First Immortal of the Sword

The lamp swayed, illuminating the Monarch of Endless Tribulations’ seated form. He looked utterly despondent, forlorn, and bitter.

He’d obviously learned everything that had happened.

Su Yi pursed his lips and re-entered the hall.

“I wouldn’t have guessed that after everything that happened, you’d... still choose to leave me with a chance at life...” murmured the Monarch of Endless Tribulations. “I... deserve death many times over! What could I possibly have done to deserve you... setting aside the past to... bring me back...?”

This was a legend who’d once broken the shackles of destiny, but now, he was overcome with grief, regret, bitterness, and anger.

All of it was directed at his true body. After countless years of conflict with the Buddha of Non-Existence, he’d slipped up. A single mistake had led to an eternity of regret!

Su Yi crouched beside him and gazed directly at him. “The Buddha of Non-Existence is still alive. Just like you, he’s been reduced to a disembodied spirit. How... about you two continue your clash of the Grand Dao?”

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations quivered from head to toe, his eyes lighting up. “The old monk is still alive?”

Su Yi nodded solemnly. “He’s a highly accomplished, virtuous monk. He might well be able to help you with your pain and mental knots.”

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations threw back his head and laughed uproariously, his expression lighting up with joy as he rose from the floor. “The old monk is alive. That’s already a tremendous comfort!”

Then, he turned to face Su Yi. “It’s enough. That’s enough for me. I can die without regret!”

Su Yi’s expression shifted slightly, but just as he was about to say something, the Monarch of Endless Tribulations shook his head. “I was wrong, and I ought to pay the price for my mistakes. If I chose to continue my contest with the old monk... hah! Even if he refrained from laughing at me, I’d laugh at myself!”

He let out a long pent-up breath. “Life and death mean little. It’s only when your heart is burdened with regret that you cannot die in peace!

“Fellow Daoist, I’ve never admired anyone before. You’re the first. You’re worthy of my respect. Meeting you was one of the greatest blessings of my life. Please, accept this bow!” The Monarch of Endless Tribulations clasped his palms together, then bowed low at the waist. “Please, don’t try to persuade me any further!”

Every word went off like a thunderclap. He spoke with staunch conviction, as if making a solemn oath. His voice resounded throughout heaven and earth, echoing for a long, long time.

When someone decided to go to his death, who in this world could convince him to change his mind?

Su Yi immediately thought of the Buddha of Non-Existence, but the Monarch of Endless Tribulations saw right through him and shook his head. “Better not to see him. I... cannot face him.”

Su Yi fell silent.

But then, the Monarch of Endless Tribulations smiled. “Fellow Daoist, how about we take advantage of this rare moment of leisure to have ourselves a conversation?”

“What would you like to talk about?” asked Su Yi.

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations pointed at the roof. “We can talk about the heavens.”

He gestured to the floor. “And the earth.”

Finally, he pointed to himself. “And about ourselves and our place among the masses.”

Su Yi pondered briefly, then took a seat. “Please.”

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations sat across from him, then said softly, “Fellow Daoist, in your eyes, what is the Will of Heaven?”

The conversation had only just begun, but he wasn't wasting any time. His very first question was about the fundamental nature of the Will of Heaven.

Su Yi took out a jug of wine and had a sip before responding. “It’s formless and nameless. If you really had to call it something, it would be ‘the Dao.’ The birthplace of the Dao is the root of chaos, and the home of all Laws. It manifests all facets of creation, including the cycle of life and death, and the withering and flourishing of all of creation...”

As he spoke, it was as if he gave voice to some of the “secrets of the heavens.” The atmosphere in the hall silently shifted.

Outside the palace, deep within the dome of heaven, the sky was full of a flood of Laws of Calamity.

When Su Yi began speaking of the Will of Heaven, the Laws of Calamity reacted as if startled. Shockingly, they went dormant. All of them stilled, rendering the entire Realm of Endless Tribulations unnaturally calm, as if frozen in place.

As Su Yi continued, unbelievable, miraculous visions arose throughout the Realm of Endless Tribulations: the Netherworld with the cycle of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, the flowers of the Far Shore, the path to the Yellow Springs, the Sea of Bitterness, the alternation of life and death atop the Platform of Rebirth, and the River of Forgetfulness flowing beneath the Naihe Bridge...

Then there was a mysterious Profound Ruin, flashing in and out of view, severing karma and restricting fate...

And there were the Edicts of Heaven’s Will manifesting all manner of unbelievable secrets of the Grand Dao...

It was as if Su Yi’s voice were summoning the Will of Heaven, making it manifest within the Realm of Endless Tribulations!

Meanwhile, in the distant Daoless Domain, the ancient darkness churned. It, too, was affected.

The palace atop the Mountain of Tribulations was already enveloped in the indescribable power of the Grand Dao.

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations saw all of this, and there was no hiding his shock.

They were simply speaking of the heavens, yet Su Yi’s Dao seemed to have given voice to their secrets, manifesting these strange, unfathomable visions. How unbelievable was that?

But before Su Yi could continue, the Monarch of Endless Tribulations laughed bitterly and interrupted him. “Keep going like that, and the Will of Heaven you speak of will grind this wisp of my spirit away completely.”

But Su Yi had yet to get his fill. He hadn’t spoken of heaven and earth like this in all the years since he’d begun his cultivation, nor had he put his perception of the Grand Dao into words.

For one thing, his Dao was too unusual, as he sought the Dao within himself.

For another, people he could have such a conversation with were few and far between.

Now, perhaps because of his recent breakthrough into the Heavenly Fate Realm, or perhaps because of the numerous revelations he’d had while strengthening his vital source energy in the Destiny Tribulation Lake, he was in the mood to discuss the Dao.

When he gave voice to his thoughts, Su Yi realized that discussing the Will of Heaven aloud was a way of combing through his experiences, which in turn invited new and unique insights.

Perhaps these were the wondrous benefits of discussing the Dao.

“Then how about we talk about the earth?” said Su Yi.

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations nodded. This time, he was the first to speak. “When the primordial chaos first parted, all of creation was indistinct. The pure rose to become the heavens, while the turbid sank to become the earth. The so-called ‘earth’ hides the source of all things. It’s the origin of all living beings and the birthplace of the spirit...

“Trees have roots, just as all waters have sources. A towering platform begins with a mound of earth, and even a tree large enough to wrap your arms around starts as a tiny seed. The ‘earth’ is the beginning of all Daos, the source of all phenomena...”

As someone who’d once broken the shackles of destiny to step onto the Far Shore, the Monarch of Endless Tribulations’ understanding of the earth was far beyond any typical Heavenly Sovereign.

When he spoke of the earth, he traced it back to the very beginning, expounding on several deep secrets and profundities.

In truth, this was a description of the Monarch of Endless Tribulations’ path. It represented his cultivation and all the insights and revelations he’d had over the years.

Su Yi listened attentively and felt inspired.

Years prior, he learned that those who broke the shackles and stepped onto the Far Shore had, in truth, stepped onto the Path to Ancestry. It was a level beyond Eternity, and its cultivators strived for one simple goal: tracing everything back to its source and becoming an Ancestor of the Dao!

Eternals were known as Dao Lords, while cultivators on the Path to Ancestry were known as Dao Overlords. They had the power to rule over the Grand Dao and control the Laws of the Natural Order.

Those who grasped the most fundamental, ancestral secrets of the Grand Dao were known as Dao Ancestors.

Dao Lords, Dao Overlords, and Dao Ancestors. The names were similar, but each was as far apart as the heavens and the earth.

The Path to Ancestry was divided into three major realms: Truthseeking, Primeval, and Heaven-Inquiring.

Those who received insights from the heavens and became Ancestors were henceforth known as Dao Ancestors.

Su Yi had known all this, but he’d yet to really engage with these truths. At his current level of cultivation, he simply had no opportunity to do so.

Now, the Monarch of Endless Tribulations was using their discussion to share the mysteries of the Path to Ancestry. Su Yi naturally benefited considerably.

From time to time, he’d ask questions. The Monarch of Endless Tribulations was never stingy with his explanations, always taking the time to answer in detail.

Over the course of their conversation, Su Yi understood the differences between the Truthseeking, Primeval, and Heaven-Inquiring Realms.

But the Monarch of Endless Tribulations was ultimately only in the Truthseeking Realm, so he only understood a portion of the mysteries of the Path to Ancestry.

Even so, Su Yi benefited considerably, and before he knew it, a whole day had passed.

Then, suddenly, the Monarch of Endless Tribulations asked, “Fellow Daoist, what do you think the ‘earth’ is?”

Su Yi fell into a daze, not because he couldn’t answer, but because too much had occurred to him at once. The memories of his lives past and present and all the revelations he’d had over the course of his cultivation flitted through his mind like flowers viewed from the back of a galloping horse.

Of them, his revelations regarding the River of Epochs had left the deepest impression. He was, after all, already the Master of the Epochs. It was just that he’d yet to formally Bring Order.

The alternation of the epochs and the different paths of cultivation were all connected to the concept of “the earth.”

Su Yi then went on to share everything he’d learned, holding nothing back. Wherever his mind went, he spoke his thoughts.

Gradually and unwittingly, he entered a state of enlightenment. As he spoke, his heart welled with new revelations.

Thus, Su Yi didn’t even notice it when yet another round of unbelievable phenomena arose in the Realm of Endless Tribulations.

This was different than when he spoke of heaven. This time, he manifested a vision of the River of Epochs in its entirety, giving rise to all manner of epoch civilizations that underwent unbelievable transformations as he spoke.

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations was stunned once more, the astonishment on his face intensifying. He would never have guessed that Su Yi expounding on the earth would be this terrifying.

Earlier, Su Yi had given voice to the secrets of the heavens. Now, he spoke the secrets of the earth!

Most unbelievable of all, as Su Yi immersed himself to the point that he could no longer sense his surroundings, a bundle of light appeared out of nowhere.

It was fist-sized, clear, white, and radiant. It looked as if it were made of jade, but it emanated a mysterious, ethereal air as it spun around Su Yi in celebration.

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations could tell at a glance that the bundle of light was an Eternal Throne.

His heart shook as he understood. That has to be the Eternal Throne lost in the Abyss of Endless Tribulations during the Devastation!

The Monarch of Endless Tribulations was now just a spirit. His true body was already dead.

This spirit came not from his true body, but from the clone who’d taken up residence in the Book of Destiny. He’d been separated from his true body for a long time.

All this time, he’d assumed that his true body had long since found and acquired the Eternal Throne lost in the Abyss of Endless Tribulations. After all, his true body had numerous Harbingers of Tribulations at his command. Finding an Eternal Throne shouldn’t have been difficult.

He’d obviously been mistaken. The Eternal Throne had been hidden here all this time without anyone ever finding it!

But now, as if sensing the phenomena resulting from Su Yi’s expounding on the Dao, the Eternal Throne revealed itself to Su Yi of its own accord.

This unbelievable scene filled the Monarch of Endless Tribulations with ruefulness. Are karmic ties limited to connections between people? No! When Su Yi’s voice resonated with the Grand Dao, this Eternal Throne threw itself into his arms!