First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1161 - Underhanded Methods

Meanwhile, in the stars beyond the Wilds.

Xue Zining’s true body trembled, then hacked up a mouthful of blood.

The other World Kings around her suffered similar backlashes. Some let out muffled grunts of agony, while others cried out.

Those World Kings who hadn’t sent their clones into battle sucked in breaths of cold air, their expressions overcast.

“Dammit!” Xue Zining’s aura exploded around her, her murderous intent soaring into the void.

Dao Clones were different from remnants of will. Destroying a clone hurt the original too.

“Isn’t this Su Yi person... a bit too strong?” Mo Changkong, the Palace Master of the Church of the River of Stars’ Celestial Palace, furrowed his brow.

He’d destroyed a calamitous grand tribulation in a single slash!

One snap of the fingers, and he proved his Dao and entered Profound Unity!

Then, he went on to kill Xue Zining and the other World Kings’ clones, a whole group of them!

He was so strong that it was downright unreasonable!

“Dammit. If not for the Laws of the Dark and Gold Star Realm getting in our way, I’d be sure to rush right in and kill him!” someone gnashed their teeth.

Were these World Kings to forcibly enter the Dark and Gold Star Realm without restricting their cultivations, they’d suffer a backlash. This approach had only disadvantages; it wouldn’t benefit them at all.

Were that not the case, how could they possibly have chosen to watch the battle from outer space?

“Don’t panic. We won’t know who’s won until the dust settles!” The Third Warden of the Nine Heavens Pavilion, Yu Baichuan, said gravely.

......

The Sea of Falling Stars was permeated with blood. Smoke filled the air.

Su Yi stood there, hands behind his back as his cultivation base rapidly stabilized.

After returning from the Azure Continent, he refined all of his Dark and Gold Treasures in one fell swoop. He’d tempered his cultivation base in Dark and Gold Essence so many times, he’d lost track.

Now, he’d borrowed the hands of a whole group of World King Dao Clones to break through amidst fierce combat. In doing so, he’d obtained startlingly huge benefits.

Especially after absorbing the vital energy within that calamitous grand tribulation. This let him temper astonishingly firm foundations in the Grand Dao immediately after entering the Profound Unity Realm.

All of the latent potential he’d accumulated within his body had been fully unleashed, feeding back into his Profound Unity Realm foundations.

Thus, although it seemed as if he’d only just broken through, in truth, his foundations had reached a simply astonishing level.

His strength far surpassed even his past self at his absolute pinnacle!

It was for this reason that he could crush the World Kings’ clones!

“His Excellency Su.... is he really invincible in this world?” Enormous waves of uproar followed, like a pot boiling over.

First, he’d cut down over a hundred Imperial Apex Realm experts. Then, he had undergone tribulation, proven his Dao, and gone on to slaughter a whole group of World King Dao Clones!

To the onlookers, the strength and abilities he had on display seemed no different from miracles. They were full of unbelievable flair.

“And here I thought His Excellency Su was about to suffer the first defeat of this lifetime. Now, it seems I underestimated him.”

“How fortunate are the Wilds to have His Excellency Su to watch over them?”

“So, these experts from outer space aren’t unbeatable after all...”

Countless people were astonished, and countless people cried out with joy and excitement.

Ancestor Peng and the others finally sighed in relief.

Because they knew that the World Kings’ true bodies couldn’t descend into the Wilds without suppressing their cultivation!

Even if they sent in their clones, they were helpless against Su Yi!

“Fellow Daoist, this is what I meant by ‘overcoming death.’ Without unyielding will and strength of spirit, no one could do as Fellow Daoist Su has done. He soared to new heights in the face of grave peril, turning back the tides!” Buddhist Master Inkstone Heart said softly.

Even the old monk of the Little Western Paradise revealed undisguisable astonishment in his expression.

“It’s true. Earlier, I was practically scared witless. I couldn’t help but want to fight to the death alongside Su Xuanjun.” The Heavensdeath Demon Empress lit up, her starry eyes sparkling.

“When attempting to overcome death, a moment’s incaution means losing everything. Only Old Monster Su has the guts and abilities to pull it off,” muttered the old glutton.

For most of the onlookers, this was unquestionably the most startling, heart-stirring battle they’d ever witnessed.

The Wilds’ most legendary expert of the Dao of the Sword had killed his way into a frenzy. He was so used to winning that he’d grown numb to it!

Even just watching from afar was utterly satisfying, and it set the onlookers’ blood racing!

“How is this possible!?” Gu Wentian shrieked from the peak of the Mountain of Ten Thousand Currents. He couldn’t accept what was happening.

The other Red Dust Demon Palace cultivators were astonished, and they sank into a daze. Even if you’d hit them over the head, they could never have imagined that the experts of the stars beyond would fail to take Su Yi down. After all, he was just one person!

The thought that Red Dust Demon Palace had already subordinated itself to these experts, and that they were fighting on their behalf, left them all on the verge of a mental breakdown.

How could the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force possibly spare them after all this?

“Don’t panic! There are still World Kings watching from the stars beyond. It’s... still too early to determine a victor!” said Gu Wentian, forcing himself to stay calm.

But it was then that someone cried out in alarm, “Su... His Excellency Su is coming our way!”

Everyone in Red Dust Demon Palace, regardless of rank, stiffened. When they looked over, they saw that Su Yi’s tall, upright figure was indeed headed right toward them.

“Quick, circulate the mountain-protecting grand formation!” Gu Wentian jumped as if his butt were on fire and bellowed in fury.

Almost simultaneously, he shattered a talisman and cried out in a quavering voice, “Your Excellencies, please, hurry up and save us!”

He was requesting aid from the World Kings watching from the stars!

“Su Xuanjun, do you have the guts to fight us here amongst the stars!?” An icy voice emanated from beyond the firmament, reverberating throughout heaven and earth.

The entire area fell deathly silent.

The onlookers’ hearts quivered.

Their excited cries of joyful exclamations came to an abrupt halt.

“Do you dare come down here to fight me?” Su Yi said plainly.

That icy voice rang out once more, rife with murderous intent. “You obviously know we cannot force our way into the Wilds, so why ask? It’s not a matter of whether we dare or not. Are you perhaps.... afraid?”

“Afraid? I’m only in the Profound Unity Realm. If you think you’re so capable, you’re more than welcome to suppress your cultivation boundaries and fight me, but... do you dare to do so?”

Su Yi’s voice was rife with disdain.

Silence greeted this question.

Su Yi, meanwhile, had already arrived at the Mountain of Ten Thousand Currents. “There’s no longer any need for Red Dust Demon Palace to remain in this world.”

Clang!

He raised the Tiny Heart of the Cosmos, and its hums swept out like the tide.

Then, he swung his sword down.

A ten-thousand-foot streak of sword qi pierced the dome of heaven, ripping through the sky and cleaving into the Mountain of Ten Thousand Currents.

Boom!!!

Red Dust Demon Palace's defensive formation had been operating at full capacity, but it crumbled like paper beneath this slash, filling the air with talisman markings.

The grand formation had been destroyed, but the ten-thousand-foot streak of sword qi continued its descent, its power undiminished.

Beneath the countless, distant onlookers’ gazes, the most famous blessed ground of the Sea of Falling Stars, the Mountain of Ten Thousand Currents, split into pieces.

As the force of the slash swept outward, most of the cultivators of Red Dust Demon Palace were too late to dodge. They were enveloped in the boundless sword qi, their bodies and souls dispersed.

One slash, and Su Yi destroyed a divine mountain!

“No——!”

Gu Wentian shrieked in terror and despair. He scampered away like mad, trying to flee into the stars beyond in hopes of obtaining the World Kings’ protection.

But he was only halfway there when Su Yi swung his sword and slaughtered him without mercy.

Just a few moments had passed, but these waters no longer had a Mountain of Ten Thousand Currents, nor did they have a Red Dust Demon Palace. All that remained of them was the blood raining down from the heavens, a beautiful but startling sight.

The crowd was astonished, and they found it difficult to breathe. One man, alone save for his sword, had destroyed a peak Demonist faction, wiping it from the face of the earth!

Su Yi’s tyrannical methods were like a silent proclamation. He was telling everyone in the Wilds what happened to those who willingly became others’ dogs!

“He deserved it!”

“When have things ever ended well for dogs like him?”

“Red Dust Demon Palace’s name shall henceforth be erased from the Wilds!”

“Satisfying!”

...Shouts arose throughout the surrounding area. L1terary-N0v3l hosted the first appearance of this chapter at N0vel.B1n.

Countless people cheered Su Yi on.

But it was then that...

Boom!

Something rumbled overhead, as if the dome of heaven were about to collapse. Even the ambient power of the Laws was startled, becoming violent and explosive.

Then, a hole visible to the naked eye ripped open, revealing the stars beyond.

As well as the terrifying World Kings standing there.

They were like gods, lofty and superior, gazing down upon the human realm!

Everyone shuddered, and their courage threatened to give out.

Many of the cultivators’ hearts shook, and they even felt the impulse to prostrate themselves before these new arrivals!

These World Kings’ majestic auras were just too terrifying. They stood there amongst the stars, gazing down on the human realm, lofty and supreme.

Ancestor Peng, the Heavensdeath Demon Empress, the old glutton, and the others were unprecedentedly solemn. Don’t tell me... the World Kings are about to cast aside all reservations and force their way in?

But Su Yi remained calm. He raised the Tiny Heart of the Cosmos and pointed it at the distant stars. “Come on then. I’m waiting here for you. No matter how many of you come, I’ll kill you all!”

This was a blatant, undisguised provocation, as well as a domineering challenge!

Xue Zining, Mo Changkong, and the other World Kings’ eyes flashed with murderous intent. Their auras were terrifying, and they were obviously enraged.

Tu Baichuan, the Third Warden of the Nine Heavens Pavilion, stepped forth and said with cold cruelty, “Su Xuanjun, we’ll give you a choice. Come to the starry skies, kneel, and accept your death, or else we’ll wash the Wilds in blood and kill until no living things remain in the Dark and Gold Star Realm!”

If Su Xuanjun didn’t accept their challenge, these World Kings would kill every last living thing! This threat wasn’t at all exaggerated.

If they wanted to, all they needed to do was send a group of Imperial Apex Emperors. That would be enough to make blood flow like rain throughout the Wilds. No one would be able to stop them!

If that happened, even if Su Xuanjun wanted to save the Wilds, he was just one person. How could he save everyone at once?

Ancestor Peng and the others’ expressions were extraordinarily unsightly.

“Despicable! You’re experts from the stars beyond, yet you’re resorting to such shameless threats? Do you have any self-respect at all!?” The Border Mountain Yao Ancestor bellowed, visibly enraged.

The others gnashed their teeth in fury too.

These World Kings were resorting to unscrupulous means to take Su Yi down. There were no depths to which they would not sink. No one had anticipated this.

Su Yi couldn’t help but frown too, and his gaze was terrifyingly icy.

They were using the lives of everyone in the Dark and Gold Star Realm to force him to accept their challenge. How despicable was that? He’d underestimated just how shameless these World Kings were!