First Immortal of the Sword

The moon was bright, and only a few stars shone overhead. A night breeze blew past.

Su Yi watched as a dark cloud flew in from afar, silently and without warning, blotting out the radiant moon.

The sky instantly dimmed, and even the distant, churning waters of the river seemed calmer and more docile.

“Hm?” Yuan Heng suddenly furrowed his brow.

“Big Brother Yuan Heng, what is it?” asked Qing Ya.

Instead of answering, Yuan Heng looked at Su Yi. “Master, I just felt an irrepressible throbbing in my soul, and my heart is shaking in terror, as if some disaster were about to befall us.”

Bai Wenqing hurriedly said, “I felt the same thing.”

Wen Xinzhao, Qing Ya, and Zhang Yuntao were stunned. All three were instantly on guard.

“Dragons are sensitive to clouds, and tigers are sensitive to wind. Changes in heaven and earth alert those most sensitive first. You’re both yao cultivators, so it’s to be expected that you’d sense this change.” Su Yi retracted his gaze, raised his wine gourd, and took a sip.

When he sensed his companions’ alarmed and bewildered gazes, he couldn’t help but laugh dryly. “No need to be nervous. A little reptile has come calling, that’s all.

A little reptile? The group was still confused when suddenly, they sensed something and gazed up at the dome of heaven.

Boom!

Low thunder reverberated from within the dark cloud. Fierce gales howled, followed by a sudden downpour.

Fierce winds and bitter rain filled the world, plunging it into oppressive darkness.

Instantly, even Wen Xinzhao, Qing Ya, and Zhang Yuntao felt a sense of imminent crisis. Their hearts shook, and they struggled to even breathe. The looks on their faces changed dramatically.

Yuan Heng and Bai Wenqing were forcing themselves to stay calm, but their bodies trembled uncontrollably. Irrepressible terror and panic arose on their faces, and they looked tense and uncertain.

Su Yi waved his sleeves.

A talisman hovered in midair, transforming into a golden lantern of flowing, radiant light. It revolved in midair, creating a glittering light curtain that enveloped Su Yi and his companions.

Outside the curtain, it was pouring rain. Biting winds ran rampant, and thunder boomed.

Inside the curtain, everything was calm, tranquil, and as warm as a spring day.

The pouring rain continued, but whenever the raindrops neared the golden light curtain, an invisible power scattered them.

The effect on his companions’ mental states disappeared too. When they looked at the hovering golden lantern, their expressions grew strange. What a mystical talisman!

It was then that a voice as mellow as wine emanated from afar: “That Spirit Dao talisman is quite something. It must be the work of a grandmaster talisman refiner.”

Every word was like the clanging of a morning bell. As the voice filled heaven and earth, the clouds receded, the rain stopped, and the lightning disappeared. The dark, overcast landscape was suddenly quiet and tranquil.

The clouds parted, revealing the moon. Its gentle radiance poured onto the world below.

As the strange storm disappeared into nothingness, a figure descended, drifting down out of the darkness.

He was a thin, graying middle-aged man in long indigo robes. As he walked, mists spread out around him; it was as if he were riding on the clouds.

He was striking and elegant, with tawny golden eyes. He drew closer with every step, and a formless pressure spread out around them.

Yuan Heng and Bai Wenqing looked at each other, their hearts shaking.

When they faced this long-robed middle-aged man, they both felt smaller and more insignificant than ever before. Both were as terrified and uncertain as if they were gazing upon a deity!

Wen Xinzhao felt a chill course through her delicate figure, and her eyes shone with alarm. What terrifying yao qi!

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“A Spirit Dao-level yao?” Zhang Yuntao gasped. His heart shook, and his expression changed dramatically.

Qing Ya instinctively curled up beside Su Yi, her big eyes filled with terror. “He’s so scary!”

Su Yi’s brow furrowed with a trace of displeasure, and he snapped his fingers.

Bzz!

The golden lantern’s light suddenly intensified. It was now as radiant as the sun. Layers of light bloomed around its wick, like a blossoming flower, as a misty golden glow rippled around it.

The Golden Lantern Dazzling Sun Talisman!

This was one of the Spirit Dao talismans Su Yi had refined recently, during his time on the treasure ship. It could both attack and defend, and it had endless utility.

Not far away, the middle-aged man’s gaze turned serious. He stopped in his tracks, his sleeves billowing around him. Invisible power fluctuations rippled around him. Only then did he neutralize the force of the layered golden radiance.

He succeeded, but he staggered slightly in the process. 

“This Spirit Dao talisman is too wondrous for words!” The long-robed middle-aged man sighed. He then faced Su Yi and clasped his fist with a faint smile. “My name is Ying Que, and I bear you no ill will. If I offended you earlier, Fellow Daoist, I humbly request your forgiveness.”

As he spoke, he withdrew his aura. He now had a calm presence, with a transcendent demeanor. With his wide sleeves, he looked like a god or immortal.

The group instantly felt much calmer. 

Su Yi smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Offend me? It’s not that serious. I actually rather hoped you were here with ill intentions.”

The long-robed Ying Que froze, then smiled. “What do you mean by that, my young friend?”

Su Yi stretched out his hand. The golden lantern suddenly transformed back into a talisman, which landed in his palm.

Only then did he say calmly, “It’s simple. If you dared attack me, I’d cut off your scaled claws, skin you, pluck your tendons, feast on your flesh, and drink your blood. Wouldn’t that have been grand?”

The others’ hearts shook. They couldn’t help but feel surprised.

Although Ying Que had suppressed his aura, all of them had long since realized that this was a terrifying Spiritual Manifestation Realm existence, a mighty yao capable of riding the clouds and manipulating lightning!

Yet it seemed Su Yi didn’t take him the least bit seriously, and his words were utterly calm and disdainful. If anything, he seemed to view Ying Que as prey for him to slaughter as he pleased!

The long-robed Ying Que’s tawny eyes narrowed into slits, but then, he burst into laughter. “Young friend, you’re so young, and you’re only in the Grain Avoidance Realm, yet you still dare say such things? It seems you’ve got something to back up your confidence.”

Su Yi merely glanced at the fire and said between sips of wine, “You needn’t probe me any further. If I run out of patience, Broken Dragon Cliff shall become your grave.”

Ying Que fell silent.

He was outwardly calm, but his aura churned. Even after suppressing the terrifying majesty of a Spiritual Manifestation Realm cultivator, his presence bore down on the others’ hearts and minds. It was almost suffocating. 

This was the absolute suppression of an insurmountable gap in cultivation!

The Spirit Dao was divided into three realms: Spiritual Manifestation, Spiritual Integration, and Spiritual Revolution.

Those who stepped into the Spirit Dao were considered high-level cultivators. Both in the Great Xia and throughout the entire Azure Continent, they stood at the very pinnacle of existence!

The Great Xia’s four peak-level orthodoxies, three great clans, and imperial family were vast, powerful entities that looked down on the rest of the world. Why? It was because they had numerous Spirit Dao cultivators to hold down the fort!

It was no exaggeration to say that no matter where a Spiritual Manifestation Realm cultivator went, any other cultivator would look up to them and revere them.

In Su Yi’s group, Zhang Yuntao had the highest cultivation, but he was only in the mid-stage Gathering Stars Realm. He was an Origin Dao cultivator, and he was far from comparable with the high-level cultivators of the Spirit Dao. 

This was more than a difference in realm; the two were in starkly different Daos! 

A Spiritual Manifestation Realm cultivator exuded pressure much like a tiger in the mountains. Even without deliberately displaying its power, a tiger’s presence was sufficient to make all other beasts cower in terror.

But in the end, Ying Que didn’t get angry. On the contrary, he repressed his aura even further. His tawny eyes turned toward Su Yi, and he clasped his fist. “I was rash, and I hope you won’t take offense.”

The group was bewildered and uncertain. They couldn’t understand why Ying Que’s attitude toward Su Yi had changed so quickly. In truth, his attitude had already changed three times!

First, before even making an appearance, he summoned a thunderstorm, changing the entire landscape.

But when Su Yi neutralized it with the Golden Lantern Dazzling Sun Talisman, he seemed to sense that his behavior was inappropriate. He promptly canceled his attack and returned the landscape to its former tranquility. He even made a personal appearance.

The second time his attitude changed was after he approached and he saw the Golden Lantern Dazzling Sun Talisman’s miraculous changes. He then repressed his aura, stopped, and greeted Su Yi respectfully.

Now, when he took in Su Yi’s calm composure and realized that Su Yi looked upon him with disdain, as if he were just potential prey, he realized that something was amiss. This was why he took the initiative to apologize.

This was a mighty Spiritual Manifestation Realm yao cultivator, yet he was acting like this. Who wouldn’t have been surprised?

What exactly was he afraid of?

Could it be that he sensed something threatening about Su Yi?

The groups’ hearts filled with questions and doubt.

“You’re actually rather clever.” Su Yi snorted coldly. When he saw that Ying Que didn’t lose his temper, he couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised, and he temporarily suppressed his thoughts of slaughtering the flood dragon.

Clever?

The long-robed, middle-aged Ying Que’s eyelids twitched, and he smiled dismissively. “Fellow Daoist, I won’t lie to you. I’ve appeared before you in human form because I inadvertently heard you describe how best to kill a flood dragon, and it made me deeply uncomfortable. Thus, I decided to pay you a visit in person.”

Only now did the group understand. So, Su Yi’s words summoned this mighty Spiritual Manifestation Realm yao!

Qing Ya’s eyes widened, and she exclaimed, “Don’t tell me you’re the legendary black flood dragon?”

Ying Que’s eyes shone with grief. “The black flood dragon you speak of was my father.”

The group gasped and looked at each other in shock.

The legend was actually true!

The black flood dragon who attempted metamorphosis into a true dragon really existed, and moreover, he had children!

“So, did you come here to vent your fury upon me?” asked Su Yi.

The others had already risen. Only he remained seated in his wicker chair, indolent and contented.

“In part,” said Ying Que honestly. “In part because I wanted to see just what kind of man would dare describe killing a flood dragon in such detail.”

Then, his expression shifted subtly. “But now, after seeing your bearing for myself, I admire you immensely. I naturally no longer have any plans of doing anything so rude or impetuous.”

“You don’t suspect me of empty bragging?” asked Su Yi.

Ying Que’s golden eyes flashed. “All I need to do is watch your companions’ reactions. One look, and I can tell you aren’t the type to engage in false bravado.”

Zhang Yuntao had the highest cultivation of the group, but he was visibly overcome with dread and terror. The others reacted as if a mighty foe were upon them too.

Only Su Yi, a young Grain Avoidance cultivator, remained calm and composed from beginning to end. He didn’t seem the least bit flustered. This, in its own right, was out of the ordinary.

Furthermore, Ying Que could tell that Wen Xinzhao and the others had blind faith in Su Yi. This made Ying Que increasingly convinced that Su Yi wasn’t simple.

This was why his attitude changed.

In short, Su Yi’s behavior gave him cause for dread. Otherwise, with his temperament, he likely would have attacked and destroyed the whole group already!

However, it seemed Su Yi was starting to lose interest. He waved. “If you don’t want to fight, why stick around?”

He was effectively seeing their guest off.

However, Ying Que hesitated. His expression shifted for a moment, but then, he seemed to reach a decision. He clasped his fist and bowed. “Fellow Daoist, might this humble one be so bold as to request your guidance?”