First Immortal of the Sword

Mei Yanbai had been smug and complacent. He was eager to show Su Yi what it meant to “overestimate oneself” and “seek out one’s own humiliation” when it came to formations.

Yet now, his face stung as if he’d been slapped. He was so embarrassed and angry that he almost wanted to die.

Was anything in this world more humiliating than being slapped in the face in public?

Yes, there was. Being slapped in the face in public...over and over again.

By now, Mei Yanbai’s companions all looked at him differently.

Feng Zidu was gnashing his teeth with fury. He longed to kill this jinx. Why laugh for no good reason? Why couldn’t you have just kept your mouth shut?

Qian Yun, Nie Li, and Dou Kou were resentful, annoyed, and angry too. He’s a glorious descendant of the Mei Family, but this is all he amounts to? Just this?

Boom!

The formation rumbled, and the scenery changed.

“Run!” Mei Yanbai dared not delay. He waved his apricot pennant and led the way forward, breaking through the formation.

Kcch!

A streak of sword qi manifested of the formation’s power swept towards him. The apricot yellow pennant burst into pieces.

Mei Yanbai’s expression changed, and he immediately took out his twelve Formation-Breaking Hammers. 

However, a moment later, the power of the formation filled the skies, and sword rain fell to earth, crushing the hammers as easily as if they were made of paper mache.

“Dammit!” Mei Yanbai’s eyes bulged as if about to pop. He waved his sleeves.

Whoosh!

Over a hundred talismans of all shapes and colors soared forth. Each had its own miraculous applications.

However, beneath the oppressive power of the formation, they seemed pathetically useless.

In the blink of an eye, all had been destroyed.

Who could fail to realize what this meant? Neither Mei Yanbai’s attainments in the Dao of Talismans and Formations nor the treasures he had on him were enough to contend with the grand formation before them! 

“Everyone, use whatever you’ve got in reserve! If you don’t, we’ll all die here!” said Feng Zidu, his expression overcast.

“Alright!” Qian Yun’s eyes flashed with ruthless light. He opened his mouth and exhaled.

Clang!

A wisp of cold blue light shot forth and transformed into a three-inch flying knife. It was crystalline and transparent, with an edge like a crescent moon. It glowed with a faint sky-blue luster.

The handle was carved with two tiny characters: “Blue Shear.”

Blue Shear was a treasure Qian Yun kept in reserve. It was an ancient yao weapon forged from a segment of a Spiritual Integration Realm yao cultivator’s natal bone. It contained monstrous sharpness.

A single slash could cut down Spiritual Manifestation cultivators like a scythe through wheat!

“Go!” Qian Yun bellowed.

The three-inch flying knife circulated in midair, firing two hundred-foot streaks of blue saber qi. They crossed in midair, forming an enormous “乂.” The streaks were incomparably sharp, dazzling, and radiant.

The others felt a prickling pain in their eyes, and their hearts shook.

Blue Shear’s power made them shudder; they didn’t even need to think to know that it had extraordinary origins!

Rumble~

The streaks of blue saber qi made the surrounding formation ripple violently. The group’s spirits soared.

But it was then that a glittering golden rope shot forth, circulated overhead, and tied Blue Shear up.

With a flash of golden light, both the rope and the flying knife disappeared into the formation.

“This…”

The group’s expressions froze.

“Dammit, that was my flying knife!” Qian Yun shouted, his eyes practically popping out of their sockets.

In the blink of an eye, his treasure had been confiscated. 

The flying knife, Blue Shear, was shockingly precious. It was only because Qian Yun was on the verge of stepping into the Spirit Dao that his elders granted it to him. After he broke through, he could refine it into his own Natal Spirit Treasure.

Who’d have thought someone would appear out of nowhere and run off with it?

“That rope just now looked like one of the Huan Family’s nine great demonic treasures, the Spirit-Capturing Rope…” Dou Kou’s expression filled with uncertainty.

The Spirit-Capturing Rope!

This was a wondrous Spirit Dao demonic treasure. If it caught foes off guard, it could effortlessly repress and subdue even Spirit Dao treasures of the same level.

“If that’s really the Huan Family’s Spirit-Capturing Rope, why does Su Yi have it? Don’t tell me Su Yi once slew an expert of the Huan Family?” Nie Li furrowed his brow.

Although they couldn’t see through it, this scene left their hearts somber and overcast.

They were surrounded by perils on all sides. They weren’t just trapped within a formation; they also had to be constantly on guard against sudden attacks.

“Let me try,” said Nie Li gravely. He drew the crimson saber on his back with a clang.

The saber was red as blood, unearthly and imposing. The blade was covered in strange and mysterious black Edicts.

The Netherworld Chant Blood Saber!

This was an ancient treasure of ghost cultivators.

With his saber in hand, a look of solemn awe appeared on Nie Li’s face. “Ancestor, please, show yourself and help this junior break through this formation!”

Beneath the group’s astonished gazes, the Netherworld Chant Blood Saber burst with crimson light. Its radiance soared into the heavens, and a faint, illusory figure appeared within the light.

This was a body elder in blood-red robes. He had a ghostly, sinister air around him, and he was shrouded in baleful mists. He emanated a terrifying and majestic air.

Like a matchless vengeful spirit who’d charged out of the depths of hell.

“The primordial spirit of a Spiritual Integration Realm ghost cultivator!” Feng Zidu gasped.

He wouldn’t have guessed that Nie Li’s trump card would be this mighty!

Everyone else had a strange expression too.

During this trip to Sumeru Immortal Island, they’d each prepared powerful killer weapons and trump cards, but none of them would have guessed that Nie Li would bring the primordial spirit of such a terrifying old-timer.

“It’s just a formation. Watch as this old man clears you a path to life!” said the old man within the surging bloody light, looking calm and proud.

His sleeves billowed around him, and a clear hum emanated from the Netherworld Chant Blood Saber. The blade fell into his hands, and he suddenly slashed in front of him.

Whoosh!

A steak of incomparably dazzling blood-colored saber qi swept through the air with a towering, baleful aura.

Rumble!

The formation rumbled and boomed. A tide of glyphs surged forth to defend it, blocking and neutralizing that terrifying, ruthless slash.

“Hmph!” The crimson-robed elder snorted and was just about to attack again when—

Whoosh!

A bronze mirror suddenly appeared in the sky. 

The mirror was round and clear, and as it hovered there, a bright-red eye opened on its surface, like a devil peering at them from the depths of hell. Its gaze was indifferent, cruel, and cold.

Practically simultaneously, a beam of sinister, blood-colored light shot out of its pupil at unbelievable speeds. It was headed directly for the distant elder in blood-colored robes. 

Bang!

Bloody light scattered from the elder’s body. He trembled violently and grunted in pain. His primordial spirit showed signs of imminent collapse.

There was no doubt about it; that attack was extremely terrifying, so much so that it had dealt a heavy blow to this Spiritual Integration Realm ghost cultivator’s primordial spirit! 

“Dammit, it’s the Huan Family’s Spirit-Devouring Mirror!” The elder in blood-colored robes cried out in alarm.

Whoosh!

He fled back into the Netherworld Chant, too scared to show his face again.

This was an unquestionably ridiculous scene. He’d been so proud just moments before, and so fierce. He hadn’t taken the formation before them the least bit seriously.

But after just one attack, he chickened out…

“The Spirit-Devouring Mirror…” Nie Li’s face was ashen, and his expression alternated between alarm and rage.

The elder in blood-colored robes was his greatest pillar of support and the source of his confidence. He was the reason Nie Li dared face Su Yi.

He would never have guessed that one brief confrontation later, the elder would flee in defeat!

Mei Yanbai and the others’ expressions changed dramatically.

The Spirit-Capturing Rope’s appearance was already beyond their expectations.

Now, Su Yi had the Spirit-Devouring Mirror too. This left them almost unable to believe their eyes. Just when did the Demonic Huan Family’s strongest treasures fall into Su Yi’s hands?

Boom!

The formation rumbled once more; it wasn’t giving them any time to think at all. The formation’s power condensed into sharp swords, which swept toward them and fell like explosive rain.

Dou Kou gnashed her teeth and shook her sleeves.

A stretch of radiant, misty light shot forth. Upon closer inspection, it was a bright, colorful feather fan.

As Dou Kou waved the fan, misty radiance shot out of it, filling the air and forming a rippling defensive curtain of colorful light. 

The Radiant Feather Fan!

This was one of Dou Kou’s life-saving treasures. She’d received it from one of her Spiritual Integration Realm Seniors, and it contained five-colored spiritual light.

When used, layers of spiritual light rippled outward. The resulting curtain of light was called the “Five-Colored Spirit Shield.” It was strong enough to block even a Spiritual Integration Realm expert’s full-force attack.

Bang bang bang!

The dense rain of sharp swords cleaved into the Five-Colored Spirit Shield, producing a violent rumbling. Sparks swept forth and scattered in all directions.

In the end, the light curtain neutralized the dense sword rain manifested from the formation’s power.

But just as they were about to sigh in relief…

Clang!

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The clear hum of a knife rang out.

The three-inch Blue Shear flew forth. The two hundred-foot streaks of saber qi cleaved ruthlessly into the Five-Colored Spirit Shield.

Qian Yun was so angry that he almost coughed up blood.

That was his killer weapon, yet now, Su Yi was using it against them!

Bang-bang-bang!

The multi-layered Five-Colored Spirit Shield burst apart, scattering a rain of radiant light.

Dou Kou’s expression changed dramatically, but just as she was about to wave the fan and defend, a glittering golden rope appeared out of nowhere and wrapped itself around its target. She felt her thumb sting, and an agonizing pain flashed through her wrist as the Radiant Feather Fan was wrested from her grasp.

“Dammit!” Dou Kou cried out. She was beside herself with rage, and she immediately tried to stop the rope.

However, the formation rumbled, and sharp sword intent filled the air, forcing her to retreat.

All of this happened so quickly that her companions were still trying to block the combined attacks of the formation and Blue Shear; they had no hope of saving her fan in time.

Dou Kou could only watch helplessly as the Radiant Feather Fan was stolen. She felt as if someone had carved out a chunk of her flesh; it hurt so badly she couldn’t breathe. 

“Brother Mei, hurry up and break the formation!” Nie Li roared.

The formation rumbled as it circulated. Its aura was destructive and terrifying, and it left them no choice but to defend with everything they had.

“I…” Mei Yanbai wanted to say something but stopped. He felt stifled, and his expression was extraordinarily unpleasant.

How could he possibly break such a formation?

The crux of the matter was that the formation was too powerful; this simply wasn’t something he could neutralize…

“Everyone, if you don’t use whatever you’ve got in reserve, we’re really and truly done for!” Feng Zidu bellowed, as frantic as if he were on fire.

“‘Use what we’ve got in reserve’ my ass! Didn’t you see that none of our methods were of any use, and that Su Yi just seized the opportunity to steal our treasures?” Qian Yun cursed, beside himself with fury.

“But if we don’t use our trump cards, and if we can’t break the formation, how will we escape?” shrieked Dou Kou. Her charming, pretty face filled with panic as she realized their predicament.

The group’s hearts sank.

It was true. Their trump cards were no use, and they were trapped. How could they escape?

How was this any different from an inescapable predicament?

It was then that a burst of calm laughter resounded throughout the formation. “Want to live? Leave behind all your treasures, and I’ll naturally give you a path to life.”