NOVGO.NET Chapter 2325 - The Second Request
Chapter 2325 – The Second Request
The dome of heaven was shrouded in darkness akin to an eternal night. A turbulent, burning flood swept outward.
The plainly dressed young woman’s imposing aura reached astonishing heights.
Without hesitation, her slender, jade-like hands raised and swung her scythe. It was like a dazzling, resplendent river of divine flame, the only light amidst the darkness.
Searing and resplendent.
It seemed to cleave through the walls and fetters of ancient time and space, intent on severing heaven, earth, and everything before their eyes before burning it to cinders.
Time seemed to stand still.
Master Cloud Refiner and the other old monsters felt chills course down their spines. Their pupils constricted. All of them were shocked.
What exactly were they seeing?
The burning flames were like a phoenix from the nine heavens beating its wings and scattering world-annihilating flames.
Even the endless expanse of sky burned and withered.
The firelight illuminated the mountains, rivers, and all facets of creation shrouded in darkness, then instantly reduced them to ash.
The young woman’s scythe was like the incarnation of the apocalypse. It was utterly bright, and utterly destructive!
The tall, stalwart young man looked dazed. He suddenly recalled something his master had once told him: “Your junior apprentice sister’s Grand Dao Divine Ability violates a taboo. She shouldn’t use it unless absolutely necessary!”
In other words, this attack represented the full extent of her strength. This was the strongest strike she could muster.
It was this strike that would determine victory and defeat in this duel!
She called it “the Silent Ashes of Eternal Darkness!”
This time, Su Yi finally sensed intense pressure bearing down on him, and he felt prickling pain all over his skin.
This was his first time feeling such terrifying pressure from an opponent of the same level of cultivation! He smiled, his robes billowing around him, then stretched out his right hand. Ethereal, mysterious sword intent appeared in his fair, slender hand.
He slashed the air, and… kcch!!
A three-foot streak of clear light shot into the firmament.
It tore through the sky, cleaving through the dark curtain of heaven. That endless burning, destructive power scattered with a bang, then fell like rain and dissipated.
To the distant onlookers, it seemed as if that three-foot streak of clear light would cleave the entire stretch of heaven and earth open. It demarcated purity and filth, breaking the confines of heaven and earth!
And when it landed…
Boom!
It seemed unshakeable and unbreakable as it cleaved through everything in its path. It split the flood of apocalyptic flames and slammed into the young woman’s scythe.
An unbelievable scene played out before their very eyes.
The entire stretch of heaven and earth suddenly collapsed. Terrifying sword qi clashed with the divine flames, sending a windstorm of the Grand Dao sweeping in all ten directions.
Wherever it passed, strange visions of destruction followed. Suns, moons, and celestial bodies withered, demonic gods roared and wept tears of blood, while mountains of corpses and oceans of blood collapsed instantaneously…
They were just visions, yet they seemed real, like a painting of the apocalypse.
Boom!!
The onlookers felt a prickling pain in their eyes, and everything went white. Not even the Nine-Tribulation Master Gods could see anything clearly.
“Who won?” someone asked as smoke, mist, and churning firelight permeated the surroundings.
“I’m not sure.”
“Don’t do anything! You’ll ruin their battle!”
As these voices rang out, the smoke and mist dispersed, and the current of destructive power receded. Everything gradually came back into view.
All lay in ruin. As far as the eye could see, everything was battered, withered, desolate, and bleak.
Only the distant Sundial City remained, seemingly eternal. It hadn’t been affected in the slightest.
Su Yi stood in the sky, drinking from a jug of wine. His blue robes fluttered in the wind. He showed no sign of injuries.
The young woman stood in the sky too, her slender frame like a blade of wild grass blowing in the wind. Her majestic aura had dissipated, but she too showed no sign of injuries.
However, her fair face was even more pallid than before, without the slightest rosiness.
She pursed her lips and stood there in a daze.
Heaven and earth were silent save for the howling of the wind.
“Dark as the void, it burns all to nothingness. This Grand Dao is truly worthy of the title ‘unparalleled!’” Su Yi sighed. “With a Dao of this level and your unique, extraordinary foundations in the Grand Dao, your potential really is enormous. If you manage to condense Undying Laws, as your cultivation grows, you might well grow strong enough to suppress all others and bring order to the world!”
His voice echoed throughout heaven and earth, and he spoke with unconcealed admiration.
The young woman finally seemed to come to her senses, but she had a complicated look on her face. “All of that is in the future. At least for now, I’m ultimately far inferior to you, Fellow Daoist Su.”
The crowd stirred. She’s admitting defeat?
“In our pursuit of the Grand Dao, we must strive for an endless flow, not a moment’s glory.” Su Yi shook his head. “We each have our own paths to walk and breakthroughs to strive for. What could be more exciting to a cultivator? Compared to that, a moment’s defeat means nothing at all.”
The young woman looked pitifully feeble once more. She lowered her head and said softly, “A loss is a loss. I don’t need to be comforted.”
Su Yi smiled. “All the better.”
“Fellow Daoist Su,” the young woman said suddenly, “Forgive my boldness, but what Grand Dao did you use in that last strike?”
Su Yi didn’t hide it from her. “It’s called Profound Ruin. It’s similar to your Grand Dao, as it can sever karma and restrict fate.”
“That wasn’t reincarnation?” the young woman asked in a daze.
Su Yi smiled but said no more. It was true; he hadn’t used reincarnation even once since the battle began.
It was only during their final clash that he drew on the power of Profound Ruin. Prior to that, he’d relied on his other Grand Daos, displaying them all through the Dao of the Sword.
“Strange. Each god can only use a single Grand Dao as their formation when they ignite their Divine Flame, condense their Godhead, and establish their Divine Seat, but… you’re obviously different, Fellow Daoist Su,” said the young woman. She was visibly confused.
The old monsters present instantly paid attention. She was right.
A god’s powers had a single Dao at their center. They might well be able to manifest other types of power, but the core of their power was still the Dao with which they’d achieved divinity.
But that obviously didn’t apply to Su Yi.
He could actually use different types of Grand Daos, and all of them originated from his foundations in the Grand Dao. They weren’t just derived from another type of power.
That was far too unbelievable!
Su Yi didn’t explain. All he said was, “This is the path I seek.”
Everyone fell silent, but none of them could calm down.
How heaven-defying was the young woman? Yet she was defeated without ever once forcing Su Yi to display his power over reincarnation.
They couldn’t even imagine how terrifying Su Yi must be when he went all out.
The tall young man walked over to comfort her. “Junior Apprentice Sister, you really needn’t lose heart. Had he used his power of Supreme Emergence, you wouldn’t have been able to fight back at all…”
It was just that his approach left everyone unsure of whether to laugh or cry. Can you even call that comforting someone?
Celestial Venerate Zhou Ye’s voice emanated from Sundial City. “Fellow Daoist Su is right. The struggle for the Grand Dao isn’t a competition for momentary glory. You must strive for a continuous flow.
“Hong Li, did you learn anything from your battle?”
The young woman, Hong Li, gripped the hems of her clothes and lowered her head. “Master, your disciple realized the disparity between herself and Fellow Daoist Su.”
“Excellent. Then you didn’t lose in vain. This loss will serve you well!” said Celestial Venerate Zhou Ye. “To you, this defeat is an opportunity to see your own path with new eyes! This is far better than losing later, during the Struggle for Order!”
The crowd was stunned. They were starting to understand. Celestial Venerate Zhou Ye, as Hong Li’s master, was borrowing Su Yi’s hands to give his disciple a taste of defeat!
This was simply unbelievable.
But upon further thought, the onlookers sensed an altogether different flavor. Simply put, Celestial Venerate Zhou Ye wanted to temper his disciple!
“I understand, Master,” said the young woman.
“Fellow Daoist Su, thank you for granting my request,” said Celestial Venerate Zhou Ye.
“It was no more effort than raising my hand,” said Su Yi, shaking his head slightly.
During this battle, he’d grasped what made the Grand Dao of Ashen Darkness so taboo.
That said, the young woman, Hong Li, had an extraordinary Threelives Dao Body. It, too, had left a deep impression on Su Yi.
He’d never even considered the possibility that such a taboo natural talent could exist in this world.
“Let’s discuss your second request,” said Su Yi.
“My second requirement will be incomparably dangerous and difficult to fulfill, but if you can overcome it, you’ll naturally be capable of mastering the Flame of Supreme Emergence,” said Celestial Venerate Zhou Ye.
“Here in Sundial City, there stands the Blazing Sundial. It’s the chaos divine treasure I once controlled. Its surface is carved into twelve sections, each corresponding to a two hour section.
“When you enter the city, the Blazing Sundial will begin its cycle, starting with Zi, the hour of the rat, then passing through the hours of the ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.
“Within each two-hour segment, Sundial City transforms into a unique and mysterious hidden realm full of manifold perils.
“Fellow Daoist, your task is to master all twelve and arrive safely at the Blazing Sundial at the heart of the city.
“There, you’ll be able to sense the Flame of Supreme Emergence. Whether you can master it or not will depend on you, however.
“If you fail to overcome this trial…. You’ll be lost to turbulent spacetime forever. It will gradually corrode your body, whittling away your lifespan until you perish.
“If that happens, not even I will be able to save you. Please, be careful.”
Su Yi nodded. “Many thanks for your guidance.”
“If there’s anything else you’d like to ask, please go right ahead,” laughed Celestial Venerate Zhou Ye.
The crowd was stunned. Celestial Venerate Zhou Ye was one of the Three Celestial Venerates of the Age of Supreme Emergence, and he was famous for his temper, yet when he spoke to Su Yi, his attitude was obviously completely different!
“I actually do have a question for you.” Su Yi pondered briefly, then said, “Why use such a method to test me?”
The crowd’s hearts stirred. All of them were curious, too.
“The Mountain Guardian wanted me to give you an opportunity,” said Celestial Venerate Zhou Ye. “At first, I didn’t agree, and I had no intention of giving you such a chance, but…
“Seeing your battle with Hong Li changed my mind. I will not intervene personally any further. Whether you can acquire the Flame of Supreme Emergence is now entirely up to you, Fellow Daoist.”
Su Yi understood. The old monsters understood, too.
It was no wonder the aloof, temperamental Celestial Venerate Zhou Ye had suddenly become so agreeable.
There were hidden reasons behind it!
Boom!
Suddenly, the gates of Sundial City swung open, and the radiant temporal power covering the entrance dissipated.
Celestial Venerate Zhou Ye’s voice boomed through the air. “Fellow Daoist Su, if you’re ready, you can enter the city now!”