First Immortal of the Sword

The fleeing gray-robed young man felt his heart sink.

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As an assassin, he had a far keener nose for danger than any ordinary cultivator.

Practically the very moment Su Yi slashed, the gray-robed young man waved his sleeves.

“Activate!”

A glittering golden talisman shot forth, then exploded in midair, forming a shield of golden lightning in front of the assassin.

The Golden Lightning Spirit Shield Talisman!

Even one such talisman was worth one hundred tier-six spirit stones, but it could block a Gathering Stars cultivator’s full-force attack; its defensive power was shocking.

However, when Su Yi’s dense rain of sword qi cut into it, it slashed the Golden Lightning Spirit Shield into bits. Fragments scattered like rain.

The gray-robed youth had no time to feel heartache over his losses. He waved his hands, and around a dozen more talismans flew into the air.

There was sword qi brimming with shocking murderous intent, and raging, explosive flames. There were surging tidal waves and vines growing and spreading in a mad frenzy…

None of the talismans were ordinary. Each had its miraculous applications, and their destructive power was shocking. 

When Su Yi saw this, a hint of disdain appeared in his gaze.

He shot forward in a flash, like an unbreakable, unblockable sharp edge. Everywhere he passed, he ruthlessly crushed the power of the talismans, filling the sky with a rain of light.

Clang!

Practically simultaneously, the hum of a sword rang out.

Who knows when he’d drawn it, but the Abstruse God Sword had appeared in Su Yi’s grip. He suddenly swung it through the air.

Boom!

Five sword mountains surged into being overhead, one for each of the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Each was taller and grander than the one before, and all of them surrounded and attacked the gray-robed young man.

Great Five Elements Suppression Domain Sword!

This strike completely sealed off every possible escape route.

“This is bad!” The young man’s expression changed dramatically. A silver spear interwoven with electricity appeared in his grip, and he bellowed as he met the mountains head-on.

However, mere moments later, the aftershock made him cough up blood. He was a miserable sight. Beneath the suppression of the five sword mountains, he was like a captive beast. There was no way out, and the suppression only worsened his predicament over time.

“If an assassin’s first strike fails to hit the mark, he must run a thousand miles. He is never to clash with his target head-on. You’re already in the worst situation you could possibly be in.” As Su Yi swung his sword, he said calmly, “Tell me who hired you, and I can grant you a quick death.”

The young man in gray looked miserable and pathetic. Beneath the relentless onslaught of the five mountains, he suffered new injuries with each passing moment. Soon, he’d have nowhere left to run or dodge.

Nonetheless, he laughed in response to Su Yi’s offer. “As a true assassin, how could I possibly reveal my client’s name?”

“Oh?” said Su Yi. “Go ahead and die, then.”

Boom!

Sword qi swept out like floodwaters, blanketing heaven and earth and emanating monstrous murderous intent.

The young man in gray suddenly bellowed and activated an obscure and mysterious black talisman

Boom!

The black talisman lit up. A surge of dark saber qi filled the skies, bringing with it endless demonic flames. 

A Spirit Dao Talisman!

This was the gray-robed youth’s ultimate life-saving trump card. A Spiritual Manifestation cultivator of the Sea of Bitterness had refined it personally, and it contained the essential truths of a Spirit Dao cultivator’s saber qi.

This attack was enough to shake any foe of the same level!

Rumble~~

The resulting collision shook heaven and earth. As the black saber qi swept forth, it crushed Su Yi’s sword qi in a limitlessly despotic display of force.

Su Yi’s pupils constricted. The Abstruse God Sword suddenly hummed, then burst with monstrous sword intent as he swept through the air.

At his current cultivation, if he went all out, he dared contend with real Spiritual Manifestation cultivators. The black saber qi he now faced was merely the power of a talisman, not an actual Spirit Dao cultivator. How could Su Yi concern himself with it?

Crunch! 

The streak of black saber burst apart, dispersing inch by inch.

“How is this possible!?” The gray-robed youth completely lost his cool.

As one of the Sea of Bitterness’s top Gathering Stars Realm assassins, he’d even successfully killed a Spiritual Manifestation cultivator like Daoist Mu. Countless cultivators feared him.

Yet now, even though he was going all out, this young Grain Avoidance cultivator was thwarting him at every turn!

Of course he was surprised!

Boom!

Not far away, Su Yi swung his sword.

The young man in gray had no time to think any further. His entire body burst with bloody mist, and he suddenly manifested thousands of blood shadows that scattered in all directions.

Su Yi shook his head. In his past life, he saw things like this too often to count.

Especially assassins. In the moments before their deaths, they often used similar forbidden evasion techniques, burning their cultivation and life force to create a path to survival.

How could Su Yi possibly let his opponent escape at a time like this?

His sleeves billowed around him, and he instantly swung the Abstruse God Sword more than one hundred times.

Boom!

One thousand-foot streak of sword qi after another shot forth, crisscrossing in the sky, as if enveloping the world in a giant net.

Heaven’s net was inescapable.

Su Yi’s strike seemed perfect, with no weak points to exploit and no spot it could not reach.

Splurt splurt splurt!

One blood shadow after another burst apart as if it were made of paper mache.

In the blink of an eye, the young man in gray was forced back into view. His face was pallid, and his pupils constricted. Shock was written all over his face.

Before he could dodge again, more than ten streaks of sword qi came crashing toward him.

The gray-robed young man sighed to himself. He knew that he’d lost completely and utterly.

Despite making ample preparations before carrying out this assassination, he had failed to anticipate that a young man in the Grain Avoidance Realm would be so much stronger and more terrifying than his initial estimates…

In that moment, he was no longer as frantic or terrified. Instead, he thought back to the half-full jar of wine he’d left in Spiritbend City’s Eternal Peace Pawn Shop.

“Ol’ Wang, you’ve sure profited this time…”

As this thought flashed through his head, the gray-robed young man’s body split into pieces; that terrifying sword qi burst him apart.

Clang!

Su Yi put away the Abstruse God Sword and drifted down to earth. He searched the would-be assassin’s belongings, but he discovered nothing of value. 

But then, that makes sense. A capable assassin wouldn’t bring anything unrelated to assassination on a mission. Su Yi shook his head.

The young man in gray was worthy of the title “true assassin”, albeit just barely.

With the abilities he’d just displayed, so long as he seized the perfect opportunity to strike, he had hope of taking down even a Spiritual Manifestation cultivator! 

Someone like that couldn’t possibly be ordinary.

Hiring such an assassin to take him out was unquestionable proof that the client knew an ordinary assassin was entirely beneath his notice.

Who was his client? As Su Yi pondered, he turned and headed back. Regardless of who the assassin’s client was, the Zuo Family was unquestionably involved in this!

……

The atmosphere in the Zuo Family’s meeting hall was oppressive and stifled. Zuo Xinghe sat in a chair, looking dazed. His expression shifted erratically, and he was in constant inner torment, like a convict awaiting sentencing.

The other Zuo Family higher-ups were silent too. All of them were thinking the very same thing—

If Su Yi never comes back, this crisis will disappear in a puff of smoke.

But the moment Su Yi returns alive, the Zuo Family will be the first to suffer!

Su Yi’s allies had long since noticed that there was something off about the Zuo Family’s expressions; they seemed anxious and tense.

Wen Xinzhao and company couldn’t help but wonder if the Zuo Family was somehow involved in the assassination attempt. It seemed highly likely, but they waited for Su Yi to come back and didn’t ask any questions.

Zhang Yuntao was silent. Given his breadth of experience, how could he fail to realize how fishy this incident was?

Now, all they had to do was wait and see whether or not Su Yi returned.

Huo Yunsheng, Qian Tianlong, and Sun Feng weren’t the least bit calm either.

The Ferryman had already attacked, using an indomitably sharp and forceful arrow to kill Su Yi from afar. According to Zuo Xinghe, its power was sufficient to kill any Gathering Stars Realm cultivator with ease.

Yet in the end, Su Yi emerged unscathed, and he even left to chase the Ferryman!

Of course Huo Yunsheng and company were nervous. How could they not be?

The Ferryman is a legendary assassin of the Sea of Bitterness. He successfully took down even Daoist Mu. Now, his target is just Su Yi. Nothing… Nothing will go wrong… Huo Yunsheng repeatedly comforted himself.

Meanwhile, the Zuo Family higher-ups were conversing amongst themselves in silence. 

The grand elder transmitted, “Family Head, according to you, we’re not the ones who hired that assassin, but we did cooperate with him. If Su Yi comes back alive, there’s no way he’ll let this go so easily!”

Last night, they had been unaware of Su Yi’s abilities. They had even gone so far as to overlook him and treat him like an inconsequential tagalong. 

Would they dare treat him like that now?

“It would, of course, be best if Su Yi were dead. But what if he comes back? We have to prepare in advance, just in case. Will we fight? Or will we try to smooth things over? Family Head, please, decide as quickly as possible!” someone else transmitted gravely.

“What are you afraid of?” said another dismissively. “No matter how ferocious and frenzied Su Yi might be, this is Zuo Family territory. Don’t tell me he’d dare commit a massacre here? Don’t forget: Second Brother is currently cultivating at Maha Temple. He’s a famous Spirit Dao cultivator! If Su Yi really dares cast aside all pretenses of cordiality, I’m afraid he won’t be able to bear the consequences!

The “Second Brother” he spoke of was Zuo Xingqiong, Family Head Zuo Xinghe’s younger brother. He first joined Maha Temple sixty years ago, and his Buddhist Title was Awakening Overflow. He was a Spiritual Manifestation cultivator!”

“Enough! I’ll decide for myself!” Zuo Xinghe silently interrupted the group’s transmissions, then took a deep breath. “Distant waters cannot put out a nearby fire. If Su Yi comes back alive, we…”

As he spoke, his expression shifted erratically, and inside, he felt extremely conflicted. In the end, he gnashed his teeth and said, “We’ll just have to admit defeat.”

The higher-ups were all dumbstruck. They fell silent, and their hearts surged with an indescribable sense of humiliation. 

Suddenly, Qing Ya whooped for joy. “Big Brother Su Yi is back!” 

He’s back? Zuo Xinghe and the rest of the higher-ups’ hearts shook. Their expressions changed dramatically. The worst possible outcome had become a reality!

Su Yi… Has returned alive? Huo Yunsheng, Qian Tianlong, and Sun Feng reacted as if they’d been struck by lightning. They felt a chill in their hands and feet. How is this possible…?

At that moment, all eyes gazed outside the hall.

There was a ray of light streaking through the distant skies. It suddenly transformed into a tall, lean silhouette, a detached and transcendent figure clad in blue.

With a single step, he reached the grand hall.

This was none other than Su Yi!

The entire room fell silent. Everyone reacted differently.