When the monk and the Monarch of Endless Tribulations first appeared, Su Yi sensed an unprecedented, strange movement in the Book of Destiny.

It was then that he sensed Xiao Jian’s imprint for the first time!

There was no need for words. By sensing Xiao Jian’s imprint with his soul, Su Yi learned both of his opponents’ identities.

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations was the ruler of the Abyss of Endless Tribulations, a terrifying existence who controlled the Tribulations of Destiny.

The monk was from the Spirit Mountain Buddhist Court. He was one of its three Buddhas, the Buddha of Non-Existence.

The Buddha of Non-Existence had long since broken through the shackles of Eternity, traversing the River of Destiny alone to reach the Far Shore, where he’d become a famous, enlightened monk.

Long, long ago, the Buddha of Non-Existence vowed to send his true body to suppress the Abyss of Endless Tribulations, a source of calamity, to protect both those cultivators above and below the River of Disaster. He wanted to change the world!

But the Monarch of Endless Tribulations naturally wouldn’t agree to that. The way he saw it, tribulations were part of destiny and part of individual beings’ fates. There was no avoiding tribulations in life.

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations wanted nothing more than to leave the Abyss of Endless Tribulations and use his power over the Tribulations of Destiny to restore the former order of the River of Destiny—and in doing so, bring back its long-suppressed calamities.

This goal was naturally in direct opposition to the Buddha of Non-Existence’s vow, and their strengths and cultivations were on the same level. Neither could defeat the other.

They both knew that it was the Book of Destiny that would determine the ultimate victor of their duel. Whoever acquired it would realize their ambitions and defeat their opponent!

And the Book of Destiny was the most mysterious treasure of the River of Destiny. For a long time, it lay hidden in the deepest depths of the Abyss of Endless Tribulations. No one managed to control it.

Not even the Monarch of Endless Tribulations could acquire it.

The Buddha of Non-Existence and the Monarch of Endless Tribulations initially agreed to fight in the Abyss of Endless Tribulations because they hoped their battle would earn one of them the book’s recognition.

Neither of them anticipated that their battle would continue past the end of the Primordial Era and throughout the Devastation. It raged on to this day.

And Xiao Jian was the biggest variable in all this.

He’d appeared during the Devastation and entered the Abyss of Endless Tribulations. There, he practically did nothing at all before winning the Book of Destiny’s recognition and leaving with the treasure that the Monarch of Endless Tribulations and the Buddha of Non-Existence longed for even in their dreams.

That was when their enmity began.

Without the Book of Destiny, the Monarch of Endless Tribulations and the Buddha of Non-Existence couldn’t defeat each other, but they couldn’t end their battle until someone won, so they remained locked in a perpetual standoff.

This was the enmity that existed between Xiao Jian, the Monarch of Endless Tribulations, and the Buddha of Non-Existence. It all began with the Book of Destiny.

But their enmity wasn’t that simple. Over the years, their enmity had planted numerous karmic seeds.

As an expert of the Spirit Mountain Buddhist Court, the Buddha of Non-Existence had guided the Buddhas of the past, present, and future.

And River Empress Peacock was an honorary disciple he’d taken on while exploring the world beneath the River of Destiny.

Why did River Empress Peacock risk her life to save the three Buddhas during the Devastation? It was simple. In a sense, they were all from the same sect!

It was for this reason that River Empress Peacock told Su Yi that the seeds of this calamity were sown the moment he met her and the white-robed monk, the fusion of the three Buddhas, on the River of Destiny.

All of this karma began with the Buddha of Non-Existence!

The strangest part was that this particular karmic thread was intertwined with numerous others.

Xiao Jian, one of Su Yi’s past lives, had enmity with the Buddha of Non-Existence, while Su Yi had enmity with his juniors, the Buddhas of the Past, Present, and Future.

He had a positive connection with his honorary disciple, River Empress Peacock, too.

Not long ago, River Empress Peacock had risked herself to save Su Yi, opposing the monk in white.

These karmic threads overlapped and intertwined, connecting Xiao Jian, Su Yi, the Buddha of Non-Existence, the white-robed monk, and many others.

Meanwhile, the Monarch of Endless Tribulations had a grudge against Xiao Jian, too.

Not long ago, a wisp of his soul, Wei E, had gotten acquainted with Su Yi in the Spirit Treasure Celestial City.

Wei E carried the Buddha of Non-Existence’s “bodhisattva pendant,” while River Empress Peacock’s true name had fused with the Monarch of Endless Tribulation’s Key to Endless Tribulations.

The former River Ancestor Lu Shu was the Monarch of Endless Tribulation’s subordinate, a Harbinger of Tribulations, but he was also River Empress Peacock’s old friend.

These karmic threads were complicated to describe, but if Xiao Jian, the Monarch of Endless Tribulations, and the Buddha of Non-Existence were each considered a separate strand, then all three strands were connected to Su Yi, the white-robed monk, River Empress Peacock, Wei E, and the others.

Were someone to examine these karmic threads more closely, it wouldn’t be difficult to discover that they arose when Xiao Jian first claimed the Book of Destiny from the Abyss of Endless Tribulations.

Simply put, it was all connected to the Book of Destiny. It was the fundamental “cause” of all this.

While today’s battle was the ultimate “effect” of this cause.

As for Wang Zhiwu, Lu Shi, River Ancestor Shen Xiao, and the others? All were influenced by the Book of Destiny. It seemed that karma had given rise to all manner of wondrous developments.

To Su Yi, these karmic threads seemed scattered and random. It was only after sensing Xiao Jian’s Dao Imprint that he started to understand the truth. It was as if all had suddenly become clear. All of these karmic threads were now clearly reflected in his heart.

Only now did Su Yi truly understand how mystical the Book of Destiny really was.

It was just as Mo Hanyi said. Whoever held the Book of Destiny was sure to be influenced by it.

That was true for Xiao Jian, too, as well as for the combatants locked in a seemingly perpetual standoff!

But Su Yi was certain that he hadn’t been directly influenced by the Book of Destiny. Instead, these karmic threads had influenced those around him, affecting him indirectly.

It was because he now understood all of these karmic threads that Su Yi was so decisive in the face of the Monarch of Endless Tribulations and the Buddha of Non-Existence, directly returning Wei E and River Empress Peacock.

All of this was to completely sever this karma that was intertwining him and his past life.

Sometimes, only the person who’d created a problem could resolve it. Xiao Jian’s imprint was here to fight this battle!

Xiao Jian was borrowing Su Yi’s battle, but Su Yi hadn’t lost his awareness. He saw every moment of Xiao Jian’s battle with those two terrifying experts in full detail.

But when he saw Xiao Jian try to activate his Dao Imprint in the Sword of the Nine Hells, Su Yi could no longer remain seated. He’d decided to intervene.

He could have fused with Xiao Jian’s Dao Imprint back in the God Domain, but he’d never done so.

Why?

Because he hoped to one day uncover the Book of Destiny’s secrets, then do whatever it took to bring him back!

And Xiao Jian’s Dao Imprint in the Sword of the Nine Hells played an unquestionably crucial role in this. Using it would ruin Su Yi’s plans to bring Xiao Jian back.

Even if Xiao Jian himself didn’t care, Su Yi cared!

Thus, he didn’t hesitate to circulate the power of his soul and control his sea of consciousness, suppressing the Sword of the Nine Hells’ movements.

Xiao Jian was stunned, then surprised.

A moment later, he seemed to understand. An exasperated smile tugged at his lips. He transmitted, “We’ve reached a critical juncture in this battle. How can you hold me back at a time like this? It’s unbecoming! If I lose, it won’t end well for you either! Quick, release your hold on the sword!”

“If your imprint vanishes, the old-timers in the Book of Destiny are sure to rebel, and if your Dao Imprint vanishes, there’s no way I can bring you back!” Su Yi said firmly. “Leave the rest to me!”

Xiao Jian’s brow furrowed, and he was inwardly a bit vexed, but he couldn’t bring himself to be truly angry.

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations and the Buddha of Non-Existence’s gazes were a bit strange. They could sense that something was amiss.

Earlier, Xiao Jian had confidently insisted that his victory was assured. His two terrifying opponents assumed that meant he was about to risk it all, and they’d mentally prepared themselves for it.

But against all expectations, even after waiting a while, Xiao Jian did nothing at all. His expression just shifted in strange ways, as if he were frustrated or angry. Something had obviously gone wrong!

“Xiao Jian, don’t tell me your imprint has suffered a backlash from the other you?” jeered the Monarch of Endless Tribulations.

The Buddha of Non-Existence said warmly, “Setting aside your obsessions is itself a form of release. Even if you defeat us, you’ll have just destroyed two of our clones. It will do nothing to remedy the situation.”

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations said firmly, “You’re mistaken, Monk. Xiao Jian has no hope of victory!”

As they spoke, they made no attempt to strike the killing blow against Xiao Jian. It wasn’t that they were afraid, but that they disdained to do so.

Hearing this only made Xiao Jian even more exasperated. Even just looking at these two arrogant old codgers is unpleasant.

“How can you possibly resolve this situation? If you can really do it, hurry up!” Xiao Jian transmitted to Su Yi. “Sword cultivators aren’t afraid to die, and I should have died a long time ago. Nothing in this world can bring me back to life!”

He didn’t tell Su Yi this, but it wasn’t true. If he wanted to live, he could do so by using his Dao Imprint to supplant Su Yi.

But Xiao Jian disdained to do so. That was true in the God Domain, and it was true now, too.

“I actually can’t resolve this situation, but I know someone who can,” said Su Yi.

Xiao Jian blinked. “Who?”

“Me!” A grave voice full of dense resentment and displeasure rang out. “Su Yi, didn’t you tell him that I, the Big Boss of Sword Sovereign City, could quell all of this unrest?”

This was the voice of their first incarnation’s heart devil. He was obviously beside himself with frustration, and once he started talking, he couldn’t stop. “I know you’re resentful about the way I refused to help you last time, and that you’re unwilling to ask for help again, but I had my reasons then. How could you be so petty as to ignore me like this?”

“???” Xiao Jian didn’t know what to make of this.

Su Yi was struck dumb, too.

“Fortunately, I’ve always been magnanimous. A great man overlooks a lesser man’s faults. I won’t get hung up on such trivialities.” The heart devil rattled on. “After all, we’re all ultimately the same person. Is there any need to sulk like this?”

“You’re wrong, you know,” said Su Yi.

The heart devil said irritably, “What did I get wrong?”

“I planned on asking you for help right from the start,” said Su Yi.

The heart devil didn’t know what to say.