First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2398 – Mental Warfare

The new arrival was tall, thin, and dressed in blue. Even standing there casually, he had a transcendent air, as if he’d risen above it all.

This was none other than Su Yi!

The Butcher was stunned. What’s he doing here?

“It’s His Excellency Fuyou!” Madam Mei and the other ancient divine wraiths’ spirits soared. They felt as if they’d found their pillar of support.

“Senior Su…” Mu Bai’s eyes lit up. Waves of emotion coursed through his heart.

“Su Yi!?” The Angler’s eyes flashed. “Even a Nine-Tribulation Master God would have needed three to five days to get here from the Endless Ocean. You… sure got here quickly!”

He realized how serious the problem was. Su Yi stood before him, while the Butcher stood behind him. He was beset on both sides, unable to advance or retreat!

“Why target Mu Bai?” Su Yi asked calmly. “In the present-day God Domain, even someone as clever as the Dipankara Buddha has gone dormant. Yet despite your intelligence, you’ve made a personal appearance just to target a junior. Why? Don’t even try to tell me it’s just for the Blade of Heaven’s Loathing.”

The Angler laughed coldly. “You’ve already guessed, so what need is there to ask?”

“Do you want to use Mu Bai’s life to set a trap for me?” asked Su Yi. “But in that case, what need did you have to act in person?”

The Angler had a complicated look on his face. “I attacked in person, only for the Butcher to stand in my way. How could anyone else in my shoes have had even the barest hope of victory?”

Su Yi glanced at the Butcher standing in the distance. “You’re not the only one surprised by his intervention.”

The Butcher didn’t explain. He just said expressionlessly, “My reasons for getting involved have nothing to do with you. You’d best not hope that I’ll join forces with you to defeat the Angler.”

With that, he turned to leave.

Everyone was flabbergasted.

But the Angler inwardly sighed in relief. Only now did he dare say with certainty that the Butcher wasn’t colluding with Su Yi. Su Yi really hadn’t sent him here.

The Butcher had come entirely on Mu Bai’s account!

But in some ways, that just made the Angler feel worse. If not for the Butcher’s intervention, he’d have succeeded by now and left before Su Yi arrived!

Su Yi had nothing to say regarding the Butcher’s attitude. He’d defeated the Butcher a long time ago, when he was still Li Fuyou, destroying two of his three souls.

In doing so, he’d become the Butcher’s heart devil. The Butcher couldn’t rid himself of his heart devil without defeating him! Even the black coffin the Butcher carried on his back was intended for him.

All of this meant that he and the Butcher were destined to oppose each other. There was no room for reconciliation!

But that was precisely why Su Yi was so surprised to see the Butcher come to Mu Bai’s aid.

“Tell me what you really want,” said Su Yi, pausing to take a sip of wine. “It wasn’t easy to meet again in the God Domain. I’ve really missed you, you know.”

The Angler had a complicated look on his face. He vividly recalled the days when Su Yi was still exploring the Immortal Realm. He’d been far from achieving divinity.

Yet now, he was already a Greater God, and he’d even successfully reclaimed Sunset Perch Island. Moreover, his spectacular feats had shaken the God Domain on numerous occasions!

They said that you had to re-evaluate a man after even just three days apart, but that went double for Su Yi. His growth was so quick that the Angler found it unbelievable and difficult to accept.

Ultimately, they’d missed far too many opportunities to kill Su Yi. Su Yi’s rise now seemed unstoppable; he’d already grown strong enough to threaten even old-timers like them!!

After a moment’s silence, the Angler calmed himself and said, “How about this? Let’s make an exchange. I’ll share information with you, you take a step back, and we end this here.”

Su Yi shook his head. “There’s a time for talking, and there’s a time for fighting. This is no time for an exchange.”

The Angler’s eyelids twitched. He said coldly, “It might be rude to say this, but if I really want to leave, you cannot possibly hold me back!”

Su Yi laughed dryly. “If you could really escape unscathed, why would you try to make an exchange? Ultimately, you’re worried that we’ll intercept you as you try to flee, and that you’ll pay a grievous price for your escape, that’s all.”

The sight of Su Yi standing there with aplomb made the Angler increasingly displeased. He wasn’t afraid; rather, he regretted not having killed Su Yi earlier.

“I’ll just ask you this. Do you want to talk or not?” Su Yi looked at the Angler. He understood the Angler; he was ruthless, capricious, and the type who wouldn’t even lift a finger unless it benefited him.

Still, there was no denying that he was dangerous, crafty, and perceptive.

“Then let’s fight first and talk later!” the Angler said gravely.

Su Yi snickered. He could tell at a glance what the old-timer was planning. He just wants to further probe my abilities, and if he senses that things don’t bode well, he’ll use ‘conversation’ as means of protecting himself.

Su Yi gave him a thumbs-down. “Kneel and beg me. If your attitude is pious enough, I can agree to your terms.”

Everyone was startled. None of them had anticipated that Su Yi would be so domineering. After all, this was Old Man Providence! The founder of his sect, and a top expert by the standards of the God Domain as a whole!

Who could have imagined that Su YI would disrespect him like this?

The Angler’s expression shifted erratically, and the depths of his gaze surged with cold light. He was obviously enraged.

But against all expectations, even in the face of these insults, the Angler remained extraordinarily calm.

“I can tell that you hate me to the bone, and that you’re desperate to vent your anger on me,” the Angler said calmly. “Unfortunately, you cannot possibly keep me here either. If you could, given your personality, you wouldn’t bother saying all that crap.”

Su Yi laughed. “Reuniting with an old friend is one of life’s greatest fortunes, but isn’t crossing paths with an enemy on a narrow road fortunate in its own right? I… have just been lonely for far too long. I’d just like to chat, that’s all.”

“…” The Angler didn’t know what to say to that. Yeah, right! Who the hell would believe that?

Boom!

Suddenly, the sound of fierce combat emanated from the distance. However, the sound was brief; within moments, it came to an abrupt halt, and everything died down.

The Angler felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. His face flushed red, and his eyes went bloodshot.

In the end, he could hold back no longer. He opened his mouth and hacked up a mouthful of blood. His thin, aged face paled.

Everyone found the sight bewildering. They weren’t sure what was going on.

Only the Butcher seemed to get it. His eyes shone with a strange light.

“Impressive, Su Yi! On the surface, you wanted to talk to me, but in truth, you were just buying time to destroy my Formless Soul Body!” The Angler roared in fury, eyes bulging.

Su Yi laughed. “This way, you’ll be a bit more honest with me, right?”

As he spoke, a tall, powerfully built figure shot over from afar. His features were beautiful but unearthly, and he had a golden lotus imprint in the center of his forehead.

This was none other than Demon Ancestor Treasure Leaf!

Demon Ancestor Treasure Leaf said, “It’s just as you said, Old Devil Yi. The Angler really did arrange an escape route in advance. He had a Formless Soul Body hidden not far away.

“But I’ve already destroyed it.”

Only then did everyone realize what had just happened.

It turned out that from the moment the Angler showed up, he’d had a backup plan. He’d hidden a Formless Soul Body nearby on the off chance something unexpected happened. In a pinch, it would be able to coordinate with him.

But… Su Yi had unquestionably anticipated this. He’d arranged for Demon Ancestor Treasure Leaf to attack and defeat the Angler’s Formless Soul Body before the Angler had even realized that he was there!

Everyone couldn’t help but be amazed.

Only someone who knew the Angler well could read him as well as Su Yi had. He’d destroyed the Angler’s backup plan before it even came into play!

“To the best of my knowledge, Formless Soul Bodies are refined from the shed skin of Divine Cloak Serpents. They’re much like sacrificial talismans in that they die in your stead. They’re like an invisible pillar of support; if something happened, you’d lose the soul body but keep your true body,” said Su Yi.

When he saw how upset and angry the Angler was, he laughed. “Earlier, you were fearless because you figured you’d be fine; even if I killed the you standing before me, the Formless Soul Body could die in your stead. But now…

“You’ve lost your Formless Soul Body. Do you have anything else left? If you do, go ahead and reveal it. Let’s see if I can handle it or not,” said Su Yi, gazing at the Angler with mockery.

He’d never underestimated this opponent.

The most troublesome part about fighting the Angler was that he had all manner of unknown cards up his sleeves. He was seemingly endlessly adaptable, with countless methods at his disposal.

When it came to protecting his own life, the Angler’s skill was unmatched. Among Su Yi’s enemies, he was second only to the Dipankara Buddha in terms of craftiness!

If he really wanted to defeat an opponent like the Angler, he absolutely couldn’t be reckless. He had to take things slowly and steadily.

“If you want to see my abilities, why not attack and try them for yourself?” the Angler took a deep breath, his expression calm once more. He slowly wiped the blood from his lips, then continued, “Ultimately, you cannot see through my hidden cards, and you’re worried that if you attack recklessly, you won’t be able to capture me before I escape.

“Others might not be able to see through you, but how could I possibly mistake your intentions?”

Su Yi didn’t deny it. He could guess a portion of the Angler’s thoughts and hidden cards, just like the Angler could, at least to an extent, guess what he was thinking and planning.

They were old enemies who’d clashed for countless years. How could they not have understood each other?

It was just as the Angler had said. Su Yi wasn’t confident that he could kill the Angler here. Even if he wanted to, killing someone as ancient and powerful as the Angler wasn’t easy!

Unless, of course, he had means of absolutely suppressing him. Barring that, he had almost no hope of keeping him here.

Back then, after Lu Qingmei turned on Yi Daoxuan, she left him with heavy injuries. Nonetheless, he’d fled from his opponents in a pursuit that had lasted for thousands of years!

The reasoning was much the same.

“Even at the peak of your past life, you wouldn’t have been confident you could destroy me, let alone now,” the Angler said calmly. “If you want to chat, or hear why I really targeted that kid, you’d best be a bit politer. Quit pushing me like this. In your current lifetime… you have no right to act like this!”

His voice was tinged with disdain.

He’d brought up the strength of Su Yi’s past lives simply to point out the enormity of the disparity between Su Yi and his past selves. This was a way of putting him in his place.

Su Yi naturally understood that.

He laughed. “Even if I can’t kill you this time, I plan to leave you frantic with anger and in such anguish that you’ll long for death.”

“Very well!” laughed the Angler. “I’ll just stand here. Go ahead and attack! See if I’ll really wind up in such anguish that I long for death!”

In the face of this provocation, Demon Ancestor Treasure Leaf and Zang Wushu struggled to resist the impulse to pummel the old man.

But Su Yi just said airily, “Don’t be in such a hurry. Wait patiently.”

The Angler’s brow furrowed, and he suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.