Chapter 183: The Su Family's Fourth

Hearing Lingyun's words, the man couldn't help but roll his eyes. He had no idea how long he had been stuck at the bottom of this lake, and since the youth before him was no world-shaking figure, how could he possibly have guessed who he was?

Watching the man's dejected expression, Lingyun couldn't help but smile. Just as he was about to say something more, his gaze suddenly caught sight of another object beside the skeleton from which he had just discovered the jade pendant. Lingyun stepped forward and picked it up.

The item he picked up this time was a jade pendant. It wasn't made of particularly high-quality jade, and after being soaked in the lake water, it had become somewhat mottled. Lingyun picked up the pendant and examined it carefully; the carving was not very refined, and on one side, a somewhat blurry character for "Su" was engraved. On the other side, a very strange pattern was carved. Looking at this jade pendant, a flash of doubt crossed Lingyun's eyes. He had seen this type of pendant before; Su Wanyue had one as well, and it was said to be a unique symbol of the Su Family.

"You recognize this jade pendant?" the middle-aged man suddenly spoke up.

Lingyun did not reply; he pressed his right index finger against the pendant, and a wisp of Source Power slowly poured into it. The pendant let out a hum, and then a layer of faint light slowly emerged. The light was not intense, but in the dim underwater environment, it was extremely conspicuous.

"This... are you a member of the Su Family?" the middle-aged man asked in shock as he watched this scene.

"You are a member of the Su Family, but I am certainly not!" Lingyun shook his head. With his keen eyes, he could naturally tell that this jade pendant had belonged to this man while he was alive.

"If you aren't a member of the Su Family, why do you know the secret hidden within our family's unique jade pendant, and how can you manifest it?" the middle-aged man asked coldly, his brows furrowed tightly. Beside the man, Evil Energy was faintly gathering; if Lingyun's answer did not satisfy him, he would definitely launch a Thunderous strike.

"I have a friend who is a member of the Su Family, and she demonstrated this technique in front of me, so I remembered it." Lingyun waved his hand casually, and the Evil Energy gathering around the man seemed to collide with some powerful force, instantly scattering in all directions. "Also, these little tricks are useless against me, so you had better not waste your effort!"

Feeling the Evil Energy around him being dispersed, a trace of horror appeared on the man's face. Although he had never seen this method of dispersing Evil Energy before, he could vaguely understand that such a technique was definitely something no ordinary person could achieve.

"Who, exactly, are you?"

"Me? Just a passing Transcender," Lingyun waved his hand.

"Transcender? Passing by?" The middle-aged man was completely confused; it was clear he did not know what a Transcender was.

"Who I am is not a very important matter. Rather, who exactly are you to the Su Family?" Lingyun looked at the middle-aged man with a slight frown.

Suddenly, Lingyun remembered someone Su Wanyue had mentioned when they were chatting in the past. That person's name was Su Ye, Su Wanyue's fourth uncle. Several years ago, mentioning this person in Beijing meant that everyone knew him. The reason was simple: his talent for the Martial Dao was terrifying. At thirty, he had stepped into the Heaven Tier and defeated several veteran Heaven Tier experts, earning the reputation of being the number one person below the Innate realm. He and three other famous people of that time were collectively known as the Capital Four Young Masters, and because he was the youngest among them, some elders also referred to him as the Su Family's Fourth. At that time in Beijing, no one doubted he would reach the Innate realm, all because of his heaven-defying talent.

However, several years ago, Su Ye went missing. Some said he had found the path to advance to the Innate realm and had gone into closed-door cultivation, while others said he had offended an enemy and been killed by an Innate Expert. Regarding this matter, the Su Family had always remained silent. As time passed, the matter eventually faded away.

"Are you... Su Ye?" Although Lingyun phrased it as a question, his tone was full of certainty.

"Hmm, you actually know my name?" Su Ye squinted at Lingyun.

"I have a friend named Su Wanyue!" Lingyun said calmly.

"Wanyue? You are a friend of that little girl?" Su Ye's tone was full of surprise. "How is she now? Given her personality, it really surprises me that she could find a friend!"

"I am also surprised to be able to meet the former number one person below the Innate realm in Beijing here!" Lingyun said calmly.

"Interesting. Since you know I was the number one person below the Innate realm back then, you still dare to speak to me in this tone?"

"Even if you were the number one person below the Innate realm when you were alive, you are just a ghost now. Most importantly, you are no match for me!" Lingyun smiled faintly.

"You..." Su Ye was just about to say something, but he sadly realized that everything Lingyun said was a fact. Just the method he used to easily disperse the Evil Energy he had gathered showed that the other party's strength was something his current self could not compare to.

"Actually, I didn't expect that you had really died like this. When Wanyue mentioned you, she was quite admiring of you, her uncle!" Lingyun said.

"To tell you the truth, I didn't expect to die either, but the other party actually dispatched an Innate Peak expert. Although I was called the number one person below the Innate realm at the time, how could I possibly be a match for an Innate Expert? After that person killed me, they threw my body into this lake, and then I just muddled along and became like this," Su Ye said with a bitter smile.

"Innate Peak?" Lingyun frowned slightly, but he quickly cast the matter to the back of his mind. Even if it was an Innate Peak expert, so what? It had nothing to do with him.

"Then what are you going to do now? The Resentment and Evil Energy radiating from your body have already affected the life of one of my roommates," Lingyun said.

"What other way do I have? I am trapped in this place myself and cannot leave," Su Ye spread his hands.

"Cannot leave?" Lingyun's gaze swept around, and he soon discovered that there were man-made traces in certain parts of the lake bottom, forming an Array. Because this Array had no effect on the living, he had overlooked it. The fact that the other party had set up an Array here to trap Su Ye's soul clearly wasn't for nothing; there must be something hidden behind this.

"It seems the matter here isn't simple either. If he were just an ordinary person, that would be one thing, but he happens to be Wanyue's elder. In terms of both emotion and reason, I shouldn't just stand by and watch." Lingyun thought for a moment and finally decided to help.

People had been dead for so long that the person who killed Su Ye back then should have long forgotten about it. Taking a step back, even if they still remembered, they should be looking for trouble with Su Ye. Taking ten thousand steps back, even if the other party really vented their anger on him, Lingyun had his own trump cards. It was only an Innate Peak expert; if the other party really dared to come looking for trouble, with the support of the Cloud Realm, Lingyun could kill them in a minute.

Thinking of this, Lingyun formed a seal with one hand, and a series of incantations were cast into the jade pendant engraved with the "Su" character.

"What are you doing?" Su Ye asked with some confusion.

"Helping you leave this place!" Lingyun cast the final incantation into the jade pendant. The layers of incantations linked together, causing the jade pendant to emit a faint glow.

"You can help me leave here?" Su Ye asked with excitement. He had been trapped at the bottom of this sunless lake for several years and had been driven to the brink by this environment. The only reason he hadn't broken down yet was because he possessed a persistent Martial Dao Heart. Now that he could leave this maddening place, how could he not be excited!

"Come in!" Lingyun aimed the jade pendant in his hand at Su Ye.

Su Ye only felt a huge suction force emanating from the jade pendant, and before he could react, he had already turned into a wisp of green smoke and drilled into the pendant.

"After I get out, I will hand this jade pendant to Wanyue; how she handles it after that will be her business!"

"Many thanks, young friend!" Su Ye's voice came from the jade pendant.

Lingyun put the jade pendant into his pocket and looked around. Because Su Ye had disappeared, the Evil Energy gathered here had become water without a source and began to slowly dissipate. At this rate, in less than a week, the Evil Energy here would completely vanish.

Having resolved the matter here, Lingyun set off and swam toward the surface of the water.