Chapter 1933: Determining Life and Death in a clash of the Grand Dao

The old-timers stood there like clay statues.

A hint of derision appeared in Divine Emissary Zuo Mu’s eyes. He said coldly, “The Nine Progenitors have commanded you to protect the Ancestral Demon Grounds with your lives. That is their will.”

He took out a talisman and passed it to Li Changsheng. “Furthermore, they’ll finish rebuilding their bodies within three days at most. When they succeed, they’ll be able to re-enter the world. In other words, no matter what, you have to protect this place for three more days!”

With that, he turned and entered the Ancestral Demon Grounds.

Li Changsheng and the others exchanged glances, their expressions uncertain.

Even though Zuo Mu’s attitude was terrible, they dared not give voice to their anger.

“What do we do?” someone asked, their heart heavy.

“Su Yi won an overwhelming victory in Nightslayer Ridge. We don’t have the details, but I can say with certainty that he’s even more terrifyingly strong than he was in his past life!” someone frowned as they analyzed the situation. “Don’t forget that the Endless Devils Heaven-Executing Formation was enough to kill even unparalleled Profound Demon Sovereigns, and the Big Dipper World-Suppressing Divine Formation was granted to us by the gods. It was even more terrifying! But none of that could stop Su Yi. That’s clear proof that he’s more than just heaven-defyingly strong. He’s got powerful cards hidden up his sleeves.”

The other old-timers’ hearts were increasingly heavy.

Many of them had fought Wang Ye prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals. They’d participated in the first battle against Wang Ye at Nightslayer Ridge, so they naturally knew how terrifying an enemy Wang Ye was.

Now, Wang Ye had returned. But this time, he had broken straight through Nightslayer Ridge, shattering the Nine Great Demon Races’ joint defenses. It was immediately obvious that his strength was far greater than before!

Someone sighed. “Earlier, Zuo Mu said that the Imprisoned Skies Diagram was damaged. That proves that Su Yi has cards capable of damaging even Epoch Treasures! I’m afraid an opponent like him is beyond old-timers like us.”

The atmosphere was bleak. Some of the old-timers were so fraught with worry that they could no longer remain seated. None of their leisurely bearing remained.

“The Spirit Domain belongs to the Nine Great Demon Races! And the Ancestral Demon Ground is our root! We absolutely cannot let the Tyrant do anything to change that!” Li Changsheng suddenly gnashed his teeth and said with determination, “Everyone, let’s do as the Nine Progenitors told us. Even if it costs us our lives, we have to protect this place. We just have to hold out for three days. If we wait long enough for the Nine Progenitors to re-enter the world, killing the Tyrant’s reincarnation will be as easy as turning over our hands!”

The other old monsters nodded. That was the only thing they could do.

They thought back to the distant past. Back then, the Nine Progenitors weren’t gods, but they had the terrifying strength to go toe-to-toe with them. If they recovered their bodies, who in this world would be capable of fighting them?

“You needn’t panic, everyone. There’s still a great distance between Nightslayer Ridge and the Ancestral Demon Grounds. Su Yi won’t make it here anytime soon,” Li Changsheng said gravely. “And the longer we draw this out, the better, don’t you think?”

The crowd’s spirits soared. That was indeed the case! If it took Su Yi three days to get here, the Nine Demon Progenitors would awaken before he arrived. There’d be no need for them to risk their lives!

Alas, Su Yi’s speed was far greater than they imagined.

Two days later, Su Yi reached the lake of chaos power on board the Sky-Covering Boat and saw the experts standing guard over the entrance to the Ancestral Demon Grounds.

Many of them were familiar faces. They’d fought Wang Ye prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals. Li Changsheng, for instance, was one of those who kneeled under Wang Ye’s blade, and he was an unparalleled Profound Demon Sovereign!

When Li Changsheng saw Su Yi, he remained outwardly calm and composed, but inwardly, his heart sank. Su Yi had gotten here too quickly!

“It’s been a long time, Wang Ye. You’re even more impressive than before,” he sighed. And indeed, he meant every word.

Su Yi smiled and approached the lake. “You’re not bad either; you didn’t die during our long years of separation. At the very least, you didn’t make me come all this way for nothing.”

When they saw him approach leisurely, as if he knew nothing of fear, Li Changsheng and the others felt intense pressure bearing down on them.

“We already know what happened in Nightslayer Ridge,” Li Changsheng said gravely. “We’re waiting here to talk things over.”

“Oh?” said Su Yi. “What, pray tell, do you wish to discuss?”

“So long as you stop here, we can order our army of a million demons to leave the Immortal Realm immediately,” said Li Changsheng. “That ought to be enough for you.”

Su Yi shook his head. “It isn't. I’m here to flatten the Ancestral Demon Grounds, and all of you as well. Not one of you will escape.”

Before his voice had even finished echoing through the air, he had already arrived at the ancient ritual grounds.

When he scanned the crowd, he couldn’t help but be surprised. “Why didn’t you place a killing formation? Don’t tell me you’ve already given up the fight?”

Li Changsheng took a deep breath. “No. None of us are afraid of death. We’ve decided to stand guard here, so we won’t admit defeat, not even if we die in battle!”

Su Yi nodded. “At least you’re not completely spineless. Very well. There’s no more fitting place for you to die; you’ll be like falling leaves returning to your roots.”

Clang!

The Sword of the Human Realm appeared in his grip, and his imposing aura transformed.

“Wait!” shouted Li Changsheng. “We’re going to sever all enmities and fight to the death. Do you dare fight us one by one in a pure contest of the Grand Dao?”

The others looked at Su Yi, who froze, a bit stunned. He could sense that something wasn’t right here. “Give me a reason. I want to hear the truth.”

Li Changsheng’s expression shifted, but in the end, he cast all cautions to the wind and answered honestly. “We are stalling for time.”

Many of the other old-timers’ expressions shifted; they wouldn’t have guessed that Li Changsheng would reveal their intentions so forthrightly.

Su Yi hadn’t expected that, either. “Stall for time?”

“That’s right. The forty of us will use our lives to keep you here. We’re buying time for the Nine Progenitors to reawaken,” Li Changsheng said calmly. “Accept and we go all out. Refuse... and we’ll also go all out. It won’t change anything.”

Everyone fell silent. Li Changsheng was right.

“Fair enough.” Su Yi nodded, suddenly intrigued. “The rumor is that the Nine Progenitors could fight shoulder-to-shoulder with gods. Can they really reawaken?”

“They can!” said Li Changsheng. “The gods have granted us a portion of their power, and their emissaries have joined forces. Together, they can help the Nine Progenitors reawaken and regain their former peak strength!”

“Not bad. Not bad at all,” said Su Yi. “I’d actually rather like to see these experts ‘comparable to gods’ for myself. I wonder if they live up to their reputations.”

“....” They could tell that Su Yi seemed eager. No, he didn’t even attempt to hide his delight.

The demons couldn’t help but find this absurd.

Is he seriously not at all afraid?

But then, Su Yi said, “I agree to a duel of the Grand Dao, but… I still urge you all to attack at once.”

“Hmp! I proposed a fair duel, so it ought to be one-on-one. Only then can it be a true clash of the Grand Dao!” Li Changsheng said firmly.

Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh. He immediately guessed what Li Changsheng was thinking. “You think you’ll be able to buy more time that way? Very well. I agree. Just don’t regret this choice.”

He then swept his gaze across the crowd. “Who’s up first?”

A stifled silence descended.

“I’ll go! I’ve always wanted to test the Tyrant’s strength for myself. How could I pass up this opportunity?” said a stalwart, coppery-skinned man in black robes.

But then, Li Changsheng furrowed his brow and bellowed, “Back down! We’re going to draw lots to determine the order. You cannot break the rules!”

Su Yi was stunned, and he almost laughed. He would never, ever have guessed that these old-timers would do a lot drawing to determine the order in which they fought him!

The black-robed man let out a deep sigh, but he turned and retreated, just as I was told.

Before long, the lots were drawn, and an armored man with a martial bearing stepped out of the crowd. “I’ll go first.”

He introduced himself as Yin Luo of the Silvermoon Demons, and he had a terrifying aura. Sharp beams of blood-red light rose around him.

He was an unparalleled figure who’d gone into seclusion in the Ancestral Demon Grounds a long time ago.

“Go ahead and attack,” said Su Yi. “But bear this in mind: I don’t want to hear any nonsense. If you try to waste my time with chit-chat, I will just obliterate you and be done with it.”

Yin Luo’s expression shifted. He really had been planning to buy time that way, but now that Su Yi had seen through him, he gave up on the idea.

Boom!

He attacked without another word, his tall, stalwart figure like a mountain in motion, yet surprisingly nimble and quick. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Su Yi, his hands forming seals as he struck with all his might.

The full extent of this unparalleled Demon Sovereign’s strength was on display, and he was using a forbidden technique that sacrificed his cultivation base. Heaven and earth paled beneath this strike, and the sky shattered. The sight of this mighty expert fighting with his life on the line was unquestionably imposing, and the distant onlookers’ hearts quivered with fright.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

But Su Yi just stood there calmly, swinging his arm like a sword.

Bang!!!

A heaven-shaking impact resounded through the air, and Yin Luo’s tall, stalwart figure was forced back nine steps amidst a dazzling rain of light. With every step he took, the earth shook, and the entire ritual ground swayed.

A series of gasps rang out. One casual, understated strike had broken the forbidden technique Yin Luo sacrificed himself to unleash? This was simply shocking! Unheard of!

But then, something even more unsettling happened. Yin Luo steadied himself, only for a red gash to appear around his neck.

“You… You….” The words started and stopped, as if they took all of Yin Luo’s strength. In the end, he never managed to finish his sentence. His head toppled from his shoulders, leaving his last words unsaid.

Bang!

His skull broke with a splash of red, like a smashed overripe watermelon, and his headless corpse toppled over with a bang, splitting into chunks of flesh.

This strange, unsettling scene astonished everyone present. Their eyes widened, and their hearts clenched as if they’d been squeezed.