Novel Full Chapter 2423 - When Your Enemies See Through Your Hidden Cards
Chapter 2423 – When Your Enemies See Through Your Hidden Cards
The shore of a blood-red lake, within a black palace.
The amiable, tranquil-looking Old Man Heart Devil sat peacefully atop his skeletal throne.
“I’ve pondered how we’ll defeat Su Yi for a long time. In the end, I grasped three things,” he said calmly. “First, our enmity with him is utterly irreconcilable. Neither of us will rest until the other party is dead, so this can only end with death. There’s absolutely no room left for negotiation. No matter how many concessions we make or how generous our terms, we cannot possibly make peace with Su Yi.”
Progenitors Huang Qi and Huan Yan didn’t argue. They just listened attentively.
They’d been irreconcilable enemies with Li Fuyou, too. The grudge between them was like an ocean of blood, and everyone knew it.
“Second, this is our one and only chance prior to the Dark Days of Legend. Since we cannot work with him, we must end things with Su Yi once and for all, even if it means risking everything,” Old Man Heart Demon said slowly. “Thus, long before this trap began, I made ample preparations, as well… as plans for the worst!”
When Progenitor Huang Qi heard that, his eyelids twitched. “You planned for the worst? What do you mean?”
“The destruction of our entire race,” Old Man Heart Demon said softly.
It was just a few words, but Progenitors Huang Qi and Huan Yan’s hearts shook.
“Of course, that’s just a worst-case scenario,” Old Man Heart Demon said serenely. “You must always plan for the worst while striving for the best.
“I’m about ninety percent confident that this plan to defeat Su Yi will succeed, and that even if something unexpected happens… we’ll be able to respond to it.”
“What’s the third thing you realized?” asked Progenitor Huan Yan.
“How do you destroy Su Yi’s Dao Heart!” said Old Man Heart Demon. “He has never feared threats, but that doesn’t mean he can remain truly dispassionate when the lives of those he cares about hang in the balance.
“Thus, at a crucial juncture of today’s battle, we’ll execute the remaining hostages.”
Old Man Heart Demon’s gaze was cold. “Over the past eight years, we’ve taken many of Dao-Seeking City’s defenders alive. This wasn’t so that we could negotiate with Su Yi, nor do I intend to use them as leverage.
“Rather, I want to destroy his Dao Heart and throw his mind and will into chaos. If I can create even the barest hint of a crack on his Dao Heart, he’ll… lose beyond a doubt!”
Progenitor Huan Yan looked enlightened. “So, that’s it.”
Progenitor Huang Qi couldn’t help but take another look at Old Man Heart Demon. “Do you have other methods in place to defeat Su Yi?”
Old Man Heart Demon smiled. “Earlier, the Dipankara Buddha sent me a message. He listed Su Yi’s accomplishments since his return to the God Domain in full detail, and told me that the variables arising around Su Yi aren’t entirely inexplicable.
“And indeed, looking at Su Yi’s accomplishments over the years, I uncovered several of Su Yi’s hidden cards and secrets.”
This instantly piqued the other progenitors’ curiosity.
“He has four hidden cards. The first is a mysterious rusted sword sheath. According to the Dipankara Buddha, it’s a taboo treasure of unfathomable power.
“Second, he has the power of reincarnation and the Epoch Spark.
“Third, he has the connections of all his past lives.
“And fourth, he has the capacity to undergo tribulation and break through mid-battle.”
Progenitor Huan Yan didn’t even pause to think. “Given his current cultivation, he cannot possibly display the true strength of reincarnation or the Epoch Spark, nor can he threaten us.
“He came to the Boundless Battlefield all by himself, so we can disregard his connections; he’ll have no reinforcements here.
“As for undergoing tribulation in the face of life and death and breaking through… Heh, if it happened suddenly, we really wouldn’t be able to prevent it. But since we’re already onto him, a few arrangements are enough to destroy his hopes of a breakthrough!”
Progenitor Huan Yan looked at Old Man Heart Demon. “It’s just the first hidden card that’s really a bit strange.”
Old Man Heart Demon inclined his head. “Your analysis is quite apt, but there’s one thing you overlooked. Su Yi might be limited by his cultivation base and unable to display the full power of reincarnation, but the Epoch Spark is different!”
“How is it different?” asked Progenitor Huan Yan.
Old Man Heart Demon’s eyes shone with nigh imperceptible fire. “The Epoch Spark is the seed of a new epoch civilization. It’s far more wondrous than we can imagine!
“Never mind the rest. Here in the Boundless Battlefield, you can use the Epoch Spark to stave off the Tribulation of the Five Witherings!”
Progenitor Huan Yan couldn’t help but exclaim, “It can contend with the Tribulation of the Five Witherings? Doesn’t that mean that if we acquire it, we’ll be safe even if we don’t leave the Boundless Battlefield?”
The Outsider Celestial Demons were looking for a way out to avoid being destroyed by the Tribulation of the Five Witherings. If they could counter it instead, they naturally wouldn’t need to evacuate!
“Exactly,” said Old Man Heart Demon. “That’s why I chose Dao-Seeking City as our battlefield. That will restrict Su Yi, and prevent him from fleeing or going into hiding.
“Otherwise, the Boundless Battlefield is enormous, and with the help of the Epoch Spark, he’ll be all but undefeatable. Defeating him then would be far too difficult.”
Demon Progenitor Huan Yan nodded. It wouldn’t just be difficult; it would be like trying to fish a needle out of the ocean.
The Boundless Battlefield was beset by the Tribulation of the Five Witherings, but that was no threat to Su Yi. If he focused on staying hidden, who could possibly find him?
“Ultimately, there are two ways that things are most likely to go wrong when we fight Su Yi,” said Old Man Heart Demon. “The first is him successfully managing a breakthrough in the face of absolute peril and becoming an Undying Realm Master God. If that happens, he’ll become an incomparably serious threat.
“But… we don’t need to worry about that now. When the mists part and all becomes clear, you’ll naturally understand.
“The second is that rusted sword sheath.” Old Man Heart Demon furrowed his brow. “That treasure is the most mysterious of all, and the hardest to understand. It’s mighty enough to threaten even those who’d touched the threshold of the River of Destiny!”
Progenitor Huang Qi’s gaze focused. “Do you have any means of countering it?”
“I do,” said Old Man Heart Demon. “When the time comes, one of the Dipankara Buddha’s hidden cards will appear and help us counter it.”
He paused, then looked at the other two progenitors. “Of course, I’ve prepared other countermeasures too, but I won’t use them lightly, not unless the Outsider Celestial Demon Race is at risk of being wiped out completely.”
Huan Yan and Huang Qi looked at each other; they could roughly guess what he was getting at. Both of them nodded.
“Next, let’s just wait for news. If all is going as I suspect, they’ll be determining victory and defeat right about now,” murmured Old Man Heart Demon.
……
……
As the battle raged, Su Yi heard Demon Emperor Chi Nie’s orders. His heart shook, and his pupils constricted. They’re executing the hostages to destroy my Dao Heart?
He finally understood his enemies true plans!
This was outside of his expectations, too. All of the threats and negotiations prior to this were fake.
The Outsider Celestial Demons had taken those hostages for the express purpose of killing them in front of him. They wanted to destroy his Dao Heart while he was beset by grave peril!
There was an undeniably ruthless move. They’d completely crossed Su Yi’s bottom line!”
“Hahaha! Do you feel like you’ve been tricked? Or deceived?” Demon Emperor Lie Yun threw back his head and laughed.
His momentum was ferocious, terrifying, and imposing, and he fought with all his might, ruthlessly suppressing Su Yi’s counterattacks. Su Yi’s situation was increasingly precarious.
Off in the distance, a Deathless Body Demon in blood-red robes took to the air, arriving before one of the suspended captives.
When his blade landed…
Splurt!
A captive died on the spot.
The captive was a thin, scholarly middle-aged man, and he was completely unconscious. Even when he died, he didn’t react, let alone resist.
His death was like a knife in Su Yi’s heart. His gaze was instantly cold and terrifying, and fury built in his heart.
The middle-aged scholar was called Tie Zhanglin. He was warm, friendly, modest, with upright conduct. Long ago, he and Li Fuyou had fought side by side.
When drunk, he often wrapped his arms around Li Fuyou’s shoulders and said, “Brother Fuyou, getting to know you has been the greatest joy of my life.”
He also said, “Brother Fuyou, I want to fight by your side for the rest of my life. I’ll be happy so long as you don’t disdain me.”
These memories flashed through Su Yi’s mind, echoing through his heart. Heart-rending agony and grief erupted within him, coursing through Su YI’s chest.
But it wasn’t over yet. The demon in blood-red robes chopped Tie Zhanglin’s body into countless pieces and gave them to the other Deathless Body Demons for sustenance!
They were devouring the life force, blood, and qi within his flesh as if it were the most scrumptious of delicacies!
Meanwhile, Thousand Transformation Soul Demons swooped in like vultures to devour the shattered remnants of Tie Zhanglin’s soul. All of them feasted with relish!
Su Yi saw it all, and a hint of blood-red light flashed through the depths of his calm gaze.
Over in Dao-Seeking City, Luo Yao and the others were shocked, angry, and grief-stricken too.
“Brother Fuyou, whatever you do, don’t fall for their schemes! Protect your Dao Heart!” someone frantically cried out a warning.
Over in the Outsider Celestial Demons’ camp, both the surviving Demon Emperors and the ordinary soldiers smiled, laughed, and cheered the slaughter on. Waves of commotion rose and fell in waves.
Demon Emperor Chi Nie’s gaze was locked onto Su Yi. When he saw the irrepressible murderous intent on Su Yi’s face, as well as the flames of hatred building in the depths of his gaze, he couldn’t help but laugh and sigh to himself.
Indeed, it’s just as His Excellency Ling Mi said. Su Yi might not be afraid of threats, but that doesn’t mean he’ll remain unmoved when he sees the hostages die before his very eyes!
This will be enough to deal a heavy blow to his Dao Heart!
When it comes to battles of the heart, none are superior to His Excellency Ling Mi. If no external power can shake Su Yi’s Dao Heart, we’ll just have to target those close to him. It’s only by forcing him to watch helplessly as we kill the hostages that we can give him a heavy blow!
Demon Emperor Lie Yun had Su Yi thoroughly suppressed. There was naturally nothing Su Yi could do but watch as his old brothers-in-arms were slaughtered like livestock!
As he pondered, Demon Emperor Chi Nie’s cold voice boomed throughout the area once more.
“Continue! Don’t stop until you’ve killed them all!”