Free Web NovelChapter 2881 - It Really is You!
A flash of white light bore through the sky. That unstoppable momentum forced Wang Zhiwu, Lu Shi, and the others back.
When the white light appeared beside River Emperor Hong Ye, it instantly transformed into a man bathed in silver Dao Light. His hair was silver, and he was tall and thin, with a face as fair as jade. His eyes were deep blue-green.
Most striking of all were the enormous, mysterious wings on his back. They looked as if they were made of pure starlight. Primeval energy coursed through them, and Dao Light interwove, manifesting visions of an endless starscape.
Indescribable, formless pressure spread, sweeping across the entire battlefield.
River Ancestor Shen Xiao!
River Emperor Winged Dragon and River Empress Lu Ping recognized the new arrival at a glance. Their hearts shook, and they hurriedly transmitted warnings to Lu Shi and Wang Zhiwu.
The River of Destiny contained numerous mysterious, unknown zones. Some had yet to be explored even now, while others were home to utterly terrifying River Ancestors.
River Ancestor Shen Xiao was one such ruler of a forbidden zone. He’d proven his Dao long ago, during the Devastation, and he’d spent his life fighting. After becoming a River Ancestor, he occupied Azure Billows Ridge, a forbidden zone. freewёbnoνel.com
His most dazzling accomplishment was his battle with Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan of the Eternal Heavens Domain. Their battle reached the River of Destiny, spanning ten thousand miles. It continued for seven days and seven nights. In the end, Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan left with heavy injuries.
This incident was well known throughout the River of Destiny. It was a legend spoken of to this day.
Now, that legendary River Ancestor of the Devastation stood before them. Who wouldn’t have been stunned?
Before a Heavenly Sovereign, all other Eternals were ministers.
The same was true of lesser river denizens before a River Ancestor!
River Emperor Hong Ye, River Emperor Winged Dragon, and River Empress Lu Ping were among the thirteen greatest River Emperors, but they were nothing compared to River Ancestor Shen Xiao, much like how Heavenly Monarchs couldn’t defeat Heavenly Sovereigns!
Lu Shi and Wang Zhiwu both looked solemn. A River Ancestor! That’s an existence comparable to a Heavenly Sovereign!
Meanwhile, Su Yi’s heart shook. He’d been waiting for River Empress Peacock, only for a River Ancestor to show up instead. He instantly realized the severity of the situation.
“We’re finished!” Wei E trembled from head to toe, his hopes turning to ash. In his eyes, River Emperors were already top experts. He couldn’t even wrap his head around a River Ancestor. They were beings straight out of a legend! Most river denizens lived and died without ever laying eyes on one.
Who could have imagined that a legendary River Ancestor would appear here in the Abhorrent Evil Forbidden Zone?
“Daoist Brother, I’m glad you arrived in time. Any later, and this old life of mine would have been forfeit.” River Emperor Hong Ye sighed.
He, too, had proven his Dao during the Devastation. He had extremely high seniority, and he and River Ancestor Shen Xiao were sworn brothers. Their bond ran deep. That hadn’t changed, not even after Shen Xiao broke through and became a River Ancestor.
“Why say all that? We’re brothers. Don’t be so polite,” said River Ancestor Shen Xiao.
His aura was terrifying and transcendent. Even though he’d closed his starry wings, his whole body emanated the characteristic imposing aura of a River Ancestor. It spread out, blanketing the sky and blotting out the sun.
Suddenly, he turned and waved his sleeve.
Boom!
The distant fog dissipated, and the mountains and rivers came back into focus. Su Yi, Wei E, and Innocence appeared, too.
“There’s no need to hide any longer. Come on out, all of you,” River Emperor Shen Xiao said coldly.
In his eyes, it didn’t matter who showed up. None of them was worth taking into consideration. If not for River Emperor Hong Ye’s request for aid, he’d have disdained participating in a petty squabble of this level.
When Lu Shi, Wang Zhiwu, and the others saw Su Yi and the company, they were stunned. All of them instantly fixed their attention on Su Yi.
“So, you’re the one impersonating me!” Lu Shi glowered. He instantly understood why Wang Zhiwu had appeared out of nowhere to curse him out.
River Emperor Winged Dragon seethed with murderous intent. “You impersonated Fellow Daoist Lu to divert disaster onto him. You despicable bastard!”
Wang Zhiwu pointed at Su Yi and cursed. “Who the fuck are you, anyway?”
He’d just realized what had happened. When he saw Wei E standing beside Su Yi, his expression contorted. “Did you impersonate me earlier, too? Were you the one who killed River Emperor Thousand Hands’ subordinate while wearing my face?”
River Empress Lu Ping connected the dots, too. Earlier, outside the Abhorrent Evil Source Zone, River Emperor Thousand Hands charged in with a group of his subordinates and attacked Wang Zhiwu.
Now, it seemed that the true culprit was that insidious, despicable imposter!
River Emperor Hong Ye furrowed his brow in surprise. He recognized the fake Lu Shi, too. That’s the guy who saw through my Traceless Mirage at a glance. He even shamelessly told me that his name was Lu Shi. It’s because he gave me that name that I managed to divine the true Lu Shi’s location with the Compass of Interconnected Destiny.
“Were you the one who ruined my ambush earlier?” River Emperor Hong Ye glared, gnashing his teeth so hard that they almost shattered.
He’d hidden himself thoroughly, and he was just about to attack Wang Zhiwu and Lu Shi. He would never have guessed that some hidden figure would call his true name, forcing him out into the open and making him the common enemy of everyone else present.
If River Ancestor Shen Xiao hadn’t arrived in time, he’d have been doomed!
For a moment, everyone was stunned—and furious. All of them glared at Su Yi as if they wanted nothing more than to kill him.
So, all of this trouble was this mysterious imposter’s doing! He caused all this from behind the scenes. He’s just too shameless!
River Ancestor Shen Xiao saw this, too. Even he was surprised, and he couldn’t help but take another look at Su Yi. Who is this guy? He actually led everyone here in circles. He isn’t simple!
Wei E’s knees turned to jelly, and he practically toppled to the ground, only for Innocence to grab him by the arm and sneer. “You’re a disgrace. Life and death are determined by destiny. Got it?”
Wei E quivered. He wanted to weep, but he had no tears. Fuck! I’m just a useless little small fry. Don’t you think you’re asking too much from me?
Su Yi, however, laughed and took a step forward. His face silently transformed as he reverted to his true appearance. Even his robes returned to his trademark blue.
The experts from the River of Destiny were stunned. A cultivator from the surface?
Lu Shi and Wang Zhiwu’s expressions, however, were a sight to behold.
Lu Shi glowered. “Su Yi? I would never have guessed that a proud sword cultivator like you would do something so despicable!”
Wang Zhiwu, meanwhile, looked skeptical, then angry. “Who are you really? You’ve just gotten hooked on impersonating people, huh? How dare you impersonate Brother Su! Are you really trying to get yourself killed!?”
Su Yi rubbed his forehead. “What need do I have to impersonate myself?”
Wang Zhiwu broke into curses. “My Brother Su wouldn’t screw me over like this! You...”
Su Yi flipped his palm, and the Sword of Proximity floated into the air. “Do you recognize this sword?”
Wang Zhiwu’s curses came to an abrupt halt. His eyes widened. “Aiyo! Hey! It really is you!”
His face filled with delight, and he burst into laughter. “No wonder you warned me that River Emperor Bai Ye was hiding nearby, and no wonder you forced River Emperor Hong Ye out of hiding.”
He took a step forward, wrapping one arm around Su Yi’s shoulder while the other patted him on the back. He was quite enthusiastic.
It was true what they said: Little was more delightful than a familiar face in unfamiliar territory!
Meanwhile, Wang Zhiwu transmitted, “I’ll let this go this time, but follow my lead on this one. River Ancestor Shen Xiao is far too much for us to handle. Fortunately, I’m different from what I was before, and I’ve got powerful killer weapons up my sleeves. I might struggle to actually kill River Ancestor Shen Xiao, but fleeing for our lives should be no problem!”
He patted Su Yi on the shoulder. His eyes seemed to say, “Don’t you worry about a thing. Leave it all up to me!”
Wang Zhiwu really had changed. Even his confidence had increased!
Wei E was stunned. Wait, the real Wang Zhiwu and the fake know each other? They’re even... friends? Isn’t this a bit too ridiculous? How could this Su Yi person bear to screw over his own brother like this?
River Empress Lu Ping was stunned, too.
“What are you two furtively chatting about? You want to run? Let me tell you: there’s no way!” River Emperor Hong Ye glared, his eyes seething with murderous intent.
“If I want to leave, no one can stop me, not even a River Ancestor!” Wang Zhiwu spun around and raised the Book of Legends. His tone was as aggressive as it could be.
River Ancestor Shen Xiao just said, “You made it into the River of Destiny. That means all of you are extraordinary. In any event, I’m not interested in killing you.”
Wang Zhiwu was stunned. “You don’t plan to get even on your brother Hong Ye’s behalf?”
River Ancestor Shen Xiao said calmly, “If you can provide leads to the Key to Endless Tribulations, I’ll consider us even.”
Wang Zhiwu pointed to the stone stele in the distance. “There’s your lead! Earlier, Lu Shi was investigating it. I’m sure it contains information about the Key to Endless Tribulations.”
Lu Shi glowered, barely resisting the urge to curse. I discovered the stele, and he knows it, but that bastard makes it sound like it’s his!
“Is that true?” River Ancestor Shen Xiao looked at Lu Shi.
Lu Shi’s eyes narrowed. “That’s true. If you’d like to contemplate it, I naturally won’t stand in your way.”
He remained calm even in the face of a River Ancestor in an obvious show of confidence.
“I’ll naturally ponder the stele’s mysteries, but that’s far from enough for me to overlook what happened here today.” River Ancestor Shen Xiao shook his head. “Do you have anything else? If not, don’t blame me for my rudeness.”
He spoke casually, but the atmosphere was instantly oppressive to the extreme. Everyone sensed unprecedented pressure!
“Go ahead and attack, then!” said Wang Zhiwu, not the least bit concerned. “I’m not bragging. Try me, and you’ll see what I’m really made of.”
Lu Shi sighed softly. “Since we’re all here for the Key to Endless Tribulations, why not set aside our prior grudges and work together? We can determine a victor after we’ve located the key.”
He obviously wanted to avoid a complete falling out with River Ancestor Shen Xiao. That was exactly what the two River Emperors had in mind, too.
River Emperor Shen Xiao said calmly, “Do you think you’re qualified to work with me?”
Lu Shi’s expression darkened. It would have been obvious to anyone that if they didn’t provide worthwhile clues, River Ancestor Shen Xiao would attack!
