First Immortal of the Sword

Su Yi suddenly looked at Xing Yue. “Have there been any sudden developments in the Sea of Bitterness lately?”

Xing Yue nodded.

Cui Jingyan couldn’t help but say, “Brother Su, if you ask them, all you’ll get are unreliable answers. When we get to Ziluo City and you meet with my grandfather, he’ll definitely know more about what’s happening in the Sea of Bitterness.”

Xing Yue and the others gasped. They were completely stunned.

Cui Jingyan was actually bringing that blue-robed young man to see the Adjudicator of the Netherworld!

Who is this guy? Why does Cui Jingyan attach such importance to him?

Even the vast majority of their clan elders were unqualified to meet with the Adjudicator of the Netherworld, Cui Longxiang!

Su Yi looked at the young woman, but in the end, he decided not to tell her that Cui Longxiang had long since left for the Sea of Bitterness.

....

As the banquet neared its end, someone suddenly kicked open the tightly shut door of the Moonpluck Pavilion. 

“Who is it?” Xing Yue’s expression darkened with fury. This is the highest floor of the Drunken Immortal, and I've long since booked this room. What kind of brazen asshole would dare disturb us now?

The other attendees were visibly displeased as well.

However, when they saw the new arrivals clearly, Xing Yue and his dining companions all looked stunned.

There were five of them in total. The leader dressed in fiery warrior’s robes and a feather headdress. He was accompanied by two young men, one young woman, and an utterly assuming, easily overlookable old man in gray. 

The leader, the man in fiery robes, looked right at Cui Jingyan and broke into a smile. “Haha! Miss Jingyan, you really are here!”

His gaze, words, and behavior were all utterly contemptuous and unrestrained.

“Qu Ming, you’re here uninvited, and you even kicked the door in. Don’t you think your manners are awfully lacking?” Xing Yue rose, his expression dark.

However, Su Yi noticed that when they faced their uninvited guest, Qu Ming, both Xing Yue and his companions looked a bit fearful.

“Brother Su, that guy’s a main-branch descendant of the ancient Qu Family. Their ancestor is the overseer of the Hell Bureau, and the Qu Family is one of the Netherworld’s Nine Royal Clans,” transmitted Cui Jingyan. “Their ancestor, the Bloody Desolation Netherworld Sovereign, is one of the Six Sovereigns of the Netherworld, just like my grandfather.”

As she spoke, her expression frosted over.

Su Yi subtly inclined his head.

“Rude?” The fiery-robed Qu Ming laughed, looked at Xing Yue, and said leisurely, “Tianluo City might well be Xing Family territory, but if you dare insult me like that, don’t blame me for walloping you.

“Don’t forget: when the younger generation fights among itself, our seniors won’t intervene.” he paused, his gaze suddenly playful. “Without the clan’s protection, going purely by the power of our cultivations, I could beat you up effortlessly.”

Xing Yue’s expression turned a bit unsightly; he was obviously infuriated.

His companions were all as silent as cicadas in winter. None of them uttered a peep.

Qu Ming was right; the peak factions of the Six Paths Royal Territory had long since established an unwritten rule——

When the younger generation fought, unless someone died, the older generation wouldn’t get involved!

“Qu Ming, are you trying to show off your martial prowess in front of me?” Cui Jingyan couldn’t help but say coldly. 

“Miss Jingyan, please don’t misunderstand.” Qu Ming laughed and waved dismissively. “I only came here to greet you.”

He then swept his gaze across Su Yi and the old blind man with feigned indifference. “Your friends are entirely unfamiliar. Where are they from?”

Su Yi set down his chopsticks, then got up. “Let’s leave.”

These uninvited guests had robbed him of all interest in enjoying delicacies. He naturally couldn’t be bothered to stick around.

Cui Jingyan and the old blind man promptly got up too.

When Qu Ming saw this, his expression darkened with displeasure. What the hell is this supposed to mean? They aren’t taking me the least bit seriously!

“Friend, our young lord is talking to you!”

Behind Qu Ming, a tall, coppery-skinned, ferocious-looking middle-aged man in dragon robes blocked the doorway. The way he looked at Su yi was decidedly unfriendly, and the depths of his gaze shone with bloodlust.

His Spiritual Revolution Realm aura was unusually imposing.

But it was as if Su Yi didn’t even see him. He just continued ahead.

It was as if a divine mountain had slammed into the tall middle-aged man. He flew back like an arrow, slamming into the opposing wall over a hundred feet away with a low boom. The impact shook the entire building.

The middle-aged man coughed up blood, and his face paled. A moment later, his head lolled to the side, and he collapsed limply to the ground. He’d been knocked unconscious!

Xing Yue and the others were stunned, and their eyes widened. Su Yi sure is fierce!

Qu Ming and company were stunned too, but their expressions filled with uncertainty.

They naturally knew how strong the middle-aged man in dragon-embroidered robes was. None of them would have anticipated that he could knock him out just by walking into him.

This was unquestionably terrifying.

However, Cui Jingyan and the old blind man were completely accustomed to this sort of thing.

“Qu Ming, that subordinate of yours sure has no self-respect. Is it true that subordinates’ behavior is a reflection of their master’s?” Cui Jingyan jeered coldly.

As she spoke, she saw Su Yi headed out the door, so she and the old blind man hurried after him.

“Second Young Master, shall we stop them?” The unassuming, unexceptional-looking old man whispered suddenly.

Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

Qu Ming looked uncertain, but in the end, he shook his head. He then faced Cui Jingyan’s retreating figure and said, “Miss Jingyan, seven days from now, my elders and my older brother will be visiting the Cui Family. When the time comes, I’ll go with them. Please, don’t refuse to see me!”

Cui Jingyan stiffened, but she didn’t stop.

Before long, the group disappeared from view.

“Xing Yue, who was that young man just now? And that blind man?” asked Qu Ming.

“Why should I tell you? We’re leaving!” Xing Yue snorted coldly, then led his companions away.

Qu Ming furrowed his brow, but in the end, he did nothing to stop them.

This was Tianluo City, the ancient Xing Family’s territory. No matter how much he looked down on Xing Yue, he couldn’t start a fight with him here, not without a good reason.

Qu Ming then looked at the elder in gray. “Uncle Huai, was that old blind man the Ghost Lantern Sarcophagus Bearer?”

The old man in gray nodded. “Most likely, yes.”

As he spoke, he subtly inclined his head. “Second Young Master, I’ll go investigate the old blind man in further detail.”

Qu Ming didn’t understand. “Uncle Huai, why is that necessary?”

After a moment’s silence, the old man in gray said, “Those are my orders. Second Young Master, if you want to know the full story, ask the family head when you next see him.”

Qu Ming couldn’t help but be stunned. This… This is at my father’s orders?

“Uncle Huai, be careful,” Qu Ming said softly.

“Rest assured, Second Young Master.” The old man in gray nodded, then turned and left.

When Qu Ming saw this, he couldn’t help but sigh to himself.

Uncle Huai wasn’t his subordinate, but rather, one of the clan’s early-stage Profound Illumination Emperors. He might travel alongside Qu Ming, but he was there as a “dharma protector”, and he naturally didn’t obey his charge’s orders without question.

Qu Ming dared say with certainty that, even if he ordered Uncle Huai to stay behind, he’d still go after the old blind man.

……

Outside Tianluo City.

Su Yi and his companions flew into the distance.

“Agh, it’s a pity that Qu Ming refrained from trying to stop us,” said Cui Jingyan, seemingly disappointed.

Su Yi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She obviously hoped to borrow my strength to teach Qu Ming and his cohort a lesson.

“Miss Jingyan, someone like that is entirely unworthy of His Excellency Su’s attention. Teaching them a lesson would be beneath him,” laughed the old blind man.

“No, one of them was actually quite capable. It seemed he was in the early-stage Profound Illumination Realm,” Su Yi suddenly interjected.

Both Cui Jingyan and the old blind man were stunned.

“Was it that unassuming old man?” Cui Jingyan guessed.

“That’s right,” said Su Yi. “Right, earlier, that Qu Ming person said he and his seniors were going to visit the Cui Family. Do you know why?”

Cui Jingyan knit her brow. “I’m not sure, but I’m sure it’s nothing good; the Cui Family has been on bad terms with the Qu Family for a long time, and we still don’t mix.”

Su Yi nodded but said nothing. 

However, he was well aware of why this was. A long time ago, the Bloody Desolation Netherworld Sovereign, Qu Boling, had suffered a great loss at Cui Longxiang’s hands, and he’d paid a heavy price for it. That was the start of the enmity between the Qu and Cui families.

Whoosh!

A black bat flew over, landed in the old blind man’s hand, then transformed into a strange black talisman.

The Night-Wandering Talisman!

Earlier, in Tianluo City, the old blind man had said that someone seemed to be watching him from the shadows, but he couldn’t tell just who it was.  

He thus sent out the Night-Wandering Talisman to investigate.

“So, it’s not just one person…” The old blind man’s expression darkened. He’d already sifted through the scenes left in the Night-Wandering Talisman, and he’d discovered three suspicious characters.

One was a middle-aged Daoist nun sitting upright in a teahouse, one was an old beggar out on the streets, and one was a thin, scraggly-bearded man mixed into the crowd.

When Su Yi and his companions left Tianluo City, these three seemingly unconnected people gathered together!

The old blind immediately shared his discoveries with Su Yi.

Su Yi swept his gaze across the area, then immediately made his decision. “Then let’s wait here.”

People rarely visited these mountains, and they were fully one thousand miles from Tianluo City. 

It was noon, and the sky shone brightly overhead. The picturesque landscape was shrouded in mist.

Su Yi, the old blind man, and Cui Jingyan stopped on a plateau. Su Yi then took out his wicker chair and languished in the shade of an ancient pine tree, half asleep.

When Cui Jingyan saw this, she found it irritating but also amusing. Who else could be this lazy?

The old blind man, meanwhile, was a bit uncertain.

Just who are these people, and why are they after me?