Chapter 2970 - He Tried, Then Died

Boom!

Heaven and earth shook violently. The sky exploded and split.

The lightning formation enveloping the sky split, forming a massive tunnel.

Lian Luo’s tall, powerful figure whooshed through the opening, his entire body burning. Blood-red flames rose one hundred thousand feet into the air. It was like the descent of an ancient fiend.

His terrifying majesty shook both heaven and earth.

The five Heavenly Monarchs outside the formation all looked stricken. None of them had anticipated that Lian Luo, who’d been on the brink of death, would break free of the formation in the blink of an eye, much less that his presence would be so terrifying.

“He’s burning his own cultivation base!” someone shouted in alarm.

Boom!

Lian Luo whooshed forth like a stream of flame, bursting through the five Heavenly Monarchs’ attempts at interception in a flash. His momentum was so unstoppable that all five of them were forced back.

“Little Brother Pu Xuan, run! Hurry!” Lian Luo bellowed.

Pu Xuan followed shortly after Lian Luo. When he saw Lian Luo’s body burn, the rims of his eyes reddened and his heart filled with indescribable bitterness and frustration.

“Brother Lian Luo, you aren’t afraid to die, but I’m not afraid either!” he said slowly and clearly. “If we’re going to die, let’s die together. Sword cultivators never cast aside their brothers just to save themselves!”

Boom!

Pu Xuan’s body surged with unstoppable sword intent, his presence suddenly explosive and terrifying.

“You!!” Lian Luo was frantic. His eyes bulged in their sockets.

But as angry as he was, deep within his heart, he felt inexplicably gratified. In the end, he gnashed his teeth and spat, “I was really blind to have called you my brother!”

But then, he burst into laughter. He really had been mistaken; he hadn’t anticipated that Pu Xuan would be so dutiful and bold! A brother so fearless in the face of death was a rare and precious thing indeed!

As Lian Luo and Pu Xuan conversed, the five Heavenly Monarchs surrounded them, but kept their distance for fear of their prey’s death throes.

At least, they tried to. Unfortunately for them, they’d severely underestimated Lian Luo. Within moments, he charged ahead, raising a boundless river of blood-red sword qi that plowed through the Heavenly Monarchs’ joint efforts.

Boom!

That terrifying blood-red river killed one of the five, a thin man in black, destroying him in both body and soul.

In truth, the man in black had been injured during the chase. Even before this, his body had been on the verge of falling apart.

Thus, he was doomed as soon as Lian Luo lashed out.

“Little Brother Pu Xuan, run! Hurry!” shouted Lian Luo as he led Pu Xuan into the distance.

As they ran, he didn’t forget to turn his head and sneer at the four remaining Heavenly Monarchs. He shouted, “Dumbasses! Even if I decided to aim for mutual destruction, I wouldn’t want chickens like you to accompany me to the grave!”

The insults provoked the four Heavenly Monarchs, who attacked with all their might, their faces ashen. However, they were ultimately one step too late. They could only watch helplessly as Lian Luo and Pu Xuan fled.

But then, a figure appeared out of nowhere, like a dazzling beam of light, slamming ruthlessly into Lian Luo. Lian Luo was sent flying with a bang, like a kite with its strings cut.

His ten-foot frame was already severely injured, so this attack was more than he could take. His fleshly body split into pieces before he’d even hit the ground, and blood splattered the air.

That dazzling figure didn’t relent. They charged, then descended from the heavens, delivering a kick from on high, like a divine mountain descending from above. This attack pinned Lian Luo’s soul on the ground. The earth shook, and a massive crater formed on impact.

It was only after the dust and smoke cleared that Lian Luo got a good look at his attacker, a man in dark robes. He carried a feather fan and wore a turban.

This was none other than Wang Chu, an unparalleled Heavenly Monarch from Sevendeaths Court, as well as their leader’s junior apprentice brother.

Practically simultaneously, Pu Xuan’s eyes widened, and he tried to rush to Lian Luo’s aid, but before he got far, a golden ripple appeared out of nowhere, then condensed into a mysterious seal.

Boom!

The area around Pu Xuan was suddenly under absolute suppression, as if everything were frozen in place. Pu Xuan was like a fish encased in ice. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t even budge!

A thin, unearthly-looking man with blue robes and white hair stood in the distance. “Do you remember me, Jin Xuan?[1] Ah, no, it’s Pu Xuan now, isn’t it?”

The white-haired man held a jade flute and stood there, an inquisitive, playful look on his face.

Ren Dongshi!

Long ago, when he was still cultivating alongside his master in the Heart-Tempering Sword House, he’d been in the same generation as Ren Dongshi, the elite genius of Limitless Palace. The two of them had clashed in their pursuit of the Grand Dao on numerous occasions. Both sometimes won, sometimes lost.

But Pu Xuan typically came out on top!

It was just that all of that was a long time ago. At the time, Pu Xuan had only been in the Silent Realm.

Now, the two of them had been reunited, but their statuses and strength were starkly different, to the point that they couldn’t be spoken of in the same breath.

When the four Heavenly Monarchs caught up and saw that Lian Luo and Pu Xuan had been suppressed, they all sighed in relief.

A dozen or so other Heavenly Monarchs soon joined them. These were Wang Chu and his followers. When they arrived, they spread out to seal off the entire area.

“Have a look, everyone. This is the famed master of White Sparrow Tower, the mighty Yao Monarch Lian Luo, but look at him now! He’s practically a skinned dog, a beast on the verge of death, fit only to be trampled beneath my feet.” Wang Chu laughed, then gently swung his fan. All the while, his foot kept Lian Luo’s soul pinned firmly in place.

He said slowly, “Does anyone have a Mirade Jade on hand? If so, quick, carve this scene onto it so that it might soon shock the entire world!”

One of the Heavenly Monarchs smiled and took out a jade slip, then recorded the scene as he’d been told.

Lian Luo laughed coldly, all the while struggling like mad, his soul burning.

But Wang Chu just pressed down harder, pinning Lian Luo down so thoroughly that he couldn’t even destroy his own soul!

“You’re only useful to me alive, so how could I possibly let you die?” said Wang Chu, his gaze jeering. “If you don’t believe me, go ahead, keep trying to kill yourself, you pathetic old dog!”

The others burst into uproarious laughter.

Pu Xuan saw it all. His eyes bulged with fury, but just as he was about to struggle, Ren Dongshi said, “You must understand the situation by now, so quit struggling.”

It sounded like a well-intentioned warning, but as he spoke, he struck ruthlessly, forcing Pu Xuan to the ground. It was just one strike, but countless bones snapped throughout Pu Xuan’s body. Blood gushed from the seven apertures of his face, and his qi was plunged into disarray. He could no longer use his cultivation base.

Only then did Ren Dongshi seem satisfied. He smiled and said, I’m doing this for your own good, you know. I’d hate for you to give in to despair and seek out your own demise.”

He then casually tossed Pu Xuan to a nearby Heavenly Monarch. “Hold after him, and remember—he’s Sevendeaths Court’s prey.”

“Many thanks!” said the Heavenly Monarch in question, Yong Zhou, a gray-haired, gray-bearded man in a feather coat. He bowed deeply to Ren Dongshi.

Off in the distance, Wang Chu nodded approvingly. Ren Dongshi is actually quite considerate. He didn’t seize the opportunity to sink his claws into our prey.

Pu Xuan quivered from head to toe with agony, but he couldn’t be concerned with that. He gazed intently at Lian Luo and shouted, “Brother, my master will avenge us both!”

The gathered Heavenly monarchs sneered. Revenge? Throughout the Eternal Heavens Domain’s history, who has ever dared to seek revenge against a Heavenly Sovereign faction?

“Master? Don’t tell me you’re talking about Jiang Wuchen’s reincarnation?” asked Wang Chu. “I’d actually love it if he showed up, but do you really think he dares?”

Heavenly Monarch Yong Zhou said, “Even if he is brave enough to show up, he cannot save your lives. After all, we could kill the two of you beyond a shadow of a doubt at whim!”

But it was then that a calm voice resounded out of nowhere. “Go ahead, try it. See if you can kill Pu Xuan before I kill you.”

The voice wasn’t loud, yet it resounded clearly throughout the area.

Everyone was stunned. They instinctively looked toward the source of the voice.

They weren’t sure when he’d gotten there, but a tall, upright man in blue robes was approaching from afar. He wore his hair in a topknot, and he looked exhausted and weary from his travels, as if he’d come here in a hurry.

But the sight of him left everyone in a stunned silence.

That was Su Yi!

Everyone recognized him, too.

Pu Xuan and Lian Luo were stunned. Even if you’d hit them over the head, they would never have guessed that Su Yi would arrive so quickly!

When they noticed how exhausted he looked, their hearts churned. They didn’t even need to think to know that Su Yi had rushed over as soon as he got their message, and that he hadn’t stopped to rest at all along the way!

“You’re... really here?” Wang Chu’s eyes widened, but then, he couldn’t help but laugh with delight. “Haha! The heavens really are looking out for me! To think they’d deliver such a grand stroke of fortune right to me!”

The Heavenly Monarchs’ eyes blazed with murderous intent. All of them were raring to attack.

Heavenly Monarch Yong Zhou smiled hideously. “Is that so? Are you sure you want me to kill Pu Xuan?”

As he spoke, he took a firm hold of Pu Xuan’s throat and tightened his grip.

“My power has already covered his body and soul. If you dare to make a move, I’ll destroy them both!” said Yong Zhou, his gaze full of blatant provocation. “Go on. If you’ve got the balls, go ahead and attack me. Let’s see who kills who first!”

The atmosphere was instantly stifled and oppressive.

Pu Xuan rasped, “Master, don’t worry about me. Just kill those bastards. I...”

But then, Su Yi interrupted him. “With me here, you and Lian Luo will be just fine. If he tries anything, he’ll die.”

His gaze was calm, his presence plain and unassuming, but although no one knew it, deep within him, his Heart Soul now gripped the Contented Heart Scepter. It had taken on the form of the Sword of Proximity.

Before Su Yi’s voice had even finished echoing through the air, Heavenly Monarch Yong Zhou bellowed, “Go on and attack me then! Come on, don’t hesitate! Show me—”

The Heart Soul attacked.

It happened in an instant. Heavenly Monarch Yong Zhou was thousands of feet away when his voice came to an abrupt halt. His eyes widened, his smile froze in place, and he opened his mouth as if to speak.

But not a single word came out.

His allies watched in astonishment as the power drained from Yong Zhou’s hand. His grip on Pu Xuan loosened, and his arm went as limp as a dead snake.

Then, he toppled over backward, hitting the ground with a muffled impact and stirring up clouds of dust.

Against the deathly silent background, the sound was extraordinarily grating to the ears.

Everyone watched in astonishment, their hair standing on end. What just happened? How did he... die as soon as he tried it?

1. As a reminder: it's Pu Xuan going forward, even in cases where I (as a reader) feel that using the old name would make sense. I'm just going to match the raws. ☜