Chapter 2644 - Putting Down a Different Kind of Butcher’s Knife

Shen Jue swung his jade flute through the air, then tapped the sky.

The flute resounded throughout the firmament, like the sound of the Grand Dao, manifesting all manner of unbelievable phenomena.

A rain of blue-green light poured down from the heavens, brimming with the power of the Laws. It was like a tidal wave of blue-green, sweeping through the nine heavens and blanketing the entire area.

Power like that was enough to contend with False Eternals!

Su Yi couldn’t help but find this surprising. He had to admit that he’d underestimated Shen Jue; he took for a Half-Step Eternal on par with Di E at best.

It was only after they began fighting that he discovered how deeply his opponent had hidden his true strength.

But... Su Yi had changed. He was far stronger than before.

At the very least, False Eternals could no longer threaten him in the slightest.

Boom!

Su Yi clenched his fist and struck the air. It was a simple blow, but wherever his fist force went, the blue-green light filling the sky exploded.

A massive, perfectly straight chasm tore open in midair. .

Shen Jue’s eyes flashed, his silver robes billowing around him as he took a step through the air. All the while, music emanated from his flute.

The tune alone could have destroyed Half-Step Eternals with ease.

Meanwhile, his aura exploded around him, like the eruption of a long dormant volcano.

“Hah!” Shen Jue used his flute as a saber and struck with all his might.

At his level, every movement and every gesture was one with the power of his surroundings, with the power to transform trash into treasure.

The greatest truths were the simplest. Similarly, this strike might have been simple, but it wouldn’t do to underestimate it.

When it landed, a massive chasm tore open on the ground. Wherever his saber qi pointed, it seemed that nothing could stand in its way.

His attainments in the Grand Dao, essence, qi, and spirit had fused fully into his strikes. It really did seem like he was seizing good fortune from the heavens.

Su Yi chuckled, his eyes shining with appreciation as he swung his palm in front of him.

Bang!!!

The saber qi stopped just three feet from Su Yi, unable to advance even an inch further. A moment later, the far-reaching, powerful streak of sword qi collapsed.

Su Yi just stood there, unmarred by so much as the slightest speck of dust. He hadn’t budged an inch.

As a rain of light scattered, Shen Jue shifted through the air and attacked explosively.

When he fought for real, he seemed like a completely different person. Every last inch of him emanated murderous intent!

His mastery of the Grand Dao had reached astonishing heights, and his divine abilities were incomparably terrifying. When he attacked with all his might, he launched a hundred slashes practically instantaneously.

One rift after another tore open, and visions of destruction and calamity filled heaven and earth.

He was domineering to the extreme.

Shen Jue wasn’t at all weaker than the False Eternals who’d fought in the battle of the Borderless Mountains!

Su Yi couldn’t help but see him in a new light. It was as if they were meeting again for the first time.

What a surprise. He sure hid himself differently. But it’s a pity...

Even prior to the battle in the Borderless Mountains, I could kill and suppress False Eternals.

And after the battle, I steadied my Dao Heart and focused on contemplating the Dao. I’ve long since found my path to Eternity.

By now, Su Yi had fixed his gaze on Unfettered Realm experts. An opponent like Shen Jue was naturally helpless against him.

Kaboom!

Heaven and earth swayed, and the surrounding mountains and rivers were destroyed. The very ground itself sank beneath them.

Shen Jue attacked suddenly, each strike tyrannical beyond measure. He displayed countless shocking secret arts and seemingly endless killer moves.

But none of them could shake Su Yi!

Su Yi just stood there, his tall, upright frame like a pillar supporting the turbulent skies.

He didn’t move in the slightest. Nothing could sway him!

No matter how wondrous or unparalleled, he neutralized every Daoist magic and killer move with ease.

The red-haired Heaven-Combating Ancient Fiend watched it all play out. She naturally couldn’t fail to realize which of them was superior.

Her brow furrowed. She was astonished, but more than that, she couldn’t help but sigh to herself.

She knew that Shen Jue had come here with zero confidence in his chances at victory!

All of this was because Su Yi’s performance in the Borderless Mountains had been far too terrifying.

After learning the details of the battle, Shen Jue fell silent and sat there like a wooden statue for three days and three days.

In the end, he just sighed. “How fortunate is the God Domain to have Su Yi? And how unfortunate am I... to have him as my enemy?”

It was then that Shen Jue realized with absolute clarity that he had no hope of victory against Su Yi.

But... he’d come here anyway!

It wouldn’t be long until the Battle for Order began. Shen Jue had to participate, like it or not.

First, he had to sever his heart’s obsession and avenge the woman he loved.

Second, he had to ask Su Yi for help resolving the Heaven-Combating Ancient Fiend’s Karmic Tribulation!

He had to come!

Even if he died in battle, he had to end this once and for all!

The way the Heaven-Combating Ancient Fiend saw this, Shen Jue was effectively just throwing his life away. She’d tried to dissuade him, but to no avail.

The Heaven-Combating Ancient Fiend vividly recalled the way Shen Jue had laughed and said that his desire for revenge had tormented him for too long, and that he’d rather die in battle than drag this out any longer.

He’s spoken lightly and airily, as if joking around or making idle conversation.

But now, when the Heaven-Combating Ancient Fiend watched Shen Jue fight with his life on the line, unable to even shake Su Yi, yet refusing to give up, her heart ached.

The woman Shen Jue loved had died by the hands of a fellow Daoist he admired. How must that have felt?

There was no resolving this dilemma!

Living with this sort of torment was unquestionably far worse than death!

The Heaven-Combating Ancient Fiend understood that Shen Jue was going to his death, all to sever his obsession and find release!

“Brother Su, if you really respect me, don’t hold back any longer. Just kill me. Let me die a quick death beneath your sword. Don’t drag this out any longer!” Shen Jue’s voice emanated from the battlefield. “You realize that holding me back is a sign of contempt, right?”

Even now, Su Yi had yet to counterattack, much less launch any new attacks of his own. Shen Jue naturally realized that Su Yi was holding back.

“Want to hear a story about a Buddhist cultivator?” asked Su Yi.

Shen ue frowned. “I don’t understand what those bald donkeys get up to, and I have no interest in hearing stories about them. All I want to do now is fight to the death. Can you please give me a little dignity and let me lose and die quickly?”

Boom!

Before his voice had even finished echoing through the air, his presence transformed, his cultivation base burning like mad.

“If you can’t give me what I want, I’ll take it for myself!” shouted Shen Jue, eyes full of determination. “I don’t seek mutual destruction. It’s enough to die with my honor intact!”

Off in the distance, the Heaven-Combating Ancient Fiend looked stricken.

Shen Jue just ignited his own cultivation base. He’s aiming for mutual destruction!

Su Yi’s gaze focused, but before he could say anything, Shen Jue let out a burst of laughter. “I’m dead-set on knocking you off balance this time!”

His voice had only just rung out when he took a step forward, his body burning like a furnace as he charged at Su Yi.

His power shook heaven and earth. He was far more terrifying than before!

But this time, Su Yi finally took the initiative to counterattack.

His sleeves billowed around him as his hands formed seals and pressed down in midair. Then, in a voice like the ringing of a gong, he shouted, “Suppress!”

Boom!

The chaotic landscape instantly came to a standstill. The flames, the dust, the collapsing air currents, the flashing lights, everything froze in place.

Shen Jue froze mid-charge, like a bug caught in a spider web. He could no longer move a muscle!

But it wasn’t over yet. His burning, explosive cultivation base was forcefully suppressed.

The sight left the Heaven-Combating Chaos Fiend stunned. A moment later, her heart shook. Waves of astonishment coursed through her.

She was certain that if Su Yi wanted to kill Shen Jue, he could do so easily.

But she would never have guessed that even after Shen Jue ignited his own cultivation base, Su Yi would freeze both him

and

his burning cultivation base in place.

That was far, far more difficult than killing him.

The Heaven-Combating Ancient Fiend wasn’t at all confident that she could have done the same in Su Yi’s place.

Just... just how strong has Su Yi become?

Shen Jue was stunned, too. His eyes widened.

He’d ignited his cultivation base to fight with no regard for his own survival, only for Su Yi to stop him and forcefully suppress him. He couldn’t die even if he wanted to!

This was unquestionably far too shocking. He finally understood on a visceral level just how enormous the gap between him and Su Yi was!

The corners of his lips twitched, and he sighed bitterly. “And here I thought that if I died by your hand, I could at least die with pride and go to the nine springs with a smile on my face. Who’d have thought you’d be so stingy? You won’t even give me the opportunity...”

Su Yi said, “I said it earlier, didn’t I? You did me a favor, and I care about actions, not intentions. I acknowledged your act of benevolence. How could I possibly kill you?”

He paused, then said, “Even if you want to die, I won’t agree to it.”

Shen Jue grimaced.

The Heaven-Combating Ancient Fiend, however, sighed in relief. The way she looked at Su Yi shifted.

No wonder Shen Jue admires him so much. He... really deserves our respect!

“Now do you want to hear the story about a Buddhist cultivator?” asked Su Yi.

Shen Jue hung his head and said listlessly, “I can’t even die. Say what you want. I have no choice but to listen, don’t I?”

He was complaining, but he’d obviously calmed down considerably.

The Heaven-Combating Ancient Fiend looked curious.

Su Yi is the uncrowned ruler of the God Domain, famed throughout the world. If he wants to tell a story about a Buddhist cultivator, I’m sure he has a reason for it.

I’d love to hear his interpretation of the tale, too.

Su Yi laughed. “There was once a monk whose determination was as unyielding as a mountain. Nothing could shake him. He overcame countless trials and adversities, until one day, he was just one step away from achieving Buddhahood.

“In the end, he went to see a Buddha, his heart full of fury, helplessness, and confusion, and asked if he was going about achieving Buddhahood the wrong way.

“The Buddha took out a butcher knife and handed it to the monk. He said, ‘Kill me, and you’ll become a Buddha instantly.’

“The monk took the knife in hand and raised it to kill the Buddha eight times, but in the end, he set the butcher knife down.

“The moment he did so, he became a Buddha.

“And the Buddha said, ‘Good!’”

Shen Jue was stunned.

The Heaven-Combating Ancient Fiend looked at the frozen Shen Jue, her heart full of grief.