Chapter 1162 - A Sword Amongst the Stars
Heaven and earth were silent and still.
An oppressive, stifling atmosphere filled the air.
“Despicable?” Xue Zining said flatly. “In our eyes, those beneath the World King level are mere ants. What right do you have to criticize us?”
Her voice was rife with contempt.
Mo Changkong of the Church of the River of Stars said leisurely, “If you want to live, you’re welcome to convince Su Xuanjun to send himself to his death of his own accord.”
Third Warden Yu Baichuan of the Nine Heavens Pavilion couldn’t help but laugh, “Sacrificing him will ensure the lives of everyone in the Wilds. What... a worthy trade-off!”
Ancestor Peng, the Heavensdeath Demon Empress, and the old glutton were so angry that their lungs practically exploded, and their expressions were unsightly to the extreme.
Who could have imagined that these experts from outer space would be this brutal, despicable, and cold-blooded?
They’d even resort to underhanded means to achieve their ends!
“No need to lose your temper over this. It’s not worth it.” Su Yi shook his head slightly, indicating that they should calm down.
“You have the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. If Su Xuanjun hasn’t come to his death by then, we’ll paint the Wilds red with blood,” said Xue Zining.
The surrounding area sank even deeper into silence following this ultimatum. It was so stifled that they could barely breathe.
A threat like that was far too brutal!
Imagine a ship with a hundred passengers, trapped at sea. If they pushed one person overboard, the remaining ninety-nine could live.
If they didn’t, all of them would die.
What should they choose given the circumstances?
If killing one person would save an entire city, should they kill that one person?
Suddenly, someone stammered, “Your... Your Excellency Su, your cultivation base is so powerful... could you... Could you step forth and... fight for the countless lives of the Wilds?”
The speaker was a tiny, gaunt man. He had Spirit Dao cultivation, and he looked entirely unassuming.
He’d obviously rallied all his courage, but when he spoke, he was still tentative and uneasy. His entire body quivered.
“Bastard!” shouted Ancestor Peng, thoroughly enraged. How could he fail to realize that the tiny Spirit Dao cultivator really wanted to send Su Yi to his death?
The other antiques were furious too. At a time like this, a spineless craven had appeared within the Wilds’ ranks. Who’d have guessed it?
The scrawny man was so terrified that his butt thudded to the ground, and he spoke in a voice choked with sobs. “But if he doesn’t step forth, everyone is going to die! I.... I can’t bear to see anything happen to my daughter. She only just turned one year old!”
Here, he burst into tears and wailed.
The crowd felt sorry for him, but also angry and stifled. They said the pitiful all had their detestable side, and that was certainly true here!
Suddenly, an old man stepped forth, seemingly ready to risk everything. He shouted, “Your Excellency Su, these experts of the stars beyond are here for you and you alone. Forgive my disrespect, but you caused this disaster, so shouldn’t you take responsibility for it?”
His voice spread throughout the entire area.
There was uproar amongst the crowd. Many people cursed the old man’s spinelessness.
But many others were silent.
Others even stepped forth to express their agreement.
“Your Excellency Su, aren’t the countless inhabitants of the Wilds innocent in this?”
“Don’t tell me everyone beneath the heavens is going to die because of His Excellency Su?”
A clamor of voices arose, reverberating beneath the dome of heaven.
Ancestor Peng and the others were both shocked and furious. Indeed, nothing tests a man’s character more than great adversity!
Meanwhile, in outer space, Xue Zining and the other World Kings broke into cold smiles. They’d long since anticipated this!
“Your Excellency Su, we’re as humble as ants. We’re far inferior to experts like you, and... all we want is to live!”
“Your Excellency Su, the Wilds are home to countless living creatures. You can’t truly bear to see us all buried with you, right?”
Waves of voices surged throughout the surrounding area. These scenes were a vivid depiction of human nature.
“I’ll go kill those bastards!” The Skythorn Poison Emperor roared in fury, no longer able to suppress his murderous intent.
But Su Yi waved for him to stop, then said softly, “Why take offense? Don’t tell me you plan to kill everyone beneath the heavens?”
Here, he swept his gaze across the area.
But everyone he looked at lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.
The clamor of voices disappeared, and the atmosphere was stifled and heavy once more.
“Everyone is afraid to die,” said Su Yi, his gaze distant and his tone casual. “It’s to be expected that they’d make this choice. What’s there to be angry about?
“Besides, if I don’t step forth now, I’ll become the greatest sinner in the Wilds, and I’ll have to bear endless curses.”
Here, he laughed. “Of course, they’re right, too. This calamity is targeted at me, and I should naturally take responsibility for it.”
His calm, casual words echoed throughout the silent landscape.
Many cultivators’ hearts filled with grief, and they gnashed their teeth, longing for nothing more than to kill those spineless cowards.
But many others inwardly sighed in relief as they realized that Su Xuanjun would step forth after all. In this way, they wouldn’t be implicated.
Ancestor Peng and the other old-timers’ emotions churned. They sighed deeply.
How could they not understand that this was just human nature?
But when they really saw it with their own eyes, it was still indescribably disappointing, and they felt Su Yi deserved better.
“Have you people even considered that without Su Xuanjun, the cultivation world of the Wilds will one day fall to the powerhouses of outer space? They’re after the secrets of reincarnation, and our Dark and Gold Treasures, too!” the old glutton said gravely. “When a nest is overturned, no eggs remain intact. Do you really think you can afford to just worry about yourselves?”
Su Yi raised his hand to stop him. “Old-timer, no need to say anymore. You’re a scholar. Don’t tell me you don’t understand that this is just how the world is? If you force them to act like you, you’ll just be claiming the moral high ground as you blackmail people into submission.”
The old glutton shook his head, sighed, and grimaced. “I understand all that, but... Even if it’s in the name of saving the inhabitants of the Wilds... How can they demand that you... throw your life away?”
Here, he scanned the onlookers and said emphatically, “Is this right!?”
Everyone sank even deeper into silence.
“Your anger is misdirected, old-timer,” Su Yi said calmly. “Our enemies are to blame for this. They pulled this rule out of nowhere. Are you really going to act in accordance with their whims and blame the inhabitants of the Wilds? Aren’t you just doing what our enemies want you to do?”
The old glutton was stunned, and he instantly fell silent. He’s right. If our enemies hadn’t threatened us, how could this have happened?
“So what if you understand that, Su Xuanjun? Ultimately, we have the strength to make the rules, and you... can only passively decide to follow them or face the consequences!” Xue Zining’s cold voice emanated from above.
Su Yi looked up. “That so? In that case, when I venture into the depths of outer space, I’ll give as good as I got. I’ll make each of your factions choose too. When the time comes, I’ll be interested to see just what choice they make!”
His tone was casual, but the implications sent inexplicable chills down the World Kings’ spines.
“Planning for the future?” Xue Zining laughed. “But Su Xuanjun... you don’t have a future!”
The other World Kings laughed along.
Their lofty, superior attitude left Ancestor Peng and the others so stifled, they felt as if their chests were about to explode.
Su Yi looked at his allies. “Trust me when I say that the harder they laugh now, the more unsightly their deaths will seem.”
Clang!
The hum of a sword rang out, and without the slightest hesitation, Su Yi gripped the Tiny Heart of the Cosmos, stepped into the air, and charged into the firmament.
Everyone’s heart shook. Is Su Xuanjun... really going to his death!?
“No matter what Su Xuanjun says, if he dies, I’ll have you people accompany him to the grave! I won’t spare a single one of you!” the Heavensdeath Demon Empress roared in fury, her murderous intent rising into the heavens. Her knifelike gaze swept across the onlookers.
The onlookers were so startled that they almost broke down. All of them were despondent, as if they were attending their parents’ funerals.
“Things are nowhere near that point yet. For now... just watch,” Buddhist Master Inkstone Heart said solemnly.
Ancestor Peng and the others all looked over.
The stars beyond the Wilds.
When they saw Su Yi charging toward them, the World Kings’ eyes lit up. They looked at each other and smiled.
We succeeded! Su Xuanjun ultimately took the bait!
“Tch, I truly wouldn’t have thought the reincarnation of the Temple Master would be so kindhearted as to sacrifice himself to avoid implicating the masses.” High Elder Zhang Bailing of the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect couldn’t help but jeer. “Anyone even a little ruthless wouldn’t have fallen for this. After all, as long as you're alive, who cares what disaster befalls others?”
The others burst into laughter.
“If he weren’t so compassionate, I'm afraid he wouldn’t be coming here to die,” laughed Mo Changkong.
They’d planned this from behind the scenes, and as they watched Su Yi approach, they were ready and raring to go. They could no longer suppress their surging murderous intent.
It was as if they were watching their prey fling itself into their net, or rather, as if the secrets of reincarnation were offering themselves up on a silver platter!
“When he arrives, let’s attack together. We need to capture him first. Once we’ve squeezed the secrets of reincarnation out of him, we can send him on his way,” Xue Zining said softly.
“Got it!”
The other World Kings nodded their agreement.
Whoosh!
Before long, Su Yi leaped through the air and arrived in that stretch of stars.
Zhang Bailing of the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect was the first to lose control and attack.
Boom!
His frame was withered and short, and his hair and beard were scraggly and unkempt, but when he attacked, the entire stretch of stars shook. The terrifying power of the Laws interwove, making him seem like a god going into battle.
How terrifying was a true World King?
They could pluck the stars with their bare hands, and destroy a world with a swing of their sleeves!
Their mastery of the power of the Laws far transcended the Imperial Realm!
Their clones had at most thirty percent of the original’s strength.
“Come!” Zhang Bailing grinned mid-charge, stretched out his hand, and grabbed.
Weng!
A fully thousand-foot hand appeared out of nowhere, its fingers like pillars holding up the heavens. The explosive, boundless power of his Laws surrounding each digit, bearing down on the void as he reached for Su Yi.
It was like a massive cage of the Grand Dao, blanketing the sky and blotting out the sun!
Too terrifying!
In Su Yi’s shoes, an Imperial Apex cultivator couldn’t have even fought back. The imposing aura emanating from that giant hand would suppress their cultivation base, leaving them helpless to even struggle.
Off in the distance, the power of Su Yi’s Dao rumbled around him, scattering a rain of light as his cultivation base soared to new heights.
Instead of dodging, he gripped the Tiny Heart of the Cosmos and leaped into the fray.
Boom!
The Tiny Heart of the Cosmos burst with divine radiance, like flowing light boring through the void of outer space, bringing with it unstoppable sword intent.
Above the Sea of Falling Stars, the old-timers were more nervous than ever before, their hearts on tenterhooks.
Su Yi had only just stepped into the stars beyond the Wilds. No one had expected the grand battle to break out just like that!
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