Chapter 3105 - A Baffling Death Trap

Su Yi had been on guard since they’d begun their ascent. He dared not fully trust either of his terrifying companions.

Thus, he withdrew without hesitation the moment they reached for him.

Now, watching the two of them locked in fierce combat, he still wasn’t certain whether they’d been trying to help him as they claimed, or seize the opportunity to capture him before their competitor.

But that didn’t matter anymore.

It was only by removing himself from the situation that he could see it clearly, and he’d managed to do so, albeit by a hair.

If he hadn’t avoided the blow in time, he’d have found himself in grave peril, the battleground of two unparalleled experts!

The thought of it sent chills down Su Yi’s spine.

“Hurry up and run, Fellow Daoist Su!” The Buddha of Non-Existence said solemnly mid-battle. “This is part of a conspiracy. The Monarch of Endless Tribulations set a trap personally. He...”

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations said coldly, “Enough! Old monk, are you still going to feign compassion even now?”

He’d only just said this when a voice emanated from afar.

“Master, your disciple has come to save you!”

The Threelives Buddha and Hong Ling came into view outside the palace. The Threelives Buddha rushed over immediately, holding an alms bowl aloft. With it, he blocked the churning current of calamitous power. It was unbelievable!

Meanwhile, Hong Ling chuckled softly, stepped through the air, and charged at Su Yi, Mirror of Mysteries in hand.

“Watch out, Fellow Daoist Su!” bellowed the Monarch of Endless Tribulations.

In truth, there was no need for his warning. Su Yi moved the moment the Threelives Buddha appeared.

But against all expectations, Su Yi didn’t leave. Instead, he took a step forward, back into the palace.

The Threelives Buddha was stunned. Hong Ling was stunned, too. They’d planned to join forces and suppress Su Yi outside the palace.

Who’d have thought he’d jump directly into the firepit?

Even a blind man would have been able to tell that the palace was the most dangerous place here. “Seeking refuge” in there made him a beetle in a jar; all they’d have to do was block the entrance. He wouldn’t be able to escape then!

“Fellow Daoist Su, why did you come back?” the Buddha of Non-Existence said with a sigh. He was still locked in fierce combat with the Monarch of Endless Tribulations.

Su Yi’s gaze was icy. He said nothing, instead just standing in the corner of the room, his qi coursing through him as he erected a sword curtain to block the aftershock of their terrifying duel.

He’d already discovered that the palace seemed utterly indestructible. Not even warring Heavenly Sovereigns could budge it in the slightest!

The Threelives Buddha and Hong Ling had now reached the palace entrance.

“Stand guard here, Fellow Daoist,” said the Threelives Buddha. He was already walking inside, his gaze calm and composed. “Master, it’s because of the Monarch of Endless Tribulations that you’ve been trapped in this accursed place all these years. It’s time to end things once and for all. You hold Endless Tribulations back. I’ll deal with Su Yi. Then, we can work together to take Endless Tribulations down!”

The Buddha of Non-Existence showed no sign of joy. On the contrary, his expression was ashen with uncharacteristic anger. He bellowed, “You wretch! How dare you scheme against me like this?”

“Drop the act. Neither you nor your apprentice are any good!” roared the Monarch of Endless Tribulations.

Boom!

As his voice rang out, the Threelives Buddha charged at Su Yi.

Meanwhile, Hong Ling stood by the entrance, mirror in hand, ready and waiting.

In truth, she was baffled. This death trap was more than just perilous; it was strange and confusing at every turn.

She couldn’t figure out why Su Yi had returned to the palace, choosing to become a “beast in a cage” rather than attempting to break through their encirclement.

Nor could she grasp why the Threelives Buddha’s attempts to help enraged his master so.

Strangest of all, the Monarch of Endless Tribulations should have been able to tell that this situation didn’t bode well for him, yet he showed no sign of trying to escape. On the contrary, he remained locked in fierce combat, seemingly intent on aiming for mutual destruction.

All of this seemed strange and out of the ordinary, but there was no time for Hong Ling to give the matter any further thought. She needed to guard this place with all her might and prevent her target from escaping!

Meanwhile, the Threelives Buddha was hurtling toward Su Yi. He wore his usual calm smile, but his aura was terrifying to the extreme, and his whole body flowed with Buddhist flames. Without a single wasted word, he took out his black alms bowl and poured his strength into it.

Boom!

The entire building shook.

The black alms bowl was incomparably powerful, and it brought with it dazzling, nine-colored light, sealing off all possible escape routes. There was nowhere for Su Yi to run and nowhere for him to hide.

But he naturally wouldn’t just sit around and wait to die. The Book of Destiny floated over his palm, and his Heart Soul gripped the Contented Heart Scepter, now in the form of the Sky-Covering Boat.

But just as he was about to take action, something unexpected happened.

The Buddha of Non-Existence extracted himself from his fierce battle with the Monarch of Endless Tribulations and threw himself at Su Yi, heedless of the danger to himself. Then, he blocked his opponent’s full-force attack, shielding Su Yi with his body!

Boom!

The black alms bowl hurtled toward him, but he blocked it head-on, scattering a rain of light on impact. His body was in tatters, and blood leaked from the seven apertures of his face. He’d almost been killed on the spot.

This... Hong Ling’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations and the Threelives Buddha frowned. Both of them were surprised, too.

But Su Yi was the most startled of all. The best possible outcome among those he’d predicted was that the Buddha of Non-Existence would refuse to acknowledge the Threelives Buddha as his disciple and stay out of their enmity, as promised.

Worst-case scenario, the two Buddhas had been colluding all along to capture both him and the Monarch of Endless Tribulations in one fell swoop.

But he hadn’t even considered this!

The fierce battle came to a sudden standstill. All combatants stayed their hand.

“Master, why was this necessary?” The Threelives Buddha sighed. “Your disciple came here with the sincere desire to help you, so why... risk your life for Su Yi?”

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations laughed coldly. “Perhaps this is just a joint performance you two are putting on.”

The Buddha of Non-Existence disregarded their comments and said hoarsely, his back to Su Yi, “Fellow Daoist Su, as I told you earlier, I haven’t said a single word that goes against my Chan Buddhist Heart since the day I began my cultivation.”

As he spoke, blood flowed from the corners of his lips, and wisps of death qi emanated from his body.

The black alms bowl had obviously dealt his clone a lethal blow!

Su Yi took in his battered, bloodstained figure, an indescribable feeling washing over him. Did I... perhaps really misjudge him?

“That was true in the past, and it’s true now, too,” the Buddha of Non-Existence said, his voice low, yet determined. “It’ll be true going forward, even if I die.”

He slowly swept his gaze across the Threelives Buddha, Hong Ling, and the Monarch of Endless Tribulations, then sighed. “I don’t quite understand what went on behind this death trap of yours, but I’m sure the Monarch of Endless Tribulations was involved!”

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations interrupted him here. “Lies and slander! At this point, what need is there for you to keep sowing discord between us?”

The Buddha of Non-Existence disregarded him and continued, “Fellow Daoist Su, my true body is under the effects of the Nine True Tribulations Restriction. That’s the Monarch of Endless Tribulation’s ultimate weapon.

“I don’t know how precisely he pulled this off, or how he managed to suppress my true body after countless years of conflict. He somehow put me in a condition where I cannot die even if I want to.

“But none of that matters now. What matters is that my true body is doomed.”

The Buddha of Non-Existence’s voice echoed through the air, but Su Yi remained silent.

The Threelives Buddha said gravely, “Master, you...”

The Buddha of Non-Existence cut him off here. “Quit calling me that! I know you came here to kill me, seize my karma, and strip me of my Chan Buddhist Heart to strengthen your foundations in preparation for becoming an ancestor!”

The Threelives Buddha sighed. “Master, you really look down on me. You’re far too biased against me!”

The Buddha of Non-Existence disregarded him and continued speaking directly to Su Yi. “Fellow Daoist, I just hope that that unfilial wretch won’t taint your perception of Buddhism as a whole. Not all of us are like him; our Dao isn’t so limited!”

He then turned with great difficulty, clasped his palms, and bowed.

“Fellow Daoist Su, in the name of my Chan Buddhist Heart, I swore a solemn vow. All I want now is for you to seize a chance of life and escape this Sea of Bitterness...”

Blood flowed from the corners of his lips, and his face was deathly pale. His voice was full of piety and compassion, but the more he spoke, the softer his voice got.

His bloody, battered figure crumbled bit by bit, then withered, transforming into a resplendent rain of golden light and dissipating before Su Yi’s very eyes.

Here one moment, gone the next, like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows, dew, lightning, and all other conditioned phenomena.

It was obvious that taking the Monarch of Endless Tribulations’ attack while shielding Su Yi from the black alms bowl had been too much for his clone.

Su Yi’s heart shook, and his heart churned. He would never have guessed that the Buddha of Non-Existence would die, not by his old enemy’s hand, but to protect him.

Earlier, the wisp of the Buddha of Non-Existence’s power lingering on his body had irritated him and made him suspicious, but the Buddha of Non-existence wasn’t offended. On the contrary, he’d sacrificed his clone without hesitation!

It was an indescribable feeling.

Hong Ling watched all of this play out, unwittingly stunned. Who could have imagined that the Threelives Buddha’s master would die saving Su Yi from his own apprentice?

It was far too unreasonable!

“Master, your clone has been destroyed, but your true body remains. Your disciple... won’t let you be destroyed here...” murmured the Threelives Buddha. He showed no sign of grief, only exasperation and regret.

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations said coldly, “You’re right. His true body remains. So what if we destroyed a mere clone? This might well still be a show you two are putting on to trick us!”

The true bodies of the Monarch of Endless Tribulations and the Buddha of Non-Existence were still frozen mid-combat. Strangely, the fighting that had just played out around them hadn’t affected them at all.

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations’ gaze turned to Su Yi. He said gravely, “Fellow Daoist Su, if we work together, we might well turn this around!”

The Threelives Buddha said calmly, “This is your territory, but you’re just a clone. Who are you to speak so boldly?”

Hong Ling gripped the Mirror of Mysteries as she took in the scene inside the palace. She was still confused, but she no longer had any reservations.

An Immeasurable Realm sword cultivator and a Heavenly Sovereign’s clone, that’s all. Even fighting together, there was no way they could stir up any waves!