Novel Full Chapter 2831 - The Malevolent Sword Venerate
Chapter 2831 – The Malevolent Sword Venerate
The Forgotten Palace was the place the Sword-Bearer had once protected, a forbidden zone within the Ancient Nine Luminaries City. Now that the Sword-Bearer was dead, it no longer had an owner.
When Su Yi, Mo Lanhe, and Fu Lingyun arrived, they were surprised to discover a group of people hidden inside. These were the disciples and Dao Protectors of the Heart-Tempering Sword House. Wu Qing and Yang Lingxiao were there too.
When they saw Su Yi and company outside, the crowd gathered in the palace shifted. They seemed to realize that this didn’t bode well for them, but they showed no sign of nervousness or dread. On the contrary, the experts of the Heart-Tempering Sword House looked ready to face death with calm equanimity.
Su Yi realized that they’d most likely sought refuge here during the earlier battle.
But it was strange. The disciples, at least, should have been able to shatter their Nine Luminaries Medallions and flee, yet not one of them chose to do so.
“Why not run?” Su Yi asked casually. “Several of you could do so easily, so why stick around like idiots?”
His only answer was silence. Not one person spoke to him. All of them were visibly on guard, and it seemed they were ready to die.
Su Yi shook his head. He couldn’t be bothered to try to guess what they were thinking. He just waved them away. “Wu Qing and Yang Lingxiao stay behind. The rest of you can leave.”
He then glanced outside the hall and said calmly, “Innocence, clear a path for them. Let everyone else hidden in the city escape, too.”
“I shall assiduously carry out your orders, Master!” Innocence called out from afar.
The experts of the Heart-Tempering Sword House were startled; they hadn’t anticipated that the mysterious, terrifying Li Muchen would let them off so easily. After all, the Heart-Tempering Sword House was the primary instigator of this death trap!
“All of you can leave. Yang Lingxiao and I will stay behind,” Wu Qing said gravely.
He had the highest seniority of anyone present, so when he issued orders, the other Heart-Tempering Sword House experts no longer hesitated. They forcefully suppressed their confusion and hurried out of the Forgotten Palace.
Meanwhile, Su Yi and his companions walked inside.
Su Yi could tell at a glance that the Laws of Ketu were hidden in the wall at the far end of the room. It was shrouded in chaos mist and flecked with flickering starlight, as if countless stars were hidden inside it. But Su Yi merely glanced at it before looking at Yang Lingxiao.
“Your Excellency Su, why did you keep Martial Uncle Wu Qing and me here? Do you perhaps have business with us?” asked Yang Lingxiao. He had a complicated look on his face, and his heart was full of agony.
The Heart-Tempering Sword House had suffered heavy casualties in the earlier battle. Many of the fallen had been his fellow disciples. Logically speaking, he should have hated Su Xuanjun, the primary culprit, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Because he knew that it was the Heart-Tempering Sword House who’d organized this! Su Xuanjun had no choice but to fight back.
That aside, Yang Lingxiao had personally divulged some of the sect’s plans to Su Xuanjun. The whole situation tormented him to the point that he wasn’t sure how to face Su Xuanjun.
“I do indeed have business with you,” Su Yi said with a nod. “Do you remember your Dao Protector, Shang Wuhui?”
Yang Lingxiao blinked. “Of course.”
“He was actually the Malevolent Sword Venerate in disguise,” said Su Yi, gazing intently at Yang Lingxiao. “Of course, you know him as the founder of the Heart-Tempering Sword House. I killed him earlier.”
“What!?” Yang Lingxiao exclaimed.
Wu Qing looked stricken, too.
“But I’m certain that he isn’t really dead, and furthermore, that he wouldn’t admit defeat so easily,” said Su Yi, his gaze still locked onto Yang Lingxiao. “I was wondering where he’d hidden himself, and what cards he’d prepared. I couldn’t figure it out, but now, I think I’ve just about got it.”
Mo Lanhe and Fu Lingyun seemed to realize what he was getting at. Both of them looked at Yang Lingxiao. Is he not what he seems?
Yang Lingxiao looked as if he’d been struck by lightning. He said in a daze, “Your Excellency Su, are you saying…”
Su Yi nodded. “Don’t you find it strange? You’re an inner sect disciple, not a legacy disciple. Why would the Malevolent Sword Venerate send you here? And why would Elder Fu Yong command you to approach me in secret?”
Yang Lingxiao frantically explained, “I said it earlier, didn’t I? Elder Fu Yong wanted to use me to get closer to you so that we could invite you to cultivate in the Heart-Tempering Sword….”
He trailed off, suddenly stunned as he realized that the explanation made no sense. The Heart-Tempering Sword House had organized this death trap. Su Xuanjun was their target! He’d have to be a fool to believe Fu Yong’s nonsense after all that!
Yang Lingxiao was startled, angry, and bewildered. “I… I don’t know what the hell is going on, but… I really had no intention of deceiving you, Your Excellency!”
Su Yi gazed quietly at him for a while, then said, “You might not be aware of it yourself, but… perhaps someone did something to you without you realizing it?”
Yang Lingxiao stiffened, and his expression shifted dramatically.
Su Yi then turned to look at Wu Qing. “And what say you?”
Wu Qing’s brow furrowed. He said gravely, “You have no evidence, so better not to fling accusations around at random.”
Su Yi nodded. “So I have to check for myself.”
Yang Lingxiao’s face paled. He said bitterly, “If it turns out there really is a problem with me, will you kill me?”
“I only want to kill the Malevolent Sword Venerate,” said Su Yi. “I have no desire to see you implicated in this.”
Yang Lingxiao slumped in despondency. Who could guarantee that nothing would go wrong if Su Yi tried to investigate him?
Nonetheless, he gnashed his teeth and said, “Very well. I trust you, Your Excellency Su! Go ahead and check!”
But then, Su Yi shook his head. “No need. It isn’t you.”
Yang Lingxiao was flabbergasted. Mo Lanhe and Fu Lingyun were baffled, too.
“The Malevolent Sword Venerate wouldn’t play such a transparent trick. It isn’t his style,” said Su Yi. He took out his jug of wine and had a sip. “The way I see it, entrusting a pawn kept in the dark with the crux of his plan would be too risky. If I were the Malevolent Sword Venerate, I wouldn’t risk it.”
He looked at Wu Qing once more. “And what say you now?”
Wu Qing’s brow furrowed. “Forgive my rudeness, but if I were you, I wouldn’t be so quick to trust my deductions. I’d still want to personally confirm whether or not there was a problem with Yang Lingxiao.”
Su Yi shook his head. “Now that you’ve said that, there’s no need.”
Wu Qing blinked. “What do you mean by that?”
Su Yi turned to look at him. “Drop the act. I’m already standing right in front of you. Why not attack me?”
The others were stunned. Wu Qing looked flabbergasted. “What are you saying?”
“Must I expose you?” said Su Yi.
Wu Qing’s frown deepened. “Don’t throw accusations around at random!”
“Very well,” said Su Yi. “I’ll lay it out so you can understand. I have three reasons for my suspicion. First, you secretly divulged my identity to Yang Lingxiao, but you only told him that I was the Su Xuanjun he’d met in the Blue Peak Continent. You didn’t tell him who I really am. Why would you do that? Why would you tell him part of the truth, yet deliberately hide the most important part?”
Yang Lingxiao’s eyes widened. Wait, His Excellency Su has yet another secret identity?
Wu Qing asked right back, “As his senior, I chose not to share certain information with him. Is there anything wrong with that?”
“There isn’t,” said Su Yi. “That’s just one point of suspicion. When I learned that, I didn’t think anything of it. That leads to my second point of suspicion. You shouldn’t have been here when I came to the palace.
“The Malevolent Sword Venerate must have known that I’d come here to acquire the Laws of Ketu. If he cared about your lives, there’s no way he’d command you to seek refuge here, where the danger is greatest,” Su Yi said calmly. “Yet he did just that. Moreover, he even commanded you not to leave.”
“We’re seeking refuge!” said Wu Qing.
“If you’re seeking refuge, why not let the Unfettered Realm disciples shatter their Nine Luminaries Medallions and leave?” asked Su Yi. “Besides, when I arrived, you and the other Heart-Tempering Sword House experts showed no sign of fear.
“Sword cultivators might not be afraid to die, but even if you aren’t desperately trying to escape the Ancient Nine Luminaries City, why just stick around and wait to die like a pack of idiots?”
By now, Yang Lingxiao could tell that something strange was afoot. He couldn’t help but take another look at Wu Qing.
Su Yi took another drink of wine. “That’s my second point of suspicion, but you really confirmed my doubts when you urged me to check Yang Lingxiao.”
“What’s wrong with that?” Wu Qing furrowed his brow.
“You’re his senior,” said Su Yi. “Have you ever seen a senior help an outsider at his junior’s expense? Wu Qing isn’t a coward, and there’s no way he’d do that simply because he was afraid of me.”
Yang Lingxiao couldn’t help but say, “That’s indeed the case. Martial Uncle Wu Qing has the fieriest temper of anyone in the sect, and he’s never been afraid to die. He’s clashed with the founder and the sect leader on numerous occasions. He’s caused a lot of trouble, too. But it’s precisely because of that that everyone in the sect knows that Martial Uncle Wu Qing really isn’t afraid of anything.”
This time, even Mo Lanhe and Fu Lingyun found the situation suspicious.
Su Yi’s points of suspicion were subtle and easily overlooked, but now that he’d “peeled off all the layers,” it was obvious to all of them that something wasn’t right here.
After a moment’s silence, Wu Qing said, “And why don’t you suspect problems with the experts you let go earlier?”
Su Yi asked right back, “If one of them was suspicious, how could they have been willing to just leave?”
He scanned the palace. “If you can’t kill me here, you won’t get another chance in the outside world… Malevolent Sword Venerate.”
This time, Wu Qing couldn’t help but applaud and sigh with admiration. “You really are my reincarnation. I didn’t go to such great lengths to set a trap for you in the Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone in vain.”
In other words, if Su Yi were too easily defeated, he wouldn’t have been worthy of all this effort!
Before his voice had even finished echoing through the air, Wu Qing’s appearance silently shifted.
Yang Lingxiao’s eyes widened in disbelief as he recognized him. “Founder? It’s really you!?”
Mo Lanhe and Fu Lingyun lost their cool, too. Both were instantly on guard.
Su Yi, however, just put away his wine and said, “You said you wanted to end things once and for all earlier in the Endless Expanse Hidden Realm, only to flee. What about now? Have you prepared yet another way out?”