First Immortal of the Sword

Su Yi and his companions were stunned. They then saw a tall, stalwart figure in indigo stride through the skies. As he approached, his wind-and-flame-marked robes billowed around him, and his aura surged into the heavens.

Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original.

This was the imposing might of the Spiritual Manifestation Realm; even the wind and clouds changed color.

“Daoist Master Miaohong!”

Zhang Yuntao’s pupils constricted. He recognized this prominent expert of the Qingyi Dao Sect at a glance.

It was one of the Great Xia’s four peak-level orthodoxies, yet Daoist Master Miaohong was ranked third amongst its inner-sect elders. There was no need to explain how lofty this position was or how solid his cultivation must be.

It was just that Zhang Yuntao would never have guessed someone like him would appear here now, much less that he’d proclaim his intentions to cut down Su Yi!

Daoist Master Miaohong!

Wen Xinzhao recognized him too, and the look on her beautiful face shifted. He was obviously here with ill intentions!

“Ah? So you’re Madam Miaohua’s older brother?” exclaimed Qing Ya.

Back on the Great Chu’s Billowing Sky River, Su Yi cut down Madam Miaohua and an entire group of cultivators from the Great Chu. At the time, Ling Yunhe mentioned Madam Miaohua’s elder brother—Daoist Master Miaohong of the Qingyi Dao Sect, a mighty Spiritual Manifestation Realm cultivator!

“He’s come for revenge, huh…” Yuan Heng’s expression was grave. He naturally understood what was happening.

Bai Wenqing didn’t know the backstory, but when she saw a Spiritual Manifestation cultivator appear and announce his intentions to kill Su Yi, her heart quivered too.

Ying Que was briefly stunned. Then, he went mad with delight.

This was an opportunity!

He was only just worrying about how to make himself look good in front of Su Yi. Who’d have thought that, just as he was about to bid Su Yi farewell, the perfect opportunity would come knocking on his door?

Meanwhile, Su Yi’s eyebrows arched. He was a bit surprised too.

Whoosh!

Li Miaohong stood in the not-too-distant skies, his eyes flashing like lightning and his aura surging around him. It seemed he had no plans of wasting any time; he wanted to attack directly and exterminate Su Yi.

However, when his gaze landed on Ying Que, his expression changed dramatically. His eyes widened in alarm and bewilderment.

That… That looks like a Spiritual Manifestation Realm yao cultivator!?

This unexpected development made Li Miaohong forcefully suppress the impulse to attack right away. Instead, he took a deep breath, then nodded slightly. “I am Li Miaohong of the Qingyi Dao Set. Greetings, Fellow Daoist. Might I request your honorable name and surname?”

Everyone could see the change in Li Miaohong’s attitude.

At first, Zhang Yuntao, Wen Xinzhao, and the others were a bit uneasy, but they instantly came to their senses. Su Yi now had a mighty yao of the Spiritual Manifestation Realm beside him. 

How could he possibly fear Li Miaohong?

Zhang Yuntao’s expression even turned a bit strange. Li Miaohong was indeed mighty.

However, compared to Duan Changsheng, the man who defeated three Spirit Dao cultivators in a row during the Trial of the Sword three hundred years ago, he lacked polish.

Ying Que was, after all, a flood dragon. His talent and accumulations were far beyond others of the same realm.

Furthermore, according to Ying Que, he’d suppressed his cultivation at the peak of the realm for a thousand years. If not for the former influence of his heart demon, he would have proven his Dao and entered the Spiritual Integration Realm a long time ago!

Li Miaohong wanted to kill Su Yi even under these circumstances? He’d have to get through Ying Que first!

This Daoist Master Miaohong really arrived at just the wrong time. I guess he’s just down on his luck…? Zhang Yuntao muttered to himself.

Ying Que ignored Li Miaohong completely. Instead, he turned to face Su Yi. “Master Su, a bungling clown like this isn’t worth you getting personally involved. Allow me to handle this!”

He couldn’t be bothered to concern himself with why Li Miaohong was here to make trouble for Su Yi, nor did he care about the man’s status as an inner sect elder of the Qingyi Dao Sect.

He just knew that if he missed this opportunity to show off in front of Su Yi, he’d absolutely regret it for the rest of his life!

A bungling clown? Anger arose on Li Miaohong’s face.

In the Great Xia, his cultivation and status meant he had no need to humble himself even when he encountered others of the same realm.

Yet now, some random yao cultivator had popped up out of who-knows-where, only to slander and disregard him. Of course he was angry. How could he not be?

“My good sir, don’t you think your words are a bit much? I’ll give you just one chance: hurry up and step aside. If you do, I won’t pursue this any further. Otherwise…” Li Miaohong paused, then said icily, “Don’t blame me for my poor manners!”

With the Qingyi Dao Sect standing beside him, he had complete confidence. It was only out of consideration for this unknown yao cultivator’s cultivation that he hadn’t attacked already.

The most awkward part was, Ying Que still ignored him. He just faced Su Yi, clasped his fist, and bowed. “Master Su, please grant me this request!”

Ren Youyou was watching from the treasure ship. When she saw this, she was tongue-tied. What’s going on here?

Zhang Yuntao and the others’ expressions were increasingly strange. When they looked at Li Miaohong, their gazes now contained a hint of pity.

The Qingyi Dao Sect was indeed a giant of the Great Xia, but Ying Que, a terrifying flood dragon, was no vegetarian either!

Li Miaohong was so furious that his expression darkened. He looked extremely unsightly.

He’s ignoring me again!

Just… Just how brazen is this yao cultivator!?

It was then that Su Yi glanced helplessly at Ying Que. “Alright, then. I’ll leave this up to you.

Earlier, on the treasure ship, he’d sighed over how difficult it was to find worthy foes in the Three Realms of the Origin Dao. He even thought that, should he encounter a Spiritual Manifestation Realm cultivator, he could test himself and see just how strong he’d become. 

Li Miaohong’s appearance was a surprise, but a pleasant one; he felt like a hunter who’d just spotted his favorite prey. 

Yet Ying Que had requested his orders, and he even said that Li Miaohong was unworthy of his personal attention. If Su Yi insisted on taking action even after all that, it would just seem like he was desperate to show off.

When he saw Su Yi nod his approval, Ying Que’s spirits soared. “Master Su, many thanks for granting my request!”

Whoosh!

He turned and strode into the sky. It seemed he was champing at the bit, or as if he feared nothing more than someone else swooping in to steal his opponent from him.

How could the onlookers possibly miss that Ying Que was eager for an opportunity to show off his skills in front of Su Yi?

They couldn’t help but sigh. This was a mighty, influential yao cultivator, someone who could command the wind and rain. Who could have pictured him acting like a student desperate to impress his seniors?

Even Su Yi was dumbstruck.

Watching this play out provoked Li Miaohong so thoroughly that his face was ashen, and his chest blazed with fury. His aura surged furiously around him.

In all his years of cultivation, when had anyone ever treated him so contemptuously?

“Li Miaohong, right? I hope you come at me with your full power. If you put on a poor showing, I guarantee you’ll die a hideous death!” Ying Que’s clothes fluttered around him as he stood in the air. His voice was mellow as wine, but his words were tyrannical and forceful to the extreme.

Li Miaohong was so furious that he gnashed his teeth and laughed coldly, “Wicked beast! I tolerated your earlier insults and treated you with politeness, but now, I finally understand: there’s absolutely no need to treat an uncivilized, vulgar creature like you with respect!”

Clang!

He stretched out his right hand, and a war saber landed in his palm. The blade was a full four feet long, and it surged with fiery clouds and flashed with sharp light. The light of its edge flowed gracefully as saber qi pierced the skies.

The nearby air currents suddenly boomed, and countless rifts opened.

An austere killing intent blanketed and suppressed the landscape.

Upon entering Spiritual Manifestation, abilities were self-creating and self-contained.

At the pinnacle of this stage, a single gesture contained enormous divine majesty. Cultivators could easily burn mountains, boil seas, and alter the lay of the land. 

As Li Miaohong drew his saber, the majesty of the Spiritual Manifestation Realm was on full display. The onlookers felt suffocating, and their hearts shook.

He’s in the mid-stage Spiritual Manifestation Realm, and he’s gained enlightenment into Spirit Dao-level saber intent. Ordinary cultivators of the same realm can’t compare with him.

However, compared to the true top elites, the cream of the crop, the aura and imposing might he’s refined thus far are ultimately lacking… Su Yi thought to himself.

“That’s more like it! This will make killing you interesting!” Ying Que threw back his head and laughed. Then, he suddenly swung his palm.

Boom!

A storm appeared. Lightning boomed throughout the dome of heaven, and fierce gales howled.

It was just a single palm strike, yet it was as if a divine dragon had extended its claws. As that tyrannical Spirit Dao power spread out, it changed the weather throughout the surrounding area.

Li Miaohong’s pupils expanded, and he swung his saber without the slightest hesitation. 

Fiery clouds blazed, and saber qi flared up, soaring through the skies. It swept forth like a fiery windstorm, its destructive power shocking. 

This was a clash between two Spirit Dao cultivators. Just how terrifying was this spectacle?

An earth-shaking boom rang out. Surging lightning and embers burst apart in a rain of light, then swept outward. The skies, which moments prior were dark as ink, were suddenly as bright as they were at midday. 

Within the surrounding ten thousand miles, the origin energy of heaven and earth was thrown into chaos, and it churned nonstop.

Zhang Yuntao, Wen Xinzhao, and the others felt a stinging pain in their eyes. Their hearts and minds shook with awe. They couldn’t see any of the battle’s details clearly at all!

The difference between their cultivation boundaries was just too enormous. The abilities of Spirit Dao cultivators were far beyond the comprehension and imagination of Origin Dao cultivators like them.

Clang!

A sound like metal colliding against metal rang out.

Beneath the onlookers’ stunned gazes, Li Miaohong fell like a shooting star, creating an enormous crater.

When the cloud of dust cleared, they saw that his hair was disheveled, his clothes were tattered, and blood flowed from the corners of his lips.

One slap, and Ying Que had crushed Li Miaohong!!

Ren Youyou watched from the distant treasure ship. She was so scared that her beautiful face quivered, and she was completely dumbstruck. She would never have guessed that Li Miaohong, a Spiritual Manifestation Realm cultivator famed throughout the world, would suffer abject defeat as soon as the fighting began!

“So strong!” Zhang Yuntao, Wen Xinzhao, and the others couldn’t help but gasp.

They’d long since known that Ying Que possessed extraordinary combat prowess, but they wouldn’t have thought that he’d be so tyrannically mighty even against a fellow Spiritual Manifestation cultivator like Li Miaohong.

Su Yi, however, found this awfully dull.

A human mid-stage Spiritual Manifestation Realm cultivator against a peak Spiritual Manifestation flood dragon, one who’d suppressed his cultivation for a full thousand years? The gap was enormous to begin with.

It would have been stranger if Yiing Que couldn’t absolutely suppress his opponent.

“This… is a Spiritual Manifestation cultivator of the Qingyi Dao Sect?” Ying Que was a bit disappointed too. He furrowed his brow and murmured, “He really is lacking…”

And here he’d hoped to display his abilities in front of Su Yi. How could he show off his strength if his opponent was too weak?

Li Miaohong, meanwhile, had been slapped into a daze.

His expression shifted erratically, and his bellyful of anger grew wings and flew away. He felt a chill course throughout his body, and his eyes shone with alarm and terror.

Just what was this yao cultivator, and where had he come from? How had he achieved such a terrifying cultivation in the Spiritual Manifestation Realm?

“If you’re not dead, get up and fight! Take out your trump cards and unleash your killer moves! Don’t bring shame upon your Qingyi Dao Sect’s reputation!” Ying Que bellowed overhead. “If you continue putting on such a poor show, I really will get angry!”

He really did seem a bit frantic, as if he hoped his opponent would hurry up and get stronger…

The onlookers’ expressions all turned a bit strange. This entire scene seemed a bit overly preposterous and farcical…

This was an unparalleled showdown between two Spiritual Manifestation Realm opponents, yet Ying Que seemed upset about his opponent’s weakness…