First Immortal of the Sword

Although it was the middle of the night, the light of Nine Tripod City’s grand formation dispersed the dense darkness.

The smell of blood permeated heaven and earth. Fragmented treasures and corpses were scattered across a landscape covered in holes. It was a striking scene, a vision of death.

The distant onlookers stood there in a daze, too astonished for words.

Mere moments had passed, but all three camps, twenty-five Spiritual Revolution Realm cultivators in total, had fallen! Su Yi had single-handedly massacred every last one of them.

Who could have imagined that this would happen?

Although the Radiant Epoch had begun, in the modern Azure Continent, Spiritual Revolution cultivators still represented the very pinnacle of power!

Pick any of them at random, and you’d have someone who could traverse the four seas, command both wind and cloud, and intimidate an entire region!

In the hearts of the world’s cultivators, Spiritual Revolution cultivators were like sovereigns, people they could only gaze reverently upon from afar.

But today, outside Nine Tripod City, Spiritual Revolution Realm experts fell like rain. It was an astonishing spectacle!

And the one who’d killed them all was a freshly broken-through, Spiritual Incarnation Realm young man…

All of this was unquestionably far too shocking.

“Su Yi, aren’t you afraid of retribution!?” that raspy, aged voice resounded throughout the night sky once more, full of rage and hatred.

This was an elder of the House of the Skywalking Sword, the one who’d spoken up to beg for mercy on Xie Zhibei’s behalf.

But Su Yi didn’t stay his hand.

“It’s my enemies who ought to be worried about retribution,” said Su Yi. He raised his jug, took a drink, and said casually, “Besides, today’s incident won’t end here.”

This light, airy declaration made the crowd’s hair stand on end.

The Bluecloud Tower Master, Fu Qingyun, suddenly recalled that, before undergoing tribulation, Su Yi had asked about his opponents’ origins. This was in preparation for his future revenge.

At the time, Fu Qingyun had only half believed it. After all, Su Yi’s predicament had been far too perilous; he’d doubted Su Yi would survive it.

But when he recalled those words now, waves of emotion coursed through Fu Qingyun’s heart. A long time passed before he managed to calm himself.

Today, Su Yi underwent an unprecedented, taboo tribulation and slew an entire group of Spiritual Revolution cultivators. Who beneath the heavens could possibly stand shoulder to shoulder with him?

If someone like that sought revenge against the factions that opposed him, it would inevitably lead to inestimable bloodshed and turmoil!

“Hah, is that so? It seems to this old man that, so long as he carries the Seed of the Azure, Fellow Daoist Su will become the target of countless arrows. Everyone will be out to get him!”

The raspy, aged voice of the House of the Skywalking Sword Elder rang out once more.

“An open threat is easily avoided, but a hidden arrow is difficult to defend against. Fellow Daoist Su’s cultivation base might well be lofty and profound, and he might well fear nothing. Still, who’s to say no one will try alternative means of acquiring the Seed of the Azure?”

He made no effort to conceal the implied threat!

Chills coursed through the gathered cultivators’ hearts.

Su Yi, however, just smiled and said coldly, “If what happened here today implicates those around me, I wouldn’t mind flattening every faction that opposes me. When that happens, I’ll be interested to see if there’s anyone left who dares bark like a mad dog.”

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Everyone present was astonished, and the crowd gasped.

This declaration put Su Yi’s sheer domineeringness on full display!

“Then we’ll just have to wait and see!” The elder of the House of the Skywalking Sword said, then fell silent.

Su Yi stretched, then swept his gaze across the area. “Anyone else want to fight me?”

Heaven and earth were deathly silent. No one said anything.

“Weng Jiu, go gather the spoils for me.” With that, Su Yi stepped through the skies and drifted off.

Before long, he’d disappeared into Nine Tripod City. No one dared stand in his way.

“Come on, we should go back too.” Eventually, Wen Xinzhao could no longer hold back her delight and excitement. She rushed into the city after Su Yi. 

The old blind man, Qing Ya, and Daoist Master Coldsmoke followed, while the Xia Emperor and Weng Jiu remained behind to deal with the aftermath.

It was then that the crowd outside Nine Tripod City burst into uproar, like a pot boiling over, breaking through the deathly silence of the night.

“Banished Immortal Su is fierce! Tell me, who could possibly be a match for him now?” someone exclaimed.

“Hard to say. After all, nowadays, there’s no shortage of unknown, terrifying experts of mysterious origins prowling the continent. Like the Celestial River Realm’s Frigid North Sword Pavilion; I’d never heard of them before,” someone said gravely.

“But there’s no doubt that Banished Immortal Su stands at the pinnacle of the world. Anyone who wants to oppose him will have to carefully weigh the consequences first!” someone sighed.

“This battle was absolutely unprecedented. I can picture it now. When news spreads, it will shake the world!”

“So many people died. How could their factions of origin possibly let this go?”

“What do you mean, ‘let this go’? What they really ought to worry about is whether or not Banished Immortal Su will seek them out to settle the score!”

….Uproar rang out on all sides.

Deep within the distant night skies, numerous figures hidden in darkness revealed themselves.

“He used his tribulation as bait to trap his enemies. This Su Yi… sure is gutsy!” someone muttered.

Some of the onlookers inwardly rejoiced. They say that the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Today, I thought myself an oriole. I didn’t realize that this was a trap all along and that Su Yi was waiting for prey to fall into his lap. I’m just glad I didn’t step up and get involved right away.

Others sighed. “With the power Su Yi had on display today, seizing the Seed of the Azure will only get more and more difficult.”

“Hah, do you really think Su Yi is invincible? You’re wrong! The Radiant Era has only just begun. Unless he offers the Seed of the Azure up freely, he’ll surely face countless dangers in the days to come,” someone laughed coldly.

Gradually, the experts hidden within the crowd dispersed.

Cui Jingyan stood beneath the night sky, her red lips parting. “Tch! It’s no wonder my grandfather is paying attention to him. He really is ferocious. In all my years of life, it’s my first time encountering someone so heaven-defying.”

“You’re not the only one. I wouldn’t have dared believe someone could cut down a divine tribulation, or that a freshly broken-through Spiritual Incarnation cultivator could take down a whole group of Spiritual Revolution cultivators…” Xue Ye looked dazed, and he grimaced.

The Ninth Libationer had been silent all this time, but now, he couldn’t help but sigh. “This Su Yi’s origins are surely extraordinary!”

He was just a young man, yet he knew Meng Po Palace’s inheritances like the back of his hand. He’d recognized the Adjudicator of the Netherworld’s pendant at a glance, and he had an inheritor of the Ghost Lantern Sarcophagus Bearer lineage following him…

And today, that very young man had overcome a taboo grand tribulation, only to turn around and kill a whole group of Spiritual Revolution experts immediately after breaking through.

All of this was unquestionably unbelievable!

To the point that, as experienced as he was, the Ninth Libationer couldn’t help but feel bewildered. Just… Just what kind of person is he?

“Ninth Libationer, are we still going to go see Su Yi?” Cui Jingyan blinked her bright eyes.

“Why shouldn’t we?” The Ninth Libationer took a deep breath. “Aren’t you curious about his secrets?”

Xue Ye’s eyes flashed. “I’m more concerned about the Seed of the Azure.”

The Ninth Libationer’s expression shifted, and his tone grew harsh. “Xue Ye, don’t bring that up any further! No matter how unwilling you may be, we absolutely cannot become enemies with someone as dangerous as Su Yi! Besides, the sect leader never said that we had to bring the Seed back no matter what!”

Xue Ye sighed. “I understand.”

Cui Jingyan laughed. “It’s only normal that you’re unresigned. I wouldn’t be either. Actually, if it were possible, I’d just love to give that Su guy a good thwacking!”

The corners of the Ninth Libationer’s lips twitched. “Jingyan, don’t make trouble. You have the Adjudicator of the Netherworld’s pendant. If you offend Su Yi, he naturally won’t make trouble for you, but it’s different for us. It’s hard to say what the consequences would be if we provoked him!”

Xue Ye keenly detected that the Ninth Libationer had completely given up on the Seed of the Azure, and furthermore, that his words revealed deep-seated dread of Su Yi.

After a moment’s silence, he said, “Ninth Libationer, rest assured. I won’t do anything stupid. To tell the truth, I’m quite curious about Su Yi’s origins too. 

 The Ninth Libationer immediately made his decision. “It’s already late. Let’s visit this ‘Banished Immortal Su’ tomorrow!”

……

Fu Qingyun stood alone, silent beneath the darkness.

After a long time, he took out a yellowed bamboo slip and used his divine sense as a knife to engrave:

“At dusk on the eleventh day of the first lunar month, Su Yi welcomed his tribulation of Spiritual Incarnation outside Nine Tripod City…

“His tribulation was unprecedented and permeated with a taboo aura. Nothing comparable has happened in recorded history…”

Line after line of thoughtful, grave text appeared on the bamboo slip. His style was concise, without the slightest adornment, and he recorded today’s events exactly as they transpired.

“...In this battle, Su Yi cleaved through a divine tribulation, slew a group of enemies, and single-handedly controlled the entire situation. Even now, in the Radiant Epoch, no one else could achieve this.

“Yet, today’s incident sowed the seeds of future disaster or Su Yi. In the days that follow, a massive storm is sure to result.”

Here, Fu Qingyun hesitated, but in the end, he added:

“Today’s battle will likely lead to a reshuffling of the balance of power, while Su Yi is the greatest variable of the new age.

“Selfishly, I actually rather hope that Su Yi’s sword can dominate the new era and quell this age of upheaval!”

Fu Qingyun paused here, and his expression shifted. In the end, he grimaced and erased that last line from the jade slip.

As a cultivator of the Annals of Red Dust, there was no greater taboo than inserting his own emotions into the historical record.

Doing so wouldn’t just influence his personal cultivation; it would make his compiled records biased and unreliable, distorting the historical record!

“Right and wrong, victory and defeat, all will become clear in time. As a witness, being here today was already fortunate enough!” 

Fu Qingyun put away the yellowed bamboo slip, then drifted off.

Meanwhile, in Azurecloud Court.

Red lanterns illuminated the eaves, and the moonlight was as gentle as water. The bamboo cast mottled shadows on the ground. 

An open threat is easily avoided, but a hidden arrow is difficult to defend against.’That guy wasn’t wrong… Su Yi sprawled out in his wicker chair and thought to himself, In the past, I couldn’t be bothered to resolve those grudges, but now, the karma of the Seed of the Azure has placed me at the heart of the storm. Given that that’s the case, I naturally cannot show any further mercy.

As a sword cultivator, how was he supposed to handle grudges?

The answer was simple: he ought to sever them with his sword!