Chapter 3114 - He Walks Alone Into the Darkness

Hong Ling was instantly solemn. She cast aside her scattered thoughts, took out the Mirror of Mysteries, and attacked alongside the Threelives Buddha.

Boom!

Blazing starlight swept outward as the Threelives Buddha and Hong Ling worked together with great tacit understanding. Together, they presented an enormous threat to the Monarch of Endless Tribulations.

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations’ face was ashen with anger. There was no describing his emotions.

He was an expert who’d broken the shackles of destiny. How glorious was he? And how free and proud?

Who could have guessed that now, countless years later, he’d have been reduced to such a state?

The Threelives Buddha was just the Buddha of Non-Existence’s unfilial, rejected disciple... yet he’d used the Monarch of Endless Tribulations to quietly plot against his master. Now, the Threelives Buddha was trying to kill the Monarch of Endless Tribulations, too!

What could have been more absurd than that?

“You want to take me down? What, with just the two of you? Go ahead and try it, then! Let’s see who lives in the end!”

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations’ gaze was heavy, cold, and calm. His brow filled with determination.

Admittedly, he was badly injured, an arrow at the end of its flight, but he was still someone who’d once broken through the shackles of destiny and stepped onto the Far Shore! Moreover, this was his territory. Even trapped, he wouldn’t lower his head lightly. It was just a matter of risking it all, and he naturally wasn’t afraid of that.

Had he lacked the courage to face life and death bravely, he could never have sustained his ancient clash of the Grand Dao with the Buddha of Non-Existence.

“Die!” The Monarch of Endless Tribulations bellowed, his body catching ablaze as he went all out, attacking without regard for the consequences.

The entire stretch of heaven and earth was in chaos. Firelight ran rampant.

Off in the distance, in the area enveloped by the darkness of the Daoless Domain, Su Yi’s transformation continued. His whole body lit up, like a lamp illuminating the ancient darkness.

A group of Harbingers of Tribulations rushed over from afar. When they saw their master trapped, all of them were furious, and they attacked with all their might.

Here in the Realm of Endless Tribulations, each Harbinger of Tribulations was comparable to a Heavenly Sovereign.

Yet the Threelives Buddha ignored them completely. His strength rose continuously mid-battle, and he fought with ever-increasing force.

When the six Harbingers of Tribulations attacked in unison, the Threelives Buddha bellowed, “Lotuses Bloom on the Far Shore!”

A resplendent golden lotus of the Grand Dao silently bloomed, its petals unfurling as it erupted with Buddhist flames.

In the blink of an eye, a Harbinger of Tribulations was burnt to ash.

The Threelives Buddha repeated this unsurpassed technique, destroying three more of them in rapid succession.

Hong Ling’s heart quivered just watching him. The Threelives Buddha was far, far stronger than before, his murderous power unprecedented.

It was to the point that Hong Ling felt that the Threelives Buddha was using this battle to temper himself. After all, he’d only just fused with his master’s Dao Heart and powers of the Grand Dao. That was clearly connected to his sudden increase in strength.

“You sure are despicable!” The Monarch of Endless Tribulations sensed the change and realized that he’d fallen for the Threelives Buddha’s schemes yet again. That bald donkey is using me as a whetstone!

The Threelives Buddha’s ultimate goal isn’t to escape the Realm of Endless Tribulations, but rather to use this battle to fuse fully with the powers his master left behind!

He was absorbing the source energies of an expert who’d broken the shackles of destiny and was making that strength his own.

Bang!

Yet another Harbinger of Tribulations died in battle. Buddhist flames burnt him to ash.

“You realized it too late,” the Threelives Buddha said with a faint smile. “The moment you agreed to work with me, you became my prey. Now, it’s simply time for me to close the net.”

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations’ face was ashen. He suddenly asked, “Are you planning to attack Su Yi once you’ve finished using me to temper yourself?”

The Threelives Buddha didn’t respond. He just attacked with increasingly terrifying strength. In the blink of an eye, the last Harbinger of Tribulations died, his soul scattered to the wind.

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations’ predicament was only growing increasingly precarious. He sighed to himself. It’s true what they say. On a flat plain, a tiger might well find itself bullied by mere dogs. Ultimately, I underestimated the Threelives Buddha, and Su Yi, too.

What would have happened if I’d refused to work with the Threelives Buddha right from the start?

He suddenly recalled what Su Yi had said earlier, in the palace atop the Mountain of Tribulations. It’s true. The moment I decided to join forces with the Threelives Buddha, I effectively lost my clash of the Grand Dao with the Buddha of Non-Existence.

No! I lost to myself. If I’d had absolute confidence in my own strength, I would never have needed the Threelives Buddha’s help.

And none of this would ever have happened!

As his thoughts raced, he suffered a heavy blow. His body split, and blood poured from the seven apertures of his face. It would have been obvious to anyone that he wouldn’t last much longer.

No matter how strong someone was, when they lost their former peak strength, they ultimately found themselves reduced to “dragons confined in shallow pools.”

The path of the Grand Dao was indeed arduous. A single wrong decision could lead to eons of regret!

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations knew that the moment he chose to work with the Threelives Buddha, he planted the seeds of his disaster.

This was called a hidden fracture. No matter how staunch someone’s Dao Heart was, when it cracked, it would collapse like an avalanche.

The higher you stood when this happened, the more brutal the fall!

It was then that the Monarch of Endless Tribulations glanced at Su Yi, the sole source of light amidst a stretch of endless, ancient darkness.

He couldn’t help but be curious. Just how much confidence must he have in his Dao to shine with such brilliance?

Meanwhile, the black alms bowl came crashing down. Endless Buddhist flames outlined an eight-tiered pagoda, smoothly enveloping the Monarch of Endless Tribulations completely.

Hong Ling’s spirits soared. The Monarch of Endless Tribulations won’t escape disaster this time!

But the Monarch of Endless Tribulations looked completely, utterly calm.

He raised his right hand and pushed it toward the sky. His tall, thin figure erupted with indescribable ripples of destructive power.

“Is there anyone left who remembers my glory days, when I stood proudly over the masses?” the Monarch of Endless Tribulations whispered to himself. “Even if I die, I can’t let anyone look down on me...”

Boom!

His body caught ablaze, and a mountain of calamitous power condensed in the palm of his hand, blocking the descending black alms bowl.

The Threelives Buddha was shocked, and Hong Ling looked stricken. The two of them retreated practically simultaneously.

A moment later, the Monarch of Endless Tribulations’ body transformed completely into tribulation light, tearing through the dome of heaven and rippling out in all directions. The impact shook the entire Realm of Endless Tribulations.

There was no telling how many mountains collapsed with a bang. Even the earth caved in.

The Threelives Buddha and Hong Ling immediately moved further away, but they still suffered a terrifying impact.

Hong Ling’s body broke, and she coughed up blood.

The Threelives Buddha fared better, but he was still sent flying. He rose, still staggering on his feet, utterly wretched.

“It’s a pity.” As destructive power swept outward, the Monarch of Endless Tribulations sighed softly. His body had been destroyed, and all that remained of him was a wisp of soul, like a candle flickering in the wind. He might well go out at any moment.

He disregarded everyone else present, fixing his gaze on the distant Daoless Domain.

He once swore a solemn vow to fight his way out of the Abyss of Endless Tribulations and onto the River of Destiny. There, he’d use his power over the tribulations of destiny to create an all-new natural order.

He wanted to bind all living beings. Under his rule, they couldn’t act wantonly without inviting a tribulation of destiny. He wanted all cultivators to know that tribulations were an ironclad rule of cultivation, one that could not be violated.

He wanted that, and so much more. Unfortunately... a monk arrived to interfere.

The old monk had a heart full of compassion. He couldn’t bear the frequency with which cataclysms besieged the world, bringing ruin to the masses. Thus, with the brave Buddhist heart of one determined to venture into hell to save the masses, he chose to confine himself to the Abyss of Endless Tribulations.

That old monk was the Buddha of Non-Existence, a truly accomplished, venerable monk.

That was how their long-lasting clash of the Grand Dao began. Looking back on it now, the Monarch of Endless Tribulations felt no hate or dissatisfaction. On the contrary, he felt a bit nostalgic.

He missed the days of his clash with the Buddha of Non-Existence. Having an enemy like him was unfortunate, but it was also a blessing!

Then, the Monarch of Endless Tribulations thought of a certain scholar. That scholar traveled alone, sword in hand, dashing and unrestrained. He traversed the Realm of Endless Tribulations, then slipped off with the Book of Destiny right under their noses.

That scholar’s name was Xiao Jian.

All he said before he left was, “How fortunate to have an enemy in your pursuit of the Grand Dao! I wish you two both a good beginning and a good ending to your competition.”

At the time, the Monarch of Endless Tribulations turned up his nose. He acknowledged that this was a competition of the Grand Dao, but the very idea of a “good beginning” and a “good ending” seemed like the mere ravings of a madman.

But looking back now, he felt completely differently about it.

Suddenly, a calm voice rang out. “Do you regret what you’ve done?”

The Threelives Buddha and Hong Ling’s gazes focused as they saw Su Yi standing proud beneath the darkness. His eyes silently opened.

His tall, upright figure surged with indescribable radiance of the Grand Dao, but it no longer stung the eyes. It seemed perfect and complete, with no flaws or vulnerabilities, utterly transcendent.

It was as if he stood over the very ancient darkness itself, all Daos prostrating themselves before him!

They didn’t even need to think to know that Su Yi had successfully broken through and realized a transformation akin to rebirth.

An indescribably complicated feeling rose within the Threelives Buddha’s heart, stirring up ripples in a rare, uncharacteristic loss of composure.

Hong Ling pursed her lips and clutched the Mirror of Mysteries. She finally understood why the founder saw Su Yi as a powerful foe in their mutual pursuit of the Grand Dao.

He... was indeed far too terrifying!

“Regret?” The Monarch of Endless Tribulations shook his head. His last ethereal remnant of soul still stood there, proud and composed. “I didn’t lose to you, Threelives Buddha, nor did I lose to the Buddha of Non-Existence. What is there to regret?”

He smiled, then gazed intently at the distant Su Yi. “I... lost only to myself.”

His words said he accepted his defeat with grace, but the last remnant of his soul looked utterly bereft and forlorn. It was like the last light of a setting sun that knew it would never again rise in the east or bathe the world in its splendor.

Having said his piece, he walked into the Daoless Domain. The moment his soul body stepped into that boundless darkness, it was enveloped, a setting sun vanishing completely into the night.

He’d spent his life controlling endless tribulations. He was the ruler of this place, yet he’d never before stepped into the darkness of the Daoless Domain.

Until today.

Walking into the darkness was like bidding his life farewell. He never once looked back.