First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2441 – I’ll Decide For You

Luo Yao’s brow furrowed, and she said in astonishment, “Daoist Brother, what’s the meaning of this?”

The others looked at Su Yi, then back at Luo Yao. All of them were bewildered. Don’t tell me he thinks that Luo Yao’s a traitor?

The atmosphere silently grew stifled and strange.

Su Yi took out a jug of wine. He planned to have a sip, but then, he just sighed and put the jug away. “A’Yao, if you hadn’t tried to attack Wen Qingfeng, I would have kept playing dumb, at least until we left the Boundless Battlefield.”

Melancholy arose in Su Yi’s expression. “But in the end, you just couldn’t keep your cool, and when I left to get revenge against the Outsider Celestial Demons, you… revealed yourself…”

Luo Yao was shocked and furious. “Daoist Brother, just what are you trying to say? I’m targeting Wen Qingfeng because he leaked information and betrayed us!”

She took out the jade slip. “There’s proof in here! Have a look and see!”

The others nodded. There was no faking the scenes in that jade slip. They were clear proof that Wen Qingfeng was a traitor!

“That isn’t me!” said Wen Qingfeng, his whole body shaking with fury. He gnashed his teeth. “I swear on my life!”

Su Yi waved, indicating that he should calm down.

“Is information recorded in a jade slip always true?” Su Yi looked at Luo Yao with grief. “And is the you standing before me really you?”

Luo Yao’s beautiful face paled, and she said in a quavering voice, “Daoist Brother, you… you really think I’m a traitor!?”

She gnashed her teeth, straightened her spine, and gestured to herself. “In that case, just kill me! I promise not to fight back.”

She spoke slowly and clearly, every word full of the utmost determination.

Everyone was startled. Even Wen Qingfeng was a bit baffled. Luo Yao’s every move and gesture seemed perfectly in character. It was obvious that she felt frustrated and stifled; even her eyes misted with tears.

“Brother Fuyou, it seems to me that we’d best clear our heads and think this over carefully. Let’s not do anything hasty,” said Wen Qingfeng. “There’s got to be something we don’t understand behind all this. If we act recklessly, we might well make a terrible mistake, one we can never take back!”

The others nodded along. The situation was just too strange. Luo Yao accused Wen Qingfeng of treason, and she had convincing proof, yet now, Su Yi suspected her identity!

The Tribulation of the Five Witherings still ran rampant, destroying the entire area. Only the area around the city gates remained intact.

However, no one paid that any heed. All of their attention was focused on Su Yi. They were waiting for his answer.

After a lengthy silence, Su Yi said, “Very well. Let’s wait a little while, then investigate further.”

Luo Yao pursed her lips, but in the end, she couldn’t hold back tears. They poured down her beautiful face. There was no hiding her disappointment and grief.

Wen Qingfeng looked on, dazed, despondent, and indescribably bewildered. Just… what is happening here?

The others had complicated looks on their faces, too. Some felt dejected, others felt displeased, but all of them could say with certainty that there was more to this situation than met the eye!

Either Wen Qingfeng or Luo Yao was suspicious, but… even now, no one dared believe it.

Nor were they willing to accept it!

They’d fought side by side for countless years, overcoming all manner of perils together. They’d drank and made merry together on countless occasions. Who’d want to believe their brother or sister-in-arms was a traitor?

Seeing Su Yi send Old Mo and the other former captives into the cycle of reincarnation had been painful enough.

Now, they had an obvious advantage in their war against the Outsider Celestial Demons. The three Demon Progenitors were dead, making this the perfect time to get revenge.

Who could have imagined that hidden dangers would appear in their own camp at this juncture?

“Come on, let’s get out of here first,” said Su Yi. He used the power of the Epoch Spark to lead them safely out of the area affected by the Tribulation of the Five Witherings.

Behind him, the city gate, the last remaining intact structure, soon fell beneath the tribulation’s power, too.

Dao-Seeking City, a place full of Su Yi and his old-friends’ memories, had now been completely eradicated.

It shattered like a dream.

Except that when they awakened from this dream, everyone found their friends missing or suspect, with dangers lurking on all sides. Loneliness was all that remained.

Along the way, Su Yi remained silent. The others were much the same. Everyone had a heavy heart.

The group shifted through the sky, crossing countless mountains and rivers. It seemed no one knew what to do next.

They just wandered aimlessly.

Suddenly, someone said bitterly, “Is what we’re experiencing now… the countermeasure Old Man Heart Demon put in place before he died?”

Everyone’s heart shook, and their expressions shifted erratically. Chills coursed down their spines.

Luo Yao suddenly stopped in place and said, “Daoist Brother, if there’s really something wrong with me, kill me now!”

Her pallid face was utterly solemn. “I don’t want to become a hidden danger to you all!”

Everyone else stopped in place, their hearts heavy.

Wen Qingfeng gnashed his teeth, his eyes bloodshot as he said slowly and clearly, “That goes for me too!”

Su Yi looked at them, then at the others. In the end, he just said, “I jumped to conclusions. Please give me some time alone.”

Everyone was stunned, but before they could react, Su Yi flew back down to earth, sat in a valley, and leaned against a boulder, staring aimlessly into space.

The Boundless Battlefield had neither day nor night. The sky was perpetually overcast, a perfect reflection of Su Yi’s current mental state.

He sat alone, drinking from a jug of wine, but he was in no mood to enjoy its flavor. He was starting to understand what countermeasures Old Man Heart Demon had left behind, and he finally understood what Old Man Heart Demon’s last words had meant.

Had Su Yi won?

He hadn’t!

Old Man Heart Demon, Huang Qi, and Huan Yan were dead, but… their final blow was the heaviest and most painful of all!

To the point that he was struggling to make a decision. His heart was tied up in knots!

Everyone thought his sword heart was as firm as iron, unafraid of threats. They thought him unimpeded, the type to straightforwardly respond to both kindnesses and enmities.

But… How could his heart truly be as hard as a boulder when a problem arose with an old friend?

Luo Yao silently approached, then stood beside him.

“Daoist Brother,” Luo Yao said in a daze, “I don’t know what’s gone wrong with me either, or why you think I’m a traitor, but if you’re so certain, I’m sure you have your reasons. In that case…”

She looked at him. “I’ll choose to trust your judgment. You needn’t hesitate, nor should you agonize over this decision.”

Su Yi’s heart shook. He said solemnly, “A’Yao, don’t jump to conclusions. I said that I’d bring you all out of the Boundless Battlefield, so I’ll do it no matter what!”

His voice was utterly determined.

Luo Yao’s gaze was instantly gentle. “I understand your character, and I know that if there was even the slightest chance of saving me, you wouldn’t be acting this indecisive.”

She took a deep breath, then said slowly and clearly, “Daoist Brother, if you can’t decide, then… I’ll decide for you.”

Su Yi looked stricken. He shot to his feet and said, “Whatever you do, don’t——!”

As he spoke, he tried to intervene.

But he was already one step too late. Luo Yao had been prepared to end herself from the moment she approached him.

Before her voice had even finished echoing through the air, her delicate figure caught ablaze. She’d set her vital source energy and cultivation base on fire, and the resulting power was incomparably shocking.

Su Yi tried to stop her, only to be sent flying.

Startled cries arose in the distance. Wen Qingfeng and the others rushed over, and when they saw the divine flames enveloping Luo Yao, they looked stricken. All of them tried to stop the fire from spreading.

But their efforts were in vain. When a peak Nine-Tribulation Master Goddess like Luo Yao was determined to burn her life force and cultivation base, who could possibly stop her?

What someone was determined to end themselves, who could truly stop them?

“A’Yao——!” Su Yi’s eyes reddened. He felt as if his heart had been slashed into countless pieces, and he charged like mad, trying desperately to stop the flames and save her.

But it was useless. All he did was hurt himself in the attempt. Soon, his clothes were covered in blood, and his long hair was disheveled.

“Daoist Brother, I understand you, but don’t you understand me, too?”

Fire filled the heavens and scorched the earth. Luo Yao stood amidst it all, her figure rapidly vanishing.

She gazed intently at Su Yi, her gaze tender. “This situation is unsolvable. If you cannot possibly bring yourself to kill me with your own two hands… I’ll just have to do it for you.”

Su Yi was overcome with agony and grief. Countless memories floated to the forefront of his mind.

He recalled how Yu Xinyao had died for him outside Qingwu Divine Court. She’d been just as determined, and she gave Yi Daoxuan no chance to stop her.

He recalled how, just half a month ago, he’d personally sent a group of his old friends into the cycle of reincarnation. That agony, frustration, and torment resurfaced, sweeping through his heart like a hurricane.

And now… Luo Yao had decisively chosen to end her own life. She was perfectly calm, as if she were doing something ordinary, even trivial.

But this choice brought Su Yi heart-rending agony.

“Daoist Brother Fuyou, my Fellow Daoists.” As the fires raged, illuminating the entire area, Luo Yao’s figure grew indistinct and ethereal. She clasped her fists and said, “I’ll be leaving first. Farewell!”

There was no reluctance, and no grief at her departure. There was just utter calm and equanimity.

Like a traveler about to set off on a long journey.

“A’Yao——!” Su Yi suddenly stood upright, his long hair disheveled and his eyes practically burning with endless divine flames. He said slowly and clearly, “Even if it costs me my life, I’ll bring you back one day! I swear it!”

His voice was like the hum of a sword, it resounded throughout the nine heavens and the ten earths.

Boom!

Within his sea of consciousness, the Sword of the Nine Heavens clanged, as if sensing and resonating with Su Yi’s rage, grief, and determination.

The rusted sword sheath silently appeared, cleaving through the endless sea of flames, but it was ultimately too late.

Luo Yao’s indistinct figure withered, then vanished completely.

Like dust returning to dust.

All that remained were the rampaging divine flames illuminating everyone’s grief-stricken faces.