Chapter 2894: Do You Have a Way Out of This, Dear Brother? |
The man in red stood outside the cage, calm and at ease. He smiled. “Fighting the cage is like deliberately provoking a Tribulation of Destiny.
“There’s no reason not to tell you this. Back then, River Ancestor Lu Shu refused to resign himself to his fate. He insisted on contending with his Tribulation of Destiny. In the end, his tribulation destroyed his heart, and he lost himself to obsession. In the end, he perished, and his Dao was destroyed.
“If you aren’t convinced, you’re welcome to try your luck, too!”
River Ancestor Shen Xiao’s expression darkened. “I’ll just have to test it, then!”
He took a deep breath, his robes billowing around him as his whole body emanated an imposing majesty not one whit inferior to a Heavenly Sovereign’s. Then, he held a bronze disc aloft and bellowed.
Boom!
The bronze disc erupted with stinging purple Dao Light and suddenly started spinning. Within moments, countless purple beams shot forth like sharp knives. The entire cage was sliced to ribbons. It split and collapsed.
But practically simultaneously, murky gray tribulation light descended as the cage reformed. That aside, the walls of the cage surged with a dense flood of Tribulation Spirits, like countless strange, ferocious demons and beasts. All of them charged at River Ancestor Shen Xiao.
Kaboom!
But River Ancestor Shen Xiao was no pushover. He exerted his will and unleashed countless divine abilities, crushing and annihilating several hundred Tribulation Spirits in a flash.
Strangely, even after dying, the Tribulation Spirits exploded into gray, calamitous power and fused back into the cage. An endless stream of new ones surged out of the cage walls to take their place. They were killed, but they came right back to life.
The sight made the captives’ scalps tingle with fright, and they felt chills in their hands and feet. How were they supposed to fight this? Forget about the man in red robes; it seemed they had no hope of breaking out of the cage!
River Ancestor Shen Xiao obviously realized this, too. His frown deepened.
As terrifying as his cultivation base was, no matter what level of divine ability he unleashed, it was useless. Nothing could destroy the cage! And fighting the endless flood of Tribulation Spirits put him at risk of a backlash! His wounds weren’t at all serious, but things couldn’t go on like this.
What do I do? Despite having faced and overcome countless perils over the years, he couldn’t help but feel at a complete loss.
Their opponent was just far too strange. Fighting him was like fighting a Tribulation of Destiny!
“Your tribulation is upon you. It’s easy to unleash a flood, but hard to quell it. All that awaits you is doom.” The red-robed man outside the cage sighed. “River Ancestors are the strongest denizens of the River of Destiny. The thought of an expert of your level dying like this is enough to make one wistful.”
River Ancestor Shen Xiao glared in silence.
“Let me try!” Wang Zhiwu gnashed his teeth and took out the Book of Legends. A certain page floated out of the book.
Su Yi initially wanted to stop him, but he suppressed the impulse. He just felt that there was something strange about the red-robed man’s actions. He wasn’t trying to kill them right away; it seemed he was probing them, as if he were waiting for something.
Thus, Su Yi chose not to attack right away. Letting Wang Zhiwu test their opponent was good, too.
The page caught on fire, and the sky shook. Heaven and earth swayed.
A terrifying male figure appeared out of nowhere. His clothes were old-fashioned feather robes and a crane cloak. He wore a hibiscus crown, and he had a blood-red sword case on his back. His big sleeves fluttered around him.
The entire cage swayed violently as soon as he appeared.
Several of the Tribulation Spirits charging at River Ancestor Shen Xiao were ripped to shreds by terrifying sword intent.
River Empress Lu Ping and River Emperor Winged Dragon had seen the man in the hibiscus crown before, and they knew how terrifying he was. They couldn’t help but look eager.
River Ancestor Shen Xiao couldn’t help but look impressed, too. What terrifying sword force! This Wang Zhiwu isn’t simple!
Outside the cage, the man in red robes frowned, a hint of solemnity on his brow. Just who is this?
“Die! Smash this fucking cage and kill that son of a bitch!” Wang Zhiwu bellowed and pointed at the red-robed man outside.
Before his voice had even finished echoing through the air, the Book Soul in the hibiscus crown raised his hand. The blood-red sword case on his back clanged as an illusory sword shot forth.
When he gripped and swung it, the entire cage shattered, and even the rain of murky gray tribulation light collapsed and vanished, unable to withstand that indomitable sword force.
The group was initially astonished, then mad with delight. He did it!?
This was Su Yi’s second time seeing this Book Soul in action, but it was nonetheless astonishing. That sword force is just too tyrannical! It’s to the point that it’s hard to imagine that this is the power of a mere Book Soul. It’s also hard to even imagine just how strong the man in the hibiscus crown was in life.
Outside the cage, the man in blood-red robes laughed coldly. “The imprint of one long lost to the endless flow of time, that’s all. How could someone like that possibly contend with the power of a Tribulation of Destiny?”
He suddenly waved his sleeve.
Blood-red light swept forth like the tide, and murky gray tribulation power appeared out of nowhere. The cage recondensed in an instant, enveloping everything on all sides and entrapping Su Yi and company once more.
The man in the hibiscus crown swung his sword again, and the cage shattered. The gray tribulation light dispersed.
Then, he took a step forward and swung at the man in red.
However, the cage appeared a moment later, blocking his path. Although he tore through it again, the slight delay bought the man in red enough time to retreat.
“I’ll be interested to see just how long you last!” said the man in blood-red robes, his clothing billowing around him.
Churning tribulation light surged forth, repeatedly interweaving throughout the landscape as it condensed into yet another cage.
River Ancestor Shen Xiao had planned to seize this opening to kill the man in red, but when he saw this, he instantly lost heart. How the fuck are we supposed to fight this guy!?
Kaboom!
The man in the hibiscus crown swung his sword over and over again, shattering the relentlessly reappearing cages one after another.
But there was no end to them. They just kept blocking his path.
Wang Zhiwu was gobsmacked.
The man in the hibiscus crown was growing increasingly indistinct. Every time he swung his sword, he faded.
In the end, he couldn’t hold on. He scattered into a rain of light and withered completely.
The others felt as if a massive boulder were weighing down on them, so heavy that they could barely breathe.
Off in the distance, the man in blood-red robes laughed. “That sword cultivator was undoubtedly someone who’d shattered the fetters of destiny to reach its Far Shore. He was stronger than even that River Ancestor, but alas, he was but an imprint. Lasting as long as he did wasn’t easy.”
He’d revealed the Book Soul’s origins in a single sentence, but the hearts of Su Yi’s allies were increasingly heavy. That was the imprint of someone who’d reached the Far Shore of Destiny, but not even he could cut it. In that case, who among us can?
Yet another surge of Tribulation Souls shot out of the cage, relentlessly assailing River Ancestor Shen Xiao.
Everything seemed to prove what the man in blood-red robes had said. There was no stopping the flood now that it had begun. The tribulation wouldn’t relent until all of them were dead!
River Ancestor Shen Xiao finally understood what it meant to resist a Tribulation of Destiny. It was terrifying!
Within mere moments, he was covered in wounds. Strange tribulation light bore into his body, as relentless as maggots gnawing on his bones. There was no getting rid of them, even as they continually ate away at his life force. There were no words to describe his agony.
Most troublesome of all, there was no end to the Tribulation Spirits.
River Ancestor Shen Xiao’s wounds were piling on. If things went on like this, he’d die sooner or later!
By now, he was totally frantic, like an ant crawling on a heated pan. He cried out, “My dear brother, do you have a way out of this?”
He was asking at random, like a desperate patient trying any medicine he could get his hands on.
But there was nothing else River Ancestor Shen Xiao could do. Wang Zhiwu had already tried and failed.
As for Lu Ping and Winged Dragon… Well, River Ancestor Shen Xiao certainly didn’t expect either of them to be useful.
All he could do was place his hopes on his “dear little brother’s” divine abilities and hope Su Yi could pull off a miracle like he did when he slew River Ancestor Lu Shu’s three heart devils.
Dear little brother, huh…? When Su Yi heard that, the corners of his lips twitched imperceptibly. Finally, he said, “Don’t panic, Daoist Brother. Hold out a while longer. I need to chat with him first.”
River Ancestor Shen Xiao inwardly cursed him out. Seriously? At a time like this? And what could you possibly have to chat about with someone like him?
But he nonetheless plastered a smile on his face and said, “Rest assured, my dear little brother. I might be inept, but I can last a little while longer without difficulty.”
Su Yi suddenly inclined his head, then looked at the man in red. The man in red looked back at him, his gaze playful, as if he’d long since anticipated that Su Yi would do this.
“Do you have River Empress Peacock?” Su Yi asked directly.
The man in red laughed. “I do, but she’s no simple River Empress. As for her true origins… Well, you’ll naturally find out if you make it out of this alive.”
“Oh,” said Su Yi. “Have you been waiting for me to take action all this time?”
The question seemed strange and out of place, as if he were flattering himself. It left his companions gobsmacked.
But against their expectations, the man in red sighed approvingly. “You really are a clever one. It’s no wonder the peacock risked a Tribulation of Destiny to urge you not to come here.”
Su Yi thought back to the way she’d warned him, even at great cost to herself. Her beautiful face cracked and split, and blood gushed from the corners of her mouth. It was obvious that she’d been in extreme agony, yet she’d warned him anyway.
“So you’re saying that I was destined to come here?” asked Su Yi.
“Surely you already know the answer to that?” said the man in red, a strange light in his eyes.
He suddenly recalled what Mo Hanyi, one of the people trapped in the Book of Destiny, had told him.
Once he truly mastered the Book of Destiny, he’d have to be on guard against its tricks!
Don’t tell me that although the Book of Destiny cannot influence me, it can influence those around me to influence me indirectly? Is that what led to this disaster?
Yes, that’s most likely the case. There’s no other way to explain the cause and effect of this ‘predestined’ tribulation.
But there was one thing Su Yi still didn’t understand. Don’t tell me that guy really predicted all of this? How could he possibly have known I’d come here?
The man in red seemed to see right through him. He smiled faintly. “There’s far too much strangeness about you, and you’re obviously hiding enormous secrets. I’m nowhere near capable of seeing through them. I knew you were coming for other reasons entirely.”
Su Yi understood. It must have something to do with River Empress Peacock!
