Xia Yushan's brow imperceptibly twitched. He deflected a strike from a true immortal war formation and slashed back with his blade. He hadn't formed a war formation with anyone and fought solo.
He spent years on the Earth Continent alone with nary a friend. The only times he showed himself was when his presence was required for an operation. As a result, Xia Yushan had become a loner, but perhaps that was perfect for his current character.
Even Wei Daying and Heng Huosheng, Xia Yushan's former subordinates and friends, no longer maintained their communication with the former eldest senior brother of the Buzhou Immortal Sect. The only one among their cliche that still tried to maintain a relationship was Ji Shuye.
Ji Shuye sent many letters and messages to Xia Yushan, but he disposed of them all. So, even those have started to dwindle as time went on.
So, even in the grand battle between the alliance of the Buzhou Immortal Sect and the Anti-Earth Alliance against the Eight Pillar Sect, no one joined him. But that was fine. Xia Yushan preferred it that way.
How else would he find a chance to kill Jiang Daoyi and eliminate his inner devil?
He no longer felt any jealousy toward Xi Tianyi, nor did he have any love for Jiang Daoyi. Rather, whenever he looked at Daoyi, his mother's image was superimposed on her. Every time he glanced at her, his heart would pulse with pain. Even if he deliberately avoided her, her face would appear in his mind.
For him, Jiang Daoyi was a wall that blocked his immortal path, and walls should be destroyed. Xia Yushan knew what he must do.
Xia Yushan bided his time. He accompanied as many missions that included Jiang Daoyi as possible, but either Xi Tianyi or Monarch Nine Heavens were by her side. His cold rationale prevented him from acting with them present, but even one with dulled desires and emotions as his began to grow impatient as the years passed.
Finally, a chance came. The Buzhou Immortal Sect would ally with the Eight Pillar Sect against the Anti-Earth Alliance on the northwest battlefield. He would use the chance in the chaos and strike Jiang Daoyi down.
What he didn't expect was the Buzhou Immortal Sect's sudden betrayal against the Eight Pillar Sect. He and the rest of the Buzhou Immortal Sect received orders to defeat and kill the Eight Pillar Sect. In the battle, the Buzhou Immortal Sect and the Anti-Earth Alliance held the upper hand.
The truth that Monarch Nine Heavens was another persona of Xi Tianyi only brought surprise but no jealousy or envy. He only cared about Jiang Daoyi. Unfortunately, his target had somehow concealed her presence from all.
Not even the ice-cold mind of Xia Yushan could stand the repeated failures.
Xia Yushan could feel his inner devil growing, gnawing at his mind. As his despair rose, hope appeared before him in the form of a silver orb. While Ba Shifang and Tai Wuling clashed, he struck.
He appeared behind Jiang Daoyi, his beloved sword in hand and thrust. A wave of relief washed over him as he saw his sword pierce through Daoyi's chest. However, this was far from enough to kill an immortal, especially one who started comprehending the Law of Death.
With a flick of his wrist, Xia Yushan twisted his sword, and sword light exploded forth from his blade. Even if Daoyi could survive her body's destruction, she would not be able to escape his sword light.
Sword light contained a trace of his willpower, meaning that it could interact with other willpower, in other words, a being's mind. And the mind was the direct link to the soul. With it, Xia Yushan gained the ability to harm even soul immortals.
Of course, sword intent was even more incredible than sword light. Those who mastered intent gain abilities resembling soul cultivators. Although intent could not replicate all the abilities of a soul immortal, just the ability to directly harm the soul was enough.
And now, Xia Yushan displayed his sword light. He had attempted to gain sword intent, but it was as if an invisible wall blocked his path, just like his comprehension. Jiang Daoyi's death will mean his ascension!
Contrary to his expectations and puzzlement, Jiang Daoyi glanced at him calmly, devoid of panic or shock. The next thing Xia Yushan felt was an indescribable pain running amok inside his body. With a cough, blood spurted outward. However, his physical injuries were paltry in comparison to the damage his soul received.
Xia Yushan didn't panic even as he experienced the pain. He feared neither loss nor death, but he was confused. "What did you do?"
"It's not what I did, but what you did to yourself." Jiang Daoyi calmly replied. Despite her calm demeanor, Xia Yushan detected a simmering wrath in her tone.
"You're not like her, she wouldn't get angry," Xia Yushan said. He felt his inner devil weakening, and he pulled out his sword. Instantly, he felt a sense of relief as the aching in his chest lessened.
Jiang Daoyi turned around with not a scratch nor sword wound on her, as if he hadn't impaled her. On the contrary, it was he, Xia Yushan, who had a sword-shaped hole through his robes and torso.
"I don't know who you are comparing me to, but of course, I'm different. There is only one me in this world," Jiang Daoyi said. Her eyes narrowed. "Now, are you prepared for my counterattack?"
Even with his muted emotions, Xia Yushan felt a chill crawl up his spine. He felt the shackles constraining him loosen, and soon, he would master a complete law and ascend to the Seamless Immortal Realm. But that didn't change the fact that he had tried to kill Jiang Daoyi.
The Buzhou Immortal Sect would still hunt him down had he been an immortal monarch. Perhaps, not even an immortal emperor would be exempt from this punishment had they committed the same crime. So, without an ounce of hesitation, Xia Yushan turned tail and fled.
Neither the Heaven Continent nor the Earth Continent would be safe anymore, so he planned to flee to the Endless Seas. Until he gained enough power for the Buzhou Immortal Sect to think twice about hunting him, he would continue to hide.
Xia Yushan's thoughts were beautiful, but reality was harsh.
Daoyi raised her hand, raising her sleeve and the chibi Tianyi hiding in it. However, she stopped halfway. As if speaking aloud to herself, she said, "Don't kill him."
The world darkened, and the sky above the Earth Continent appeared as if it was torn. In the tear, they saw a sea of stars, but the most prominent of them was the sun orbited by eight planets.
"XIA YUSHAN!!!" Tianyi's voice reverberated throughout the continent. Even regular mortals could hear his anger.
Ironically, Xia Yushan would become a much-discussed name—mostly concerning who he was, who shouted the name, and why.
Beams of starlight shot down from the sea of stars. The sheer number practically blinded all the onlookers, but Daoyi frowned. "I said don't kill him!"
When the beams of starlight disappeared, all that was left was a ravaged wasteland devoid of anything, even spiritual qi. Immortals from the Buzhou Immortal Sect, Eight Pillar Sect, and Anti-Earth Alliance stared at the devastation in shock.
While everyone stared, the chibi Tianyi climbed out of Daoyi's robes. "Why shouldn't I kill him?
"He's still Sect Master Xia's disciple. We still have to show basic courtesy and let him deal with Xia Yushan," Daoyi said. "Besides, if he's dead, I can't punish him for his actions. Whatever I do before handing him over is justified."
"I feel like the second part is the reason," the chibi Tianyi said. Although Daoyi was fine, the fire in his heart had not been doused. He turned his attention toward Tai Wuling and the rest of the Eight Pillar Sect.
Starlight shone down once more. The Eight Pillar Sect members could only stare in horror as they did their best to defend against the light, but in the end, the starlight vaporized them. Not even ashes remained.
Well, that wasn't completely true.
Amidst the desolation, a black sphere floated and spun. Spiritual qi gathered from far and wide, and a humanoid body regrew. And a familiar entered Tianyi’s ears. "Noo!!! Linyin! Linyin!"
At this time, the tear in the sky started to shrink until they became almost like a dot in the sky. That dot shifted until Tianyi's body took form. His expression was placid, but his eyes still burned with anger. He turned to the sphere-headed giant.
Simultaneously, Tai Wuling also stared up. Although the sphere didn't have eyes, no one doubted the burning anger radiating from them. In fact, based on sheer emotions alone, it eclipsed Tianyi's. 'Xi.Tian.Yi! It's always you, you bastard!"
Tai Wuling shot toward Tianyi like a rocket, but Tianyi didn't pay him much heed. Instead, he turned toward the southeast, toward the Central Region where the Eight Pillar Sect used to exist, to see black clouds storming toward him. Each second, the tribulation clouds continued to increase and enlarge.
"Go to the Nether Realm and atone for your sins!" Tianyi's blatant disregard further enraged him, and he tightly grasped his two hands together to form a makeshift hammer. Fire, water, earth, wood, and metal qi began to merge together between his grasp.
Finally, when Tai Wuling was only ten meters away from him, Tianyi turned his gaze over. "I'll make this quick."
Contrary to what the audience from the Buzhou Immortal Sect or the Anti-Earth Alliance thought Tianyi would do, he simply swiped his hand. Everyone thought Tianyi would suffer for his arrogance when the back of his hand collided with Tai Wuling's merged fists.
Against their expectations, it was Tai Wuling who was knocked back, and not lightly either. His body crashed into the land, fracturing it even further. Then, Tianyi pointed his finger at the downed giant. Numerous distortions appeared in space, and all of them shot toward Tai Wuling.
Tai Wuling got back up with an earth-shattering roar, but before he could even move, Tianyi's spacetime blades sliced through his body. The disconnected body part fell to the ground and transformed into either; a raging inferno, a pool of water, hills and mountains, veins of metal or giant trees.
The only thing that remained was the sphere-shaped head. It piqued Tianyi's interest, and he teleported in front of the sphere. With a wave of his hand, he shackled the sphere in place.
"Xi Tianyi, don't think I'll die so easily. Even if I die, I'll take you with me!" Tai Wuling shouted.
"Noisy," Tianyi said. He snapped his fingers and hammered the sphere using spacetime distortions. Tai Wuling's screams of pain entered Tianyi's ears, but he continued.
It wasn't the best method, but Tai Wuling bore part of the blame for Xia Yushan attacking Daoyi, right? Okay, he knew that was a terrible reason, but he could not quell the simmering flames in his heart. Tianyi just wanted to hurt someone.
However, the more Tianyi attacked, the more intrigued he became. Under the concussive might of his spacetime attacks, even a martial emperor should have fallen, yet the sphere held strong. For now, Tianyi decided to spare Tai Wuling's life and capture him for future study.
With a wave of his arm, a portal to the Nine Heavens Universe opened underneath the black sphere. However, the moment Tianyi tried to force it through, the atmosphere changed.
Tai Wuling's screams disappeared, and an oppressive immortal sense blanketed the area. No, it wasn’t immortal sense. Tianyi had experienced his mother's immortal sense, and this sensation outclassed hers. He could only conclude that this was divine sense!
"Impudent bug!" a voice boomed, quieter than Tianyi shouting Xia Yushan but far more intense—seamless and true immortals who heard it clutched their heads in pain, including Daoyi.
Tianyi narrowed his eyes, and a miniature sun formed in the palm of his hand. Soon after, he shot it toward the black sphere, causing a blinding explosion. To his shock, not only did the black sphere not suffer any damage, it absorbed the Stellar Silence spell to form a five-armed body. The arms no longer cycled through the five elements. Instead, an element formed each arm and stayed.
Before Tianyi or the five-armed giant could unleash their next move, coercion froze them in place. The black clouds, which should have taken a few more minutes, instantly arrived. More than that, its power had dramatically increased.
Its power was no longer confined to the Immortal Realm but reached the Divine Realm! A Divine Punishment!
