Chapter 2984 - A List of Names
Beneath the dome of heaven, a little black boat carried Su Yi and Ling Moyun through the sky.
Su Yi sat there leisurely, drinking and perusing a recent message from Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan.
According to Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan, there were to be just under one hundred participants in the upcoming Battle for Order. All of them were Heavenly Monarchs, and all of them were affiliated with one of the Heavenly Sovereigns.
At first, Su Yi found this a bit surprising, but when he looked at the names on the list, he understood. The vast majority of the participants were old-timers who’d been stuck at the pinnacle of the Heavenly Fate Realm for a long, long time.
All they were missing was an opportunity to become a Heavenly Sovereign!
A million years had passed since the end of the Devastation. Over the course of the ages, countless Heavenly Monarchs had stagnated at the precipice of becoming Heavenly Sovereigns, unable to advance any further.
Su Yi noticed that several of the names were Heavenly Monarchs of the same generation as Jiang Wuchen, like Grand Elder Pei Shi of Limitless Palace, Daoist Five Harmonies of the Court of the Southern Heavens, and Ancestor Guang Ji, the junior apprentice brother of Heavenly Sovereign Wuxu of Eternal Lightning Court.
Every last one of them was a prominent authority figure in a Heavenly Sovereign faction of the Five Great Continents. They had lofty status and deep, unfathomable strength. Pick any one of them at random, and they could intimidate an entire area. The world’s cultivators would have no choice but to lower their heads before them.
All of them stood at the pinnacle of the world in terms of seniority, authority, status, and strength. Now, all of them were going to compete in the Struggle for Heavenly Fate.
It was easy to imagine how enticing an opportunity to become a Heavenly Sovereign was.
Su Yi even noticed that the leader of the Blackwater Celestial Capital’s Taiwu Sect was going to participate personally.
That was the leader of a Heavenly Sovereign faction!
After reading through the list of names, Su Yi finally understood on a visceral level just how extraordinary the Struggle for Heavenly Fate was.
He personally wasn’t particularly concerned about the Eternal Throne, but what Heavenly Monarch could resist such temptation?
But Su Yi also saw a few names that stood out to him, like Yun Du, the sword cultivator who’d proclaimed that he’d one day surpass Jiang Wuchen, Ling Wenxuan, the son of Heavenly Sovereign Ling, Yan Xiaosheng, the ninth son of Heavenly Sovereign E, and Lian Yue of the Court of the Southern Heavens.
Some, Su Yi had met before. Others, he’d only heard of. All of them were unquestionably members of later generations.
These “juniors” were all unquestionably heaven-defying and terrifying. At the very least, their cultivations were comparable to the peak Heavenly Fate Realm old-timers’.
The name Su Yi found the strangest was Lian Yue’s. How did she qualify for the competition? I vividly recall that when I met her in the Literati Continent’s Nine Luminaries Forbidden Zone, she was only in the Unfettered Realm, four realms away from becoming a Heavenly Monarch!
But when Su Yi thought about it, he just about understood.
Lian Yue’s background was extraordinary, and she was shrouded in mystery. She was hiding enormous secrets.
She’d shown up in the ruins of the Heart-Tempering Sword House, too. At the time, Su Yi realized that her position in the Court of the Southern Heavens was incomparably transcendent. Even Heavenly Sovereign Changhen thought extremely highly of her. Moreover, she carried a mysterious jade pendant, Wangshu. It was utterly taboo and imbued with a power that transcended destiny.
All of this combined made Su Yi realize that Lian Yue was likely similar to Wang Zhiwu. She, too, had an extraordinary secret identity.
Speaking of Wang Zhiwu, Su Yi saw his name on the list too.
I wonder whether Wang Zhiwu has learned that he’s really the founder of a top faction of the Far Shore of Destiny, thought Su Yi, his gaze a bit strange.
He promptly took out a talisman and sent Wang Zhiwu a message. “You’re participating in the Struggle for Heavenly Fate?”
Before long, the talisman flashed and delivered Wang Zhiwu’s response. “Brother Su, are you a worm in my stomach? How’d you guess? What a coincidence. I was actually about to ask you something.”
He paused for emphasis. “Do you know where they’re holding the Struggle for Heavenly Fate? It’s going to be right outside the Port of the Literati Continent, over the River of Destiny.
“I’m sure you remember the place. That’s where we good brothers emerged after exploring the River of Destiny’s Spirit Treasure Celestial City together! What I don’t get is what son-of-a-bitch chose that place for the Struggle for Heavenly Fate! It’s really bizarre!”
The corners of Su Yi’s lips twitched imperceptibly, and he responded directly. “I chose it.”
It was just three light, airy words, but it seemed they came as an immense shock to the distant Wang Zhiwu. A long time passed before he responded. “Haha, well-chosen! I like it! It’s great!” You really are the Brother Su I respect and admire. You actually managed to claim the right to choose the location of the Struggle for Heavenly Fate. Amazing!
“Right, are you planning to participate, too? I just knew you wouldn’t want to miss all the excitement, but... well, forgive my bluntness, but are you... really not afraid to die?”
Su Yi rubbed his forehead.
Wang Zhiwu’s question unquestionably proved that he knew that there’d be numerous Heavenly Sovereigns overseeing the Battle for Heavenly Fate. The moment he showed himself, he’d become the target of countless arrows!
In the end, Su Yi said no more on the matter. All he said was, “Let’s talk more in person.”
With that, he put away the talisman, took out a jug of wine, and had a big gulp.
When he agreed to the Struggle for Heavenly Fate, Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan promised to ensure his safety.
Su Yi had put forth three conditions. All were intended to guarantee his safety.
Of course, Su Yi knew that promises and guarantees were never truly reliable. So long as he was there, it was highly likely that something unexpected would happen!
But Su Yi wasn’t worried about it. He’d been planning for this for a long time, and he was confident he could handle it.
“Just where are you taking me?” Ling Moyun suddenly called out from the tail end of the boat.
He was dressed in white, elegantly handsome, with features strikingly similar to Luo Yan’s.
He’d sat in silence, lips pursed, from the moment Su Yi left the Heavenly Aberrant Hidden Realm. He remained calm all the while, showing no sign of having lost his composure.
Su Yi raised a jug of wine and said distractedly, “I’m taking you to see your father and grandfather.”
Ling Moyun blinked. “What do you mean?”
Su Yi finally shook off his reverie and looked at Ling Moyun. “Tell me, how do you think your father and grandfather would feel if I killed you in front of them?”
Ling Moyun’s brow furrowed. He said with a cold laugh, “Do you think I’m scared? I’ll be interested to see if you dare do any such thing!”
His tone was full of disdain and provocation.
Su Yi laughed, then suddenly rose, walked over to Ling Moyun, and slapped him across the face.
Whap!
Ling Moyun’s face swelled, and his mind buzzed, but he quickly recovered, pursed his lips, and said coldly, “That's all you got? Go ahead and humiliate me. See if I beg for mercy! Of course, you’re welcome to kill me, too!"
Su Yi stood over the young man collapsed on the deck and grinned. “Your grandfather is Heavenly Sovereign Ling, and your father is Ling Wenxuan. That’s the source of your confidence, isn’t it?”
Ling Moyun glowered in silence, but Su Yi thought nothing of it. He continued, “Luo Yan is your mother, and I’m her master. Going by seniority, I’m your mother’s master. You must think I’m sure to do everything I can to help you turn over a new leaf and see the light. You don’t believe I’ll kill you, do you ?”
Ling Moyun remained silent.
Su Yi patted his shoulder. “You’re jumping to conclusions. You’re going to die. Your fate was sealed the moment I took you away.”
With that, he returned to his spot at the head of the boat.
An unfilial little wretch, that’s all. He wasn’t worth taking the time and effort to re-educate. Su Yi had no intention of forgiving him, either.
The reason was simple. Luo Yan had been mistreated by Heavenly Sovereign Ling and Ling Wenxuan. They were irreconcilable enemies.
Sooner or later, Su Yi would kill both Heavenly Sovereign Ling and his son!
Ling Moyun was Ling Wenxuan’s son and Heavenly Sovereign Ling’s grandson. If Su Yi killed them, how could Ling Moyun not hate him?
How could he not hate Luo Yan?
All of this meant that Ling Moyun was sure to prove a white-eyed wolf; there was no benefit to continuing to raise him. He was unteachable and untameable. Keeping him around would only lead to disaster!
Suddenly, Ling Moyun asked, “Does that mean you tricked my mother earlier?”
“You still have the face to call her that?” Su Yi laughed. “You’re wrong. You severed your bond with Luo Yan. That means you’re no longer mother and son, so don’t even bother with all that ‘blood is thicker than water’ nonsense. I’ve never concerned myself with such things anyway.”
He paused, then continued, “As for Luo Yan, even if she finds out I lied to her, there’s no way she’ll hate me for it. She’s sure to understand that as her master, I’m doing this to avenge her.”
Ling Moyun’s expression shifted erratically. He gnashed his teeth, then said, “Go ahead and kill me, then! I guarantee that if my father finds out, he won’t spare you. He’ll kill you and everyone in the Heart-Tempering Sword House, too!”
Su Yi just laughed. “Save that nonsense for when we meet with your father and grandfather.”
Ling Moyun obviously hadn’t anticipated that he’d run into someone like Su Yi; he wasn’t acting at all in accordance with common sense.
But he wasn’t afraid. He’s just Jiang Wuchen’s reincarnation. No matter how strong he is, there’s no way he’d dare to oppose my grandfather!
He just laughed coldly. “The Heart-Tempering Sword House’s ancestral grounds have long since been destroyed, so what do you have to be so smug about? I dare say with certainty that if anything happens to me, my grandfather will wipe out you and every last survivor of the Heart-Tempering Sword House!”
With that, Ling Moyun shut his eyes and disregarded Su Yi.
Su Yi gazed at him in silence for a moment before looking away. He didn’t say anything either.
Ling Moyun had grown up with his father and grandfather. Countless years of separation meant that he and his mother were effectively strangers.
That made him a difficult problem to resolve. The situation left no room for Su Yi to maneuver. There was no hope of setting aside their enmity, either.
As Su Yi steered the boat, secret operations unfolded outside the Port of the Literati Continent.
Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan of the Taiwu Sect, Heavenly Sovereign Wen of Limitless Palace, Heavenly Sovereign Ling of the Xuanli Sect, Heavenly Sovereign Changhen of the Court of the Southern Heavens, Heavenly Sovereign Wuxu of Eternal Lightning Court, Heavenly Sovereign Yaoguang of Sevendeaths Court, and the solitary Heavenly Sovereign E were all gathered outside the port.
The waters of the River of Destiny coursed past them.
The seven Heavenly Sovereigns were working together to create an arena for the upcoming Struggle for Heavenly Fate, but they did so invisibly and without a trace, eluding the notice of all who passed.