Chapter 1867 - Manifesting Ten Thousand Daos

The old monsters all instinctively gazed at the same person.

He monopolized an entire section of the cramped, dark prison. None of the others dared to approach him.

He looked ancient, with long, droopy white eyebrows and a kindly face. He had a tall hat, a wide belt, and an otherworldly air about him. His gaze was warm and approachable, yet the other old monsters instinctively lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes. Their dread was too great for words, for this seemingly benevolent old man was actually known as the Sovereign of Sin!

He was the only truly unparalleled Great Profound Stage expert among them. And during the Primeval Era, he was famous for his ruthlessness and cruelty. His hands were drenched in so much blood that even other heretical cultivators paled at the mere mention of his name!

“Haven’t you noticed that the Power of Annihilation forming this prison has dissipated considerably?” The Sovereign of Sin said in a voice as gentle as a spring breeze.

The others exchanged glances, then nodded. They had indeed noticed this development.

The Sovereign of Sin smiled. “That gives us an opportunity to flee, don’t you think?”

Someone couldn’t help but ask, “Daoist Brother, do you perhaps have means of breaking our prison?”

“I do,” the Sovereign of Sin said amiably. “But I’ll need your help.”

Their spirits soared. All of them started asking for further details.

The Sovereign of Sin said with calm confidence, “Don’t be in such a rush. I’ve been keeping an eye on the prison’s changes, and I estimate that it’ll fall apart completely within half a month.”

The others couldn’t help but light up with delight, but it seemed they found this difficult to believe.

“But we cannot wait that long,” the Sovereign of Sin sharply changed tacks. “That young man, Su Yi, has to be aware of the time limit too. He's almost certainly already prepared for it.”

The crowd’s eyes flashed. All of them agreed with his analysis.

“Daoist Brother, are you saying you want to attack and break the cage before it falls apart on its own?”

“That’s right.” He shot the speaker an approving glance. “When the time comes, all you have to do is carry out my orders.”

“But Su Yi comes here practically every other day to kill another of us,” someone said. “What do we do about that?”

The Sovereign of Sin smiled faintly. “We can simply refuse to fight him. If he dares use the Laws of Annihilation against us, he’ll only hasten the prison’s destruction. If it comes to that... I’ll help you defend yourselves.”

The others felt reassured, and all of their hearts filled with eagerness.

The Sovereign of Sin then closed his eyes and said no more.

......

Time slipped by. Su Yi was immersed in a state of enlightenment before the Dao Manifestation Chaos Stele, divining ten thousand Daos amidst a familiar starry void.

Countless stars whooshed past and revolved, manifesting endless transformations. These were the vestiges of ten thousand Daos, with profundities as numerous as the grains of sand of the riverbed.

They say there are three thousand Grand Daos and countless wondrous truths. Their transformations connect the past, present, and future in an endless, self-perpetuating cycle!

Suddenly, a wondrous thread of enlightenment appeared in Su Yi’s heart.

The only true constant is change itself! That means that while eternal, undying people and objects might exist, unchanging people and objects absolutely do not!

That’s true of people, and of the Grand Dao, too. Everything is undergoing a self-perpetuating cycle of change. It might lead toward the end, or toward new life, like extreme sorrow turning to joy, the cycle of life and death.

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

This is what they mean when they say that chaos started as one and gave rise to two. Two gave rise to three, and three gave rise to all things. It contains all transformations within itself.

And as I pursue the Dao of the Sword, I ought to strive for ‘the unity of chaos,’ using my sword to manifest all Daos, and fusing all Daos within my sword. My Dao of the Sword can encompass all wondrous truths and transformations!

This is the meaning of all Daos converging as one, and one Dao manifesting all others!

Suddenly, all became clear.

Boom!

At the same time, the boundless stretch of stars suddenly transformed into a sword. Trillions of stars, each condensed out of the Grand Dao, transformed into endless mysteries of the Dao of the Sword and fused into the blade.

Meanwhile, shocking transformations took place within Su Yi.

Mysteries of the Grand Dao interwove within the Immortal Origin Space formed of his foundations of the Grand Dao, manifesting the endless transformations of life. In the end, all of them fused into his Immortal Origin Space in an endless, self-perpetuating cycle.

Throughout his body, his power underwent a sort of sublimation, a rapid ascension.

Su Yi instantly realized that he’d tempered his power as an Immortal King to unprecedented heights. His cultivation base, Immortal King Laws, physical body, and soul all reached true perfection!

This was a new, unprecedented path of cultivation. No Immortal King had ever achieved such perfection before!

It was then that Su Yi suddenly awakened from his enlightened state. His entire body felt loose, relaxed, natural, and at ease. A heartfelt smile tugged at his lips.

His strength had improved, but more importantly, he’d divined his future path.

They said there were three thousand Grand Daos. Was he only allowed to choose one?

No.

Would he choose freely from ten thousand Daos, containing them within himself and manifesting them as his own?

No.

It was his swordsmanship that would choose from ten thousand Daos, containing and manifesting them all within itself.

This

was the path of swordsmanship Su Yi would strive for in the days ahead!

Rather, Su Yi had discovered this path a long time ago. He’d begun by fusing taboo powers of the Grand Dao like Reincarnation and Profound Ruin into his swordsmanship. Now, he’d simply taken his first true steps down this path. He'd begun divining its endless transformations and mysteries.

A promising future in the Grand Dao was waiting for him!

"Lin Feng, how long did I spend in cultivation this time?” asked Su Yi.

“Less than five days.”

“Oh.” Su Yi rose, then gazed at the peak. “It’s time I settled things with those old timers, and while I’m at it... I can see just how far I can go against them with the limit of power of my Immortal King cultivation base...”

The mountaintop prison.

“It’s been five days since Su Yi last showed up.”

“Strange. Could it be that he fled Spiritual Desolation Mountain because he sensed that the Laws of Annihilation were dissipating?”

“I doubt it. I’m sure he’s plotting something!”

...The old monsters clustered together and started discussing the situation.

“Why pay him any heed? All you need to do is act in accordance with my plans,” said the Sovereign of Sin, a warm smile on his face. “Everyone, have you memorized the secret art I shared with you?”

The crowd nodded.

“Excellent. We’ll execute our plan tomorrow and destroy this prison once and for all!” the Sovereign of Sin said valiantly. Once we’ve escaped, we’ll be as free as fish in boundless waters. We’ll be able to act as we please, including settling our grudges!”

The crowd’s hearts swelled with emotion. They were increasingly eager for tomorrow to come.

“Once we’ve escaped, we have to kill Su Yi first! There’s no other way to vent our hatred!” Old Devil Star Lake, now just a soul body, gnashed his teeth.

“Indeed!”

“We naturally ought to do just that!”

The others’ eyes shone with dense murderous intent. Su Yi was an Immortal King, yet he dared treat them like animals in a cage. He deserved death by ten thousand cuts!

The Sovereign of Sin said with a warm smile, “Don’t let your hatred cloud your judgment. Seems to me that you’d best leave the boy to me. It’s been a long, long time since I last drank. I’ll use the boy’s blood to brew a fine jug of wine and fashion his skull into a drinking vessel. Then, I’ll slice his soul into pieces and serve it as a side dish. I’m sure I’ll enjoy my drink then.”

His expression filled with longing.

The others felt chills course through their hearts.

This

was the Sovereign of Sin. He might look kindly and amiable, but he was actually brutal to the extreme!

“Daoist Brother, when the time comes, I’d love it if you shared a cup with me,” laughed Old Devil Star Lake.

The Sovereign of Sin burst into laughter. “We shall feast on the flesh of our enemies and smile and laugh as we drink the blood of demons and gods!”

The others voiced their agreement.

But then, the Sovereign of Sin’s smile faded, and he murmured, “We’ve been trapped here since antiquity, but tomorrow, we’ll finally be free!”

But he’d only just said this when Su Yi’s calm voice resounded throughout the prison. “What refined tastes you have!”

The old monsters looked stricken, and their hearts shook.

It’s been five days, but that vicious, terrifying young Immortal King is back!

They instinctively looked at the Sovereign of Sin. Earlier, he’d said that if Su Yi came to challenge them, he’d stop him.

When he sensed their gazes, the Sovereign of Sin said warmly, “Don’t panic. First, let’s see what the kid is up to.”

He looked at the sky beyond the prison and said, “Little fellow, none of us will play with you this time. If you know what’s good for you, you’d best let us out. Otherwise, when the Laws of Annihilation dissipate, you’ll have no way out.”

His voice was as mellow and benevolent as a senior issuing a well-intentioned warning.

Su Yi smiled. “What a coincidence! I actually came here precisely to let you out.”

“???” The old monsters were completely caught off guard.

Who’d believe such a thing?

Even the Sovereign of Sin was unwittingly stunned. “Truly?”

“Yes, truly.”

And indeed, the next moment, the prison was open!

Light poured in, expelling the darkness. The old monsters instinctively narrowed their eyes; they were unaccustomed to the light, and their hearts filled with uncertainty.

What exactly is going on?

As much as they’d longed for freedom, none of the old monsters dared leave recklessly. All of them felt that something strange was afoot. They looked at the Sovereign of Sin once more.

“Might this old man inquire why you changed your mind, my young friend?” the Sovereign of Sin said with a laugh. He was confused, too.

Su Yi’s laughter-tinged voice rang out once more. “Didn’t you only just say that if I knew what was good for me, I’d let you out? How could I bear to watch you suffer any longer?”

“....” The old monsters fell silent.

Fuck!

There’s got to be some kind of trick here!

“It seems you’ve already made your preparations and you're ready to destroy us, or so you think. Am I wrong?” The Sovereign of Sin whispered.

“I just want to end this with you today,” said Su Yi.

The Sovereign of Sin’s long white eyebrows knit together. This situation had caught him off guard. He was confident that they’d be able to break out of their prison tomorrow. Who’d have thought Su Yi would show up and let them all out today?

He was obviously as ill-intentioned as a weasel visiting a chicken coop!