. “Why not send Patriarch Du Ya to serve as my Dao Protector?”
“Patriarch Du Ya has been confined to the sect’s back mountain, where he must face the cliff in contemplation. The founder is investigating him and those connected to him. When he’s finished his cleansing, he’ll return to punish Du Ya accordingly.”
Su Yi nodded. “You really aren’t afraid to die? I want to hear the truth.”
After a while, Mo Lanhe said, “I’m afraid! But if it will help remedy the Blueleaf Sword Sect’s mistakes, it’s fine if I die in the Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone.”
He paused, then said, “To tell the truth, Fellow Daoist, I requested this mission.”
Su Yi couldn’t help but find this surprising. “You don’t feel aggrieved? I’m just an Unfettered Realm junior, after all. Never mind the rest—my cultivation base is four realms beneath yours. Is it really worth dying for a junior like me?”
Mo Lanhe had a complicated look on his face. What Unfettered Realm junior?
You’re the genius who overcame the ninth floor of Heart Sword Tower. More than that, the founder didn’t hesitate to cleanse the entire Blueleaf Sword Sect on your account. How could I possibly judge you by your cultivation base?
Out loud, he said, “I wouldn’t say I’m aggrieved. I’m simply making amends,” said Mo Lan. “I understand that clearly.”
“Then let’s speak openly,” said Su Yi. “How will you protect me in the Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone?”
Mo Lanhe didn’t miss a beat. “It’s entirely up to you, Fellow Daoist. I won’t so much as furrow my brow even if we jump into the fire.”
Bu Meng couldn’t help but exclaim, “I didn’t realize it, but you’re quite the man!”
His impression of Mo Lanhe had improved considerably.
Su Yi pondered briefly, then agreed.
Mo Lanhe visibly relaxed. “Thank you for granting my request, Fellow Daoist!”
……
Ten days later, on Qingpu Mountain.
This was the site of the earlier Nine Luminaries Dao Assembly. Now, everything within three thousand miles of the peak had been completely sealed off. This was the day the Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone was due to appear, something that only happened once every thousand years.
A group of cultivators from the Literati Continent’s thirteen Heavenly Monarch-level factions had gathered at the foot of the mountain.
Su Yi stood in Light Beam Sword Pavilion’s camp. It was the smallest group here, because only two of their disciples made it into the top thirty. Su Yi, and a lady sword cultivator called Fu Lingyun, a delicate, snowy beauty in black. She’d taken nineteenth place.
That wasn’t a fabulous result, but it absolutely wasn’t bad, either.
According to Bu Meng, Fu Lingyun was the unquestioned greatest Unfettered Realm disciple in the entire Light Beam Sword Pavilion. Don’t let her delicate appearance and moving beauty fool you; she was a highly capable attacker, and she liked nothing more than hunting yao!
More than anyone else in the sect, Bu Meng favored her, doting on her as he might his own granddaughter.
Bu Meng had even cast aside all concern for his face and begged Li Muchen to look after her on this expedition.
Su Yi naturally wouldn’t refuse. He understood how dire the Light Beam Sword Pavilion’s situation was. Aside from Bu Meng, there was no Heavenly Monarch in the sect capable of serving as Fu Lingyun’s Dao Protector.
That aside, Su Yi had a decent impression of Fu Lingyun, who loved two things above all others: cultivating and hunting yao. When she discussed them, her eyes lit up. However, under ordinary circumstances, she was awkward, even a bit ditzy, bad at communicating, and prone to daydreaming.
“Oh? Blueleaf Sword Sect’s camp is here. It seems they’re too ashamed to come greet us,” laughed Bu Meng.
Sect Leader Shi Huiyan and several other old-timers were present, including Lu Xuanwu, whom Su Yi had defeated earlier.
When their gazes landed on Su Yi, they filled with complicated emotions.
Only Shi Huiyan smiled and nodded at Su Yi. He said nothing, but his meaning was perfectly clear.
“Li Muchen.”
Suddenly, a broad-shouldered, thin man in jade-colored robes walked over. A Sword-Nourishing Gourd hung from his waist.
This was none other than Liu Tianchen, the unparalleled Unfettered Realm sword cultivator from the greatest orthodoxy in the Literati Continent, the Southern Darkness Sword Sect.
He was the one who’d defeated Li Muchen. He went on to take fourth place.
That effectively made him the fourth strongest Unfettered Realm cultivator in the continent. It was a dazzling accomplishment!
But something had been bothering Liu Tianchen of late. Thus, he came over as soon as he spotted Li Muchen in the distance.
“Do you have business with me?” asked Su Yi. He was drinking.
Liu Tianchen stared at him, his gaze as sharp as the edge of his sword. “Did you lose on purpose?”
Su Yi looked stunned. “My skills were inferior. It’s only natural that I’d lose.”
Liu Tianchen laughed. “Drop the act! Others might not realize it, but I know better than anyone that you lost on pur—”
Su Yi laughed and interrupted him. “If you’re not convinced, I’ll just apologize, alright?”
He was inwardly bemused. Liu Tianchen is quite interesting. He obviously won, but he’s still bitter about it. It seems he cares a lot about winning the ‘proper’ way!
“Apologize?” said Liu Tianchen. “No need for that. If you call yourself a true sword cultivator, dare you fight me again in the Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone? Even if I lose, no matter how crushing the defeat, it’ll be better than being handed a win!”
“Very well!” said Su Yi.
Liu Tianchen turned to leave without another word.
“He’s a good seedling with firm, unyielding pride!” sighed Bu Meng. “It’s a pity that he isn’t a disciple of Light Beam Sword Pavilion.”
“In the Blueleaf Sword Sect, someone so forthright would have been suppressed in the name of ‘tempering his character,’” said Su Yi.
Mo Lanhe couldn’t help but feel rather awkward.
Meanwhile, Liu Tianchen reconvened with a group of three people, two men and one woman. Their names were Yun Qiaojun, Xiao Chi, and Wen Xiuran.The three of them had claimed first, second, and third in the Nine Luminaries Dao Assembly.
The leader of the group, Yun Qiaojun, was the famed top Unfettered Realm expert in the Literati Continent! Moreover, just like Liu Tianchen, he was from the Literati Continent’s Southern Darkness Sword Court.
Xiao Chi, the second strongest, and Wen Xiuran, the third strongest, were from the Nine Manifestations Sword Mountain and the Waterfall Sword Palace.
Their factions were ranked second and third in the continent, too; their rankings perfectly lined up with their disciples’ results in the Nine Luminaries Dao Assembly.
“What did he say?” Xiao Chi was the first to ask when Liu Tianchen returned.
He was tall and thin, with pristine robes and a sword case on his back. His presence was fierce and imposing.
“He admitted it, and he promised me an opportunity for another duel in the Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone, ” said Liu Tianchen with a smile.
Wen Xiuran smiled. “So, Fellow Daoist Li really did lose on purpose. Aren’t you ashamed to call yourself fourth in the Nine Luminaries Dao Assembly?”
Liu Tianchen said solemnly, “Yes. It’s because I’m ashamed that I wish to duel him again!”
Yun Qiaojun patted him on the shoulder. “Not bad! You’ve got spirit. And indeed, it wouldn’t do to underestimate Li Muchen’s abilities.”
Liu Tianchen smiled.
His senior apprentice brother, Yun Qiaojun, was the leading Unfettered Realm cultivator in the continent. It was very rare for him to compliment someone.
His approval delighted Liu Tianchen to the point that he was even happier than if he’d been complimented by one of the sect’s seniors.
The way unparalleled figures like them saw it, even though their cultivation was currently weak, they’d surpass their seniors in the sect sooner or later!
Thus, while they respected their seniors, they didn’t obey them blindly.
That was also why they cared so much about the opinions of stronger cultivators of the same level.
Yun Qiaojun looked delicate, like a young scholar, and his eyes were as clear as lakewater.
He said, “I watched Li Muchen’s battles carefully during the Nine Luminaries Dao Assembly. I couldn’t figure out his true strength, but I could tell that if he went all out, he’d be able to compete for a spot in the top three.”
Liu Tianchen, Xiao Chi, and Wen Xiuran found that surprising, and they instantly sank into thought.
Yun Qiaojun was the strongest Unfettered Realm sword cultivator in the continent.
Moreover, he was thirty-ninth on Divine Reverence Pavilion’s Unfettered Ranking!
As if that weren’t enough, apparently, he’d take an even higher spot when they next published an update!
The Unfettered Ranking encompassed the entire Eternal Heavens Domain, including the Five Supreme Continents, the four seas, five celestial capitals, and six pure lands.
That Yun Qiaojun had claimed thirty-ninth place was enough to astonish the entire Literati Continent!
Who could have disregarded Yun Qiaojun’s opinion in light of that?
“So Li Muchen really is strong. I just wonder where he came from, and why none of us heard of him until recently,” said Wen Xiuran, batting her beautiful eyes.
“I’m sure he’s from another continent,” said Xiao Chi. “Liu Tianchen, if you lose your duel, I’d like to test him too!”
He was obviously extremely interested in Li Muchen.
“What about you, Brother Yun?” Wen Xiuran looked at Yun Qiaojun.
Yun Qiaojun smiled. “I won’t draw my sword without good reason, and I’d hate to provoke him unnecessarily.”
Wen Xiuran smiled. “I can see through your act, Brother Yun. You predict that he’s a deeply hidden expert, but deep within your heart, you don’t think of him as your opponent.”
Yun Qiaojun couldn’t help but laugh. “We’re fellow Daoists pursuing the Dao of the Sword, and there’s no grudge between us. Why think of him as my opponent?”
Liu Tianchen said straight from the heart, “The highest excellence is like water. It doesn’t contend with others, so nothing can contend with it. Senior Apprentice Brother, I cannot compare with your depth of spirit.”
Yun Qiaojun hurriedly waved. “Don’t flatter me. Being the so-called greatest Unfettered Realm cultivator on the continent has already brought me endless trouble. Also…”
His gaze was suddenly serious. “It won’t just be us in the Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone. Experts of two Heavenly Sovereign-level factions and numerous top Heavenly Monarch-level factions of the Five Supreme Continents will be there, too.
“As the strongest in our cohort, I suspect they’ll target me. The more you puff me up, the less likely it is that they’ll resist the urge to test my mettle.”
Yun Qiaojun sighed. “Those are the burdens of empty fame. It brings nothing good, only endless trouble.”
“Ah, so you were really most concerned with the monsters of the Heavenly Sovereign-level factions, Brother Yun,” said Wen Xiuran. She looked enlightened.
The others had strange looks on their faces, but then, it made sense when they thought about it.
After all, if he compared himself only to others of the same level in the Literati Continent, how could he possibly have become its greatest Unfettered Realm cultivator?
He’d set his sights higher than that!