First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1367 - Bleeding Them Dry

Chapter 1367 - Bleeding Them Dry

The Tailor was involved again!

Su Yi’s brow furrowed. 

Admittedly, it was the Yun Family who’d actually destroyed the Glittering Jewel Hidden Realm. They were also the ones who’d captured Old Wei.

But the Tailor couldn’t escape his share of the blame!

“The old Tailor’s always lurking in the shadows. I trust that you’ve wanted to destroy him for a long time, Temple Master.” Yun Changhong took a deep breath and said gravely, “I can provide you with leads.”

“Do you know where the Tailor is?” asked Su Yi.

Yun Changhong didn’t even pause to think. “The old schemer’s incomparably insidious. Only a select handful know his exact whereabouts. However, when a wind blows past, it always leaves traces. People talk. When we first cooperated with him, we took hold of a few useful leads just in case.”

Here, he took out a jade slip, then carved it with his divine sense before tossing it to Su Yi. “This slip contains three leads. Follow them, and I’m sure you can find the old schemer!”

His voice was rife with hatred.

There was no doubt about it. He blamed the Tailor for divulging what had happened then. Otherwise, Su Yi would never have shown up on their doorstep, and this disaster would never have befallen them.

Given the circumstances, he wanted to drag the Tailor down with them no matter the cost!

“Now that everything’s out in the open, the dogs are turning on each other,” Su Yi laughed coldly. Yun Changhong obviously just wanted to borrow his hands to teach the Tailor a lesson.

“Dogs turning on each other? Call it that if you want. No matter what, I’ve admitted defeat. Please, do as you said earlier and leave the Yun Family a chance of survival!”

Having said all this, Yun Changhong knelt and kowtowed. 

This left the distant onlookers startled. All of them were rooted to the spot. 

Family Head Yun, for all his far-reaching authority, was now kowtowing before the Temple Master! When word spread, it was sure to shake the stars!

Su Yi gazed at him coldly. In the end, he said nothing. He just swept his finger through the air. Yun Changhong was still kowtowing even as his body and soul were annihilated.

“Family Head…” 

The remaining Yun clansmen’s eyes were bloodshot with grief. Some of them even felt the urge to fight Su Yi to the death, but their fellows stopped them.

Yun Changhong had traded his life for hope for the Yun Family’s survival. If they fought Su Yi, their leader would have died in vain!

Su Yi swept his gaze across the Yun clansmen. “People often say that when you cut grass, you ought to pull it up by the roots to prevent future adversity. However, it seems to me that their words are ultimately just proof of their weakness. If they were truly strong, what need would they have to fear others getting revenge?”

He raised his hand, gestured to himself, and said flatly, “If you’ve got the courage, you’re more than welcome to seek revenge!”

Utter contempt and utter confidence!

As a sword cultivator, he spent his life on the battlefield. There was no avoiding creating endless grudges and enmities.

If he feared his enemies’ revenge and slaughtered them all, wiping out whole clans at the drop of a hat, he could avoid such problems. But Su Yi viewed such behavior with the utmost disdain.

When you were strong enough, what need was there to fear others’ revenge?

When he surpassed even the Path of Transcendence, aimed his sword at heaven’s gates, and ascended into immortality, what survivors of the Yun Family would dare speak of getting revenge?

In his past life as the Temple Master, he’d overcome countless bloodshed, establishing countless enmities. 

Yet despite the passage of countless years, practically none of his enemies dared to seek revenge.

Why?

Firstly, because they were too weak!

Second, because the Temple Master progressed too rapidly. By the time his foes or their descendants finally grew strong, they realized that the Temple Master had already grown strong enough to suppress the entire star domain!

Given the circumstances, who’d dare seek revenge against him? That would be no different from suicide!

Su Yi knew that the vast majority of the survivors and future scions of hostile factions would perish and disappear before they even got the chance to attempt revenge.

Take the Yun Family. After the devastating blow they suffered today, their vitality was severely damaged. This loss shook their very foundations!

Under the circumstances, there was no need for Su Yi to take any further action against them. When someone fell down a well, there were always people happy to throw stones at them. When a house was on fire, there were always people ready to loot it. Others would only be too happy to divvy up the Yun Family’s territories!

This was what they meant when they said the masses were all too eager to push on a falling wall.

When the time came, the Profound Divinity Sword House wouldn’t necessarily lend the Yun Family a hand. If anything, other ancient factions might well seize the opportunity to swoop in and claim their piece of the pie!

The Yun Family would struggle just to stay afloat and maintain what remained of their wealth and position. How could they speak of revenge?

Su Yi had seen this play out repeatedly.

Besides, while it was easy to threaten to annihilate an entire clan, it was extremely troublesome to put into practice.

What major faction didn’t have operations throughout the stars? 

What major clan or sect had all its descendants or disciples just waiting around in their territory, waiting for someone to come annihilate them?

Typically, when a major faction met with complete “annihilation,” it was because after the tree fell and the monkeys scattered, the survivors joined up with other factions.

In other words, when people proclaimed their intention to annihilate an entire clan and rip the grass up by the roots, they were typically all talk.

However... when Su Yi proclaimed that he’d exterminate the Yun Family to the last member if Old Wei died, it was by no means an empty threat. He had both the ability and the determination to do just that!

And Yun Changhong knew it. That’s why he ultimately chose to admit defeat!

Thus, Su Yi had no fear of reprisal.

The Yun Family’s home base had all but been flattened, and practically all of their top experts had perished. He didn't even need to think to know that the Yun Family was in for endless trouble and misfortune. It would be far worse than what had happened here today!

Heaven and earth were silent. The atmosphere was tense and oppressive.

The Yun clansmen’s expressions were bleak. They were full of grief, rage, and indignation, but none of them spoke.

But Su Yi wasn’t finished yet. 

He pointed at one of the surviving old-timers. “Send someone to gather up the spoilers. While you’re at it, bring me everything in the Yun Family treasury.”

The survivors felt as if they’d been struck by lightning. How could they fail to realize what this meant? The Temple Master planned to bleed them dry!

Even the distant onlookers couldn’t help but gasp.

The Yun Family was one of the Ancient Guardian Clans of the Dao. Their roots could be traced back to antiquity, and they frequently referred to themselves as descendants of immortals. Their treasury surely contained wealth beyond imagination!

If the Temple Master really emptied out their coffers, he’d be adding insult to injury. This would only worsen the Yun Family’s predicament.

“You have fifteen minutes,” Su Yi said softly.

It was just one sentence, but it was like the sound of impending doom. The Yun clansmen stiffened, and although their hearts were full of endless indignation, they had no choice but to endure and get to work.

When the distant onlookers saw this, they couldn’t help but feel grief-stricken on the Yun Family’s behalf. 

Too brutal!

Bad enough that their ancestral ground had been flattened and that they’d suffered endless casualties. Now, the Temple Master was emptying out their treasury! Who wouldn’t have been wistful after witnessing this?

There was no need to even think to know that when word spread, it would serve as a warning to the other factions. This would shake every major sect and clan around.

Going forward, anyone considering duking it out with the Temple Master would first have to consider what had happened to the Yun Family!

……

Beneath the distant dome of heaven, Ruan Caizhi fled like mad. She was like a streak of flickering light. Every time she vanished, she reappeared several tens of thousands of feet away.

“Su Yi! You dared kill our high elder and destroy Divine Purple, so just you wait! We’ll be back to get even!”

Her beautiful eyes were full of hatred.

Today’s misfortunes had thoroughly provoked this Cloud Soaring Realm expert, and endless wrath had accumulated in her heart.

When I get back, I’ll report to the ancestor. We… absolutely cannot let Su Yi live!

Ruan Caizhi had only just thought this when she felt a sudden sense of foreboding. She abruptly stopped in her tracks, then shot off in another direction.

Boom!

A purple flying dagger appeared in the spot she’d stood just moments prior. It brought with it appalling, unearthly light, shattering the air into powder.

A chill coursed down Ruan Caizhi’s spine, and she whipped around.

There, off in the distance, she saw an old man in wind and fire-patterned Daoist robes. 

This was none other than the Mountain-Overturning Yao Monarch, Li Zhong!

“It’s you!” Ruan Caizhi exclaimed. “Don’t tell me the Mountain-Overturning Yao Monarch plans to oppose the Profound Divinity Sword House?”

Li Zhong sighed. “I urged you to smooth things over, but you refused to listen, Fellow Daoist. You even told me that even with Mo Qingchou backing me, I was unqualified to meddle in the Profound Divinity Sword House’s affairs.”

Here, he stared at her with complete seriousness. “Now, I am planning to show you my qualifications. See if they are enough”

Ruan Caizhi’s heart sank. “Earlier, I spoke out of anger. If I offended you, I humbly request your understanding. I promise to make it up to you one day!”

The earlier battle had left her riddled with wounds. Furthermore, Li Zhong was among the Nine Great Yao Monarchs of the ancient era. He was far from comparable to an ordinary Cloud Soaring Realm powerhouse.

She was wounded, but even if she were in peak condition, she wouldn’t necessarily have been a match for him!

But Li Zhong just smiled and said warmly, “Leave your life behind. That’s the only compensation I need.”

With that, he stepped into the air and locked onto Ruan Caizhi.

Ruan Caizhi drew her sword and said icily, “I truly don’t understand why you’d do this. Aren’t you afraid the Profound Divinity Sword House will come looking to get even with you?”

Li Zhong smiled. “I need an opportunity to establish positive karma with Fellow Daoist Su. Compared to that, do you think I care about offending your Profound Divinity Sword House?”

Ruan Caizhi’s heart sank even further. She understood. The old man’s come to kill me in hopes of an opportunity to break his curse!

“There’s not much time left. I humbly request your cooperation, Fellow Daoist,” said Li Zhong.

Before his gentle voice had even finished echoing through the air, he attacked.

Whoosh!

A purple knife flew through the air, cleaving at Ruan Caizhi with tyrannical force.

How could she possibly just sit around and wait to die? She poured her strength into her sword and clashed with the flying knife head-on.

However, she was weaker than her opponent, and furthermore, she was already injured. It wasn’t long before Li Zhong took her head clean off.

Li Zhong held her severed head aloft and let out a long breath of turbid air, as if he found it a pity. “It’s a shame. Your head carries little weight. I don’t know if this will be enough to establish a connection with Fellow Daoist Su.

“But a trivial offering is better than nothing. At the very least… Fellow Daoist Su will understand my sincerity. That’s enough.”

Before his voice had even finished echoing through the air, the unparalleled yao monarch with the air of a Daoist immortal shifted through the air and shot toward Goldendawn Divine Mountain.

Although no one else knew it, after witnessing Su Yi’s battle with the Yun Family, Li Zhong was increasingly certain about his next steps. He would do everything in his power to establish a positive connection with Su Yi, and there was absolutely no way he’d do anything to offend him.

Su Yi might look young, but he was way, way, way too dangerous!

It was no exaggeration to say that at this point, even if Mo Qingchou demanded that he oppose Su Yi, Li Zhong wouldn’t necessarily comply.

…

Meanwhile, atop the remains of Goldendawn Divine Mountain, the territory of the Yun Family.

Su Yi was perusing the two jade slips Yun Changhong had left him.