Chapter 3043 - I’ll Carry This

Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan wasn’t in the Eternal Heavens Domain.

This answer was entirely outside of Su Yi’s expectations.

He and Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan had talked, and they’d agreed on what to do if the other Heavenly Sovereigns targeted the Taiwu Sect.

Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan said that if that happened, he’d silently return to the sect without alerting anyone and make preparations in secret. So long as no one knew that he’d returned, the Heavenly Sovereigns wouldn’t dare try anything lightly.

Who could have imagined that now, Sect Leader Wu Zhe would tell him that Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan had run into thorny difficulties, and that he’d left not long ago?

Moreover, he’d said that so long as he drew breath, the other Heavenly Sovereigns wouldn’t dare to attack the Taiwu Sect lightly, and they needn’t fear annihilation.

It was for this reason that he’d urged Wu Zhe to turtle up within their territories and disregard everything that happened outside, no matter what. As passive and humiliating as this seemed, it was the best way to ensure the Taiwu Sect’s safety.

“Just what kind of problem did Ol’ Brother Ku Xuan run into, and where did he go?” asked Su Yi.

As casual as the title "Ol’ Brother” was, no one found it strange. Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan often spoke of Su Yi, and when he did, he referred to Su Yi as his “little brother.” He seemed quite smug about it, too.

Wu Zhe pondered briefly, then laid the situation out in the open. The details were complicated, but the gist of it was that Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan had gone to the Sea of Fate. He was helping an old friend seek out the Eternal Throne lost in the Sea of Fate’s depths.

The old friend in question was called Fei Yunzi. He was the founder of Crimson Kite Daoist Court, one of the factions of the Southern Sea. He and Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan had gotten to know each other during the Devastation, and they’d been dear friends ever since, the type to live and die side by side.

Not long ago, Fei Yunzi sent word that something had happened in the Sea of Fate. He suspected that it was connected to the lost Eternal Throne. He hoped that Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan would come with him to the Sea of Fate.

Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan initially refused. After all, the Taiwu Sect was in grave peril. Other Heavenly Sovereign factions might target them at any moment. But just three days later, against all expectations, Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan received another message from Fei Yunzi. This time, he was calling for help!

Wu Zhe didn’t know what kind of predicament Fei Yunzi was in. All he knew was that the founder fell briefly silent after receiving Fei Yunzi’s message, then decided to leave for the Sea of Fate immediately!

“The founder has always attached great importance to his friends, and he and Senior Fei Yunzi have been close for a long time. There’s no way the founder would refuse to come to his aid,” Wu Zhe said with a soft sigh. “The Sea of Fate lies beyond the thirty-three continents of the Eternal Heavens Domain. It’s so far away that we can’t even use our talismans to reach him. We haven’t received any word from him since he left.”

Only now did Su Yi understand. He couldn’t help but sigh. Ol’ Brother Ku Xuan is indeed a dutiful friend. He had to have known that standing with me after the Struggle for Heavenly Fate would mean a falling out with the other Heavenly Sovereigns, but he decisively stood by me anyway. That’s just the kind of man he is.

It’s because of this strength of character that he didn’t hesitate to rush to an old friend’s aid despite the Taiwu Sect’s predicament.

Su Yi then went on to ask about something else entirely. “Fellow Daoist, do you know what happened to the Heart-Tempering Sword House?”

Wu Zhe shook his head, then froze, stunned. “Fellow Daoist, are you saying that the Heart-Tempering Sword House...”

Su Yi subtly inclined his head. “Something indeed happened, but I can resolve it on my own. No need for concern.”

He couldn’t help but feel a bit rueful. He’d assumed that visiting the Taiwu Sect would be enough to help him find a few leads, but now, it seemed he’d come up empty.

Wu Zhe sighed. “The world is getting more and more chaotic.”

Something suddenly occurred to him. “Before the founder left for the Sea of Fate, he said that there was one thing he couldn’t stop worrying about. It wasn’t the Taiwu Sect, but rather, the survivors of the Heart-Tempering Sword House. Given the founder’s personality, and given his concerns, I’m sure he made some kind of arrangement.”

Su Yi’s heart shook as something occurred to him. Don’t tell me it was Ol’ Brother Ku Xuan who took the Aberrants and the cultivators of the Heart-Tempering Sword House away?

Su Yi promptly reached a decision. No matter what, I have to find Ol’ Brother Ku Xuan. And he’s in the Sea of Fate, while I just so happen to carry the Cauldron of Fate! While I’m there, I can see if I can locate the Eternal Throne lost in the Sea of Fate during the Devastation.

Rumbling suddenly emanated from beyond the sect. Immediately after, something slammed into the sect’s defensive formations, throwing them into upheaval.

Su Yi whipped around and looked at the gates. There, he saw a group standing not far away. They’d taken out their magic treasures, and they were busily assailing the Taiwu Sect’s formations. A clamor of provocations emanated from beyond the gates.

“Hey, you pathetic turtles! Dare you come out and fight us?”

“You’ve been turtled up in there for so long. Don’t any of you have any balls?”

“To think you’re a Heavenly Sovereign faction! We’re right at your gates, attacking your formations, yet you’re still too afraid to come out of hiding. How utterly absurd!”

Each insult was more ruthless than the one before. They made no attempt to hide their disdain.

Sect Leader Wu Zhe and the other old monsters’ expressions darkened. They were visibly enraged.

Wu Zhe let out a deep sigh and grimaced. “We’ve embarrassed ourselves in front of you, Fellow Daoist. Of late, the experts of the Heavenly Sovereign factions have taken turns. Every day, a similar group comes to goad us into battle. We’ve... grown accustomed to it.”

Accustomed to it? Su Yi’s brow furrowed. How much bitterness and frustration is hidden behind those simple words?

“Despite their best efforts, we’ve followed our founder’s orders and disregarded their provocations. They dare not go all out either. Every time, they just shout for a while, then leave,” said Wu Zhe, his smile a bit forced. “At the very least, we needn’t worry about losing our territories anytime soon.”

The other old monsters remained silent. It was obvious that they were extraordinarily frustrated, and all of their hearts were full of pent-up fury.

Su Yi took all of this in, then said, “Leave all of this to me!”

Over on the distant cliffside, Hua Qingyi rose, stretched languidly, and said, “Shall I help out?”

Su Yi shook his head. “No need.”

“Oh,” said Hua Qingyi. Then, she sat back down.

Hua Qingyi's reaction seemed rather strange, but Wu Zhe and the others were no longer concerned about that. All of them were frantically trying to dissuade Su Yi.

What kind of joke was this? Hundreds of Heavenly Monarchs of different Heavenly Sovereign factions were stationed within just thirty thousand miles of the Taiwu Sect. If Su Yi recklessly revealed himself, he’d become the target of countless arrows! It was even highly likely that he’d draw a Heavenly Sovereign onto the battlefield personally, and that would be huge trouble!

“You needn’t try to dissuade me. All of this is happening because of me. I implicated the Taiwu Sect, and I can’t let things go on like this,” said Su Yi. “Now that I’m here, let me relieve your worries!”

Wu Zhe and the others felt a complicated mix of emotions. They were naturally keenly aware that Su Yi was the cause of their predicament, and that many of their sectmates were displeased about it. They’d heard the complaints with their own ears.

Wu Zhe was the leader of the sect, but if not for the founder’s strict orders, he wouldn’t have been able to quell those discontented voices. He was touched that Su Yi wanted to take responsibility, but he was still uneasy, so he tried yet again to dissuade Su Yi.

Finally, Hua Qingyi had had enough. She said directly, “Cut the chatter and let him go. Even if the heavens fall, I’ll prop them back up!”

Everyone was flabbergasted. Who is that woman? Where does she get the confidence to boast like that?

Su Yi just laughed, turned, and left.

When Wu Zhe saw this, he knew it was no use, so he gnashed his teeth, opened the formation, and let Su Yi out.

......

Outside the sect, over a dozen Heavenly Monarchs of the Court of the Southern Heavens were hurling treasures at the Taiwu Sect’s formations.

All of them looked leisurely and relaxed, because they knew that no matter how hard they tried to provoke them, the Taiwu Sect would remain turtled up in its shell. There was nothing to fear.

“It’s truly boring. If I’d known the Taiwu Sect was nothing but a sect of cowardly turtles, I’d have stayed behind to cultivate.” A man in black shook his head, took out a bronze spear, and struck the formation. Together, the strikes formed a line of text.

“Fu Ying of the Court of the Southern Heavens came all this way, but the Taiwu Turtles refuse to leave their shells. What a letdown!”

But he’d only just finished writing when a blue-robed figure emerged from a tunnel through the defensive formations. The words “refuse to leave” hovered over his head.

The man in black, Fu Ying, blinked, then burst into laughter and applause. “Wonderful! Truly wonderful!”

The other cultivators of the Court of the Southern Heavens laughed long at first, but then one of them cried out in alarm, “No, that’s not a member of the Taiwu Sect. That’s... Su Yi!?”

The uproarious laughter came to an abrupt halt. Everyone looked flabbergasted. Su Yi? Why is he emerging from the Taiwu Sect?

After their initial surprise wore off, the experts of the Court of the Southern Heavens went mad with delight. They were naturally well aware that the threats to the Taiwu Sect were really just a ruse to force Su Yi into the open. Their true target had finally revealed himself!

They hadn’t waited here in the Blackwater Celestial Capital all this time in vain!

“Quick, send word to the others. Su Yi has appeared in the Taiwu Sect. Tell them to get over here quickly!” someone said gravely.

The Heavenly Monarchs of the Court of the Southern Heavens hadn’t let their delight muddle their heads. They instantly readied themselves for battle. After all, this was the Taiwu Sect’s ancestral grounds. If things really came to blows, they wouldn’t get off lightly.

That meant their primary goals were avoiding short-term conflict, keeping a close eye on Su Yi, and sending word to their allies as soon as possible.

Should they succeed, there’d be no way Su Yi could escape.