First Immortal of the Sword

Su Yi rubbed his forehead.

Any “favor” the simply-dressed man asked of him would be no trivial matter.

More importantly, he’d come to the City of the Wrongfully Dead to save Little Leaf from confinement, not to deal with the mysterious faction subordinate to the Netherworld King.

It was then that the simply-dressed man suddenly said, “Fellow Daoist, if I’m not mistaken, you’ve come to Snowy Skies City on account of Miss Ye Yu.”

Su Yi didn’t find it at all strange that the Night Watchman had inferred this. After all, back then, he and Little Leaf had explored the City of the Wrongfully Dead together.

The simply-dressed man said, “The changes to the Dark Capital are connected to the Mysterious Netherworld Divine Court.”

Su Yi’s gaze intensified. “Were they the ones who destroyed the Yin-Yang Road?”

“That’s right.” The simply-dressed man nodded.

“What did they hope to achieve?” Su Yi was a bit confused.

After a moment’s silence, the simply-dressed man said, “They’re gathering the blood of Emperors, stripping them of their Daos and harvesting their souls as an offering to the Netherworld King.”

Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. “They’re using the Dark Capital’s changes to lure and trap the Emperors who enter the City of the Wrongfully Dead?”

You Xue couldn’t help but be stunned too.

The man in simple cloth said, “Over the years, numerous Emperors have ventured into the Nine Great Purgatories beneath the Dark Capital. Now that the Yin-Yang Road has been destroyed, all of them are effectively trapped. When word spread, the factions behind the trapped Emperors were sure to send their experts to investigate. But doing so is tantamount to falling into the Mysterious Netherworld Divine Court’s trap.”

Here, the simply-dressed man stopped to drink a cup of wine. When he saw that Su Yi wasn’t going to say anything, he continued, “It’s been a little over a month since the Lantern Festival. In that time, the blood moon has appeared twice, and the gates to the City of the Wrongfully Dead have opened twice.

“To the best of my knowledge, at least ten Emperors have entered the City of the Wrongfully Dead, but none have returned yet.

“Tomorrow night, the blood moon will appear once more, but this will be different from its prior two appearances. This is because far more Emperors will enter to investigate the changes to the Dark Capital than during the prior two instances.

“I can currently sense twenty-nine Emperors in Snowy Skies City, including no small number of older-generation experts of top orthodoxies. Like Yun Songzi, the one you met earlier. He’s a Profound Serenity Emperor from Yellow Springs Palace, and he brought two of his Imperial Realm sect mates with him. All three plan to enter the City of the Wrongfully Dead tomorrow.

“There are several other groups just like them in Snowy Skies City.

“But I dare say that most of the Emperors planning to enter the City of the Wrongfully Dead are doomed never to return.”

You Xue couldn’t help but furrow her brow. “Fellow Daoist, why not stop them?”

But Su Yi was the one who answered. “These are the rules of the Night Watchmen, and part of the Grand Dao Oath they swear. They watch over Fengdu from the darkness, but they’re forbidden to get involved in worldly enmities. If they violate their oath, they’ll destroy their Dao Hearts. A minor violation leads to obsession and mental deviation, while a major violation will lead to their deaths and the destruction of their Dao.”

You Xue couldn’t help but fall silent.

She was actually well aware that numerous ancient legacies came with strange rules attached.

The simply-dressed man looked at Su Yi. “Fellow Daoist, if you want to save Little Leaf, you’re sure to come into conflict with the Mysterious Netherworld Divine Court. Regardless of whether I ask you to help me or not, there’s no way you can stay out of this.”

Su Yi sighed. “You’ve already said everything there is to say. How could I refuse?”

A faint smile appeared on the Night Watchman’s taciturn face. “I dare say with certainty that, if you get involved, you’ll deal a devastating blow to the Mysterious Netherworld Divine Court’s vitality, and that’s assuming you don’t wipe them out altogether. And the Netherworld King can forget about escaping confinement in the City of the Wrongfully Dead.”

Su Yi picked up his cup and took a sip. “In that case, Snowy Skies City’s predicament will naturally resolve itself with ease.”

The simply-dressed man smiled faintly. “Exactly.”

The tall, stalwart A’Cheng looked dazed. He’d already lost track of how many times his master had smiled since meeting with this “old friend” of his.

Over the years, he'd almost never seen his master smile!

“It’s just as you said: there’s no way I’ll disregard Little Leaf’s safety.” Su Yi thought for a moment, then said, “Fine, I can do this for you. But you can’t simply remain a spectator.”

The simply-dressed man froze, his expression a bit strange. “Fellow Daoist, if you want something, ask directly.”

“It’s simple,” said Su Yi. “Lend me the Book of Diting.”

A’Cheng was instantly frantic. “That’s the supreme treasure of the Night Watchmen! How could we possibly lend it to you?”

The Book of Diting!

This was a mysterious and unfathomable Xiantian Divine Treasure. Even in ancient times, it was the central treasure of the Night Watchmen!

Rumor had it that in ancient times, the Xiantian Divine Beast, the Diting, watched over the Infernal Palace. This beast was born of the Netherworld’s Source, and it could identify everything throughout the heavens and judge the hearts of all living things!

And a Xiantian Dao Seed was born alongside Diting.

It was this seed that grew into the Book of Diting!

Simply put, the Book of Diting was the treasure accompanying the Divine Beast Diting.

The simply-dressed man waved, indicating that A’Cheng should calm down. He then looked at Su Yi and nodded. “Very well.”

Su Yi, however, was a bit surprised.

The power of the Book of Diting was extremely mysterious. Against typical cultivators, it wasn’t all that strong.

However, against malevolent, sinful powers, it could display unimaginably terrifying power.

In ancient times, the Night Watchmen’s Book of Diting had struck terror into the hearts of every demon and heretic beneath the heavens; they paled at the mention of its name. 

Even more importantly, the Book of Diting could affect the tombstone standing guard at the gates of the City of the Wrongfully Dead!

If this treasure fell into the hands of the Mysterious Netherworld Divine Court, they could undoubtedly use its power to free the Netherworld King.

Su Yi sighed. “You sure aren’t stingy.”

“This isn’t a matter of stinginess,” said the simply-dressed man. “Lending you this treasure isn’t sending you coal in a blizzard. At most, it’s adding to perfection; I trust that even without it, saving Miss Little Leaf wouldn’t be difficult for someone of your abilities.”

He said this calmly, as if he were simply stating a fact.

But when A’Cheng heard this, he felt dazed and bewildered, and he couldn’t calm down. He could never have imagined that someone as mighty as his master would think so highly of another person.

Especially not someone whose cultivation was only in the Spiritual Revolution Realm, someone who looked even younger than A'Cheng himself….

This was just far too unbelievable. 

You Xue, however, was accustomed to this sort of thing. The way she saw it, the simply-dressed man was right on the mark.

After all, the young man in blue seated across from him was the man who’d once reigned supreme over the Wilds, the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force!

Su Yi thought for a moment, then asked directly, “Is the Yin-Yang Road completely severed?”

The simply-dressed man shook his head. “No. With their power, it would be difficult for those evil spirits to truly destroy it.”

“This should be easy, then.” Su Yi nodded.

It was only after the jug of wine was empty that Su Yi got up and bade farewell.

When he left, he took with him a bronze page as thin as a cicada’s wing. It was about the size of a palm, old-fashioned and unadorned, and its surface was covered in naturally-formed Dao Markings in the shape of a strange and imposing eye.

This was the Book of Diting!

After Su Yi and You Xue left the smithy’s crude courtyard, A’Cheng couldn’t suppress his curiosity any longer. “Master, just who was that person?”

After a moment’s silence, the simply-dressed man said, “A sword cultivator.”

People loved coming up with dazzling titles for that guy. 

But those who truly understood him knew that he only truly approved of one title: a sword cultivator.

A swordsman wandering antiquity and the human world.

A’Cheng looked completely bewildered; he couldn’t even begin to wrap his head around what this simple title meant.

……

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Late at night.

By the time they left the smithy, the lamps were no longer lit, and the streets were desolate and abandoned. 

“Fellow Daoist, just how strong is the Night Watchman?” 

You Xue had long since suppressed a bellyful of questions, and she could no longer hold them back.

Su Yi thought for a moment. “Here in Snowy Skies City, he’s practically invincible. At my former peak, going simply by our cultivations, I could at best guarantee that I wouldn’t lose.”

In ancient times, Snowy Skies City was known as Fengdu. This was the Grand Dao Domain of the Night Watchman, and here, he was all but invincible!

You Xue’s heart shook. She was keenly aware of just how terrifying the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force had been at his peak.

But even with the power of his past life, if they fought within the city, the best Su Yi could promise was a draw. It was easy to imagine just how mighty the Night Watchman was.

“But what if you fought outside the city?” asked You Xue.

“It’s hard to say,” said Su Yi. “According to the rules of the Night Watchmen, starting the moment they begin their vigil, they must keep watch over the city for sixty thousand years. During this time, all they can do is safeguard Snowy Skies City from the shadows.”

He paused, a distant look in his eyes. “When I met him, he hadn’t once left the city. Even now, he still hasn’t.”

You Xue was stunned, and she couldn’t help but sigh. “How is that any different from imprisoning himself? The Infernal Palace fell in ancient times, so why must he continue standing guard over this place?”

“This is the duty of the Night Watchmen,” said Su Yi. “To the inheritors of the Night Watchmen, this duty is more important than life itself. They’ll risk their lives to protect Snowy Skies City. While their rules seem like a prison to us, the Night Watchmen don’t see it that way. In their eyes, their sixty thousand years of watching over the city is simply their duty.”

You Xue couldn’t help but feel moved.

Suddenly, she recalled something and asked curiously, “Earlier, at the workshop, Yun Songzi of Yellow Springs Palace wanted the Night Watchman’s disciple to refine his sword, but I could tell that A’Cheng is just a Spiritual Revolution cultivator. Why is he capable of refining a Profound Serenity Emperor’s weapon?”

“That involves the Night Watchmen’s legacy,” said Su Yi. “Anyone who carries a Fengdu Medallion can request their help adding an Annihilating Misfortune Edict to a treasure. This is unimaginably useful when exploring the City of the Wrongfully Dead.”

Su Yi had only just said this when his eyebrows rose, and he looked into the distance.

Off in the distant, darkness-shrouded streets, a hunched figure walked alone, carrying a white-paper lamp that cast dim, mottled light.

However, its light was insufficient to grant them a clear look at his features.