First Immortal of the Sword

I killed them.

It was just three casual, understated words.

However, they were an earth-shattering revelation to everyone present.

Especially Feng Zidu, Mei Yanbai, Qian Yun, and the others. Waves coursed through their hearts.

What would the others think if they learned that Su Yi had killed Dongguo Yun and Ran Chong too?

When they thought about it, they realized that thirteen of the thirty-four participants in this expedition to Sumeru Immortal Island had died, and all thirteen had died by Su Yi’s hand. Who wouldn’t have been surprised?

Weng Jiu’s brow furrowed in deep concern.

As a subordinate of the Great Xia’s imperial family, he was well aware that extremely ancient factions stood behind each of the fallen monsters of the ancient era.

Thirty thousand years of the Prohibition of Ancient darkness had weakened their vitality. They were no longer what they once were.

However, their accumulated foundations, and the power and legacies at their disposal, were still terrifying. 

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread dot com".

The top factions of the present day were the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect, the Qingyi Dao Sect, Cloudsky Divine Palace, and Maha Temple. However, they’d find it difficult to compare with those ancient factions.

It was similar to how Huan Shaoyou dared invade Nine Tripod City, the imperial family’s capital!

Why was he so bold? Because he had the Demonic Huan Family to back him up.

Although he’d been forced away in the end, the imperial family didn’t pursue the matter any further. Had an ordinary faction committed such a transgression, the Great Xia’s imperial family would have long since wiped them out.

The Huan Family was still just as overbearing as ever. Add them to the various other ancient factions, and their combined power would be enough to strike dread into the hearts of the imperial family!

Given the circumstances, what would happen when word of the dead geniuses spread to the outside world? What kind of enormous waves would result?

And Su Yi was sure to face an enormous calamity!

Weng Jiu was well aware that even if the Xia Emperor got involved, he couldn’t seal news like this away!

“Fellow Daoist Su, how could you…” Weng Jiu sighed.

He was just about to expound on the potential consequences when Su Yi cut him off. “It’s fine. Even if I poked a hole through the heavens, I’m strong enough to handle it on my own. Why look so upset over such a trivial matter?”

Weng Jiu’s mind went blank. You call this a trivial matter!?

However, Weng Jiu said no more. There were too many eyes here; it really wouldn’t do to discuss the matter further.

Without any further delays, he activated the Altar of Teleportation and led the group away.

“Hm?” Su Yi entered the Altar of Teleportation, but in the moments before he disappeared, Su Yi seemed to sense something. He gazed into the distant, incomparably enormous Meteor Abyss.

He wasn’t sure when it had gotten there, but a gray, illusory mist was floating above Meteor Abyss, and it silently outlined an enormous, eerie gray eye.

The eye seemed like a doorway into the depths of Meteor Abyss. It was a strange, unsettling sight.

When Su Yi’s gaze landed on the strange eye, an icy, terrifying power bore into his sea of consciousness like a knife.

Clang!

Practically simultaneously, the Sword of the Nine Hells shook. The invading icy power burst and scattered into nothingness.

The inscrutable, sinister eye formed of gray mists then disappeared from above Meteor Abyss. No trace of it remained.

“The aura of the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness?” Su Yi’s eyes narrowed. “Could it be that a creature capable of controlling its power lies dormant in the depths of Meteor Abyss?”

A’Cang once said that the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness was a calamity of the Grand Dao originating from the depths of the starry sky, and that thirty thousand years ago, a Starstorm descended upon the Azure Continent. 

And now, it seemed highly likely that there was a living thing capable of controlling the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness hiding within Meteor Abyss!

Did that mean that said living thing most likely originated from outer space?

If that’s the case, it’s highly likely that it’s set its sights on me because I took the Seed of the Azure from the Ninth Star Ruin.

After all, the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness came from outer space for the express purpose of destroying the Origins of the Azure, while the Seed of the Azure is the last of its vitality.

As he thought this, something else occurred to him.

Rumor had it that Meteor Abyss was the crater left behind when numerous star corpses crashed into the earth.

Based on this, the creature hiding within Meteor Abyss had likely come thirty thousand years ago, alongside the Starstorm!

Perhaps it had suffered heavy injuries during the struggle against the Origins of the Azure, leaving it no choice but to lie dormant at the bottom of the crater.

Interesting. Su Yi wasn’t alarmed. If anything, he was happy.

He was extremely interested in the depths of the starry sky. If he could capture a creature from outer space, he might well learn quite a few secrets about what was hiding out there!

Furthermore, Su Yi dared say with certainty that should the lifeform in question have an opportunity to leave Meteor Abyss, it would come looking for him sooner or later.

After all, he had the Seed of the Azure with him.

This is, perhaps, the first karmic entanglement the Seed of the Azure has brought me, Su Yi muttered to himself.

As he pondered, the Altar of Teleportation activated. Following a strange and inscrutable energy fluctuation, Su Yi and his companions disappeared into thin air.

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the seemingly endless Meteor Abyss, a dry, hoarse voice rang out. “The Origins of the Azure… I’ll be sure to capture you…”

The voice echoed throughout the endless darkness, but before long, all was silent.

……

Nine Tripod City.

Halfway up Mount Heavenbristle, the enormous ritual grounds.

Bzzz~

Misty light circulated around the altar, as Su Yi, Weng Jiu, and the others appeared out of nowhere.

Upon descending from the altar, many of them felt as if a lifetime had passed since they’d last been here.

“Compared to Sumeru Immortal Island, the spiritual energy on Mount Heavenbristle seems far too sparse…” Jiang Li sighed.

This was the territory of the Great Xia’s imperial family. Within the Great Xia, it was a famous, first-rate blessed ground!

However, after experiencing the density of Sumeru Immortal Island’s spiritual energy, the difference was readily apparent.

Everyone felt this deeply.

During this expedition, quite a few of them had broken into the Spiritual Manifestation Realm, realizing a perfect breakthrough. They’d left the Origin Dao and entered the Spirit Dao.

Furthermore, they’d obtained divine medicines and spiritual materials during their time on Sumeru Immortal Island. Their harvest was quite ample.

They absolutely hadn’t gotten in vain.

Even those like Wen Xinzhao and Yue Shichan, who’d yet to enter the Spiritual Manifestation Realm, had benefited enormously. Their cultivation had increased quite a bit.

Su Yi was the calmest of all. He was thinking about something completely trivial and unimportant—

I’ve been gone for a month, and I haven’t been in Azurecloud Court to feed moon clams to the carp. I hope they’re still alive and well…

He decided to return to Azurecloud Court immediately.

“Fellow Daoist Su, please, wait up,” Weng Jiu hurriedly transmitted and called him back.

“Do you have business with me?” asked Su Yi.

“Uh… I think it best you stay behind for now, then pay my master a visit,” said Weng Jiu. “After all, the consequences of this expedition will be severe; we ought to think of countermeasures. This is out of consideration for your wellbeing…”

Su Yi waved his concern away. “I appreciate your good intentions, but this is a trivial matter. You needn’t concern yourself with it. Right, please tell Yuan Heng and Bai Wenqing I’m back and have them return to Azurecloud Court.”

With that, he put his hands behind his back and sauntered into the distance.

Wen Xinzhao, Yue Shichan, and Ge Qian, followed shortly after.

Weng Jiu was stunned, and he couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. You little troublemaker! This really isn’t some trivial little problem!

Then, he sighed. Forget it. I’ll go pay Master a visit, and tell him everything that happened. He can decide how we’re to handle this.

However, he had to admit that he was extremely envious of Su Yi’s sheer unflappability. It seemed that even if the earth collapsed or the skies fell, Su Yi would remain perfectly calm, as if nothing were happening at all.

Is this the unfettered bearing of one unaffected by external affairs?

….

“I just wonder when the enormous disaster Su Yi triggered will arrive…” Zeng Pu pondered out loud. “Chi Jiansu, I plan to return to my family’s ancestral ground immediately. If anything shocking happens in the interim, and if it’s targeted at Su Yi, be sure to contact me right away.”

His expression was solemn.

Chi Jiansu was stunned. “Are you planning to watch the excitement?”

Zeng Pu laughed and shook his head, but he didn’t explain. He just hurried off.

Once I’ve left Mount Heavenbristle, I’ll be eager to see if that talisman really can lead me to a legacy perfectly suited to my talent… Chi Jiansu said to herself. 

Before long, Zeng Pu, Chi Jiansu, and the other monsters of the ancient era had all left. 

“Junior Apprentice Sister Jiang Li, I’m going to see the sect leader right away. Will you come with me?” asked Yu Wenshu.

Jiang Li shook her head. “I’m going back to the sect first. I have to tell my father.”

Yu Wenshu didn’t push her. He just said softly, “The implications of what happened on Sumeru Immortal Island are too big for juniors like us to get mixed up in. Let’s let those prominent experts decide how to respond to this.”

Jiang Li nodded, but her heart felt inexplicably heavy.

After the enormous disaster Su Yi had caused, a storm was sure to follow!

Su Yi, oh, Su Yi. I might not be your opponent, but… how long will you be able to jump around like this? Li Handeng laughed coldly to himself.

The other geniuses of the present day then proceeded to leave too.

It was on that very day that news of what happened on Sumeru Immortal Island spread at the fastest possible speeds, causing enormous waves in Nine Tripod City.

“Su Yi actually killed all those Spiritual Manifestation Realm monsters of the ancient era!?”

“He might as well have pierced a hole through the sky…”

Who knows how many major factions were shaken by this news? They could practically smell the impending storm.

As time passed, word of the deaths on Sumeru Immortal Island spread beyond Nine Tripod City, sweeping throughout the world like a hurricane.

Everywhere the news spread, it stirred up countless waves and enormous uproar.

The thirtieth day of the tenth lunar month.

Word that Su Yi had, with Gathering Stars Realm cultivation, fought and killed a whole group of monsters of the Ancient Era, spread. The dead included Huan Shaoyou, Yan Jingyun, and Jing Lingzhen.

Everyone beneath the heavens was astonished!

As this news took the world by storm, Su Yi returned to Azurecloud Court.

Beneath the fiery light of the setting sun, he slumped into his wicker chair on the banks of the lotus pond. He sipped at a gourd of wine and occasionally tossed moon clams into the water to feed the spirit carp. Both his mind and body relaxed completely.

“The universe in the wine is enormous, the years in the jug are long. The wind, flowers, snow, and moon are already at rest; to disturb them would only create trouble,” muttered Su Yi.

“Brother Su, the grilled fish is ready. Come quickly!” Wen Xinzhao’s pleasant voice rang out from not far away.

Su Yi looked over and saw Wen Xinzhao laying out place settings by the shore. Yue Shichan had rolled up her sleeves, revealing her snowy white arms. She was busily spreading seasonings over the fish.

Ge Qian, meanwhile, was stoking the flames.

The red-hot fire of the hearth, the aroma of roasting face, and a pair of picturesque beauties. The light of the setting sun gave them an additional, lively charm. 

Su Yi leisurely rose, then walked over with a smile.