He couldn’t use the One-Strike Divine Slaughter Formation lightly, because each use exhausted much of his soul’s power. He needed time to regather and recondense his power between uses.

Su Yi disdained using it against opponents like these.

However, he had no other choice but to use this trump card to stop Shi Fengliu from fleeing.

Meanwhile, thousands of feet away.

Shi Fengliu sensed the danger, and he immediately circulated his cultivation and unleashed various defensive techniques.

However, in the face of the little blue sword that seemed to have come out of nowhere, his attempts at defense seemed immaterial, as if they didn’t even exist.

“A soul sword!?” Shi Fengliu only just barely had time to scream before the little blue sword cleaved into his soul.

After becoming a Xiantian Martial Ancestor, Su Yi’s divine sense had grown strong enough to stretch thousands of feet. Due to the repeated tempering of the Universal Self-Embodiment Sutra, the power of his soul was incomparably condensed.

The little blue sword he unleashed through the One-Strike Divine Slaughter Incantation was originally designed to target the souls of Origin Dao cultivators. Shi Fengliu had been caught off guard. How could he possibly block it?

Shi Fengliu staggered, and the light in his eyes dimmed.

The little blue sword had cut his soul in two. Against a formless, invisible soul attack like this, it didn’t matter how strong your physical body and cultivation were; neither was any use.

“I wouldn’t have guessed that I’d die before the Radiant Epoch even began…” Shi Fengliu’s face filled with bitterness as he plummeted back to earth.

Thud!

He stirred up a cloud of dust on impact. Life had already left his body.

He was one of the Possessed, yet he’d fallen in battle here.

Now, only Su Yi remained in the sky, upright and proud, hands behind his back.

Throughout heaven and earth, all who gazed upon him, no matter how they were, felt shaken. Even the birds ceased their song.

The six Unknown Dragons of the Great Zhou were the pillars of the imperial family, and they kept the nation under control. They’d protected the Great Zhou’s territory for countless years.

But today, in the skies above the Su Family estate, Su Yi had killed them all!

That was no different from snapping the imperial family’s spine!

Yun Zhongqi was the high elder of the Great Wei’s top cultivation faction, the Wheel of the Moon Sect, and a peak Grain Avoidance cultivator. He was a man strong enough to influence the entire nation. 

Lonely River was the chief elder of the Great Qin’s Shanglin Temple’s Arhat Hall, a prominent figure no inferior to Yun Zhongqi. He’d been famous for years.

Both had come to the Great Zhou leading their respective nations’ diplomatic missions, yet both of them had fallen here, becoming mere stepping stones for Su Yi!

Add Shi Fengliu and the Pineflame Daoist to the mix, and over a dozen Earthly Immortals, experts mighty enough to influence their entire nations’ politics, died at Su Yi’s hands.

This glorious achievement was enough to shock anyone!

Even if you examined all of history or searched the entire world, this battle was unprecedented and irreplicable!

Everyone realized that, from this day forth, Su Yi’s name would take the world by storm. It would spread across the Great Zhou, Qin, and Wei. Countless martial artists would hear about what had happened here today.

Similarly, the aftermath of this grand and unparalleled battle would influence all three nations!

……

Su Yi stood in the sky and swept his gaze across the crowd. “Anyone else want to try me?”

No one responded. The only answer Su Yi received was his own calm voice echoing throughout heaven and earth.

Alas, one got away, Su Yi sighed to himself. 

Earlier, he sensed an extremely powerful presence mixed into the crowd.

However, before the curtain fell, this mighty expert silently slipped away.

If Su Yi didn’t mistake his guess, this was Ran Chongyang, the third disciple of the Hiddensky Sect’s high elder, the Pomegranate Flame Monarch.

Just a few days ago, Monk Hongji warned him that Ran Chongyang had come here on a mission, and that he’d already arrived in the Jade Capital.

That’s why Su Yi deduced that Ran Chongyang was the one who’d left. 

Before long, Su Yi glanced at Mu Xi and company. “Might I trouble you to gather up the spoils?”

With that, Su Yi turned and left.

He’d severed his grudge with the Su Family and killed his foes, one by one. There was absolutely no need to stay here any longer.

More importantly, he’d only just broken through. He had to go back to Pinewind Villa and stabilize his cultivation before he did anything else.

They watched Su Yi disappear from view, and—

Everyone present reacted as if awakening from a dream. Only then did they recover from their daze.

The silent, oppressive atmosphere instantly broke, like a pot boiling over, and the sound of uproar filled the air.

Some sighed. “Who could have imagined that His Excellency Su Yi would be so strong!?” 

Others murmured in a daze, “He first defeated Su Hongli, then slew an entire group of Earthly Immortals. That’s just too terrifying….” 

Others exclaimed, “Today’s battle is sure to change the structure of the entire Great Zhou and cause unpredictable upheaval!”

Before the curtains opened on today’s battle, Su Yi and his conflict with the Su Family had already drawn the entire nation’s attention.

Despite this, who would have thought that when the fighting began, it would be so thrilling? Who could have anticipated all those ups and downs?

“Do you think Su Yi is really a celestial immortal who descended into the human world? If not, how could he possibly kill so many Earthly Immortals while still in the Four Realms of the Martial Dao?”

“I’m more curious to know just who in this world can defeat Su Yi!”

The sound of discussion filled the air.

Just listening to their conversation and seeing the shock on the onlookers’ faces, Yue Shichan, Ge Changling, and the rest of Su Yi’s allies realized that after this battle, Su Yi had become a true legend in the hearts of the world’s martial artists!

“Su Yi used the Su Family’s defeat to lure a group of Earthly Immortals and make them his stepping stones, establishing an invincible, domineering majesty! Impressive!” The Cloudstone Venerate couldn’t help but clap and exclaim, “I’m afraid that even in the Great Xia, such astonishing talents are few and far between!”

He hailed from the Great Qin’s Donghua Sword Sect. His status was lofty, and he was knowledgeable and experienced. Even so, this was his first time witnessing such a battle—it was unprecedented!

Especially the strength Su Yi had displayed in battle. Even he couldn’t help but feel inferior!

Lan Suo stood beside her master, a radiant smile on her face. “I wouldn’t have thought the man who saved my life was so amazing!”

Meanwhile, not far away, Mu Xi, Pu Yi, and the others had already gotten to work, gathering the spoils on Su Yi’s behalf.

There were quite a few trophies, and since they’d once belonged to Earthly Immortals, all were rare treasures.

However, none dared covet or attempt to seize them.

Tempting as they were, they were too risky. Who could possibly be brave enough to attempt to seize food out of Su Yi’s mouth?

……

The Wheel of the Moon Sect.

A single lamp in the grand hall on the forbidden grounds of the sect’s back mountain suddenly went out.

This was a lamp in which Yun Zhongqi had left a tiny wisp of his soul. Throughout the entire Wheel of the Moon Sect, only the rare Earthly Immortal experts were qualified to place their soul lamps here.

Yet today, the soul lamp belonging to Yun Zhongqi fizzled out!

This news shook the entire Wheel of the Moon Sect, regardless of rank or status. Countless disciples’ hearts quivered with alarm and disbelief.

Yun Zhongqi, the high elder, the man who’d led the Great Wei’s diplomatic mission to the Great Zhou, had actually died!?

……

The Great Qin’s Shanglin Temple.

The mournful wailing of a bell reverberated from deep within the Arhat Hall.

An elderly monk cried out in a quavering, grief-stricken voice, “Elder Lonely River is dead!”

Regardless of rank, all of Shanglin Temple was stunned and stricken with grief.

……

The Hidden Dragon Sword Sect.

When word of Shi Fengliu and the Pineflame Daoists’ deaths reached the sect, the long-secluded sect master, Nie Xingkong, left seclusion early.

……

Earthly Immortals were the backbones of prominent factions, as well as the backbones of their home nations!

With such experts around, your faction’s power stood above the mundane world. Earthly Immortals could intimidate or defend an entire region. They protected a nation’s territory!

Whenever one fell in battle, it dealt a heavy blow, shaking the factions and nations behind him.

The Jade Capital’s Su Family was an example of this. Su Hongli was dead. Without him, this peak-level clan of the Great Zhou was destined to fall. In the eyes of the capital’s other factions, they’d become a fatty piece of meat!

But today, Su Yi had killed over ten Earthly Immortals in rapid succession, including practically every Origin Dao cultivator of Unknown Dragon Mountain. It was easy to imagine how enormous the impact of this would be.

To the imperial family, this was no different from losing their pillar of support!

“Wasn’t that a bit overly selfish of Su Yi? Now that he’s killed the experts of the Unknown Dragons, who will protect the Great Zhou? What if foreign enemies invade? What will we do then?”

Many expressed such opinions. They thought Su Yi had taken this too far, and that he hadn’t considered the consequences of his actions at all.

The imperial palace.

When the emperor learned of Zhou Changyi and the other five Unknown Dragons’ deaths, his fists clenched, and his expression changed erratically.

State Preceptor Hong Shenshang stood there in a daze for quite some time.

He and the emperor hadn’t gone to watch the duel in person, but they were paying attention throughout the battle.

When they first heard about the outcome of Su Yi and Su Hongli’s duel, both were stunned, and a long time passed before they calmed down. Both lost control—a rare sight.

They wouldn’t have guessed that Su Hongli had so many cards up his sleeve or that he was so terrifyingly strong.

They certainly wouldn’t have guessed that even after all that, Su Yi emerged as the final victor!

A long time passed before they processed this news and calmed down, albeit just barely.

But when news of the Unknown Dragons’ deaths reached the palace, both the emperor and the preceptor could no longer control their emotions.

The grand hall sank into a stifled silence.

The emperor of the Great Zhou gasped repeatedly, then slapped the armrests of his throne, flung back his head, and burst into laughter. The sound echoed throughout the hall, and he sounded utterly carefree.

In the end, he couldn’t help but stand and clench his fists in excitement. “How many years has it been? The mountain weighing us down has finally crumbled!”

Hong Shenshang’s expression was more conflicted. “Your Majesty, without the Unknown Dragons, who will help the imperial family suppress the Hidden Dragon Sword Sect? Who will keep the nation’s martial artists in check? And who… Who will intimidate the Great Wei and the Great Qin?”

The emperor instantly fell silent. 

A long time passed before his eyes filled with staunch determination. “The Great Zhou has Su Yi. He alone can intimidate the world!”

Hong Shenshang couldn’t argue. Today’s battle had already proved just how terrifying Su Yi’s strength was. He indeed possessed enough power to intimidate potential foes both in and out of the Great Zhou!

Except…

In the end, Hong Shenshang couldn’t help but say, “Your Majesty, with Su Yi’s temperament, there’s no way he’ll consent to serve beneath another. I’m afraid you won’t be able to use him. You…”

The emperor interrupted him without so much as pausing to think. “We’re naturally well aware of this. We don’t wish for Su Yi to serve us. We wish to establish positive karma with him. That will be sufficient!”

Hong Shenshsang couldn’t help but ask, “How do you plan to do so?”

A hint of a smile rose on the Zhou Emperor’s lips. “State Preceptor, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten? Little Six, that boy, is on good terms with Su Yi. So long as Little Six maintains that bond, there’s no reason I can’t entrust the Great Zhou to him!”

Hong Shenshang was stunned. Only now did he realize that the supreme ruler of the Great Zhou had planned this all out already!