Supreme Warrior in the City

Su Yang carefully recalled the circumstances under which he first encountered this voice. This voice only appeared after he returned to the Nine Realms. However, that feeling of being watched was not something that only started after he came back to the Nine Realms.

Thinking back carefully to what had happened before, it seemed that ever since he left Chaos, he’d had that sense of being spied on.

But when he thought even more carefully, Su Yang realized that he had already felt this way while he was still inside Chaos.

Tracing back bit by bit, Su Yang kept making new discoveries. In the end, his thoughts stopped at the moment he discovered the Chaos Flower.

The Chaos Flower was like a vibrant rose, radiating a soft glow. Beneath the blossom was an ordinary-looking plant, whose roots delved deep into a patch of darkness.

After Su Yang picked the Chaos Flower, the plant’s roots rapidly withered away, and that patch of darkness vanished along with them.

Back then, all of Su Yang and the others’ attention had been focused on the Chaos Flower. None of them paid any mind to that darkness, nor to the flower’s roots and stem.

Now that Su Yang carefully recalled the situation back then, he suddenly realized that from the very moment he plucked the Chaos Flower, this feeling of being watched had begun.

It was as if there was someone in that darkness who had set their sights on him, and because he had picked the Chaos Flower, they had been staring at him ever since.

They had even waited until he left Chaos and returned to the Nine Realms before starting to whisper to him.

But what kind of person was hiding in that darkness? Why would this person conceal themselves where the Chaos Flower grew? And what exactly was that patch of darkness? Why wasn’t the Chaos Flower growing within Chaos itself, but in such a region of darkness instead?

The questions in his heart piled up, and Su Yang suddenly shot to his feet. He had been on the verge of a breakthrough, but these doubts disrupted his state of mind and made it impossible for him to continue his cultivation.

Walking out of the secluded forest where he was in seclusion, Su Yang saw Ye Wantong and only then learned that the battle between the Strongest had already ended.

He immediately ran off to find the six Strongest and told them everything he had encountered.

After the six listened to Su Yang’s account, they all looked at each other in dismay. None of them had ever experienced anything like this, so naturally, no one knew what was really going on.

"You just said that in the darkness around the Chaos Flower’s roots, there was someone hiding?" the Human Emperor asked in surprise. "You can’t be serious, right? Back then we all entered Chaos, searched it thoroughly, and only left once we confirmed no one was inside. If there was someone hiding in that patch of darkness, there’s no way they could’ve escaped our search!"

"What if that person is the Heavenly Venerable?" the Taoist Venerable said. "A Heavenly Venerable who somehow concealed his aura?"

The Human Emperor was immediately at a loss for words. He scratched his head. "If the last Heavenly Venerable was hiding in there, why didn’t he just kill Su Yang outright? Why go through all this nonsense instead?"

"Maybe it’s because his plan hasn’t yet come to fruition, so for now he can’t show himself or act rashly," the Taoist Venerable said. "After all, he’s been plotting for so many years. Before everything is fully in place, he definitely wouldn’t strike recklessly. He can’t let all his efforts go to waste!"

"You actually make a decent point, but if he can’t act casually, then why is he spying on Su Yang, and even sending him these voices?" The Human Emperor spread his hands. "If he wants to hide, then he should just hide properly. If he doesn’t want to hide, then he should just make a move. Right now he’s both hiding and exposing himself—what kind of plan is that supposed to be?"

"Who knows!" The Taoist Venerable looked utterly speechless. "Maybe this Heavenly Venerable is just missing a few screws. Muttering in someone’s ear for no reason, like a buzzing fly—what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"The key issue is that only Su Yang can hear this voice. We can’t hear a thing," Heaven Slayer suddenly spoke up.

Everyone fell silent. This was indeed the most serious problem.

"Su Alliance Leader, can you still hear this voice now?" the Buddha Venerable asked.

Su Yang listened carefully for a moment, then slowly nodded. "I can still hear it. It’s like it’s speaking right next to my ear!"

The expressions on everyone’s faces immediately grew grave. They were all standing right beside Su Yang, yet this person could transmit his voice into Su Yang’s ear without them noticing at all. How terrifyingly strong did he have to be? None of them could even imagine it!

"Don’t tell me it really is that Heavenly Venerable?" The Human Emperor furrowed his brow. "But even if it is the Heavenly Venerable, his strength shouldn’t be this overwhelming!"

"Could it be that after stockpiling strength for so many years, this Heavenly Venerable has taken his power a step further?" Qi’er wondered aloud.

No one spoke. None of them could imagine what kind of realm a Heavenly Venerable would reach after taking another step forward.

"Can we try to locate the source of this voice?" Heaven Slayer asked.

Su Yang shook his head. He truly had no way to find where the voice was coming from. During his prior seclusion, he had tried for a long time and simply couldn’t determine it.

"You can’t find the source, and you’re the only one who can hear it..." The Taoist Venerable suddenly said, "Su Alliance Leader, could it be that you’re hallucinating?"

Everyone: "..."

"How is that possible?" Su Yang said helplessly. "My mind is perfectly normal. I’m sure this voice is real!"

"Then that’s what makes it so strange." The Taoist Venerable scratched his head. "We’ve never seen anything like this before. What on earth is going on?"

No one could answer this question. Even these Strongest were completely baffled by this situation.

Su Yang pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, "I want to make another trip back into Chaos!"

"Back into Chaos?" Everyone was stunned. The Taoist Venerable said, "Su Alliance Leader, if that patch of darkness really is where the Heavenly Venerable is hiding, wouldn’t it be incredibly dangerous for you to go back into Chaos?"

Su Yang shook his head. "If he really wanted to kill me, he would’ve done it the last time I went in. Why would he wait for me to go back again?"

"Last time it was because all of us were watching nearby that he didn’t make a move. If you go in again now, the situation won’t be the same!" the Taoist Venerable said anxiously. "We can’t all go keep an eye on Chaos now. If we did that, it would give the Guardian God an opening to launch a surprise attack. Ye Wantong is at a critical juncture in her advancement, and someone has to act as protector for her right now. So if you insist on going into Chaos now, we’ll probably only be able to send three people with you, and that’s not safe!"

"There’s no need to follow me." Su Yang shook his head. "I can go in alone. All you need to do is guard the Nine Realms and keep an eye on the Guardian God’s side. Don’t let the Guardian God’s Strongest enter Chaos to disturb me, and there won’t be any other problems."

"Why?" Everyone was dumbfounded. Knowing full well there’s danger inside and still going in alone—this was practically asking to die.