Chapter 2946 - Please Attack Me, Founder

All of the onlookers were stunned, their eyes full of bewilderment. How on earth did Su Yi pull that off?

Xia Jiuqiu looked on in bewilderment. He was a sword cultivator, and he’d spent his life in battle, never holding back against his enemies. He sought to overwhelm foes with unstoppable force and kill enemies as quickly as possible.

Thus, he hadn’t held back against Su Yi, either.

He would never have guessed that Su Yi would neutralize his full-force attack so easily!

“Once I’ve taken nine steps, I’ll attack,” Su Yi said casually. “If you can’t even last that long... you won’t be worth attacking.”

The crowd stirred. All of them were overcome with astonishment, to the point that they almost suspected they were hearing things.

After all, Su Yi was up against Xia Jiuqiu!

Not even a Heavenly Monarch would have dared to get so complacent against him, let alone a Silent Realm cultivator!

Xia Jiuqiu found it absurd, too. He couldn’t help but furrow his brow. Isn’t the founder’s reincarnation a bit too arrogant? He really doesn’t see me as a worthwhile opponent, does he?

As Xia Jiuqiu’s thoughts raced, his majestic aura grew all the more terrifying. Sword intent swept forth like the tide, or like a raging windstorm, blanketing the entire area.

The clouds shattered overhead. Everything shook on all sides.

The ritual grounds were covered in defensive formations. Now, all of them activated with a boom, preventing Xia Jiuqiu’s aura from reaching the spectators.

It would have been obvious to anyone that he was furious!

Su Yi’s gaze was as calm as ever, as if he didn’t even notice. He stood there with his hands behind his back, raised his right foot, and took his second step forward.

It was also then that Xia Jiuqiu attacked.

Countless streaks of sword qi criss-crossed, filling the air. They swam about like fish, the translucent strands weaving into a spiderweb before suddenly descending upon Su Yi.

It enveloped everything on all sides. There was nowhere to run.

The Cage of One Thousand Slashes!

This divine ability of the Dao of the Sword was utterly terrifying. Anyone who touched even one of the sharp sword strands that made up its bars found themselves thoroughly trapped and sliced to ribbons.

Practically simultaneously, Su Yi’s second step landed.

Boom!

The ground shook. It was as if a thunderclap had struck flat ground.

Formless majesty of the Dao of the Sword spread from Su Yi’s tall, upright figure. The net of countless streaks of interwoven sword qi was instantly ripped to pieces, like catkins scattered to the wind.

That terrifying sword force then continued, its power undiminished, like fierce waves lapping the shore. It slammed into the distant Xia Jiuqiu with a bang.

Even though Xia Jiuqiu reacted quickly and defended himself immediately, he still staggered on his feet, his robes billowing around him. His angular face alternated between white and green.

Everyone was astonished, their eyes widening. Earlier, Su Yi broke the Surging Celestial Tides. Now, he even broke the Cage of One Thousand Slashes!? Even more terrifying than that, his movements are extraordinarily casual, as if he’s out for a leisurely stroll. He has no momentum to speak of.

Yet this seemingly unassuming step forward had clearly had an impact on Xia Jiuqiu!

Many of the onlookers’ expressions shifted. Those who’d questioned whether or not Su Yi would be a match for Xia Jiuqiu looked stunned.

Even the old-timers gasped as they realized that they’d severely underestimated their founder’s reincarnation. Those two steps seemed plain and unassuming, but they’re actually proof of deeply hidden, heaven-defying power! Xia Jiuqiu can cross realms to fight Heavenly Monarchs, but Su Yi can shake him with his aura alone. Doesn’t that imply that Su Yi can cross two realms to fight Heavenly Monarchs while still in the Silent Realm?

The realization left them shocked.

Naturally, Xia Jiuqiu realized the same thing. His gaze was solemn. His sharp eyes ignited with the will to fight!

Meanwhile, Su Yi took his third step forward.

Xia Jiuqiu cast aside his scattered thoughts, focused his heart and mind on the battle, and attacked again.

Boom!

Firelight swept across the ritual grounds, and sword qi roared.

A low, muffled impact rang out, and Xia Jiuqiu’s grand, mountainous figure took several steps backward.

In stark contrast, Su Yi’s robes billowed around him, but he didn’t have so much as a hair out of place. Mysterious, unfathomable sword intent flowed around him like an abyss, deep and unfathomable.

Xia Jiuqiu took a deep breath, then forcefully suppressed his surging blood and qi. When he next looked at Su Yi, his gaze had changed completely.

He now looked at Su Yi as an unprecedentedly powerful foe!

He bellowed, ripples of golden sword intent forming around him. The immeasurable power of all manner of Laws interwove, radiant and resplendent.

The Golden Billows Nine Severings Incantation!

This was a supreme legacy of the Heart-Tempering Sword House.

Glittering golden sword intent condensed into a sword in Xia Jiuqiu’s palm, glowing like the sun and illuminating the nine heavens.

Su Yi looked a bit dazed.

Jiang Wuchen had lived a blessed life full of fortuitous encounters. The Golden Billows Nine Severings Incantation was an ancient legacy he’d acquired during the Devastation.

Apparently, it was the work of the Great Sorrow’s master, a Heavenly Sovereign of the Devastation!

And it was Great Sorrow and that very Heavenly Sovereign who’d destroyed the Yitian Eternal Throne during that final battle.

It was thus obvious how terrifying the Golden Billows Nine Severings Incantation was.

As Su Yi pondered, he took his fourth step.

Practically simultaneously, Xia Jiuqiu attacked with all his might, his sword blazing like a golden sun. His slash looked as if it would tear the heavens asunder.

Everyone felt a prickling pain in their eyes.

That sword light was just too radiant, sharp, and forceful. Even the onlookers felt their hearts and minds quiver just looking at it.

Unfortunately, this slash couldn’t shake Su Yi either. It dispersed as soon as Su Yi’s foot hit the ground.

Xia Jiuqiu was like a little skiff in turbulent waters. He shook suddenly, then staggered backward.

Su Yi went on to take a fifth, sixth, and seventh step...

All of them were just that casual.

Or so it seemed. The pressure on Xia Jiuqiu only intensified, and the impact grew more and more severe.

By the time Su Yi took his eighth step, Xia Jiuqiu had been forced to the brink of the ritual grounds!

His robes were tattered and his face pale. Blood flowed from the corners of his lips, staining his lapels red.

His brow was full of the utmost astonishment!

It wasn’t like he hadn’t gone all out earlier. He’d even used some of his ultimate killer moves, abilities he typically kept in reserve.

But without exception, none of them had been enough. He couldn’t shake Su Yi at all. On the contrary, he was repeatedly suppressed and forced back.

Now, there was no longer any way to avoid injuries!

The part Xia Jiuqiu found the hardest to take was that Su Yi had kept his hands behind his back the entire time. He’d yet to actually attack.

He was using nothing but his sword force, yet it seemed unassailable and invincible, as if it could crush everything in its path!

When Su Yi lifted his foot to take his ninth step, an unprecedentedly powerful sense of impending crisis made Xia Jiuqiu’s hair stand on end. It was a suffocating sensation. His instincts screamed that even if he fought with all his might, it would ultimately be to no avail. He’d just wind up forced out of the arena.

If that happened, it would mean his complete loss!

He’d have lost in nine steps, without ever forcing Su Yi to actually attack him!

The thought filled his heart with indescribable bitterness and fury. His eyes reddened, and the depths of his ironclad Dao Heart erupted with the burning will to fight.

Even if he lost, he wanted to unleash one final strike, no matter the cost!

Kaboom!

Xia Jiuqiu suddenly caught ablaze as he attacked decisively, charging explosively into the fray. This was unquestionably the strongest strike he’d used yet. All of his power and all of his conviction were gathered in his sword. He wasn’t holding back anything at all.

It was to the point that it seemed to the onlookers that he’d succeed or die trying.

When Su Yi’s ninth step landed, the entire ritual grounds shook. A heaven-shaking impact rang out, and an unstoppable sword rain scattered. Sword light swept forth like the tides.

When the mist and smoke dissipated, the crowd saw Su Yi standing silently in place. He advanced no further.

His robes flowed around him, unmarred by dust, and he showed no sign of injury. He looked just as he had before.

Xia Jiuqiu tumbled to the ground at the edge of the ritual grounds, his robes tattered and his skin covered in fine cuts. He was bleeding uncontrollably.

Deathly silence descended over the area. Even the birds ceased their song.

Everyone in the Heart-Tempering Sword House, from the disciples to the higher-ups, was overcome with astonishment. A long time passed without a word.

Su Yi had taken just nine casual steps, yet even someone as strong as Xia Jiuqiu, the man widely acknowledged as the second-strongest Immeasurable Realm expert in the Eternal Heavens Domain, had been forced to the edge of the arena, badly injured!

The battle wasn’t going at all like they expected, to the point that even though they’d watched it all with their own eyes, they struggled to believe it.

How could the founder’s reincarnation be this strong? He hasn’t even done anything, but he’s already injured Xia Jiuqiu. What would happen if he actually attacked?

Even Wu Qing and Yang Lingxiao were stunned. They’d long since known that Su Yi was heaven-defying, and they’d been convinced that Su Yi would win, but they hadn’t anticipated that he’d be able to injure Xia Jiuqiu without even swinging his sword!

It was just too unreasonable!

Wen Feng and Fei Qiu remained silent. They were far calmer than anyone else here. After all, they’d witnessed the battle in the ruins of the Heart-Tempering Sword House, and they knew that Su Yi could kill the Heavenly Monarchs of Heavenly Sovereign factions with ease.

This outcome was relatively easy to accept by comparison...

“Not bad. You managed to hold on,” said Su Yi. “Can you still stand?”

There was now a hint of surprise in his eyes when he looked at Xia Jiuqiu.

Given his current cultivation base, he could disregard most Immeasurable Realm cultivators, but Xia Jiuqiu was different. He really was the strongest Immeasurable Realm cultivator in the Heart-Tempering Sword House, an expert capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with many Heavenly Monarchs!

Xia Jiuqiu took a deep breath, then rose with great difficulty and looked at Su Yi. He rasped, “Please attack, Founder!”

He was badly wounded, but his eyes shone with brilliant light and eagerness.

Su Yi just smiled, then stretched out the right hand he’d been keeping behind his back.

Boom!

Countless streaks of sword qi surged forth, like a school of fish swimming through the air. Light interwove like a spiderweb.

This was the Cage of One Thousand Slashes!

However, it was different from when Xia Jiuqiu used it. Su Yi’s Cage of One Thousand Slashes seemed perfect, with no openings to exploit. The sight of it was enough to make one give in to despair.

Those trapped inside were helpless, like convicts awaiting death by a thousand cuts. There was no way to struggle and no way to resist. Those inside couldn’t even think about fighting back!

Several of the higher-ups felt a thrill of terror as they realized that Su Yi’s attack was affecting their hearts and souls.

In other words, this attack had yet to even land, but it was intimidating their hearts and souls!

Xia Jiuqiu’s face was pallid, and his teeth were clenched. He obviously felt this attack’s power and intimidation the most directly.

Nonetheless, he didn’t shrink back, nor did he hesitate. He let out a deep roar, then attacked decisively, like a doomed man struggling desperately against destiny.

He’d face defeat without fear. He’d rather die than retreat!