Chapter 444: Tianqi Island

Chapter 444: Tianqi Island

Tianqi Island felt both distant and close.

When distant, it felt like no one could reach it in just a couple of days.

In the meantime, Su Mo divided his time between studying the Celestial Stele and honing his martial arts.

The Nine Yin Mysterious Ice Manual, which he had obtained earlier on Dragonwood Island, had now reached the seventh tier.

But the deeper one delved into this art, the harder it grew.

Not even Su Mo could boast of reaching the ninth and final tier anytime soon.

Luckily, he wasn’t in a hurry.

Using this time, he tempered the Mysterious Ice Qi cultivated from the Nine Yin Mysterious Ice Manual. With the aid of the Yixuan Divine Art, he harmonized it with his own pure Yang internal energy, blending Yin and Yang in harmony without conflict.

At the same time, he organized the martial arts he had learned so far.

So far, his skills were wildly varied.

Just for defense, he’d mastered three techniques:

Golden Bell Shield, Formless Water Armor, and the Indestructible Heavenly Aura from the Yixuan Divine Art.

Su Mo had planned to fuse all three into one.

But he quickly saw how tough that’d be.

The problem? The Golden Bell Shield was too overpowering.

While he could activate all three at once, the result was… messy.

It wasn’t that the power diminished—

Instead, it looked like this: outermost, the Indestructible Heavenly Aura, beneath it loomed an ancient bell, and closest to his body clung the Formless Water Armor.

The whole setup was overkill.

Plus, the Golden Bell Shield made the Formless Water Armor pointless.

After some thought, he scrapped the Golden Bell Shield for now.

He then focused on merging the Formless Water Armor with the Indestructible Heavenly Aura.

Water is shapeless, and the Indestructible Heavenly Aura, derived from the seventh level of the Yixuan Divine Art, could harmonize with various techniques.

So Su Mo made the Indestructible Heavenly Aura the 'skeleton' and the Formless Water Armor the 'skin,' forging a whole new defense.

In just days, he saw results.

When this technique was activated, invisible water currents raced across the aura’s surface.

In other words, the "water armor" that was originally worn on the body was now draped over the Indestructible Heavenly Aura.

This boosted the Indestructible Heavenly Aura’s strength and let Su Mo wield the Flowing Water Force with ease.

With the "water armor" as his base, he could now unleash the Ten Directions Heavenly Water Sword, breaking free of the ten-fingers, ten-directions limit.

Su Mo channeled internal energy through his fingertips, and with a mere thought, the water swords danced at his command.

Thus, this martial art actually fuses the Indestructible Heavenly Aura, Formless Water Armor, and the Ten Directions Heavenly Water Sword—three peerless techniques.

Su Mo chose to christen it the "Formless Heavenly Aura Sword" martial art.

Unlike the Golden Bell Shield, the Twelve Gates Golden Bell Shield focuses on defense and possesses an immensely powerful recoil force, capable of rebounding an opponent's force back at them.

Back in the Jade Clan's ancestral territory, when Su Mo first attempted this divine technique, he effortlessly returned the Heaven Gate Master's "Heavenly Strike" in full, nearly crushing the Heaven Gate Master to death on the spot.

This single feat demonstrated the extraordinary might of the Twelve Gates Golden Bell Shield.

For sheer defensive capability, it even surpasses the Formless Heavenly Aura Sword.

However, by comparison, the Formless Heavenly Aura Sword is both offensive and defensive, offering both reactive defense and proactive offense firmly in hand.

Its techniques are vastly more sophisticated and adaptable.

If the Mysterious Ice Qi were further integrated, the water swords could even crystallize into ice blades.

But water manipulation differs from ice control. To achieve fluid transitions with perfect control, one would likely need to cultivate the Nine Yin Mysterious Ice Manual to a higher level.

By the time all this was accomplished, the once-distant Tianqi Island had drawn near.

On this day, the day dawned bright and clear.

As Su Mo stepped out of his cabin, he saw most of the ship's crew had assembled on the deck. In the distance, a grand island came into view.

"So this is Tianqi Island?"

Wei Ziyi's face bore a faintly wan complexion, her lips slightly pale. She glanced up at the island and stated the obvious.

This time, however, Su Mo refrained from mocking her. Instead, he gave her a concerned look.

"I'm fine..."

Wei Ziyi seemed to sense the meaning behind Su Mo's gaze and let out a soft chuckle.

"The fortune-teller said I'd live to be a hundred."

For some reason, Su Mo thought of the Poison Lord and was tempted to warn her not to let storytellers do fortune-telling.

In the end, he only offered a soft sigh.

"I don’t think it’s a hundred—more like a thousand."

"Huh?"

Wei Ziyi truly wasn’t in the best condition and didn’t immediately grasp Su Mo’s implication.

For a moment, she was completely perplexed.

Su Mo then deadpanned:

"As the saying goes, good people don’t live long, but troublemakers last a thousand years."

"...If I had the strength right now, I’d bite your head off."

"Cut it out. Even when you were perfectly fine before, I never saw you manage to bite me to death. Unless you wanna lose all your teeth."

Watching Wei Ziyi fume with anger yet unable to do anything about Su Mo, both Yang Xiaoyun and Little Situ couldn’t help but snicker.

After seeing how the pirates and Su Mo’s group operated that day, Shangguan Jingjing had given up on escaping altogether. She decided to stay put on the ship and bide her time.

Yet, she never expected the ship would actually reach Tianqi Island. For a moment, she just gazed at the island, stunned, muttering under her breath:

"This is one of the rare big islands in the South Sea."

"Oh?"

Su Mo smiled. "Young Miss Shangguan and the young master of the Ximen Family picked this spot—was there more to it?"

"Well..."

Shangguan Jingjing initially hesitated to speak, but after a brief pause, she finally said:

"The head of the Qi Family on Tianqi Island is the Third Elder of the South Sea Alliance.

"A real heavyweight!

"Originally, there were three major cities on this island: Tianqi City, Tianshuang City, and Tianlong City.

"It’s said these three cities once were evenly matched, back when the Qi Family was nowhere near as powerful as they are now.

"But things shifted. Tianshuang City and Tianlong City gradually declined, while Tianqi City only grew stronger.

"The Qi Family rose like a tide in the South Sea.

"Eventually, they swallowed up both Tianshuang and Tianlong.

"They even straight-up renamed the island 'Tianqi.'

"With Tianqi Island as the core, dozens of nearby islands, large and small, all fall under their jurisdiction.

"They rule a chunk of the South Sea—untouchable.

"And all of this, naturally, is because they call the shots within the South Sea Alliance!

"They bear... the duty of 'Dragon Resistance.'"

"Dragon Resistance?"

Su Mo blinked. "The hell’s that?"

"The Qi Family’s turf on Tianqi Island butts up against the Dragon King Hall’s territory," Shangguan Jingjing said softly.

"The entire South Sea is divided into three parts, each run by one of the big three.

"But what really matters isn’t the size of the waters—it’s who holds the most islands."

"There are numerous islands around Tianqi Island, and the same goes for the area between it and the Dragon King Hall.

"The two are divided by the 'Three-Seven Islands,' splitting this constellation of islands into two halves, each claiming half.

"Naturally, they must remain wary of each other.

"The South Sea Alliance calls it the 'Dragon-Resistance Duty,' which means guarding against the Dragon King Hall.

"With such a heavy duty, their power is immense."

Upon hearing this, Su Mo understood her meaning.

When the three major powers engage in conflict, it ultimately comes down to fighting over islands rather than open waters.

If the borders were empty, there would naturally be no need to fortify.

Even if one side held many islands while the other had far fewer, neither would dare to push forward recklessly.

Only in regions where both sides occupy numerous islands could all-out fights break out.

The Qi Family, situated here, holds a strategic position akin to a border warlord within the South Sea Alliance.

For the alliance, the Qi Family’s importance is obvious.

However, from what Shangguan Jingjing said, similar setups likely exist along the borders between the three major powers.

Tianqi Island, bordering the Dragon King Hall, bears the 'Dragon-Resistance Duty.'

But what about the regions bordering the territory of Guixu Island?

The 'Duty of Resisting Guixu'?

Su Mo chewed on the idea briefly, finding the notion somewhat off-sounding.

Yet, he grasped Shangguan Jingjing’s intent: "You intend to use Tianqi Island as a springboard to escape into Dragon King Hall territory?"

"Exactly."

Shangguan Jingjing nodded. "The Dragon King Hall’s territory isn’t like the South Sea Alliance. Even if the Ximen Family and our Shangguan Family enter their lands, we wouldn’t dare act rashly.

"Only by leaving the South Sea Alliance can we truly have a chance to stay together forever."

Su Mo nodded, thinking to himself how much this young woman was going through for love. He shook his head slightly before turning to Wei Ziyi:

"What’s on your mind? Are you nervous coming home?"

Wei Ziyi suddenly looked at Su Mo and said,

"I think we shouldn’t march right up to them."

Su Mo smiled knowingly. "Why not?"

"After all, my mother left all those years ago. Instead of her returning, an unknown granddaughter pops up unannounced.

"Even if I have the token she gave me, who knows if they’ll acknowledge me?

"And this time, what we’re asking for is their prized treasure..."

Wei Ziyi sighed. "It’s not that I fear refusal—I’m afraid of starting a fight by barging in."

"In the end, a perfectly fine great family was wiped out by you."

"..."

Su Mo was speechless for a moment. "Since when am I that brutal?"

"How are you not?" Wei Ziyi rolled her eyes at him. "Old Su, you really have no self-awareness, do you?"

Su Mo was left speechless by the comeback.

But ignoring Wei Ziyi’s taunts, what she said actually made a lot of sense.

If the treasure wasn’t with the Qi Family, or if the Qi Family didn’t have this kind of relationship with Wei Ziyi, Su Mo could have gone to borrow it—if borrowing failed, he could steal, and if stealing failed, he could resort to force.

But since they were related by blood, he had to proceed with caution.

He nodded slightly. "In that case, let’s not charge in recklessly. Once we arrive, we’ll first find a place to stay.

"Then, we’ll visit them posing as fellow martial artists.

"We’ll feel things out first. If there’s a chance to fish for information, all the better.

"Once we’ve get a read on things, we’ll decide what to do."

"Yeah."

Everyone nodded in agreement, except for Shangguan Jingjing, who was clueless but didn’t ask questions.

Now that they’d made it to Tianqi Island, regardless of what kind of monster Su Mo was, at least he had kept his word so far.

The thought of seeing Big Brother Ximen again and escaping to the Dragon King Hall’s territory, where even the Shangguan and Ximen Families couldn’t lay a finger on them, made her heart race.

She wished she could grow wings and fly straight to the island.

……

……

With Tianqi Island now right in front of them, there was no need to fly.

The ship soon docked at the harbor.

No one knew how long they’d be stuck there this time.

The island was vast, with three major cities and dozens of smaller towns and villages scattered around.

The harbor was still a good ways from Tianqi City, so everyone who could walk got off.

Even the Sick Prince was hauled off in a box.

Shi Cheng and Ye Youchen were also lugged by some deckhands.

Only Song Yuanlong and the White Tiger stayed behind to guard the ship.

After getting off the large ship, they debated whether to walk to Tianqi City or purchase a carriage or horses at the dock when the rhythmic pounding of hooves suddenly reached their ears.

Looking up, they saw a group of black-clad riders approaching swiftly from the distance, soon arriving before them.

At their head was a young man in form-fitting black clothes, with the character "Qi" embroidered in silver thread on his chest.

Su Mo arched a brow and shot Yang Xiaoyun a look.

Qi family men?

Was some big shot arriving at the docks?

Glancing around, the docks seemed quiet, with no signs of any special guests, which left him briefly baffled.

Just as he was wondering, he noticed the group sweeping their gaze across the docks.

Finally, their gaze settled on the Ziyang Escort’s large ship, and then directly on Su Mo and his companions.

The black-clad man at the forefront immediately kicked his horse into motion, dismounting as he approached.

By now, Su Mo had no doubt—they were the target.

Little Situ Taoist shot Wei Ziyi an involuntary look.

She knew Wei Ziyi was the granddaughter of the Qi family—could this be a homecoming welcome for the young mistress?

As her thoughts wandered, the leading young man spoke loudly:

"Which of you is Hero Su Mo?"

Only then did Su Mo realize they were here for him.

He gave a quiet laugh—unexpected, but not shocking.

Never mind the stir he’d caused on Dragonwood Island, which had shot his fame through the roof.

Even in recent days, every time they made port, he caught whispers about it.

And as the Eastern Wastes’ top martial arts master, he wasn’t entirely unknown.

At the very least, folks in the South Sea had gone out of their way to dig up intel on him from the Tianji Pavilion.

As one of the three major powers, it’d be unbelievable if the South Sea Alliance was totally in the dark about the arrival of such a prominent outsider.

Collecting himself, he cupped his hands in salute:

"I am Su Mo."

"Greetings, Hero Su."

The black-clad man looked at Su Mo and smiled.

"True to the tales, Hero Su is indeed young. Wang Shengyuan, of the Qi family. An honor."

"You flatter me, Brother Wang. I hadn’t expected to meet one of the Qi family’s finest."

Su Mo smiled and asked, "What brings you here?"

"Hero Su may not be aware..."

Wang Shengyuan immediately chuckled:

"During the battle at Dragonwood Island, Hero Su wielded power effortlessly, demonstrating peerless martial prowess—truly admirable."

"Once the news spread, our family head regarded Hero Su as a bosom friend, having long felt a profound connection with you."

"Not long ago, upon hearing that a Large Ship bearing the words 'Purple Sun Escort Agency' was passing through waters under the Qi family's jurisdiction, our patriarch yearned for Master Su to visit Tianqi Island."

"During this time, we genuinely wished to extend an invitation but didn't want to impose."

"We could only wait quietly for good news."

"Moreover, we were under strict orders that if Master Su truly arrived on this island, we must absolutely invite you to our residence for a conversation."

"It would be even better if you could stay for a few days."

"Thus, upon receiving news today that your ship had indeed arrived on our island,"

"we rushed here at once, fearing we might be a step too late and miss Master Su."

Su Mo was taken aback.

The words were exceedingly lavish with praise, offering immense respect.

Yet, the Qi family of Tianqi Island held such a prestigious reputation—why would they 'go out of their way to befriend' him so earnestly?

It was rather downright puzzling.

Had it been anyone else—not the Qi family but another—Su Mo would certainly have refused outright.

As the saying goes, 'Where there's smoke, there's fire.' Merely hearing rumors and regarding someone as a kindred spirit would hardly be convincing.

Who knew what schemes afoot might lie beneath?

But this was the Qi family...

After all, they were no ordinary people.

After a brief pause, Su Mo nodded and said:

"So that's how it is. I never imagined my modest fame would reach your family head's ears."

"It truly makes me feel rather ashamed."

"Such generous hospitality is more than I deserve."

"However, as things stand, it would be impolite to refuse. In that case, please lead the way, Brother Wang."

"I shall take this opportunity to have the honor of meeting your family head in person."

But after saying this, Su Mo again paused slightly:

"However, our group is rather large, and some among us are incapacitated..."

Wang Shengyuan glanced at Shi Cheng and Ye Youchen, who were being carried, and without asking questions, simply smiled and said:

"That's no trouble at all!"

"Su the Hero, please wait a moment."

He gave a few instructions, and immediately someone mounted a horse and hurried off.

In less than fifteen minutes, three carriages were brought over.

Once everyone was settled in the carriages, they resumed their journey.

Su Mo didn't ride a horse this time either, riding in the same carriage as Yang Xiaoyun, Wei Ziyi, and Little Situ Taoist.

As they exchanged glances, Yang Xiaoyun smiled and said,

"For a moment there, I thought they'd come for Ziyi."

Wei Ziyi sighed helplessly, "They likely have no idea who I am."

"Makes sense."

Yang Xiaoyun nodded and glanced at Su Mo. "Husband, what's the Qi family playing at with all this?"

Su Mo gave a slight shake of his head.

Just as everyone thought he was equally puzzled, they heard him say,

"When someone bows low, they always want something.

"Whether they know our background or have only heard of us through rumors,

"one thing the Qi family can be certain of is this—

"my skills are top-tier.

"They're after one thing—my skills.

"My guess? The Qi family's in deep.

"and needs backup."

Everyone went quiet, thinking, *You've got it all worked out—why the headshake?*

Su Mo seemed to read their thoughts and gave a dry smile:

"The Qi family's power is no joke, packed with martial arts masters, and with the mighty South Sea Alliance at their back.

"But if even they need backup, their enemy's gotta be serious trouble."