Chapter 2489 - Ruler-Level Eternal Laws

The true man behind the curtain was likely still hidden somewhere!

Luo Qingdi instantly reached several conclusions. First, the mastermind likely had extraordinarily lofty status. Otherwise, he could never have commanded so many Nine-Tribulation Master Gods to work for him for no clear reason.

It was obvious from the Nine-Tribulation Master Gods’ reactions that they hadn’t known anything about this operation’s true goals. They’d been kept completely in the dark!

Second, whoever the mastermind was, he’d set his sights on Luo Qingdi nine years ago. He saw him as bait, and he’d just been waiting for the right opportunity to use Luo Qingdi to lure Su Yi to the Tianxiu Sword Shrine.

Luo Qingdi could also foresee that, whoever he was, he was allied with the Dipankara Buddha and Master God Yun He.

Third, the mastermind had just watched one Nine-Tribulation Master God die after another, but he never revealed himself. It was thus obvious that he didn’t care about the Nine-Tribulation Master Gods’ lives in the slightest!

That meant that whoever the mastermind was, his status and position had to be incomparably lofty. Only someone like that could disregard Nine-Tribulation Master Gods.

Luo Qingdi reached these conclusions practically instantaneously. Furthermore, he trusted that Su Yi understood all that too!

Indeed, Su Yi whispered, “It couldn’t have been Di E or the Dipankara Buddha. There’s got to be someone else behind this.”

This was Su Yi’s conclusion. He didn’t explain it, and Luo Qingdi didn’t ask any questions.

Your enemies often understood you better than you understood yourself. Su Yi had fought these people for countless years. Instinct and experience alone were enough to let him draw reliable conclusions.

“Then who do you think it is?” asked Luo Qingdi.

“A group of Master Gods of various top factions carried out this operation under the Three Purities Daoist Court’s banner,” said Su Yi. “If I’m not mistaken, the true mastermind was likely... Dao Venerate Lu Shi!”

Lu Shi!

The name was entirely unfamiliar to Lu Qingdi.

Suddenly, someone clapped and sighed with approval. “You really do understand me, Fellow Daoist Su.”

The sound was indistinct, and there was no telling what direction it emanated from.

Yet when it rang out, it resounded like a morning bell, full of a heart-palpitating rhythm of the Grand Dao. It resonated with heaven, earth, and everything in them.

Luo Qingdi’s gaze focused.

Don’t tell me that this Lu Shi person... is an Eternal!?

Before he could give the matter any further thought, Lu Qingdi suddenly discovered that the dense death qi enveloping Xiao Xiao was receding like waters at low tide.

Her life had hung in the balance just moments prior, but now, her life force was rapidly recovering.

“This...” Luo Qingdi frowned as he realized the implications.

Lu Shi must have been responsible for that strange death qi!

That voice rang out once more. “No need to worry about Fellow Daoist Luo and that girl’s safety, Fellow Daoist Su. They were safe the moment you arrived in the Tianxiu Sword Shrine. I personally guarantee it.”

Su Yi said calmly, “Judging by your tone, it seems you expect me to thank you.”

This was far too despicable!

“My subordinates used a few unseemly methods. I’ve embarrassed myself in front of you, Fellow Daoist,” said Lu Shi, not the least bit upset. “If you want to vent your fury, you’re welcome to come to the Divine Stele of the Dao of the Sword. I’ll be waiting there for you.”

The Divine Stele of the Dao of the Sword!

That was the name of the stele that had stood in the Tianxiu Sword Shrine since the earliest days of the God Domain’s history.

“If you’d simply contacted me before making your arrangements, you wouldn’t have needed to resort to such understanded means to lure me here. I think... I might have thought better of you that way,” Su Yi said calmly.

His voice was tinged with disappointment.

Back in the Ruins of Supreme Emergence, Su Yi used the Whip of Supreme Emergence to punish Yun He, Liuxiang Hen, and their allies.

At the time, Lu Shi’s avatar of will had intervened. He’d been dressed in long robes, with his long hair hanging loose. He was tall and thin, and his features were indistinct.

A stream of silver glyphs had flowed around him, emanating an air of Eternity. Even just standing there, he had an unsurpassed majesty, as if he stood above this world and now gazed down on it with contempt!

Su Yi still recalled his conversation with Lu Shi.

“It’s a pity that we’ve long since been destined to oppose each other. Otherwise, I’d want you for a beloved friend. We’d drink and make merry together, then discuss the Dao. I’m sure it would be incomparably joyful.

“Men like us need worthy enemies if we aren’t to feel lonely in our pursuit of the Grand Dao!

“Conflict is the most enthralling part of the struggle for the Grand Dao.

“If you kill me, that’s fine. If I kill you, that’s good too. I’m afraid we’ll run into few such battles in our lifetimes, so it’s only natural that I’d look forward to them!”

His words had resonated with Su Yi. They'd even given him the strange, inexplicable sense that he was no longer alone in his pursuit of the Grand Dao.

At the time, Su Yi’s response was, “Another day, I’ll be sure to give you what you’re after. We’ll fight to the death and decide which of us is superior!”

This wasn’t a threat. Rather, it was a declaration of war.

This was Su Yi’s first time actively declaring war against an enemy since entering the God Domain.

But now, after confirming that Lu Shi was indeed the mastermind behind the trap set for him in the Tianxiu Sword Shrine, Su Yi couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

After a moment’s silence, Dao Venerate Lu Shi’s voice rang out once more. “It’s inevitable that some will appreciate me, and that others will criticize me. Trying to justify myself to someone critical of me will do me no good.”

“It’s fine if you carry a grudge over this, Fellow Daoist, and it’s fine if you look down on me. In the end... we’ll have to determine a victor. And as they say, history is written by the victors. “

Su Yi didn’t have anything to say in response to that. He just said to Luo Qingdi, “Let’s go.”

...

Deeper in the Tianxiu Sword Shrine, a vast, barren landscape shrouded in clouds came into view. An ancient stone stele towered at its center.

The stele was fully three thousand feet long and pitch black throughout. Ancient, primeval chaos energy surged along its surface.

This was the Divine Stele of the Dao of the Sword!

This place was sacred to the God Domain’s sword cultivators. The stele was carved with the imprints of the most resplendent Daos of the Sword in history.

Everyone, no matter who they were, could cultivate before the stele and contemplate its wondrous truths.

Throughout the ages, tens of thousands of experts would gather before the stele on a daily basis to calm their hearts and contemplate. It was an incredible sight.

But now, just one man stood before the Divine Stele of the Dao of the Sword.

He was dressed in Daoist robes, with his hair in a topknot and a wooden sword on his back. His solitary figure was as upright and grand as a pine tree.

This was none other than Master God Yun He!

When Su Yi saw him in the distance, his eyebrows rose.

Master God Yun He turned to look at the distant Su Yi and said, “I cannot yet descend in the flesh. All I could do was let an avatar of my will borrow Yun He’s body.”

His voice boomed like a morning bell. That was Lu Shi speaking!

Only then did Su Yi and Luo Qingdi understand.

Su Yi said directly, “Tell me, then. Why lure me here? Just what are you after?”

Lu Shi’s eyes flashed. Rather, the eyes of his borrowed body flashed. He could tell that Su Yi’s attitude toward him had changed.

He sighed softly, then gestured to the ancient stone stele behind him. “Rumor has it that this sword stele was born of the chaos before the God Domain even took shape.

“And this stele contains the greatest natural chaos source of the Dao of the Sword in the God Domain.” Lu Shi gestured to it, then looked at Su Yi. “The rumors are true. In the early days of the God Domain’s history, I tried to investigate the stele’s secrets on numerous occasions.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

“Unfortunately, I could never figure it out. I couldn’t sense or control that chaos source. Later, I learned that it wasn’t just me. No one in this world could do it.

“Just now, I finally realized that the chaos source within the stele wasn’t yet ready to reveal itself.

“But now... it has!”

Lu Shi’s eyes lit up. They shone with a hint of longing. “I can already sense a hint of the chaos source’s presence. I can say with certainty that it’s indeed an utterly extraordinary power of the Grand Dao.

“If someone masters it, never mind simply proving their Dao and becoming Eternal. They’ll be able to transform the chaos source into a peak Eternal Law!

“The might even...” Here Lu Shi paused for emphasis. “I suspect that this power of the Grand Dao has the potential to transform into a Ruler-Level Eternal Law!”

Luo Qingdi gasped. At his peak, he’d touched upon numerous secrets of the Limitless Eternal Realm, and he knew how lofty and supreme the so-called Ruler-Level Eternal Laws were.

They said they were extremely rare even on the River of Destiny! Those who mastered them could become rulers amongst Eternals!

Su Yi didn’t know any of this, but he did know that Lu Shi was an unparalleled legend in the early days of the God Domain’s history. He was also the first in the God Domain’s history to have stepped onto the River of Destiny and become Eternal.

Yet even someone like him had a lasting obsession with the chaos source hidden in the stele. It was thus obvious how enticing Ruler-Level Eternal Laws were, even for someone on Lu Shi’s level!

“Who’d have dared imagine that a place like the God Domain would give rise to such an unbelievable chaos source?” sighed Dao Venerate Lu Shi. “I’ve explored the River of Destiny and visited numerous Eternal Domains, but I can count the ones with true Ruler-Level Eternal Laws on my fingers!”

“Since you can sense the chaos source’s presence, why not take it?” Luo Qingdi asked gravely.

Su Yi answered in Lu Shi’s place. “If he could take it, why would he have bothered luring me here?”

“That’s right,” Lu Shi said with a nod. “I really do need your help with this, Fellow Daoist Su.”

He opened his palm, and four powers of the Grand Dao floated into the air.

One was like an endless blue sky. One was dense and inscrutable, like the passage of countless years. One manifested a divine tree with endless streaks of profound light falling from its branches, and one condensed a Daoist seal, smooth as jade, with rosy luster. Countless natural Dao Markings appeared on its surface

“These four powers of the Grand Dao are, respectively, Supreme Metamorphosis, Supreme Obscurity, Supreme Simplicity, and Supreme Emptiness. Combined with your Laws of Supreme Emergence, they’ll form the complete Five Supreme Source Powers.

“And together, the Five Supreme Source Powers are the complete Laws of the God Domain, born of the same primordial chaos that created this world.

“Now, so long as you cooperate with me, I’ll be able to condense to the Five Supreme Source Powers and extract the chaos source within the stele!”

With that, he silently turned his gaze toward Su Yi and waited for his response.