Chapter 3107 - Killing the Donkey the Moment the Milling Is Complete

A hint of melancholy arose in his heart. He’d deeply admired both the Monarch of Endless Tribulations and the Buddha of Non-Existence.

They were enemies, but their clash of the Grand Dao had continued for countless years, uninterrupted. Neither had ever admitted defeat. How much willpower did that take? And how much courage?

Even their clones had such firm, unyielding conviction and Dao Hearts. They’d endured their drawn-out confrontation without ever once wavering.

Alas, when it came time to determine victory and defeat, the Monarch of Endless Tribulations wavered. The moment he decided to collude with the Threelives Buddha, he’d lost.

A clash of the Grand Dao was a battle to determine whose path was superior. How could it be won through petty trickery?

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations had lost to himself. If he’d had absolute faith in his ability to emerge victorious in this clash of the Grand Dao, he would never have wavered like this.

How could he have sunk to colluding with the Threelives Buddha then?

This was what made Su Yi so melancholy.

All competitions of the Grand Dao were brutal. The Monarch of Endless Tribulations had clashed with the Buddha of Non-Existence for countless years, only to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory!

“What hurtful words!” said the Threelives Buddha, his voice like a Buddhist chant, brimming with heart-shaking power. “Throughout the ages, history has been written by the winners. All Daos are mine to use as I see fit, be they great or be they petty. All powers, internal or external, are similarly mine to wield! When life and death are on the line, how can you be obstinate?”

The Threelives Buddha’s voice was like the ringing of a bell or the beating of a drum. It jolted the Monarch of Endless Tribulations out of his reverie, and his expression regained its usual calm.

“How shameful. I’ve embarrassed myself in front of you, Fellow Daoist.” The Monarch of Endless Tribulations sighed.

The Threelives Buddha smiled faintly. “You saw my master as your old foe, but also as someone you could bare your heart to. Now, you’ve emerged victorious after countless years. It’s only natural that it’d affect you emotionally.”

He turned his gaze to Su Yi. “It’s much like the connection between me and Fellow Daoist Su. If he does, I’ll surely grieve his loss. After all, people who understand me like he does are few and far between.”

Su Yi’s gaze was cold and indifferent. “You say I understand you? You aren’t worthy of that. You call yourself my enemy in our pursuit of the Grand Dao? You aren’t qualified for that, either.”

The Threelives Buddha just laughed, thinking nothing of it.

Hong Ling watched from the palace entrance, confused yet again. Don’t tell me they plan to keep talking like this, even after everything that’s happened? Why not just attack immediately and be done with it?

Something occurred to her. Don’t tell me...

But before she could finish that thought, Su Yi suddenly said, “How long do you plan to drag this out?”

The Threelives Buddha blinked, then narrowed his eyes. “It won’t be much longer.”

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations couldn’t help but ask, “You’ve already figured it out?”

Su Yi said nothing.

The Threelives Buddha sighed. “Fellow Daoist Su has already ignited his Natal Heart Lamp. The strength of his heart is far beyond ours. How could he fail to realize our intentions?”

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations frowned. “But... In that case, why... give us the opportunity?”

This conversation left Hong Ling baffled. What are they on about this time?

But then, Su Yi said calmly, “We can keep waiting until you’ve gotten what you’re after.”

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations couldn’t help but look bewildered. Much to his shock, for the first time since they’d met, he couldn’t fathom the young sword cultivator standing before him.

The Threelives Buddha smiled faintly. “There’s no cause for concern, Fellow Daoist Endless Tribulations. The Abyss of Endless Tribulations is your territory, and you’ve got me and Fellow Daoist Hong Ling to assist you. Our victory is assured!”

Su Yi said no more. He just took out a jug of wine, had a sip, and gazed at the true bodies of the Monarch of Endless Tribulations and the Buddha of Non-Existence.

It was just as the Threelives Buddha said. The power of his heart was such that he could sense the dormant power reawakening within the Monarch of Endless Tribulations’ true body!

The Buddha of Non-Existence, however, emanated other withered death qi.

“Success!” The Monarch of Endless Tribulation’s clone smiled in relief, as if a massive weight had lifted from his shoulders.

He’d only just said this when the clone blurred into a beam of light and vanished into his true body.

Overflowing vitality surged around him, a revolving rain of the light of the Grand Dao.

At the same time, the Buddha of Non-Existence split and cracked, his true body crumbling into dust. All that remained of him were two bundles of light.

The first was clear, ethereal, and radiant. It emanated a dense, soothing aura.

This was the Buddha of Non-Existence’s Dao Heart! It had been sealed completely within a bundle of light.

The other bundle was ancient, mysterious gold. It flowed with countless drops of light. Upon closer examination, there was an ethereal figure inside, his features extremely similar to those of the Buddha of Non-Existence.

This was obviously the source of the Buddha of Non-Existence’s powers of the Grand Dao, fused into an Eternal Throne. It, too, was sealed.

The first bundle represented his Dao Heart, the second, his powers of the Grand Dao and Eternal Throne.

Now, both were on full display before the crowd’s very eyes.

Hong Ling finally understood why the Monarch of Endless Tribulations and the Buddha of Non-Existence had been so willing to answer Su Yi’s questions.

It was simple, really. They’d been stalling to buy the Monarch of Endless Tribulations enough time to seize his old foe’s Dao Heart and powers of the Grand Dao!

This also confirmed what the Buddha of Non-Existence’s clone had said earlier. The Threelives Buddha had indeed come here to steal his powers and make up for the shortcomings in his own powers of the Grand Dao. All of this was in preparation for the Path to Ancestry.

It had nothing to do with “saving” anyone.

It was obvious that Su Yi had realized all of this earlier, but it was also strange, as he’d made no attempt to stop it from happening. He’d just watched quietly as their plans came to fruition.

Hong Ling, the Monarch of Endless Tribulations, and the Threelives Buddha were all wondering the same thing. If Su Yi knew what was happening, why didn’t he try to stop it?

As their thoughts raced, the situation changed abruptly.

“Fellow Daoist Su, thank you for your help acquiring this good fortune!” The Threelives Buddha smiled, took a step forward, and appeared in the center of the hall.

But just as he was about to reach for the two bundles of light, both the Monarch of Endless Tribulations and the two bundles of light vanished, then reappeared at the far end of the hall.

The Threelives Buddha frowned. “Fellow Daoist, what is the meaning of this? Do you plan to renege on our agreement?”

Hong Ling’s heart shook, and her beautiful face shifted. Don’t tell me that all the work the Threelives Buddha poured into this will only benefit the Monarch of Endless Tribulations in the end?

Su Yi stood there with his jug of wine, his gaze unrippling. It seemed he’d anticipated this.

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations smiled. “You used me to kill your master. Don’t you think I deserve a bit of a reward?”

The Threelives Buddha frowned, then sighed. “Fellow Daoist, that joke isn’t the least bit funny. Aren’t you afraid that Fellow Daoist Su and I will join forces to kill you?”

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations couldn’t help but laugh. “Do you really think that’s possible? Don’t forget that this is my territory!”

He waved his sleeve through the air. “Come on out, all of you.”

A dozen or so figures appeared out of nowhere, a mix of men and women. All of them emanated strange, terrifying, calamitous power, and each was as powerful as a Heavenly Sovereign!

Su Yi could tell at a glance that all of them were Harbingers of Disaster, just like Lu Shu had been.

“Greetings, Your Excellency!” The Harbingers of Disaster bowed in unison, making the Monarch of Endless Tribulations’ extraordinary status all the more obvious.

The Threelives Buddha’s expression darkened, while Hong Ling’s heart sank. Neither could have imagined that after all the work that had gone into this trap, the Monarch of Endless Tribulations would “kill the donkey the moment the milling was complete.”

Su Yi sloshed his remaining wine, threw back his head, and drank the bulk of it, leaving just a few remaining drops.

“Monarch of Endless Tribulations, you’re too greedy,” said the Threelives Buddha. “Killing my master wasn’t enough for you. Now, you want to kill all of us, too? Aren’t you worried that you’ll bite off more than you can chew and choke yourself?”

His expression had already regained its usual calm. “I naturally prepared for the worst before coming here. Are you sure you want to cast aside all pretenses of cordiality?”

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations just smiled and looked at Su Yi with great interest. “Fellow Daoist, how do you see this?”

Before Su Yi could respond, the Monarch of Endless Tribulations warned, “Don’t even try to use that mysterious expert backing you to threaten me. I already know that experts of the Far Shore cannot intervene in the River of Destiny’s affairs. If he breaks the rules, the Mountain of the Secluded Ones won’t let him off lightly.”

A hint of melancholy appeared on Su Yi’s brow. “Do you really see me as someone capable of nothing but relying on others to survive?”

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations laughed coldly. “Aren’t you, though? If not for that mysterious expert backing you, our clones would have killed you back in the Cave of Obsession!

“Then there’s Xiao Jian, Mo Hanyi, and the others in the Book of Destiny. Who among them haven’t you relied on to protect you? You’re only in the Immeasurable Realm, yet you’ve made it this far. Do you really think you did so on your own power?”

His voice was full of blatant mockery. It was obvious that he’d buried these words deep within his heart for a long time now.

Su Yi drank the last few drops of his wine. It was gone, and so too was what little remained of his bond with the Monarch of Endless Tribulations.

The Threelives Buddha said, “See that, Fellow Daoist? Ol’ Endless Tribulations really thinks so little of you. Only I understand that his treatment of you just proves how narrow-minded and imperceptive he is.”

His voice was full of ruefulness. “Of course, there’s no way he realizes that.”

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations shook his head and laughed dryly. “What need is there for me to understand? In the pursuit of the Grand Dao, everything comes down to strength!”

The Threelives Buddha smiled. “I’ve always planned for the worst. Since you’ve decided to cast aside all pretenses of cordiality, we’ll just have to fight it out and see who’s stronger!”

Boom!

The Threelives Buddha and Hong Ling attacked, except... their target wasn’t the monarch of Endless Tribulations, but rather, Su Yi!

The Threelives Buddha took out his black alms bowl, while Hong Ling activated the Mirror of Mysteries. Both were obviously using their ultimate killer weapons right off the bat. They were intent on taking Su Yi down in one fell swoop.

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations’ gaze focused. He clearly hadn’t anticipated this development.

But Su Yi had.

The moment the Threelives Buddha joined forces with Hong Ling, his figure contorted strangely, like a beam of light flashing past.

Boom!

The Threelives Buddha and Hong Ling’s ultimate attacks hit nothing but air. The impact shook the entire black palace.

The aftermath was so terrifying that the Harbingers of Tribulations had to actively defend themselves just to neutralize it.

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations, the Harbingers of Tribulations, Hong Ling, and the Threelives Buddha all looked stricken.

Because there was no sign of Su Yi!

They couldn’t sense the barest trace of his presence anywhere in the black palace!