Chapter Forty: Schemes

Soon, Wang Bo returned from his treasure hunt, indeed holding four Sumeru Mustard Seeds in his hand—just enough for each person to have one. As Wang Bo was about to distribute the Sumeru Mustard Seeds, a streak of azure shadow, swift as a flicker of light, darted toward Li Ruoyu. It bypassed Jing Hong, evaded Yu Qing, and slipped past Wang Bo’s divine senses, as if Death’s scythe itself, bringing with it a chilling intent to kill that pressed inexorably upon Li Ruoyu.

Jing Hong, sensing the murderous aura of the azure figure rushing toward Li Ruoyu, showed a trace of concealed worry in her eyes. Wang Bo’s gaze grew anxious, and Yu Qing lunged toward the azure shadow. Just as the shadow was about to strike Li Ruoyu, divine energy erupted from him; black snowflakes drifted down from the heavens. A gravestone lifted Li Ruoyu, its surface etched with inscriptions of heaven and earth. Behind the gravestone, a black tomb appeared, its grass swaying as if carried by the wind—the manifestation of Li Ruoyu’s Dao Image: “Desolate Burial Ground.”

“Desolate Burial Ground” blocked the attack, revealing the true identity of the azure figure. Three thousand azure strands flowed behind her, her skin fair as jade, her legs long and graceful, her beauty so ethereal she seemed a celestial maiden—Su Qingyi, unchanged from days past. Her azure robes matched her name, embodying both person and title. She stood unrivaled, transcending mortal realms, as if ascending on wisps of immortal vapor.

Su Qingyi gazed at Li Ruoyu, who had received her blow, a look of sudden understanding in her eyes. Gifted and supremely intelligent, she now realized that Li Ruoyu had long since laid a trap for her. Su Qingyi sensed the true terror of Li Ruoyu—not in his cultivation, but in his intellect, stratagems, and his sweeping grasp of the situation. This was not a force in itself, yet it was more frightful than any power known to the world.

Many astonishing cultivators have perished—ambushed, slain, or lost to unknown deadly realms. Even immortals cannot guarantee their survival. But Li Ruoyu’s ability allows him to avoid countless dangers on the path of cultivation.

Indeed, Li Ruoyu had dug this pit specially for Su Qingyi. Using the heavenly tribulation to annihilate the men of the Gate of Lifelessness was one part of his scheme; the devastating force of the tribulation could intimidate some enemies and observers, but not all. Jing Hong, Yu Qing, and Wang Bo formed the next layer of his plan. With those three present, anyone seeking to kill Li Ruoyu would hesitate: was it worth striking, was it necessary to act?

This gave Su Qingyi a chance to act first. Li Ruoyu could never forget the blood-soaked battle when Gu Tianyi, Su Qingyi, Meng Ning Si of the Meng family, and other factions led their disciples, together with the Four Gates of Zhao—Dream Sect, Corpse Sect, Gate of Lifelessness—to encircle and attempt to slay him. Though Li Ruoyu killed most of them, a few leaders escaped. The memory most deeply imprinted on him was Su Qingyi’s eyes as she fled—filled with hate and venomous resentment.

Li Ruoyu knew this hatred was like a viper, persistent and unyielding. He understood he could not let her leave Demonfall Valley alive; he must kill her here. Yet he never found Su Qingyi’s trail, but the ambush by the Gate of Lifelessness and others gave him this opportunity. Thus, Li Ruoyu seized the moment and offered Su Qingyi an opening to strike.

When Gu Tianyi shielded Su Qingyi from the tribulation, something changed in her—Li Ruoyu saw it in her final glance. In his youth, Li Ruoyu might not have understood, but after witnessing the look in Kill Sky’s eyes as he gazed at the grave of his departed wife Mo’er, Li Ruoyu came to comprehend what such a gaze contained, and he learned to read its meaning.

In the mortal world, there are those who can decide victory from a thousand miles away, unraveling enemy nations through masterful planning; such a person is called a national prodigy, and the phrase for their strategic prowess is “Unrivaled among Statesmen.” Li Ruoyu now possessed the beginnings of such a disposition. Though some of this talent is innate, the vast majority is cultivated, tied to the books Li Ruoyu read in his youth and directly shaped by his experiences.

Su Qingyi’s flawless beauty, paired with the icy hatred in her eyes, created a striking contrast. She realized that escaping Li Ruoyu on her own would be nearly impossible, not to mention he had the support of Wang Bo and the others.

A tangible cold moon slashed toward Li Ruoyu, its oppressive power freezing the void, a terrifying force distorting the space around him.

“Cold Moon Bathes in Autumn Snow”

This was Su Qingyi’s Dao Image, cultivated from her supreme Yin constitution.

Faced with her Dao Image’s assault, Li Ruoyu remained calm as a mountain, countering with his own Dao Image’s power. Black snow and autumn snow merged—one the snow of time that withers all, the other autumn’s deepening chill. Together, they painted an image of autumn snowfall through the ages. Black snow and white snow ceaselessly melted into each other, like spring encountering white snow, dissolving into water. Yet in this melting—the contest between Li Ruoyu and Su Qingyi’s Dao Images—there was no concession, only fierce resolve beneath a placid surface.

The cold moon, bathed in autumn snow, layered extreme cold upon extreme cold, intensifying the chill. Yet under Li Ruoyu’s black snow, it was defeated. The rate at which black snow melted from the autumn snow was far less than the autumn snow’s dissolution by black snow.

Seeing that she could not quickly defeat Li Ruoyu with her Dao Image, Li Ruoyu unleashed the “World-Severing Fist”—a boxing technique recorded in the Celestial Burial Absolute Art, suitable for initial practice in the Dao Body realm. The technique grows stronger with one’s realm and comprehension. Now, after years of accumulation, the fist in Li Ruoyu’s hand had become ever more terrifying and domineering, truly carrying the aura of “severing worlds with a single blow.”

Witnessing Li Ruoyu employ the World-Severing Fist, Su Qingyi’s heart trembled. In their last attempt to encircle Li Ruoyu, it was this fist that wounded her, making her cough blood repeatedly, her ethereal robe stained with crimson, a scene of desolation. Not to mention Gu Tianyi sacrificing himself to shield her from a blow, which caused Su Qingyi’s hatred for Li Ruoyu to reach unprecedented heights. Thus, as Li Ruoyu launched the World-Severing Fist at her, Su Qingyi hastily widened the distance between them. Clearly, her past experience left her deeply wary of this technique.