Chapter 2480 - Neither Dead Nor Alive, No Beginning, No End

Meanwhile, in the outside world.

When the Malevolent Sword Venerate’s strike landed, Xi Ning and Li Sanjiu sensed it immediately.

The formation covering the Thunderwind Sea collapsed, and the mists obscuring the dome of heaven parted.

The power of the Laws poured down from the firmament, like the descent of the apocalypse sweeping throughout heaven and earth.

This terrifying scene made them both tremble. Li Sanjiu didn’t even pause to think before grabbing Xi Ning and retreating explosively.

Even so, when the aftershock swept past Li Sanjiu, it left his body battered and bloodied.

He couldn’t help but feel astonished.

Even the aftershock of his attacks is so terrifying. How strong must the existence fighting there be?

Xi Ning’s beautiful face paled, and her heart clenched.

Is Fellow Daoist Su Yi alright?

As the churning destructive power swept throughout heaven and earth, misty light rose. Everything collapsed and broke.

It was indistinct, but beneath the dome of heaven, a bronze disc was blocking the waterfall of the power of the Laws.

A figure stood beneath the disc, proud, upright, and covered with resplendent sword intent. His radiance stretched for one hundred thousand feet, and no one could see his face clearly.

But they could say with certainty that that wasn’t Su Yi!

Is that... don’t tell me that’s an Eternal of the Great Yin Divine Race? If not, how could his presence be so terrifying?

Li Sanjiu’s body stiffened, and his hair stood on end. Even just gazing upon that figure from afar seemed incomparably dangerous. His heart shook uncontrollably.

And he was a Nine-Tribulation Master God!

Someone so terrifying that Li Sanjiu felt threatened even just looking at him was surely an Eternal of the River of Destiny!

“Don’t tell me that Fellow Daoist Su has already...” Li Sanjiu’s heart sank.

But he’d only just thought this when a calm voice resounded throughout the churning smoke and devastated landscape. “So... that’s the extent of that strike’s power.”

The Malevolent Sword Venerate suddenly raised his head, his eyes as sharp as swords. He peered through the churning smoke.

An unbelievable scene greeted him. Su Yi... was still alive!

His body had been ripped open, and his blue robes were stained red with blood, but he was still alive. He’d managed to survive that current of destructive power!

The strangest part was that although his body emanated dense death qi, and although his life force rapidly withered, he simultaneously surged with new life force.

It was like a cycle of withering and flourishing. Death qi and life force cycled within him in an endless, self-perpetuating cycle, a wondrous state.

The Malevolent Sword Venerate’s pupils dilated. A rare look of disbelief appeared on his face.

That strike had been far beyond the bounds of the Undying Realm. It contained Limitless Eternal Truths. That was why it had provoked such a backlash from the Laws.

It should have been enough to destroy any Undying Realm Master God, including those who’d touched the threshold of the River of Destiny, and even Half-Step Eternals!

Yet now, Su Yi had managed to survive. How could the Malevolent Sword Venerate have believed such a thing?

When the smoke dissipated, Xi Ning and Li Sanjiu finally saw Su Yi clearly. They couldn’t help but get excited.

That is, until they saw his wounds, and their hearts were on tenterhooks once more.

“Life force and death qi coexisting, an alternation of withering and flourishing, a cycle of destruction and new life... what kind of power is this?” the Malevolent Sword Venerate couldn’t help but ask.

He was from the Eternal Heavens Domain. He naturally understood the cycle of withering and flourishing and the alternations of destruction and new life.

But these mysterious and unfathomable powers coexisting within the same person was beyond the bounds of his comprehension. He’d never seen such a thing before!

“This is Undying,” said Su Yi. “It’s neither life nor death, and it’s without beginning or end. This is my unique Undying power.”

“Neither life nor death, without beginning or end?” The Malevolent Sword Venerate frowned in obvious confusion.

“That’s right. I only just now realized the truths of this realm. Now that I mention it, this is thanks to your attack. It helped me see through the mysteries of this realm and grasp the fundamental truths therein. You’ve helped me figure out my next steps.”

The Malevolent Sword Venerate froze, stunned, then probed, “When you fought me, you

seemed

like an ant trying to shake a tree. Don’t tell me that you were really just trying to grasp the mysterious truths of your Undying Realm cultivation?”

Su Yi inclined his head. “You’re right on the mark. I was indeed using you as a whestone.”

The Malevolent Sword Venerate instantly found the situation absurd. “You’re already on the brink of death, and you’re sure to be defeated, yet you’re still in the mood to strive for greater heights of the Grand Dao?”

Su Yi laughed. “Who says I’m on the brink of death, and who would dare to say that I’m sure to lose?”

He sighed. “It’s a pity, but that strike of yours was underdeveloped. All I managed to grasp was the truths of the next level of my cultivation and where to go next; it wasn’t enough to let me break through.”

The Malevolent Sword Venerate’s expression shifted erratically. He was increasingly confused. “Cultivating in the Undying Realm requires overcoming the Nine Dao-Refining Tribulations. How could you not know that after all of those reincarnations?”

“You wouldn’t understand.” Su Yi shook his head.

It was just one short sentence, but it felt like an affront to the Malevolent Sword Venerate’s dignity.

What the hell is that supposed to mean? How could I be incapable of understanding the mysteries of cultivating in the Undying Realm?

“If you understood, you wouldn’t waste your time asking such pointless questions, right?” Su Yi said calmly.

The Malevolent Sword Venerate snorted coldly. “But how does any of that change your situation?”

He raised the Sword of the Nine Hells once more. “If one strike wasn’t enough to kill you, I’ll strike a second time. If twice doesn’t cut it, I’ll attack a third time! I’ll actually be interested to see how long you last!”

The power of the Laws poured down from the heavens, but the bronze disc blocked them all. Thus, the power of divine punishment couldn’t hurt the Malevolent Sword Venerate.

When he pointed his sword at Su Yi, an unstoppable sword force swept across heaven and earth.

Li Sanjiu and Xi NIng looked stricken, but Su Yi just shook his head. “You lost right from the start.”

He’d only just said this when...

Boom!

The Sword of the Nine Hells suddenly rumbled in the Malevolent Sword Venerate’s grip, erupting with immeasurably terrifying sword force. His hand and wrist exploded with a bang.

The Sword of the Nine Hells seemed to have come to life. All it did was shake its inscrutable blade gently, but Shang Qiuyuan, whose body the Malevolent Sword Venerate was controlling, exploded into a rain of blood!

At a critical juncture, the Malevolent Sword Venerate’s awareness escaped and charged into that bronze disc.

Shang Qiuyuan, meanwhile, was eradicated completely without ever regaining his awareness!

All of this happened so suddenly that it clearly caught the Malevolent Sword Venerate off guard. Even Xi Ning and Li Sanjiu, who’d been worried about Su Yi moments prior, couldn’t help but feel stunned.

“Both in my past lives and in this one, the Sword of the Nine Hells has always belonged to whichever one of us is still alive,” Su Yi said softly. “Yet a mere incarnation of negative karma like you dared try to get his dirty hands on it? You really don’t understand the meaning of the word ‘death.’ I even warned you, but you obviously didn’t take my warning to heart.”

Clang!

The Sword of the Nine Hells let out a clear hum. Its edge swept outward, then swung at the bronze disc.

The entire stretch of heaven and earth caved in. Shockingly, the Laws of the surrounding area had been suppressed!

The Malevolent Sword Venerate’s enraged voice emanated from within the disc. “What Sword of the Nine Hells? That’s my Dao Imprint’s doing!”

Clang!!

The bronze disc shook violently, and a crack appeared on its surface.

At a critical juncture, the bronze disc transformed into a beam of light. Shockingly, it tore open a spatial rift in the sky, which it quickly vanished into.

All that remained was the Malevolent Sword Venerate’s icy, bitter voice. “The show has only just begun. I’ll naturally come looking for you again when the Dark Days of Legend arrive!”

His voice echoed throughout heaven and earth for a long time before fading away.

Su Yi gazed intently at the place where the disc had vanished. The spatial rift had already vanished; there was no way he could possibly keep the Malevolent Sword Venerate for leaving.

But Su Yi wasn’t upset about this. His opponent this time was but an avatar of will. Even if he’d killed it, it wouldn’t have really affected the Malevolent Sword Venerate’s true body.

Still, the power of that bronze disc was beyond Su Yi’s expectations. It had survived even an attack from the Sword of the Nine Hells long enough to carry the Malevolent Sword Venerate’s avatar of will to safety. That was truly extraordinary.

Weng!

The Sword of the Nine Hells hovered in midair, as if unwilling to let the Malevolent Sword Venerate escape.

Su Yi stretched out his hand and beckoned. The Sword of the Nine Hells blurred into a beam of light and vanished into his sea of consciousness.

“Thank you,” Su Yi said within his sea of consciousness.

Even before the Malevolent Sword Venerate seized the Sword of the Nine Hells, his second incarnation’s Dao Imprint had awakened.

Thus, when the Malevolent Sword Venerate seized his weapon, Su Yi didn’t try to stop him. His goal was to give his second incarnation’s Dao Imprint a chance to defeat the Malevolent Sword Venerate.

That was how the Malevolent Sword Venerate had been caught off guard, and why he’d fled in panic.

Now, power surged from the second Divine Chain on the Sword of the Nine Hells, the one sealing his second incarnation’s Dao Imprint. A low voice rang out.

“That was my negative karma. Defeating him was my responsibility in the first place. It’s just a pity... but that wasn’t his true body.”

Su Yi wasn’t at all concerned. “Your negative karma is my negative karma, too. No need to be so reserved.”

After a moment’s silence, his second incarnation’s Dao Imprint said, “When you go to the Eternal Heavens Domain, I’ll pass my Dao Imprint onto you. I’ll just have to see whether or not you can really fuse with it or not.”

Su Yi inclined his head.

WIth that, his second incarnation’s Dao Imprint went dormant.

Su Yi wasn’t bothered by that, either. After all, he still had Xiao Jian’s Dao Imprint remaining. Su Yi naturally wasn’t in a rush to fuse with his second incarnation’s Dao Imprint.

“How are your injuries, Daoist Brother?” Xi Ning and Li Sanjiu rushed up to him.

“They’re just flesh wounds,” Su Yi said with a laugh. “They aren’t even worth mentioning.”

The entire stretch of heaven and earth had returned to stillness. The landscape was covered in scars. Everywhere he looked, everything lay in ruin.

“Fellow Daoist, was that perhaps a Limitless Dao Lord of the Path of Eternity?” Li Sanjiu couldn’t help but ask.

“That was just an avatar of will,” Su Yi said casually.

Li Sanjiu gasped.

If even an avatar of will was so terrifying, how strong must that expert’s true body be?

“We should get out of here first,” said Xi Ning, looking at Su Yi’s wounds with concern.

“Wait a moment,” said Su Yi. He turned, then gazed into the distance.

Their battle had already eradicated the Thunderwind Sea.

However, the black palace swathed in turbulent spacetime yet stood. It seemed impossibly far away, as if it stood in another time and space altogether.

Su Yi didn’t even need to think to know that the experts of the Great Yin Divine Race were hiding inside. It was even entirely possible that they were watching everything that happened here!

Su Yi raised his hand into the air.

Boom!

Sword qi condensed out of the Laws of Supreme Emergence, then slammed into the black palace swathed in turbulent spacetime currents.