Chapter 2417 - A Huge Gamble

Wen Qingfeng sighed. “Brother Fuyou, I roughly understand what you’re trying to say.

“We’re surrounded, but alive. Both our survival and Old Mo’s Formless Heart Demon are measures prepared to counter you.

“Those Outsider Celestial Demon Bastards knew that, so long as we were still alive, you’d come here without reservations.

“Old Mo’s heart demon was put in place to assassinate you. If you hadn’t come, he’d have waited in perpetuity, never exposing himself. Am I right?”

Su Yi nodded. “Ultimately, all of this happened because of me.”

Wen Qingfeng shook his head. “Brother Fuyou, don’t say such things. How could we not realize that, if we weren’t somewhat useful to our enemies, we’d have died a long time ago?”

Lu Dongxing looked at Su Yi. “Brother Fuyou, do you really think Old Mo was the only one affected by a heart demon? Don’t you suspect that others might be affected too?”

The others’ hearts shook. All of them looked at Su Yi.

Demons of the heart were formless, and they hid themselves deeply. There was no sensing them until they revealed themselves.

Old Mo’s heart demon was the only one to have revealed itself, but that didn’t mean the others lacked heart demons!

Lu Dongxing’s question brought up the most troublesome problem of all.

But against expectations, Su Yi said, “To me, that’s actually a trivial matter. What happened with Old Mo might have alerted our enemies, but it will also convince them that I have no means of countering such tactics.”

Everyone was stunned.

Wait, he did this on purpose!?

But Su Yi explained no further. He just said, “If you trust me, rest assured. I’ll do everything in my power to bring you all safely out of the Boundless Battlefield. That includes Old Mo!”

The group exchanged glances. They could tell that there were lots of things Su Yi wasn’t telling them.

But they understood.

It was by telling them of his plans to break through that Su Yi had lured Old Mo to attack him. If he revealed more, it could lead to other unexpected developments. What would they do, then?

But they also picked up a hint of an altogether different layer of meaning.

Su Yi planned to bring all of them out of the Boundless Battlefield, Old Mo included! Did that mean he didn’t just have means of countering their enemies’ plans? Could he neutralize their heart demons, too?

For a moment, all of them were lost in thought.

Su Yi said no more on the matter. He just beckoned to Luo Yao. “A’Yao, come with me. There are some things I’d like to tell you.”

A’Yao.

It had been so long since she’d last heard that nickname that the look in Luo Yao’s eyes shifted. Her gaze softened considerably.

The others dispersed, and Su Yi and Luo Yao returned to the lamplit grand hall.

“Daoist Brother, revealing all that information earlier was a bit reckless,” said Luo Yao after taking a seat.

Su Yi remained standing, his hinds behind his back. Beneath the lamplight, his tall frame cast an extended shadow on the ground.

“I did that on purpose,” said Su Yi. “To tell the truth, I’m not the least bit concerned about how many people in Dao-Seeking City have been invaded by heart demons. I said all that simply to test how our enemies would react.”

Luo Yao was stunned. “Just now, when Old Mo’s soul snuck in and tried to kill you... were you testing me, too?”

She’d been hiding in the grand hall during the assassination attempt!

Su Yi laughed. “Disregarding our bond in my past life, in this lifetime, you helped me both in the Human World and in the Immortal Realm. Rest assured that even if you’d been taken over by a heart demon, and even if you tried to kill me, I wouldn’t have blamed you. On the contrary, I’d have done everything in my power to free you of your heart demon!”

A tender smile appeared on Luo Yao’s face. “How could I not relax after hearing that?”

“A’Yao, the situation is perilous and unpredictable,” said Su Yi. “The Angler and the Dipankara Buddha are plotting behind the scenes, too, so... we’ve got to prepare for the worst.”

Luo Yao was briefly stunned. She nodded. “I understand.”

Su Yi’s eyes filled with reminiscence. “While fighting here in my past life, I suspected that the Dipankara Buddha had an extraordinary relationship with the Outsider Celestial Demons. Do you remember the battle that ultimately cost me my life?”

Luo Yao nodded. “You were just trying to defeat one of Old Man Heart Demon’s clones, only for the Dipankara Buddha, the Angler, and their allies to ambush you as you gave chase.”

“That’s right. At the time, it seemed like a coincidence, but looking at it now, it seems highly likely that the Dipankara Buddha and the others were colluding with the Outsider Celestial Demons even then,” said Su Yi. “I just suspected it earlier, but now, I can say it with certainty.”

“Why are you so certain?” Luo Yao asked curiously.

“Prior to coming to the Boundless Battlefield, I duked it out with the Angler,” said Su Yi. He then recounted how the Angler had tried to lure him into the Boundless Battlefield.

“Both the Angler and the Dipankara Buddha seemed certain that, so long as I went to the Boundless Battlefield, I’d die beyond a doubt,” said Su Yi. “And, as you know, if I die in the Boundless Battlefield, they can forget about acquiring the power of reincarnation. Unless, that is...”

“Unless they’ve long since been colluding with the Outsider Celestial Demons!” blurted Luo Yao. “They’ve got to be certain that they’ll be able to acquire the power of reincarnation from the demons after you’re dead!”

“That’s right,” sighed Su Yi. “I really wouldn’t have guessed that the Dipankara Budda and the others would collude with the Outsider Celestial Demons. After all, we might have been enemies, but we’re still all fellow denizens of the God Domain. The Outsider Celestial Demons are our common enemies.

“If they cared about the God Domain and its people in the slightest, they would never have done something so treacherous.”

Luo Yao laughed coldly. “In their eyes, so long as they can prove their Daos and break through, what does the ‘breadth of spirit to uplift the general populace’ matter? I doubt they’d care in the slightest even if the God Domain were destroyed.”

“Perhaps,” said Su Yi. “But given my understanding of the Dipankara Buddha, there’s no way he’d pin all his hopes of defeating me on the Outsider Celestial Demons.”

Luo Yao’s gaze focused. “Do you suspect the Dipankara Buddha made arrangements outside of his schemes with the Outsider Celestial Demons?””

“Yes,” Su Yi said with a nod. “The Dipankara Buddha was yet to reveal even the barest hint of these additional arrangements, but I can say with certainty that they can threaten me, and the Outsider Celestial Demons, too!

“Only then can he use the demons against me without fear of them monopolizing the secrets of reincarnation after defeating me.”

Luo Yao’s brow furrowed. “In that case, the Dipankara Buddha is a far thornier opponent than even Di E.”

“That’s indeed the case, but you shouldn’t underestimate Di E, either,” said Su Yi. “His shrewdness and schemes might be inferior, but he’s nonetheless the man those experts of the River of Destiny chose as their Bringer of Order. In that regard, the Dipankara Buddha is far from his equal.”

He paused, then said, “That aside, the Dipankara Buddha has a backer strong enough to contend with the forces behind Di E.”

Luo Yao fell briefly silent. “Daoist Brother, what do you think we should do? How can we defend ourselves against the Dipankara Buddha's’s schemes?”

Su Yi pondered briefly, then said, “I have a strong premonition that the Dipankara Buddha won’t put his schemes into place until after the Outsider Celestial Demons and I have determined a victor.”

“That means that, at least for now, we needn’t worry about such things.

“Thus, for now, let’s just do as I said earlier. We need to break free of the demons’ encirclement, save the captives, and end things with the Outside Celestial Demons once and for all!”

He’ d only just said this when the beating of war drums emanated from beyond Dao-Seeking City once more.

“They’re back!” Luo Yao frowned. “Don’t tell me that Old Mo’s defeat alerted them?”

Su Yi’s eyes flashed. “No, Old Mo’s assassination attempt was merely an appetizer. This is the main course. Come on, let’s go see what’s happening.”

With that, Su Yi left the building.

Luo Yao followed him. When Su Yi noticed this, he deliberately slowed his footsteps to let her catch up and walk beside him.

This subtle, seemingly inadvertent gesture made her smile, but she didn’t comment.

Cultivators were divided into ranks, and people were divided by status, but when fellow Daoists walked together, they walked side by side, heedless of disparities in strength and status!

Li Fuyou had said that once, long ago. He lived by it too.

Now, the same was true of Su Yi.

......

The beating of the war drums echoed throughout heaven and earth, lending the area an additional austerity.

Everyone in Dao-Seeking City was startled. They followed Su Yi and Luo Yao to the top of the city gates.

There, they saw the vast Outsider Celestial Demon Army. Demon Emperor Chi Nie stood at the forefront, hovering in midair. He was accompanied by a group of Demon Emperors.

When they saw Su Yi and the others atop the city walls, Demon Emperor Chi Nie smiled. “My apologies. I planned to give you three days to think things over. Unfortunately, I’m afraid I have no choice but to change my mind.”

Su Yi gazed at him calmly. “No need to apologize. I never took your promises the least bit seriously anyway.”

In the face of Su Yi’s mockery, Demon Emperor Chi Nie just smiled. “Bring forth the prisoners.”

“Yes, sir!”

Soon, a group appeared, bringing with them nineteen figures, all unconscious and suspended from torture racks.

“Third Brother Wen, Mad Yun, Daoist Nun Yu...” Wen Qingfeng and the others recognized the captives at a glance. Their hearts sank.

Over the past eight years, when the Outsider Celestial Demons beat the drums of war, they brought with them a single captive as a gambling chip preceding a one-on-one duel.

If Dao-Seeking City won, they could save their fellow Daoist. If they lost, their combatant would be killed or taken captive.

But now, the Outsider Celestial Demons were doing something entirely out of the ordinary. They’d brought out all of their captives at once!

Did this mean they planned on an all-out war?

It wasn’t just Wen Qingfeng; all of them realized this possibility, and all of them looked uncertain.

“Are you planning to threaten me again?” Su Yi frowned.

“No.” Demon Emperor Chi Nie laughed and shook his head. “We understand that you have no fear of threats. How could we be so stupid as to resort to such tricks?”

“Oh?” said Su Yi. “What are you after, then?”

Demon Emperor Chi Nie’s eyes flashed. “We’d like to gamble with you! I just don’t know if you’ll accept our challenge?”