First Immortal of the Sword

Hundreds of miles from Nine Tripod City. The banks of a great river.

The purple-haired, golden-crowned young man had a grim, furious look on his face. He gnashed his teeth and spat, “The Xia Family dares treat us like this? There’s no way I’ll just let this go!”

The woman in the phoenix robe looked pallid. Lingering terror arose on her face. “Everyone in the Great Xia knows that the Nine Tripod Suppression Barrier Formation is the imperial family’s ultimate trump card. It’s just that no one could have anticipated that the former third strongest killing formation could unleash such terrifying power even in its severely dilapidated state…”

The cold, imposing voice of the crimson silhouette emanated from the blood-red jade pendant hanging from the purple-haired youth’s neck, “I can say with certainty that the formation is indeed severely damaged. After just a few more uses, it's sure to fall apart completely. We might have suffered a massive setback this time, but we’ll surely repay this grudge ten times over—no, one hundred times over!”

His voice was rife with dense hatred, ferocity, and bloodlust.

It was then that they heard someone shooting over from the distant skies. Shortly after, Weng Jiu landed before them.

He swept his gaze across the purple-haired young man and the woman in the phoenix robe, then said expressionlessly, “This old man is only here to relay the imperial family’s stance on this matter.”

He then repeated the middle-aged man’s words. He spoke without the slightest ripple of emotion.

The woman in the phoenix-patterned robe looked at the purple-haired young man, as if afraid he couldn’t withstand this provocation and that he’d fly off the handle or go insane.

Who’d have thought that he’d just rub his face, straighten his clothes, and bend respectfully at the waist? He said respectfully, “Senior, when you go back, please tell the imperial family that I, Huan Shaoyou of the Huan Family, will carve this lesson into my heart!”

Even his tone was respectful.

However, Huan Shaoyou’s humble behavior made Weng Jiu’s pupils constrict. After a moment’s silence, he said, “Young Lord, I’ll convey your statement to the imperial family in full detail.”

Huan Shaoyou looked up, his handsome face filled with gratitude. “I’m sorry to make you come all this way, Senior. Should I get the chance, I’ll be sure to welcome you with the utmost hospitality!”

His tone was utterly sincere.

However, it sent an inexplicable chill through Weng JIu’s heart. He took a deep look at Huan Shaoyou, then said, “Young lord, you’d best tread carefully.”

With that, he turned and left.

After watching Weng Jiu fade from view, Huan Shaoyou laughed heartily. “See? The Xia Family obviously dares not offend us completely. Otherwise, why send a messenger?”

“Worthless!” The voice within the crimson jade pendant rebuked him harshly. “Had your elders known how pathetic you really are, I’m afraid they would never have wasted so much energy making you the future leader of the family!”

Huan Shaoyou fell briefly silent, but then, he laughed. “The people of this world think of the Huan Family as domineering and unbridled. They believe that when we go mad, we throw all caution to the wind. But Great Uncle, surely you of all people understand that ‘wild and frenzied’ doesn’t mean ‘brainless!’”

Unusually, the voice within the jade pendant had nothing to say to that.

Huan Shaoyou continued, “Heavenly Demon True Blood flows through our veins. This gives us talent far beyond the masses and heaven-defying destructive power. The people of this world may think us insane, but that doesn’t mean we’re stupid, reckless, or ignorant!”

“What does it really mean to be frenzied? It means stopping at nothing to achieve one’s aims!” Staunch determination arose on Huan Shaoyou’s face. “When the situation is not in my favor, I’ll kneel and beg and call my opponent ‘ancestor’ if need be. Anything to stay alive.

“But so long as I escape with my life, I guarantee that I won’t stop at making them kneel and beg and call me ancestor. I’ll kill them all without the slightest politeness!”

When the woman in phoenix-patterned robe heard this, she was dazed. It was as if she were seeing Huan Shaoyou for the first time.

“Tch, you’re actually a bit clever, you punk.” The voice emanating from within the pendant sounded a bit gratified. “We might have lost the advantage during our attempt to barge into Nine Tripod City, but I’m afraid you knew all along that the Xia Family would never have let us break into Mount Heavenbristle.”

“You’re right,” said Huan Shaoyou with a laugh. “I just wanted to test the Nine Tripod Suppression Barrier Formation’s power to see how long it would last. I also wanted to see if this might be our chance to take control over Nine Tripod City and seize Mount Heavenbristle, one of the most blessed grounds for cultivation in the world.”

He paused here, then let out a long sigh. “But now it seems…. We’ll have to wait a while longer…”

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He seemed to find it an awful pity.

Taking over Nine Tripod City and occupying Mount Heavenbristle!

The woman in the phoenix robe suddenly realized the true purpose behind Huan Shaoyou’s attempt to invade Nine Tripod City’s airspace!

The voice within the jade pendant rang out once more. “Drop the nonsense. All I want to know is this: what do you plan to do next?”

Huan Shaoyou’s gaze was somber. He stroked his jaw and said, “I want to visit Sumeru Immortal Island, so I must participate in the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly. That aside, I need to select a few capable subordinates from among the monsters of the ancient era and geniuses of the present day…”

He suddenly looked a bit frustrated and helpless. “There’s nothing for it. The world is nothing like it was thirty thousand years ago; even you were almost killed by the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness, Great Uncle. All that remains of you is your primordial spirit. If the Huan Family wishes to recover its former glory and seize control of the world during the Radiant Epoch, we’ll need sufficiently capable subordinates!”

Whap!

Huan Shaoyou took a slap to the head. A furious voice emanated from his jade pendant. “All that remains of me is my primordial spirit, but so long as I can possess the fleshly body of a Spirit Dao cultivator, I can recover the strength I had at my peak!”

….

Azurecloud Court.

Su Yi sat cross-legged in meditation. 

Last night, his cultivation had reached the mid-stage Origin Palace Realm shortly before he proceeded to Goldenscale Lake to kill Zhou Fengzhi.

Furthermore, he no longer had any shortage of cultivation resources. Thus, even though his foundations were incomparably firm and polished, his progress wasn’t the least bit slow.

According to Su Yi’s estimates, if he continued at his rate, he’d reach the late-stage Origin Palace Realm within a week!

The crux of the matter was that the Origin Palace Realm was just a transitional period. During this realm, his goal was to open an Origin Palace capable of containing the Strongest Dao Seed he condensed during the Grain Avoidance Realm.

Only then could he make the Strongest Dao Seed condense Origin Power Stars in the Gathering Stars Realm.

In short, the Origin Palace Realm was a bridge between the realms before and after it.

Progress in this realm came down to building his accumulations in the Grand Dao. It wasn’t overly difficult; it just required assiduous cultivation and diligent practice.

Shortly before nightfall, guests came calling.

There were three of them in total: Yu Shuya, Jiang Li, and Qiu Hengkong. 

Yu Shuya carried a jug of wine he’d kept in storage for a century. When he saw Su Yi, he greeted him as respectfully as a student greeting his teacher.

Naturally, he had come here to request Su Yi’s guidance in regard to forging. Yesterday, at Treasure Trove Tower, Su Yi had agreed to this.

However, Su Yi wouldn’t have guessed that Jiang Li would come with him.

When this phoenix-eyed, noble, aloof beauty in purple looked at Su Yi, it was obvious that her attitude toward him had changed. She was no longer as proud and aloof. She was more respectful, and her demeanor revealed nigh-imperceptible signs of dread.

As for Qiu Hengkong…

Although the former top sword cultivator of the Great Wei tried his best to treat Su Yi as he had before—as an old friend and fellow swordsman—when the two of them met face to face, he couldn’t help but act much more reserved. 

When the skies were completely dark, the three of them bade farewell.

Yu Shuya was delighted. He’d benefited enormously from seeking out Su Yi’s guidance on the Dao of Forging. If not for Su Yi making it clear that he refused to accept disciples, he would have longed for nothing more than to become Su Yi’s apprentice. 

Jiang Li was much more relaxed than before too. She’d come here to greet Su Yi because she feared he’d view the Jiang Family with enmity over their association with Zhou Fenghzi and Zhou Zhiqian. 

However, as they conversed, she realized that Su Yi didn’t care about any of that in the least…

Only Qiu Hengkong felt a bit melancholy.

Although Su Yi still treated him as a friend, without the slightest coldness, Qiu Hengkong was well aware that the two of them were too far apart. They couldn’t possibly converse as equals as they had before. 

The night was dark as ink, and the moon shone overhead. 

Unusually, everything was peaceful, so Su Yi ordered Yuan Heng to prepare hot pot for dinner. He wanted to take this opportunity to relax. 

Thinking about it now, even Su Yi felt like he’d been too busy lately.

Only four days had passed since he arrived in Nine Tripod City, but so much had happened already.

Saving Yue Shichan from the Song of the Sandy Creek, cutting down Huo Tiandu on Cloudcomb Lake, killing Zhou Fengzhi at Goldenscale Lake…

Tonight, he had a rare moment of peace. Su Yi naturally wanted to relax.

Thinly-sliced vegetables and meats were already laid out in the garden. The soup pot was bubbling over the stove, and an enticing fragrance emanated from the fiery red broth.

Su Yi, Yue Shichan, Yuan Heng, and Bai Wenqing sat around the fire.

The night sky hung overhead, the light of the moon as soft as water, a picture of tranquil beauty.

But before Su Yi could even pick up his chopsticks, someone knocked on the door.

Su Yi furrowed his brow and ordered, “Yuan Heng, no matter who it is, turn them away at the door.”

Yuan Heng nodded and rushed off.

Su Yi picked up a pearly white piece of fish with his chopsticks. He’d only just tossed it into the hot pot when Yuan Heng came back with a sealed letter.

“Master, the messenger was just a hired errand boy. He didn’t know who this letter is from either,” whispered Yuan Heng.

“Oh?” said Su Yi. He set down his chopsticks and opened the letter. When he saw its contents, his brow furrowed, and his gaze frosted over.

“You go ahead and eat. I’m going out for a bit.” Su Yi rose from his wicker chair and headed out of Azurecloud Court.

Yuan Heng, Yue Shichan, and Bai Wenqing’s expressions shifted. They realized something was amiss. 

“Master, do you need assistance?” Yuan Heng couldn’t help but ask.

“Don’t leave the residence tonight. If anything unexpected happens… Yuan Heng, don’t forget the talismans I entrusted you with,” said Su Yi without so much as turning his head to look at them. Before his voice even finished ringing out, he’d already disappeared from view.

The light of the fireplace illuminated Yuan Heng, Yue Shichan, and Bai Wenqing’s uncertain, shifting expressions. This… Just what has happened?