First Immortal of the Sword

Su Yi thought for a moment, then said, “I already agreed to teach you to transform, and I naturally won’t go back on my word. Listen up.”

The Jade-eyed Crimson Flamebeast quivered in obvious disbelief.

But before it could react, Su Yi chanted a series of obscure syllables, the words reminiscent of heavenly writ, as if they contained power over life and death. The sound contained a wondrous rhythm.

This was the ancient language of the yao race, Su Yi used the power of his soul as a guide to manifest it as a unique power, which reverberated in the Jade-Eyed Crimson Flamebeast’s ears.

The spirit beast’s eyes widened, bit by bit, as it was immersed in indescribable and miraculous enlightenment.

An unknown amount of time passed in this state. By the time the Jade-Eyed Crimson Flamebeast emerged from its contemplation, it was almost nighttime.

It looked around, only to discover that the young man in blue robes had long since disappeared.

After a lengthy daze, the Jade-Eyed Crimson Flamebeast kowtowed three times, its gratitude and excitement written in its blue-green eyes.

Then, it rose, shook its snowy white fur, and leaped onto the mountainside, where it threw back its head and roared.

The sound boomed like thunder, echoing throughout the sea of clouds, shaking the trees and grasses. Throughout the surrounding area, every bird and beast quivered in fright.

Meanwhile, on a winding path on a distant mountain, Cha Jin couldn’t help but turn toward the source of the roar, but they were too far away for her to see anything.

“Is it trying to express its gratitude?” Cha Jin looked away and muttered to herself.

Su Yi walked nearby, his hands behind his back. The light of the setting sun bathed his tall frame, making him seem mysterious, almost like an illusion.

“It’ll get dark soon. When we emerge from this stretch of wilderness, we’ll reach Yangku Town, the place that woodcutter told us about.” Su Yi glanced up at the sky, then picked up the pace.

They’d walked through the mountains and rivers for a full two hours. There was a canyon up in the distance, the cliffsides so tall, they towered into the clouds. The path through the canyon was rugged and winding. It was so narrow, it was only just barely big enough for a person to walk through.

When he reached the path, Su Yi paused. He sniffed the air, catching the barest, almost indiscernible hint of blood in the wind.

“If the canyon is home to savage beasts, it’s actually the perfect spot for an ambush. It’d be hard to flee even if you wanted to.” Su Yi pondered for a moment, then continued ahead.

Before long, they heard the sounds of distant combat and slaughter—

Cha Jin’s beautiful eyes were instantly solemn; she seemed to have sensed that something was off. She whispered, “Young Lord, how about we go around?”

“No need.” Su Yi shook his head.

If they went around, they might not reach Yangku Town by nightfall.

Cha Jin didn’t argue; she was worried that they’d bump into trouble, but if they did, she wasn’t worried about Su Yi’s ability to handle it.

They proceeded down the narrow path, and before long, they saw a fierce battle raging up ahead.

Hundreds of crimson wolves had a group of martial artists surrounded, and they were attacking in a mad frenzy. Their howls reverberated through the clouds.

The blood-colored wolves were each about the size of a calf. They were preternaturally quick, and they fought with ruthless cruelty.

Even more terrifying was that they excelled at rounding up their foes, and they were perfectly coordinated. They attacked and retreated at the opportune moments, like a well-trained army.

Since this was a stretch of canyon, they were surrounded by steep cliffs on both sides. The defending martial artists’ escape routes were blocked on both sides, so they could neither retreat nor advance. They were completely trapped.

“Tier-five spirit beasts, ‘Bloodflame Wolves’!” Cha Jin’s pupils constricted.

These were spirit beasts on par with early-stage Qi Accumulation martial artists. If you encountered a single wolf, they weren’t much of a threat. With Cha Jin’s abilities, she could effortlessly slay any given individual.

But Bloodflame Wolves had always traveled in pacts. This made them extremely dangerous.

The pack in front of them numbered in the hundreds. The sight of them was enough to make even a Grandmaster flee in terror, too terrified to do battle.

This was because, once the wolves had you surrounded, they’d attack relentlessly. A martial artist was doomed the moment they ran out of energy!

Cha Jin quickly noticed that the martial artists’ leader was in the Inner Furnace Realm. “Oh? There’s a Grandmaster among those martial artists. No wonder they’ve lasted so long despite the Bloodflame Wolf pack’s encirclement….”

He wore warrior robes, and he was lean and defined. He carried a pair of copper maces, and his presence was austere and imposing.

He was just one person, but he defended the pass on his own, blocking the wolves’ advance. His twin maces swung, easily crushing any Bloodflame Wolf they struck.

There was already a pile of Bloodflame Wolf corpses not far from him. Blood flowed like a river, and even his maces were smeared with crimson.

However, it was obvious that he’d expended an enormous amount of energy. His forehead was damp, and his temples were slick with sweat. He breathed in ragged gasps, and his face was slightly pallid.

He was accompanied by four men who looked like guards, as well as a girl of about seventeen or eighteen.

The four heavily-armored guards formed a tight, protective circle around the girl.

As for the girl herself, she wore a tailored, flattering pomegranate skirt and a loose-sleeved shirt. Her skin was fair as snow, her willowy eyebrows gently curved. She was a startling beauty.

However, those willowy eyebrows were currently knit together, and her expression was sinister and angry.

“That girl undoubtedly comes from an extremely illustrious background.” Cha Jin could discern quite a few hints at first glance.

A Grandmaster and four late-stage Qi Accumulation Guards were working together to protect her. Ordinary scions of even prominent clans were nowhere near qualified to receive such treatment.

Take Qin Feng, the son of the Cloudriver Prefectural Governor, Qin Wenyuan. Not even he had a Grandmaster to accompany him.

This comparison naturally only highlighted just how extraordinary the girl’s origins were.

“Young Lord, what should we go?” Cha Jin couldn’t help but ask.

“Let’s just kill our way through and be done with it. Oh, while we’re at it, we might as well gather some spiritual materials. The Bloodflame Wolf King’s blood, fangs, claws, and pelt are all quite useful,” said Su Yi. “Follow me.”

As he spoke, he gripped Guiding Mysteries and charged straight ahead.

“Awoo!”

“Awoo!”

“Awoo!”

Not far away, there was a disturbance among the wolf pack’s ranks as they saw Su Yi and Cha Jin, this pair of uninvited guests.

The group they had surrounded—the man in warrior robes and his companions—now discovered their arrival for the first time. All of them lit up with unconcealed delight.

But when they saw that the new arrivals were just two young adults, their delight instantly faded, and their hearts sank once more.

The wolves numbered in the hundreds. Only a Grandmaster stood a chance against them. Anyone else was just throwing their lives away.

“Awoo~!”

Deep within the wolf pack’s ranks, an usually large, thickly-built wolf flung back its head and howled into the sky, as if issuing orders.

A group of Bloodflames Wolves instantly charged towards Su Yi with intent to kill.

A bloody wind wafted into the air. The Bloodflame Wolves were preternaturally quick; they resembled streaks of crimson lightning.

Against the Grandmaster in warriors' robes’ expectations, the young man in blue made no attempt to retreat. On the contrary, he advanced with large strides.

Immediately afterward, he and his companions watched as a bloody spectacle unfolded—

The blue-robed youth casually sliced with his sword, effortlessly decapitating the three Bloodflame Wolves leading the charge.

Then, the edge of his sword turned.

Splurt splurt splurt!

Fresh blood spattered as one wolf after another was sent flying before they even knew what hit them. Some were sliced open, their guts spilling out of their bellies. Others had their skulls crushed, while some were stabbed right through the throat…

In the blink of an eye, more than ten Bloodflame Wolves fell to the ground as bloodied corpses, staining the dirt red.

“He’s actually that strong?” exclaimed the girl in the pomegranate skirt.

“He really is extraordinary,” said the Grandmaster leading their group. His eyes flashed with a strange light.

An early-stage Qi Accumulation youth had actually cut his way through a pack of Bloodflame Wolves, as easily as if he were cutting through rotten wood. How could someone capable of that be ordinary?

The larger Bloodflame Wolf pack was obviously startled too. There was unrest amongst their ranks, and they howled nonstop.

Su Yi ignored them completely. He just charged straight in. His target? The distant Bloodflame Wolf King.

As he approached, one group of wolves after another launched themselves toward him, attacking from all sides. Their tacit understanding and coordination were incredible.

Alas, none of this was any threat at all to Su Yi. With each relentless swing of Guiding Mysteries, he sliced through his opponents as easily as if they were made of paper, killing them where they stood.

He cut through their ranks with ease!

Cha Jin followed hot on his heels, the Jade-Eyed Crimson Flamebeast’s cub in her embrace. Its jade-colored eyes glittered like amber as it curiously evaluated everything happening around it.

“How strong!” The man in warrior robes was increasingly stunned.

The young man in blue looked like a teenager, yet he rushed straight into the fray with unstoppable momentum. The man in warrior robes was a Grandmaster, but even he was stunned by this shocking display of ability.

“Elder Qiao, here’s our chance! Let them hold up those foul beasts while we escape!” The girl in the pomegranate skirt rejoiced.

She keenly picked up on the fact that, as Su Yi killed his way through the beasts’ ranks, he drew most of the vast wolf pack’s attention. Even the Bloodflame Wolf King couldn’t be bothered with their group any longer.

This was undoubtedly the perfect chance to break through their encirclement!

“This….” The man in warrior robes felt a bit hesitant.

How ample was his combat experience? He naturally knew that, if they attempted to break out now, they had at least a fifty percent chance of success.

But wouldn’t that leave that young man and woman in the lurch, surrounded on all sides? The Grandmaster found that thought hard to bear.

“Elder Qiao, they’re neither our friends nor our relatives, and we didn’t ask them to come here and save us. If they die, it’ll have nothing to do with us!” the girl in the pomegranate skirt was frantic. She angrily urged him on, “What are you still hesitating for? Don’t tell me you plan to have us all die here? I certainly don’t want to die!”

With that, she turned and charged out of the canyon.

Her four personal guards hurried after her for fear that she’d get hurt.

The man in warrior's robes sighed to himself, but he hesitated no longer. He turned and began breaking through the wolf pack’s encirclement.

The wolf pack’s tight discipline had slipped, and the six of them quickly broke through the wolves’ formation. Furthermore, Su Yi was still restricting them. As such, both the Grandmaster in warrior's robes and his companions quickly broke through their encirclement.

All of them sighed in relief; they’d only just narrowly escaped.

Almost simultaneously, a shrill roar shook the skies and reverberated through their ears before coming to an abrupt halt.

They whipped around to look.

To their shock, the Bloodflame Wolves had started fleeing in panic, all of them whimpering.

The ground was littered with corpses and rivers of blood. The blue-robed youth stood in their midst, atop a boulder. One foot pressed down on the massive, ferocious Bloodflame Wolf King. Despite the carnage, the young man’s robes were pristine, without the slightest trace of dirt, as if he were a deity.

“He… He actually killed the Bloodflame Wolf King?” One of the guards couldn’t help but gasp.

“We only just broke through, but he already slew the wolf king and sent the rest of the pack scattering to the winds. That’s simply too fierce….” muttered another guard.

But the man in warrior's robes sighed to himself.

Earlier, the youth had fought his way through the wolf pack with no regard for anything else. He’d undoubtedly done them an enormous favor; he’d saved them from certain doom.

Yet they’d chosen to seize the opportunity to run away…

Of course the man in warrior robes was ashamed. How could he not be?

But the girl in the pomegranate skirt only snorted coldly, “If we hadn’t contained those vile beasts earlier, how could he have slain the Bloodflame Wolf King so easily?”

The man in warrior robes grimaced. “Miss, if they hadn’t arrived just in the nick of time, we really would have fallen here and become prey for those beasts. No matter what, we have to acknowledge this favor.”

“Okay, okay!” muttered the girl. “I never said I wasn’t grateful to them.”