Chapter 3148 - Black Clothes, Red Clothes

“So, you were hiding something like this, Fellow Daoist Su,” exclaimed Ruo Su.

With his prominent bones, badly battered flesh, and disheveled hair, True Progenitor Shi Yin looked like a tortured convict. However, his aura was extraordinarily powerful. He was far beyond any ordinary Heavenly Sovereign!

“So, it’s him.” Old Lord Gouchen’s brow furrowed as he thought of someone he’d assumed was long consigned to the dust of history.

In the early days of the Primordial Era, one of the three founders of Three Purities Temple took an interest in Sovereign Venerate Yi, the founder of the Primordial Divine Court. He offered to personally escort Sovereign Venerate Yi to the Far Shore of Destiny, where he could then continue his cultivation in Three Purities Temple. He even promised Sovereign Venerate Yi an opportunity to become a Dao Ancestor.

However, Sovereign Venerate Yi refused.

Back then, Sovereign Venerate Yi’s greatest enemy was True Progenitor Shi Yin of the Chaos Fiends. The top Demonist and Yao factions of the Far Shore had similarly taken a fancy to him and offered him a place in their sects.

But against all expectations, True Progenitor Shi Yin refused, too.

This incident didn’t just cause a commotion on the Far Shore of Destiny. It was a hot topic on the Mountain of the Secluded Ones, too.

It was also then that Old Lord Gouchen learned that both Sovereign Venerate Yi and True Progenitor Shi Yin had already grasped the mysteries of the Far Shore.

However, Sovereign Venerate Yi had restricted his cultivation base. He was unwilling to step onto the Path to Ancestry.

As for True Progenitor Shi Yin? He’d sworn not to advance to the Far Shore until he and Sovereign Venerate Yi had determined a victor.

Afterward, the Battle of Rulers in the Sea of Fate marked the end of their era. Sovereign Venerate Yi vanished, his whereabouts a mystery, while True Progenitor Shi Yin met with an unknown disaster in the Sea of Fate.

Both had been dazzling, unparalleled figures in the early Primordial Era. Even progenitor-level experts were paying attention to them. In the end, both of them vanished, just like that.

Who could have imagined that the long-vanished True Progenitor Shi Yin would reappear at a critical juncture of this life-or-death battle?

Much less that he’d blast a Heavenly Sovereign’s body to bits upon arrival?

Even Old Lord Gouchen couldn’t help but frown. No wonder the progenitors of Demonism and the Yao Path were interested in him. He indeed lives up to his reputation.

The Threelives Buddha and the other Heavenly Sovereigns were surprised, too. Their hearts sank at the realization of True Progenitor Shi Yin’s terrifying strength.

The old monsters who’d survived the Primordial Era weren’t particularly fearsome. At least, not to the modern Heavenly Sovereigns.

But who’d dare to underestimate Sovereign Venerate Yi, the Sovereign Among Sovereigns?

The battle raged on. True Progenitor Shi Yin’s arrival didn’t directly affect the fighting overhead. It did, however, resolve Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi’s imminent crisis and threaten the Heavenly Sovereigns from the Primordial Divine Court.

“True Progenitor Shi Yin, do you understand the consequences of your actions here? You’ve doomed yourself! The factions of the Far Shore are going to hunt you down and kill you!” Chu Shanke bellowed.

True Progenitor Shi Yin’s interference had ruined his arrangements. Of course he was furious!

“Cut the crap! To think that a traitor like you would arise among Sovereign Venerate Yi’s subordinates. Even I can’t help but feel ashamed on his behalf!” growled True Progenitor Shi Yin.

As he spoke, he controlled the Cauldron of Fate and attacked.

He really did look wretched; that was no mere disguise. After all, he’d been confined for far, far too long, and his vitality was badly damaged. His combat strength was a far cry from his former peak.

He’d managed to destroy a Heavenly Sovereign’s body in a single blow, but that was entirely because he’d caught the man off guard.

Still, there was no denying that True Progenitor Shi Yin was terrifying. Even in this poor condition, he could fight the remaining Primordial Divine Court Heavenly Sovereigns two against one. The two of them paled by comparison!

This alleviated most of the pressure on Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi, but she didn’t slow down. Instead, she locked onto the Heavenly Sovereign whose body had been destroyed.

The man’s body had split into pieces, but his soul was intact, and he could still fight back. After all, Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi was badly injured too. Even though she seized the upper hand in their clash, she wouldn’t be able to actually defeat her opponent anytime soon.

For a while, the battle raging over the ruins of Snowy Gale Mountain seemed evenly matched.

Beneath the dome of heaven, Su Yi had taken out the Book of Destiny, but it wasn’t enough to turn the situation around. He was in grave peril.

“Fellow Daoist, was True Progenitor Shi Yin the ‘opportune moment’ you spoke of?” The Threelives Buddha chuckled. “If so, well... it seems he hasn’t changed anything. On the contrary, it seems to me that you’ve only hurt him by getting him involved.”

Su Yi said calmly, “What makes you say that?”

“See for yourself.” The Threelives Buddha smiled.

Earlier, Su Yi had said the same thing to the Threelives Buddha, only for True Progenitor Shi Yin to appear and attack a moment later.

This time, when the Threelives Buddha said those same words, yet another unexpected development took place over the former Snowy Gale Mountain.

One of the cultivators fighting True Progenitor Shi Yin, the woman, suddenly charged at Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi.

True Progenitor Shi Yin was shrewd and experienced. He immediately realized what was happening and moved to intercept her.

In the end, he managed to stop her, but not before she managed to fling a black spirit pearl at Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi.

Kcch!

The black spirit pearl suddenly expanded until it was dozens of feet across, then spun like mad.

Before Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi could respond, a figure emerged from the vortex, gripped a snow-white monk’s saber, and attacked her with horrifying speed.

Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi reacted immediately and tried to dodge, only for the snow-white saber to cleave into her midsection, leaving a long, bloody gash.

She’d almost been cut in two at the waist!

This was almost exactly the same as when True Progenitor Shi Yin appeared. He, too, came out of nowhere and caught his opponent off guard.

When everyone saw the man with the snow-white saber clearly, their expressions shifted, and their eyes widened with surprise.

Because this was another Threelives Buddha!

Except that this Threelives Buddha was clad in black, and while his appearance and mannerisms were identical to the first Threelives Buddha, his aura was starkly different.

The white-robed Threelives Buddha fighting Su Yi had an ethereal, transcendent air and the solemn countenance of a temple statue, while the black-robed Threelives Buddha seemed utterly ancient, as if he bore the marks of the vicissitudes of countless years.

“There’s something off about that monk’s two bodies.” Ruo Su frowned. She could sense the starkly different powers of the Grand Dao wielded by the Threelives Buddha’s two bodies. They didn’t seem at all like they belonged to the same person.

Yet both had the power of a true Heavenly Sovereign, and both were otherwise identical. This wasn’t at all like the relationship between a clone and a true body!

It was almost like they were siblings.

Ruo Su frowned. What kind of Dao is this? I’ve seen all manner of approaches to cultivation and unbelievable legacies of the Grand Dao, but I’ve never seen anything like this before.

The Secluded Ones watching from the shadows could sense the strangeness surrounding the Threelives Buddha, too. All of them were surprised.

That included Old Lord Gouchen, who knit his brow. He naturally knew something of Buddhist legacies of the Grand Dao, but there was clearly something strange about the Threelives Buddha. He couldn’t see through him.

Heavenly Sovereign E and the others were stunned, too. They couldn’t help but take another look at the Threelives Buddha.

None of them had anticipated that the Threelives Buddha would show up with two such starkly different bodies, especially since neither seemed like a simple clone!

Su Yi’s brow furrowed. He’d cut down the Threelives Buddha’s Past Body in the Abyss of Endless Tribulations, so these two had to be his Present Body and Future Body.

It was just that Su Yi hadn’t anticipated that the Threelives Buddha would reveal another of his bodies at this juncture. That wasn’t in line with his typical meticulous, step-by-step approach.

As everyone watched in astonishment, the black-robed Threelives Buddha swung his saber at Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi.

He never paused his attacks. Every slash was like a beam of the light of the ages. Time and space flowed in reverse, and the passing days came to naught, manifesting visions of all manner of wondrous truths.

This was the greatest threat Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi had faced since the battle began. When those slashes imbued with the passage of time hit her, their strange aura silently corroded her life force and powers of the Grand Dao—even when it seemed like she’d blocked them.

Meanwhile, the white-robed Threelives Buddha and the other Heavenly Sovereigns suddenly attacked in unison, as if by prior discussion.

All of them went all out, each more ruthless and decisive than the one before!

The two Heavenly Sovereigns from the Primordial Divine Court set aside all concern for their own lives and tried their utmost to restrict True Progenitor Shi Yin’s movements.

Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan was unable to extricate himself from his battle with Chu Shanke.

Everyone was going all out!

The situation had reached peak intensity, and it would have been obvious to anyone that Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi’s situation was most critical of all.

The black-robed Threelives Buddha wanted to cut her down and kill Lu Ye, Luo Yan, and Pu Xuan. If he did, he’d destroy the Heart-Tempering Sword House’s hopes of acquiring its own Heavenly Sovereigns!

“Fellow Daoist Su, how do you plan to resolve this?” the white-robed Threelives Buddha asked with a smile.

Meanwhile, the black-robed Threelives Buddha said softly, “Silence!”

Clang!

The white monk’s saber let out a strange rumble, like the roaring of the ages. The saber’s edge flashed with unbelievable power, cleaving into Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi.

This strike was starkly different from the last. It was as if the ages themselves were trying to pull Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi under. She was instantly under terrifying suppression, unable to break free.

She was helpless to do anything but watch as the next slash hurtled toward her. Her exquisitely beautiful face paled.

Shit! Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan’s eyes bulged in their sockets.

True Progenitor Shi Yin attacked in a rage, ignoring his current opponents as he charged the black-robed Threelives Buddha.

But it was then that a graceful figure in a dress as red as flame appeared out of nowhere right in front of Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi.

The sharp edge of a sword arrived first, even faster than that graceful figure, like a bundle of light cleaving through the ages to illuminate heaven and earth in their entirety.

The black-robed Threelives Buddha’s slash dissipated with a bang, scattered into fragments of time, while he staggered back on impact.

Light filled heaven and earth, the humming of a sword sweeping forth like a wave.

The graceful figure in red, standing proud before Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi, was now the center of attention.