The heart devil in the rusted sheath really was initially stunned, then gratified. This kid is finally willing to talk like a normal person!

He knew that what really pushed Su Yi to ask for his help was his desire to save Xiao Jian.

That Su Yi had asked for help even after being refused last time pleased the heart devil immensely. He even couldn’t help but wonder if he’d been acting unreasonably earlier. Was he perhaps being too strict with his reincarnation in the name of balance?

Others laid their hidden cards out on the table without reservation or found powerful backers as if it were perfectly natural.

These two old-timers had friggin’ broken the shackles of destiny. Who knew how powerful their cultivation bases were? Yet here they were, bullying his reincarnation, a mere Divine Wandering Realm junior.

Wasn’t that... Over the line?

Others found backers as casually as they drank water. Why shouldn’t his reincarnation do the same?

Why couldn’t he be proactive when those old-codgers were out to bully his reincarnation?

For a moment, the heart devil in the rusted sheath even felt somewhat apologetic toward Su Yi and guilty for not intervening earlier. Dammit! Those two old-timers have to explain themselves!

“I’m dead set on intervening, whether you want me to or not!” said the heart devil, seething with murderous intent as he reached a decision.

Xiao Jian was inwardly bewildered. Who even is this guy? How could he be so bold as to make such a proclamation? Seems he’s even more arrogant than I am. Is he really the Big Boss of Sword Sovereign City? But based on the stories I’ve heard about him, the Big Boss was famously a man of few words, a mysterious, transcendent existence. They said that when he wasn’t in the mood to talk, he might go thousands of years without saying a single word. How could this complaining chatterbox possibly be the man of rumor?

He’d only just thought this when Xiao Jian quivered from head to toe, then gasped.

Practically simultaneously, the Monarch of Endless Tribulations and the Buddha of Non-Existence looked at the space beside Xiao Jian. There, they saw an ethereal, indistinct figure appear seemingly out of nowhere.

They couldn’t see his features, but even just standing there, he was like a sword emerging from its sheath. The entire landscape sank into deathly silence.

The churning, misty clouds and tribulation light froze in place, and an invisible power ruthlessly suppressed the endless sea of holy Buddhist flames. The fire contracted until it was soon limited to a ten-thousand-meter radius around the Buddha of Non-Existence.

An indescribable stillness descended over the entire world manifested in the Cave of Obsession.

All of this happened in silence. It was as if entire ages had passed, leaving behind the vestiges of countless years, all in an instant.

Over on the ground, inside the Book of Legends, the Daoist depicted on the book’s final page shifted. He seemed to have sensed something.

A moment later, the portrait silently vanished.

Wang Zhiwu didn’t notice a thing. He was watching the scene overhead in wide-eyed, tongue-tied astonishment.

Seemingly endless, mysterious white sword intent suddenly blanketed the firmament, enveloping the Monarch of Endless Tribulations, the Buddha of Non-Existence,

What’s going on? Lu Shi, River Ancestor Shen Xiao, and the others’ hearts shook. Bewilderment and surprise were written all over their faces.

They had no idea what had just happened, but they could sense that the entire world in the Cave of Obsession had undergone some sort of unbelievable transformation.

That misty white sword intent blanketing the sky was the clearest possible proof of that!

“It’s too quiet. I can’t sense any hint of their battle even more. I don’t even sense any of that oppressive pressure...” murmured River Empress Lu Ping. “What exactly is happening?”

It wasn’t just her. None of them felt the effects of the battle raging overhead anymore. Their hearts and minds were completely relaxed.

But at the same time, everything was so strangely still and quiet that it left them a bit unsettled.

“I can no longer sense the monarch or the Buddha of Non-Existence at all. Who could have done this?” The former River Ancestor Lu Shu stared intently at the boundless white sword curtain, his heart full of unease.

As a Harbinger of Tribulations, his understanding of tribulations was far beyond that of any ordinary person.

But now, when he gazed into that seemingly endless sword curtain, his heart filled with wordless terror!

Lu Shi frowned. Sword intent? Is this perhaps one of Su Yi’s killer weapons? How terrifying must this sword intent be to silently blot out the entire dome of heaven like this? It’s even obscured those two powerful experts completely!

“This battle isn’t something we’re fit to witness,” River Ancestor Shen Xiao said bitterly. “It’s entirely beyond our imagination...”

His voice was low and full of despondency.

He dimly understood. That misty white sword intent was like a natural barrier covering the sky, a demarcation none could cross.

Those of insufficient strength could forget about seeing or even sensing anything!

This came as a heavy blow to River Ancestor Shen Xiao. He was an expert comparable to a Heavenly Sovereign, but today, he’d faced three potentially lethal crises. As if that weren’t bad enough, this final tribulation shook him to the core.

The Monarch of Tribulations, the Buddha of Non-Existence, and Su Yi all displayed power beyond the bounds of his comprehension. The disparity was so enormous that he felt more than just dread and astonishment; he couldn’t help but feel paltry and insignificant, too.

If even the River Ancestor felt that way, how insignificant must the others have felt?

Meanwhile, beneath the dome of heaven, there stood a dreamlike, ethereal figure. This was, of course, the heart devil in the rusted sheath.

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations and the Buddha of Non-Existence were stunned. Neither had anticipated this development.

How many people in this world were qualified to intervene in their duel?

But then, their expressions silently grew solemn. The heart devil’s aura was so powerful that even they, experts who’d long since shattered the shackles of destiny, sensed a threat!

The changes to heaven and earth left them both silent. Someone capable of silently obscuring their imposing auras was unquestionably far too terrifying.

They were both wondering the same thing: Who is this guy, and how high is his cultivation base?

“Xiao Jian, this enmity is between the three of us, yet here you are, calling in an outsider. Don’t you think that’s rather disingenuous of you?” the Monarch of Endless Tribulations said with a frown.

Xiao Jian opened his mouth to respond, only for the heart devil to laugh and stop him. “You two are dead wrong. Both Su Yi and Xiao Jian are me. Helping myself is only just and proper, so why criticize me?”

The heart devil put his hands behind his back, took a step forward, and stood there calmly. “Of course, your behavior isn’t entirely loathsome. At the very least, you didn’t seize an opportunity to attack just now. Since you’re so well-mannered, I’ve got to show my appreciation.”

He pondered briefly, then said, “How about this? I’ll give you each three free attacks. I’ll just stand here and let you attack as you please.”

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations and the Buddha of Non-Existence exchanged glances. Both of them found this hard to believe.

Just who are Su Yi and Xiao Jian? And how is that any way for someone to talk?

Xiao Jian was bewildered, too. Don’t tell me this guy is really the Big Boss of Sword Sovereign City? But... Why isn’t he anything like the rumors? But his aura really is strong. No, it’s unfathomably terrifying!

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations pondered briefly and was just about to say something when the heart devil interrupted him. “In your eyes, Su Yi’s life and death don’t matter, but his survival isn’t up to him, either. But that’s exactly how I feel about you two, so cut the crap and attack already. Let’s just end this!”

He was so domineering that the Monarch of Endless Tribulations couldn’t help but snort coldly. “Very well!”

Then he attacked without any further hesitation. Moreover, he launched his strongest attacks, holding nothing back.

A dazzling punishment blade condensed out of pitch-black tribulation light, calamitous power writing and twisting like worms along its edge.

This was the Blade of Destiny’s Tribulations!

This was the Monarch of Endless Tribulations’ mightiest divine ability. When this blade fell, it was like the descent of a Tribulation of Destiny. It severed fate and destroyed the spirit!

As the Monarch of Endless Tribulations attacked, Xiao Jian silently narrowed his eyes.

But against his expectations, although this slash reached the heart devil in the rusted sheath, it was as if it had hit nothing but air. The blade passed harmlessly through him, and in the blink of an eye, he was as good as new.

It dealt no damage whatsoever.

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations’ expression shifted.

The heart devil said calmly, “Tribulations are an outpouring of power, and the Tribulations of Destiny sever the vital source energy. That blade of yours is strong, but it's severely lacking compared to the true Blade of Destiny’s Executioner. If I’m not mistaken, you’re interested in the Book of Destiny to mend the gaps in your Dao and temper the true Blade of Destiny’s Executioner. Am I right?”

The Blade of Destiny’s Executioner!

The Monarch of Endless Tribulation’s heart shook. How did this guy figure out the Grand Dao I’m striving for at a glance!?

He silently gasped, his expression unprecedentedly solemn as he attacked once more.

His second attack was stronger than the first. It was terrifying beyond measure.

Yet it still couldn’t scratch the heart devil.

The heart devil just stood there, the blade passing through him harmlessly as if hitting nothing but air. It left no mark whatsoever.

The heart devil said calmly, even leisurely, “Xiao Jian, what did you think of that attack?”

Xiao Jian didn’t know what to say. This guy really doesn’t take this battle at all seriously!

Even Su Yi, who’d been quietly watching this entire time, couldn’t deny that when his first incarnation’s heart devil got arrogant, he really didn’t care who you were!

Before Xiao Jian could respond, the heart devil continued, “In my eyes, it’s not bad. Were his true body here, he might even be worth looking at, but a mere clone... Hah!”

He trailed off, but the disregard was readily apparent.

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations’ expression stiffened. He was the ruler of the Abyss of Endless Tribulations, someone who’d shattered the fetters of the River of Destiny in the Primordial Era!

Throughout the entire River of Destiny, you could count those capable of contending with him on your fingers.

Yet now, someone had casually shrugged off two of his attacks in a row. As composed as the Monarch of Endless Tribulations was, he couldn’t help but find this aggravating.

Of course, he had no choice but to admit that his opponent was indeed far too strong! So strong he seemed unfathomable!

But that tongue of his was brutal!

“Are you angry? Well, you should be!” the heart devil said with a laugh. “To tell the truth, it’s only just and proper that I look down on you. This isn’t mockery. Once you’ve lost, you’ll naturally understand that deliberately humiliating a junior like you is beneath my status. It would make me seem petty and small-minded, and it would make the monk look down on me. I disdain to do so, too.”

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations had said the same thing to Su Yi not long ago. Now, the heart devil in the rusted sheath was turning his own words against him.

But he didn’t stop there. He added, “Come on, put your back into it! Show me your third attack!”