Chapter 2847 - A Man Dies Facing the Sky, and a Dog Remains Standing Even in Death
Li Sansheng was entirely unassuming, but when he got aggressive, he acted like the biggest, toughest guy around.
The four Heavenly Sovereigns’ expressions were utterly grim, and they were transmitting among themselves, but it was unclear what they were saying.
When Li Sansheng chastised him, Hei Ya’s expression darkened even further. “The Eternal Pact of the All-Profound Dominion is no more, and that old bastard from Sword Sovereign City has already entered the cycle of reincarnation. I don’t understand. You’re no more than a dog without a master. Where do you get the confidence to bark like this in front of me?”
Boom!
Li Sansheng took a step forward and punched. Heaven and earth spun. Time and space inverted. It was just a casual punch, but all Daos collapsed in a vision of utter destruction. The void split.
Hei Ya flew back like an arrow, shooting far into the distance. His chest caved in, and blood splattered from his mouth.
Li Sansheng attacked again. It was as if he’d transformed into a blazing windstorm. Wherever he went, time and space split and churned like boiling water. When he swung his fist, sword qi whooshed forth, stinging the eyes.
Hei Ya’s expression shifted dramatically as he blocked with all his might.
Clang!
A deafening impact rang out as Hei Ya’s sword flew from his grip. That tyrannical sword qi sliced his entire right arm to pieces as effortlessly as if it were made of rotten wood.
Without any further hesitation, he bellowed and flung that black bone cauldron. It was highly strange. It whooshed through the air like a humming sword, intricate cloud markings billowing from its interior, like the natural order of the Dao of the Sword.
When it whooshed through the air, an indescribably terrifying pressure swept forth. It actually managed to block Li Sansheng’s attacks!
Hei Ya sighed in relief.
But before he could relax, Li Sansheng flipped his palm and took hold of a sword. It was as dark as ink, dull and without luster. The name “Snow Cap” was carved on its hilt in characters the size of a fly’s head.
When Li Sansheng swung it, a massive rift tore through the power emanating from the black bone cauldron. When it collided with the cauldron, the treasure shook violently and wailed.
Chills coursed down Hei Ya’s spine.
He recognized that sword; it was the one the Big Boss of Sword Sovereign City had used in his youth. Rumor had it that the sword was overly bloodthirsty. It had cut down countless foes, feasting on their blood, and over the years, it had grown utterly ferocious.
When the Big Boss reached the peak of his Dao, this sword no longer suited his mentality, so he’d sealed it and two others, then tossed them into a forbidden zone of the River of Destiny known as the Cavern of Swords. But throughout the ages, no one had ever learned just where the Cavern of Swords was located.
Back in the day, the sword cultivators of Sword Sovereign City had tried to seek it out, but none of them managed to find anything. According to the Big Boss, the three swords were no more than external objects, and they’d originally belonged to the River of Destiny, so it was only right that they returned to it. He said that only those fated to receive them could find them!
Boom!
With a sword in hand, Li Sansheng couldn’t be bothered to waste time on talk. He leaped through the air and attacked three times in rapid succession.
Each strike slammed ruthlessly into the black bone cauldron, cleaving open a hole on its surface. It split with a massive, heaven-shaking wail. Glittering blue sword intent billowed from its interior with terrifying force, like an apocalyptic flood.
But that was nowhere near enough to hold Li Sansheng back. He didn’t even look at it. He just swung his sword, shattering the flood of blue sword intent into pieces. It dissipated and vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.
When the four Heavenly Sovereigns watched from a distance, their brows furrowed, and their expressions darkened. Too terrifying!
Li Sansheng’s strength looked like it was on a similar level to that of the Heavenly Sovereigns, but his actual power was beyond theirs. It was unbelievable!
The four Heavenly Sovereigns naturally understood that he had strength far beyond theirs, and right now, that he was roughly on their level in strength to avoid a backlash from the laws of Destiny. But he was ultimately far beyond the Heavenly Sovereigns!
Li Sansheng’s gaze was cold and derisive. “Yun Wuxiang just gave you that useless trinket? He really doesn’t see traitorous dogs like you as human.”
Hei Ya said coldly, “His Excellency Yun Wuxiang is currently on the River of Destiny, too. Now that you’ve revealed yourself, he’ll come find you to settle the score sooner or later!”
Before his voice had even finished echoing through the air, he shrank down to the size of a mustard seed and vanished.
Li Sansheng laughed. “Fled again, huh? You sure are spineless...”
He took a step forward and pointed his sword into the distance.
Boom!
Where his sword pointed, time and space melted like a candle ninety thousand feet away. Sword qi shot out of the melted spacetime, bringing a figure with it!
Upon closer inspection, that was none other than Hei Ya, except he’d been dragged out like prey. The sword qi had run him through, and he could do nothing to stop it from carrying him away. Blood gushed from his wound.
Li Sansheng appeared out of nowhere, seized Hei Ya by the throat, and twisted. The sound of crunching bones rang out, making the onlookers’ scalps tingle with fright.
Soon, Hei Ya’s neck was as twisted as a fried dough twist. Li Sansheng suddenly yanked, and... Pop! Splurt! He decapitated Hei Ya as if pulling a radish out of the dirt. A waterfall of blood gushed from the stump.
The Heavenly Sovereigns couldn’t help but gasp, their expressions shifting erratically.
Lu Hongpao instinctively rubbed her cheek. Who is this guy? He’s seriously this ferocious? I don’t know who he is, but there’s one thing I can say for sure. He’s my good brother’s reinforcements!
Lu Hongpao didn’t doubt that conclusion for a second. The thought filled her with indescribable delight.
What was a greater cause for celebration than narrowly escaping a disaster?
“Li Sansheng, if you dare to kill me, you’ll make an enemy out of the Greater Purity Sect!” shouted Hei Ya, his eyes bulging hideously. “Without the Big Boss of Sword Sovereign City to back you up, you cannot possibly withstand their fury!”
Li Sansheng sighed. “You really weren’t worthy of cultivating in Sword Sovereign City. Otherwise, how could you possibly have wasted your breath on such contemptible nonsense?”
Every sword cultivator in Sword Sovereign City took pride in their courage in the face of death! Anyone who showed the slightest sign of reservations about fighting, killing, and dying was mocked. It was seen as a grave humiliation.
Even the old dogs were always saying things like, “A man ought to die facing the sky, and a dog ought to remain standing even in death, dammit!”
A place inhabited exclusively by those unafraid to die, and proud of it. There was undoubtedly nowhere else like it!
Even the Big Boss found it exasperating. He often said that it was good for sword cultivators to be fearless, but they shouldn’t just recklessly throw their lives away, either.
But few listened.
Even the Big Boss was known to sigh, “Why are my citizens’ spines so unyielding?”
It was really quite strange.
That was why Li Sansheng sneered with such contempt when Hei Ya tried to use the Greater Purity Sect to threaten him.
Li Sansheng kicked Hei Ya, blasting his body to bits. He then seized Hei Ya’s soul and stuffed it into his severed head.
Hei Ya’s expression contorted, suddenly extraordinarily hideous. He hissed, “Li Sansheng, how dare you destroy my body? Should the opportunity arise, I’ll pluck your tendons, skin you, and cut you into ten thousand pieces. Then, I’ll refine your soul into lamp oil!”
Li Sansheng held Hei Ya’s head aloft and said, “Don’t be afraid. As much as I’d love to slap you to death, you traitorous dog, the Big Boss said that if the Greater Purity Sect likes spineless traitors like you so much, he can keep you!”
“You’re... letting me go?” Hei Ya looked stunned.
“Of course,” Li Sansheng said with a laugh. “But you’ll live a life worse than death. Only then can I vent my hatred.”
He stretched out his finger and tapped.
Bang!
Firelight flowed, and Hei Ya’s head transformed into that of a black dog’s.
The art of Spirit Transformation.
When Li Sansheng fought his enemies, he frequently compared them to ants. If his enemies refused to accept the comparison, he’d use Spirit Transformation to change them into literal ants, then ask, “Do you believe me now?”
Whenever he did so, his enemies broke down. They wanted to cry, but they had no tears.
Now, he’d turned Hei Ya’s head into that of a dog. This was unquestionably even more humiliating. The onlookers found the transformation incomparably absurd, but more than that, deeply unsettling.
Hei Ya was frantic with anger. He cursed, “Fuck you, you son of abitch. You—”
Li Sansheng clamped Hei Ya’s muzzle shut and laughed. “I’ve refined your soul into a candle. It’ll burn out within two hours. Let’s see if you can find your master before that happens. Ah, but even if you do, who’s to say he’ll bother saving a wretch like you?”
Hei Ya’s dog eyes filled with shock and fury, but with his jaw clamped shut, all he could do was whimper.
Li Sansheng rubbed Hei Ya’s dog head. “I left a seal on this dog head of yours. It’s the Big Boss’s message for Yun Wuxiang.”
With that, he flung Hei Ya’s dog head into the distance. It quickly faded into the endless starscape.
Only then did he turn to look at the four Heavenly Sovereigns. All of them instantly tensed as if preparing to meet a powerful foe.
Hei Ya’s miserable fate was more than enough to convince them of Li Sansheng’s terrifyingness. Their hearts were as heavy as could be.
“I’ve got to say, you’re lucky. The Eternal Pact has been destroyed, but the Big Boss won’t let anything damage his credibility just because of that,” said Li Sansheng. “In other words, I won’t act against you.”
The four Heavenly Sovereigns exchanged glances, but they didn’t react in the slightest. Their expressions remained as alert as before. But they showed no sign of fear. They obviously had reason to be confident!
“I know that all of you have hidden cards, and I suspect you’ve all long since made contact with the factions of the Far Shore of Destiny,” said Li Sansheng. “After all, as Heavenly Sovereigns, you’re supreme rulers here on the River of Destiny. That makes you useful to the old-timers of the far shore.”
As he spoke, he drew closer. “In that case, why not see if your hidden cards are enough to escape my sword?”
Li Sansheng’s gaze filled with longing. “It’s been a long, long time since I last saw a real expert from the Far Shore.”
Heavenly Sovereign Wen said gravely, “Do you really want to test us?”
“I’m downright eager,” said Li Sansheng.
The four Heavenly Sovereigns exchanged glances. They’d obviously long since discussed and agreed on their countermeasures.
Heavenly Sovereign Wen stepped forth and held an apricot-yellow bamboo tube aloft. “Daoist Brother, I’ll have to trouble you to reveal yourself!”
