Chapter 3137 - Seizing the Day

The more Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan pondered, the more convinced he was of his conjecture.

From the moment Su Yi first arrived, everyone in Divine Reverence Pavilion welcomed him with the utmost solemnity. His welcome was far beyond Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan’s.

That aside, even the Qiongqi Mountain Lord addressed Su Yi as “His Excellency!”

Now, they’d only just arrived in the Ling Ran Hidden Realm, and an unbelievably beautiful woman rushed right up to greet him, her whole face alight with unconcealable joy.

They could insist all they wanted that there was nothing between them, but Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan wouldn’t believe it, not even if they beat him to death!

It’s no wonder he chose to re-establish the Heart-Tempering Sword House in the Unfettered Continent. If he’s their future son-in-law, there’s no way they’d refuse.

But then, the Qiongqi Mountain Lord transmitted a warning out of nowhere. “Fellow Daoist, don’t jump to conclusions.”

Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan transmitted back with no outward change in expression, “You needn’t explain. I understand.”

“I’m glad you understand. The young mistress and His Excellency Su first met in the God Domain. This is the first time they’ve been reunited since they left for the River of Destiny.” The Qiongqi Mountain Lord nodded, but he’d obviously misunderstood what Ku Xuan "understood."

“Oh,” said Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan, his gaze full of hidden meaning. They first met back in the God Domain? No wonder!

It’s about time Su Yi met the in-laws!

As Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan’s imagination ran wild, the group arrived at an old-fashioned pavilion. There were two women waiting for them there.

The first was tranquil, beautiful, elegant, and extraordinary. The second was dressed in black, extremely tall and slender, with an icy demeanor. Her long black hair was tied into a loose ponytail, revealing her long, graceful neck.

When Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan saw the two women waiting in the distance, he froze as if struck by lightning. His eyes widened. Dao Ancestor Ruo Su and Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi! What are they doing in the Ling Ran Hidden Realm?

Don’t tell me that the true pillar of Divine Reverence Pavilion is a terrifying expert from the Far Shore of Destiny?

Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan really was stunned. He’d been there for the battle in the Sea of Fate, and he’d seen Ruo Su with his own two eyes.

It was just that at the time, he’d had no idea who she was, so he’d addressed her as his fellow Daoist. It was only afterward that he learned that she was really a Dao Ancestor.

That made her a top expert even by the standards of the Far Shore!

Only then did Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan realize how rude he’d been. He’d called a Dao Ancestor his “fellow Daoist.” In doing so, he’d made a complete fool out of himself!

It was just that he would never, ever, ever have guessed that he’d run into that mysterious Dao Ancestor here in the heart of Divine Reverence Pavilion. His brain couldn’t quite keep up with it all. What... what exactly is going on here?

Ruo Su and Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi approached to greet them.

Ruo Su smiled, her gaze gentle and tranquil. “We’ve prepared a banquet to welcome you after your long journey, Fellow Daoist Su.”

Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi looked him up and down, then said suspiciously, “Why do you seem no different from an ordinary mortal? It’s like you’re not even there. Not even I can sense anything. Don’t tell me you... broke through again?”

Su Yi gave her a big thumbs up. “Good eyes!”

Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi snorted coldly, then rolled her eyes.

Su Yi sighed inwardly. Miss Baa Baa Black Sheep is as proud and aloof as ever. Excellent!

“Ling Ran, you should stay for the banquet,” said Ruo Su, her eyes full of tenderness as she looked at her daughter.

Ling Ran hesitated and was just about to refuse when Su Yi said, “If you have nothing else going on, you should join us.”

Finally, Ling Ran nodded. “Very well.”

Ruo Su watched this exchange in a daze, but in the end, she said nothing. She just led the group into the pavilion.

It was only after they’d taken their seats that Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan came to his senses. He couldn’t help but transmit a question to the Qiongqi Mountain Lord. “What is Senior... Err, Dao Ancestor Ruo Su doing in Divine Reverence Pavilion?”

The Qiongqi Mountain Lord looked at him as if he were a complete idiot. “This is her territory. What do you think she’s doing here?”

“Uh...” Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan nodded. A moment later, his eyes practically popped out of their sockets. “Ah?”

He suddenly realized that the Qiongqi Mountain Lord’s mistress and Dao Ancestor Ruo Su were one and the same.

And the woman Su Yi was walking with, Ling Ran, was Dao Ancestor Ruo Su’s daughter.

Doesn’t this mean... that Dao Ancestor Ruo Su is Su Yi’s future mother-in-law? Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan couldn’t help but gasp. Was he hiding this powerful connection this entire time?

A moment later, he realized that something wasn’t quite right. Why would someone like Dao Ancestor Ruo Su call her future son-in-law "fellow Daoist?" Doesn’t that throw seniority into complete chaos?

The banquet was lavish. Everything on the table was a rare delicacy.

But Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan could barely taste it. His eyes flitted from Ruo Su and Su Yi, who were drinking and conversing, to Ling Ran and Hua Qingyi. He got the distinct sense that all three women were intertwined with Su Yi in complicated and strange ways.

When the banquet ended, Ruo Su arranged for Su Yi and Ku Xuan to take up residence in the Ling Ran Hidden Realm. The Qiongqi Mountain Lord arranged everything perfectly.

Once they were alone, Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan could no longer hold back. He grumbled, “Little Brother, why didn’t you tell me you were the future son-in-law of Divine Reverence Pavilion?”

“???” Su Yi had no idea what to say to that.

Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan glared at him. “Don’t even pretend. I’m not blind, you know. I can tell that there’s an ambiguous relationship between you and Miss Ling Ran!”

The corners of Su Yi’s lips twitched imperceptibly. He opened his mouth and was just about to argue when Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan sighed. “Had I known that Dao Ancestor Ruo Su would soon be your mother-in-law, I wouldn’t have wasted time worrying about whether or not you could rebuild in the Unfettered Realm.”

Su Yi could no longer hold back. “Please, listen to me.”

Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan waved. “What is there to explain? I can see what’s going on here.”

He took out the Mustard Seed Pearl and passed it to Su Yi with a grin. “This is your future mother-in-law’s territory, so I no longer have anything to worry about. Hold onto this. I’m going to go get some rest.”

With that, he turned and walked off.

Su Yi rubbed his forehead. He made no further attempts to argue.

Earlier, at the banquet, he and Ruo Su had settled a few things. Only one thing remained to decide: who he would give the two Eternal Thrones to.

Su Yi peered at the Mustard Seed Pearl, then separated a strand of his divine sense and inserted it.

The hidden realm inside wasn’t particularly big, but its mountainous landscape still stretched for tens of thousands of miles.

This was where the Aberrants and the experts of the Heart-Tempering Sword House had been hiding for the past several years.

Su Yi’s divine sense transformed into an avatar of will, then headed straight for where the Heart-Tempering Sword House had set up camp.

His arrival caused a massive uproar. Everyone was delighted to see him.

Jiang Wuchen’s first disciple Lu Ye, second disciple Luo Yan, and third disciple Pu Xuan were there, as well as Lian Luo and Cen Xinghe, who’d stayed with the Heart-Tempering Sword House when Su Yi left.

Their reunion was naturally cause for celebration, and when they spoke, they sighed with emotion.

In the end, Su Yi called his three disciples to his side for a private conversation and told them about the opportunities to become Heavenly Sovereigns.

Sect Leader Lu Ye insisted that the Eternal Thrones go to his junior apprentice siblings, but both Luo Yan and Pu Xuan tried their utmost to refuse.

Su Yi felt a headache coming on just watching them. Two Eternal Thrones, that’s all. Why be so polite? Why trip all over yourselves just to refuse them?

But then, he did actually understand. An opportunity to become a Heavenly Sovereign didn’t mean much to him, but it would have been an enormous deal to any other Heavenly Monarch. This was a supreme stroke of good fortune, the type that might not come even once in a million years!

In the face of this opportunity, his three disciples all refused in hope of benefiting their fellow apprentices. Their strength of character and spirit was rare and precious indeed.

In the end, Su Yi decided for them. He gave the Yitian Eternal Throne to Lu Ye and the Severing Emptiness Eternal Throne to Luo Yan.

Pu Xuan wasn’t the least bit disappointed with this outcome. On the contrary, a massive weight lifted from his shoulders. “Master, your arrangements are exactly what I had in mind. Such an opportunity would be wasted on me. It’d be like desecrating a heavenly treasure!”

Lu Ye snorted coldly. “Useless! How can you call yourself a sword cultivator if you aren’t even willing to fight for a chance to become a Heavenly Sovereign?”

Luo Yan furrowed her brow. “Master, this isn’t fair to Junior Apprentice Brother Pu Xuan.”

Su Yi smiled, his gaze full of hidden meaning. “It won’t be long before I fight the Heavenly Sovereigns. If I win, your junior apprentice brother will have no shortage of opportunities to become a Heavenly Sovereign, now will he?”

His three disciples’ hearts shook, and their eyes widened with disbelief. Master is going to fight the Heavenly Sovereigns?

“Of course, it’ll be a completely different story if I lose,” said Su Yi. He didn’t explain any further. He just said, “Cultivate quietly here for the time being and refine your Eternal Thrones. When you’re ready, I’ll choose a suitable day for your breakthrough, and I’ll personally serve as your Dao Protector.”

They chatted a while longer before Su Yi left the hidden realm, put away the Mustard Seed Pearl, and sank into thought.

During his conversation with Ruo Su, she’d said that Divine Reverence Pavilion would do its utmost to support his efforts to rebuild the Heart-Tempering Sword House.

Once they gave the nod, the rest of the continent’s cultivators wouldn’t object, either.

Then, Su Yi told her about his plan. He said that no matter what happened while he rebuilt the Heart-Tempering Sword House, there was no need for Ruo Su to intervene. That is, of course, assuming no experts of the Far Shore got involved.

In truth, Su Yi chose the Unfettered Continent for his plans to guard against possible interference from the Far Shore. He had no intention of borrowing Ruo Su’s hands to help him defeat the Heavenly Sovereigns.

There was a fundamental difference between the two.

After everything that happened in the Sea of Fate, Su Yi had no confidence in the Mountain of the Secluded Ones’ rules. Having Ruo Su nearby would serve as a form of silent intimidation. With her here, no one from the Far Shore would dare to get involved.

That meant Su Yi could act without inhibitions. He’d rebuild the Heart-Tempering Sword House, give his disciples chances to become Heavenly Sovereigns, and end things with his remaining enemies on the River of Destiny once and for all!

Su Yi knew that merely rebuilding the Heart-Tempering Sword House might not be enough to lure the Heavenly Sovereigns into battle. After all, a Heavenly Monarch-level faction wasn’t much of a threat to them.

But the possibility of the Heart-Tempering Sword House giving rise to not one but two Heavenly Sovereigns would be too much for them to ignore. Success would completely rewrite the River of Destiny’s balance of power.

Su Yi dared say with certainty that when his enemies heard the news, they wouldn’t be able to remain seated. They were sure to rush over like mad.

That was part of why Su Yi had arranged for Lu Ye and Luo Yan to become Heavenly Sovereigns.

After a while, Su Yi got up, walked over to the desk, and unfurled a sheet of white paper. His brush flew across the page with bold flourishes of ink.

“So much clamor for my attention. The world spins, time presses. Ten thousand years is too long to wait. I must seize the day! The waters of the four seas churn, the clouds rise, the continents shake, wind and thunder roar. It’s only after I’ve cut off my enemies' heads that I can truly say I have no opponents left in this world!”[1]

Every word was full of confidence and vigor, like a fierce gale or a sword soaring through the nine heavens, imbued with valiant spirit.

Su Yi examined his calligraphy for a moment, then sighed softly. Every word transformed into imposing sword intent and leaped off the page.

Brilliant light and the clanging of swords filled the room.

1. This is a modified Mao Zedong poem, which you can read here. There's also a picture of Mao's calligraphy. Note that the last line is different.

In Chinese, the line is "当剑斩一切敌人头，称无敌!" "无敌" means "invincible," but broken into its component characters, it means "to be without enemies." So Su Yi is saying, literally, "Once I've cut off all my enemies' heads, I'll have no enemies left." It's wordplay that works better in Chinese, but I did my best with it. ☜