First Immortal of the Sword

How was Su Yi supposed to reform the Destiny Demons and guide them onto the path of righteousness?

He didn’t know. He just knew that if he was to succeed, there was one thing that had to happen first: the entire race had to submit!

Only then would they act in accordance with his will, and only then did they have hope of mending their wicked ways.

Submit? The old monsters were already frustrated, and they already found it hard to imagine why Mo Hanyi would make such concessions.

But Su Yi didn’t just refuse to accept them; he demanded something even more unreasonable. It was enough to make the old monsters want to explode.

“Nothing but the ravings of a madman!”

“Did you hear that, Sovereign Preceptor? He’s simply sick in the head!

“Destiny’s Chosen is our fated foe. This is an irreconcilable enmity. How could we possibly back down? How could we let our forebears have died in vain?”

All of the old monsters were beside themselves with fury, and all of them voiced their indignation.

Sovereign Preceptor Mo Hanyi couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

After a brief pause, he said, “Little Chosen, are you saying that submitting is our only hope of continued existence?”

Su Yi inclined his head. “Submit, and so long as you do not defy my will, you may exist in perpetuity.”

Heavenly Sovereign Mo Hanyi seemed to understand. “If I’m not mistaken, you hope to bind us in this way, preventing us from sweeping across the River of Destiny and bringing ruin to the masses. Am I right?”

Su Yi looked at him in surprise. “That’s indeed the case.”

“You’re dreaming,” said Mo Hanyi, not the least bit polite. “Slaughter is our very lifeblood, and destruction is the foundation of our Grand Dao. Binding us in this way would be no different from destroying us!”

Su Yi smiled. “But what if I could find new enemies for you, and new opportunities for you to act in accordance with your bloodthirsty natures? Would that solve the problem?”

Mo Hanyi froze, stunned.

The other old monsters laughed. “There are over eight million of us, and all of us live to kill. What faction could possibly satisfy our bloodlust?”

“Su Yi, you can forget about trying to lead us astray!”

Su Yi disregarded the commotion and continued, “A storm is brewing on the Far Shore, and it will one day appear on the River of Destiny. When the time comes, unforeseeable turmoil will sweep the River of Destiny. When the time comes, there’s no telling how many disasters will befall the world, or how many battles will break out.”

He paused for emphasis, then said, “In such turbulent times, how could you possibly fear running out of opportunities to do battle?”

The atmosphere was stifled and oppressive. All of the old monsters sank into thought. They’d heard Ying Qi’s report, and they knew Su Yi was telling the truth.

“Also,” said Su Yi. “Don’t think too highly of yourselves. It might be shameless to say it, but an opportunity to submit to me is, in a sense, an enormous stroke of good fortune!”

His contemptuous pride was on full display, and indeed, he wasn’t faking it. If not for the need to resolve the latent threat posed by the Negative Karma Destiny Demons, he wouldn’t have bothered saying all that, and he certainly wouldn’t have concerned themselves with whether or not they submitted.

It was exactly as he said; in his heart, the Negative Karma Destiny Demons simply weren’t that important.

Only that and nothing more.

The atmosphere sank deeper into silence. Su Yi’s words had obviously provoked them, and all of them had unsightly looks on their faces.

But then, Sovereign Preceptor Mo Hanyi burst into laughter. “What boldness, Little Chosen! But then, that’s exactly the kind of spirit you need if our race is to submit and serve you willingly.”

The others were flabbergasted, but before they could say anything, Mo Hanyi continued, “But that spirit and bearing are far from enough. How about this? I can agree to be the first to submit—but not now. If, one day, your strength and powers of the Grand Dao are enough to win me over, I’ll do everything in my power to convince the entire Negative Karma Destiny Demon race to submit!”

His gaze was utterly solemn. “If you’ll agree to that, I can immediately sign a Lifeblood Contract!”

The others had completely lost their cool. All of them tried to dissuade Mo Hanyi, but Mo Hanyi ignored them all. He’d made up his mind.

Su Yi sighed. “I finally understand why you managed to become the Sovereign Preceptor of your race. Your horizons and breadth of spirit are far beyond any ordinary person!”

Mo Hanyi sighed. “Ah, but compared to you, Little Chosen, my horizons and breadth of spirit seem like nothing at all.”

“Then it’s settled for now,” said Su Yi.

“Good!” Mo Hanyi rose, then grabbed the hilt jutting out of his chest and pulled, extracting the wooden sword from his ribcage.

“I used this sword to carve my humiliation into my heart, but that humiliation no longer means a thing,” said Mo Hanyi, proffering the sword with both hands. “Please accept this sword, Little Chosen.”

“Very well,” said Su Yi. The sword vanished from the Abyss of Silent Destiny, then reappeared in his grip.

The wooden sword was plain and unassuming, and he couldn’t tell what kind of wood it was made out of. It had a primitive, plain quality to it. Its only notable feature was the name “Nine in Third” carved neatly on its hilt.

But as ordinary as it looked, the sword was extraordinarily heavy. It had an invisible, mysterious sword force, like the voice of a sage. It could suppress the skies throughout the ages.

When he held it in hand, Su Yi felt its weight.

This was the sword that Xiao Jian had used to suppress Sovereign Preceptor Mo Hanyi. It was easy to imagine its weight!

When Su Yi tried to put it away, its weight grew to the point that he couldn't budge it. It pressed down on his hand with such force that it almost crushed his joints!

It’s just a wooden sword. How could it possibly be so heavy? No, wait. Su Yi suddenly realized something. True treasures have awareness. This strangely named sword most likely just hasn’t acknowledged me yet. It’ll fight me if I try to put it away.

Su Yi pondered briefly, then resorted to a trick. He borrowed some of the aura of Xiao Jian’s Dao Imprint on the Sword of the Nine Hells to cover his palm.

The wooden sword buzzed, then let out a low, thunderous hum. It trembled in his grip.

The plain, unadorned blade shone with faint blue light. The words of countless sages seemed to flow within the blade, every word a resplendent pearl of wisdom!

Countless revelations flooded Su Yi’s heart.

He now knew that the sword had been forged out of a peach tree, ordinary except that it had been struck by lightning. It wasn’t any sort of heavenly material or earthly treasure.

But this was the sword that accompanied Xiao Jian throughout his lifetime of cultivation!

It had been there when he was at his weakest and humblest, and it had stayed by his side throughout the long years that followed. They’d faced wind and rain together, and together, they’d toiled day and night.

Over the years, Xiao Jian assiduously adhered to the teachings of the sages, industrious by day and cautious by night. He’d fused all of his revelations into his wooden sword.

It thus carried the marks of Xiao Jian’s Grand Dao. That was what made this once ordinary, unassuming wooden sword so extraordinary.

Its extraordinary weight was actually the weight of Xiao Jian’s cultivation.

Su Yi finally understood. He suddenly thought of the wicker chair that accompanied him throughout this lifetime.

It was crafted out of the most ordinary materials of the mundane world, but he’d kept it by his side this entire time, and it was frequently immersed in his powers of the Grand Dao. It had naturally transformed completely in the process.

Xiao Jian’s sword, Nine in Third, was much the same.

Su Yi exerted his will, and the wooden sword shot up his sleeves like a swallow returning to its nest.

Meanwhile, in the Ceaseless Abyss, Mo Hanyi signed his Lifeblood Contract. A blood-red contract appeared in his hands.

“Little Chosen, this is my determination, as well as my sincerity,” Mo Hanyi said calmly. “Please accept it.”

“Just leave it in the Abyss of Ceaseless Destiny,” said Su Yi.

Mo Hanyi blinked in surprise and flicked his finger. The Lifeblood Contract vanished into the endless darkness.

The other old monsters’ expressions grew conflicted.

“Also, quit using the word ‘little’ when you speak to me,” said Su Yi, unable to resist the urge to correct him any longer. “I’d prefer even something like ‘fellow Daoist.’”

Mo Hanyi blinked, then threw back his head and laughed. “Very well! Fellow Daoist, if you aren’t opposed, I suggest you free Ling Zhao’s soul imprint. Let her return to the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain and inform the others of what happened here. She’s one of the highest authority figures of our people. When her true body learns of my decision, she’ll understand what she needs to do next.”

Su Yi pondered briefly, then agreed. A wisp of soul, that’s all; its life and death made no difference to him.

“Also, the Medallion of Negative Karma is one of our Ancestral Destiny Artifacts. It’s carved with the Myriad Facets Edict, and you can now refine it safely. Please accept it as a token of my sincerity, Fellow Daoist,” said Mo Hanyi.

The Myriad Facets Edict! Su Yi’s heart shook. I wouldn’t have guessed that treasure hid such secrets!

He couldn’t help but ask, “How many Edicts of Heavens Will do the Negative Karma Destiny Demons have?”

“Two types,” said Mo Hanyi. “The Myriad Facets Edict and the First Emptiness Edict. However, we carved the First Emptiness Edict into our Heavenslaughter Umbrella, which the last Destiny’s Chosen shattered. That legacy has since been lost to our people.”

Su Yi was at a loss for words. Xiao Jian destroyed it!? How could he do that!?

But Su Yi committed the name “First Emptiness Edict” to memory.

The nine River-Stabilizing Steles in the upper reaches of the River of Destiny were each carved with one of the Nine Edicts of Heaven’s Will. The First Emptiness Edict was undoubtedly among them.

Now that he knew its name, he would naturally find an opportunity to contemplate it in the future.

Su Yi said no more. He just took the Medallion of Past Karma and let Demon Sovereign Ling Zhao’s soul imprint go.

There was no denying that she was extraordinarily beautiful, with smooth, fair skin and exquisite features. Moreover, she had a regal, solitary air about her.

This was just an imprint of her soul, but there was no disguising her splendor.

When she emerged, she gazed intently at Su Yi, then turned to leave without a word. She obviously hadn’t accepted her grandfather’s decision to submit.

Su Yi didn’t mind, but for some inexplicable reason, he couldn’t help but think about Wen Lingzhao.

Ling Zhao, Lingzhao.

The characters were different, but they were pronounced in the same way.

When he thought of Wen Lingzhao, he inevitably recalled Wen Lingxue, Cha Jin, Yue Shichan, and the others still in the Dark and Gold Star Realm

He leaned back into his wicker chair and fell into a daze. How many years has it been since I last saw them? Are they still doing well?