Chapter 2442 - Reality Has Always Been Cruel

Divine Flames burned, illuminating heaven and earth.

The moment Luo Yao’s figure vanished, everyone saw two indistinct figures rise amidst the searingly bright blaze: a benevolent-looking old man, and an ethereal woman.

These were none other than Old Man Heart Demon and Progenitor Huan Yan!

The crowd’s hearts shook, and their expressions shifted.

Su Yi’s expression was icy and indifferent, but fury blazed deep within the depths of his gaze.

“So, it really was you,” said Su Yi, his voice a bit raw.

Old Man Heart Demon laughed, as if incomparably delighted by Su Yi’s hatred and fury. Progenitor Huan Yan just sneered.

Then, both of them vanished into the boundless sea of flames, gone without a trace.

Even the searing divine flames gradually died down.

Whoosh!

The rusted sword sheath returned and landed in Su Yi’s palm.

He stood there, lips pursed, gazing at the place where Luo Yao had vanished in stunned silence.

Wen Qingfeng and the others looked on with grief, their hearts hollowed out and despondent.

“Fellow Daoist, did you... know all along that Luo Yao had fallen prey to our enemies’ poisonous hands?” Wen Qinfeng asked gravely.

Luo Yao had almost killed him, but now that she was dead, all he felt was rage and grief.

Su Yi slowly nodded. “The moment I returned to Dao-Seeking City and laid eyes on her, I knew that something had happened to her...”

Everyone was startled, and they clearly found this hard to believe.

Su Yi sighed, then took a crystalline skeletal hand out of his sleeve. “A long time ago, A’Yao left this skeletal hand in the Human Realm. By coincidence, I managed to acquire it, and it did me an enormous favor.

“I brought it with me planning to return it to its rightful owner, but when I saw A’Yao, I realized that something wasn’t right. These bones belonged to A’Yao, and they contained a portion of her Undying Power. That’s how they managed to last all these years.

“But when I saw A’Yao, the bones didn’t react at all.

“Were that the extent of it, I might not have been concerned, but not even A’Yao herself seemed to sense the skeletal hand’s presence.”

Everyone instantly understood. Even treasures could be aware enough to respond to their owners’ presences, let alone severed body parts!

This detail might have seemed trivial, but it had piqued Su Yi’s suspicions!

“Do you remember when Ol’ Mo tried to assassinate me the night I arrived in Dao-Seeking City?” said Su Yi, his gaze melancholy. “I asked A’Yao to watch over me in secret. On the surface, I was trying to root out double agents, but in truth, I was also testing to see whether or not she’d attack me.”

Wen Qingfeng couldn’t help but interject, “Don’t tell me she let something slip that night?”

Su Yi nodded. “When Ol’ Mo’s soul tried to kill me, she revealed a hint of murderous intent. It seemed as if it were aimed at Ol’ Mo, but I could tell that had Ol’ Mo managed to strike me, she’d have seized the opportunity to deal me a lethal blow.”

Here, Su Yi let out a long sigh.

The night Old Mo tried and failed to assassinate him, he and Luo Yao had a private conversation. In the end, he couldn’t bear to expose her. It was also then that he decided to feign ignorance and to bring Luo Yao back to the God Domain no matter what.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as he’d hoped. Demon Emperor Lie Yun appeared to intercept them on their way to the Thousand Deaths Demon Mountains. Then, Progenitors Huan Yan and Huang Qi joined forces to intercept them shortly before they reached the mountains.

It was then that Su Yi finally dared say with certainty that, so long as Luo Yao was with him, it wouldn’t matter what he did; his enemies would sense it all!

Thus, Su Yi told Luo Yao of his plans to engage in guerilla warfare with the Outsider Celestial Demons, laying all of his plans in the open.

But instead of truly leaving as he said he would, he turned back and hid in city limits. Shortly after, he watched as Luo Yao turned on Wen Qingfeng.

At first, Su Yi planned to harden his heart and kill her, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to do so.

But Su Yi would never have guessed that she’d choose to end herself like that!

In the end, Su Yi finally understood. Although problems had arisen with Luo Yao’s heart and soul, she wasn’t entirely under their enemies’ control. Otherwise, she would never have decisively chosen to end herself to avoid making things hard on him after realizing that something was amiss.

This unexpected development was what really broke Su Yi’s heart, and it was the reason he’d lost his composure.

“So, you’re saying that well before you arrived in the Boundless Battlefield, Luo Yao fell prey to our enemies...” Wen Qingfeng felt a chill in his hands and feet. “But... we actually didn’t notice, nor do we have any idea when it happened...”

The others felt chills, too.

“A’Yao, Ol’ Mo, and the others were all part of Old Man Heart Demon’s plans to defeat me,” said Su Yi, his eyes flashing with loathing. “How could these arrangements have been effective if you’d known about them?”

Someone couldn’t help but ask, “But... But what about that jade slip Luo Yao showed us to prove that Wen Qingfeng was colluding with our enemies?”

Su Yi shook his head. “It’s a fake. Progenitor Huan Yan’s abilities are enough to let her manufacture completely convincing illusions, and she used them to trick you.”

Progenitor Huan Yan was the progenitor of the Thousand Transformations Soul Demons. Her attainments in the art of illusions were enough to deceive even Nine-Tribulation Master Gods!

“So that’s it.” Everyone finally understood. When they thought of how close they’d come to helping Luo Yao kill Wen Qingfeng, they couldn’t help but break out in cold sweats.

Wen Qingfeng seemed to realize something. “Brother Fuyou, don’t tell me that... similar problems have arisen with us?”

Everyone stiffened, their expressions shifting.

Su Yi shook his head. “I suspected it earlier, but I no longer believe that’s the case.”

“Why?” someone couldn’t help but ask.

Su Yi said casually, “Luo Yao’s decision to end her life dealt the heaviest blow to my heart yet. Had problems arisen with any of you, how could you have passed up on such a perfect opportunity?”

The group exchanged glances. They finally understood. It was true. Had they been hostile to Su Yi, they’d have attacked without hesitation the moment he lost control of his emotions!

Shortly after, someone realized that things didn’t quite add up. He exclaimed, “Brother Fuyou, since you realized this a long time ago... Were you just pretending to lose control of your...”

He trailed off, but his meaning was readily apparent.

“I wasn’t pretending.” Su Yi shook his head. “Had my plans really been so seamless, A’Yao would never have suddenly chosen to take her own...”

His gaze was utterly bleak and melancholy.

That’s right. He’d figured out a lot, and grasped numerous secrets, but he hadn’t anticipated that Luo Yao still had a trace of her own awareness, or that she wasn’t fully under their enemies’ control!

That was why he failed to stop her from ending her own life in time.

Su Yi shook his head, walked over to where Luo Yao had ended her life, and gathered the items she’d left behind.

Then, he turned to the others and said, “Come on, let’s go kill our enemies.”

It was just one sentence, but it was like a spark igniting a keg of gunpowder. His friends’ long-suppressed hatred and fury erupted, and all of them shouted their approval.

......

The shore of a blood-red lake, inside a black palace.

The mysterious figure who’d taken on the shape of Old Man Heart Demon whispered, “You watched as the woman you most cared about took her own life. That... hurt, didn’t it?”

A black jade pearl hovered before him, divine radiance flowing over its surface and reflecting Luo Yao’s last moments.

However, “Old Man Heart Demon’s” gaze was focused on Su Yi.

Su Yi was obviously in great duress; there was no hiding the grief and hatred on his face.

This was “Old Man Heart Demon’s” first time seeing Su Yi lose control like this, and he couldn’t help but sneer. “Everyone says you’re unafraid of threats, and that your sword heart is as firm as iron, but it seems you ultimately aren’t truly heartless. It’s just a pity...”

“Old Man Heart Demon” sighed, as if he found it an awful pity. Had he been there, he could have seized the opportunity to invade and destroy Su Yi’s Dao Heart!

Boom!

When Luo Yao’s figure dissipated completely, the black jade pearl cracked and crumbled into powder.

The scene vanished immediately thereafter.

“Old Man Heart Demon” sank into thought.

Moments later, he called for his subordinates. “Pass on my orders. Tell all of our people to go into hiding. They were not to venture outside without my orders! Also, call back all Demon Emperors of all races. Have them come see me immediately.”

“Yes, Progenitor!” A respectful voice emanated from beyond the hall.

Once he’d completed this, “Old Man Heart Demon” took a vibrant green bodhi leaf out of his sleeve. When he circulated its cultivation base, it quivered, scattering misty green light.

A curtain of light appeared, reflecting a towering bodhi tree. A thin old monk said quietly beneath it.

This was none other than the Dipankara Buddha.

Before “Old Man Heart Demon” could say anything, the Dipankara Buddha said, “Di E has figured out what we’re up to!”

“Old Man Heart Demon’s” pupils constricted. “Does he want to fight his way into the Boundless Battlefield?”

The Dipankara Buddha shook his head. “He plans to wait for his prey to fall into his lap.”

“Old Man Heart Demon” frowned. “Does that mean you can no longer reconvene with me?”

The Dipankara Buddha sighed. “I’ll just have to wait a while longer. I didn’t realize that someone as deep in seclusion as Di E would sense what we were up to. I’m trying to figure out a way to remedy the situation.”

“Old Man Heart Demon” scowled. “All I can say is that time is short. The longer this goes on, the worse my situation will become.”

The Dipankara Buddha fell briefly silent. “If there’s really no other choice, I’ll personally take action.”

“Old Man Heart Demon” nodded. “Good!”

“What about Su Yi?” the Dipankara Buddha asked suddenly.

A strange smile tugged at “Old Man Heart Demon’s” lips. “If all goes as I expect, he’ll attack us in a frenzy, like a rabid dog.”

“Be careful,” said the Dipankara Buddha. “Unless he truly takes the bait, you absolutely cannot afford to get complacent.”

“Old Man Heart Demon” gazed at the Dipankara Buddha reflected on the curtain of light. “Whether we succeed or not will ultimately come down to you.”

The Dipankara Buddha fell briefly silent, then nodded.