Chapter 1021 - Scattering the Starry Skies
After a moment’s silence, Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer sighed. “Alas, the Infernal Palace has long since fallen. Were that not the case, I’d surely pass on my throne to you, you old monster.”
He was well aware that once Su Yi mastered the Mysterious Truths of the End, the complete Grand Dao of Reincarnation was sure to follow sooner or later!
Even in ancient times, someone like that would have been more than qualified to become the Infernal Monarch of the Netherworld.
“Don’t despair,” said Su Yi. “Seems to me that with your abilities, you’ll rebuild the Infernal Palace and restore the natural order of reincarnation before too long.”
Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer grinned. “I will indeed.”
“I’m going to get going,” said Su Yi without any further delays.
Seven days had passed already. Ye Luo, the old rooster, and the others were still waiting for him atop Allriver Mountain.
Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer decided to stay behind. He was focused on repairing the Reincarnation Grounds, and he didn’t want to give up part way through.
Su Yi didn’t try to dissuade him.
He planned to return the Disc of the Six Paths and the Record of the Netherworld before he left, but Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer only accepted the Record of the Netherworld. He left the Disc of the Six Paths in Su Yi’s care.
……
Allriver Mountain.
When Su Yi returned, Ye Luo, Cui Longxiang, and the others sighed in relief.
But when he learned that Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer had decided to stay behind to repair the natural order of the Reincarnation Grounds, the old blind man decided to join him. He begged Su Yi to take him there.
Su Yi didn’t refuse. He made yet another trip and delivered the old blind man to the Reincarnation Grounds, but he told him to wait by the Reincarnation Pool. His grand-master, Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer, would return sooner or later.
Su Yi and the rest of his companions left the Burial Ground of the Dao that very day.
……
The City of Eternal Night.
When old friends reunited, they naturally had to get roaring drunk.
Su Yi, the old rooster, and Cui Longxiang drank to their heart’s content in the Timekeeper’s courtyard. All of them drank until they couldn’t keep their eyes open, and they toppled over unconscious.
Morning the next day, the group set off and went their separate ways.
Cui Longxiang had been missing for a long time, and he was worried about his friends and relatives.
The old rooster was worried that his disciple, Ling Zhen, was getting bullied. He and Cui Longxiang left and crossed the Sea of Bitterness together.
The old man in Confucian robes and his disciple Wang Ting remained in the City of Eternal Night under the Timekeeper’s protection.
The reason was simple. Now that Wang Ting had proved his Dao and become an Emperor, he’d stepped onto the long-lost path of the Yama King!
And the Timekeepers had always served the Infernal Palace. They had a close bond with the Ten Yama Kings.
It was also on that very day that Su Yi boarded his Unsinkable Ship with Ye Luo and the Netherworld King. They then rode the waves and returned to the Netherworld.
….
Two days later, the shores of the Sea of Bitterness.
It was getting late, and the light of the setting sun blazed like fire, illuminating the distant seawater. The rippling light was beautiful and resplendent.
The City of Safe Returns was as lively and prosperous as ever.
When they passed through the city gates and saw the crowded city streets with pedestrians shuttling to and fro, the Netherworld King looked a bit dazed.
She sighed. “Looking back on it now, everything we experienced in the Sea of Bitterness feels like a lifetime ago.”
Ye Luo didn’t respond. Even now, he couldn’t quite tell what this bewitching beauty’s relationship with his master was, so he rarely spoke to her.
“It really does feel like a lifetime ago.” Su Yi sighed.
The crowds were so tightly packed that their shoulders rubbed together as they passed. Vivid scenes of human life unfolded before them.
It was lively in such a way that they relaxed before they even knew it.
That night, Su Yi and company stayed in one of the local inns.
Morning the next day, outside the City of Safe Returns.
The Netherworld King decided to leave. “Fellow Daoist, I’ll come looking for you within three years.”
Her dress was as dark as ink, and her skin was as fair as snow. Her tall, prideworthy figure and bewitching face shone beneath the light of the sun.
Hers was a peerless beauty that ensnared the soul. It could topple cities and nations and bring disaster to the populace.
“Three years?” Su Yi looked a bit stunned. “Didn’t you say you’d need ten years to break free from the City of the Wrongfully Dead?”
The Netherworld King batted her starry eyes, a playful arc tugging at her lips. “Is that so? I must have remembered wrong.”
Su Yi rubbed his brow. Women! The prettier they are, the more lies they tell. There’s no way to know when they’re lying and when they’re telling the truth!
“This is for you.” The Netherworld King took out a jade slip and passed it to Su Yi. “Consider it a token of my sincerity.” “What is it?” asked Su Yi.
“Some of what you wanted to know,” the Netherworld King said with a charming smile.
Su Yi could already guess the gist of it. Still, he didn’t examine the slip’s contents immediately. Instead, he said, “Three years from now, I’ll most likely have already returned to the Wilds. When the time comes, you can find me at the Grotto of Abstruse Force.”
Ye Luo’s heart shook.
Qing Tang had occupied the Grotto of Abstruse Force for the past five hundred years.
Do Master’s words imply that he’s going to resolve all his past enmities within three short years?
“Okay!’ The Netherworld King straightforwardly agreed, then turned and left.
After watching her fade over the horizon, Yu Luo finally couldn’t hold back any longer. He asked tentatively, “Master, am I going to have a new… err, mistress?”
Whap!
Before his voice had even finished echoing through the air, Ye Luo took a palm to the back of his head.
“What’s going on in that brain of yours!? That'll never happen in this lifetime!”
Ye Luo instantly understood. If Master took a Dao partner, who knows how many of his lady companions would suffer? Or give in to despair?
And what if some lady immortal pursues him down the line?
If he’s married, ‘sowing his wild oats’ will hurt his reputation. But so long as he remains single, none of that will be a problem!
Here, Ye Luo looked ashamed, and he sighed with heartfelt respect. “My understanding was limited, and I didn’t consider the big picture.”
Su Yi thought for a moment, then started to grasp what Ye Luo was getting at. His expression turned a bit strange. This kid… sure knows how to fill in the gaps!
“You don’t understand anything. I’ve dedicated my life to the Dao of the Sword. How could I possibly let a woman tie me down?” Su Yi shook his head.
Ye Luo nodded repeatedly. “You’re absolutely right, Master!”
In his heart, he gave Su Yi a big thumbs up. Wondrous! With an excuse like his ‘dedication to the Dao of the Sword’, what woman would dare push for marriage?
What would they do if that delayed his cultivation?
Yes, it’s truly wondrous!
Su Yi had no idea what kind of thoughts were running through Ye Luo’s head. But even if he’d known, there was no way he would have bothered explaining.
“Come on, let’s go to Tianya City.” Su Yi put his hands behind his back and soared into the air.
“Tianya City? …Isn’t that where the Falling Feather Spirit Empress, Ye Yu, and her clan live?” Ye Luo had a strange look in his eyes. Didn’t Master only just say that he wouldn’t let a woman tie him down? But he’s only just returned from the Sea of Bitterness, and he’s already headed straight to Ye Yu. This…
Of course, Ye Luo didn’t dare slander or disrespect his master.
However, he was increasingly aware of something——
If a man with an abundance of female companionship wanted to live free and at ease, wandering amidst the flowers unfettered, he ought to stay an eternal bachelor like his master. That way, he wouldn’t need to fear the fires of interpersonal conflict setting his backyard ablaze!
……
The Netherworld’s jade slip contained information about paths higher than the Profound Dao!
In the starry skies, they called this the Path of Heaven’s Ascension. It was divided into three major realms: Heavenly Longevity, Oneness, and Cosmic Enlightenment.
And all experts of the Path of Heaven’s Ascension were called “World Kings”!
It was similar to how all experts of the Profound Dao were referred to as Emperors.
Experts of this level were already the top experts of an entire stretch of stars, and they could dominate an entire Star Realm. They were incomparably mighty.
Take the Heavenly Prayer Star Realm and the faction that stood atop it like a sovereign: the Nine Heavens Pavilion. Its three Heavenly Libationers were all true World Kings.
The First Heavenly Libationer was particularly noteworthy, as he’d reached Oneness a long time ago!
In the Church of the River of Stars, the Palace Masters of the Lunar, Solar, and Celestial Palaces were World Kings too.
However, the Netherworld King’s jade slip didn’t include any of the specific secrets of these three realms for the simple reason that she’d yet to step onto the Path of Heaven’s Ascension. She naturally had no way of knowing the details.
“The Three Greats Realms of the Path of Heaven’s Ascension….” After learning this, Su Yi’s heart filled with uncontrollable eagerness and longing.
He’d been certain that paths beyond the Profound Dao existed for a long time. That was why he chose to reincarnate and cultivate anew.
Alas, in the Celestial Ruin of the Dark and Gold Star Realm, legacies of the Path of Heaven’s Ascension had long since ceased to exist.
To the point that Su Yi was only just learning of its three great realms.
The three Palace Masters of the Church of the River of Stars are already World Kings, so their leader, the Fisherman, has surely long since reached that level too. What realm is he in?
And what about the Master of the Temple of the Human Realm? If he chose to reincarnate, does that mean he reached the limit of the Path of Heaven’s Ascension? Or was his path beyond even that?
Su Yi’s imagination ran wild.
He’d never thought of his cultivation as weak. At the pinnacle of his past life, even in the starry skies, he would have been inferior only to World Kings!
Now, even with his Profound Illumination Realm cultivation, he could easily slay Profound Serenity Emperors. He naturally had no reason to discount his abilities due to his cultivation.
Besides, as his past incarnation, the Master of the Temple of the Human Realm was one of his past… selves!
At the end of the day, the way Su Yi saw it, in his pursuit of the Dao of the Sword, it wasn’t his cultivation boundary that mattered.
What mattered was whether or not he could reach greater heights of the Dao of the Sword!
……
Two days later, Su Yi and Ye Luo arrived in Tianya City.
“Alright, no need to accompany me any further.” They stopped at the gates, where Su Yi said, “When you return to the Wilds, keep a low profile and see if you can find any leads regarding your Second Senior Apprentice Brother Jing Xing, Fifth Senior Apprentice Brother Wang Que, or Eighth Junior Apprentice Brother Bai Yi.
“Especially your fifth apprentice brother. Although the soul lamp he left with the Wang Family has long since gone out, I won’t believe he died on the Ten Directions Yao Mountains until I’ve uncovered the full story.”
Ye Luo said solemnly, “I shall assiduously carry out your orders, Master!”
“Also, take the Scarlet Dome of Heaven and the Controlling Currents Shuttle with you as protection. Don’t refuse.” Su Yi waved. “Go on. When I return to the Wilds, I’ll naturally come find you.”
Ye Luo nodded, then bowed with the utmost respect. “Master, your disciple will wait for you in the Wilds!”
With that, he turned and left.
Su Yi watched his thin frame disappear from view before he turned and passed through the gates of Tianya City.
He was reunited with Ye Luo that very day, and he took up temporary residence amongst the Ghost Serpents.
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