First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 995 – Yama’s Tribulation

Even Ye Luo had no choice but to admit that the woman in front of him was a heart-stirring, soul-shaking beauty.

Her inky dress didn’t just outline her graceful, prideworthy curves. It also contrasted with her snowy, lustrous skin. Her long blue hair was tied into a loose bun, emphasizing her long neck and exquisite features.

If she were simply an extraordinary beauty, it would have been one thing.

But she also had an extraordinary bearing. She seemed calm and elegant, but beneath her charming facade, she was as proud and contemptuous as a sovereign, and her majestic aura was awe-inspiring.

Some people saw her as a queen from beyond the nine heavens, one they could not blaspheme against.

Others saw her as the type of unmatched beauty who brought disaster to the populace. She could ignite the most basal desires of the human heart.

Even Ye Luo’s mind felt a bit shaken, and he inwardly cried out, “Enchantress!”

But Su Yi was in no mood to appreciate her beauty. He merely glanced at the smiling Netherworld King, then continued on his way.

Ye Luo followed shortly after.

???

He’s ignoring me, just like that?

The Netherworld King’s beautiful eyes darted about. She caught up to them and asked Ye Luo, “What do you call yourself, Fellow Daoist?”

Ye Luo pointedly looked away and ignored her. If his master was ignoring this woman, he naturally wouldn’t take the initiative to interact with her either.

The Netherworld King didn’t quite know what to make of this. Am I… really that unwelcome here?

She bit down gently on her full lower lip, then suddenly approached Su Yi. Her starry eyes darted about. “Fellow Daoist, I’ve been thinking, and I finally decided something. Would you like to know what it is?”

Su Yi shook his head. “No.”

Dark lines of displeasure appeared on the Netherworld King’s brow. What’s up with him? Isn’t this a bit too out of the ordinary?

Even Ye Luo couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, and he increasingly suspected that she was trying to woo his master! Otherwise, who would refuse to leave even after being given the cold shoulder?

Great! Yet another woman succumbs to Master’s charms… Ye Luo was inwardly wistful.

Thinking back to the past, who knew how many top beauties of their generations admired his master? It was Su Yi’s unmatched bearing that won them over, but only a select few could truly catch his eye.

The Netherworld King didn’t say anymore either.

It wasn’t like she’d never seen the world before, and she naturally wouldn’t give in to shame, anger, or frustration the moment she encountered an obstacle.

Furthermore, as the Netherworld King who’d struck awe and terror into the hearts of the denizens of the Netherworld in ancient times, her senses were quite keen. She could tell that something was strange about Su Yi’s mood!

Provoking him now would only bring trouble upon herself. There was no way it’d end well.

Whoosh!

As they proceeded through the skies above the ruins, the blood-red thunderclouds churned, and a bolt of red lightning full of strange power came crashing down.

Its aura alone made the Netherworld King and Ye Luo’s hair stand on end. Both of them sensed a potentially lethal threat.

But Su Yi didn’t even look at it. He just grabbed and swung the Immortal-Beating Mallet with all his might.

Boom!

The descending bolt of blood-colored lightning shattered.

And deep within the crimson clouds, a miserable shriek rang out.

The Netherworld King and Ye Luo suddenly looked up. There, in the depths of the thunderclouds, they saw an utterly bizarre, blood-red figure shrieking. Its body convulsed and burst apart like a cloud of mist.

That miserable shriek then came to an abrupt halt.

The two of them couldn’t help but gasp.

That crimson entity’s aura had merged perfectly with the thunderclouds, to the point that neither of them had sensed its presence.

“Master, what kind of monster was that?” Ye Luo couldn’t help but ask.

“The vengeful souls once imprisoned in the Yama Kings’ Ten Courts of Hell. All of them possessed monstrous power in life. After they died, resentment accumulated within their souls, and they’ve fused with the Laws of Hell enveloping this place. They’re quite troublesome,” Su Yi explained softly. “If you want to kill them, you must first break through the blood-red lightning manifested of the Laws of Hell. Otherwise, it doesn’t matter how strong you are; you’ll be helpless against them.”

Ye Luo and the Netherworld King couldn’t help but feel stunned.

And in the time that followed, strange movements occurred in the red clouds overhead repeatedly. Strange arcs of electricity swept toward Su Yi and his companions.

However, every time, Su Yi dissipated them with the Immortal-Beating Mallet. Even the vengeful spirits lurking within the clouds died, exploding on the spot.

It wasn’t that Su Yi’s combat prowess was so heaven-defying, but that the Immortal-Beating Mallet could counter and neutralize the dangers of the Burial Ground of the Dao.

They continued like this for about ten minutes before the booming of thunder emanated from afar, shaking both heaven and earth. The entire landscape trembled, and the enormous ruins swayed.

“Don’t tell me some hegemon among vengeful spirits has emerged?” exclaimed the Netherworld King. This disturbance was far greater than anything they’d seen thus far.

“That’s a tribulation,” said Su Yi. He looked askance at her, as if he were looking at an idiot.

The Netherworld King’s beautiful face flushed red with awkwardness.

When she sensed it in more detail, she too realized that the rumbling thunder contained the destructive aura of a tribulation. However, without examining it closely, it was difficult to differentiate it from the blood-red lightning blanketing the ruins.

Ye Luo couldn’t help but find this amusing. This woman is as solitary and proud as a sovereign, but now that Master’s here, she keeps getting deflated. She can only force her anger back down.

A moment later, Ye Luo realized that something wasn’t quite right about this. “Strange. How bizarre and terrifying is this place? Even old monsters of the Imperial Realm wouldn’t enter lightly, so why would someone undergo tribulation here? Don’t tell me it’s some old fossil unafraid of death who hopes to use the power of the Laws here to smooth out his breakthrough?”

Su Yi shook his head. “No, this is a Tribulation of Profound Illumination.”

Ye Luo was instantly dumbstruck. He found this difficult to believe.

The Netherworld King couldn’t help but laugh. See who’s laughing this time!

“Come on, let’s go have a look.” Su Yi’s eyes flashed; he’d already guessed some of the answers. His steps sped up, and he shot ahead.

Before long, they saw lightning and fire surging in the distance, as well as bursts of tribulation light. An unmatched, grand tribulation entered Su Yi and his companions’ field of view.

This tribulation really was enormous. Ink-black clouds blotted out the sky, manifesting colorful, dazzling lightning. It surged and overflowed, and the rumbling of thunder came in waves.

A bone-piercing air of calamity enveloped the entire stretch of heaven and earth. It wasn’t cold, but it was nonetheless enough to make one tremble.

A young man in white was currently undergoing tribulation. His hair was disheveled, his clothes were in tatters, and his skin was charred and covered in wounds. All were the work of the tribulation lightning, and they were a shocking sight.

Streak after streak of electric tribulation light descended, slamming into the young man and sending him staggering back. It seemed as if he might fall at a moment’s notice, and it was hard not to sweat on his behalf.

But the really surprising thing was the grand battle raging just outside the bounds of the tribulation!

A whole group of experts surrounded an old man in Confucian robes. Every last one of them had a monstrous aura.

The old man in Confucian robes was already covered in wounds, and he was clearly in dire straits. Nonetheless, he fought fiercely and without fear of death.

Still, anyone would have realized that he wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.

He had eight opponents in total, and without exception, all of them were in the Profound Serenity Realm!

And some of them were terrifying experts of the mid-stage Profound Serenity Realm!

They’d each drawn their swords, sabers, bronze seals, treasure bottles, and other such items, and they were unleashing all manner of secret arts. They had the man in Confucian robes thoroughly surrounded, and they’d seized an absolute advantage.

A battle like this was unquestionably terrifying. It could destroy an entire landscape with ease!

“It seems those old-timers aren’t willing to see that young man in white successfully overcome his tribulation, so they’re attacking like mad to disrupt him.” Ye Luo’s eyes flashed.

He could tell at a glance that the old man in Confucian robes was the young tribulation-taker’s guardian.

His opponents dared not get within range of the tribulation, so as they surrounded and attacked the old man, they tried to sway the young man’s heart and snuff out any hope he had of successfully becoming an Emperor!

“How great must their grudge be for so many Profound Serenity old-timers to set all reservations aside and attack at once?” The Netherworld King couldn’t help but feel surprised.

A Spiritual Revolution cultivator was attempting to prove his Dao and enter Profound Illumination, yet so many older-generation Profund Serenity Emperors had surrounded him. That was unquestionably unusual, even unbelievable.

“This isn’t a matter of hatred or enmity. Rather, the path that young man is attempting to walk poses an enormous threat to them. It even threatens the survival of the factions behind them.”

Su Yi had one hand behind his back, while the other gripped the Immortal-Beating Mallet.

He recognized the old man in Confucian robes and the young man in white. These were none other than the Dark Oblivion Yao God and his disciple, Wang Ting!

This master-and-apprentice duo had once wandered the Azure Continent, and they’d visited the mysterious Pawnshop of the Heavens, all in search of the legacy of the Ten Yama Kings. They hoped to pursue the true Path of the Yama King!

Back in Ziluo City, Su Yi acquired the jade record of the Yama Kings and gave it to them. He did this because he wanted to see whether or not the long-vanished “Path of the Yama King” could successfully re-enter this world.

He wouldn’t have guessed he’d encounter this duo again here, in the Mausoleum of the Gods.

Or that he’d run into them just as Wang Ting reached a critical juncture of his tribulation!

But Su Yi quickly understood.

When master and apprentice left, they said they were going to the far reaches of the Sea of Bitterness in search of traces of the Ten Yama Kings. This was in preparation to walk that same path.

And the Mausoleum of the Gods was originally the site of the Ten Courts of Hell the Yama Kings oversaw!

Meeting them here naturally wasn’t a coincidence.

“Friends, please, stop right there. Swords and sabers have no eyes; you’d best stay back!” A cold, dignified voice rang out.

There, not far away, a tall figure in robes embroidered with dragons appeared out of nowhere. His eyes flashed like cold lightning as he locked onto Su Yi and his companions.

“Master, they’ve already locked down the entire region. Seems we’ll have to go around.” Ye Luo’s eyebrows shot up.

He swept his gaze throughout the surroundings, then discovered numerous figures stationed around the center of the tribulation.

“Why should we have to go around?” Su Yi said casually. “If that little guy fails to prove his Dao and become an Emperor, it won’t just be a waste of the legacy of the Ten Yama Kings I acquired for him. It would mean all my expectations for him would come to nothing.”

Ye Luo was stunned. Only now did he realize that his master knew those people!

The Netherworld King twirled the blue hair growing from her temples. A faint smile tugged on her lips. “Since they’re your acquaintances, Fellow Daoist, we naturally can’t just watch them die.”

As she spoke, she suddenly stretched out her long, jade-like hand and hit the air.

Bang!!

A hundred feet away, the man in embroidered robes, the one who’d threatened them, exploded into pieces before he could even react, much less defend himself. It was as if a deity had struck him down.

Blood fell like a waterfall! One casual gesture, and she’d slain an Emperor!

A single stone could create a thousand waves. This sudden, bloody spectacle instantly provoked uproar throughout the surrounding area.