First Immortal of the Sword

“You’re saying A’Cang let you hurt her?” The gray sparrow’s expression filled with uncertainty, but then, it burst into laughter. “You’re just a tiny little Gathering Stars cultivator. Don’t you think you’re reading too much into this?”

Su Yi ignored the bird’s jeers and relaxed his grip.

Whoosh!

The golden blood shot into the tree covered in the corpses of stars, then disappeared.

When he saw this, Su Yi said thoughtfully, “Tell me, why did you let me stab you?”

The gray sparrow said irritably, “A’Cang, whatever you do, don’t pay this self-conceited punk any heed. He…”

Before he could finish, a wisp of green, crystal clear light descended, forming a translucent, slender hand. It gently patted the bird. 

At the same time, a serene, clear voice rang out. “Little Sparrow, let me talk to him.”

The gray sparrow instantly fell silent, while Su Yi exclaimed, “Don’t tell me the Source of the Azure gave rise to a wisp of consciousness?”

“You’ve misunderstood, Fellow Daoist. Both the sparrow and I are Xiantian Spirits born within the Origins of the Azure, but we are not its consciousness.”

Her voice was like the burbling of spring water.

Then, Su Yi watched as the green light emanating from the tree interwove and condensed into an ethereal young woman.

She wore a cloud-patterned dress, and her long hair was as white as snow. Her peerlessly beautiful face flickered in and out of view within the mists, giving her an additional layer of mysteriousness.

She was barefoot, with feet like jade. An illusory full moon shone behind her. 

The moment she appeared, the young woman inclined her head at Su Yi. “Fellow Daoist, you can call me A’Cang. It’s just as you said; I indeed deliberately let myself be injured, and I left my blood behind on purpose. My goal was simple: I wanted to meet with you.”

The sparrow didn’t know what to say. Its eyes widened, and it suddenly realized that Su Yi was right. A’Cang really had gotten hurt on purpose!

The bird couldn’t help but re-evaluate Su Yi. Don’t tell me there’s something special about this… this Gathering Stars Realm junior?

Su Yi nodded, then asked with great interest. “How did you figure out that I was capable of reaching this place?”

A’Cang’s eyes shone like distant stars as she gazed at Su Yi and whispered, “I can sense an extraordinarily mysterious and terrifying power within you, but I cannot determine its level. I couldn’t repress my curiosity, so I used my blood as a guide. I wanted to see whether or not you could make it here.”

Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. She can sense the Sword of the Nine Hells’ presence? She’s not simple!

It was then that a nigh-imperceptible hint of a smile appeared on A’Cang’s lips. “It seems I wasn’t mistaken. Although your cultivation is only in the Gathering Stars Realm, your power far surpasses the world’s other cultivators.”

She put particular emphasis on the last few words.

The word “cultivators” by itself sometimes referred specifically to “Origin Dao cultivators”. Spirit Dao cultivators were considered "advanced cultivators", while Profound Dao cultivators were "Imperial Realm cultivators" or "Emperors."

However, the word "cultivator" could also refer to all cultivators of all cultivations!

The gray sparrow naturally understood what A’Cang was getting at, and it couldn’t help but shout, “A’Cang, is the power within this ant really so incredible?”

It obviously found this hard to believe.

Su Yi ignored the irritating bird and looked directly at A’Cang. “Now that you’ve met me, is there anything you want to say to me?”

After a moment’s silence, A’Cang said, “If possible, I hope to establish good karma between us.”

‘Good karma?” Su Yi’s eyebrows shifted. “If you want me to repair the Origins of the Azure, don’t bother asking. If I’m not mistaken, it’s already on the verge of collapse and won’t hold out much longer. In a few years, it’ll fall apart completely.”

“Complete nonsense!” The gray sparrow bellowed in fury.

A’Cang, however, sighed. “Indeed, I couldn’t hide it from you, Fellow Daoist. It’s just as you say. Although the Origins of the Azure ultimately blocked the Starstorm, the power of the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness has corroded it for the past thirty thousand years. There’s already no possibility of restoring it.”

Here, she paused. “But the Origins of the Azure won’t be destroyed so easily. Rather, they’ll become the most fundamental energy of the Grand Dao and pour back into the Azure Continent. When that day comes, the Azure Continent will face an unprecedented change.”

The look on Su Yi’s face said, “Just as I expected!”

Out loud, he said, “That’s the Radiant Epoch so many of the world’s countless cultivators are looking forward to.”

A’Cang nodded. “It will indeed be a Radiant Epoch. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth will grow as if frenzied, and the Laws of the Grand Dao will re-enter the world. Countless treasures and fortuitous opportunities lost to history will re-appear. However…”

The young woman’s beautiful, misty face dimmed. “It will ultimately be short-lived, like the last flash of light of a dying sun.”

Su Yi nodded in full agreement. “Indeed. Without the Origins of the Azure, although the world will welcome a Radiant Epoch, what goes up must come down. After this period of prosperity, the spiritual energy will wane. That aside, the power maintaining the spatial barrier around the Azure Continent will fade, and Otherworlders will invade. Even worse…”

Su Yi’s gaze shifted, then landed on the countless corpses of fallen stars hanging from the tree’s branches. “Should another Starstorm arrive from outer space, there will be nothing left to defend the Azure Continent, and it will be destroyed completely.”

Just hearing this, A’Cang’s long eyelashes fluttered, and she nodded.

That was indeed the scariest and most threatening part!

The gray sparrow shouted, “That’s not possible! The Starstorm hasn’t come back in thirty thousand years. How could something like that happen again?”

The acerbic, sharp-tongued little sparrow now seemed irascible.

“It might not happen now, but… Who’s to say it won’t happen later?” Su Yi said casually. “Worldly affairs change. Such changes have always been cruel and unpredictable. Throughout history, no small number of planes and worlds have been destroyed.”

The gray sparrow was enraged. “Can’t you say something a bit more auspicious?”

A’Cang sighed. “Little Sparrow, Fellow Daoist Su is right. We ought to accept this and come up with a way to counter it.”

The gray sparrow fell silent.

Su Yi looked admiringly at her. “You’re right. Reaching the limit leads to change, and change leads to solutions. Beneath the Great Dao, the universe has never lacked opportunities to turn things around.”

A’Cang took a deep breath and looked at Su Yi. “In my eyes, you are one such opportunity.”

“...” Su Yi didn’t know what to say to that.

The gray sparrow was the first to interject. It said shrilly, “Him? A Gathering Stars Realm ant? An imbecile who didn’t even know what the Imperial Apex Realm was? A’Cang, have you gone insane?”

The corners of Su Yi’s lips twitched. No matter how good his temper, he couldn’t help but feel the urge to skin the contemptible little bird alive.

“I haven’t gone insane,” said A’Cang, her beautiful face utterly tranquil and serious. “The power on Fellow Daoist Su’s body can neutralize the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness. His cultivation boundary might be low now, but in the future, he’s sure to become a world-renowned expert!”

Su Yi laughed dryly. “You don’t need to praise me like that. Want to create a positive karmic bond with me? Just tell me directly what you’re after.”

A’Cang took a deep breath. “I dare not make any extravagant demands about saving the world. All I want is to leave the Origins of the Azure a thread of hope.”

As she said this, she gently flicked the tips of her fingers.

Boom!

The tree covered in fragmented fallen stars shook, and a dazzling swath of Dao Light slowly floated into view.

As it drew near, it blazed like a sun, illuminating the void in all directions!

Find the original at "pawread dot com".

However, after just a few breaths of time, the blazing light disappeared, and the corpse-strewn giant tree regained its former tranquility.

A’Cang’s white hair fluttered about, and her misty, matchlessly beautiful face was pale with exhaustion.

An unassuming gray stone box now hovered before her. 

It was only about the size of a fist, and the materials were simple, with no shine. It wasn’t at all eye-catching. 

A’Cang now looked utterly solemn and pious. “Fellow Daoist, this box contains a portion of the Origin of the Azure’s life force. You could call it ‘the Seed of the Azure.’”

The gray sparrow shrieked, “A’Cang, you can’t seriously be planning to give such a divine object to an ant you only just met?”

A’Cang furrowed her brow; it seemed she couldn’t take the bird’s obnoxious mouth anymore either. “Little Sparrow, if you provoke Fellow Daoist Su, I won’t be able to protect you.”

The gray sparrow fell silent.

A’Cang then looked at Su Yi once more. She said apologetically, “Little Sparrow speaks without a filter. Please forgive him, Fellow Daoist.”

Su Yi shook his head dismissively. “I wouldn’t sink to making trouble for a tiny feathered beast.”

The gray sparrow was instantly enraged. “You…!”

Su Yi said calmly, “How about I help you fix your nasty bad habits and teach you how to behave yourself?”

A’Cang teased, “It would be wonderful if you could fix Little Sparrow’s bad habits.”

The gray sparrow fell silent for a while. Finally, he said resentfully, “I just knew women were unreliable. You’ve known this kid for less than a day, but you’ve already started conspiring with him to nefarious ends! The two of you are in cahoots!”

Whap!

Misty light struck the bird’s gray body. The obnoxious creature staggered and almost fell. It hurriedly flapped its wings and stood, then said furiously, “A’Cang, why did you hit me?”

A’Cang said in displeasure, “Little Sparrow, not another word from you.”

Her voice was cold, serene, and calm, but the bird promptly started behaving itself.

“It really did need someone to teach it a lesson.” Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh.

The gray sparrow glared viciously at him, but it was obviously worried that A’Cang would be angry, so it said no more.

Otherwise, it would have long since cursed Su Yi out in response. 

“Fellow Daoist, if possible, I hope you can take the Seed of the Azure with you.”

A’Cang took a deep breath. Her tone was serious, and there was a hint of hope and expectation in her expression. “Having it in your possession will provide inestimable benefits to your future cultivation efforts. I trust that with your wisdom and intelligence, you understand how valuable it is.”

The gray sparrow’s expression shifted erratically. It was obviously extremely displeased.

Su Yi, however, sighed. 

The Seed of the Azure was the origin seed of an entire world. This was an enormous stroke of fortune, the type that could only be happened upon by chance.

In the Nine Provinces of the Wilds, even long-established Imperial Realm cultivators would fight over such a treasure with no regard for their image!

However, to Su Yi, this particular stroke of good fortune was like a hot potato; holding onto it would burn his hands.

This was because accepting it meant accepting the corresponding karmic ties!