First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2410 – The Truth of the Tribulation of the Five Witherings

The palace hall was thoroughly lamplit.

An old man sat alone atop a skeletal throne. The depths of his gaze churned with inscrutable light, forming curtains. Scenes flashed across them, like flowers viewed from the back of a galloping horse.

These scenes depicted none other than Su Yi killing those King-Level Celestial Demons in the ruins of Sky Wolf Workshop!

Even after the visions faded away, the old man’s gaze remained as clear as the waters of a lake, without the slightest ripples.

“Send word to Demon Emperor Chi Nie that the fish has flung itself into the net. It’s time to put our plan into motion,” the old man said softly. “Also, send word to Progenitor Huan Yan of the Thousand Transformations Soul Demons and Progenitor Huang Qi of the Deathless Body Demons. Tell them I’d like to meet with them.”

“I shall assiduously carry out your orders, Progenitor!”

A respectful voice emanated from outside the palace. Immediately afterward, a streak of blood-red light shot into the firmament.

“Back then, everyone in the Boundless Battlefield said your heart was unbreakable, Li Fuyou. They called you the bane of our race. This time…. I’ll be eager to see just how firm your heart really is.” The old man stroked the armrests of his throne, a hint of eagerness at the depths of his clear gaze. “In this world, there’s no other opponent I take so seriously…”

……

An hour later, two figures arrived in the black palace.

The first had a cold, craggy face, like a boulder. The other was a tall, sharp-eyed man with eyes that glinted like swords. He was dressed in plain cloth robes, and his bare arms looked as if they’d been forged out of molten gold. They glowed with imposing luster.

Huang Qi.

The Progenitor of the Deathless Body Demons!

The other was a woman as ethereal as a cloud. Her whole body looked like it was formed out of mist. Even her features and figure were indistinct, like a dream of illusion. No one could see her true features clearly.

Huan Yan.

She was the progenitor of the Thousand Transformations Celestial Demons, and she too was an Outsider Celestial Demon Progenitor. Rumor had it that even now, no one knew what she really looked like.

This was due to her proficiency in the art of illusions. Not even the mightiest of divine abilities could see through her illusions!

“Li Fuyou is here?” the tall, stalwart Progenitor Huang Qi asked as soon he entered the grand hall. His voice went off like a thunderclap.

“That’s right,” nodded the old man on the skeletal throne. “That’s exactly what I invited the two of you here to discuss.”

“What need is there for discussion? Let’s just act in accordance with our original plan,” said Progenitor Huan Yan, her voice cold, clear, and ethereal.

“No matter how meticulous a plan, it can’t keep up with all possible variables,” the old man said slowly. “As I’m sure you’re well aware, this is our only chance before the Dark Days of Legend arrive. If we miss it, people like us will have no further hope of returning to the River of Destiny!”

Progenitors Huang Qi and Huan Yan exchanged glances. Both were instantly much more solemn.

The old man waved his sleeve through the air, and the palace doors silently shut.

……

Su Yi walked alone through an overcast gray landscape. He had only his shadow for company, but he wasn’t at all lonely.

On the path of cultivation, gatherings were always few and far between, while partings were all too common. Time in solitude was far, far more plentiful than times of excitement.

“Loneliness” was only ever a problem during times of frustration.

Su Yi’s heart contained the Grand Dao, and his aspirations were focused on his cultivation, so he actually enjoyed the time he spent alone.

The Boundless Battlefield had neither day nor night. Heaven and earth were oppressively gray and overcast year-round.

Su Yi carried a jug of wine and traveled on foot. There was no avoiding running into numerous dangers along the way.

The greatest threat wasn’t the natural disasters, nor was it the Outsider Celestial Demons. Rather, it was the Undying Divine Corpses and other such strange lifeforms, as well as the ancient variant species who lived here.

Fortunately, none of the opponents he ran into were all that strong. Su Yi was strong enough to kill Eight-Tribulation Master Gods with ease, so he was more than capable of contending with the threats along the way.

A day later.

Su Yi was in a mountain pass taking inventory of his spoils.

He had nine types of Undying Source Power. Their qualities varied, but they were all extremely rare and impossible to find in the outside world.

That aside, there were several other divine and Undying materials, too.

“Given an abundance of time, how wonderful would it be to traverse the Boundless Battlefield alone to hunt beasts and kill Celestial Demons?” sighed Su Yi. The current Boundless Battlefield was incomparably perilous, but it was for that reason that Su Yi saw it as the perfect place to temper himself!

Before long, he set those thoughts aside, got up, and rushed along.

The only thing that dampened Su Yi’s spirits was that he’d yet to encounter a single expert of the God Domain.

In the past, there’d been cities throughout the Boundless Battlefield, all of them built and overseen by cultivators of the God Domain.

But now, the cities had either been destroyed outright or hollowed out.

An hour more, and I’ll reach Dao-Seeking City. I just hope… Su Yi’s heart was uncharacteristically tense, his mood downcast.

He hoped Dao-Seeking City hadn’t been laid to waste, too!

Crack!

Suddenly, a thunderclap resounded throughout the sky. Su Yi whipped his head up to look, and saw a stretch of dark, blood-red thunderclouds silently gathering overhead, like blood condensing into ink and staining the sky red.

An oppressive air of calamity spread throughout the entire stretch of heaven and earth.

Terrifying roars and high-pitched shrieks arose on all sides. All manner of strange lifeforms fled for their lives, clearly frantic. They were trying desperately to escape the bounds of the dark red clouds.

Kaboom!

Swarms of Void Ants shifted through space, and Undying Divine Corpses erupted from the ground and fled in panic.

Even the numerous Outsider Celestial Demons hidden throughout the surrounding area were panicked and terrified. They scampered away like mad.

The entire area was in chaos. It was like the descent of the apocalypse.

Su Yi narrowed his eyes and gazed at the blood-red thunder clouds hanging beneath the dome of heaven. An irrepressible, stifled sense of terror and despair rose in his heart. His whole body tensed, and even his essence, qi, and spirit felt its terrifying influence. This was the sense of an unprecedented impending calamity.

The Tribulation of the Five Witherings!

Su Yi didn’t even need to think to know that this was the strange cataclysm that had changed the Boundless Battlefield.

In the jade slip the Angler had given him, Su Yi saw the tribulation’s effects. Everything it touched collapsed. Heaven and earth caved in, and everything was annihilated. It was utterly terrifying.

It was the appearance of the Tribulation of the Five Witherings that had ravaged the Boundless Battlefield. There was no counting how many of its inhabitants had died. Even some of its forbidden zones had been destroyed!

Now, Su Yi could see the Tribulation of the Five Witherings with his own eyes

There was no denying it: the tribulation really was terrifying. Its mere aura was enough to make Su Yi’s heart palpitate.

He couldn’t even imagine how terrifying this tribulation’s power would be when it descended.

“Ee? The aura of the Tribulation of the Five Witherings?” A voice emanated from within the rusted sheeth. “Tch, it’s really been a long time since I last saw a tribulation like this.”

Outwardly, Su Yi’s expression didn’t change. Despite knowing the answer, he asked, “Is it dangerous?”

“If you want to learn its origins, just ask directly. No need to beat around the bush,” said the heart devil. “Furthermore, you needn’t worry about owing me over something so trivial.”

He spoke with utter disregard.

He’d only just said this when the blood-red thunderclouds churned violently overhead, and tribulation fell, like a rain of countless blood-red flowers.

Wherever the tribulation light passed, the sky collapsed and split, and the landscape burned and withered, offering no more resistance than paper window panelling.

Some of the ancient variant species couldn’t flee in time, and they were instantly reduced to ash, destroyed in both body and soul.

Su Yi’s pupils constricted, but just as he was about to turn and leave, the Epoch Spark seemed to sense the danger from inside his body. It silently emerged, then hovered above Su Yi’s head.

It scattered divine chaos flames, and their mysterious and inscrutable power blocked the aura of the tribulation.

The effects on Su Yi’s mind and body instantly vanished.

This unbelievable development left even Su Yi stunned.

“See? The Epoch Spark can help you neutralize the Tribulation of the Five Witherings,” said the heart devil. “The reason is simple. The Tribulation of the Five Witherings is born of the source of an epoch civilization’s natural order.

“This tribulation only appears when great changes arise in an epoch civilization’s natural order.

“As I’m sure you’ve realized, the Dark Days of Legend will soon be upon us. For the Tribulation of the Five Witherings to appear now is a sign.

“Let’s put it like this,” said the heart devil, the words flowing out of him. “When the Tribulation of the Five Witherings appears fully in the God Domain, it will mark the true onset of the Dark Days of Tribulation.”

Su Yi was finally starting to understand. “So you’re saying that I can use the state of the Tribulation of the Five Witherings to estimate the arrival time of the Dark Days of Legend?”

“That’s right,” said the heart devil. “But this time is different.”

“How is it different?” asked Su Yi.

“Nothing like the Dark Days of Legend happened in prior epochs,” said the heart devil. “You’ll understand the reasons behind it all once you get the chance to bring order to creation.”

As they conversed, the Tribulation of the Five Witherings erupted fully. A downpour of blood-red tribulation light enveloped heaven and earth. The dome of heaven seemed to collapse, the ground split, and the sky cracked and crumbled.

Countless strange lifeforms failed to flee in time. Instead, they were instantly ground away to nothingness.

The rain of light effortlessly shattered the body of an ancient variant species comparable in strength to a Nine-Tribulation Master God. What remained of the beast’s soul fled the area, shrieking in terror and agony.

Even Su Yi couldn’t help but gasp at the sight of it. This tribulation was just too terrifying!

But Su Yi did indeed discover that the Epoch Spark had formed a barrier around him, fully blocking and neutralizing the tribulation’s power. It didn’t affect him in the slightest.

Outside the barrier, heaven and earth caved in, and everything was destroyed.

Within the barrier, everything was tranquil and calm. The atmosphere was even soothing.

The Epoch Spark’s chaos flames brought with them inscrutable power that prevented the Tribulation of the Five Witherings from getting within one hundred feet.

“Fellow Daoist, save me——!”

Off in the distance, an Undying Divine Corpse discovered the safe zone around Su Yi and rushed toward him like mad.

Su Yi didn’t hesitate to shoot into the firmament, directly toward the blood-red clouds manifested of the Tribulation of the Five Witherings.

The Undying Divine Corpse was stunned. Then, it visibly broke down, gave into despair, and glowered with fury and resentment.

Moments later, it and the other strange lifeforms perished beneath the tribulation, erased completely.

Su Yi, however, just stood there, hovering in the air and advancing no further.