Chapter 2632 - The Backlash Reaches Their True Bodies

He wants us to kill ourselves!?

Cang Lingzi, Dao Lord Jin Hua, Dao Venerate Lu Shi, and the others’ expressions were instantly unsightly.

As influential old-timers from the River of Destiny, they weren’t exactly afraid.

Sure, the mysterious figure in the sheath was powerful beyond imagination, but were this the River of Destiny, their true bodies could have suppressed him with ease!

What really surprised them was that he was capable of such power here in the God Domain!

The rusted sword sheath’s power was clearly beyond the limits of the God Domain’s chaos source.

The God Domain’s chaos source was like a natural barrier restricting all powers above a certain level, but the Borderless Mountains were special. Here, they could go slightly beyond the usual limit presented by the God Domain’s chaos source.

But only slightly.

That was why these old-timers had sent their clones into the God Domain to defeat Su Yi, not their true bodies.

But the rusted sword sheath was different. Its power was far beyond what should have been the limit!

The old-timers’ experience told them that the rusted sheath had just displayed power comparable to the full-force attack of someone in the first realm of the Eternal Dao!

On the River of Destiny, that might not have meant much. To their true bodies, such power wouldn’t have been worth paying any attention to.

But here in the God Domain, it was utterly terrifying, and it violated a seemingly ironclad rule!

When Xiao Jian heard the heart devil order the experts to kill themselves, he was stunned. The Malevolent Sword Venerate’s eyebrows rose, too.

Su Yi didn’t say anything, but he sank into thought.

“We’re mere clones. Better to die boldly in battle than to end ourselves in such a humiliating way!”

Cang Lingzi snorted coldly. “And you’re hiding in a sheath, too afraid to face us. You might well be able to throw your weight around now, but later, when we figure out who you are, this won’t end well for you!”

The heart devil said from within the rusted sheath, “Do the rest of you feel the same way?”

"That’s right!” Some of the Eternals’ eyes glinted with cold light, their attitudes firm. They’d traversed the River of Destiny for countless years. How could they fear mere threats?

A few remained solemn and silent, but they were in the minority. They included Lu Shi and the little girl.

“Let’s start with you, then,” said the heart devil.

Boom!

The rusted sheath flashed through the air and appeared directly above Cang Lingzi’s head. A strange marking arose from its rusted surface, then descended.

Cang Lingzi bellowed, then resisted with all his might.

But his struggles were as futile as a mantis trying to block a chariot. His efforts were instantly crushed, and the mysterious marking cleaved through his skull like a knife, boring into his body.

The crowd watched in horror as Cang Lingzi’s expression shifted dramatically, contorting with agony, then filling with bewilderment.

Moments later, his body exploded into countless chunks of blood-red light. The blood-red light rapidly constricted, then vanished into the strange marking that had invaded his body.

A fist-sized marking had just devoured an Eternal’s clone!

It was an utterly strange, unsettling scene. More than that, it was bewildering. The others couldn’t figure it out, but their hearts were full of unease.

“Clones are different from avatars of will, as they’re formed of concentrated essence, qi, and spirit and imbued with a wisp of vital energy. They’re living things in their own right, and that makes them susceptible to the Laws of Destiny,” said the heart devil, his voice emanating from within the rusted sheath. “Did you really think that you could oppose me and escape having lost no more than a clone?”

The heart devil paused. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll just have to show you the price you’ll pay for refusing to end yourselves!”

Before his voice had even finished echoing through the air...

Boom!

The sheath lit up.

The strange marking that had devoured Cang Lingzi shattered in midair, and a blood-red curtain appeared.

The blood-red curtain was incomparably mystical. It surged with the mysterious, inscrutable aura of destiny.

Strange, unbelievable visions arose upon the curtain. They started with an endless expanse of time and space, followed by the coursing River of Destiny, the Eternal Heavens Domain, and a hidden realm brimming with a seemingly holy aura...

With each shift, the visions closed in on their ultimate destination.

When the onlookers saw that extraordinary, seemingly holy hidden realm, their eyes widened.

That’s the sacred ground of Sevendeaths Court, Sevendeaths Grotto!

Before they could react, the scene on the curtain changed once more. It now reflected the interior of an immortal cave swathed in chaos energy. A figure sat-crossed legged inside it, beneath a fully hundred-thousand-foot-tall golden mulberry tree.

The tree was enormously tall and home to countless nests. Its leaves and branches were glittering and golden, and they shone like blazing suns, illuminating the cave with golden radiance.

The figure seated beneath the tree was none other than Cang Lingzi. He was currently seated in meditation.

But when he appeared on the curtain of light, the meditating Cang Lingzi stiffened, opened his mouth, and coughed up blood!

His aged face paled, and his whole body quivered uncontrollably. A moment later, he swung his arm. His face contorted hideously, and he roared in agony.

The scene ended there, and the curtain of light dissipated.

But all of the Eternals looked astonished, terrified, and uneasy. Who could possibly have failed to realize what had happened? The mysterious figure hidden in the sheath had used Cang Lingzi’s clone to damage his true body!

It was truly unbelievable. After all, Cang Lingzi’s true body was all the way on the River of Destiny, meditating beneath a giant mulberry tree in his private cultivation grounds.

Ordinarily speaking, losing a clone would damage one’s true body, but only to a limited degree.

But this was obviously different. Cang Lingzi’s true body was badly injured!

Especially since, although the curtain of light had no sound, everyone could tell by the shape of Cang Lingzi’s lips that he’d just shouted, “Fate has wronged me!”

The atmosphere was instantly deathly silent and oppressive.

The Eternal clones could no longer keep their cool.

“Now do you understand that killing yourself would be getting off easy?” the heart devil said with a cold laugh. “It’s a pity, but I gave you an opportunity, and you didn’t treasure it!”

Dao Lord Jin Hua and the others’ expressions were unsightly. They were both startled and furious.

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

But before they could respond...

Boom!

The rusted sword sheath suddenly attacked. It all happened in a flash. More than ten mysterious, inscrutable Dao Markings shot forth at once, slaying and devouring all of the clones who’d vocally refused to end themselves.

Only Lu Shi, the little girl, and the others who’d maintained their silence weren’t affected.

But this scene filled their hearts with terror, too!

None of them could flee. None of them could fight back. Everyone had been killed in an instant!

It was immediately obvious to all who remained that when the clones were devoured, their true bodies were affected, too, just as Cang Lingzi’s had been!

Lu Shi looked at Su Yi. It seemed he had something to say, but he thought better of it. In the end, he just sighed.

There were no words for his bitterness and frustration.

In the end, Lu Shi’s figure caught ablaze, burning like cloth and scattering into ash.

He’d incinerated his own clone!

This scene startled the few who’d remained. Who could fail to realize why Lu Shi had done this? He wanted to avoid the same fate Cang Lingzi and the others had suffered.

Destroying himself was the wisest choice he could make.

They others knew that, but actually going through with it... would be too shameful, too embarrassing, and too frustrating!

“Why don’t you dare to tell us your name?” someone said through gnashed teeth, his eyes blazing with hatred.

Bang!

A mysterious marking pierced and devoured the speaker.

When the others saw this, they panicked. All of them chose to destroy their clones to avoid implicating their true bodies.

But they were one step too late. The rusted sheath swept through the air, and strange markings devoured all who remained.

All of them met with the same fate as Cang Lingzi!

From beginning to end, none of them could resist, struggle, or fight back. They were cut down like grass.

The heart devil acted as if he’d done something perfectly ordinary.

Shortly after, he pointed at the little girl.

The little girl was extraordinarily calm. She just said, “I’m not afraid to die; I don’t know what it means to be afraid. I just know that this isn’t over yet. When the Battle for Order begins and the God Domain’s chaos source dries up, neither you nor Su Yi will escape death!”

Boom!

The sheath flashed through the air, devouring the little girl whole.

“How could a mere spirit of the natural order be worthy of discussing life and death with me? You aren’t even worthy of feeding this sheath,” grumbled the heart devil.

Both the Malevolent Sword Venerate and Xiao Jian’s expressions shifted. The former furrowed his brow, while the latter sank into silence.

Prior to this, Su Yi just took it all in quietly, as he wanted to see what the heart devil would do next. But now, he couldn’t help but interject, “You killed them all, just like that?”

“They weren’t anyone important. Why keep them around?” laughed the heart devil.

“What happens now? Do you want to settle things between us, just like the two of them?” said Su Yi, gesturing to Xiao Jian and the Malevolent Sword Venerate.

The heart devil had attacked of his own volition without so much as a greeting first, slaughtering a whole host of powerful enemies. He was utterly domineering.

But Su Yi knew that

this

was actually when his imminent crisis was at its peak!

After all, Xiao Jian and the Malevolent Sword Venerate wanted to end things with him, too.

And it was immediately obvious to Su Yi that the heart devil had intervened, at least in part, because he couldn’t bear to see Xiao Jian or the Malevolent Sword Venerate seize Su Yi’s everything in his stead.

In other words, they were the heart devil’s competition, and their arrival left him frantic!

“Argh. Your words cut deep,” sighed the heart devil. “Think bigger, and broaden your mind. Do you... really think I’m the type to loot a burning house? Or that I have ulterior motives?”

The heart devil paused, then said with pride, “Even if I want to replace you, I’ll do it openly and forthrightly, suppressing you in a battle of the heart. I’ll make you lose convinced of your defeat!

“Only then can I prove that my Dao is superior to yours! That’s what they call a true clash of the heart!”

The Malevolent Sword Venerate sank into silence, their expressions shifting.

But Su Yi just said calmly, “I’m badly injured, and all three of you are gathered in one place. Don’t you think this is an ideal opportunity to resolve things between us?”

By now, the Malevolent Sword Venerate and Xiao Jian could just about guess who the heart devil was. When they heard that, they both glanced at the rusted sheath.