Chapter 1348 - The Secrets of the Sword of the Nine Heavens

The onlookers saw Su Yi’s body in tatters. His wounds were dire, and it seemed he might topple at a moment’s notice.

Some of the revenants of ancient orthodoxies were even raring to jump in. They figured the curtains were about to fall on this duel, making this the ideal moment to strike.

But none of them would have guessed that Su Yi's instantaneous slash would bore a hole right through the Painter’s chest!

It was simply a masterstroke, sudden and tyrannical. It completely overturned the crowd’s imaginations.

Yan Daolin, the Fisherman, and Deng Zuo’s expressions shifted dramatically. They instinctively retreated, their hearts quivering and their hair standing on end.

They were the closest, but they couldn’t tell just what trump card Su Yi had played to release such terrifying power.

“You...” The Painter’s eyes bulged with disbelief. “If you had such a card up your sleeves, why wait until you were so badly injured to use it?”

“Did I scare you?” Su Yi said apologetically. “I’m to blame. I was overly eager to play.”

“Eager to play?” The Painter gnashed his teeth so hard they almost shattered.

What kind of reason is that?

The distant onlookers fell silent.

Is that really what it was?

Bang!

The Painter’s physical body split, then crumbled into ash. As that terrifying sword force spread, it destroyed every last trace of his vital energy.

“Temple Master, before I die, might you answer a question?” said the Painter, his voice starting and stopping.

“Ask,” said Su Yi.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

“Have you... really always looked down on me?” said the Painter, his voice increasingly weak and his gaze increasingly dim.

Su Yi sank into silence.

But the Painter seemed to have understood. He let out a self-deprecating laugh, then sighed. “It’s only...in the moments before my death that...I realized how...frustrating it is...to have been born in the same era as you...."

Before his voice had even finished echoing through the air, he was destroyed, body and soul.

Uproar ensued amongst the crowd, and some of the older-generation experts’ hearts stirred.

The Painter was the founder of the Studio of the Heart!

He’d once commanded the wind and clouds, his name shaking the stars. Countless people revered him. Yet now, this legendary figure had fallen!

Su Yi took out a jug of wine and raised it into the air. He said softly, “I’ve always looked down on you, but we knew each other for a long time. Consider this a toast to you.”

With that, he threw back his head and drank. Then, he turned to the Fisherman and the others. “Shall we continue?”

“But of course,” Deng Zuo said with complete and utter calm.

“Please, allow me to go first,” said Yan Daolin. He held that bronze sword case in front of him and looked directly at Su Yi. “This case contains the core treasure of the Nine Heavens Pavilion, a Dao Sword. Its name is ‘Nine Heavens.'”

With that, he opened the case.

Clang!

The dense, low hum of a sword suddenly reverberated throughout heaven and earth.

A simple, unadorned, three-foot sword lay in the case. The most eye-catching thing about it was its dense aura, which emanated the vicissitudes of countless years.

“Ah, so it’s that sword.” Su Yi recalled that every disciple who joined the Nine Heavens Pavilion had to face this sword and swear a Grand Dao Oath. However, aside from Yan Daolin, no one in the sect knew the sword’s origins or what it looked like.

Yet now, he was about to reveal it to the crowd.

Yan Daolin drew the Sword of the Nine Heavens and cast the bronze sword case aside. “A long time ago, the Tailor took this sword and sealed a secret Dao Imprint within it. He said that if I used it against you, it was sure to plunge you into insurmountable peril.”

The crowd was stunned. All eyes looked over.

Su Yi’s eyes silently narrowed.

Boom!

Yan Daolin poured all of his power into the Sword of the Nine Heavens and attacked Su Yi from afar.

One slash, and it was as if the entire starry sky were descending. Boundless white sword intent covered everything on all sides.

Su Yi swung the Sword of the Human Realm, slashing through it all as if it were made of rotten wood.

But it was then that, within the shattered sword intent, a strange, sealed power erupted, and an illusory figure appeared. It was like the light of the heavens or the shadow of a cloud, and it reflected directly within Su Yi’s sea of consciousness.

Upon closer inspection, the figure was an extraordinary-looking, handsome young man in snow-white robes!

Whoosh!

Within his sea of consciousness, the Sword of the Nine Hells shook violently. The divine chain that sealed Shen Mu’s Dao Imprint clattered and swayed, then exploded with a bang.

Meanwhile, a figure manifested out of the power of Shen Mu’s Dao Imprint. He too was an extraordinary-looking young man in clothes as white as snow!

Shen Mu!

Su Yi was instantly solemn. He finally understood.

The figure manifested of the power sealed within the Sword of the Nine Heavens originated from Shen Mu. It was this figure that awakened Shen Mu’s Dao Imprint within the seventh divine chain!

Su Yi had only just realized this when Yan Daolin, Deng Zuo, and the Fisherman launched a joint attack. The three of them realized that Su Yi was distracted. This was a moment of vulnerability. How could they possibly let such a perfect opportunity slip through their fingers?

Boom!!

Su Yi was sent flying back, his body severely damaged. A waterfall of blood gushed from his numerous wounds.

The crowd was flabbergasted. Astonished cries rang out on all sides.

No one had anticipated this development.

After all, Su Yi had only just crisply cut down the Painter in an unbelievable display of power.

But as soon as Yan Daolin drew the Sword of the Nine Heavens, Su Yi suffered some kind of enormous impact, revealing an opening. Now, he’d been sent flying!

“There’s no doubt about it. The Sword of the Nine Heavens contains enough power to influence the Temple Master’s heart and soul!”

Many of the onlookers realized this, and despite themselves, they were stunned.

Yan Daolin, Deng Zuo, and the Fisherman didn’t stop after their first strike landed. They went all out.

Su Yi’s gaze shifted erratically, but he couldn’t help but split his attention. He had to simultaneously ward off his foes and keep tabs on the changes to his sea of consciousness.

......

“Snowjade, have you come for me?”

Within Su Yi’s sea of consciousness, the Shen Mu manifested from his Dao Imprint saw that illusory figure identical to himself. He couldn’t help but look surprised, delighted, and excited.

There was no doubt about it. Shen Mu assumed that its appearance had something to do with his beloved Snowjade!

Su Yi was so angry that he almost couldn’t help but laugh.

This lovesick fool is nothing but a Dao Imprint, and he’s still on about the woman who killed him!

Su Yi couldn’t be bothered to waste time talking. He condensed an avatar of will and appeared in his sea of consciousness. “Kill that illusory figure, then be good and stay put. I’ll explain what’s going on after I’m done with today’s battle.”

Shen Mu was stunned.

But it was then that the illusory figure pointed at Su Yi. “That’s our reincarnation. If you seize his body, you can see Miss Snowjade again.”

Shen Mu was obviously hesitant.

Boom!

Su Yi’s sea of consciousness shook violently as he attacked once more, intent on destroying that illusory figure.

But Shen Mu blocked his path!

“Fellow Daoist, that’s a manifestation of will I left behind before I died,” he explained. “It’s part of me. Please, show mercy.”

Su Yi felt a headache coming on. He was busy fighting Yan Daolin and the others. How could he possibly waste time talking?

He dared say with certainty that if he didn’t destroy that illusory figure, Shen Mu’s Dao Imprint would become an unpredictable variable. While Su Yi was locked in battle, he might even seize the opportunity to occupy his sea of consciousness and take control of his physical body!

How could Su Yi possibly just let that happen?

Su Yi said directly, “Do you plan to possess me?”

“No!” Shen Mu said without even pausing to think.

“What if that Snowjade woman asks you to?” said Su Yi.

Shen Mu looked stunned, and his expression shifted.

Su Yi wasted no more time talking. He directly drew upon the Sword of the Nine Hells’ power, suppressing that illusory figure.

“Fellow Daoist, you...!” Shen Mu was furious.

“Remember this: I am you, and you are me. I’m busy killing my enemies now. If you dare interfere again, we’re both finished!” said Su Yi. “If you want to see your Snowjade again, stay the hell out of my way!”

Then, without another word, he left his sea of consciousness.

Shen Mu froze, then sank completely into silence.

......

Bang!

Su Yi was sent flying once more.

He was distracted, and he could no longer focus on battle. It was hard to prevent this from hindering him. Thus, Yan Daolin, the Fisherman, and Deng Zuo were repeatedly forcing him back.

His physical body was in tatters, and his wounds were increasingly severe.

The sight left the onlookers shaken.

Is the Temple Master... really going to lose?

“Prepare to intervene.”

“No matter what happens, we must be the ones to capture the Temple Master.”

Within the ancient orthodoxies’ camps, dark currents flowed beneath the surface, and the revenants readied themselves for battle.

“Be careful. The moment the Temple Master loses, a chaotic battle is sure to ensue. We cannot be at all complacent. Make sure to give it your all.”

The Transcendents of the present day were transmitting messages to each other too. Their eyes shone with hints of murderous intent.

The way they saw it, it didn’t matter who won this deathtrap of a duel. What mattered was who claimed the Temple Master’s power over reincarnation in the end!

“Cut!”

Beneath the dome of heaven, Yan Daolin’s sword descended.

At the same time, the Fisherman activated the Gods of the Earth Seal, and Deng Zuo swung his broken sword. They were closing in on Su Yi from the sides.

Su Yi was surrounded and in grave peril. There was nowhere to dodge.

In that moment, many of the Transcendents throughout the surrounding area couldn’t suppress the urge to attack.

The revenants of ancient orthodoxies even took out their treasures. Their murderous intent soared into the heavens.

Grief rose in the distant onlookers’ hearts.

The Temple Master... really can’t turn this around?

At that moment, although no one noticed it, numerous terrifying presences emerged from the distant darkness and shot toward the peak.

But it was also then that——

In the face of seemingly inescapable peril, Su Yi’s eyes flashed with cold light.

Clang!

A terrifying energy fluctuation burst from the Sword of the Human Realm, cleaving through the air.

Crunch!

The Sword of the Nine Heavens broke.

Yan Daolin had no time to dodge. This slash sent him flying back, tearing open a bloody streak on his chest. A little more, and it would have disemboweled him.

Su Yi swept his sword once more.

Bang!

Deng Zuo was sent flying. Blood spurted from his mouth and nose, and his face filled with astonishment.

And the Fisherman’s Gods of the Earth Seal split into pieces in midair. The resulting backlash made him stagger back as if he’d been struck by lightning. He almost fell from the sky, his face deathly pale.

In the blink of an eye, Su Yi broke through their encirclement!

The Transcendents who’d been ready and raring to go couldn’t help but look stricken. They abruptly stopped what they were doing, all of them alarmed and uncertain.

What’s going on?

Those onlookers who thought the Temple Master could no longer turn this around were stunned, rooted to the spot with astonishment.

Has he turned the tides?

All eyes turned toward Su Yi.

His blue robes were tattered and stained red with blood. His injuries were so heavy that anyone else would have fallen already.

But his back was as straight as before, and his gaze was as calm as ever. It seemed as if heaven and earth could crumble around him without shaking him in the slightest.

Deathly silence fell over the entire area.

Everyone felt an inexplicable emotion rising in their hearts.

Can the Temple Master really no longer fight?

Off in the distance, Yan Daolin, Deng Zuo, and the Fisherman’s hearts quivered despite themselves. They felt unprecedented pressure.