Chapter 3019 - The Heavenly Sovereigns’ Schemes
As this voice rang out, Ying Qi’s tall, thin figure appeared in the doorway. He cut an extraordinarily eye-catching figure in his blood-red robes, as if he were swathed in a waterfall of fresh blood.
“Brazen!” River Emperor Tao Mo bellowed, his expression dark. “Who are you? How dare you tresspass—”
Ying Qi put a finger to his lips. “Shh!”
Tao Mo came to an abrupt halt, then collapsed on the ground, his life force rapidly flowing away. In the blink of an eye, he’d been reduced to a dried-out corpse!
River Ancestor Sparrow saw it all from his throne. His gaze focused, and his expression shifted.
Ying Qi just laughed. “I’m already here, so saying all that is a waste, but he wasn’t the least bit self-aware. He was a blind, ignorant fool, so there was no point in keeping him by your side. In killing him, I did you a favor; had he lived, his foolishness would have proven a latent threat.”
With that, he put his hands behind his back and looked at River Ancestor Sparrow.
River Ancestor Sparrow shuddered beneath Ying Qi’s blood red gaze. A chill coursed through him, and he said gravely, “Are you perhaps... a Destiny Demon expert?”
He’d just noticed the “prisoner” mark on Ying Qi’s forehead.
Ying Qi clapped and applauded. “A River Ancestor’s perception is indeed far beyond the ignorant masses, but... there’s something I don’t understand. Why would a lofty River Ancestor like you forsake his territories and seek refuge in a place like this?”
River Ancestor Sparrow’s expression shifted once more. “Have you already been to my territory?”
Ying Qi inclined his head. “I went. Otherwise, how could I have traced you all the way here?”
His gaze was suddenly playful. “They say a clever rabbit has three burrows, but you actually sent six different clones into hiding. Don’t you think you were overdoing it?”
Ying Qi waved his sleeve through the air, and six blood-red bundles of light appeared. Each contained a sealed figure.
Upon closer inspection, all of them were identical to River Ancestor Sparrow.
There was no doubt about it. These were River Ancestor Sparrow’s clones!
River Ancestor Sparrow jumped as if struck by lightning, unable to remain seated any longer. He sputtered with shock and fury, “What exactly are you after?”
The battle outside the Five-Colored Hidden Realm had left him deeply ill at ease; he couldn’t even eat or sleep in peace for fear that Su Yi and River Ancestor Lu Shu would hunt him down. That was why he’d chosen to hide.
He was quite cautious, too. He created six clones, each with an aura identical to his own, and had them hide in different places.
He’d thought this would be enough to let him escape disaster. Who’d have thought that a Negative Karma Destiny Demon would come looking for him, or that he’d bring all his clones with him?
Ying Qi said soothingly, “Don’t worry. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t have bothered sealing your clones.”
River Ancestor Sparrow took a deep breath. “Then I suggest you tell me what you’re here for. If I can help you, I won’t refuse.”
Ying Qi waved his sleeve and released the five clones. “Gather your clones before we talk. Consider it a token of my sincerity.”
River Ancestor Sparrow’s expression mellowed considerably. He made no obvious movements, but the clones instantly fused into his body.
“We Destiny Demons are fated to oppose Destiny’s Chosen. To the best of my knowledge, you clashed with Su Yi, the new Chosen of Destiny, not long ago,” said Ying Qi. “I came here hoping we could work together to destroy him!”
River Ancestor Sparrow paused, briefly stunned, then looked enlightened. “So that’s it! Easily done!”
He was inwardly gleeful. He hadn’t anticipated that he’d happen upon such a perfect opportunity to kill Su Yi.
Ying Qi took a seat, then smiled. “Then I’ll just have to trouble you. First, tell me everything you know about Su Yi in as much detail as you can.”
River Ancestor Sparrow smiled. “I’ll hold nothing back!”
A day later, River Ancestor Sparrow hurried back to his home base, Qitian Ridge.
This was part of Ying Qi’s arrangements. The way Ying Qi put it, Su Yi was likely to seek revenge. So long as River Ancestor Sparrow remained in his territories, they’d be able to lure the snake out of its den.
The moment Su Yi appeared, Ying Qi would strike!
But Ying Qi didn’t accompany River Ancestor Sparrow to Qitian Ridge, as he had other important business to attend to.
...
A massive treasure ship floated on the surface of the River of Destiny. Heavenly Sovereigns Ling, Wen, E, Changhen, Yaoguang, and Wuxu were having a meeting on board. But these were just their respective avatars of will. Their true bodies were watching over their respective territories.
“Su Yi actually managed to suppress the Ape Ancestor and River Ancestor Ji Dian? I really didn’t expect that.”
“Who could have imagined that Su Yi had the Book of Destiny?”
“Reincarnation, the Epoch Spark, the Yitian Eternal Throne, the Key to Endless Tribulations, and now, the Book of Destiny... he... really is blessed with good fortune! Jiang Wuchen was famed for his luck, but he wasn’t even close to Su Yi’s level!”
Their expressions grew complicated at the mention of Su Yi’s treasures. All of them were uncharacteristically jealous.
Every last one of these treasures was enough to make even Heavenly Sovereigns slaver at the mouth with greed, yet Su Yi had all of them at once!
“Everyone, we can’t just keep waiting, nor should we expect the River Ancestors to be of any further use,” Heavenly Sovereign Wen said gravely, getting right down to business. “Our first priority has to be preventing Su Yi from finding an opportunity to become a Heavenly Sovereign. Should he succeed, he’d present an enormous threat!”
The others’ gazes focused.
When the curtain fell on the Struggle for Heavenly Fate, they all realized a critical problem. They had to stop Su Yi from becoming a Heavenly Sovereign! Otherwise, even if the factions of the Far Shore stayed out of things, defeating Su Yi would be extraordinarily difficult. Even if they somehow succeeded, they’d pay an enormous price for the victory!
It was for this reason that they’d gathered to converse in secret. All of them drew on their respective connections to convince River Ancestor Ji Dian and the others to attack Su Yi beneath the surface of the River of Destiny. Unfortunately... They failed in the end.
None of them had anticipated that Su Yi had the Book of Destiny, a treasure too taboo to even fathom.
“If we want to force Su Yi to leave the river, we have two options,” Heavenly Sovereign E said suddenly. “First, we can find and threaten the survivors of the Heart-Tempering Sword House.”
The others frowned. They were naturally fully aware that the Heart-Tempering Sword House was Su Yi’s weakness, but they had no idea where the survivors were hiding them. Without leads, it would be like trying to fish a needle out of the ocean.
Heavenly Sovereign E continued, “Alternatively, we could target the Taiwu Sect!”
The Heavenly Sovereigns’ hearts stirred.
“That’s actually an excellent suggestion. Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan stood with Su Yi during the Struggle for Heavenly Fate. How could Su Yi just stand back and watch if his sect was threatened?” Heavenly Sovereign Wen said with a laugh.
Heavenly Sovereign Ling said gravely, “Ol’ Ku Xuan’s hidden himself thoroughly, but I suspect he’s watching from the shadows. If we target the Taiwu Sect, we’ll have to be on guard against him attacking our factions while we’re away. We’d best weigh the consequences of that carefully.”
Heavenly Sovereign Changhen suggested, “We can cause a commotion and indicate our intentions without rushing to take action. Let’s make it so that the whole world knows our intentions; we’ll be sure to reach Su Yi that way.”
Someone else chimed in, “We can put on a big show, but what if Su Yi stubbornly refuses to take the bait? Seems to me we’d best give him a clear time limit!”
“Well said! But we’ll still have to be on guard against Ku Xuan, or the old dog might well bite.”
All of the Heavenly Sovereigns were talking at once, eager to come up with a plan to target the Taiwu Sect with the ultimate goal of forcing Su Yi out into the open. They needed to kill him before he became a Heavenly Sovereign!
Suddenly, a voice emanated from beyond the boat. “Everyone, why go to such trouble? Work with me, and I guarantee that Su Yi will die without ever leaving the River of Destiny!”
The Heavenly Sovereigns exchanged glances. All of them were instantly solemn.
They’d naturally placed a sound-proofing barrier around them before beginning their conversation, yet now, someone had managed to eavesdrop on their conversation. Of course they were surprised! The barrier was the work of their avatars of will, not their true bodies. Even so, bypassing it was a terrifying feat.
As their thoughts raced, they spread out their divine senses and quickly detected a man in swaying blood-red robes. He was tall and thin, with a broad grin on his face and the worn “prisoner” emblazoned on his forehead.
This was none other than Ying Qi!
He clasped his fist and said, “This humble one is of the Destiny Demon Lineage. They call me Ying Qi. Forgive me for showing up uninvited.”
A Negative Karma Destiny Demon!
The Heavenly Sovereigns’ expressions shifted. Given their status, they naturally understood what that meant.
It was just the Negative Karma Destiny Demons had been confined to the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain for countless years. None of them had anticipated that one would escape!
“I came here with two requests,” said Ying Qi, not waiting for them to ask. “First, if at all convenient, I’d like information about Su Yi, the more detailed the better.
“Second, I’d like you to cooperate with me when I target Su Yi. Guard the appointed place and set an inescapable net. Then, all you have to do is wait for your prey to fall into your lap. That way, Su Yi will be doomed even in the unlikely event he makes it out of the River of Destiny.”
The Heavenly Sovereigns were instantly intrigued. This Ying Qi person is rather interesting!
Heavenly Sovereign Wen took the initiative to say, “If you’re willing, come on board for a chat. Let’s talk this over!”
This was both an invitation and a test. He wanted to see whether this Destiny Demon could leave the River of Destiny and board their ship or not.
But Ying Qi just smiled and agreed without a second thought. “I’ll just have to trouble you, then.”
With that, his figure blurred, and he floated onto the ship.
The Heavenly Sovereigns exchanged glances. All of them instantly thought more highly of Ying Qi. This proves he’s qualified to converse with us!
Just like that, Ying Qi’s plan to target Su Yi began, starting from the Heavenly Sovereigns’ tower ship.