Chapter 225: Chapter 224: Overpowering Liuli, Gifting an Opportunity

"It’s you?!"

Qi Zisheng’s heart leaped into his throat.

He snapped his head up.

His eyes widened in utter disbelief.

There stood Su Ye, clad in a black robe, poised against the wind with a faint smile.

His eyes were as placid as an ancient well, yet they held a dark, profound depth that made him seem unfathomable.

It was terrifying.

"You... You’ve reached the Crystal Realm?!"

"This is impossible!"

Qi Zisheng felt like he had to be dreaming.

’How could something so absurd be happening?!’

His own ancestor had been cultivating painstakingly for years, yet he was still stuck in the Foundation Establishment realm.

And yet this junior from the Luo Family had overtaken him and stepped into the Crystal Realm?!

’How is that possible?!’

’How?!’

"Insolent!"

Su Ye snorted, his expression turning cold and severe.

Seeing such a soft target had triggered a passive trait in his bloodline!

HUMMM!

With but a thought from him...

...the surrounding spiritual energy seemed to freeze!

A spiritual pressure as heavy as a mountain, overwhelmingly oppressive, suddenly bore down!

HISS!

Qi Zisheng’s pupils constricted as his heart pounded violently.

He was utterly powerless against Su Ye’s might.

With a THUD...

...his body collapsed, and he fell prostrate, his cheek pressed against the cold ground.

He was like an insect trapped in amber, completely unable to move!

Qi Zisheng was horrified!

This pressure, without a doubt, belonged to the Crystal Realm!

Only then did Su Ye speak, calm and unhurried.

"The local families are so ill-mannered."

"Has no one taught you to show respect to your seniors?"

Su Ye spoke slowly, enunciating every word.

And as he spoke, the invisible spiritual pressure in the air grew heavier still.

Qi Zisheng’s body trembled. He grew dizzy, and blood began to trickle from his seven orifices!

A sharp pain shot through him, as if his internal organs were about to explode.

As an Early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, the gap between him and Su Ye was simply too vast.

He couldn’t even withstand the spiritual pressure.

They were separated by an entire major realm!

Su Ye could even kill an Early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator using his spiritual pressure alone.

HUMMM!

Feeling the spiritual pressure in the air grow ever stronger and more overwhelming...

"Hah..." Qi Chengjian’s palms were slick with sweat.

He forced himself to look up, his heart filled with bitterness. "Mr. Su..."

"Hm?" Su Ye frowned slightly.

The spiritual pressure shifted, and a heavy weight settled on Qi Chengjian’s chest, forcing him to quickly correct himself.

"Mr. Su!"

"Mr. Su, please be merciful! I apologize on Zisheng’s behalf."

"Whatever you ask, Liuli the Qi Clan will obey!"

Qi Chengjian was bowing and scraping, his posture utterly subservient.

As someone at Foundation Establishment Perfection who had been stuck at the bottleneck to the Crystal Realm for many years, he knew better than anyone how immense the leap in power was after taking that step.

To say it was the difference between heaven and earth would be no exaggeration.

If Su Ye wished it, he could annihilate the entire Liuli the Qi Clan all by himself.

What’s more...

Qi Chengjian’s gaze flickered to the hovering Ghostly Flood Dragon.

The bitterness in his heart intensified.

Although he didn’t know the Ghostly Flood Dragon’s specific grade...

...its domineering presence high in the sky, and the way it had shattered Liuli Island’s Array with a single light tap, spoke volumes.

’Tier three... or perhaps even higher?’

Qi Chengjian guessed, his heart trembling in terror.

In any case, no matter what...

...this was a power that Liuli the Qi Clan could never hope to defy!

"Ancestor..."

Seeing his Supreme Elder in such a state...

Qi Zisheng was speechless, his heart filled with suffocating humiliation and a profound sense of sorrow.

He nearly ground his teeth to dust.

Ever since the end of the Reclamation War and their settlement on Liuli Island...

...the Qi Family had never suffered such a humiliating moment!

But... faced with a Crystal Realm Perfected Master, he couldn’t even muster the thought of resistance.

Forget a Crystal Realm expert; even a Fake Core cultivator...

...could have easily slaughtered the entire Qi Family after shattering the Liuli Island Array.

What’s more, Su Ye’s aura was pure and harmonious.

It contained not a trace of Demon Power, meaning he wasn’t a Fake Core Master who had refined a Demon Pill, but a genuine Crystal Realm cultivator of the purest kind!

All they could do was be respectful.

Disrespect meant death.

’Hateful... and pathetic...’

A sense of despair rose in Qi Zisheng’s heart.

But just then, Qi Chengjian, though his attitude was reverent, spoke with a firm and resonant voice.

"Mr. Su, your attainment of the Crystal Realm is truly a joyous occasion... However, while Liuli the Qi Clan may be insignificant, we are still a guardian clan enfeoffed by the high sect..."

It was as if a light had ignited before Qi Zisheng’s eyes.

’That’s right!’

The Qi Family was not without support.

They still had the high sect!

’You may be newly entered into the Crystal Realm and far stronger than Liuli the Qi Clan...’

’...but how could you possibly stand against the Cyan Profound Sect, which has dominated these seas for hundreds of years?!’

"Hm, you’re right."

Su Ye smiled and took an item from his Storage Ring.

"My young friend, what do you think this is?"

It was an exquisitely crafted jade token covered in cloud patterns, with the word "Cyan" carved on the front and "Profound" on the back.

The moment Qi Chengjian saw this token, his heart skipped a beat.

He recognized it.

The Cyan Profound Order!

The token itself was a Spiritual Artifact.

But more important was what it represented!

"Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Jade!"

A jade token. The highest rank of the Cyan Profound Order.

Sealed within was a unique strand of Spiritual Power from the Emerald Ruyi.

Within the Cyan Profound Sect, only Crystal Realm elders were qualified to possess one.

Their authority was second only to the Supreme Elder who wielded the ’Emerald Ruyi’... but now, with Qingxuan having passed away a hundred years ago, no such person existed.

Therefore, the jade token represented the highest authority in the Cyan Profound Sect!

Qi Chengjian activated his spiritual eye to carefully examine the token and reached an unbelievable conclusion.

’The fluctuations of the Emerald Ruyi’s spiritual energy are impossible to fake, and the various seals are also correct...’

’This token is real!’

’But... how does he have this?’

Qi Chengjian’s gaze wavered as he looked at Su Ye, utterly stunned.

’Did he seize it from someone?’

’Impossible.’

Qi Chengjian dismissed that guess.

Once a Cyan Profound Order was refined by a cultivator, it could be destroyed with a single thought. How could it possibly be seized?

’In that case...’

’...this token was a gift from the high sect?’

The corner of Qi Chengjian’s mouth twitched.

The Qi Family had served the high sect reverently for hundreds of years, and the order they received was merely a silver one.

And Su Ye... had a jade one?!

Seeing Qi Chengjian’s expression of complete and utter despair...

Su Ye was a little surprised. "This token is that useful?"

’I didn’t expect He Muyun to give me such a good item...’

After subduing the Qi Family, Su Ye’s next steps went much more smoothly.

He got straight to the point and laid out his plan.

"To be honest, I came here to grant my young friend a fortuitous opportunity..."

Qi Chengjian quickly understood.

Refine a Demon King’s Inner Core and become a Fake Core Master.

Then, as a Fake Core Master, he would serve Su Ye for two hundred years without compensation.

"A Fake Core..."

Qi Chengjian gave a bitter smile.

’How could becoming a Fake Core be considered a fortuitous opportunity?’

With his level of accumulation...

...if he had a Crystal-grade Spiritual Object, his chances of reaching the Crystal Realm wouldn’t be low.

But it was obvious Su Ye had no intention of helping him reach the Crystal Realm.

’Of course not!’

’Even if I were to cultivate a Crystal Realm expert, it would be Luo Xiyin or Luo Qing’e...’

’Why would I ever cultivate you, Qi Chengjian?’

"Do I have any other choice?"

Qi Chengjian asked finally.

"You do," Su Ye said seriously.

"You can kill yourself."

"For Shuhui’s sake, I’ll try not to slaughter the entire Qi Family."

"Heh..."

Qi Chengjian laughed bitterly.

He said no more and accepted the jade box.