First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2241 – That’s All?

The palace lantern hovered in the air, swathed in flowing, colorful lights. A beautiful figure floated inside it.

But her words were utterly murderous. It seemed she wanted to start fighting immediately!

The onlookers found this startling, especially since even now, no one knew who the mysterious woman in the palace lantern was.

“Don’t be in such a rush. Ol’ Dipankara hasn’t come out yet. How could you possibly get revenge on him?” Su Yi said calmly.

“That’s true. That baldy joined forces with several others to plot against me, ambushing me as I sought the River of Destiny. They’re the ones who destroyed my body and shattered my soul, leaving but a remnant of it clinging to life within this palace lantern.” As she spoke, her voice filled with resentment and hatred. “If he doesn’t come out, fighting other people would indeed be dull.”

The crowd was instantly in uproar. They were only just now realizing that the woman in the lantern was enemies with the Dipankara Buddha of the Western Paradise Spirit Mountains!

“You really are still alive, Divine Priestess Celestial Rains.”

A moment later, a voice like a Buddhist chant rang out.

Buddhist light expanded throughout the dome of heaven, reflecting a gaunt monk.

He was gaunt, and he held a bronze lantern alight. Even just casually standing there, he emanated a boundlessly vast, holy vision of a Buddhist pure land.

The Dipankara Buddha!

This terrifying existence, like the ruler of the Western Paradise Spirit Mountains, had now revealed himself.

This development left everyone startled.

Of all the Master Gods present, the Dipankara Buddha was the most ancient, and he’d been an ancestor-level figure for the longest time. His cultivation was the deepest and most unfathomable, too.

By comparison, Yun He, Tian Huang, Severed Heavens, and the other old-fogies of the same cultivation were all a notch inferior.

“Even the Dipankara Buddha’s come out!” Qi Wei’s heart shook, and her beautiful face shifted.

Earlier, she’d thought that since this was just an attack on the ancient Xi Family, there might be Master Gods involved, but there wouldn’t be too many of them, and it wouldn’t create too much of a disturbance.

Now, she realized that she’d severely underestimated how terrifying this chess match really was. The number of Master Gods involved, their terrifying cultivations, and their lofty positions all far eclipsed her predictions.

At the very least, she hadn’t anticipated that old fogies like Master God Yun He, Master God Tian Huang, and the Severed Heavens Demon Master would show up.

She certainly hadn’t anticipated that the Dipankara Buddha, a leading expert mighty enough to influence the direction of the entire God Domain, would come in person!

All of this combined meant that some of the cards and forces she’d arranged suddenly seemed rather inadequate.

If I’d known, I would have invited the ancestor here, Qi Wei sighed to herself.

When she recalled how confident she’d been, and how she’d insisted that the Qilin Trading Company would hold nothing back, she couldn’t help but feel ashamed. I… was really overconfident!

“Divine Priestess Celestial Rains… So, it’s her!” Li Sanjiu, meanwhile, seemed to have recalled something, and he couldn’t help but gasp.

Back when Li Fuyou was still active in the God Domain, there existed an ancient orthodoxy known as Celestial Rains Palace.

In this ancient orthodoxy, “divine priest” or “divine priestess” was a rank and title only Master Gods could take on.

Divine Priestess Celestial Rains was the founder of that ancient orthodoxy, a legend whose terrifying cultivation dominated even others of the same level!

But there’d been rumors that she’d forcefully tried to glean insight into the mysteries of the River of Destiny, losing her life in the process.

Who could have imagined that this legendary expert was actually still alive? Much less that it was the Dipankara Buddha and his allies who’d plotted against her back then?

This was a simply shocking development. If word got out, they’d have to rewrite the ancient histories!

“So that’s her!”

“The founder of Celestial Rains Palace!”

…Many of the other Master Gods simultaneously realized the same thing. All of them were startled.

They couldn’t even imagine where Su Yi had found a legend like Divine Priestess Celestial Rains.

The woman’s resentful voice emanated from the lantern. “Had I died, how could I have avenged the thirty-seven thousand, thirty-three sectmates you killed?”

Boom!

The palace lantern suddenly took to the skies, flowing with blue flames. Immediately afterward, a slender, graceful figure manifested in thin air.

She wore a blue feather coat and a crown of stars. She seemed incomparably holy and transcendent, but her figure was indistinct, and her features were ethereal. No one could see her clearly.

But her aura was so terrifying that she put pressure on even the Nine-Tribulation Master Gods.

This was the imposing presence of an ancient legend!

“All that remains of you is a wisp of soul. How could you possibly contend with this lofty one?”

The Dipankara Buddha shook his head. “You shouldn’t have gotten involved. Working with that heretic Su Yi will only ensure that the last remnant of your soul is destroyed today!”

Boom!

Divine Priestess Celestial Rains attacked directly, not wasting any time on talk. Her fair hand beckoned, and light flowed out of the lantern, filling the skies with divine flames that launched at the Dipankara Buddha.

“You’ve brought this on yourself.” The Dipankara Buddha sighed, then vanished into thin air. A moment later, he reappeared beneath the dome of heaven.

Practically simultaneously, Divine Priestess Celestial Rains charged into the firmament.

“Everyone, I’ll hold Divine Priestess Celestial Rains back. You take care of the heretic!”

Even as the Dipankara Buddha’s voice boomed through the sky, he was already locked in fierce combat with Divine Priestess Celestial Rains.

The sky was full of torrential power and dazzling, resplendent divine flames. Everything was thrown into upheaval.

The onlookers felt a piercing pain in their eyes. They couldn’t see any details of their battle.

Because this was a clash between terrifying top experts. Their powers and divine abilities were beyond the comprehension of the vast majority of cultivators!

However, everyone knew that if this battle had broken out directly in front of Skybright Mountain, it would have meant the true arrival of this long-brewing storm.

Then, the situation would be entirely out of control. Everything would descend into chaos.

Even many of the distant onlookers would die, and the experts of the Xi Family, as well as the clansmen still on the mountain, would inevitably have perished.

Critically, it seemed that neither the Master Gods nor Su Yi and his allies wanted to see such chaos transpire.

Doing so would give those eyeing the situation hungrily an opening! They were sure to seize it in a bid to snatch fish out of turbulent waters and loot a burning house!

Thus, the Dipankara Buddha and Divine Priestess Celestial Rains left Skybright Mountain and fought beneath the nine heavens. That was most advantageous to both parties.

“Those uninvolved in this dispute should hurry up and leave! Swords and sabers have no eyes. If you stay, watch out! You might get hurt, or even lose your life here!” Master God Yun He bellowed, his voice resounding throughout the ten directions.

Without exception, the distant onlookers’ hearts quivered. They realized that the situation didn’t bode well for them, and they hurriedly retreated. Few dared stay to watch the battle.

There was a time and place for enjoying a spectacle, but no one could afford to lose their lives over it.

A few of the onlookers nonetheless remained, all of them prominent experts.

However, even they moved further away. They in no way dared to draw near.

It would have been obvious to anyone that this long-brewing storm was on the verge of erupting completely!

“A’Ning, lead everyone back to Skybright Mountain,” Su Yi said calmly.

“Alright.” Xi Ning didn’t refuse. She knew that given the circumstances, if she really wanted to help Su Yi, the best thing she could do was follow his arrangements. Stubbornly insisting on staying behind would only hurt him.

Before long, Xi Ning, Xi Jingshan, and the other Xi Family higher-ups had returned to Skybright Mountain.

Su Yi glanced at Si Ming. “When the fighting breaks out, help Fellow Daoist Blood Robe defend the mountain. I guarantee that nothing will go wrong on your master’s end.”

“Alright!” Si Ming straightforwardly agreed.

But Divine Corpse Blood Robe said, “Whatever you do, don’t die. If you do, I’ll have paid far, far too great a price for nothing.”

Su Yi glanced at him. “Nothing’s going to happen to me.”

How terrifying and vicious of an existence was Divine Corpse Blood Robe? Yet when he met Su Yi’s gaze, his heart shook, and he said, “Rest assured. I’ll naturally do as you’ve told me!”

Only then did Su Yi retract his gaze.

Over on that unassuming little hillock, the old man suddenly had a complicated look on his face. “It seems he knew about our confrontation all along.”

“If he hadn’t, how could he have gone to such lengths and rallied so many to his cause? Why set up this chess game in the first place?” said the seemingly youthful Di E. “The time to reveal our true killer weapons is upon us. I can’t help but be curious. Just how many cards did he prepare? And why is he so confident that he can escape this unscathed?”

The old man laughed. “I appreciate Fellow Daoist Su’s good intentions, but I have to say: if it’s just a matter of holding you back, there’s no need for him to worry himself.”

The black-robed Di E took a sip of tea. “It’s best that this remains a mere confrontation. Should I have to take action personally… Who knows how much of the Spirit Firmament Divine Continent will be destroyed, or how many lives will be lost?

“I don’t wish to see that happen, and neither the nine heavens nor the nine abysses will permit such a disaster. The long lifeless Central Divine Continent is a vivid example of the consequences of such an act.”

The old man’s eyes narrowed, and he sighed. “It’s true. If a chaotic battle between Master Gods breaks out here today, it… will likely be a cataclysm for the Spirit Firmament Divine Continent! But…”

The old man sharply changed tacks. “If it really comes to that, there’ll no concerning ourselves with such things.”

Di E nodded.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield.

“Heretic, do you have any other cards left? Come on, broaden our horizons!” Master God Tian Huang stepped forth, seething with murderous intent. It seemed he was eager to fight.

“I just know you’d be the first to lose your cool, Tian Huang,” Su Yi said calmly. “But you’d best keep waiting. You’re not qualified to declare war at this juncture.”

“Hmph! You’re just being alarmist. I don’t believe you!” Master God Tian Huang snorted coldly, then suddenly formed a hand seal.

Boom!

Incomparably dazzling silver flames shot forth, surging around Su Yi. They blanketed heaven and earth as if to envelop him completely.

These were a manifestation of Nine-Tribulation Undying Realm power of the Laws. They were full of supreme, burning power!

As they spread outward, they effortlessly melted the air around Skybright Mountain, burning the entire area and reducing it to burnt, lifeless ground!

At that moment, a painting suddenly appeared three feet above Su Yi’s head.

When it unfurled, it was like a gaping maw suddenly opening to devour heaven and earth.

Kaboom!

The silver flames throughout the surrounding area were swept uncontrollably into that gaping maw; not even a drop remained.

Then, that gaping maw roared as if not yet satiated. “That’s all!?”