Chapter 2662 - Excessive Use of Force

The green power of the natural order was like interweaving, sharp, unstoppable knives. It formed a cage of blades around Su Yi.

Its sheer murderous aura was so powerful that even a true Unfettered Realm Eternal would have been badly injured.

As for a False Eternal? They wouldn’t have even been worth looking at!

This was the attack Old Daoist Crow took the most pride in. He called it the Cage of Ten Thousand Blades.

He wasn’t holding back at all. He sought to eliminate his target in a single strike.

Boom!

The sky shattered, filling with dazzling green light.

Countless chains of the natural order interwove, effortlessly trapping Su Yi.

This assured Old Daoist Crow of his imminent victory. However, the Cage of Ten Thousand Blades wasn’t his true killer move. That was the flying knife, Rouge Snow.

The knife wasn’t particularly dazzling by the standards of the River of Destiny as a whole, but within the Unfettered Realm, it was absolutely unparalleled.

Its killing power was so immense that multiple Unfettered experts had met their end beneath its edge already!

Old Daoist Crow had acquired it specifically to eliminate Su Yi.

On Red Pine Mountain, the Unfettered Realm represented the limit of power. Here, Crimson Snow was a supreme treasure.

Old Daoist Crow knew that when the Battle for Order began, the methods he’d prepared wouldn’t even be worth a fart.

But here and now, Sky-Cutting Cloud, Cage of Ten Thousand Blades, and Crimson Snow were more than enough to defeat Su Yi!

Kcch!

The moment the Cage of Ten Thousand Blades captured Su Yi, Crimson Snow appeared at Su Yi’s forehead and shot forward as if to pierce his skull.

A bloody hole tore open.

I did it!

Old Daoist Crow’s spirits soared. He was overcome with delight, to the point that he almost dared not believe it.

It felt... a bit too easy!

It was then that he realized that something was amiss. Su Yi’s shattered skull split and popped like a soap bubble. Moments later, the rest of him vanished, too

Shit!

Old Daoist Crow looked stricken.

That was just an afterimage, or perhaps an illusion. But it doesn’t matter.

What matters is that he managed to deceive my senses! That attack was supposed to kill him, but it hit nothing but air!

The moment he realized this, Old Daoist Crow retreated explosively. His hands formed a seal, and he prepared to unleash a defensive divine ability.

But just as he retreated and started to form his hand seal, a sword attacked from the sides.

Old Daoist Crow stiffened. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Su Yi swinging a sword. He’d taken a step forward with his right foot, while his right arm swung furiously, his wrist as steady as a boulder as he attacked in a big, sweeping motion.

It was simple, but when Old Daoist Crow saw the sword in Su Yi’s hands, his heart shook and chills coursed down his spine.

It was a Dao Sword, mysterious and inscrutable, its shape indescribable. He couldn’t see it clearly.

But the sword force emanating from it was unimaginably terrifying.

Old Daoist Crow could clearly sense that, as the slash drew near, the Sky-Severing Cloud shook violently, and the space around him collapsed, thoroughly suppressed.

Old Daoist Crow held his breath, his entire body under terrifying suppression. His hands froze mid-seal as both his retreating figure and the ability he was about to unleash were ruthlessly suppressed!

The sensation was somehow familiar; it brought Old Daoist Crow back to something he’d experienced in his youth. Back then, one of his enemies pinned him to the ground beneath a massive boulder. The weight was so immense that he could barely breathe, and his chest felt as if it were about to burst.

He was just that helplessness, and just that overcome with despair...

He hadn’t thought about that nightmare of a memory in a long, long time.

Yet now, at this life-or-death juncture, he hadn’t just recalled it. He felt the same way he did back then!

His eyes went red, and he inwardly roared in fury.

There was no way he’d let anything like that happen again!

He refused!

But then, Old Daoist Crow stunned, his eyes widening.

Su Yi, meanwhile, lowered his sword and stopped just one hundred feet away. His blue robes swayed in the wind, and he looked calm and composed.

“Where... did that sword come from?” asked Old Daoist Crow, his voice low and hoarse.

He tried to turn his head, only for a bloody gash to silently appear on his throat.

“Don’t be in such a rush,” said Su Yi. “I’ll tell you when I kill your true body.”

Old Daoist Crow’s eyes were bloodshot. He murmured, seemingly to himself, “That... works too.”

Bang!

Before his voice had even finished echoing through the air, his figure strangely split in two.

But it didn’t split down the center. Rather, it split horizontally, his front and back separating starting from his head and traveling past his ears, throat, chest, waist, all the way to his feet.

Both halves shattered with a bang shortly after, filling the air with ash before scattering to the wind.

Off in the distance, Snow Rouge wailed in grief, and the barrier formed of the Sky-Cutting Cloud dimmed.

Just like that, the clone of a prominent heretical cultivator of the River of Destiny had been destroyed!

The Mountain Guardian Beast, Cang Ji, watched from the far shore of the river. It looked stricken.

It was only after Old Daoist Crow’s avatar was destroyed that Cang Ji realized he’d been killed in a single slash.

The Mountain Guardian Beast hadn’t sensed Su Yi’s attack at all!

“As a Mountain Guardian Beast, why choose to collude with him?” Su Yi silently turned to look at Cang Ji.

He remembered the way the Mountain Guardian Beast had targeted him both outside the gates and after passing through them.

Looking back on it now, it seemed Cang Ji wasn’t simply suspicious of Su Yi after all. He’d been colluding with Old Daoist Crow this entire time.

“Even ants want to live. The same goes for me.” Cang Ji sighed. “Last time Red Pine Mountain appeared, the Great Extinguishing slew more than half of the Mountain Guardian Beasts. This Battle for Order is likely to be even more dangerous and unpredictable. I just want to ensure my path to safety before that happens.”

“Old Daoist Crow promised to take you to the River of Destiny?” asked Su Yi.

“No,” corrected Cang Ji. “He swore on his Dao. It wasn’t just a promise.”

Su Yi laughed dryly. “The old-timers of the River of Destiny have grasped Laws of Destiny. Who’d take a mere vow seriously? Even if he swore on his Dao Heart, it’s nothing but nonsense.”

Cang Ji froze, then roared, “That’s impossible!”

Su Yi couldn’t be bothered to argue. He just raised his sword and...

Boom!

The Sky-Cutting Cloud could no longer take it. It transformed into a misty silk belt and landed in Su Yi’s palm.

This treasure was indeed unique. Holding it was like holding a cloud. It was so soft and light that it felt like holding nothing but air.

The flying knife, Rouge Snow, shrieked and shot into the air, obviously intent on running away. In the end, Su Yi pointed his sword, and the knife froze in place, unable to budge.

Whoosh!

Su Yi beckoned to the knife, then put it away.

When Cang Ji saw this, it realized that the situation didn’t bode well. It said in a quavering voice, “I’m a Mountain Guardian Beast. If you dare to hurt me...”

Boom!

A bolt of chaos lightning descended from the heavens, splitting Cang Ji’s body. He fell to the ground with a thud, shrieking in agony.

This wasn’t Su Yi’s work. Rather, it was the work of the little yellow finch flying toward them.

The bird’s eyes were as cold and sharp as the edge of a sword as it gazed at Cang Ji. “I told you not to try any funny business, but... it seems you didn’t take my words to heart!”

Cang Ji seemed to realize it wasn’t getting out of this. It said bleakly, “Esteemed Patrolling Spirit, you’re an incarnation of the Laws with no fear of death, but we spirits born of Red Pine Mountain are different!”

The yellow finch glared at him. “It’s understandable that you’d want to live, but those who violate the Laws must die!”

Cang Ji burst into laughter, “Esteemed Patrolling Spirit, I know I must die, but before I do, I’d like to ask you this. Do you think... that Red Pine Mountain will survive the Battle for Order?

“If Red Pine Mountain falls, those of us born of its chaos source will inevitably accompany it to the grave. That goes for you, too!” Cang Ji smiled bleakly. “Of course, you aren’t afraid to die. After all... you don’t understand what death is.”

Here, the yellow finch broke its silence. “You’re wrong.”

“I am?” Cang Ji was stunned. “Don’t tell me you really think we can save Red Pine Mountain?”

“All I can tell you is that there are no absolutes in this world,” said the yellow finch, its gaze cold and clear, without the barest ripple of emotion.

Before its voice had even finished echoing through the air, chaos lightning descended from the heavens, obliterating Cang Ji on the spot.

Next, the finch turned to look at Su Yi. Its gaze landed on the sword in his hands.

After a moment, it said, “You cannot use that on the Five Elements Altar. If you do, the Laws of Red Pine Mountain will take you for an enemy.”

“What if the others try to use similar treasures?” asked Su Yi.

“That isn’t allowed either,” said the yellow finch. “The Battle for Order is a competition of the Grand Dao. You cannot use any treasures to replace or supplement it. When the time comes, no matter who you are or what level of treasure you use, it will be considered a violation of the rules!”

“And what if those experts watching from the River of Destiny try to intervene? What happens then?” asked Su Yi.

The yellow finch fell silent.

After a while, it beat its wings and flew off. All it said was, “No one can intervene before the Battle for Order ends!”

Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. He gazed in the direction the bird had vanished in, then murmured, “In other words, they

can

intervene after the curtains fall?”

That was in line with his predictions.

The last time Red Pine Mountain appeared, the Great Extinguishing broke out due to the intervention of numerous old-timers from the River of Destiny.

The same was sure to happen this time.

To Su Yi, that wasn’t a bad outcome.

Because he’d never had any expectation that the Laws of Red Pine Mountain would offer him any protection to begin with!

Clang!

The Sword of the Nine Hells blurred into a beam of light and vanished into his sea of consciousness.

An exhausted look appeared on Su Yi’s face.

Earlier, he managed to slay Old Daoist Crow’s clone, but it had taken everything he had, including the Sword of the Nine Hells.

He’d killed his opponent, yes, but he’d practically exhausted his cultivation base!

He stood there and pondered briefly. He couldn’t help but chastise himself as he concluded,

I have only myself to blame for using excessive force!