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nThat bony figure’s hair and beard were matted and disheveled.

nWhen his bloodthirsty gaze locked onto Su Yi, a ferocious, imposing aura swept outward.

nWhoosh~

nThe air quivered, and ripples spread outward.

nSu Yi’s gaze focused. A living Immortal King?

nThat bony figure suddenly threw back his head and laughed uproariously. “Hahaha! Countless years have passed, but I’ve finally waited long enough. A living person has arrived!”

nHe danced about excitedly, obviously beside himself with glee.

nThat booming laughter echoed continuously throughout the enormous space.

nSu Yi looked at the tightly shut doors to the Underground Palace of Seeking the Profound and didn’t answer.

nThe bony figure whipped around, his gaze heated and his voice urgent. “Little fellow, hurry up and tell me how you got in here.”

nHis aura surged around him, ferocious and terrifying.

nBut before Su Yi could even answer, the bony figure seemed like he couldn’t be bothered to go to the trouble of conversing with him; he attacked directly!

n“Forget it! I’ll get answers as soon as I search your soul!”

nThe bony figure suddenly stretched out his hand and reached for Su Yi from afar.

nBoom!

nA massive, blood-red hand large enough to blot out the sun descended upon Su Yi.

nTyrannical Immortal King Laws wrapped around its palm, forming a strange vortex that devoured even space itself.

nThe power it unleashed could have crushed Immortal Lords with ease!

nBut Su Yi neither fled nor dodged. He just swung his fist and punched.

nBoom!

nThe enormous blood-red hand exploded into pieces, but the impact churned Su Yi’s qi and blood.

nThe thin old man watched in disbelief. “You’re just a Universe Realm Immortal. How could you have blocked one of my attacks?”

nSu Yi brushed off his clothes and said casually, “And what do you amount to? All that remains of you is a remnant of your soul. Your body has broken and withered away, and your life force has all but been depleted. Your Immortal King cultivation has almost crumbled. To me, you’re no different from a clay chicken or porcelain dog.”

nHe could tell at a glance that this Miracle Realm Immortal King was in the weakest possible state!

nWith its feathers plucked, a phoenix was inferior to even a chicken.

nThe same went for Immortal Kings!

n“A clay chicken or porcelain dog?” The gaunt figure bristled with anger. “Little wretch, I’ll teach you that kings are not to be insulted!”

nBoom!

nHis figure blurred, then disappeared into thin air.

nA moment later, he appeared directly in front of Su Yi, his fingers closing like a cage as his hand descended. Explosive Immortal King power bore down on the skies, making them collapse with a bang.

nA hint of a mocking smile tugged at Su Yi’s lips. He raised his hand and waved it through the air.

nBang!

nA deafening impact followed, and the bony old man was sent flying back. He slammed into the ground several hundred feet away.

nHis skin tore and bled, and he looked utterly wretched.

n“Dammit——!” The bony old man was practically insane with fury. “If not for the Nine Extremes Heaven-Slaughtering Formation injuring me, killing a Universe Realm Immortal like you would be no more difficult than crushing an ant!”

n“Oh?” said Su Yi. “How about this? If you want to live, be good and cooperate. If you do, I guarantee you a chance to survive.”

nThe bony old man stood up. “Truly?”

nSu Yi took out a jug of wine and had a sip. “I know you won’t cooperate willingly. All I can say is, this is your only chance at life. If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to test the consequences of resisting.”

nThe bony old man’s expression shifted erratically.

nAs an Immortal King, at his peak, he’d been enormously influential, and he’d gazed down at the world from on high. Since when did Universe Realm Immortals dare to talk to him like this?

nBut he couldn’t deny that the young man in blue was strong. This was no “ordinary” heaven-defying genius!

nAn ordinary Immortal Lord couldn’t have taken even one of the old man’s attacks, yet this Universe Realm Immortal was somehow blocking them!

nThe old man almost doubted everything he knew about life. Countless years have passed. Are all Universe Realm Immortals this strong now?

nIn the end, he took a deep breath, and his expression filled with shame. “Now that I think about it, there’s no grudge between us. If I offended you earlier, I humbly request your understanding!”

nWith that, he suppressed his ferocious aura and respectfully greeted Su Yi. Finally, he said gently, “So long as you can get me out of here, I’ll agree to any request you have.”

nSu Yi’s gaze was rife with meaning as he said, “I have but one request. Let me search your soul. Do so, and I’ll naturally give you a path to life.”

nHe wants to search my soul!? The gaunt old man’s expression was instantly incomparably unsightly. A mere Universe Realm Immortal wants to search my soul? I’m an Immortal King! This goes beyond taking an inch and demanding a mile. He doesn’t take me the least bit seriously!

nThe old man took a deep breath, forcefully suppressed his sense of humiliation, and said, “What do you wish to know, my young friend? I’ll hold nothing back. There’s absolutely no need to search my soul. Besides…”

nHe paused, then fixed his bloodthirsty gaze on Su Yi. “For better or worse, I’m still an Immortal King. Even if all that remains of me is a wisp of soul, I’m no ordinary cultivator. Aren’t you… afraid something will go wrong if you attempt a soul search?”

nSu Yi didn’t even pause to think. “No.”

n“….” The old man had nothing to say to that.

n“But if you really want to chat, I’m not opposed,” said Su Yi, sharply changing tacks. “How about this? First, tell me exactly what happened here, and why there are so many corpses lining the path. There are even demons of the Beyond mixed in among the bodies. It’s truly strange.”

nThis question made the old man visibly relax. “Oh, those aren’t really secrets.”

nThe old man then went on to explain the whole situation.

nWhen the cataclysm of the Age of Fallen Immortals swept across the world, it affected every faction in the Immortal Realm. All of them had their hands full just staying alive.

nThe Academy of Eternal Night was no exception.

nWorst of all, the demons of the Beyond rallied their forces and invaded, breaking past the Nine Gates of Heaven. They took advantage of the chaos to invade, stirring up a far-reaching storm of bloodshed.

nThe demons crushed countless once grand and resplendent ancient orthodoxies. The flames of war filled the air, and countless lives were lost.

nThe demons of the Beyond pilfered countless treasures of the Immortal Realm, too!

nBut it was the Academy of Eternal Night that suffered the most.

nThis was because, prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals, most of those stationed at the Nine Gates of Heaven and locked in year-round combat with the demons of the Beyond had studied at the academy.

nThus, they were the primary target of the demons’ revenge!

nAccording to the gaunt old man, when the demons of the Beyond invaded, they gathered one hundred thousand demon elites and surrounded the entire Academy of Eternal Night. They fought until blood flowed like rivers and the corpses were more numerous than trees in the forest!

nIt was in that battle that the Academy of Eternal Night fell.

nAfter hearing the full story, waves of emotion coursed through Su Yi’s heart. I was right! The demons of the Beyond were involved in the academy’s downfall!

nBut Su Yi still had numerous questions.

nFor instance, why did no records of this battle exist in the present-day Immortal Realm? Tang Lingqi was from the ancient Tang Family. Why didn’t he know the truth of the Academy of Eternal Night’s downfall?

nSu Yi took a moment to calm himself, then said, “And what about you? As an Immortal King of the Church of Divine Flame, what are you doing here?”

nThe gaunt old man shook and exclaimed, “You figured out who I am?”

n“Of course,” said Su Yi. “I just bumped into a few experts of the Church of Divine Flame outside. They’ve been searching for this place this entire time.”

nThe gaunt old man was instantly excited, and his eyes lit up. “They really did send people to look for me!”

n“So you’d best answer my questions honestly,” said Su Yi. “That is, if you ever want to leave and reunite with them.”

nThe old man instantly cooled down. “When we learned that the armies of the Beyond were marching upon the Academy of Eternal Night, as their fellows in the Immortal Realm, we naturally couldn’t just stand back and watch. On our founder’s orders, we rallied our experts and rushed to their aid.”

n“Alas, in the end, we were outnumbered. Even my sectmates died here. Only I was fortunate enough to survive as a remnant soul, and I’ve clung desperately to life ever since.”

nHere, he let out a deep sigh.

nSu Yi laughed inwardly. The old man’s obviously just talking nonsense!

nBut out loud, Su Yi said, “And how did you get in here? To the best of my knowledge, this was the most forbidden ground in the academy. Never mind an Immortal King like you, not even a Great Realm expert should have been able to get in here.”

n“The Academy of Eternal Night fell a long time ago, so there’s no harm in telling you,” said the gaunt old man. “One of the academy’s Teaching Elders had long since betrayed the academy to join the demons of the Beyond! At a critical juncture, he opened the passage to the Underground Palace of Seeking the Profound. That’s what gave the demons an opportunity to fight their way inside!”

nSu Yi narrowed his eyes, and his heart filled with irrepressible murderous intent. Indeed, it’s just as I thought. A traitor appeared amongst the academy’s ranks!!

n“Who was he?” asked Su Yi.

nBut the old man responded with another question. “That happened a long, long time ago, before the Age of Fallen Immortals. Why ask about it?”

nSu Yi’s gaze was distant and inscrutable. “All you need to do is answer me.”

nHis calm gaze sent an inexplicable chill through the old man’s heart, which made him both angry and ashamed. He would never have guessed a mere junior would scare him like this.

nBut in the end, he endured and said, “I won’t lie to you. I don’t know either. All I know is that the Academy of Eternal Night Teaching Elder hid himself extremely deeply, and that he disappeared after opening the secret passage. I suspect that if he’s still alive, he’s long since left the Immortal Realm to continue his cultivation amongst the demons of the Beyond.”

nSu Yi furrowed his brow, and the depths of his gaze surged with murderous intent. “You’re lying to me.”

nThe old man’s expression froze in place, and he said with displeasure. “All of that happened so long ago. Why would I need to lie to you?”

nSu Yi drew closer. “I’ll give you one last chance to tell the truth. Tell me who the traitor was, or I’ll kill you on the spot!”

nFierce, terrifying murderous intent billowed around Su Yi, splitting the air like cloth.

nThe old man’s expression shifted dramatically. In that moment, his instincts shouted at him that if his answer failed to satisfy his interlocutor, this young man really would kill him without hesitation.

nThus, the old man dared not hesitate any longer. “If I tell you, will you really let me leave this place alive?”

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