First Immortal of the Sword

As the misty light gradually dimmed, the line of Daoist glyphs hovering over the pendant disappeared.

Su Yi gripped the jade pendant and sank into silent contemplation.

He didn’t find it at all strange that Cui Longxiang knew he’d reincarnated into the Azure Continent. After all, it was Cui Longxiang who’d used the Tree of Ten Thousand Daos to send Xuan Ning to the Azure Continent.

But this time, it seemed Cui Longxiang had encountered something troublesome, leaving him no choice but to send Cui Jingyan with his jade pendant as a warning. Furthermore, he hadn’t told anyone about the message within the pendant, not even Cui Jingyan.

This undoubtedly implied that whatever trouble he faced, he couldn’t reveal it to outsiders!

That old fox has never participated in worldly conflicts, and he fears nothing more than trouble. Why is it then that a sudden change to the Netherworld has forced him to visit the Sea of Bitterness? 

And even with his cultivation, he’s uncertain if he’ll ever return?

Su Yi turned to Cui Jingyan and asked, “Before you arrived, did anything particularly noteworthy happen in the Netherworld?”

Cui Jingyan looked confused. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

She obviously had no idea.

Su Yi then turned to the Ninth Libationer. “You? Do you know about anything like that?”

The Ninth Libationer calmed himself, thought for a moment, then said, “Something did indeed happen recently that’s thrown the entire Netherworld into Uproar. It’s even got quite a few peak orthodoxies paying attention.”

“Let’s hear it,” said Su Yi.

“Rumor has it that a strange black Netherworld Ship has appeared within the Sea of Bitterness and that anyone who sees it disappears without a trace, no matter who they are!

“What we know for sure is that roughly three years ago, an Imperial Realm expert of the Yellow Springs Palace happened upon the Netherworld Ship deep within the Sea of Bitterness. He disappeared, leaving only a talisman behind.

“When other cultivators of the Yellow Springs Palace found the talisman, they discovered a description of the vessel in hastily scrawled text. However, it was just one sentence. The exact appearance, origins, and dangers of the vessel remain unknown.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

"Still, this incident threw the Netherworld into uproar. After all, an Emperor of almost all-encompassing power suddenly disappeared upon encountering a mysterious ship. It would be difficult for such an incident not to attract attention. 

“Ever since, an increasing number of rumors about the mysterious ship have been spreading throughout the Netherworld. Some say it comes from the far shore of the Sea of Bitterness.

“Others say it's a harbinger of disaster, and that it will bring unpredictable calamity to the Netherworld. Opinions are divided, but no one knows for sure where the ship came from.”

Su Yi nodded.

In the Netherworld, the Sea of Bitterness had always been a true forbidden zone. As mighty as they were, even Emperors wouldn’t venture into the Sea of Bitterness lightly.

The mysterious vessel had appeared within the Sea of Bitterness, and anyone who saw it disappeared. That meant it was very difficult to investigate its origins.

Don’t tell me the great changes old fox Cui Longxiang spoke of are connected to that ship? Otherwise, why would he visit the Sea of Bitterness personally? Su Yi was a bit uncertain.

“Su Yi, what are you asking about all that for?” Cui Jingyan couldn’t help but ask.

“It’s nothing.” Su Yi shook his head and returned the pendant. “The questions you asked me earlier? When your grandfather gets back, ask him instead.”

Cui Jingyan said irritably, “If you don’t want to tell me, forget it!”

Su Yi laughed. “If he didn’t tell you, he definitely doesn’t want you to know.”

He then looked at the Ninth Libationer. “What does Meng Po Palace hope to achieve by getting mixed up in the Azure Continent’s conflicts?”

The Ninth Libationer grimaced. “We originally came here for the Seed of the Azure, but now… we’ve already changed our minds.”

“Oh?” said Su Yi. “Does that mean you’ll return to the Netherworld soon?”

The Ninth Libationer shook his head. “The tunnel between the Netherworld and the Azure Continent is extremely unstable. Even if we want to head back, we need the sect to receive us.

“According to our earlier arrangements, the sect will activate a formation and bring us back to the Netherworld in half a year.”

“Half a year…” After a moment’s thought, Su Yi said, “When the time comes, I’ll go with you.”

The Ninth Libationer was stunned. Then, he exclaimed, “Fellow Daoist, you plan to go to the Netherworld too?”

Cui Jingyan hadn’t expected this either. “What are you going to the Netherworld for?”

Su Yi said casually, “I’m going to find a few old friends and retrieve some stuff.”

The old blind man had been silent all this time, but here, he hurriedly interjected, “And me! I want to go back to the Netherworld too.”

After a moment’s silence, the Ninth Libationer nodded. “Alright. I can agree to that. Before we leave the Azure Continent, I’ll be sure to send you a message, Fellow Daoist.”

Su Yi smiled. “Thanks in advance.”

After chatting a while longer, the Ninth Libationer and company bade farewell and left.

Su Yi rose from his wicker chair and returned to his room. He’d only just overcome his tribulation and broken through yesterday. Despite a night of dual cultivation, his cultivation boundary wasn’t yet truly stable.

……

Night was imminent, and the light of the setting sun illuminated the skies.

Immediately after finishing his daily cultivation, Su Yi crouched in the courtyard beside the wicker chair. He’d refined all manner of rare and precious spiritual materials, which he now incorporated into his wicker chair.

Even the old blind man felt that he was desecrating heavenly treasures, but he naturally wouldn’t say that out loud. 

Wen Xinzhao smiled. She’d long since realized that no matter how precious spiritual materials were, they were nowhere near as important to Su Yi as a comfortable wicker chair to lie in.

Qing Wan was there too, but this simple, slightly silly young woman was a bit reserved. She stood meekly not far from Su Yi.

Her straight, slender, jade-line legs were pressed together, and she held her head in her hands. From time to time, she snuck a glance at Su Yi. Beneath the light of dusk, her picturesque, delicate face was beautiful enough to make one’s heart tremble.

Not much later, Su Yi lowered his hand, a satisfied look on his face.

Now that he’d refurbished it, the wicker chair still looked old-fashioned and simple. It wasn’t at all eye-catching, but anyone who lay in it would immediately sense its wondrous properties.

For example, it could nourish the blood and qi and calm the heart.

Furthermore, it was self-cleaning and self-repairing, and it feared neither fire nor water.

Lying in the chair even made it easier to sense the changes in the presence of the Grand Dao. It could calm the heart and prime it for contemplation…

But of course, the chair’s most important property was how comfortable it was.

When he lay down in it, every inch of him felt relaxed.

“I didn’t use up all those materials for nothing.” Su Yi sprawled out in his wicker chair, his whole body loose and comfortable. He squinted as the light of dusk washed over him. Even his bones felt lighter; the comfort was indescribable.

The others were long accustomed to his indolent bearing.

This was just how Su Yi was. He cultivated assiduously, but in every other aspect of his life, he was lazy enough to make one’s hair stand on end.

When he could be seated, there was no way he’d stand.

“Old blind man, leave tonight and go to the Sea of Chaotic Spirits,” Su Yi said suddenly. He slipped a storage pendant from his sleeves and tossed it to the old blind man. “There’s a formation in that. When you reach the Ruins of the Immortals’ Sword House, place the formation inside.”

The old blind man was instantly solemn. “Your Excellency, rest assured! This old man won’t disappoint you!”

Then, Su Yi took out a black talisman. “Should you encounter danger, shatter this talisman. It will be enough to avert disaster.”

The black talisman was emblazoned with a wisp of the aura of the Sword of the Nine Hells. Refining it had drained more than half the power of Su Yi’s cultivation base.

Its killing power was terrifying beyond limit; it could easily slay Spiritual Revolution cultivators.

The old blind man hurriedly accepted it and carefully put it away. He was naturally well aware of why Su Yi was doing this.

At yesterday’s grand battle outside of Nine Tripod City, Su Yi sent an entire group of Spiritual Revolution experts’ heads rolling across the ground.

But everyone knew that the factions behind them wouldn’t just let this go.

Furthermore, Su Yi was in possession of the Seed of the Azure, making him the target of countless arrows. There was no need to even think; it was obvious that all trouble would follow in the days to come.

Out in the open, a spear was easily dodged, but an unseen arrow was difficult to defend against.

Su Yi was preparing for a rainy day. By setting up a formation in advance, he’d prevent his enemies from targeting those around him!

Su Yi pondered briefly, then looked at Wen Xinzhao. “Xinzhao, when Weng Jiu gets back, ask him for a map. Remember: have him point out and mark the locations of each and every one of those hostile factions.”

Wen Xinzhao’s heart shook. “Brother Su, have you already decided to go deal with them?”

Su Yi said calmly, “In the past, I couldn’t be bothered to settle the score with them, but now, countless people see me as prey and want to seize my good fortune. It’s highly likely that this will implicate those around me. I naturally can’t be polite any longer.”

He spoke calmly and casually, but his words left the others inwardly shaken.

When Su Yi’s heart filled with murderous intent and he initiated an attack, what kind of storm would result? 

“Rest assured, Brother Su! I’ll go find Weng Jiu and prepare the map tonight!” Wen Xinzhao took a deep breath and solemnly agreed.

Su Yi smiled and was just about to say something when suddenly, he frowned; it seemed he’d sensed something.

Practically simultaneously, an unfamiliar female voice resounded from beyond the courtyard gates.

“Fellow Daoist Su, Ye Jinzhi of the Kunwu Mountain Ye Family has come to greet you on Young Master Ye Xiao’s orders.”