First Immortal of the Sword

Meteor Abyss.

When the rain of the light of the Grand Dao poured down from the heavens, the boundless “waterfall” poured into the depths of Meteor Abyss, only for a tall, stalwart figure to devour it all.

It was a shocking sight.

An ordinary cultivator couldn’t possibly have endured that much power. However, the tall, stalwart figure was like a bottomless hole, devouring the power of the Grand Dao without end.

Someone sighed, “Compared to the complete Origins of the Azure, absorbing this smattering of the power of the Grand Dao is like trying to put out a wildfire with a glass of water…

“No matter. Once I’ve recovered some of my vitality, I’ll go seize the Seed of the Azure. It’s only by refining the Seed that I have a chance of fully recovering from the injuries I've suffered in this world!”

…..

The curtain of dusk was increasingly dense. Deep within the sky, the stars swayed.

Throughout the Azure Continent, tribulation clouds surged forth as countless cultivators chose this moment to welcome their tribulations.

It was a magnificent sight.

Throughout the world, tribulation clouds surged, lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled. The number of cultivators undergoing tribulation shot up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. Nothing like this had ever happened before.

Nine Tripod City was no exception.

When he saw so many tribulations play out at once, even Su Yi felt as if his horizons were expanding.

Today, those undergoing tribulation were as numerous as the carp in a river. There were too many of them to count!

One such tribulation was particularly noteworthy: Xuan Ning underwent tribulation and entered Grain Avoidance from within the Demonic Womb.

However, Su Yi wasn’t at all worried about him.

When the thick, brilliant bolts of tribulation lightning slammed into the Demonic Womb, Xuan Ning used a wondrous technique to neutralize them, one by one. In the end, the Demonic Womb wasn’t damaged in the least. Xuan Ning neutralized the full extent of the grand tribulation.

“Fellow Daoist Xuan Ning, your fortune is indeed as grand as the heavens themselves,” said the old blind man enviously.

Demonic Wombs were extremely rare to begin with, and his breakthrough perfectly coincided with the onset of the Radiant Epoch and the rain of the light of the Grand Dao. He didn’t even need to think to know that the benefits Xuan Ning had obtained were beyond imagining. 

“You flatter me, Fellow Daoist. That I received these benefits today is entirely thanks to my master!” Xuan Ning’s voice emanated from within the Demonic Womb.

“Alright, you should continue your seclusion,” Su Yi said casually.

“Your disciple shall assiduously carry out your orders, Master!” As Xuan Ning’s voice rang out, Su Yi put away the Demonic Womb.

He then looked at the old blind man. “When you enter seclusion, remember to refine one of the Yellow Springs Spirit-Condensing Pills. That will help you repair your soul.” 

The old blind man nodded his agreement. 

Earlier, Su Yi split the six Yellow Springs Spirit-Condensing Pills between the old blind man, Xuan Ning, and Ye Xun.

This was to help the three of them repair their damaged souls.

“And you? How much longer can you hold out?” Su Yi fixed his gaze upon Ye Xun’s sealed origin power.

Ye Xun said smugly, “No matter how long the rain lasts, I can keep going!”

Su Yi’s gaze was inquisitive as he said, “But if you do that, you’ll need a long time to refine all that Grand Dao source power. I’m afraid you’ll have to remain within your sealed origin power for a while.”

“?” Ye Xun looked at him in confusion.

“It’s for the best,” said Su Yi. “It’ll save me the trouble of you causing problems. More importantly, without you around, my ears can enjoy a little peace.”

“????” Ye Xun’s eyes widened. “Brother-in-Law, I….” 

Ye Xun was just about to say something, but Su Yi cut him off before he could finish. “This grand stroke of fortune is nearing its end. If you don’t hurry up and gather the rain of the light of the Grand Dao while you still can, it’ll only be harder to recover your former cultivation base.”

Ye Xun instantly fell silent. 

Su Yi wasn’t lying, either. 

The rain had already lasted about half an hour, and it was nowhere near as dense as before. It was even starting to get a bit sparse.

Rumble! Boom!

Tribulation clouds surged overhead. All kinds of tribulations unfolded, and thunder and lightning ran rampant, rising and falling. It was a magnificent sight.

Su Yi watched this play out, then gave up on the idea of undergoing tribulation within city limits.

If he attempted a breakthrough here, it was highly likely that other cultivators’ tribulations would influence his.

Similarly, Su Yi had brought Qing Wan outside of the city to undergo tribulation for fear that her tribulation would affect Wen Xinzhao.

As time passed, the curtain of dusk gradually receded, and the flickering stars gradually faded into the sky.

The rain of the light of the Grand Dao pouring into the world dissipated completely.

Night fell.

Throughout the Azure Continent, tribulation clouds churned. Those attempting breakthroughs didn’t decrease in number; on the contrary, their numbers only increased with time.

Su Yi left Azurecloud Court and arrived outside the city.

The cultivators who’d gathered here earlier were already starting to disperse.

The boundless lands beneath the night sky were deserted and lonely. Occasionally, the sound of tribulation thunder emanated from afar, reverberating throughout the human world.

Su Yi sat alone atop a hill not far from Nine Tripod City, drinking and sensing heaven and earth in silence.

It was the fourth day of the fourth month, the day the curtains opened on the Radiant Epoch.

On this day, stars appeared in broad daylight against a curtain of dusk. A rain of the light of the Grand Dao fell from the heavens, nourishing all living things and triggering changes that would affect the entire continent.

Countless cultivators vied to absorb the rain of light, and many underwent tribulation and broke through.

The landscape was similarly nourished by the source power of the Grand Dao.

All of these changes were entirely unprecedented.

However, Su Yi knew that the Radiant Epoch had only just begun.

In the years that followed, all manner of unbelievable situations would arise throughout the world. At the same time, the world would descend into unpredictable turmoil.

A night wind blew past, bringing with it wisps of spiritual energy.

Grasses flourished in the cracks of boulders, rustling audibly as they grew.

A tender yellow flower grew at speeds visible to the naked eye, swaying in the night wind.

Ordinary things had changed completely. They were full of life, and they emanated wisps of spirituality.

“After thirty thousand years beneath the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness, this world hit rock bottom, only to turn things around. However, once this trend peaks, the world will inevitably wane. Worldly affairs are a cycle; what goes up, must come down.” Su Yi took a sip of wine and whispered to himself, “This was a major world capable of supporting Imperial experts, but even so, it cannot exist forever, much less those Emperors who consider themselves as ‘eternal as the sun and moon.’

“Emperors might seem like supreme, unsurpassed beings, but the Profound Dao is just another path of the Grand Dao. Loftier paths surely exist above it!”

Time passed, one day after another.

The hill Su Yi had occupied was covered in grasses and other vegetation, and it emanated dense life force.

But he still didn’t break through.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t, but that it wasn’t quite the right time.

He cleared his mind and emptied his heart as he sat there, gazing at the movements of the stars. He watched as night and day switched places, and took in every change throughout the surrounding landscape.

Wen Xinzhao, Qing Wan, and the others came to find him, but Su Yi sent them back with a smile. He said he was pondering various matters related to the Grand Dao, and that when the urge struck him, he’d prove his Dao and enter the Spiritual Incarnation Realm.

Although his companions found this rather strange, they didn’t disturb him any further.

In the time that followed, Nine Tripod City livened up, and fewer and fewer people underwent tribulation.

However, the state of the world was instantly thrown into turmoil.

“In the Southern Skies Province, the ruins of a Buddhist cave buried for tens of thousands of years reappeared. Fiery light moved the nine heavens, and Sanskrit chanting emanated in all directions. The various major factions are all competing to investigate it!”

“In the Glittering Ghost Domain, a strange and unfathomable blessed mountain burst through the ground and towered into the heavens!”

“Spirit beasts are rampaging in the Coldsky Province. The beast wave has affected over a hundred cities, resulting in countless casualties!”

…News of this sort spread throughout the world, causing inestimable uproar and countless bloody incidents.

While the rest of the world was in turmoil, Nine Tripod City remained relatively calm.

This was the imperial family’s territory, and it was covered in the Nine Tripod Suppression Barrier Formation. Furthermore, an unmatched, legendary figure like Su Yi was here to hold down the fort. Ordinary factions simply didn’t dare to cause trouble here.

This was rare and precious. Many cultivators now saw Nine Tripod City as a pure land in otherwise turbulent times.

As a result, countless cultivators flooded in from all sides in hopes of taking up residence within Nine Tripod City.

The eleventh day of the fourth lunar month.

The seventh day following the advent of the Radiant Epoch.

As dusk fell.

Weng Jiu hurried over, looking concerned. “Fellow Daoist, Pu Surong is back, and she’s brought a whole group of Spiritual Revolution experts. She doesn’t just want to leave with Qingyuan; she specifically said she wants the Baleful Metal Gourd back too.”

“Where are they?” said Su Yi from his wicker chair. He was admiring the distant, fiery light of the sunset, and he seemed cozy and content.

“They’re…” Weng Jiu was just about to say something when a group appeared over the horizon. 

Their leader was Pu Surong.

A gray-haired, purple-eyed, thin man in bright yellow robes walked beside her.

His steps were leisurely and unhurried, and when he opened his eyes, they shone with traces of the vicissitudes of the years.

Them aside, the group included three other men and one other woman. Each had the distinctive aura of a Spiritual Revolution Realm expert.

“You…” Weng Jiu’s expression shifted dramatically.

“We followed you here, of course,” said Pu Surong with a faint smile. She then turned to her companions and said, “Allow me to introduce you. That’s Young Lord Su Yi, a heaven-defying, unmatched figure. He’s the one who defeated elder Pu Hongqian, resulting in the loss of the Baleful Metal Gourd.”

She then turned to Su Yi and inclined her head in greeting. “Young Lord Su, we meet again. Allow me to introduce you. This is Elder Pu Jue. He’s in the late-stage Spiritual Revolution Realm, and he’s in the top five among those of his cultivation in the Bright Skies Realm.”

From his wicker chair, Su Yi swept his gaze across the Purple Moon Fox experts. “I can see that you made ample preparations this time.”

Pu Surong smiled. “If you weren’t so strong, we wouldn’t have rallied so many experts.”

“I warned you last time, didn’t I?” said Su Yi. “Even if the Imperial-level ancestor of the Purple Moon Foxes showed up, he wouldn’t be able to leave with Miss Qingyuan. I urge you to give up sooner rather than later. Hurry up and leave.”

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Pu Surong was dumbstruck.

The experts accompanying her were stunned too, and they almost expected they’d misheard.

“There’s no need to boast. If you insist on opposing us, just show us what you’ve got,” Pu Jue said coolly.

He spoke without disdain or mockery, but his attitude was extremely forceful and domineering.

Before his voice had even finished echoing through the air, an austere, murderous intent permeated the cover of dusk.