First Immortal of the Sword

The Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow!

Su Yi’s eyes narrowed slightly.

People paled at the mere mention of this inauspicious bird. Wherever it appeared, enormous changes and calamities were sure to follow.

“Generations of the Cui Family’s ancestral teachings specifically emphasized that, were the Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow to appear before the millennial Lantern Festival, it would mean that that year’s festival would bring an incomparable onslaught to Ziluo City,” Cui Chang’an said gravely, irrepressible concern on his brow. “All manner of dormant, strange and malevolent powers will break free of the earth and attack the city on all sides!”

The Netherworld had never been peaceful. On the contrary, this vast, boundless world was interspersed with too many danger zones to count.

Similarly, the millennial Lantern Festival was no celebration.

On the contrary, during the Lantern Festival, a strange, inauspicious power blotted out the Netherworld’s source, plunging the world into darkness reminiscent of an eternal night. All manner of strange and malevolent powers would arise throughout the Netherworld.

The Netherworld’s orthodoxies all needed to light Celestial Lanterns of the Grand Dao to drive out the wicked and illuminate the darkness. If they didn’t, the night’s malevolent entities would invade, causing a disaster.

This was the true nature of the so-called Lantern Festival: everything was to stave off calamity!

And for the Cui Family, this year’s festival was destined to be different than in years prior.

Because the Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow had reappeared. Whenever this inauspicious bird appeared, it meant that Ziluo City would face an unprecedented onslaught of strange and malevolent power during the Lantern Festival!

“When was the last time the inauspicious bird appeared?” asked Su Yi.

“Forty-five thousand years ago,” said Cui Chang’an without so much as pausing to think. “According to my father, during that year’s Lantern Festival, a veritable flood of malevolent spirits appeared outside Ziluo City, too many to count. Some were even terrifying entities comparable to Emperors!

“Although the Cui Family fought until they were bathed in blood, Ziluo City almost fell. By the time the crisis passed, four of our Emperors had fallen in battle, including a Profound Serenity Realm ancestor!”

As he recounted this tale, Cui Chang’an’s expression shifted, and his heart grew heavy.

It had been forty-five thousand years since the Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow last appeared. Why did it have to appear now of all times, when the Cui Family was in such a tight spot?

Cui Longxiang had encountered the black Netherworld Vessel, and it was still unknown whether he was alive or dead. 

The ancient Qu, Hong, and Tantai Families were eyeing them hungrily, easy to take advantage of the Lantern Festival to stir up waves.

For the Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow to show up at a time like this…

It was like adding fuel to the fire, or adding frost on top of snow!

“Forty-five thousand years, huh? No wonder I didn’t see any such inauspicious bird during my time in the Netherworld…” said Su Yi with great interest. “If I get the chance, I’d love to see just how strong the Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow is for myself.”

He’d heard rumors about the crow during his past life. They said it was an inauspicious bird born of the Netherworld’s tainted ground, an entity manifested out of corrupted, even energy.

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Others said the bird was born of the Netherworld’s source, and that it represented calamity, turmoil, and misfortune.

Others said that the bird was precognizant, and that it could predict disaster, calamity, and strangeness before they occurred.

No matter the rumor, all of them highlighted the Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow’s strangeness and mysteriousness.

Of course Su Yi was curious. How could he not be?

Cui Chang’an froze, stunned, then grimaced. “Uncle Su, it’d be best if you didn’t see the bird. Anyone who sees it suffers misfortune; it’s like a god of plague or a jinx. Throughout the Netherworld, even Emperors detest it and fear nothing more than failing to avoid it.”

Su Yi laughed. “That just shows how impressive the bird is. If we can investigate the nature of its power, it’ll surely be enormously useful to cultivators like us. Who knows? We might even master its power to summon disasters.” 

“.....” Cui Chang’an didn’t quite know what to say to that. Even after all my explanations, Uncle Su shows no sign of trepidation. All I did was pique his curiosity!

“How about this? Help me inquire about the Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow’s whereabouts,” said Su Yi. “It’d be best if I can find it, but if I can’t, I won’t force it. I can just leave it up to fate.”

Cui Chang’an had long since experienced his share of worldly affairs, giving him a steadfast spirit. However, Su Yi’s request still gave him goosebumps. 

He suddenly realized that his Uncle Su was serious about this!

He really wanted to subdue the Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow!

In the end, Cui Chang’an agreed.

How could he refuse Su Yi’s request?

“No matter what happens during the Lantern Festival, you don’t have to worry too much. Your father isn’t here, but I naturally won’t just stand back and watch,” Su Yi said casually.

Cui Chang’an wasn’t sure why, but he found this inexplicably reassuring.

After chatting a while longer, Cui Chang’an bade farewell and left.

“Fellow Daoist, with your current power, how can you neutralize this calamity?” Po Suo’s graceful, ethereal figure appeared once more, her voice as moving as the music of the heavens.

“I’ll need your help, of course,” laughed Su Yi.

Po Suo was briefly stunned, but then, she shook his head. “Generations of the Cui Family have all understood that I vowed to protect only the Tree of Ten Thousand Daos: I will not intervene in the Cui Family’s affairs. Even if they face annihilation, I can at most use my power to help them flee disaster.”

“I understand that,” said Su Yi. Then, with a flip of his palm, he took out the Heaven’s Writ Lotus Lantern. “Several old monsters are imprisoned within this treasure. If I want to send them into battle, I’ll need to use the power of the Heaven’s Writ Divine Decree carved inside it. I hope you can help ensure that they obediently lower their heads to the decree.

“That way, even with my current cultivation, I’ll be able to force them to obey me with ease, and I won’t need to waste any unnecessary power.”

Po Suo’s gaze was instantly strange. “Fellow Daoist, why do I get the sense that you plotted this back when you first subdued that lot?”

“It’s a favor, that’s all,” Su Yi said righteously. “How can you call it ‘plotting’?”

Po Suo blinked, then laughed. “So, the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force who once stood supreme beneath the heavens has come for my help. Should I be honored?”

Su Yi smiled. “I’ll take that to mean you’ve agreed.”

With that, he tossed the Heaven’s Writ Lotus Lantern over to Po Suo, not the least bit polite. 

Po Suo sighed, seemingly a bit helpless. “I would never have thought someone so proud and upright would become so incorrigible.”

Su Yi stretched. “If you were someone else, I’d disdain asking for your help.”

Reading between the lines, he was saying, “Want to do Su Xuanjun a favor? Make sure you’re qualified first!”

As he spoke, Su Yi sat cross-legged and started meditating.

He’d already condensed the Apex of Genesis Dao Intent.

His next step was to attempt to break into the Spiritual Revolution Realm!

When Po Suo saw this, she bit her red lower lip. She knew she couldn’t refuse, so she promptly took hold of the Heaven’s Writ Lotus Lantern, then disappeared into the Tree of Ten Thousand Worlds with it.

……

The first day of the seventh lunar month.

The tenth day of Su Yi and the old blind man’s seclusion before the Tree of Ten Thousand Daos.

The old blind man finally reawakened, his expression full of undisguisable delight.

Ten days and ten nights of contemplating the Dao and cultivating had let him absorb some of the Tree of Ten Thousand Daos’ source power, fully repairing his Dao Wounds!

This meant that the peak Spiritual Revolution Realm old blind man, Yun Zhijiu, was no longer trapped at his current cultivation boundary. He now had hope of challenging the Imperial Realm!

……

The seventh day of the seventh lunar month.

A rumor suddenly swept through Ziluo City—

“Patriarch Cui Longxiang of the Cui Family lost his life in the Sea of Bitterness, and the Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow has re-entered the world. The day of the Lantern Festival shall be the day Ziluo City falls!”

This news provoked an immediate city-wide uproar. A commotion arose on all sides, and panic spread throughout the city.

As time passed, the rumors grew increasingly exaggerated.

Some people even said with complete assurance that the Cui Family knew they couldn’t contend with such a disaster and that they’d already made plans to flee the city.

Others said that numerous ancient factions would seize the opportunity to wage war against the Cui Family. They said that Emperors would be as numerous as the clouds, and that Ziluo City was doomed to fall in the resulting grand battle, killing everyone inside it!

…All sorts of rumors spread like a pot boiling over and blowing off its lid, only further adding to the chaos and mass panic.

Numerous people gathered up their valuables and hurriedly fled the city.

When Cui Chang’an learned about this, he was furious, and he dispatched the clan’s forces to arrest those spreading rumors. However, it was already too late.

Over the next few days, Ziluo City emptied out. The once lively, bustling streets were now empty and abandoned.

At the same time, dread and uncertainty spread throughout the Cui Family.

During this uncertain time, this calm before a storm, Cui Chang’an demonstrated his ruthlessness.

He gathered the family’s higher-ups in the grand hall and personally announced Third Elder Cui Weizhong’s betrayal.

Then, in front of all the family higher-ups, he decapitated Cui Weizhong, a mid-stage Profound Illumination Emperor!

This bloody scene was enormously shocking to the other experts in attendance.

He then seized the opportunity to announce that the Cui Family had already prepared countermeasures, and that there was no need to fear disaster during the impending Lantern Festival.

Although the gathered higher-ups were still racked with worry and uncertainty as to the source of Cui Chang’an’s confidence, they still felt reassured.

All of them knew that Cui Chang’an was a man of his word, and not the type to make unfounded claims.

Thus, his words were enormously reassuring to the entire Cui Family.

However, the upheaval in Ziluo City was too great for a few words to resolve. Cui Chang’an couldn’t possibly forcefully seal off the city and prevent people from leaving, either.

Thus, over the days that followed, Ziluo City, one of the greatest, most ancient cities of the Six Paths Royal Territory, became desolate and empty.

People sought profit and avoided harm. It was human nature.

Cui Chang’an knew that, so long as they overcame the Lantern Festival and any accompanying calamities, Ziluo City would recover its former prosperity sooner or later!

The tenth day of the seventh month.

After numerous days of seclusion, Su Yi rose from his spot before the Tree of Ten Thousand Daos.

He sensed his opportunity to break through had arrived, so he decided to leave Jinluo Grotto, find a place outside, and undergo tribulation.

It was also on that day that Cui Chang’an arrived with news——

The Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow had appeared once more. People had seen it just six hundred miles from Ziluo City, in Redcloud Ridge!