First Immortal of the Sword

Bang! Bang!

Crimson sound waves swept through the air like raging tidal waves.

Heaven and earth trembled. The distant onlookers felt a rending pain in their souls, and they saw stars.

Fluctuations of a formation’s power rose from the towering walls of Nine Tripod City. Only then did it neutralize the impact of the Profound Demon Wardrum’s attacks.

“You really are noisy!” Su Yi extended one of the fingers of his left hand and tapped the flat of Abstruse Celestial.

Clang!

A hum rang out, like the sound of wind and thunder. It was as if divine lightning were crashing down from the nine heavens.

The sweeping crimson sound waves burst apart with a bang, and the clear hum of a sword transformed into sharp, forceful power as it slammed into the drum.

Bang!!

The Profound Demon Wardrum split.

When he saw his Natal Spirit Treasure destroyed, Huan Tianxu’s eyes widened. He couldn’t help but shriek, “No——!”

His thin frame shattered like porcelain, exploding into bloody mist in midair.

A third Spiritual Revolution Realm cultivator had fallen!

That three Spiritual Revolution experts had fallen in such rapid succession made the other combatants sink even deeper into despair.

“Forget it! I’ll hold him back. Run, all of you!” Nie Wanzhi sighed.

The colorfully dressed lady sword cultivator was already covered in wounds, but her eyes shone with determination bordering on madness.

She shouted, “Activate!” 

The Snowswept Dao Sword buzzed in her hand, and streaks of bloody light poured out of her body and into her weapon. Each streak represented a hundred years of bitter cultivation and blood essence, but her sword was absorbing them like mad.

Her hair black hair rapidly turned white, and her smooth skin wrinkled and chapped…

But the Snowswept Dao Sword’s aura rapidly expanded. It was growing stronger and stronger!

“What’s she trying to do?” The distant onlookers were astonished.

Everyone could sense a limitlessly terrifying, ferocious might emanating from the Snowswept Dao Sword.

One of the older-generation cultivators proficient in the Dao of the Sword cried out in alarm, “She’s feeding her sword with her body! That will destroy her cultivation base and burn her Natal Weapon to kill her opponent! Even if she wins in the end, anyone who uses this technique will die, and their sword will break with them!”

The experts of Hidden Cloud Sword Mountain were all visibly grief-stricken.

They naturally knew the consequences of Nie Wanzhi’s decision already. How could they not?

Boom!

After drinking its fill of Nie Wanzhi’s blood, her sword exploded with a destructive aura. It instantly blanketed the entire stretch of heaven and earth.

All the spiritual energy within one hundred thousand feet seemed to freeze instantaneously. Those watching could neither move nor speak; they couldn’t even blink.

It was as if an incomprehensibly terrifying existence had descended upon the mortal world. 

“Another such trick? You’re cultivated your Dao of the Sword to such heights, but you ultimately couldn’t avoid going down the wrong path.” Su Yi’s eyes shone with a hint of disdain.

Back in the Sea of Chaotic Spirits, the yao sword Divine Misfortunate’s sword slave, Qing Luo, had sacrificed his body to his weapon too.

Bai Changhen, the third-generation leader of the Immortals’ Sword House, had cultivated in a similar fashion. In the end, he couldn’t escape his sword turning on him!

However, unlike Qing Luo and Bai Changhen, Nie Wanzhi was gambling her life on a secret art.

Boom!

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Suddenly, Nie Wanzhi poured the last of herself into the blazing Snowswept Dao Sword, fusing with it completely. The sword’s power soared to unprecedented heights.

Then, it cleaved through the air and attacked Su Yi!

This hundred-foot streak of sword qi could cleave through even divine mountains with ease. It was as if a deity had swung his divine sword, slicing through the skies of the human world. All that remained in the sky was boundless, blazing sword light.

It was so dazzling that everything else seemed to dim by comparison. Heaven and earth were overcast!

“Praise to the immeasurable power of the Buddha!” A compassionate look arose on Pure Cloud’s face.

Everyone else present seemed completely shaken, and their minds went blank.

This was an attack a Spiritual Revolution cultivator had sacrificed her life for. How could it possibly be ordinary?

A moment later, Su Yi’s gaze regained its former calm.

His sleeves billowed around him, and Abstruse Celestial clanged and let out an impassioned hum as it rose into the air. 

Boom!

Five towering sword mountains rose into the air.

The Great Five Elements Suppression Domain Sword!

However, unlike when he’d used this move in the past, the five sword mountains were enveloped in the Dao Intent of Genesis. They were like primordial divine mountains shrouded in the light of dusk, supporting heaven and earth, like pillars of the mortal world!

Their majestic force seemed to suppress everything. They seemed unmovable and unshakeable.

At the same time, Nie Wanzhi’s sword descended.

Boom!!

Heaven and earth collapsed as an aura of destruction ran rampant.

Like the creation of a new world!

All the crowd saw was a streak of dazzling light. It was so searingly bright that it seemed like a miniature sun!

The experts of the ancient factions spread throughout the battlefield staggered back.

Even someone as mighty as Pure Cloud couldn’t help but retreat.

The destructive power of this clash was far too terrifying!

As dust and smoke permeated the air, someone sighed. “I’m glad I got to witness such a Dao of the Sword in the last moments before my death. I didn’t die in vain…”

When the cloud of dust dispersed and the onlookers’ vision cleared, they saw that the five sword mountains were severely battered, but they still stood there like an unmovable, uncrossable barrier.

Su Yi stood in the air behind them without so much as a hair out of place.

The Snowswept Dao Sword was on the other side of the mountains, dimmed and corroded. Bits of it flaked off, and soon, it crumbled and scattered to the wind. 

“Defeated!?” Countless people felt a chill course through their hearts.

Nie Wanzhi had sacrificed her life to her sword, but she still couldn’t shake Su Yi. In that case, who here could stop him?

“Run! We cannot delay any further!” The old monk, Pure Cloud roared like a lion, his expression grim.

The other Spirit Dao cultivators of the ancient factions had been startled out of their wits, but when they heard this, they reacted as if awakening from a dream. How could they dare to hesitate? They immediately turned and fled. 

“Before the battle began, I said I hoped you wouldn’t flee, but look at you now! You’ve truly disappointed me,” said Su Yi, a hint of mockery on his lips.

Boom! 

He stood beneath the dome of heaven, swinging his sword like an immortal practicing the blade.

Thousands of streaks of sword qi swept in all directions like a windstorm. Each strike was dazzling and sharp, and they cleaved long, narrow rifts in the sky. It was a startling sight. 

Splurt! Splurt! Splurt!

The onlookers watched, almost overcome with astonishment, as the sword qi cut through the scattering enemy combatants like a scythe through wheat, striking them down in midair.

As far as the eye could see, crimson “fireworks” sprayed the sky, filling the air with hot, fresh blood.

“Fiend!” Pure Cloud shouted, looking like a furious golden vajra. He swung his Demon-Suppressing Ruler and attacked Su Yi.

The old, thin monk seemed utterly fearless, and he faced the possibility of death with calm equanimity. Buddhist light emanated from him, sweeping through the skies.

The faint sound of Sanskrit chanting rang out, giving the skies a solemn, ceremonial air.

He was like a Buddha out on a journey to exorcize demons and yao!

Upon closer inspection, a perfectly round wheel hovered behind him, circulating with flowing light. It was permeated with Dao Intent, and it seemed grand and ancient.

A Grand Dao Spirit Wheel!

Pure Cloud was already covered in wounds, yet now, he went all out, unleashing the full extent of his Spirit Wheel’s power. It was as if it were on fire!

When Su Yi saw this, he shook his head.

Buddhist cultivators ought to be as unshakeable as the earth, their emotions tucked away like treasures hidden within a secret cache.

But this Pure Cloud person was furious, and his heart was full of murderous intent. He might have condensed his Grand Dao Spirit Wheel, but his cultivation had yet to truly attain a higher level.

Boom!

The Demon-Suppressing Ruler shot through the sky and descended like the hand of a Buddha.

Su Yi didn’t even look at it. He just slashed Abstruse Celestial through the air.

Clang!!!

The resulting impact shook heaven and earth, and the ruler was sent flying.

However, Pure Cloud didn’t retreat. His aura blazed as if on fire, and his entire body was bathed in dazzling, boundless Buddhist light as he attacked once more.

He fought with no regard for his life!

“Fine. Allow me to show you the true meaning of Chan Buddhism!”

As Su Yi spoke, his aura of the Grand Dao suddenly manifested a lotus-platform-shaped wheel of light, illuminating the entire stretch of heaven and earth.

One hand gripped his sword, and the other smacked the air.

Sanskrit chanting echoed throughout the area, and the lotus-platform-shaped wheel of light descended with seemingly limitless force.

It was as if Pure Cloud had been struck by lightning. Even his soul was dazed.

It was as if he’d seen a boundless pure land, with a Buddha seated on a lotus platform as he shared his wisdom with countless cross-legged novice monks, all of whom listened intently. There were dragons circling and luan soaring overhead. Dazzling flowers of the Grand Dao drifted down from the heavens, condensing golden lotuses as they hit the ground…

But a moment later, that vision of a Buddhist pure land transformed into a scene of purgatory. The Buddha seated on a lotus platform transformed into a demonic sovereign standing in a river of blood, and the cross-legged novice monks were suddenly demons, ghosts, and asuras.

It was as if he’d been plunged straight into the depths of hell.

Pure Cloud shuddered, and a crack formed in his mind. He inwardly cried out in alarm.

But he was already one step too late. Su Yi’s attack had already enveloped him.

Crunch!

The radiant lotus platform bore down, shattering the Demon-Suppressing Ruler inch by inch.

The wheel tore Pure Cloud’s thin frame into pieces, scattering blood.

As his soul left its mortal shell, it couldn’t help but ask in a daze, “What kind of ability was that?”

“The Chan Buddhist practice of Heart-Inquiring,” Su Yi said casually. 

“Heart-Inquiring? Impressive. One thought of a Buddhist pure land, and the dharma flourished. One thought of hell, and it was replaced with wickedness…. It examines one’s Buddhist heart, but it rid me of my karmic hindrances…”

Pure Cloud lowered his head, clasped his palms together, and sighed as his soul silently dissipated. 

Now, five Spiritual Revolution cultivators of five different ancient factions had all fallen!

Su Yi had already routed most of the fleeing experts of the five factions. Only around a dozen lucky survivors slipped away without a trace.

Now, only Su Yi remained standing before the towering walls of Nine Tripod City. One hand gripped his sword, while the other was placed behind his back. His blue robes fluttered in the wind. 

His tall, upright figure stood in the air, gazing down upon the world like an immortal!

Everyone who saw this was at a loss for words. They stood there like statues.

All of his enemies had fallen. Only he remained!

……

On the tenth day of the third lunar month, Su Yi prevented the forces of the Demonic Huan Family, the Burning Sun Sect, Tianji Dao Mountain, Hidden Cloud Sword Mountain, and the Pure Emptiness Buddhist Sect from entering Nine Tripod City. 

Wen Rufeng, Xue Moning, Huan Tianxu, Nie Wanzhi, and Pure Cloud, five Spiritual Revolution cultivators, all fell in battle.

The other hundred and fifty Spirit Dao cultivators suffered grievous casualties, and the ground was littered with corpses.

Only around a dozen people managed to flee in panic.

Su Yi had single-handedly defeated an army, alone save for his sword, like an immortal guarding heaven’s gate. From beginning to end, none could shake him!