Chapter 3049 - Scandalous

The inside of the pavilion was carpeted in red, and the air smelled of incense.

Su Yi casually took a seat on a soft couch. The table beside it was laden with spirit fruit and other rare delicacies, as well as Snowmark Melons, a unique product of the Southern Seas. They were crunchy and refreshing, with a distinctive sweetness and fragrance.

Su Yi couldn’t help but think of Zhi Wuzhong, the founder of the Sect of Endlessness. He was quite the character, and he’d left a deep impression on Su Yi.

“Senior, please have some tea.” Yun Rong arrived with a cup of freshly brewed tea. Its fragrance wafted into the air, brimming with spirituality.

Su Yi subtly inclined his head. “Sit down. I’d like to take this opportunity to ask you about Crimson Kite Daoist Court.”

“Yes.” Yun Rong cautiously took a seat, head lowered. She dared not meet Su Yi’s gaze.

Su Yi accepted the tea, had a sip, then started asking questions. Nothing he wanted to know was any kind of secret, so Yun Rong was happy to tell him everything she knew.

The Southern Sea was one of the Four Seas of the Eternal Heavens Domain. Naturally, it was enormous, with factions as numerous as the trees in a forest. Setting aside the others, there were over a hundred Heavenly Monarch factions. Of them, six stood above all others. Crimson Kite Daoist Court was one of the six.

Su Yi’s goal for this trip to the Southern Sea involved Crimson Kite Daoist Court.

According to Sect Leader Wu Zhe of the Taiwu Sect, Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan left not long ago to rescue Fei Yunzi, the founder of Crimson Kite Daoist Court. However, no one knew what had befallen Fei Yunzi.

If Su Yi wanted to find Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan, he had no choice but to start with Crimson Kite Daoist Court.

Thus, after leaving the Taiwu Sect, he headed straight for the Southern Darkness Continent and Spirit Grain City. He visited some of the local strongmen to gather information, then found Yun Rong, a Crimson Kite Daoist Court disciple who could serve as his guide.

It was fair to say that he’d sought Yun Rong out deliberately, and that this wasn’t just a case of “meat pies raining from the heavens” like Yun Rong thought. Naturally, Su Yi felt no need to explain.

Before long, Yun Rong’s answers had given Su Yi a rough understanding of Crimson Kite Daoist Court. Simply put, as one of the Southern Sea’s six strongest factions, its foundations and status were roughly comparable to the peak Heavenly Monarch factions of the Five Great Continents.

They were strong!

The sect had over one hundred Heavenly Monarchs to oversee things. They also had dozens of subordinate factions, great and small. They were a local hegemon of the Southern Sea.

But it was their founder whom people most often spoke of. Fei Yunzi was a true living fossil. Moreover, everyone in the Southern Sea knew that he and Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan were sworn brothers. It was for this reason that everyone in the Southern Sea’s cultivation world thought even more highly of Fei Yunzi than they might have otherwise.

Unfortunately, it had only been a little over one hundred years since Yun Rong joined the sect. Moreover, her status was so low that she wasn’t even an official outer-sect disciple yet. Thus, she knew almost nothing about Fei Yunzi.

Su Yi could only let it go. He planned to investigate Fei Yunzi further upon reaching Crimson Kite Daoist Court.

“You can act freely. You’re welcome to stay here, or to explore the boat. You needn’t ask permission, either,” said Su Yi. He took out a Destiny Jade and passed it to her. “Here’s your compensation for the day.”

But Yun Rong was a bit embarrassed to accept it. “Senior, I didn’t really do anything. You... could just give me a few pieces of Eternal Essence Gold.”

All she’d done was lead this senior’s way, and he’d even let her experience the Dragonbone Worldships’ premium pavilions for the first time in her life. Accepting such wealth from him now would go against her conscience.

Su Yi smiled, then passed the Destiny Jade back to her. “I heard that there are numerous delicacies for sale on board. Buy me some to sample, then keep the change.”

Yun Rong’s eyes lit up. Only then did she say, “Yes, Senior!”

With that, she walked off, her steps light and airy.

Su Yi sprawled out on the soft couch in thought. He had two goals for this trip to the Southern Sea. He wanted to find Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan, and he wanted to look for the Eternal Throne lost in the Sea of Fate.

Back in Spirit Grain City, he heard that half a year ago, something big changed in the depths of the Sea of Fate. All manner of unbelievable, calamitous phenomena appeared.

The changes had continued, becoming more intense with the passage of time.

This development shook the cultivation factions of the Southern Sea. They suspected that the changes in the Sea of Fate were due to the Eternal Throne lost during the Devastation.

Many factions had already sent their forces to investigate.

Word even reached the Eternal Heavens Domain. Apparently, some of its Heavenly Sovereign and Heavenly Monarch factions had already started investigating, too.

There was potentially an Eternal Throne involved. What Heavenly Monarch wouldn’t have been tempted?

The Struggle for Heavenly Fate had caused an absolutely huge disturbance among Heavenly Monarchs. It, too, had been for the sake of an Eternal Throne.

Su Yi had the Cauldron of Fate, which the Malevolent Sword Venerate had retrieved from the depths of the Sea of Fate.

Even then, there were rumors that the cauldron was somehow connected to the lost Eternal Throne.

But Su Yi knew that the treasure wasn’t at all as simple as the rumors suggested. It contained a sealed power, which, in turn, was actually an ancient battlefield.

The power of the Laws within the battlefield was without life or death. It was inextinguishable and inexhaustible.

More importantly, there was a dried-up well at the center of the battlefield, and a mysterious expert was sealed within it, a man who’d broken the shackles of destiny during the early days of the Primordial Era!

The mysterious expert was sealed for reasons connected to the source of the River of Destiny. It was for this reason that the heart devil in the rusted sheath had warned Su Yi that he was unworthy of learning these taboo secrets until he became a Heavenly Sovereign!

The whole world was watching the new developments in the Sea of Fate. What would happen if he went there with the Cauldron of Fate?

On a whim, Su Yi took out the fist-sized cauldron, then set it in front of himself and examined it. It was covered in Primordial Inscriptions, the earliest writing system of the Primordial Era.

According to his first incarnation’s heart devil, the Malevolent Sword Venerate had acquired this, not by sheer dumb luck, but rather because the mysterious expert in the dried-up well had set his sights on him. His goal was to borrow the Malevolent Sword Venerate’s hands to create an opportunity to escape from the well!

But one fact was undeniable. The Cauldron of Fate really was from the Sea of Fate.

The mysterious expert knew about the lost Eternal Throne, too. He’d even tried to use it as a bargaining chip to negotiate with the heart devil, offering him the Eternal Throne, the Laws of Lifelessness, and even the Compass of Fate.

All of this good fortune was hidden deep in the Sea of Fate. The expert in the dried-up well was willing to serve as the heart devil’s guide so long as the heart devil spared him!

The way Su Yi saw it, if the changes in the Sea of Fate were really connected to the lost Eternal Throne, the Cauldron of Fate was sure to come in handy.

Of course, that was on the condition that he kept the old-timer in the well under control.

After a while, Su Yi flipped his palm and put the cauldron away.

“Want to get some fresh air?” Su Yi glanced down at the black jade medallion hanging from his waist.

When he left the Taiwu Sect, Hua Qingyi hid herself inside it. She said that when Heavenly Sovereigns traveled, other Heavenly Sovereigns were sure to sense them, no matter how well they hid their presence.

She’d hidden in the medallion to avoid unnecessary trouble.

“No need for that,” said Hua Qingyi, refusing without hesitation. “I won’t appear again unless it’s a matter of the utmost importance.”

Su Yi didn’t push her. He just walked into the pavilion’s quiet room and sat down to meditate.

“Don’t forget our agreement,” Hua Qingyi suddenly transmitted.

“Relax. I won’t forget, not even if I die,” said Su Yi, rubbing his forehead.

Hua Qingyi was obsessed with finding Old Lord Gouchen. That was why she’d agreed to remain on the River of Destiny. Otherwise, given her aloof, willful personality, she’d have left in search of the Far Shore a long time ago.

But Old Lord Gouchen was a Secluded One. How could he possibly have been so easily located?

Unless... something happened to force the Secluded Ones out of hiding. Something suddenly occurred to Su Yi. That might... Yes, if I get the chance, I could try it.

An hour later, the Dragonbone Worldship passed through the Dark Winds Belt. This was the area separating the Southern Darkness Continent from the Southern Sea. There, fierce, baleful winds blew year-round, slicing time and space to ribbons.

It was the Dark Winds Belt that made it impossible for most cultivators to visit the Southern Sea without help.

Nothing went wrong. Just fifteen minutes later, the Dragonbone Worldship passed through the Dark Winds Belt and reached the Southern Sea.

A vast ocean came into view, stretching endlessly on all sides. Seabirds flew in the distance, and all manner of creatures popped their heads out of the depths.

There were numerous cultivators, too, like beams of light shooting over the water’s surface.

The Southern Sea was one of the Four Seas of the Eternal Heavens Domain. Throughout the ages, it had been considered a place of good fortune, with countless treasures just waiting to be discovered.

This place was heaven to the world’s adventurers, as well as a lawless place for criminals to seek refuge.

...

A group of Crimson Kite Daoist Court disciples gathered in one of the ship’s rooms. Yun Liu had returned to the group with a frown on her face, and she was obviously in low spirits. When others spoke to her, she just forced a smile and said nothing.

Suddenly, a man in teal looked at her, then shifted his gaze to his cup of wine. He said softly, “She’s yet to officially become an outer sect disciple, yet she’s already broken the sect’s rules by taking up residence in one of the private pavilions. It’s truly... scandalous!”

The others blinked in surprise before realizing that he was talking about Yun Rong.

All of them had noticed that Yun Rong and the man in blue robes had gone into one of the ship’s luxury pavilions, but they hadn’t been overly concerned.

Yun Rong was a guide who spent her days dashing about to eke out a living. They figured that this time, despite her lowly status, she’d gotten lucky and found someone wealthy to guide. It wasn’t all that strange.

But the man in teal’s comments made something stir in their hearts.