Does he think our meeting was predestined? Su Yi took in Li Changning’s calm smile and confidence. He couldn’t help but laugh.

A paltry little Grain Avoidance Realm cultivator was far from qualified to research the intricacies of destiny. Who was he to discuss heavenly fate?

Were this the Nine Provinces of the Wilds, such a declaration would have provoked widespread laughter.

Su Yi couldn’t even be bothered to respond. He just glanced at the nearby arena. “Do you plan to fight there?”

Li Changning smiled faintly. “Fellow Daoist, let’s not be in such a rush. Before we spar, there’s something I hope you can clear up for me.”

“Say it,” said Su Yi.

Li Changning thought for a moment, then stared intently at him. “They say you ventured deep into Treasure Temple Yao Mountain. Did you encounter any of the Great Qin’s Shanglin Temple’s Buddhist cultivators along the way?”

“I did,” said Su Yi.

Li Changning’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Does that mean they’re still on Treasure Temple Yao Mountain?”

“That’s right,” said Su Yi, not wasting a single word. “But they’re already dead.”

Li Changning froze, then exclaimed, “Dead? Might you explain in more detail?”

Su Yi pointed at the arena. “Defeat me, and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. If you die, knowing all that won’t do you any good anyway.”

“Hah?” You Xinglin had been listening to this entire exchange. He suddenly laughed. “Young Lord Su, are you really in such a hurry… to throw your life away?”

Su Yi paid him no heed. He could just ignore the provocations of a trivial figure like that. He couldn’t work up any interest at all; in a bit, he’d just kill him and be done with it. 

He just looked directly at Li Changning. “What do you think?”

When he realized he was being ignored, You Xinglin’s expression frosted over. He was just about to say something when Li Changning pulled him back. “Stay calm.”

Then, he flipped his hand, taking out a bronze mirror engraved with strange markings. He faced Su Yi and asked with a smile, “Fellow Daoist, do you recognize this?”

“A tool for inspecting the soul?” asked Su Yi.

“Good eyes, Fellow Daoist. Indeed, this is a Soul-Reflecting Mirror,” said Li Changning with an admiring sigh. Then, his eyes flashed with a strange light. “Might you permit me to examine your soul with this treasure?”

Su Yi’s eyebrows shot up. “Do you suspect that I’ve been possessed?”

Li Changning’s gaze was deep, and his words were rife with meaning. “I’ll know for sure whether you have been or not once I check, won’t I?”

As he said this, he suddenly raised his hand. No one was sure when he’d done it, but he’d already opened a cut on the tip of one of his fingers. He squeezed out a drop of fresh blood and smeared it across the surface of the mirror.

Bzzz!

The Soul-Reflecting Mirror instantly surged with strange, dark light, which circulated like a whirlpool as it shone toward Su Yi.

Both Li Changning and You Xinglin’s eyes locked onto Su Yi. They didn’t so much as blink, as they were unwilling to miss even the slightest detail.

Su Yi just stood there, perfectly calm, not moving in the slightest.

However, a fraction of a second later—

Bang!

The Soul-Reflecting Mirror coursing with dark light suddenly burst apart, scattering into tiny fragments.

“This….” Li Changning was stunned, and a bit dumbstruck. What exactly is going on?

Su Yi then sneered, “A treasure like that is a bit too pathetic, don’t you think? Want me to teach you the true art of surveying another’s soul?”

His tone was rife with mockery.

“You dare destroy my martial uncle’s treasures!?” You Xinglin’s expression darkened.

Su Yi, meanwhile, walked right up the platform, then gazed down at them. “Don’t waste any more words. If you want to die, come on up and fight me.”

You Xinglin said icily, “Martial Uncle, please let me go first and teach that punk a lesson!”

The loss of the Soul-Reflecting Mirror made Li Changning wince. When he heard this, he took a deep breath and said, “Alright, go spar with him. If you can use him as a whetstone to achieve upper first-rank xiantian qi, that would be perfect.”

You Xinglin jumped, flew onto the stage, and stared Su Yi down from a distance.

Instantly, all gazes were upon them. Both the distant Cloud-Scraping King and his vast army watched with bated breath.

“Don’t get complacent,” ordered Li Changning.

You Xinglin smiled faintly. “Eagles use their full strength even when catching a rabbit. Martial Uncle, please rest assured.”

Clang!

His hands reached for his waist, and he drew a crimson longsword.

The blade was shiny and translucent as jade, with rings of rippling firelight circulating around it. The entire weapon brimmed with spirituality.

“My sword is called Flame Magpie, and it was a gift from my master, Daoist Vastblue. It’s accompanied me on my journey of cultivation for eight years already, and I’ve used it to slay thirty-six opponents of the same realm, as well as more spirit beasts than I can count; I’ve long since lost track.”

As soon as his sword entered his hand, You Xinglin’s entire bearing changed. His clothes fluttered around him, and his gaze turned sharp. “Today, I’ll use this sword to take your head!”

Boom!

His voice still echoed through the air as he surged with a ring of fiery xiantian qi. It was as if he were on fire. His imposing aura instantly soared to its full power.

He was like his sword, and his sword was like a raging fire!

“You sure talk a lot.” Su Yi laughed dryly.

“You’re courting death!” You Xinglin’s eyes flashed with murderous light. He shot forward like a lightning bolt as he stabbed with Flame Magpie over a hundred times in rapid succession.

His attacks were like a storm, or perhaps, a dense volley of arrows.

In an instant, streaks of fiery sword qi crisscrossed, stretching one hundred feet through the sky. Each streak was clear and transparent, with an unrestrained, burning aura.

Both his power and his application of strength had long since reached perfection!

He was a good deal stronger than the Taming Dragon Hall’s Elder Sutra Crane had been before becoming an Earthly Immortal.

“An excellent display of ‘Firesword Burning the Eight Directions!’” Li Changning nodded to himself.

Back in the Great Qin, You Xinglin wasn’t just one of the Profound Moon Temple’s few current-generation legacy disciples; he was also famous as one of the Great Qin’s Eight Talents, and he was considered a true miraculous genius at cultivation.

Now, when he attacked, his full strength was on display!

“How strong!” Shi Lanshan was watching from far away. When he saw this, he gasped.

He was a Xiantian Martial Ancestor too, and he could naturally determine the power of You Xinglin’s attack at a glance. It had already reached unbelievable heights; it was far beyond a mundane Xiantian Martial Ancestor like him. 

In the eyes of the Cloud-Scraping Army, You Xinglin’s sword had completely surpassed the limits of their comprehension. They couldn’t help but feel deeply shaken.

But Su Yi just stood there casually, not the least bit flustered, a faint thread of contempt in his gaze.

Whoosh!

It was only after the sweeping heavenly flame and fiery rain drew near that he casually pressed his fingers together, and a streak of golden sword qi rose into the air.

Boom!

The resulting impact shook heaven and earth, and fiery sword rain filling the air burst apart, as if it had encountered a mighty windstorm. The sword qi cut it apart, and the flames scattered into nothingness. 

But You Xinglin wasn’t alarmed. On the contrary, he flung back his head and laughed in apparent delight. “Su Yi, do you really think my sword intent is that simple?”

The onlookers watched as he suddenly raised Flame Magpie, and…

Whoosh!

The sweeping rain of fireballs reappeared, filling the skies once more, gathering around Su Yi like a tornado. Streak and after streak of fiery sword qi accumulated, then fired like ten thousand arrows loosed from their bows.

The majesty of this attack was at least twice as great as the one before!

“An excellent diversion!” Li Changning couldn’t help but applaud. Not even he would have guessed that You Xinglin was this ingenious. Earlier, he’d used Firesword Burning the Eight Directions on the surface, but in truth, he was secretly readying his next attack and gathering momentum to unleash the “Firesword Windstorm”!

“That so?” 

They watched as Su Yi suddenly took a step forward and clapped his hands.

Boom!

The storm-like, fiery rain of swords suddenly froze, as if a giant hand were pulling them backward. A single radiant golden hand descended, pressing downward and forcefully crushing the fiery windstorm. A series of rumbling cracks and booms rang out, and the firelight filling the heavens receded like the tide!

The imposing firestorm broke as easily as if it were made of rotten wood. Seeing this, all the spectators fell silent. 

“This…” Shi Lanshan’s eyelids twitched, and his heart clenched. Su Yi really is just as terrifying as the rumors say. In his shoes, I’m afraid I’d have had no hope of blocking such an attack, yet he broke through it effortlessly!

“How could a third-level Grandmaster possess such power? Even without the Soul-Reflecting Mirror, I dare say with certainty that this boy has been possessed!” Li Changning’s eyes flashed.

“Take out your trump cards. Otherwise, I have no interest in playing around with you any further,” said Su Yi flatly.

Playing around?

You Xinglin felt as if Su Yi had just trampled all over his dignity, and his expression darkened.

And here he’d thought that since Su Yi was less than twenty and just a third-level Grandmaster, he couldn’t possibly compete with him. Sure, Su Yi might have the power to slay Xiantian Martial Ancestors, but You Xinglin was a true cultivator!

Who’d have thought Su Yi was so domineering?

Was this the terrifying power of the Possessed?

“Activate! Activate! Activate!” You Xinglin suddenly took a deep breath, stepped into the air, and waved his sword in rapid succession.

Countless streams of fiery sword qi shot forth, instantly sweeping toward Su Yi from all directions. It was like a massive net formed entirely of fiery sword intent weaving together in the air, dense and all-encompassing. It soon locked down this entire stretch of heaven and earth. 

The Thousandfire Sword Net!

This was the ultimate killing technique of one of the Profound Moon Temple’s four great legacies, the Fire Dragon Sword Sutra. Once released, it formed an inescapable net, burning the heavens and incinerating the earth. It was extremely violent, despotic, and terrifying, and it left enemies with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

In the eyes of those watching from outside, Su Yi was prey caught in a trap. His predicament was dire!

Even just watching, some of the distant onlookers felt trapped and on the brink of despair. They felt stifled and suppressed.

It was easy to imagine just how terrifyingly powerful that sword was!

Indeed, this was the skill You Xinglin was most proud of, as well as his trump card. He’d used it to earn countless accolades and flattery.

But then, Su Yi’s face revealed a hint of disappointment, and he sighed, “So, this is all you’ve got…”

Immediately afterward, they saw Su Yi stretch out a single clear, lustrous hand, which he suddenly clenched. 

Rumble! A streak of golden sword qi shot into the heavens. It was clear and bright, and it carried the inscrutable charm of the Dao. Its vast power and momentum were seemingly without limit.

In an instant, golden lights swept forth, like a glinting river of stars. They seemed intent on breaking through the dome of the heavens and surging into the void beyond!

The seemingly inescapable net of fiery sword qi instantly broke beneath that terrifying onslaught, splitting into pieces and drifting into the air.

Stunned cries resounded on all sounds. Countless onlookers were stunned. Is this still the Martial Dao? That looks like the magic of an immortal!

“This…” You Xinglin’s expression finally changed.

Su Yi took another step closer, controlling the vast, golden river of stars with one hand as he said calmly, “With this sword of mine, I can slay any Xiantian Martial Ancestor beneath the heavens, and you… are no exception.”

His voice echoed through the air, and the onlookers watched as—

Su Yi raised his right hand, and the air currents overhead seemed to burst. Vast, majestic golden sword qi ripped through the air and descended like a waterfall of radiant light.

It was as if a vast, golden river of stars were pouring down onto the human world!