Sudden Change

A year after Su Zhi broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage, she held a banquet at Cloud Mountain Market, inviting Luo Qianyu, the Grand Elder's personal disciple; Yu Qianqing, disciple of the inner sect's Alchemy Pavilion elder; and a number of other Cloud Sword Sect disciples, as well as Su Yu, Chen Sisi, Su Qingyi, and others.

At the banquet, Su Yu noticed that Luo Qianyu was the one who had changed the most over the years.

She had broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage less than five years ago, yet her cultivation had already reached Foundation Establishment Stage Two.

She even seemed not far from the third stage.

Her talent truly befitted the Cloud Sword Sect Grand Elder's personal disciple.

Su Yu remained practically invisible throughout the banquet. Aside from nodding in greeting to the few people he had met before, such as Luo Qianyu and Yu Qianqing, he sat quietly in a corner.

The banquet ended.

Su Yu spoke with Su Zhi for a while, taking from her the materials for puppet beasts that he had privately asked her to collect some time ago.

A pair of wings from an early Rank 2 Iron Winged Eagle demonic beast!

And Iron Winged Eagle Claws!

"With these, few Qi Refining Realm cultivators or Rank 1 demonic beasts will be able to withstand a single claw from the Dragon Eagle Puppet Beast. And if they can, then they'll get two claws." Su Yu hurried back to the Alchemy Pavilion and rushed straight into his secret chamber, his heart brimming with anticipation.

Another year and a half passed.

One day.

Inside the secret chamber, Su Yu stared at the monster before him. It stood nearly two zhang tall, its body silver-white, with a pair of enormous wings and two sharp claws, yet it possessed a long dragon tail.

Though this thing looked rather strange, its strength was terrifying.

Su Yu stood there admiring it for a long while, growing ever more satisfied. The Dragon Eagle Puppet Beast he had spent more than two years researching was finally complete.

Its consumption was just a little high—higher than he had imagined. It had cost nearly three thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones.

"I don't know whether it can hold its own against a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, but against Qi Refining Realm cultivators and Rank 1 demonic beasts, it's just a matter of one claw!"

Three thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones—worth it!

Only after he had finished admiring it did Su Yu put the puppet beast into his Cosmos Bag and turn to leave the secret chamber.

He had secluded himself in the secret chamber for over half a year and had no idea what had happened outside.

When he saw his master, Su Yun, again, Su Yu could visibly see that Su Yun was aging year by year. Half of his once-silver hair had now turned white.

In the blink of an eye, Su Yu had been at the Alchemy Pavilion for twelve or thirteen years. The Second Elder, once only in his seventies, was now ninety years old.

Seeing Su Yu emerge from seclusion and looking at the face that had barely changed over all these years, Su Yun sighed. "I feel that your future achievements will surpass even that girl Xiao Zhi's. You're far steadier than I imagined."

Hearing the faint sorrow in Su Yun's voice, Su Yu's heart skipped a beat. He quickly asked, "What happened?"

"I've only been in seclusion for a little over half a year. Things should be fine outside, shouldn't they?"

Su Yun fell silent for a moment before saying, "The Grand Elder was ambushed on his way to the Chen Family. He's gone. Qing Yi betrayed the family and joined the Demon Path."

Su Yu's pupils contracted as fury surged within him.

Su Yu exclaimed, "The Grand Elder is dead!? Su Qingyi joined the Demon Path and betrayed the family!? How did Su Qingyi dare? He's courting death!"

Su Yun was silent for a moment. "The Fifth Elder and Xiao Zhi both went looking for him, but they couldn't find him. The group from the Demon Path that ambushed the Grand Elder has also vanished without a trace."

Su Yu frowned. "Why would those Demon Path cultivators ambush the Grand Elder?"

Su Yun shook his head. He was puzzled as well and had even harbored suspicions. The Su Family remained on guard against unforeseen changes, but nothing had happened until now.

Thus, Su Yun was now inclined to believe that perhaps the Grand Elder had merely run into those Demon Path cultivators by chance, and an accident had occurred.

"The Fifth Elder is now the Su Family Old Ancestor. The Family Head wants me to return and become the Grand Elder. You'll take over the Alchemy Pavilion and become the family's Fifth Elder."

Su Yun continued, "The Third Elder is now the Second Elder, while the Fourth Elder has become the Third Elder. Jingbang has taken the position of Fourth Elder. His cultivation reached the eighth layer of Qi Refining Realm several years ago, and the Third Elder and Fourth Elder are now both at the ninth layer of Qi Refining Realm."

Su Yu's brows furrowed, and he remained silent.

Su Yun glanced at him and beckoned. A somewhat restrained young man at the fourth layer of Qi Refining walked over from nearby, respectfully bowing deeply to Su Yu. "Su Rui'an greets the Fifth Elder."

Su Yun said, "Rui'an is a junior from the Grand Elder's branch of the family, so he can be considered your nephew. He's nineteen this year."

"He has a Mid-grade Wood Spirit Root. I've taught him these past few days, and he has some talent for alchemy. As long as he applies himself, becoming a high-grade Rank 1 alchemist shouldn't be a problem."

Besides Su Rui'an, several alchemy apprentices had also arrived at the Alchemy Pavilion.

These young faces made the Alchemy Pavilion livelier.

Su Yun introduced all the newly arrived youngsters to Su Yu, then said, "I know your ambitions don't lie with the Alchemy Pavilion, perhaps not even with the family."

"But old fellows like us are getting on in years. The family will have to rely on you young people in the future."

"The Alchemy Pavilion still needs someone to look after it. So see which of Rui'an and the others is suitable, and do your best to choose a successor."

As he spoke, Su Yun took out a Jade Slip and handed it to Su Yu.

Su Yun said, "This is the Low-grade Rank 2 Alchemist Inheritance that the Fifth Elder obtained for you at an auction in Moon Worship Immortal City some time ago."

"Your master's talent is limited. Breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage is practically impossible for me. This Low-grade Rank 2 Alchemist Inheritance can only remain a distant hope."

"I hope I can still live to see the Su Family's first Second-rank Alchemist be born."

Su Yun looked at Su Yu with expectant eyes.

Half a month after Su Yu emerged from seclusion, a family uncle named Su Dajun, at the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining, became the new person responsible for transporting spirit herbs.

With Su Dajun's arrival, Su Yun left Cloud Mountain Market with the team transporting spirit herbs and returned to the family's Azure Mountain.

Su Yu felt somewhat unaccustomed to it, but there was not much to do at the Alchemy Pavilion.

Teaching those youngsters was not difficult, especially with the Alchemy Pavilion's former mid-grade Rank 1 alchemist and three low-grade Rank 1 alchemists still there.

Though it had happened suddenly, Su Yu had not planned to leave so soon anyway.

At the very least, he would not leave until his cultivation reached the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining and his three secondary professions—alchemist, Talisman Master, and Puppet Master—had all reached low-grade Rank 2.

"Both the alchemist and Puppet Master inheritances are now in hand. That only leaves the Talisman Master." Between his daily cultivation, alchemy, and talisman drawing, Su Yu pondered the matter of obtaining a Second-rank Talisman Master inheritance.

One day, as Su Yu walked toward the Heavenly Script Pavilion, a sharp flash suddenly came straight at him.

At the same time, tiny needle-like artifact weapons, fine as hairs, flew toward him from the shadows.

Yet in the next instant, golden light surfaced around Su Yu's body and transformed into a golden bell barrier. Two dragon and tiger beasts appeared, roaring in every direction and making the golden bell seem even more solid.

Bang!!!

The arrow-like artifact weapon flying straight at him struck the golden bell and was instantly knocked away.

The tiny needle artifact weapons became embedded in the golden bell barrier, unable to move.

This was the high-grade Rank 1 Defense Talisman, the Dragon Tiger Talisman, which Su Yu had created by modifying the Golden Light Talisman.

Su Yu looked toward the attacker. Though the man appeared unfamiliar and his face had been disfigured, that life aura made Su Yu recall the past. He blurted out, "Lin Danlang? It's you?"

This fellow had actually survived?

But with merely the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining, he dared to attack him?

Shaking his head, Su Yu took out a high-grade Rank 1 Fire Cloud Arrow Talisman and poured spiritual power into it the instant Lin Danlang's expression changed drastically and he turned to flee.

Whoosh!

A crimson flaming arrow streaked through the air and pierced into Lin Danlang's back.

Bang!

Flames scattered in all directions, and a cloud of blood exploded.

Such was fate, such was destiny. From the moment the Azure Mountain spirit vein appeared, the ending—or rather, the karmic entanglement—between the Su Family and the Lin Family had been destined to reach its conclusion. The Lin Family's last remnant ultimately met an end without even a whole corpse left behind.