First Immortal of the Sword

The interior of the dilapidated temple hall was pitch-black and permeated by baleful, bloody mist.

That flash of light was pale and piercing.

There was only one word to describe it: quick!

It flew through the air, silently, and without a trace, headed straight toward Su Yi’s forehead. That terrifying white light burst with terrifying destructive power, shattering Su Yi’s tall, upright figure.

Bang!

But when Su Yi’s figure burst apart, there was no spray of blood. Instead, he popped like a soap bubble, then silently disappeared.

“Ee?” An exclamation resounded from the depths of the darkness.

And then——

There was a burst of dazzling golden light, like a circle of flame spreading through the interior of the dilapidated hall.

Boom!

The bloody, baleful mists dispersed without a trace.

Earlier, the hall had been so dark that those standing inside it couldn’t see their own hands, not even if they held them right in front of their face. But now, golden flames illuminated the interior, and it was as bright as at midday.

A young man in blue stood where the light was brightest, one hand behind his back, the other holding a bronze lantern aloft. Bathed in golden radiance, he looked like a god visiting the mortal world.

This was none other than Su Yi!

The nine petals of the Heaven’s Writ Lotus Lantern shone like the sun!

At the same time, someone let out a low, muffled grunt.

Deep within the enormous hall, next to a collapsed altar, a black, shadowy figure shot out, then disappeared in a flash.

Su Yi didn’t seem concerned about that. He looked around as if all of this were perfectly normal.

The walls on both sides of the hall were carved with eighteen ghosts, all of them hideous, vicious, sinister, and terrifying.

And two figures stood against the far wall, one on each side: a black figure carrying a white wax wood staff, and a white figure carrying black chains. Both wore high-brimmed hats, and both had indistinct features.

Su Yi knew that these were Black and White Impermanence. Rumor had it that they were emissaries of the Ghost Gates.

When Su Yi visited Peach Haven Divine Mountain in his past life, he once sat in this very hall and played chess with the old rooster.

At the time, the old rooster pointed to the paintings on the walls and said smugly that the Ghost Emperor of the East had been gone for a long time, and that after all these years, he had become the Yama King of Peach Haven Mountain’s Ghost Gate!

Time changed everything it touched. The grand hall now lay in ruin, and the paintings were damaged and faded.

Su Yi shook his head and cast aside his scattered thoughts. When he reached the end of the grand hall, he raised his hand and swept it through the air.

The stone walls between the carvings of Black and White Impermanence suddenly rippled with strange energy fluctuations.

Then, a door floated into view.

Su Yi held the Heaven’s Writ Lotus Lantern aloft and walked inside.

Through the gates was a strange and distinctive hidden world.

The sky was the rosy hue of the sunrise, while the floor was densely carpeted in tree roots as firm as boulders.

A peach tree stood at the center of the hidden realm.

It was a hundred feet tall with a thick drunk. Its branches shone as if they were made of metal, like swords or sabers.

Fire-like peach blossoms were in full bloom. Together, they looked like a cluster of flame, and they emanated a dazzling radiance.

Peach blossoms in bloom were as dazzling as a woman in the prime of her youth!

The peach tree looked like it was only a hundred feet tall, but its roots extended throughout all three thousand miles of Peach Haven Mountain!

The tree was called Peach Haven, while the populace called it the Peach Haven Divine Tree.

The mountain was named after the tree.

Su Yi’s gaze traveled up the dance roots, but when he saw the tree itself, his heart sank.

Corrupted, sinister power had invaded the tree’s source!

Every thick, boulder-like root emanated a faint aura of death.

Even the trunk was shrouded in lingering baleful fog.

Su Yi walked through the air and approached the tree.

When he stood directly before it, the roots suddenly rose like snakes and shot toward Su Yi, swathed in dazzling, fiery light.

Meanwhile——

Whoosh!

The dense roots rose on all sides, interweaving to form a massive cage that blotted out the skies and swept toward Su Yi.

In a flash, Su Yi was imprisoned inside.

A black-robed figure appeared in the distance.

She was a petite young woman, her smooth, fiery-red hair hidden beneath the hood of her black cloak. Her clothing obscured her figure, save for her slender, jade-like legs.

She carried a black wooden staff that was just three feet long, and she stood in the air, surrounded by faint golden lights. She was enchanted, but she seemed somehow holy.

When she saw that Su Yi was thoroughly trapped in the cage of routes, the look in her pale blue eyes changed; she’d visibly relaxed.

She let out a deep breath and patted her chest.

Then, after a moment’s hesitation, she tightened her grip on her staff and cautiously approached.

When she arrived at the cave of roots, she calmed herself and said, “Who are you? Why were you able to enter the Peach Haven Hidden Realm? What are you here to do?” Her voice was like the call of an oriole, but with a hint of iciness.

“Little girl, is that how you speak to others?”

The root interwove, forming a cage that enveloped Su Yi completely.

However, as his voice rang out, he swept his hand across the cage of roots, opening it as easily as if it were a curtain.

Then, he sauntered out.

“You…” The young woman in black reacted as if she’d been struck by lightning. Her sparkling pale blue eyes widened, and she instinctively raised her wooden staff, fully on guard.

Su Yi noticed that her jade-like feet were arched and her toes were tense. She looked like she was ready to attack at any moment.

However, to Su Yi, she seemed quite cute and not the least bit threatening.

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“The source power of the Peach Haven Divine Tree cannot stop me,” said Su Yi. He examined the young woman in black, then asked, “What’s your connection to the old rooster?”

The young woman pursed her lips but said nothing. She was clearly on guard.

“I know even if you won’t tell me,” said Su Yi. He laughed, then re-evaluated the Peach Haven Divine Tree. “A long time ago, the old rooster said that the Peach Haven Divine Tree would soon give rise to a spirit, and that when the day came, he planned to accept the spirit of the tree as his disciple and teach it everything he knew. That way, even after he was gone, there would be someone to protect the Peach Haven Divine Tree.”

The young woman’s eyes shone with bewilderment, but she still stubbornly pursed her lips, and she said nothing.

Su Yi turned to look at her. “Where did your master go?”

Just like before, she remained silent and on guard.

Su Yi furrowed his brow. “Never mind. If you don’t want to say, just forget about it.”

Clang!

He drew Abstruse Celestial and walked up to the Peach Haven Divine Tree.

The young woman was instantly nervous, and her entire body emanated blazing golden radiance. “What are you doing?”

“I’m taking a piece of heartwood,” Su Yi said casually.

“You wouldn’t dare!” 

As her icy voice rang out, the young woman in black attacked.

Boom!!

As she swung her black wooden staff, the hundred-foot Peach Haven Divine Tree swayed, and countless fiery red petals burst with fiery light, like a sea of flames pouring down from the heavens.

A destructive aura spread outward.

Su Yi’s hands formed seals, and he reached through the air and grabbed.

It was as if a giant, invisible hand were flying through the air. It gathered the firelight filling the skies into a dazzling bundle, like a miniature sun, which then fell into Su Yi’s hand.

The young woman was instantly astonished, and her pale blue eyes shone with disbelief.

”Peach Haven Divine Tree contains natural Fire Comb Divine Flames, and it specifically counters ghosts and other malevolent spirits. This Dao is also known as Fire Comb True Intent. Alas, although you’re the spirit of the Peach Haven Divine Tree, your mastery of Fire Comb True Intent is rudimentary at best,” said Su Yi.

As he spoke, he flicked his fingers.

When that bundle of flames shot through the air, it burst with a bang, dissipating into a rain of light and fusing into the Peach Haven Divine Tree.

“Who… Who exactly are you?” 

The young woman finally couldn’t help but speak up. Her voice was icy, yet bewildered. A young man of mysterious origins hadn’t just entered the Peach Haven Secret Realm with ease; it seemed he even knew many of the tree’s secrets. This simply defied belief.

But before Su Yi could answer, the entire hidden realm suddenly swayed, as if about to overturn, or as if there had been an earthquake.

“Oh no!” The look on the young woman’s pretty face shifted. “Those villains are back!”

She was obviously frantic. She looked at the distant Su Yi, then at the entrance to the Peach Haven Hidden Realm. It seemed she felt beset on both sides.

When Su Yi saw this, he couldn’t help but sigh. This young woman… obviously hasn’t overcome any major waves. She’s clearly lacking in experience.

“Let’s go,” said Su Yi. He then turned and left the hidden realm.

The young woman in black was a bit bewildered. She didn’t understand Su Yi’s intentions.

When he saw her just standing there, unmoving, Su Yi couldn’t help but feel a bit helpless. “How about we resolve this problem first, then have ourselves a proper chat?”

Only then did the young woman understand, but she seemed extremely hesitant; it seemed she wasn’t sure whether or not to trust Su Yi.

But Su Yi was already walking out of the Peach Haven Hidden Realm.

When she saw this, the young woman bit her lower lip, took a deep breath, and chased after him.

Although Su Yi didn’t turn to look, he could sense her approach, and he couldn’t help but smile. “In a bit, no matter what happens, all you need to do is watch. Remember: don’t get involved.”

The young woman in black pursed her lips and stubbornly said nothing, but Su Yi didn’t care. He simply continued, “It’s fortunate that I arrived. Otherwise, with your wisdom and abilities, I’m afraid you’d suffer a major loss.”

The young woman’s pale blue eyes flashed with irritation. As she stared at Su Yi’s back, she wanted nothing more than to raise her staff, smack him in the head with it, and show him what she was made of!

Before long, Su Yi and the young woman in black left the Peach Haven Hidden Realm and returned to the dilapidated temple atop Vast Sun Peak.

It was late at night. The low rumbling of thunder boomed in the distance, shaking every peak of Peach Haven Mountain.

Visible streaks of blood-colored baleful energy appeared, adding a blood-red luster to the boundless night skies.

The landscape shrouded in darkness trembled, but that wasn’t all; the sinister roars and wails of ghosts emanated from all sides, echoing throughout the firmament.

As if a ghostly domain was awakening within the darkness.