First Immortal of the Sword

“Last time I attacked the Lower Court of Three Purities Temple, I left after destroying their sign. They were only just barely worth collecting, but this time, we took their heads,” Li Sansheng said with a grin.

“Fierce!” Wang Zhiwu barely resisted the urge to slap his thigh.

“Who did this?” Yun Wuxiang glowered, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.

A low, aged voice emanated from the far side of the spacetime rift. “This was my work, but it’s a trivial matter, not even worth mentioning. I’ve embarrassed myself in front of you all.”

Boom!

The massive spacetime rift shook as an unnaturally tall man in plain robes emerged. His skin glowed with coppery light, and his features were coarse. Every inch of him emanated the vicissitudes of countless years, but his momentum was extraordinarily terrifying.

Every step he took was cautious and tentative, as if he were afraid of shattering the entire stretch of heaven and earth.

For all his caution, with every step he took, the sky tore like paper, and cracks rippled outward. Heaven and earth shook.

The onlookers gasped. Who is this?

By the time he took his ninth step, he seemed to have finally adjusted. He withdrew enough of his aura that he could walk normally. It no longer seemed like he was treading on thin ice.

He strode up to Su Yi, the rims of his eyes red with excitement and his face wet with tears. “Gui Nian, the guardian of the Cavern of Swords, greets you, Your Excellency!”

He then fell to his knees and prostrated himself before Su Yi.

Countless onlookers looked stricken, but they weren’t the only ones. Even Su Yi was stunned. He knew Gongye Futu and the River Lord, but he didn’t recognize Li Sansheng, nor did he know who this kneeling man was.

All he could say with certainty was that they were his first incarnation’s subordinates.

Li Sansheng grinned. “Quick, get up! You’ve lived for countless years, you old turtle. How could you cry your eyes out like this? Aren’t you afraid of getting laughed at?”

The tall man was none other than the old turtle from the Cavern of Swords. He’d spent countless years watching over the three swords the Big Boss had left there.

“What the hell do you know, Li Sansheng? This is a show of true emotion!” said the tall, stalwart Gui Nian. He stood beside Su Yi, tentative and reserved. “Your Excellency, I attacked the Lower Court of Three Purities Temple and broke down their gates, but I was in too much of a hurry to eliminate them completely. All I managed was to snag a few heads. If you’re dissatisfied, I'll go back and do another round of killing once we’re finished here!”

Yun Wuxiang and the others’ expressions darkened. They were on the verge of losing it.

But Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan and Wang Zhiwu found this thoroughly satisfying. Awesome! Badass!

The arrival of Yun Wuxiang and the others had filled them with despair. The pressure had been so suffocating that they could barely breathe.

But things were different now. As more and more experts of Sword Sovereign City entered the scene, the situation turned on its head.

Su Yi looked at the distant Yun Wuxiang. “Is that enough?”

Li Sansheng, Gongye Futu, the River Lord, and Gui Nian all looked at Yun Wuxiang.

The two camps had begun an invisible standoff.

Yun Wuxiang’s gaze frosted over. “Even if every last survivor of Sword Sovereign City shows up today, there’ll be no turning this around!”

“Oh,” said Su Yi. He asked the River Lord, “Is there anyone else?”

“Yes!” said the River Lord without even pausing to think. “But they’re still on their way. It might be a while longer.”

Su Yi instantly understood. This must be the doing of my first incarnation’s heart devil! Otherwise, there’s no way all of these people would have made it here in time.

He then turned his gaze back to Yun Wuxiang. “Do you want to wait a while longer?”

It sounded like a discussion, but the unvoiced mockery filled Yun Wuxiang with murderous intent.

“Rest assured. I have no shortage of patience,” Yun Wuxiang said expressionlessly. His fellow experts of the Far Shore of Destiny were all similarly calm.

Even if fighting broke out, they’d have nothing to fear.

The Heavenly Sovereigns all sank into silence. They’d effectively been reduced to spectators; they weren’t at all qualified to get involved in this.

In truth, if it really came down to violence, they’d have nothing to fear.

Because this was the River of Destiny, not its Far Shore!

With their Eternal Thrones, they were all but invincible here. If they tried their utmost, they could at least manage mutual defeat!

That was the source of their confidence.

“Hey, you old charlatan. I believe you’re from the Sect of Endlessness now, but how do you plan to convince me that I’m your sect’s founder?” Wang Zhiwu gnashed his teeth and transmitted, “I can tell that your origins aren’t inferior to theirs. If you help me, I promise you’ll enjoy endless benefits later!”

The corners of Mu Yu’s lips twitched. There was no way he’d fail to realize that Wang Zhiwu was going to such lengths, not for his own sake, but to help Su Yi.

But... that was exactly what made this so troublesome. Everyone in the All-Profound Dominion knew that Founder Zhi Wuzhong of the Sect of Endlessness and the Big Boss of Sword Sovereign City were enemies.

How could Mu Yu possibly help Su Yi?

“Hurry up and say something!” urged Wang Zhiwu.

Mu Yu sank into uncharacteristic silence.

But then, an earsplitting rumble emanated from the spacetime rift, and one figure after another emerged, all of them looking as if they’d walked straight out of a legend.

“That’s Baili Qingfeng of Sword Sovereign City!”

“And that’s Ye Hongye!”

“That’s Ming Jiu! And that’s Gu Hanzhou!”

The crowd stirred. Everyone was visibly astonished. Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan’s jaw hung slack, while Wang Zhiwu’s eyes widened. Even Yun Wuxiang and his allies looked stricken. No one had anticipated that four experts of Sword Sovereign City would show up at once.

“Big Boss!” Baili Qingfeng stepped up and clasped his fist in greeting.

He wore wide-sleeved, loose robes, and he carried a sword on his back. His temples were graying, and his face was thin. Sword intent flowed over his entire body, and his voice was like the clanging of swords.

Baili Qingfeng of Sword Sovereign City was a benchmark for all the All-Profound Dominion’s sword cultivators. Only those who could face him without being defeated were considered true top experts of the Dao of the Sword. Only then was one qualified to found one’s own sect.

“I arrived late, Big Boss.” Ye Hongye approached, her eyes misty with tears.

She was dressed in white, with a fiery-red leaf hairpin. She looked like a beautiful young woman.

She was the one the Big Boss had appointed to be Sword Sovereign City’s Master of Trials. It was she who tested its sword cultivators’ strength.

She was also famed as the greatest yao cultivator of the Dao of the Sword!

Ming Jiu and Gu Mingzhou were the next to step forth.

Ming Jiu was taciturn by nature and as thin as a stalk of bamboo. His head was lowered, and he looked utterly reserved.

But in Sword Sovereign City, he’d been famed as a true fanatic. He was completely obsessed with the Dao of the Sword, to the point that the Big Boss had actually broken his silence, laughed, and called him “a madman!”

Ming Jiu’s fame was unquestionably far beyond that of Baili Qingfeng and Ye Hongye. He was known as one of the most dangerous sword cultivators in all of Sword Sovereign City.

Gu Hanzhou was even more unusual. He was dressed like a monk, and he was bald and barefoot. The wooden sword at an angle on his back was wrapped in bloody cloth.

He stood before Su Yi and said, “This is the most satisfying day of my life.”

This was the Sword Monk, Gu Hanzhou. He was Sword Sovereign City’s most unusual monk; practicing the Dao of the Sword was his way of practicing his Buddhism.

He never killed his opponents. Instead, he severed the Grand Daos of those he defeated!

In the All-Profound Dominion, some revered Gu Hanzhou as they did the heavens, while others cursed him as a devil.

Su Yi could tell that Baili Qingfeng, Ye Hongye, Ming Jiu, and Gu Hanzhou were excited, but he felt a bit exasperated. He didn’t recognize even one of them.

But to the others, their arrival was like a sudden windstorm. It made their stand-off all the more tense.

Even Yun Wuxiang, Li Shouhu, and the others’ expressions were instantly more solemn.

The Heavenly Sovereigns exchanged glances. Is this... the prestige of the Big Boss of Sword Sovereign City? It really is terrifying!

Yu Xiu, Bo Yunjun, and the others all had complicated looks on their faces. They might have been enemies, but they nonetheless had no choice but to admit that every last one of these new arrivals was famed throughout the All-Profound Dominion.

Every last one of them was a legend, and every last one of them could have killed them with ease!

Fortunately, Sword Sovereign City had been destroyed a long time ago, and the Big Boss had long since entered the cycle of reincarnation.

They couldn’t help but celebrate that the era of Sword Sovereign City had ended a long time ago. Even the Big Boss’s Eternal Pact had ceased to be.

Otherwise, there was no way they’d be bold enough to oppose Sword Sovereign City.

“Is there anyone else?” Yun Wuxiang said coldly. “Sword Sovereign City famously proclaimed that its sword cultivators were as numerous as the clouds in the sky, and that their ranks included numerous unparalleled figures. So why is it that you just have this smattering of people left?”

Su Yi laughed. “Ah, but the way I see it, this is more than enough to deal with you people.”

Mo Zhong, Chang Ning, and the others’ hearts sank. Earlier, they’d had an absolute advantage in numbers, but now, the situation had turned on its head. As more and more survivors of Sword Sovereign City arrived, the pressure on them increased.

Yun Wuxiang couldn’t help but laugh coldly. “Very well. There’s no need to wait any longer. It’s time to reel in the net.”

With that, he stretched out his hand and tapped.

Boom!

The surrounding time and space was suddenly plunged into disarray.

Strangely, even the endless flow of the River of Destiny on the far side of the barrier seemed to freeze in place, its waves locked in an unnatural stillness. It was as if they’d been sealed.

“Attack!” Li Sansheng bellowed.

Gongye Futu, the River Lord, Baili Qingfeng, Ye Hongye, Ming Jiu, and Gu Hanzhou all drew their swords and attacked at once.

This had always been the way of the sword cultivators of Sword Sovereign City. They didn’t discuss anything, nor did they have any cooperation to speak of. They drew their swords first and asked questions later!

Clang! Clang!

An appalling sword hum rose, and terrifying sword intent swept forth like a windstorm, spreading throughout heaven and earth.

Only the tall, stalwart Gui Nian remained behind to watch over Su Yi.