In another palace in the Holy City, Xu Tianxiong, the Northern Region's third Great Bandit, was plotting with a supreme elder of the Illusion Destruction Palace.
"Have you found any trace of that person?" Li Chonghua took a sip of fragrant tea and asked the third Great Bandit with an air of composure.
Xu Tianxiong wore a black robe and had an exceptionally imposing build. His thick black hair reached his waist, and his wolfish eyes narrowed as he shook his head. "My people have been searching all this time, but that person was quick to go into hiding," he said in a low, muffled voice.
A young man in azure stood behind him. He was the Azure Flood Dragon King's direct grandson, the Azure-Clad Little Flood Dragon King.
He had been there when Su Yu cut the stones that day. When the Saint's might had erupted from Su Yu's body, he had keenly noticed how much it resembled that of the person who had attacked them earlier.
One of his Dao protectors, a Great Bandit at the Seventh Transformation of the Dragon Transformation Realm, had noticed it too. Their observations confirmed each other's, making them all the more certain that Cao Yusheng had something to do with the hidden hand that had slaughtered 153 of their brothers.
After reporting this to the Azure Flood Dragon King and Tu Tian, the Little Flood Dragon King had taken charge of contacting the third Great Bandit. As it happened, a supreme elder of the Illusion Destruction Palace also wanted to take part and had even brought the palace's guardian Saint Weapon.
This ambush would let them settle their grudge and obtain the Qilin Seed and a damaged Immortal Divine Medicine. Their prey was only a Dragon Transformation cultivator with a damaged Saint Weapon, someone they could crush at will.
The only problem was finding Cao Yusheng...
Just as the two were at their wits' end, powerful spatial fluctuations suddenly erupted in the palace. Divine light surged, and a Domain Gate appeared out of thin air on the wall. A divine maiden and a Daoist in azure robes stepped out of it.
In an instant, dark light spread swiftly over the entire palace, sealing it off. This was the Saint Dao domain's power to draw a prison on the ground.
"An ancient Saint!"
Xu Tianxiong stared in terror at the woman shrouded in purple light, Saint's might spilling from her body. Such methods were beyond anyone at the Immortal Platform Second Heaven. Even his eldest brother, Old Undying, the Northern Region's first Great Bandit, lacked such strength.
And Old Undying had surpassed a King at great completion long ago.
As the pottery tile in midair returned to its original form, the supreme elder of the Illusion Destruction Palace was even more terrified. "This is... the ancient Devouring Heaven Demon Lid!" he cried.
His panicked voice echoed through the hall. The guards outside, who should have come in long ago, were nowhere to be seen.
Xu Tianxiong, the third Great Bandit, stared in disbelief at the pottery lid in midair. Its familiar fluctuations were identical to those of Tu Tian's Devouring Heaven Demon Jar. It was unquestionably the other half of the Emperor Weapon they had searched so desperately for.
But this outcome was too terrifying.
It had fallen into the hands of a Saint.
The Divine Silkworm Princess looked serene, but there was an added majesty to her. She glanced at the old man from the Illusion Destruction Palace and sensed the fluctuations of a Saint Weapon within his Immortal Platform.
The next moment, Su Yu presented the Devouring Heaven Demon Lid, and the Divine Silkworm Clan's Ancestor King made her move. With a flick of her finger, the half of an Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon began to awaken. Dense laws of devouring spread out, and dark light cascaded down like a waterfall.
The old man from the Illusion Destruction Palace roared and brought out a golden divine bell, the palace's guardian treasure, forged by an ancient Saint.
"Dong!"
Ripples spread like an ocean, and brilliant golden light illuminated this little world. Heavenly Dao patterns emerged on the golden divine bell, and powerful Saint's might began to surge forth.
As the supreme Great Power drove it with all his strength, the intact Saint Weapon began to tremble violently and awakened of its own accord, seeking to resist the Extreme Dao's divine might. It seemed on the verge of shattering the divine void. Endless divine light shot out, and the Saint's might surged to the heavens.
Behind the divine bell, mountains and rivers crumbled, and the sun and moon sank from the sky, a terrifying sight. Yet beneath the pressure of the dark light, the Saint Weapon quivered, and its golden domain retreated step by step.
A breath later, the Saint Bell fell, dim and lusterless, utterly defeated. The supreme elder of the Illusion Destruction Palace had been drained of his divine power and collapsed to the floor. His purple-gold crown fell off, and he coughed up mouthfuls of blood, a picture of utter misery.
"Does the light of a firefly dare compete with the bright moon?" Su Yu stepped forward and looked down at the old man coldly.
He had heard the two men's conversation just now and naturally would not let this man go.
After looking down on the Great Power, Su Yu sent a message via divine sense, expressing his admiration for the female Saint.
"Your Highness's divine might is as vast as the sea, and your aptitude is unmatched. Given time, you will become another invincible Quasi-Emperor," he said flatteringly.
The corner of the Divine Silkworm Princess's mouth twitched. Her formerly ice-cold divine-maiden demeanor began to melt, revealing a more earthly side.
"Why don't you say I have the makings of an Ancient Emperor?"
His attempt to curry favor was too obvious and rather clumsy, but it sounded pleasant enough. At that thought, a faint smile entered her eyes. She found this human interesting.
Chapter 37: Crossing Space, The Hunt
"That's a taboo. You can't say it carelessly. In this age, many children of Ancient Emperors have emerged to contend for the Emperor's path. Only the ancient imperial clans know what this age means..." Su Yu said, shaking his head.
Though he was flattering her, he was telling the truth, without any falsehood.
"That one your ancestor followed... What was the title of your ancient ancestor? The Devouring Heaven Demon Jar-could she have been one who attained the Dao with Devouring Heaven as her imperial title?" the Divine Silkworm Princess asked as though no one else were present. Her voice was rich and magnetic, very pleasant to the ear.
Su Yu faltered, at a loss for a moment. The Devouring Heaven Great Emperor... I wonder what the Lord of Desolation would think if she heard that.
"That one's title has not been passed down in the world, but people call her the Foremost Ruthless One of All Ages."
"Ruthless One?"
The Divine Silkworm Princess blinked, curious about the title, and repeated the words to herself. Then she gestured lazily to Su Yu. "Whatever you need to do, hurry. There's a cultivator at the Third Heaven of the Immortal Platform in this city, and they have a Saint Weapon too, don't they?"
Without the Saint Weapon's protection, both Immortal Second Realm Mighty Figures in the hall lay prostrate on the jade floor, pinned down completely.
The third Great Bandit brought a replica of the Devouring Heaven Demon Jar out of his Immortal Platform, hoping to put up some resistance.
The Divine Silkworm Princess raised an eyebrow and sent out a ray of sacred light, smashing the forbidden weapon, which contained a trace of Extreme Dao presence.
Her gaze was deep, and her smooth purple hair hung loose like drifting clouds. A single strand fell, causing spatial fluctuations to erupt.
"Pfft!"
A rush of wind sounded, and Xu Tianxiong screamed as the purple strand pinned him to the wall. All the divine power in his body was sealed, and blood sprayed three feet high.
This was a Saint!
This was the might of a Saint. A Saint's entire body contained a vast quantity of essence Qi. A single breath of true Qi could suppress and kill a Holy Lord-level figure, a strand of hair could split mountains and tear open the earth, and a wave of the hand could shatter the void. Such power was truly boundlessly terrifying...
Despair appeared on the third Great Bandit's face. He had originally dared to hope that this Saint might spare him, but the moment he saw the Devouring Heaven Demon Lid, he knew he was certain to die.
The Thirteen Great Bandits relied on that half of an Extreme Dao Saint Weapon for their survival.
Without the deterrence of an Emperor Weapon, they would be like ants before an Extreme Dao power. Besides, Old Undying, the first Great Bandit, had shown him great kindness. He could not betray him and join the enemy...
The supreme elder of the Illusion Destruction Palace, who had collapsed to one side, felt that standing was too tiring and simply knelt prostrate. His aged face was pale as he said ingratiatingly, "The Saint's divine might is supreme! If the Saint wishes to recover the Devouring Heaven Demon Jar, this humble one can lead the way."
The Divine Silkworm Princess said nothing, remaining silent.
Su Yu glanced at the dim divine bell to one side and cursed inwardly. The last time he was in the Holy City, he had already sensed that old bastard's hostility.
To deal with him, the man had even brought out an intact Saint Weapon. He really was decisive.
The Divine Silkworm Princess waved her delicate hand and drew the divine bell over. The little golden bell was exquisitely crafted. The deity within it had already been physically suppressed by the Devouring Heaven Demon Lid, and the divine sense belonging to the Illusion Destruction Palace's master had also been destroyed.
This object could only be kept in a Saint's hands.
Its deity was still present. If Su Yu kept it, then unless he left it suppressed inside the Devouring Heaven Demon Lid at all times, it would fly back to the Illusion Destruction Palace sooner or later.
He did not particularly care about the bell anyway.
Su Yu walked up to Xu Tianxiong, the third Great Bandit. Light flashed as he began to use the Deity-Deliverance Art. Instantly, a sacred presence filled his body, and 365 deities appeared behind him.
A few breaths later, he stepped back helplessly. He had failed.
The process of deliverance was difficult. The man's divine sense was extremely solid, and Su Yu could not deliver him. Most likely, his cultivation was insufficient; he was more than twenty minor realms below the man.
Seeing the somewhat mocking look in his eyes, Su Yu's expression turned cold. He then whispered a few words into the Divine Silkworm Princess's ear.
From that angle, he had a clear view of the Divine Silkworm Princess's face: lustrous jade lips, pearly white teeth, purple hair flowing like clouds, and skin fairer than snow.
The action was rather intimate. Feeling his warm breath by her ear, she was in fact brushing ears and temples with him. She frowned slightly and her body tensed, but she soon relaxed again.
He's only a little fellow, with such a young bone age. There's no need for me to think too much...
After hearing Su Yu's request and the incantation she had just memorized, the Divine Silkworm Princess looked somewhat puzzled.
Just to obtain information?
This was a secret art created by an ancient emperor.
"Aren't you afraid I'll deliver you?" The Divine Silkworm Princess looked faintly playful. Her words carried a double meaning, both a joke and a warning; she was evidently displeased by Su Yu's earlier breach of propriety.
Meanwhile, her divine soul was swiftly analyzing the Deity-Deliverance Art. At the Ninth Heaven of the Saint King Realm, a short period of comprehension was more useful to her than Su Yu sitting in contemplation for half a month.
Faced with the divine maiden's threat, Su Yu said nothing. He simply looked at her, his clear eyes like black gemstones.
That sincerity made the Divine Silkworm Princess back down. She felt she had gone a little too far just now and had thought too much...
While the Divine Silkworm Princess performed the deliverance, Su Yu began questioning the Azure-Clad Little Flood Dragon King.
"Speak. Where are the Azure Flood Dragon King and Tu Tian now?"
Already kneeling prostrate, the Azure-Clad Little Flood Dragon King had a deathly pale, bloodless face. But he did not say a word, showing considerable backbone.
Su Yu could only resort to a round of mental persuasion.
A short while later, the Azure-Clad Little Flood Dragon King followed respectfully behind Su Yu and revealed the Azure Flood Dragon King's whereabouts.
Tu Tian's location, however, remained unknown.
Among the Thirteen Great Bandits, Tu Tian had always been close to the Azure Flood Dragon King, and the two often traveled together. But Su Yu wanted an exact location. If they failed to strike home in one attempt, they might suffer a tremendous backlash.
There could be no chance of failure.
After several dozen breaths had passed, the Divine Silkworm Princess opened her beautiful eyes and shook her head at Su Yu.
Su Yu frowned, but he was not too worried. If the third Great Bandit did not know, they could simply go to the Azure Flood Dragon King.
He glanced at the supreme elder of the Illusion Destruction Palace. Ignoring the man's pleas for mercy, he brought out the Silver Moon Jade Pagoda and suppressed him.
He then instructed the delivered Xu Tianxiong to take care of matters outside and keep everything as it had been.
With their business here concluded, the Divine Silkworm Princess waved her delicate arm and opened another spatial gate. The two entered the void gate together with the Azure-Clad Little Flood Dragon King.
She had no objection to Su Yu devouring others' origins. In the primordial era, who had not done the same? The strong preyed on the weak; most who were not of one's own clan were enemies.
This was also one thing Su Yu liked about her.
The Divine King was worthy of respect, yet Su Yu did not dare draw close to him. His own nature was dark, unlike someone with a heart full of light like Jiang Taixu...
A pure land lay within an ice field in the Northern Region of the Eastern Wilderness.
At that moment, the face of the master of the Illusion Destruction Palace Holy Land changed drastically. The soul lamp of the palace's supreme elder had grown faint, and the divine sense he had left in the palace's guardian Saint Weapon had been shattered.
"Who was it? Which Extreme Dao power did that old bastard Li Chonghua offend?
"Didn't he swear up and down that the other side had only a damaged Saint Weapon? Could an Extreme Dao power have made a move? No, that still doesn't make sense. Using an Emperor Weapon just for a Source seeker? Is that boy really so important?"
The master of the Illusion Destruction Palace paced back and forth, his face dark, but there was nothing he could do.
He was not particularly worried about their Saint Weapon. Rather, he feared the chain of consequences.
In this situation, all he could do was wait for that Extreme Dao power to come and demand an accounting, then have the Illusion Destruction Palace pay compensation.