First Immortal of the Sword

Su Yi calmed himself down, then re-examined the unkempt old Daoist.

He was as thin as a stalk of bamboo, with dirty, disheveled, graying hair, an untidy beard, and a face covered in wrinkles. His gaze was turbid, yet fervent, and it was difficult to even guess how long he’d gone without washing his worn-out Daoist robes. They were completely filthy.

Yet someone like this said he resembled his brother-in-law…

The corners of Su Yi’s lips twitched imperceptibly, and something suddenly occurred to him.

His expression instantly shifted inscrutably, and he asked tentatively, “Ye Xun?”

It was just two syllables, but the unkempt old Daoist reacted as if he’d been struck by lightning. He was so excited that he couldn’t help but cry out, “Brother-in-Law! I just knew it was you!”

He remained in place, but his hands and feet waved about as if he were dancing, and his aged face was overcome with mad delight.

“.....” Su Yi stared at him. Is this guy really Little Leaf’s younger brother? The unrepentant little demon king who wrought havoc throughout the Netherworld and commanded the wind and rain?

I remember that brat as an arrogant silkpants, but he was quite handsome, a paragon of masculine beauty.

But the unkempt old Daoist in front of me…

He’s a bit too shoddy-looking, isn’t he?

“Are you really Ye Xun?” asked Su Yi.

The unkempt old Daoist cried out in excitement, “Brother-in-Law, who else beneath the heavens would be reckless enough to impersonate your younger brother-in-law? They’d have to be completely sick of living!”

“.....”

Su Yi was finally certain that this really was Ye Xun.

That shamelessness and relentless insistence on calling him “Brother-in-Law” was exactly the same as he remembered. Ye Xun hadn’t changed a bit.

“What happened to you?” Su Yi frowned. He thought back to Little Ghost City Fengdu, Yin Mountain City, and his meeting with Holy Maiden Jade Angelica, Xuan Zhi.

It was then that Xuan Zhi told him that the founder of the Deathbringer’s Netherworld Palace, the Netherworld Asura Emperor, was Little Leaf’s younger brother, Ye Xun!

According to the Deathbringer’s Netherworld Palace’s ancient records, thirty thousand years ago, Ye Xun arrived on the Azure Continent leading thirteen experts of the Ghost Serpent Race.

After proving his Dao and becoming an Emperor, he established the Deathbringer’s Netherworld Palace. His thirteen mighty Ghost Serpent subordinates were henceforth known as the Thirteen Divine Emissaries. 

Xuan Zhi was the descendant of one of the thirteen divine emissaries, Divine Emissary Mi He.

According to Xuan Zhi, thirty thousand years ago, when the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness befell the Azure Continent, Ye Zun led the thirteen divine emissaries in search of the Well of Ancient Chaos. Their goal was to find a way to block the power of the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness.

There were also rumors that Ye Xun had led his subordinates back to the Netherworld.

However, no one could confirm them.

In any event, thirty thousand years ago, the Netherworld Asura Emperor, Ye Xun, disappeared. In the years that followed, the Deathbringer’s Netherworld Palace fell beneath the corrosive effects of the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness...

Yet now, Ye Xun had appeared before Su Yi, looking like an unkempt old Daoist. Of course Su Yi was surprised. How could he possibly have expected this?

“Brother-in-Law, it’s a long story. Allow me to explain in detail,” the old man said with a sigh. His mad delight transformed into bitterness and melancholy as he considered his next words.

However, just as he was about to speak, Su Yi said directly, “Keep it short and to the point.”

“....” Ye Xun originally planned to vent his frustrations, but now, he could only force his complaints back down.

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The unkempt old Daoist laughed sheepishly. “Brother-in-law, even after all these years, you haven’t changed at all. Fine. It’s actually rather simple.”

He then went on to explain the situation from beginning to end.

It was just as Xuan Zhi had told him. Ye Xun arrived on the Azure Continent thirty-eight thousand years ago. Almost one thousand years later, he proved his Dao and entered the Imperial Realm. He established the Deathbringer’s Netherworld Palace shortly after.

By the time the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness befell the Azure Continent, the Deathbringer’s Netherworld Palace was the world’s greatest faction of ghost cultivators, and its name shook the heavens.

When the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness began, Ye Xun led the thirteen divine emissaries in search of the Well of Ancient Chaos.

Alas, in the end, they failed to locate it. Left with no other choice, Ye Xun planned to return to the Netherworld.

At the time, the only path back to the Netherworld was in one of the Great Xia’s three great danger zones, the Glittering Ghost Domain.

It was perilous ground, but it contained a corridor to the underworld that led to the place deep within the Sea of Bitterness, “the Roseleaf Purgatory.”

It was through said corridor that Ye Xun first crossed into the Azure Continent.

Who’d have thought that they’d encounter an unexpected disaster while they were still in the Glittering Ghost Domain?

When he reached this part of the story, Ye Xun’s face revealed dread and lingering terror. He said gravely, “We encountered someone extremely terrifying in the Glittering Ghost Domain. He asked for information about the Origins of the Azure, and when he didn’t get the answers he was after, he tried to capture me and my subordinates…”

“What, were you too blunt with him?” asked Su Yi. He understood Ye Xun’s character far too well. Back in the Netherworld, he was a famous silkpants, the most renowned little demon king of the Ghost Serpent Race. Furthermore, he frequently swaggered about using Su Xuanjun’s name to his advantage.

Ye Xun instantly felt awkward, and he hurriedly waved the accusation away. “Brother-in-Law, at the time, I was already a world-renowned Emperor. How could I still behave as flippantly as I did back in the Netherworld?”

“Oh?” said Su Yi. “Is that so? Well, who was that guy?”

Ye Xun shook his head. “All I know is that he called himself a jailer, and that he saw us as escaping prisoners.”

Su Yi’s eyes suddenly narrowed.

A jailer!

The Nine-Souled Peng Emperor, the self-proclaimed “Divine Monarch of Tragedy”, encountered a mighty jailer while exploring the Sixth Star Ruin. Their clash ended with his imprisonment in the Den of Caterpillars!

“The really twisted thing is that when the bastard attacked, he actually pretended he was carrying out the will of the heavens. I’ve never seen such hypocrisy in my life,” spat Ye Xun. A moment later, he said bitterly, “Still, I have to say, he really was quite strong. Our cultivations were about the same, but his combat prowess was downright terrifying.

“Even more unbelievably, he could control the power of the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness. He suppressed and captured practically all of my subordinates with ease, and even I suffered horribly. It was only thanks to the Sea of Bitterness Sword Talisman you gave me that a portion of my soul was lucky enough to survive. Otherwise, I could never have escaped the jailer with my life.”

He let out a deep sigh. “Although I survived, the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness had already enveloped the Azure Continent. I was just a damaged remnant soul; I couldn’t possibly contend with it.

“Left with no other choice, I found a nearby battlefield and possessed this battered shell, then lay dormant like some kind of pathetic coward. It was only recently, after I just barely managed to recover some of my vitality, that I dared wander outside again.”

Su Yi furrowed his brow. “I distinctly remember giving the Sea of Bitterness Sword Talisman to your sister. How did you get your hands on it?”

Ye Xun said as if it were perfectly obvious, “When I left to explore the Azure Continent, she was worried I’d run into danger, so she gave it to me.”

“....” Su Yi said nothing, but he already got the gist of it.

Thirty thousand years ago, as the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness befell the Azure Continent, a jailer of the Will of Heaven Sect appeared on the Azure Continent. His goal was to search for the Origins of the Azure.

It was because he’d almost fallen at the jailer’s hands that Ye Xun wound up in this state.

Was the jailer Ye Xun encountered the same creature lurking in the depths of Meteor Abyss? Su Yi wasn’t quite certain.

After all, according to the Divine Monarch of Tragedy, there was more than just one jailer in the Will of Heaven Sect!

“Brother-in-Law, I’m just glad I found you. I don’t know what I would have done otherwise,” said Ye Xun, his face full of delight and excitement.

He looked completely down on his luck. He didn’t seem at all like the Netherworld Asura Emperor. 

Were the experts of the Deathbringer’s Netherworld Palace to see him, they wouldn’t dare believe that this was the founder of their sect.

I’m afraid that if Little Leaf knew the little brother she doted upon above all others was in such a pitiful state, she’d be quite upset…

Su Yi couldn’t help but recall Little Leaf, the first Empress in the history of the Ghost Serpents. Ripples coursed through his heart.

He steadied his emotions, then asked, “How did you recognize me?”

Ye Xun said, “Brother-in-Law, you look quite different, and your appearance is a bit different from in your past life, but your temperament and bearing hasn’t changed much at all. Besides, I’m your little brother-in-law! How could I possibly fail to recognize you?”

“....” Something suddenly occurred to Su Yi. “Before running into me, why didn’t you seek out help from the Deathbringer’s Netherworld Palace? The faction you built from the ground up?”

Ye Xun pointed at his face and said helplessly, “Brother-in-Law, it’s been thirty thousand years, and besides, look at me! If I showed up looking this down-and-out, who among my disciples and grand disciples would recognize me?”

“True enough.” Su Yi nodded.

Ye Xun rubbed his hands together and said with a bit of embarrassment, “Brother-in-Law, there’s something I’d like to ask of you.”

“So long as you quit calling me ‘brother-in-law’, I don’t mind helping you out,” Su Yi said casually.

“Alright!” Ye Xun straightforwardly agreed, then promptly added, “I’ll just call you that in my heart.”

Su Yi couldn’t help but rub his forehead. Just as I thought. This kid hasn’t changed a bit. He’s as dead-set on calling me his brother-in-law as ever. He’s completely incorrigible.

“Tell me what you want. Be quick about it,” said Su Yi. Out of consideration for Little Leaf, how could possibly make trouble for Ye Xun?

Ye Xun took a deep breath, then said seriously, “Brother-in-Law, I want to ask you… No, Big Brother Su, I wanted to ask you to help me find the body I left in the Glittering Ghost Domain all those years ago!”

Su Yi asked in confusion, “Thirty thousand years have passed. I’m afraid your body has long since decayed. Why retrieve it?”

Ye Xun said hurriedly, “Brother-in-Law… No, Big Brother Su, you don’t know this part, but although my body was badly damaged, it wasn’t truly destroyed. Before what remained of my soul left my battered shell, I used a secret technique of the Ghost Serpent Race to seal a trace of my source power within my body.”

He paused, then added, “So long as I can retrieve it, when the Radiant Epoch arrives, I can recover my former cultivation base!”

Having said his piece, he looked expectantly at Su Yi.

Su Yi thought it over, then nodded his agreement.

He’d planned to return to Nine Tripod City after entering the Spiritual Manifestation Realm anyway. He’d promised the Xia Emperor that he’d help repair the Nine Tripod Suppression Barrier Formation.

And the Glittering Ghost Domain was within the Great Xia’s borders. It was one of their three great danger zones.

Furthermore, this was Little Leaf’s younger brother. Su Yi couldn’t possibly remain a bystander.

When he saw Su Yi agree, Ye Xun went mad with delight. “Thank you so much, Brother-in-Law! I just knew you’d help me, Brother-in-Law! Haha!”

“....” Su Yi said nothing. It seems there’s no way this kid can fix his bad habit of calling me ‘brother-in-law.’

Or rather, he never planned to fix it in the first place!