Chapter 580: Layers (1)
Beside the Starfall Mountain. After Su Yu's group entered the mountain area, the air warped as several individuals appeared.
"It's here?"
A group of Mountainseas had appeared. Yu Hong was exclaiming in shock. So the ruin was actually on the Starfall Mountain?
Blood Rakshasha was surprised as well. He nodded and said, "It's actually understandable for the ruin to be here. This is a place with numerous legends. Back then, the Divine Skywing Sect was based here as well. Their sect master was able to survive here for many years before ultimately perishing in Great Xia."
"This area is too big. We need to keep tailing Su Yu's group."
Yu Hong smiled and said, "It's good that the ruin is here. We're not even inside Great Xia anymore."
What a nice place. Great Ming was filled with easygoing and lazy individuals. As long as one avoided doing anything too crazy and harming their benefits, they wouldn't be bothered to do anything.
And since this place was not within Great Xia, the Xia Family would find it inappropriate to get involved. What an excellent place. Apart from Yu Hong, the others were also overjoyed to learn that this was their destination.
Blood Rakshasha said, "What an apt name. Su Yu is akin to a star in the sky. And in the land where a star has fallen before, he shall fall. I suppose this is an end befitting of his talent."
There were eight Mountainseas in the group. Even Elder Li was there. Meanwhile, Su Yu's group was only protected by six Mountainseas. Even if they included the Mountainsea observer from the Xia Family, they would only have seven.
And not a single one of them was a late-stage Mountainsea. Of course, they were still unsure about the strength of the person from the Xia Family as that person had remained hidden throughout the journey. On their side, there were two seventh-stage Mountainseas.
Blood Rakshasha was getting more and more confident. Yu Hong also laughed and said, "Su Yu is not worthy of being called a star."
The others merely laughed.
Bloodmoon smiled and said, "That doesn't matter. This is indeed a good place. It is located within Great Ming and everyone knows that Great Ming King and Prefect Zhu Tiandao don't concern themselves with the affairs of others. The Zhu Family isn't strong enough and they don't even have that many Sunmoons serving under them. Even their academies only have a small number of Mountainseas. And this place is also quite far away from their capital. Looks like this is our chance."
He looked at Yu Hong and asked, "Is this everyone? Is anyone else coming?"
Yu Hong asked, "Are we not enough to deal with them?"
Bloodmoon appeared indifferent, but One-eye said, "I have a group of rogue cultivators gathered. I'll send them over as cannon fodder. As long as there are enough of them, even Skysoar and Cloudbreach cultivators can keep some Mountainseas occupied. I suggest all of you get some weaklings to stand guard around the mountain as well. Starfall Mountain is massive. If some of them manage to escape, it would be hard for even Mountainseas to find them."
One-eye continued, "Sure, we can easily switch our base of operations if someone escapes and exposes us. But we still need some time to explore the ruin, right? Thus, we need to set up a blockade around the mountain from the very start."
Bloodmoon said, "I agree. We also need to disrupt all message transmissions in and out of this place. Don't ever assume that they won't have any long-distance transmission talismans on them. If they manage to seek help and get some Sunmoons here, we will be in a lot of trouble. We need at least one or two Mountainseas focusing on disrupting all transmissions."
When the others heard that, they nodded in agreement.
Yu Hong smiled and said, "My people will do that. Don't worry. All message transmissions will be disrupted."
"That better be true."
Bloodmoon snorted and said, "But you better inform us when your people arrive. Otherwise, I might not be able to hold back when I see a stranger. Don't blame me for accidentally killing your people if you hide them from us."
Yu Hong snorted in annoyance.
Blood Rakshasha hurriedly said, "Everyone, this is a rare chance for all of us. Don't let a small matter like this ruin our friendship."
"Friendship?"
Bloodmoon sneered, clearly disagreeing with that sentiment. Good. It would be even better if all message transmissions were disrupted as well. Not willing to say anything else, they continued moving again.
***
On the mountain.
Su Yu got off the suanni and started traveling on foot. With a map in hand, he started to search for something.
Xia Qing stepped forth and softly asked, "Brother Su, don't you know the exact location?"
"I was too young when I was first here so I can't remember the exact location." Su Yu calmly said, "I only remember that it's somewhere on this mountain. Of course, I still remember what the entrance looks like. If we find it, I'll be able to recognize it."
Ji Xiaomeng asked curiously, "What are you looking for?"
"A ruin."
"..."
Silence descended.
The air warped as the old sky horse appeared. He looked at Su Yu and solemnly asked, "Su Yu, you're looking for a ruin?"
Su Yu calmly said, "I warned all of you, but you all insisted on coming. You can still leave now, but if you remain, you will naturally be given some benefits after I find the ruin. Senior, don't forget that I have repeatedly asked everyone here if they're sure they want to come with me."
The sky horse youth nervously said, "A ruin? A legendary ruin that can produce an Invincible? No wonder you're so strong. So you have a ruin inheritance?"
Su Yu smiled and said, "Yes. Do you want to continue following me? I'll be honest. I reckon a lot of cultists are here as well. Anyone with a brain can guess that I have a ruin. Those fellows want a share as well...
"Let me put it this way. Apart from a few of you, everyone else is already aware of the ruin. If you have followed me this far without knowing anything, know that I won't be taking any responsibilities. I warned all of you repeatedly before this."
"..."
The sky horse youth grumbled that Su Yu had not mentioned anything about a ruin. Well, even if Su Yu had told him the truth, he would still follow Su Yu here.
"A ruin..." The sky horse youth asked curiously, "Can we take a look at the ruin? Don't worry, we won't steal your ruin. The Xia Family won't allow it anyway. Wait, Su Yu, we're currently in Great Ming. Would Great Ming steal it from you if they learn about this?"
Su Yu smiled and said, "The Zhu Family is the family of an Invincible. They care a lot about their image. Of course, if the worst does happen, I still have a grandteacher who is on the verge of reaching the Sunmoon Realm. I'll have him deal with this for me if I have to."
Having said that, he started walking again. While walking, he said, "I don't care if the people here are already aware of the truth. It's very simple. I'm here for the ruin. And the ruin can only be mine."
His gaze landed on Ji Xiaomeng as he asked, "Student Ji, you don't have any issues with this, right?"
"Nope." Ji Xiaomeng smiled cheerfully and said, "I'm only here to enjoy the show. I've never seen a ruin before."
Su Yu couldn't be bothered to say anything else. At this point, nothing mattered anymore. If he had to, he would kill anyone standing in his way. He would not spare anyone. He was going to join Great Ming. He would not hold back against any troublemaker.
The old sky horse frowned and said, "In that case, the cult might send even more Mountainseas here?"
"Yeah." Su Yu did not deny anything. He said, "I won't be surprised to see four or five of them. There might be even more. Don't worry. I will only need an hour or two in the ruin. You only need to protect me for that long. I won't skimp on the rewards after this."
"I promised to pay Xia Qing and the others ten thousand merit points and a profound-grade cultural weapon each for their help. If you agree to help, you will be receiving the same reward. If you disagree, you may leave now."
The old sky horse looked at the cloud tiger elder and snorted. So they were already aware of the true purpose of this trip. He was the only person who was clueless.
"Are there special landmarks around the ruin?"
The old sky horse did not waste his time complaining. To speak the truth, he was quite curious as well. Just how did a ruin look like?
"I'll tell you more when I see it." Su Yu continued his search as he said, "Keep an eye out for a canyon. I remember that there's a small canyon here."
The experts said nothing else and flew into the sky to start their search.
At this time, Li Minyu stepped forth and said with a smile, "Su Yu, so you really have a ruin?"
Su Yu ignored her and continued looking around.
After a while, he looked at her and said, "I don't care whose people you are. It doesn't matter. Just remember to not set your eyes on that ruin or you will die. This is not something a mere Mental Tempering Stage student can covet."
"What about you?" Li Minyu smiled and said, "Aren't you a Mental Tempering Stage student as well?"
Su Yu smiled, "You can try me if you want. You, Ji Xiaomeng, and Chen Chen. I warned the three of you repeatedly, but you insisted on coming. In that case, nothing matters anymore. Anyone harboring an ulterior motive will die. It's that simple."
Li Minyu smiled and said nothing else.
At the same time.
In front of the Starfall Mountain.
A massive formation had been activated noiselessly. This was the side of the mountain that was the closest to Great Ming's capital. Inside a small village, Zhu Tiandao was smiling cheerfully while watching everything that was happening.
"This kid is an expert fisherman!" He looked aside and asked, "So how many people are here?"
The middle-aged man surnamed Hou was somewhat out of breath as he said, "Prefect, there are a lot of them. A total of fifteen Mountainseas have arrived nearby..."
"Hmm?" Looking at the screen in front of him, Zhu Tiandao asked, "Su Yu has six Mountainseas at his side. Eight additional Mountainseas have arrived after him. Where's the extra Mountainsea? Are you sure you're watching everything?"
"Yes."
The middle-aged man said, "The last Mountainsea has just arrived. That's someone sent by the Xia Family. He's at least a seventh-stage Mountainsea."
"Oh."
Right at that moment, two more dots appeared on the screen.
Director Hou sighed and said, "It's seventeen now. Great Xia sure has a lot of Mountainseas. Seventeen of them have been gathered so easily. These two must be the guards sent by Xia Huyou."
Zhu Tiandao nodded, feeling slightly envious. Damn it! There were way too many experts in Great Xia. Just look at how easily they had gathered seventeen of them!
Right this moment, the air warped as the screen shook. Then, a face appeared on the screen. Seeing that face, Zhu Tiandao's expression changed as he exclaimed, "Holy shit. It's Jin Yuhui! Why is this fellow here as well? Is he here for the ruin as well? This fellow is on the verge of entering the Sunmoon Realm, so he is probably here for his breakthrough. This is a big fish. If we kill him without a proper reason, even the Xia Family would go crazy."
A pseudo Sunmoon had arrived! If he was killed without a proper reason, the Xia Family would be forced to take action. If they stayed idle even after an expert from their prefecture was killed, who would be willing to serve them in the future? Zhu Tiandao was starting to get a headache.
"This is very troublesome. The moment this fellow decides to make a move, Su Yu might be done for..."
Director Hou helplessly said, "Prefect, that's not the issue. There are so many Mountainseas here. Is Great Ming really killing so many Mountainseas for Su Yu?"
There were too many of them. The deaths of all these Mountainseas would shake even the entire Human Realm. Over the past decade, the Human Realm had only lost twenty-two Mountainseas at the Allheaven Battlefield. On average, of the thirty-six human prefectures, only two or three Mountainseas would perish each year.
Director Hou was going crazy. Great Ming was supposed to be a friendly prefecture. They shouldn't be doing something like this. Just how many Mountainseas were they supposed to kill this time? This one feat would shake the world!
Zhu Tiandao smiled and said, "The kid didn't ask that I kill these people for them. He only told me to take him away during the critical moment. That is his sole requirement. Nevertheless, we still need to give him a welcoming gift for joining us, right? He is clearly taking a huge risk luring so many Mountainseas here. I'm more curious about his confidence. How is he so sure that he can kill these people?"
Director Hou said, "I'm more curious about the ruin. Is there really a ruin here?"
Zhu Tiandao's eyes flickered as he said, "I checked the Starfall Mountain before. There might really be a ruin here. There's a rather mysterious location somewhere here. Not even I was able to properly investigate that place."
Who was he? He was a ninth-stage Sunmoon. And there was actually a place here he couldn't properly scan? If it wasn't for the sake of keeping a low profile, he would have gone over personally to take a look.
Was there really a ruin here? While the two were conversing, yet another Mountainsea arrived. There were now nineteen Mountainseas here.
Zhu Tiandao took a look at the newcomer and asked, "This fellow looks familiar. Do you know him, Old Hou?"
Director Hou looked at the screen and said, "Yes, this face looks familiar. This person...wait, I met him at Great Xia over thirty years ago when I was there on an exchange program. This person...might be related to Chen Yong."
"Who?"
"Chen Yong." Director Hou said, "Back then, Chen Yong was a fresh Cloudbreach. He was also a part of the exchange program. Wait...something isn't right. This fellow used to be one of the young geniuses of Great Xia, but it was rumored that he was killed while exploring the Luminous Domain Mansion."
"Chen Yong's friend?" Zhu Tiandao was somewhat speechless. He said, "Take a good look, this is Great Xia."
Holy shit. Great Xia was filled with a bunch of old schemers! One Mountainsea after another had appeared. All these people would normally stay concealed. Great Xia clearly had more than double the number of Mountainseas Great Ming had. In the event of a conflict, Great Ming would be the one to suffer.
He wouldn't think too much about it normally, but now that he was seeing all these Mountainseas with his own eyes, he couldn't help but be shocked.
"Nineteen..." Director Hou was starting to feel troubled as well. He said, "Just how many people are Su Yu trying to kill this time? Prefect, should we give up? I feel like this kid is a troublemaker!"
This was very troublesome. Just look at how many Mountainseas the kid had lured out here. Were these people fools? Why would they fall for Su Yu's lies so easily? Well, perhaps that wasn't too surprising. After all, that kid was simply too crazy, growing to a point where he could kill seventh or eighth-stage Skysoars in such a short period of time. In fact, it would be even harder to believe that the kid had not received the inheritance of a ruin.
"There are nineteen of them now. Are more people coming?"
Director Hou was feeling more and more helpless. Would more people come?
He mumbled to himself, "He better not lure any Sunmoons here as well. That would be even more troublesome to deal with."
Even Director Hou himself was only a Sunmoon. Sure, Zhu Tiandao was powerful. But Sunmoons would still be very tricky to deal with.
Suddenly, Director Hou frowned and said, "Damn it! Another Mountainsea is here. Isn't this Zhao Mingyue? This better not lure the Martial Dragon Guards over as well. That would be very troublesome."
That was Zhao Mingyue! Zhu Tiandao did not have anything to say. Whatever. These Mountainseas were free to come. He would deal with all of them.
Suddenly, Director Hou asked with an odd expression, "Prefect, I have a question. Is a big trouble going to drop from the sky and land on our shoulders?"
Zhu Tiandao had an odd look in his eyes as well. He replied, "Yeah. I'm even starting to wonder if I still need to make a move. Did Su Yu get this person here?"
A Sunmoon had made an appearance. Both Zhu Tiandao and Director Hou knew who this person was. They couldn't help but wonder who was the one who had called this person here.
Had this person arrived on his own initiative? That shouldn't be the case, right? This person came from very far away. He would take four or five days to reach this place. And very few people were already aware of this event as early as five days ago.
Director Hou sighed and said, "It's hard for us to guess his purpose here. Prefect, can he sense our formation?"
"Nonsense! My father was the one who had created this formation."
Fine. Director Hou said nothing else and continued waiting in silence. At this point, twenty-one experts had arrived. Twenty of them were Mountainseas and one was a Sunmoon. And even among the Mountainseas, there was a pseudo-Sunmoon.
All these people had enough firepower to participate in a large battle in the Allheaven Battlefield. They could even invade a minor race with this much firepower. Yet all these people had been gathered here because of Su Yu alone. Including Zhu Tiandao and Director Hou, there were three Sunmoons here.