First Immortal of the Sword

The thousand-foot treasure ship moved through the sky, radiant light flowing around its massive hull. As it neared Nine Tripod City, it drew the attention of numerous cultivators on the ground.

Up on deck, when the golden-crowned, purple-haired, jade-robed young man gave his orders, a gentle female voice responded, “Young Master, thirty thousand years ago, the ancestor of the Xia Family placed the Nine Tripod Suppression Barrier Formation around Nine Tripod City. It was once the third-ranked peerless killing formation on the Azure Continent!”

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A beautiful, dignified woman in a cloud and phoenix-patterned robe appeared. 

She wore a gilded crown and carried a golden jade ruler. She was reserved and elegant, and as she looked around, her eyes flashed with faint but utterly intimidating silver light.

“Besides, Nine Tripod City has always had a rule forbidding flight above the city. We’re guests from afar. It seems to me that we’d best descend and visit Mount Heavenbristle on foot.”

As the phoenix-robed woman spoke, she looked at the purple-haired young man next to her.

His eyes shone with a hint of wanton pride. “Rules are dead, while people are alive. To the best of my knowledge, after thirty thousand years of the corrosive effects of the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness, the Nine Tripod Suppression Barrier Formation is severely damaged. I most certainly don’t believe the ol’ Xia Emperor could bear to use his damaged grand formation against us.”

With that, he said in a hearty voice, “Do as I say! Fly straight to Mount Heavenbristle!”

“Yes, sir,” said an aged, respectful voice from within the cabin. The thousand-foot treasure ship immediately proceeded toward the city’s airspace.

The woman in the phoenix-patterned robe couldn’t help but sigh. “Young master, people will criticize you for this. They’ll say you’re too domineering.”

Although she said this, it didn’t sound like a rebuke. On the contrary, she sounded a bit helpless, as if she’d long since anticipated this. 

“Aunt Wen, don’t tell me you don’t know? Thirty thousand years ago, the Huan Family had already rebelled against orthodoxy and departed from established practice. We were famous for our unbridled, domineering ways. Every descendent of the Huan Family has frenzy and ruthlessness in their very blood, and I’m naturally no exception.”

The purple-haired young man laughed, then wrapped his arm around the woman’s soft, slender waist. He pulled her into an embrace and gave her a big, sloppy kiss.

The beautiful, dignified woman in the phoenix-patterned robe flushed red, and her eyes filled with anger. The young man, however, burst into laughter. “Take now, for instance. You might be my senior in name, but in my eyes, you’re Huan Shaoyou’s woman! If anyone dares say anything, I’ll kill them!”

The woman tried to push the purple-haired youth’s arm away, only for him to hug her even tighter. In the end, she gave up the struggle, pursed her lips, and said helplessly, “If this goes badly and the clan’s old-timers find out about it, they’ll…”

Before she could finish, she quivered as if she’d been struck by lightning and suddenly wrested herself from the young man’s embrace. She glared at him. “You little scoundrel! What do you think you’re groping?”

The young man looked at the butt concealed beneath her phoenix robes without the slightest restraint. He laughed, “If you try and use those old timers to lecture me again, I won’t just grope you; I’ll smack your ass so hard, you’ll have four butt cheeks instead of two!”

The woman spat, and her cheeks flushed rosy pink.

The treasure ship had already flown into Nine Tripod City’s airspace, provoking widespread uproar.

“Whose ship is that? They dare fly in Nine Tripod City?”

“My heavens! It’s been thousands of years since someone last dared to fly over Nine Tripod City. The offender was a Spiritual Manifestation cultivator, and he thought his cultivation so lofty and deep that he could disregard the city’s rules. In the end, he barged into the city, only for the Nine Tripod Suppression Barrier Formation to destroy him! No one has dared imitate him since, but now… Someone is actually disregarding the rules and flying directly over the city!?”

“Which faction does that treasure ship belong to? Don’t tell me they don’t know Nine Tripod City’s rules?”

“It isn’t that they don’t know the rules; they’re simply disregarding them!”

The entire city was in uproar as countless cultivators gazed up at the enormous treasure ship in shock.

Startled cries rang out throughout the city streets.

“That’s the Huan Family’s Thousand Demon Treasure Ship!” Gu Canging was dining in a restaurant when he suddenly shot to his feet. “The strongest faction of demonic cultivators on the Azure Continent has actually shown up too…”

The Huan Family, a clan of demons!

Thirty thousand years ago, this demonic faction struck awe into the hearts of the populace. Other factions viewed them with terror and dread.

They were the greatest faction of demonic cultivators in the world; even Sikong Bao’s Heavenly Annihilation Demonic Gate was a level inferior to the Huan Family.

The Huan Family’s strength originated in their ancient bloodline. Rumor had it that they were a branch of a lineage of primordial demonic gods. Direct-line descendents of the Huan Family practically all had Heavenly Demon True Blood. Their talent was terrifying, and each was more heaven-defying than the one before.

Back in the day, of the Azure Continent’s Nine Emperors, the Huan Family’s Demonic Emperor of Divine Avarice was solidly in the top three. His heinous and demonic prestige dazzled the ten directions.

“It seems the Demonic Huan Family never fully fled the Azure Continent; they left behind a portion of their clansmen who endured the thirty thousand years of the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness just like the Gu Family,” said the old woman with youthful features sitting beside Gu Cangning.

“Even the Huan Family has re-emerged… Thirty thousand years ago, following the onset of the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness, numerous clans and orthodoxies fled the continent, but… I’m starting to wonder how many of them really left, and how many left a portion of their forces behind as the Huan Family did. How many endured these thirty thousand years of suppression…?”

Gu Cangning let out a deep sigh.

The situation in Nine Tripod City was getting increasingly treacherous and turbulent.

Early, Zeng Pu, a monster of the ancient era and suspected descendent of the Profound Bone Demon Emperor, had appeared.

Now, even experts of the Demonic Huan Family were here. Of course Gu Cangning was surprised!

“The Profound Bone Demon Emperor had an overbearing nature, but he was straightforward and upright. The people looked up to him. The Demonic Huan Family is different. They, too, are overbearing, but they act without restraint, flouting principle and disregarding the rules. They’re terrifying,” said the old woman. “Take now, for instance. Who else could disregard the imperial clan’s rules and invade Nine Tripod City’s airspace as the Huan Family has done?”

…

“A little imp of the Demonic Huan Family?” The gray-robed Zeng Pu sat in the teashop. He suddenly looked up, surprise arising on his handsome face. “They actually dared barge directly into Nine Tripod City’s airspace? The descendants of the Huan Family really are frenzied and reckless. I’m actually rather eager to see how the imperial family responds.”

…

The major powers scattered throughout the city all sensed the disturbance and looked up at the Thousand Demon Treasure Ship, one after another. Each had their own thoughts.

Numerous monsters of the ancient era mixed into the populace reacted in much the same way as Zeng Pu. They wanted to see whether or not the Xia Emperor dared to act against the Huan Family. 

…

Azurecloud Court.

Su Yi leaned back into his wicker chair and sprawled out beside the lotus pond. When he saw the treasure ship appear in the distant skies, he couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised. “Isn’t flying forbidden in Nine Tripod City?”

The middle-aged man beside him frowned. “Of course.”

Early that morning, he and Weng Jiu visited to request further guidance about repairing the Nine Tripod Suppression Barrier Formation.

Although Su Yi had already given them means of repairing it, to their embarrassment, they didn’t understand some of the secret arts and formation-placing methods described…

Even the formation grandmasters they summoned could only just barely comprehend a portion of them.

Helpless, they had no choice but to request Su Yi’s guidance in person.

Who’d have thought that something like this would happen so shortly after they arrived at Azurecloud Court? They had only just explained the purpose of their visit, and Su Yi had yet to answer any of their questions. 

“My lord, that’s the Demonic Huan Family’s Thousand Demon Treasure Ship!” A solemn look appeared on Weng Jiu’s face. “If I’m not mistaken, that ship belongs to Huan Shaoyou. He’s a monster of the ancient era whose powers are not yet known.”

“The Demonic Huan Family….” The middle-aged man furrowed his brow. “Do they think this is still the Azure Continent of thirty thousand years ago?”

Although the middle-aged man didn’t say anything out loud, Su Yi keenly picked up on the nigh-imperceptible traces of dread in his voice. It was obvious that the Demonic Huan family was no ordinary faction!

He asked with great interest, “Once a rule is broken, re-establishing it is difficult. What do you plan to do?”

On impulse, the middle-aged man said, “Fellow Daoist, what would you do in this situation?”

Su Yi laughed. “If you ask me, there’s no need to be polite whatsoever, nor is there any need to negotiate face-to-face. I’d just use the Nine Tripod Suppression Barrier Formation to blast them away.”

The middle-aged man’s eyelids twitched. 

Weng Jiu’s expression shifted dramatically. “How could that possibly be a good idea? That wouldn’t just cast aside all pretenses of cordiality with the Huan Family; it would deplete what remains of the formation’s power. It’s extremely unwise.”

“They dared barge into your airspace. There’s only two possible reasons for that. Either they don’t fear death, or they think you wouldn’t dare to use the Nine Tripod Suppression Barrier against them. Either way, they clearly don’t take you seriously. In that case, why worry about ‘pretenses of cordiality?’” Su Yi shook his head. “Of course, if you’re really afraid of them, you’re welcome to just grin and bear it.”

The middle-aged man laughed. “Ol’ Jiu, go circulate the formation. Do as Fellow Daoist Su says and send them flying!”

Weng Jiu froze, seemingly in disbelief. 

“Be quick about it!” The middle-aged man’s eyes flashed with cold light.

Weng Jiu soared into the sky, not daring to delay any further. 

When Su Yi saw this, he couldn’t help but look at the middle-aged man. “If this ends in disaster, you can’t hold me accountable.”

The middle-aged man let out a hearty laugh. “All I ask is that you help me repair the formation. There’s no need to concern yourself about the rest.”

“Oh,” said Su Yi. He said no more. He just took out another moon clam and tossed it into the lotus pond to feed the fish. 

…

Meanwhile, up in the sky, the purple-robed young man stood with his hands behind his back. He said disdainfully, “See, Aunt Wen? We’ve already crossed more than half of Nine Tripod City, but the imperial family has made no attempt to stop us. I said it, didn’t I? Others might have to follow the city’s rules, but our Huan Family is above the rules! We can simply trample them beneath our feet!”

His tone was rife with domineering, frenzied pride.

The woman in the phoenix robe had eyes like limpid pools. She smiled faintly. “When we reach Mount Heavenbristle, the emperor will surely hold you accountable.”

“Hahaha, even if the ol’ Xia Emperor were angrier, what could he do about it?” The purple-haired youth couldn’t help but throw back his head and laugh.

But as soon as he said this, the booming of a restriction’s energy fluctuations reverberated throughout Nine Tripod City.

The young man’s laughter came to an abrupt halt, as if he were a duck and someone had just seized him by the neck.