Chapter 2914 - Crossing Paths On a Narrow Road
Chapter 2914 - Crossing Paths On a Narrow Road
The river denizen had an ox's head on a tall, powerful human body. His eyes were the size of copper bells.
But now, he was quivering from head to toe, terror written all over his face.
He’d initially planned to rob the stranger in the feather coat, but he could never have anticipated that he’d be robbed in return.
The man in the feather coat had stripped him of every last treasure he had on him. Worse, he’d taken two chunks of meat, saying he’d never tasted a water buffalo spirit’s meat and that he was curious to try grilled beef kidney.
That was no fucking way to treat a person!
It was no way to treat an ox, either!
“Don’t be afraid. Just tell me if you recognize this man or not, and you’re free to leave,” the man in the feather coat said with an amiable smile.
The ox-headed river denizen shook his head as if beating a rattle drum. “I don’t know him!”
The man in the feather coat frowned, a hint of disappointment on his brow. Still, he did as he promised and released the ox-headed river denizen.
The ox man reacted as if he’d just received an imperial pardon and dashed off, only to suddenly pause.
A bewildered look came over him. What just happened? What am I running from? No, wait! Where did my kidneys go?
The ox-headed river denizen looked stricken. He wasn’t sure when, but someone had taken his kidneys!
Meanwhile, the man in the feather coat let out a soft sigh.
When he first left Divine Reverence Pavilion’s Ling Ran Hidden Realm, his mistress told him that Su Yi had left the Literati Continent and that he’d mostly headed for the world below the River of Destiny.
But the River of Destiny was utterly enormous. Over the past few days, the man in the feather coat had visited too many regions to count and asked countless river denizens, but he hadn’t found any leads whatsoever.
It seems I’ll just have to take a trip to the Spirit Treasure Celestial City. The man in the feather coat had asked around, and he knew that the Spirit Treasure Celestial City was the largest, most prosperous city in the surrounding waters, and that it was a gathering point for factions big and small.
Gathering information there might well be more convenient.
Suddenly, the man in the feather coat sensed something and gazed into the distance. There, he saw a spearman in bronze armor.
The man in the feather coat narrowed his eyes, but he didn’t panic. He just led the white deer away.
Rather, he tried to. Before he could get far, Li Shouhu stepped forward and blocked his path. “Why are you gathering information about Su Yi?”
His tone was harsh, but the man in the feather coat wasn’t startled. On the contrary, he was delighted. “You’ve seen him?”
Li Shouhu said coldly, “Answer my question first!”
The man in the feather coat laughed. “Tell me where he is, and I’ll naturally answer your question.”
Li Shouhu’s expression darkened, and his eyes surged with murderous intent. “You’re just a measly little Heavenly Monarch, yet you dare to haggle with me? Aren’t you worried that I’ll crush you to death?”
The murderous aura emanating from him made the man in the feather coat frown. The white deer beside him was agitated, too.
When Li Shouhu saw this, his eyes flashed with disdain.
But against his expectations, the man in the feather coat suddenly laughed coldly. “You’re from the Far Shore of Destiny, that’s all. You think that gives you the right to throw your weight around? Aren’t you afraid of falling flat on your face?”
Li Shouhu was stunned. His brow furrowed, and his sharp eyes re-examined the man in the feather coat. It wasn’t that strange that the man in the feather coat had recognized him as an expert of the Far Shore of Destiny.
It was, however, strange that the man in the feather coat would speak to him like that despite knowing his origins.
“I apologize if I offended you earlier.” After a moment’s thought, Li Shouhu suppressed his murderous intent and plastered on what he thought was a friendly smile. “Might I ask your name, surname, and sect of origin?”
The man in the feather coat said calmly, “I’m no one important, and my name isn’t worth mentioning. If you’ve got no other business with me, I’ll be on my way.”
With that, he led the white deer away.
“Stop!” Li Shouhu’s eyes flashed with cold light. “I can see that you’re here for Su Yi too, so I’ve got to warn you: he’s my prey! If anyone dares to touch him, I’ll kill them!”
The man in the feather coat stopped, then whirled around to face Li Shouhu. “You want to kill Su Yi?”
Li Shouhu said coldly, “Don’t tell me you don’t?”
Only then did the man in the feather coat understand. He thinks I’m his competition!
“I don’t.” The man in the feather coat shook his head. “I’m here to deliver a gift to Su Yi on my mistress’s orders.”
“A gift?” Li Shouhu frowned. “What do you mean?”
The man in the feather coat said, “I’m saying that I’m not Su Yi’s enemy, and I’m not your competitor, either. You needn’t be so nervous.”
Li Shouhu laughed coldly. “Who’d believe something like that without proof? Why not take out the gift and show me?”
The man in the feather coat glanced at the white deer, then made a decision. He took a deep breath, then said, “Very well. If you want to see it, you’re more than welcome—so long as you kill me first!”
With that, his presence silently transformed, expanding continuously until the surrounding waters boiled.
Li Shouhu watched in disbelief as the man in the feather coat seemed to transform into someone else entirely!
A Qiongqi appeared behind him, striding through a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood as it supported the starry skies on its back.
Its presence was so powerful that Li Shouhu sensed an impending lethal crisis. That bastard was obviously just playing the pig to eat the tiger!
Li Shouhu’s expression shifted, and he immediately called out, “Don’t be angry, Fellow Daoist. We’re simply passersby, and this was just a little understanding. It isn’t worth going to such lengths.”
The man in the feather coat said expressionlessly, “A misunderstanding? I risked severe punishment to unleash my true strength, and now you’re telling me this was just a misunderstanding?”
His gaze was terrifying to behold, and his whole body billowed with ferocious, murderous intent. The Qiongqi avatar gazed down at him, its terrifying pressure prickling Li Shouhu’s skin. His muscles tensed, and his hair stood on end.
Li Shouhu instantly concluded that the man in the feather coat was at least as strong as he was. No, he was even stronger!
And this was just Li Shouhu’s clone. How could he possibly fight this battle?”
Li Shouhu cursed inwardly. Dammit! I’m just too unlucky today. I just happened to bump into this guy, but it turns out he’s a hidden expert with terrifying origins.
“Either you kill me, or I kill you!” The man in the feather coat attacked, his palm descending on Li Shouhu.
Boom!
The waters churned. Firelight swept outward.
Li Shouhu defended himself with all his might, but he was nonetheless sent flying, blood spurting from his mouth and nose. His body was torn open in numerous places.
He visibly lost his composure and cried out, “I’m Li Shouhu, a disciple of Three Purities Temple and His Excellency Yun Wuxiang's subordinate! Please...”
But then, the Qiongqi avatar descended from on high with the terrifying power to shatter the nine heavens, the nine abysses, and everything in between.
A single stamp was enough to pin Li Shouhu in place. He couldn’t move a muscle; even his voice came to an abrupt halt.
Terror was written all over his face. Who the hell is this guy? Why is he so unreasonably strong? A Qiongqi? If such a powerful expert of the Qiongqi lineage exists on the Far Shore of Destiny, why haven’t I heard of him?
The man in the feather coat drifted over, leading the white dear.
“I didn’t want to kill you earlier, but you forced my hand,” said the man in the feather coat, his gaze imposing. “Do you really think I’m a pushover? And you even tried to use the Three Purities Temple to threaten me. Feh!”
He spat contemptuously. “If I were the founder of Three Purities Temple, I’d die of anger at the thought of an unfilial disciple like you!”
Li Shouhu’s expression shifted erratically. He gnashed his teeth and said, “I don’t know who you are, but if you ruin my plans, the Three Purities Temple won’t spare you!”
The man in the feather coat paused, suddenly thoughtful. “So, Three Purities Temple is targeting Su Yi. That makes this troublesome. Troublesome indeed.”
Li Shouhu said coldly, “If you know that, you should stay out of this. Let me go, and we can go our separate ways. Only then can you avoid inviting disaster!”
The man in the feather coat laughed. “I’m not afraid.”
“???” Li Shouhu didn’t know what to make of that. If you aren’t afraid, why did you say this was big trouble?
“I’m not afraid because I’m not concerned about Three Purities Temple making trouble for me. I’m just not sure if Su Yi is afraid or not.” Suddenly, the man in the feather coat walked over, picked Li Shouhu up, and held him aloft.
“What are you doing?” Li Shouhu cried out in alarm and anger.
“I’m here to give Su Yi a gift. Since I bumped into you, I’ll consider you a bonus, give you to Su Yi, and be done with it,” said the man in the feather coat. “If I do, I suspect Mistress won’t be so angry with me for revealing my natal divine ability.”
Li Shouhu had no idea what the man in the feather coat was talking about, but before he could say anything, the man shattered his avatar and extracted its soul, which he refined into a bundle of light and tossed to the white deer.
The deer opened its mouth and sucked the light into its stomach.
“Remember: you can’t eat him.” The man in the feather coat smiled and patted the deer on the head. Then, the man and the deer turned and walked off.
......
Su Yi, Wang Zhiwu, River Empress Peacock, River Ancestor Shen Xiao, River Ancestor Lu Shu, and River Empress Lu Ping were all seated in a restaurant in the Spirit Treasure Celestial City. The table was laden with a spectacular array of delicacies, all of them unique to the waters of the River of Destiny.
The group was drinking and chatting. The atmosphere wasn’t particularly lively, but it was harmonious.
Even River Ancestor Shen Xiao was willing to set aside his status and was the life of the banquet. He laughed and cracked jokes, his words like radiant pearls. Even just talking to him was as soothing as a spring breeze.
River Ancestor Lu Shu, however, was quiet and reserved. He said little, except when Su Yi asked a question, in which case he was sure to answer.
Wang Zhiwu was the most carefree. He rolled up his sleeves and devoured the table’s delicacies with relish and enthusiasm, with no regard for his image whatsoever.
River Empress Lu Ping was the most restrained of the group, and the most easily overlooked, while River Empress Peacock was the quietest.
During the banquet, Su Yi specifically asked River Empress Peacock and River Ancestor Lu Shu about the Monarch of Endless Tribulations and the Buddha of Non-Existence. By now, he had a rough understanding of both terrifying existences.
Few spoke of the Buddha of Non-Existence, but that was because he’d left the Spirit Mountain Buddhist Court long ago, during the Primordial Era. He’d been exploring the outside world ever since.
River Empress Peacock thought of him as a true, highly accomplished Buddhist. He had a heart full of compassion, and he’d sworn to fulfill his grand ambition to help the masses.
The Monarch of Endless Tribulations was even more mysterious. His true body had never left the Abyss of Endless Tribulations, but his clones once explored the River of Destiny and the Eternal Heavens Domain year-round.
But all of that had ended during the Primordial Era, a long, long time ago.
All River Ancestor Lu Shu had to say about the Monarch of Endless Tribulations was that in his heart, he was an expert loftier than the heavens themselves!
As they conversed, someone suddenly knocked on the door. “Your Excellency Lu Ping, there’s a guest here to see you.”