First Immortal of the Sword

Morning the next day.

Weng Jiu arrived driving an ornate carriage, which carried Su Yi to Mount Heavenbristle.

The heart of the Nine Tripod Suppression Barrier Formation lay deep within the mountain, and there were always top experts of the imperial family standing guard over it.

When Su Yi arrived, he found the Xia Emperor waiting there for him.

“Fellow Daoist Su, I’ll have to trouble you.” The emperor nodded in greeting.

Su Yi subtly inclined his head, then looked into the distance.

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There was a massive cave carved into the Mount Heavenbristle, leading into the heart of the mountain. Molten lava tumbled within it, and flames raged.

Seventy-two bronze pillars, each big enough for an adult to wrap their arms around, stood within the lava. Their entire surfaces were carved with strange and intricate talisman and cloud markings.

A nine-foot black ritual platform stood in their center. It enshrined a completely azure Eight Trigrams Furnace.

It was the furnace that immediately drew Su Yi’s attention.

It was only about a foot tall, and its surface had eight nine-inch, strange little doors representing the Eight Trigrams: Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, and Dui.

The lid was perfectly round and carved with moons, suns, and stars, and other celestial bodies. There was even a three-inch tall bronze carving of a crouching black ox.

The lava surged around it, with fiery spiritual mist, battering the nine-foot platform.

The Eight Trigrams Furnace stood there, entirely unmoving. From time to time, streaks of divine radiance shot out of its eight doors, shooting into the seventy-two bronze pillars. When this happened, the elaborate markings carved into the bronze pillars’ surfaces flickered on and off as if they were breathing.

“So, that’s it,” said Su Yi. “This formation has an Imperial-level Spirit Treasure as its foundation. The platform connects to the bronze pillars of inauspicious earth, absorbing the power of the landscape…

“Alas, the Eight Trigrams Furnace is obviously badly damaged. It’s the heart of the formation, but it can only control a tenth of what it could at its peak. Otherwise, this formation would be strong enough to threaten even Imperial experts.”

Su Yi asked, “What are the origins of that Eight Trigrams Furnace?”

“It’s a divine artifact forged by the ancestor of our clan,” said the Xia Emperor. “It’s called the Immortal Estate Eight Trigrams Furnace. It and the Nine Divine Tripods spread throughout the city make up the Nine Tripod Suppression Barrier Formation."

“It’s severely damaged," said Su Yi. "Even if an Imperial expert showed up, they’d be helpless to repair it. All I can do is take advantage of what energy remains within it to help the formation recover a portion of its power.”

Here, he paused and looked at the Xia Emperor. “However, if I do so, within a year, the Nine Tripod Suppression Barrier will fall apart completely. You have to think this over carefully.”

The Xia Emperor’s pupils constricted, and his expression filled with uncertainty.

After a while, he took a deep breath, and his eyes shone with determination. “Fellow Daoist, it shall be as you say!”

Su Yi nodded, then passed the emperor a jade slip. “Help me assemble the spiritual materials recorded here. As many as you can manage; it’s fine if you’re missing a few.

The Xia Emperor was delighted to agree.

“Also, I hope to borrow the formation’s power to forge my natal Spirit Treasure,” added Su Yi.

The Xia Emperor laughed heartily. “I’m delighted to be of assistance. I naturally won’t refuse.”

“Alright. From this day forth, I’ll visit once every three days. I’ll be able to finish a round of repairs within a month.”

….

After that, Su Yi’s life got busier.

When he wasn’t meditating and cultivating, he was condensing Dao Intent.

Every three days, he’d take a trip into the heart of Mount Heavenbristle to work on the Nine Tripod Suppression Barrier Formation and temper the Abstruse God Sword.

Repairing the formation wasn’t difficult for Su Yi, but it was troublesome and time-consuming.

When it came to reforging the Abstruse God Sword, Su Yi was extremely deliberate and purposeful.

Spirit Dao cultivation required nourishing one’s Natal Spirit Treasure. Only then could he achieve perfect unity of his cultivation base, power of the Grand Dao, and soul.

In battle, he’d be able to unleash power beyond imagination.

….

Seven days passed quickly.

In the heart of Mount Heavenbristle, molten lava surged.

Su Yi sat cross-legged atop the central nine-foot black platform. The Immortal Estate Eight Trigrams Furnace rumbled in front of him, flowing with divine radiance.

The Abstruse God Sword and Celestial Blue floated within the furnace. They were currently undergoing smelting.

“Refining a perfect Natal Spirit Treasure requires Xiantian True Flame, like the Supreme Profound Divine Li Fire. This formation has given rise to Inauspicious Earth Heavenly Flame. With that, and the Eight Trigrams Furnace to assist with the refining process, I’ll just barely be able to refine a perfect Natal Spirit Treasure.”

Su Yi’s hands formed seals, and he fired off one obscure and profound secret mark after another. They hovered before the Immortal Estate Eight Trigrams Furnace, rumbling and buzzing.

The strange and intricate markings covering the surrounding seventy-two bronze pillars flickered on and off, absorbing the fiery aura of the lava, condensing it, and gathering it within the furnace.

As time passed, the Abstruse God Sword gradually started melting, while Celestial Blue shone with clear, radiant red light.

This was the sword Su Yi had obtained on Sumeru Immortal Island, the Imperial-level sword the Sumeru Yao Emperor, Yuan Motian, had left behind.

Although it was well and truly battered, its materials and quality were nevertheless far beyond any of the world’s Spirit Dao treasures.

Su Yi planned to use it as a sword embryo, fusing the Abstruse God Sword into it to forge his own Natal Spirit Sword!

Kcch kcch kcch!

Before long, Su Yi began stripping away the Abstruse God Sword’s various Dao Markings and seals, as well as the Spirit-Devouring Edict on its surface.

At the Origin Dao level, the Abstruse God Sword was a top-notch treasure, but now that he'd reached the Spirit Dao, it was no longer worth looking at. Su Yi simply melted it down.

However, he kept the Netherflame Demon Sparrow soul essence and source power in reserve.

“Rise!” 

Spiritual materials whooshed through the air and surged into the Immortal Estate Eight Trigrams Furnace.

These were materials Su Yi had gathered. Each was extremely rare and precious, or Su Yi wouldn’t have held onto them all this time.

Yet now, he simply tossed them all into the Eight Trigrams Furnace without the slightest heartache.

Before long, bundles of Dao Light rose within the furnace. These were the essences left behind after the various spiritual materials melted.

“I can start forging now… The five elements serve as a writ, and Yin and Yang as summons, drawing wind and lightning!”

Su Yi clasped his hands together and formed a series of profound and inscrutable hand seals, creating Daoist imprint and after imprint.

The Immortal Estate Eight Trigrams Furnace rumbled and boomed.

Immediately afterward, the seventy-two bronze pillars burst with radiant light, and the boundless sea of lava roared and churned.

Su Yi sat cross-legged atop the platform, bathed in dazzling misty light. As he sat there, the old-fashioned Immortal Estate Eight Trigrams Furnace underwent a shocking transformation.

Boom!

As time passed, all of Mount Heavenbristle started swaying.

The abundant spiritual energy within the ten-thousand-foot radius around Mount Heavenbristle reacted as if it had received a summons, surging into the cave at the heart of the mountain from all sides.

“What happened?”

Throughout Mount Heavenbristle, countless people were alarmed, causing a widespread uproar.

The Xia Emperor had been keeping watch outside the massive cave this entire time, and his eyelids twitched involuntarily.

He would never have guessed that Su Yi would cause such a disturbance simply by refining a Natal Weapon!

“Weng Jiu, pass on my orders. Don’t let everyone on the mountain panic!” the Xia Emperor said gravely.

“Yes, sir!” Weng Jiu assented, then left to carry out his orders.

However, as time passed, the commotion emanating from within the massive cave only increased.

Mount Heavenbristle’s swaying was just the beginning. Radiant flowers of dazzling lightning and clouds gathered overhead.

A wave of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth descended alongside dazzling lightning. When it entered the Nine Tripod Suppression Barrier Formation covering Mount Heavenbristle, all of it surged into the cave.

Lightning ran rampant, and misty spiritual light fell like rain.

This scene was shocking, appalling even! 

Despite himself, even the Xia Emperor felt shaken.

Were others to learn that these strange phenomena were simply the result of Su Yi forging his Natal Weapon, it might well shake the entire Great Xia!

It was hard to even imagine. Just how powerful would this spirit treasure be upon completion?

The cultivators throughout Nine Tripod City were currently stunned by the strange phenomena overhead. 

“Thunderclouds forming flowers? A waterfall of spiritual energy? Don’t tell me a Spirit Dao expert is undergoing an unmatched tribulation?”

“How is that a tribulation! It’s obviously an unmatched phenomenon of the Grand Dao! It seems likely that a supreme treasure is about to enter the world on Mount Heavenbristle!”

“Amazing!”

….There was a commotion throughout the city.

Some people pondered out loud. “The imperial family is beset on all sides by dangers both internal and external, yet today, they went and caused such a shocking phenomenon… don’t tell me this is a sign that they’re about to turn things around?”

Some people seemed to realize something. “Quick, spread the word. It doesn’t matter what caused this strange phenomenon; the imperial family is definitely planning something major!”

Others were confused. “What… is the imperial family trying to do?”

“That strange phenomenon must have accompanied the birth of a perfect Spirit Dao treasure!”

The handsome A’Leng was perched on the eaves of a building. Disbelief was written all over his face. “There’s actually someone in the Xia Family capable of refining such a treasure?”

Beneath the eaves, Pu Surong frowned. “Didn’t they say it was only possible to refine a perfect Spirit Dao treasure with help from an Emperor? But to the best of my knowledge, the Xia Family has no Imperial experts in residence!”

“That’s what makes it strange,” muttered A’Leng.

Pu Surong pondered, then said, “Find an opportunity to investigate the source of that strange phenomenon.”

A’Leng was briefly stunned, but then, he straightforwardly agreed. “I really have been getting antsy lately. I’m actually rather eager to take a trip to Mount Heavenbristle!”

“You’re not allowed to hurt anyone!” said Pu Surong.

“Got it!” A’Leng said gleefully.

 As he spoke, he leaped from the eaves and strode into the distance.

“What are you doing?” Pu Surong frowned.

“Better to seize the moment than sit around waiting for an opportunity. I’m going to go have a look around Mount Heavenbristle.” A’Leng waved without so much as turning to look at her.

Pu Surong looked up at the dome of heaven.

Dazzling, multicolored thunderclouds had gathered above the peak of Mount Heavenbristle, and misty spiritual energy poured down like a waterfall. It was majestic and grand, an unmatched, miraculous sight.

“Xia Yunjing, don’t tell me I underestimated you?” Pu Surong’s expression filled with uncertainty.

Meanwhile, outside of Nine Tripod City…

An old blind man looked up, and his hollow eye sockets stared at the skies above Mount Heavenbristle.

Before long, a look and admiration and mad delight appeared on his withered face. He murmured, “His Excellency Su Yi really is in Nine Tripod City! Only an immortal-like existence like him could forge a matchless Spirit Dao treasure capable of provoking such a phenomenon with such ease!”