First Immortal of the Sword

The entire area fell deathly silent.

When they heard Su Yi casually call the Nine-Headed Bird, hierarch of the Holy Church of the Caterpillar, a “dirty beast,” everyone was stunned.

How dare he!?

The curly-bearded elder and Shuo Meng felt utterly dumbstruck.

They’d seen brazenness before, but never anything like this!

“Bastard! You…”

The silver-robed young man was just about to rebuke Su Yi when one of the Nine-Headed Bird’s claws suddenly reached out and pressed down on his head.

“Silence!”

The bird’s rebuke boomed like thunder, making the silver-robed young man shake from head to toe.

He looked utterly flabbergasted. What’s up with Master?

The crowd was stunned too.

All eyes were upon the Nine-Headed Bird.

The monstrous, terrifying creature reacted as if something unbelievable had just happened. All nine heads turned to look at Su Yi, all of them full of astonishment.

“You… Are you Su Yi?” The bird asked tentatively.

It even sounded a little nervous.

The crowd had no idea what to make of that. What’s going on?

Does the Nine-Headed Bird recognize Su Yi?

Su Yi stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly, “It seems that other than me, no one else in this world would be capable of teaching you the Refining Void Malevolent Incantation.”

The Nine-Headed Bird was the very same creature that was trapped in the Den of Caterpillars. He called himself the Divine Monarch of Tragedy, and he’d recruited who-knows-how-many devotees from across the Azure Continent. 

The Nine-Headed Bird trembled, then cried out in alarm, “It really is you!!”

The bird’s startled demeanor left Qing Yuan and the others dumbstruck. They increasingly sensed that something was amiss.

“Be polite. At the very least, you owe me for teaching you that incantation, you dirty beast,” said Su Yi. “Besides, unless my eyes deceive me, it’s precisely because of the method I taught you that you’ve recovered some of your vitality. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to display your beastly will across a spatial node like this.”

Every time he spoke, out came another “dirty beast.” He wasn’t the least bit polite. 

However, to the onlookers’ utter shock, the Nine-Headed Bird seemed used to it. He wasn’t just not angry; he actually suppressed his monstrous aura.

As if afraid of Su Yi!

“So, Fellow Daoist Su, it really is you!” After a moment’s silence, the bird suddenly looked delighted. “Not long ago, I sent my followers to Nine Tripod City to search for you, but to no avail. Now it seems you’ve long since left the Great Xia.”

He sounded emotional, but there was a faint, nigh-indiscernible trace of dread mixed in with his delight.

“.....” By now, all of the onlookers could tell that the terrifying bird, the Hierarch of the Holy Church of the Caterpillar, didn’t just know Su Yi. He was afraid of him!

Otherwise, how could he tolerate Su Yi calling him a dirty beast?

The atmosphere was instantly strange and stifled.

This was truly not what they expected.

Everyone thought that after the silver-robed Qing Yuan called upon his killer trump card, an unpredictable, devastating conflict was sure to unfold.

Many of the onlookers were even worried about Su Yi’s predicament.

Who’d have thought that the Nine-Headed Bird’s appearance would turn the situation upside-down?

“Master, this… What’s going on?” Qing Yuan asked in a daze.

The Nine-Headed Bird sighed, “It’s a long story. All you need to remember is that Fellow Daoist Su is my benefactor, and you ought to treat him respectfully, as you would a senior.”

Qing Yuan’s eyes widened. Master’s benefactor? My senior!?

The curly-bearded elder and Shuo Meng’s eyes widened and their jaws hung slack. What on earth is going on? Is this really our Hierarch?

Meanwhile, Meng Jinghai and the other human experts gasped. A terrifying existence like that sees Su Yi as his benefactor?

This is far too unbelievable!

“So, it’s that bird…” Yuan Heng finally remembered. Back in the Firewood Daoist’s territory on Floating Immortal Ridge, Su Yi once conversed with a Nine-Headed Bird across a similar blood-colored vortex!

“Right, what are you all doing here, and how did you offend Fellow Daoist Su?” the Nine-Headed Bird suddenly asked gravely.

Qing Yuan was suddenly ill at ease. He said in a low voice, “Master, we came to the Great Qin because we heard they were convening a Cloud Terrace Assembly here and….

He was just about to explain the situation in detail when Su Yi cut him off. “Keep wasting words like that, and the manifestation of your master’s will might very well dissipate before he’s heard the full story.”

“.....” Qing Yuan froze.

Indeed, the Nine-Headed Bird’s massive body shook, and he sighed. “Just as I thought, there’s no fooling you, Fellow Daoist. With my current abilities, I cannot manifest my will for long. However, so long as my apprentice is nearby, you can find me at any time.”

He’d only just said this when his massive frame dimmed and faded, as if on the verge of collapse.

Su Yi waved him away. “Go on. Once this is over, I’ll come looking for you, and we can have a proper conversation.”

The Nine-Headed Bird nodded, and its figure dispersed completely.

Even the blood-colored vortex hovering overhead silently disappeared without a trace.

Witnessing this left the onlookers in a daze.

That terrifying existence just… left?

However, its departure made Meng Jinghai and the others relax completely.

There was no doubt about it: Su Yi had, with just a few words, already neutralized the gravest potential peril they faced!

“Do you still want to try taking my third punch? Su Yi smiled faintly at the silver-robed young man.

The silver-robed young man trembled from head to toe and said hurriedly, “Senior, earlier, I was blind to have offended you. I hope you can spare me just this once out of consideration for my master!”

As he spoke, the Holy Son of the Holy Church of the Caterpillar bowed deeply.

Just watching this, the crowd’s hearts swelled with emotion, and their expressions were complicated.

Who’d have guessed that the battle would end like this?

“Who is she to you?” Su Yi suddenly gazed at the nearby young woman in yellow.

Qing Yuan said respectfully, “That’s Huan’er. Not long ago, she became one of my subordinates.”

The young woman said hurriedly, “Greetings, Your Excellency!”

She looked timid, nervous, and ill at ease. It was hard not to pity her.

Su Yi’s nostrils flared, and he detected a subtle fragrance. He couldn’t help but laugh and say calmly, “Your paltry Intoxicating Fragrance Bone Corrosion is not yet invisible, intangible, or one with nature. It might be able to charm others, but it won’t work on me.”

The young woman tensed, then looked up in alarm. “Fellow Daoist, you long since figured out what I am?”

As she spoke, her faint purple eyes shone with unearthly, enticing luster.

When the Qing Yuan and the other nearby yao cultivators looked into her eyes, they looked dazed and infatuated.

However, when she stared into Su Yi’s eyes, he snorted coldly. “You dare try and capture my soul? You’re seeking death!”

Every word clanged like a sword, brimming with startling killing intent.

Boom!

It was as if the young woman in yellow had been struck by lightning. She staggered back, and her beautiful face paled.

Qing Yuan and the others suddenly came to their senses. Their infatuated looks disappeared, and all of them were stunned and furious. 

They all realized that something was amiss, and all of them looked at the young woman.

“Huan’er, what’s going on here!?” Qing Yuan bellowed.

Before the woman could respond, Su Yi said, “Her Intoxicating Fragrance Bone Corrosion has long since affected your minds. The funny part is, you’re only just now realizing it.”

Huan’er’s purple eyes darted about. Suddenly, she burst into charming laughter. “Impressive! Fellow Daoist Su, you really are the unparalleled, legendary top figure of Nine Tripod City’s younger generation! Next time we meet, I’ll have to request further guidance in the Grand Dao!”

It seemed she’d long since seen through Su Yi’s identity!

As she spoke, she rose through the air, fast as a bolt of lightning, and shot into the distance.

Simultaneously——

Boom!

Shuo Meng and the curly-bearded elder charged at Su Yi.

Just as the young woman made a sudden exit, two Spiritual Incarnation Realm yao cultivators attacked Su Yi!

This caught Qing Yuan completely off guard. He roared in fury, “You two…!”

Clang!

The humming of a sword swept forth like a wave as Su Yi drew the Abstruse God Sword.

A grand battle broke out.

After just a few breaths of time, Su Yi had suppressed both his opponents and bound their souls.

However, they still blocked his path long enough for the young woman in yellow to disappear without a trace.

“The enchantress is actually rather crafty.” Su Yi’s eyebrows rose.

“Senior Su, they…” stammered Qing Yuan.

“They fell prey to her Intoxicating Fragrance Bone Corrosion. They’re like her puppets, and she can control them as she pleases. However, when their hearts and minds were under her influence, they could only display about half their strength.” Su Yi glanced at Qing Yuan. “If you weren’t heavily injured, she would undoubtedly have manipulated you too.”

Qing Yuan gasped, and a chill coursed through him. “Huan’er, she… She…”

Perhaps the mental blow was too much for him, but the Holy Son of the Holy Church of the Caterpillar could barely speak.

“My lord, that enchantress harmed us all!” the bound, curly-bearded elder shouted in fury.

Shuo Meng, however, looked ashamed and ill at ease. “Your Excellency Su Yi, thank you for sparing our lives!”

There was no doubt about it. Both Spiritual Incarnation Realm yao cultivators had regained their mental clarity.

Su Yi raised his hand and retrieved the soul-binding ropes. “Your minds were addled. That’s unfortunate enough as is; how could I bear to kill you in that state?”

Qing Yuan gnashed his teeth. “It was Huan’er who urged us to participate in the Cloud Terrace Assembly. At the time, I thought it was strange, but I barely stopped to think before I agreed. Looking back on it now, it seems I fell for her schemes!”

His expression shifted erratically, and it was very unsightly.

He was the Holy Son of the Holy Church of the Caterpillar, yet a woman had played him like a fiddle without him even noticing it. This was unquestionably far too humiliating. 

“You have no one to blame for this but yourself. If you weren’t lustful, how could she have muddled your head?” Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh dryly.

Qing Yuan instantly felt ashamed and awkward.

Su Yi, however, was looking at the Molten Gold Lion pulling the carriage. “What about you? Do you still want to pluck my tendons, skin me alive, cut out my heart and liver, devour my flesh and blood, and destroy my soul?”

Thud!

The Molten Gold Lion reacted as if it had been struck by lightning. Its massive frame sprawled limply in the air, and it quivered and cried out in panic. “Your Excellency, I was wrong! I was wrong! I’m willing to make it up to you. Please, just give me a chance!”

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

“.....”

The crowd didn’t know what to say to that.