Chapter 3078 - Sovereign Corpses Emerge

After the Struggle for Heavenly Fate, Li Sansheng, Gongye Futu, and several others appeared with a string of still-bleeding heads.

They were the slain experts of the Lower Court of Three Purities Temple. Qing Shi and his companions had been among them.

Su Yi had been confused when Qing Shi and the others first appeared. Now, he finally understood what was going on.

He asked, “And how do you plan to resolve this blood debt?”

The middle-aged Daoist’s strength had indeed reached unfathomable heights, but Su Yi wouldn’t shrink back just because of that.

“According to the Secluded Ones’ rules, I shouldn’t be here,” the middle-aged Daoist said calmly. “But then, this is the Sea of Fate. Once I’ve killed you, I naturally have ways of making my escape. Even if the Secluded Ones show up, they won’t be able to stop me.”

Chills coursed through Hua Qingyi and the River Ancestors’ hearts. Who could have failed to realize that the middle-aged man was here for Su Yi, and moreover, that he’d prepared thoroughly?

Su Yi looked thoughtful. “If I’m not mistaken, when you say you have ‘means of making your escape,’ you’re talking about the Untethered Boat. Am I right?”

The middle-aged man blinked in surprise. “You’ve heard of the Untethered Boat?”

Su Yi sighed. “Do you think everyone but you is a simpleton?”

The middle-aged man pondered briefly, then understood. “That’s right. You acquired the Cauldron of Fate, so it’s not that surprising that you’d know about the Untethered Boat, too.”

He stretched out his hand, and the black seal the false Qing Shi had used appeared out of nowhere.

A suffocatingly terrifying power permeated the entire area, enveloping everything on all sides.

To Hua Qingyi and the others, that murderous intent was like a sword to their throats. Their bodies silently tensed, and their expressions were as tense as could be.

The middle-aged Daoist was just too terrifying. Even a casual movement filled every last inch of the surrounding area with murderous intent!

He held the black seal aloft and said calmly, “Three Purities Temple and Sword Sovereign City were enemies to begin with. If I kill you, the survivors of Sword Sovereign City won’t be able to create any more waves, and Sword Sovereign City will be gone for good. Only its name shall remain.”

“For the sake of accomplishing this goal...” The middle-aged man grinned. “I’ll have no regrets, even if I lose my life here!”

Boom!

He flipped his palm, and the black Daoist seal rumbled and boomed in his grip. A streak of clear Dao Light rose into the firmament, transforming into seemingly endless cloud markings that blotted out the sun. As the markings spread, they covered the sea, too. The air froze in place, and everything sank into an unnatural stillness.

An unprecedented sense of crisis arose in Su Yi’s companions’ hearts, and they attacked without hesitation.

Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi stirred up countless flecks of starlight, as if manifesting the boundless starry sky. She seemed intent on shattering the seal over the area. This was the strongest ability at her disposal. It was condensed out of the Laws of Stardust, the power of her Eternal Throne. She called it Starry Purgatory!

Within mere moments, formless, invisible power surged forth, causing her ultimate attack to collapse. The remnants dimmed, withered, and faded away.

Her delicate frame quivered, and her beautiful face paled. Blood trickled from the corners of her lips, and an astonished look appeared on her face. What terrifying power. A Heavenly Sovereign like me cannot even begin to fight back!

The two River Ancestors attacked too, each unleashing the strongest abilities at their disposal, but they fared no better than Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi. Those mysterious markings ground their power away. Moreover, they each suffered a massive impact.

All of them staggered backward, blood pouring from the seven apertures of their faces. They almost died on the spot.

Both River Ancestors’ expressions filled with astonishment. What kind of power is this!?

To their senses, it seemed as if the entire area had transformed into an invisible prison only visible because of the countless strange markings covering its surface. All of these markings represented supreme Laws of the natural order. Standing here made even mighty River Ancestors and Heavenly Sovereigns feel paltry and insignificant. It was just too terrifying, to the point that it was beyond the bounds of their perception.

Su Yi naturally didn’t find this strange. He, too, felt that sense of helplessness and despair, as if he were a prisoner in a cage just waiting to be slaughtered. He had witnessed similar power after the Struggle for Heavenly Fate. This was the strength of one who’d transcended Eternity, the power of the Laws only experts of the Far Shore could grasp!

According to his first incarnation’s heart devil, even on the River of Destiny, where experts of the Far Shore suffered a backlash from the Laws of Destiny, Heavenly Sovereigns could only barely hold their own against them. The best they could hope for was injuries on both sides; they couldn’t possibly win against experts of the Far Shore.

Unfortunately, everything was sealed off. Even if Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi tried her utmost to bypass the seal, there was no way the middle-aged man would provoke a backlash here. Naturally, that meant she couldn’t even aim for mutual injuries!

The middle-aged Daoist raised his hand and pointed at Su Yi. “Seal!”

Boom!

Countless talismans surged through the sky in a dense wave. Mysterious, clear light spread, falling from the heavens, rising from the earth, and swooping toward Su Yi from all sides—like a giant, fine net closing in around him, trapping him inside!

There was no need to even question it. When the net closed fully, Su Yi would be sealed in place, as helpless as a fish on the chopping block.

In this moment of crisis, Su Yi’s heart remained as cold and clear as ice. His expression was as unrippling as the waters of an ancient well.

The Book of Destiny floated above his palm.

Whoosh~

Yellowed illusions floated out of the book, dreamlike and ethereal.

Su Yi’s Natal Heart Lamp lit up with a boom as he opened the Ceaseless Abyss of Destiny on the second page. An immeasurably enormous abyss appeared out of nowhere, manifesting all around Su Yi. It appeared just in time to block the encroaching talisman markings.

A low, muffled boom rang out as these starkly different powers collided. The abyss shook violently, devouring a portion of the talisman markings. No matter what, the abyss had at least blocked and resolved the imminent danger.

“Eh?” The middle-aged man exclaimed, then tightened his grip on the Daoist seal and pressed down.

Boom!

Countless talisman markings shot forth, like wasps swarming out of their nest or waters bursting through a dam. All of them hurtled toward Su Yi.

The illusory abyss took the brunt of the impact yet again, tearing open startling rifts.

Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi and the two River Ancestors’ hearts clenched. Inwardly, they cried out, This is bad!

But there was nothing they could do. The middle-aged Daoist was just too strong. They had to face the talisman markings’ power, too, and their injuries were piling up. They were struggling even to defend themselves; they naturally had no strength left to defend anyone else.

Just as the massive abyss was about to fall apart, a massive hand shot out of its depths, then closed its fingers.

Boom!

Striking, bright red destructive power swept outward, blocking the torrent of talisman markings.

The middle-aged man’s gaze focused. He then watched as the hand extended further from the abyss, followed by an arm...

Someone was clearly trying to climb out of the abyss!

The middle-aged man frowned, then attacked ruthlessly, not hesitating in the slightest. He flicked his finger, and the black Daoist seal rose into the air, bringing with it monstrous clear radiance. It was like a waterfall or a radiant downpour bearing down on Su Yi.

This strike was far more powerful than the ones before it. The middle-aged Daoist obviously had no intention of letting that figure escape the abyss.

A cold snort emanated from the depths. The abyss split shortly afterward.

But as it collapsed, countless currents of blindingly bright, blood-red destructive power, enough to sting the eyes, burst forth like the eruption of a long-dormant volcano, sweeping away the talisman markings near Su Yi.

That red destructive power even managed to block the descending black seal!

The entire area shook as if about to collapse.

The talisman markings blanketing the area on all sides were like a formless cage, but now, the cage had been damaged. Countless markings collapsed, broke, and dissipated.

The middle-aged Daoist’s expression darkened. He seemed to have finally realized something.

A voice rang out. “Chosen, please forgive Mo So-and-so for arriving late.”

A figure appeared along with the voice: a man in blood-stained, plain cloth robes. His long gray hair hung loose, stretching down to his waist. His face was gaunt and pallid.

When he stood there, a waterfall of blood-red power of the Laws poured down around him. Its force and momentum alone were enough to shake the entire area, making the sky quiver on all sides.

For all their breadth of experience, Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi and the two River Ancestors were stunned. Things had been far, far too dangerous earlier. Had the mysterious “Mo So-and-so” not shown up, the consequences would have been unimaginable!

Unlike them, Su Yi just stood there calmly from beginning to end, never so much as shifting positions.

Su Yi shook his head. “I wouldn’t say you arrived late. My cultivation is too low; I barely managed to condense a tunnel from the Ceaseless Abyss of Destiny. That’s why it was so difficult for you to get here.”

This new arrival was none other than Mo Hanyi, the first Sovereign Preceptor[1] of the Negative Karma Destiny Demons. He’d once fought his way onto the River of Destiny, then reached the Far Shore, where he’d clashed with Xiao Jian. He was an unparalleled figure!

Su Yi had long since anticipated that Heavenly Sovereign E’s mysterious collaborator was from the Far Shore of Destiny, especially after confirming that Heavenly Sovereign E wanted the Cauldron of Fate on account of the Untethered Boat. That all but proved a connection to the Far Shore.

It was then that Su Yi started planning how he’d respond. In the end, he’d asked Mo Hanyi for help.

Previously, Su Yi and Mo Hanyi had reached an agreement. Moreover, Mo Hanyi had expressed that he’d be the first of his people to submit to Su Yi! He’d even signed a Lifeblood Contract and agreed to remain in the Ceaseless Abyss of Destiny!

It was for this reason that Su Yi wasn’t at all worried about asking Mo Hanyi for help.

As his thoughts raced, Su Yi looked at Mo Hanyi. “How about it? Can you kill him?”

Mo Hanyi whirled around to look at the middle-aged Daoist. It was just a casual movement, but the blood-red, murderous aura churned like undulating waves, creating an indescribably terrifying pressure.

1. Repost from 303 for higher-level sponsors:

Quick note about terms: I considered translating 帝师 as "imperial preceptor," waffled briefly, then changed it to "sovereign preceptor." Free readers likely never saw the waffling, but if you're a sponsor and got confused, that's what happened. My apologies. It'll be "sovereign" going forward.

"Imperial preceptor" is a pretty typical translation for 帝师, which is why I considered it, but I avoid using terms related to "emperor" for higher-level cultivators, as "emperor" is used so often for lower-level realms of cultivation and mundane emperors that things just seem clearer that way. ☜