First Immortal of the Sword

“This…” Pu Hongqian’s pupils dilated. It was as if he’d been struck by lightning.

Pu Surong, A’Leng, and Ruo Huan were struck dumb.

This scene was just too unbelievable. It completely overturned their perception.

They couldn’t even imagine it. The Baleful Metal Gourd was an ancestral treasure of the Purple Moon Foxes. Why was it that Su Yi seemed like its natural enemy? He’d sealed its power completely!

Su Yi then raised his hand and smacked the air.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Explosions rang out in rapid succession.

The metal Dao Swords trapped in midair shattered, transforming into bundles of glittering baleful metal qi.

Then, they flooded toward Su Yi’s palm, like rivers returning to their source.

This scene shocked everyone present.

“Dammit!” Pu Hongqian jumped as if he’d been electrocuted. He was completely frantic.

He was just about to attack again when Su Yi smiled and beckoned to the Baleful Metal Gourd hovering above Pu Hongqian’s head. “Come here.”

Weng!

The Baleful Metal Gourd trembled, then broke free of Pu Hongqian’s control. It blurred into a dazzling streak of light, and in a flash, it arrived in front of Su Yi.

Like a swallow returning to its nest, it was as meek and docile as could be.

“This… How is this possible!?” Pu Hongqian’s eyes bulged as if about to burst, and he suddenly coughed up blood. His thin, aged face paled, and he staggered.

There was no doubt about it. Everything that had just happened had dealt this Spiritual Revolution Realm Purple Moon Fox a devastating blow!

Pu Surong and the others were completely dumbstruck, and their chests felt so stifled that they might explode.

This battle was truly frustrating!

Pu Hongqian was a Spiritual Revolution existence, but all of his secret arts were useless against Su Yi. They couldn’t influence him in the slightest.

In just three punches, Su Yi left him bleeding, beaten, and unseemly.

When Pu Hongqian took out the Baleful Metal Gourd, they all thought it would be enough to suppress Su Yi. Who’d have thought Su Yi would dominate the treasure with such ease?

The gourd’s meek submission left Pu Surong and her companions so angry that they almost coughed up blood.

He could counter all their combat methods, and now he’d gone and subdued their ancestral treasure. How could they possibly fight him now?

The Xia Emperor, Wen Xinzhao, and the others watched in a daze, repeatedly gasping in astonishment. Su Yi’s unbelievable methods amazed them.

By now, who could fail to realize that Su Yi could suppress every ability and treasure at Pu Hongqian’s disposal?

He was like a mouse against a cat; Su Yi was his natural enemy!

“This is called ‘overestimating yourself,’” chirped Qing Ya.

“You could also call it ‘seeking out your own humiliation’!’’ the old blind man laughed coldly.

One of them was simple and innocent, the other, immersed in the vicissitudes of life.

One had blind faith in Su Yi, while the other had witnessed Su Yi’s methods and revered him accordingly.

Now, their reactions complemented one another.

“Make yourself a little smaller.” Su Yi stretched out his hand and patted the Baleful Metal Gourd, which was half as tall as he was.

The gourd buzzed and shook. In the blink of an eye, it was the size of a fist, and it hovered above Su Yi’s palm.

The baleful metal qi Su Yi had subdued earlier all flowed back into the gourd. Then, he smiled in satisfaction.

He looked at the distant Pu Hongqian and said calmly, “Shall we continue?”

Pu Hongqian’s face was ashen, and he looked despondent. 

After a while, he said bitterly, “If I may be so brazen to ask… Fellow Daoist, why is it that you don’t fear our clan’s secret arts?”

He truly didn’t understand. Try as he might, he couldn’t wrap his head around it.

Su Yi thought for a moment. “All I can say is, you’re too weak.”

“......”

After a moment, Pu Hongqian suddenly took a deep breath, then said, “The Baleful Metal Gourd is an ancestral treasure of our race, and many generations of our seniors have refined it. Its power is sufficient to kill Spiritual Revolution cultivators with ease, so how… how could you… force it to yield?”

Su Yi laughed. “Everything in this world has its own qualities and weaknesses. Xiantian Spirit Treasures are no exception. I just so happen to know how best to subdue Xiantian Five Evils Gourds. All I can say is that using this treasure against me was a truly unfortunate move.”

“....” Pu Hongqian’s expression darkened, and his chest heaved. He looked so stifled that he might well go insane.

The Xia Emperor couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He really is misfortunate. With his strength, he ought to be able to act as he pleases in the Azure Continent, but he just had to bump into the one person who could counter him…

He effectively knocked on Fellow Daoist Su's door and begged for a beating.

“Young Lord Su, the Purple Moon Foxes admit defeat!” Pu Surong said suddenly. “Elder Qian, come back.”

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Pu Hongqian said no more and glumly returned to the courtyard. Su Yi couldn’t be bothered to make any further trouble for him, so he went back too.

Ultimately, Pu Surong hadn’t returned to the Azure Continent to hurt the Xia Emperor. She just wanted to pressure him into letting her leave with their daughter.

From beginning to end, she and her companions had never once hurt anyone. This, at least, made them better than those who’d stoop to anything to achieve their ends. 

“Young Lord Su, might you return our clan’s Baleful Metal Gourd?” Pu Surong asked.

All eyes were instantly on Su Yi.

“You attacked me; how can you leave without paying a bit of a price?” Su Yi said coolly. “Besides, this treasure is connected to me by fate. Consider it the cost of your actions.”

“....” Pu Surong and her allies were struck dumb.

“Su Yi, we already admitted defeat. Don’t tell me you really plan to seize our clan’s treasure?” growled A’Leng.

But before Su Yi could respond, the old blind man said coldly, “Little fellow, had His Excellency Su Yi lost, would you have given up on leaving with Miss Qingyuan?”

A’Leng promptly fell silent.

The old blind man sneered. “According to the Bright Sky Realm’s rules, when a victor emerges and one side admits defeat, they ought to pay a bit of a price as compensation for their foe’s losses. It's typical to offer up their treasures. Or, at the very least, a solemn apology. Or did you think this battle was just a game?”

Pu Surong and the others’ expressions shifted, but they couldn’t argue with him.

 “Besides, do you really think that with his status, His Excellency Su Yi covets a mere gourd? He’s simply acting out of consideration for Miss Qingyuan; he doesn’t wish to pursue this any further. He’s giving you an opportunity to back down. If he truly wished to pursue this further, none of you would leave here alive!” the old blind man snorted coldly.

Pu Surong took a deep breath, then looked at Su Yi. “Young Lord Su, harboring too precious a treasure is a sin in its own right. That Baleful Metal Gourd is our ancestral treasure. If you seize it, it’ll implicate you. You’d best look out for yourself.”

Su Yi laughed. “I’ll be waiting.”

The old blind man tittered. “Remember to bring your clan’s supreme treasure, the Purple Moon Divine Teapot. Who knows? It might well be connected to His Excellency Su Yi by fate too!”

His laughter made Pu Surong and her companions thoroughly uncomfortable, and their hearts shook. This old blind man even knows about the divine teapot!?

“Forget it. Let’s go.” Pu Surong looked at Xia Qingyuan, who was still unconscious beside Wen Xinzhao. A complicated, dejected look appeared on her face, and she turned and left. 

The others followed her.

After watching them leave, the Xia Emperor, Weng Jiu, and the others visibly relaxed.

“Everyone, you can go back now.” Su Yi waved them away.

He really was a bit tired. He’d only recently finished a grand battle outside the city, followed almost immediately by this clash with the Purple Moon Foxes. All he wanted to do now was rest.

“Fellow Daoist Su, please rest up. I’ll be back to visit you another day!” The Xia Emperor promptly bade farewell, then led Weng Jiu and Xia Qingyuan away.

“Your Excellency, I plan to visit the Dark Immortal Grounds and have another look around,” said the old blind man. He hesitated, then added, “While I’m at it, I’ll… get a sense for what Meng Po Palace is doing.”

Su Yi knew that the old blind man longed to return to the Netherworld, so he didn’t stop him. He just said, “You have to be careful. Meng Po Palace is a peak soul cultivation faction, and they’re best at erasing memories, controlling hearts, and other such strange and sinister secret abilities.”

The old blind man grinned. “Rest assured. When it comes to soul techniques, we Ghost-Lantern Sarcophagus Bearers are no pushovers either.”

Su Yi nodded. 

Meng Po Palace’s loftiest inheritance was the Classic of Nightmares and Comprehending the Profound. The Ghost Lantern Sarcophagus Bearers’ loftiest inheritance was the Lantern Illuminating the Endless Night.

Both supreme canons were about cultivating the soul.

Both canons surpassed the Purple Moon Foxes’ Moon-Summoning Sacred Canon.

However, unless an Emperor showed up, these secret soul arts were all useless against Su Yi.

The Sword of the Nine Hells kept watch over his soul, and his past life’s 108,000 years of experience had solidified his mental state. Spirit Dao cultivators had no hope of swaying him.

This was why Pu Hongqian’s soul techniques had no effect against him.

Before long, the old blind man bade farewell and left.

Su Yi immediately returned to his room to meditate and recover.

Wen Xinzhao, Qing Ya, and Daoist Master Coldsmoke remained in the courtyard for a private chat. Far too much had happened today, and even now, they found it difficult to calm down.

Before long, night was upon them.

Due to the five top ancient factions’ alliance against the Great Xia’s imperial family, Nine Tripod City had been all but deserted of late. Its typical liveliness and prosperity had vanished without a trace.

However, tonight, clusters of lanterns lit up throughout the city, and groups of people gradually returned to its streets and alleyways.

There were even scattered pockets of uproar.

When spring weather brought warm waters, the ducks were the first to know.

After the curtains set on today’s grand battle, everyone was well aware that nothing would threaten Nine Tripod City in the near future.

Tonight, the imperial capital regained some of its former vitality in the eyes of the nation’s cultivators…

And it was already clear that before long, Nine Tripod City would regain its former prosperity!

It was on that very night that word of the day’s battle took the nation by storm, stirring up an enormous commotion. 

When they heard the news, the Demonic Huan Family, the Burning Sun Sect, Tianji Dao Mountain, Hidden Cloud Sword Mountain, and the Pure Emptiness Buddhist Sect sank into enormous upheaval.

This was destined to be a sleepless night for all of them!

When the Dongguo Family heard the news, its higher-ups couldn’t help break out in cold sweats. They rejoiced, but they also felt lingering terror.

The Demonic Huan Family had invited the Dongguo Family to fight the imperial family alongside them. However, the leader of the Dongguo Family, Dongguo Bo, firmly refused them.

At the time, the Dongguo Family higher-ups felt bitter about this. They’d thought they were missing out on a chance to divvy up the imperial family’s territories, as well as their best opportunity to kill Su Yi.

But now, when they learned that Su Yi had routed the forces of the five allied ancient factions, the Dongguo Family higher-ups rejoiced.

Rejoiced that they hadn’t jumped into the fire pit!