First Immortal of the Sword

Beneath the dome of the night sky.

The Bluescale Eagle’s wings were like knives, slicing through the waves of clouds.

Jin Xiaochuan was just an ordinary martial artist. How could he possibly have experienced flight at such altitudes before? First, he lay flat against the bird’s blue wings, even though they were hard as iron. His forehead was drenched in sweat.

But gradually, as he realized that Su Yi and Ning Sihua were as calm as ever, Jin Xiaochuan worked up the courage to look down, just a little.

Due to the darkness and the enormous distance between them and the ground, all he saw were the indistinct outlines of mountains and rivers disappearing behind them. He couldn’t see anything clearly at all.

But when they passed over a city, Jin Xiaochuan’s eyes suddenly widened.

The lamps below formed a faint, luminous haze. The massive city looked like a box, and the densely packed buildings were like individual peanuts.

“My heavens! Are the world’s cities really so small?” Jin Xiaochuan was stunned. Now that he was “looking down on it all”, he finally realized just how tiny and insignificant those of the mundane world were.

“What section of the Great Azure is Thousand Whirlpool Ridge near?” Su Yi asked out of nowhere. “What are its distinctive characteristics?”

Jin Xiaochuan’s heart was instantly solemn. He shook himself out of his scattered thoughts and said respectfully, “Your Excellency, that stretch of river twists and turns every which way. The current is turbulent, and there are numerous reefs hidden beneath the surface. As for its distinctive characteristics, extremely strange and unsettling scenes occur in that stretch of river at regular intervals.

“Sometimes, roiling swaths of mist blot out the sun to the point that you can’t see anything at all.

“Sometimes, lightning, thunder, and fierce winds run rampant, to the point you’d suspect a vicious dragon is lurking beneath the river’s surface.

“Who knows how many ships have fallen to ruin in Thousand Whirlpool Ridge over the years? That said, so long as you have an experienced navigator at the helm, you won’t generally run into major issues.”

“Aside from what you just mentioned, is there anything strange or out of the ordinary?” interrupted Su Yi.

Jin Xiaochuan furrowed his brow and thought for a while. Suddenly, he recalled something and said, “There’s a rumor that deep in the mountains of Thousand Whirlpool Ridge, there’s a city hidden underground. They say it’s home to numerous yaksha and asura.

“There are even people who say with complete certainty that they’ve seen malevolent spirits within the river’s depths, each more terrifying than the last.

“As a result, passenger ships that pass through the area have taken to preparing offerings, lighting incense, and praying that the ghosts within the water won’t notice them.”

When he heard all this, Su Yi sank into silent contemplation.

Ning Sihua seemed to realize something as well. “It seems Thousand Whirlpool Ridge really is a sinister and unusual place.”

“Once we arrive, we might be able to pick up on some clues,” said Su Yi.

The Bluescale Eagle was extremely swift. In less than two hours, they saw the moonlit Thousand Whirlpool Ridge off in the distance.”

“Your Excellency, that’s Thousand Whirlpool Ridge. It stretches for dozens of miles,” Jin Xiaochuan said hurriedly.

Su Yi rose, placed his hands behind his back, and looked down. Gazing down from the night sky, the scenery was dark and indistinct.

Without divine sense, Su Yi’s eyesight only allowed him to discern a rough outline and the general trend of the landscape.

But that was already enough.

“Have this dirty beast fly a circle around the stretch of river running through Thousand Whirlpool Ridge,” said Su Yi.

When the Bluescale Eagle heard the term “dirty beast”, it instantly voiced its displeasure with a clear crisp call, then turned its head to glare at Su Yi.

Ning Sihua gently patted its head and chuckled, “Qing’er, you mustn’t be rude. If you offend my Fellow Daoist, I cannot protect you.”

The Bluescale Eager’s bright golden eyes subtly focused, and it proceeded to fly around the area, just as it was told.

The starlight was dim and faint, and mists drifted over the mountains and river.

Su Yi’s gaze reflected a long, winding stretch of flowing water. The river was a thousand feet across, and as it turned, the current became faster and more violent. They were extremely high up, but he could still hear the sound of the resulting waves.

After a while, Su Yi withdrew his gaze. “There is indeed something strange happening there.”

“The river is shaped like a serpent winding its way through the mountains. The mountains are tranquil, but the current is swift; it’s the image of movement within stillness or yang within yin. It’s actually resulted in a natural formation….” As she realized this, Ning Sihua couldn’t help but feel surprised.

“This isn’t some nice place. The deathly yin qi is overly strong. Come on, let’s examine it from the ground.” As soon as Su Yi said this, the Bluescale Eagle began its rapid descent.

Before long, the three of them arrived at a patch of sand and rock along the riverbank. They were right beside Thousand Whirlpool Ridge.

Rumble~!

The water churned and surged, scattering droplets, the waves rumbling like thunder. Beneath the night skies, mists permeated the Great Azure.

“Qing’er, go find a place to wait,” ordered Ning Sihua. The eagle instantly took to the skies.

Ning Sihua turned to Su Yi. “Can you determine anything?”

“Someone has taken advantage of the current and layout of the mountains to place a formation. Their methods are actually quite exceptional; they even knew how to excavate the formation’s foundations deep within the riverbed. In this way, they can take advantage of the river and mountain range’s intersection and use the resulting power to maintain the grand formation’s operations,” said Su Yi offhandedly.

Ning Sihua’s delicate eyebrows shot up. “Don’t tell me some Origin Dao cultivator has excavated an immortal cave in the riverbed?”

“Hard to say. If they knew the right tricks, even a Qi Accumulation cultivator could take advantage of the natural landscape to place a grand formation here,” Su Yi muttered with uncertainty. “What I can say with certainty is that the numerous unusual events that have taken place here over the years are all related to that grand formation.”

With that, he proceeded along the riverbank. “Let’s go look somewhere else.”

Ning Sihua and Jin Xiaochuan followed him.

The night was dark and deep, the waters turbulent and fierce. After walking about fifteen minutes, Su Yi suddenly stopped in his tracks and gazed out over the water’s surface.

Not far away, there was a reef. It was several dozen meters across, but the river was so vast that it looked tiny.

Su Yi stared intently at the reef, then said, “Interesting. The space beneath the current is actually the perfect cesspool; it’s an extremely suitable location for yin souls and other apparitions to cultivate. If I’m not mistaken, there’s a ‘ghostly domain’ beneath the twisting river, and not a small one either.

A “ghostly domain” was a place where ghosts gathered. Sometimes they appeared in towns and cities, but most were in dark, remote places, places the vast majority of people wouldn’t notice.

“A ghostly domain? So you’re saying the one using the natural layout of the mountains and water to maintain a formation is most likely a powerful ghost cultivator?” Ning Sihua couldn’t help but look intrigued. At the same time, she was inwardly stunned. She’d surveyed the area their entire way here too, but she only picked up on a few vague hints. She wasn’t even close to seeing through this place’s secrets as Su Yi had..

“A ghostly domain…..” Jin Xiaochun quivered, then gulped, and the blood drained from his face. “Are you saying there really are yaksha and evil spirits down there?”

“What are you afraid of? They’re just ghosts; there’s no need to fear them.” Ning Sihua shook her head.

Su Yi then gently tapped the Soul-Nurturing Gourd hanging from his waist. “Qing Wan.”

A white mist billowed out of the gourd, and the spacy but beautiful ghost in the red dress floated into view.

Her skin was fair and soft as snow, and her eyes were big and bright. She hovered in the air and bowed slightly, lowered her head, and said timidly, “Greetings, Mystic Master.”

Ning Sihua and Jin Xiaochuan were both stunned, but Su Yi just casually ordered, “Go around and survey the area, then tell me where the yin qi is densest.”

Qing Wan hurriedly nodded. She took a deep breath, and her red dress floated and billowed around her slender, graceful figure. A subtle and mysterious power surged around her, and an unearthly purple light lit within the depths of her clear phoenix eyes.

The girl’s cultivation is actually proceeding rather quickly; she’s already condensed her soul body to this extent…. Su Yi’s expression was a bit strange.

He instructed Qing Wan’s cultivation infrequently. He wouldn’t have guessed that she was already showing signs of becoming a “phantasm” in the near future!

So long as she became a phantasm, her soul body would no longer need to fear the light of day, and she could walk around with no obvious difference from a normal person.

Once she reached that step, she would have sufficient foundations to step onto the path of a true ghost cultivator!

Furthermore, ghost cultivators were different from ordinary cultivators; their soul power was the source of their body, so they didn’t need to quench and temper their flesh and qi the way human martial artists did.

As a result, once Qing Wan became a phantasm, she could directly enter the Origin Dao!

But then, that makes sense. Qing Wan’s soul body is unusually pure. In the eyes of ghost cultivators, she’s absolutely a rare good seedling, the kind you might not see once in ten thousand years.

And the Ten Directions Asura Sutra I taught her is the Ghost Emperor of the Western Seas’ loftiest creation, the highest esoteric canon in the eyes of the world’s ghost cultivators.

Add that to all the spiritual medicines and whatnot I’ve given her lately, and it would be hard for her to avoid undergoing metamorphosis even if she tried….

As Su Yi thought to himself, he felt a bit strange.

If Qing Wan became a phantasm, that would be equivalent to her stepping directly into the Origin Dao and becoming an Origin Dao cultivator. In a mundane place like the Great Zhou, she’d be no different from an Earthly Immortal!

This is no good. I can’t let her cultivate too quickly; if she rushes and doesn’t take the time to establish firm foundations, it’ll reduce the miraculous benefits of our dual cultivation….

Su Yi silently decided to find a chance to instruct her on the importance of taking the time to stabilize your cultivation, prepare thoroughly, and build up your foundations for future growth. He had to ensure that her unsteady foundations didn’t affect his “future plans.”

“Mystic Master, I can sense it. It’s over there.” Qing Wan suddenly withdrew her aura and pointed off into the distance.

“Lead the way,” ordered Su Yi. Qing Wan immediately did so, and the others followed closely.

“Fellow Daoist, Miss Qing Wan is exceptional; the purity of her soul body and profundity of her aura is so rare, I’ve never seen her equal.” Ning Sihua’s eyes carried a hint of surprise.

“If that weren’t the case, how could I possibly keep her by my side?” said Su Yi offhandedly.

“......” It was an awfully rude thing to say, but Ning Sihua chuckled. “The opportunity to follow you is indeed an enormous stroke of fortune for the girl. Fellow Daoist, with your methods, so long as you take the time to train her properly, her future accomplishments are sure to be limitless.”

“That’s only natural,” said Su Yi, as if it were perfectly obvious. “She’s the woman I chose as my dual cultivation partner. For her, reaching the Imperial Realm will be as easy as turning over her hand.”

“Dual…. Dual cultivation!?” Ning Sihua actually lost her composure, a rare sight for her, as she realized what he was getting at. This guy is keeping that beautiful young ghost with him for…. For dual cultivation!?

Ning Sihua couldn’t help but sink into silence. She ought to disdain him for his shamelessness, yet his casual, understated air and the way he made it sound so natural and so obvious, without making any attempt to hide it… For a moment, she didn’t quite know what to say….