First Immortal of the Sword

As Su Yi raised his hand and pressed down, the long-dormant, unmoving tombstone suddenly quivered, and its surface shone with strange and inscrutable Dao Light.

It was indistinct, but it seemed as if countless markings of the Grand Dao had arisen within it, alongside the boundless and ancient Daoist invocations. They quickly spread, reverberating throughout the barren, desolate landscape.

This is… The Executioner’s pupils constricted, and bewilderment appeared in his formerly calm, proud expression.

He was the first to attack, and he did so without the slightest hesitation.

Kcchh!

His sleeves billowed around him, and the off-white, inscrutable power of the Laws surged between his fingers, transforming into three feet of saber qi.

Crunch! Crunch!

The saber qi was just three feet long, but as soon as it appeared, it sliced countless startling rifts into the sky, which shattered like a broken mirror.

And as the man in black attacked, heaven and earth darkened. A terrifying, calamitous aura swept forth like a tidal wave or avalanche, a punishment from the heavens!

The Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow’s feathers stood on end, and it instinctively circulated its cultivation base to block the terrifying force of this saber qi. Nonetheless, it felt suffocated.

“What kind of power is this?” Old Yao White Eyebrows was astonished. He suddenly blurred into a beam of light and moved further away, ready to tear open a rift and flee at a moment’s notice.

This saber qi was just too unbelievable, like the majesty of heaven descending upon the world!

Boom!

Three feet of saber qi slashed at Su Yi. It was unbelievably quick, almost as if it had teleported. 

But when it got within a hundred feet of Su Yi, it was as if it had sunk into a swamp. Its speed sharply decreased by more than half.

When it was thirty feet from Su Yi, the saber qi trembled violently, like a fish frantically struggling to escape freezing waters.

Hm? The Executioner’s eyelids twitched.

Throughout this entire stretch of heaven and earth, a formless power of the Laws surged into being, transformed into a boundlessly vast hand, and pressed down.

Like the hand of a god suppressing the world.

Bang!

The three feet of saber qi exploded, inch by inch, offering no more resistance than paper mache.

“How is this…” The Executioner’s heart shook as he finally realized what the problem was. 

And here he’d thought that with Su Yi’s Spiritual Revolution Realm cultivation, the formless power of the Laws would surely suppress him.

Now, he suddenly realized that reality was the exact opposite of what he’d expected.

The formless power of the Laws permeating the landscape was completely under Su Yi’s control!

Alas, by the time he realized this, it was already too late.

“Kneel.” 

Su Yi’s calm voice rang out.

Then, that massive power reminiscent of the hand of a deity bore down on the air, headed directly for the man in black.

It had a lethal presence, like the edge of a knife. Its sharpness made the Executioner’s expression shift dramatically.

He suddenly took a deep breath. His hands formed seals, and a ninety-foot manifestation suddenly burst from his thin frame.

It looked as if it had been carved out of black divine jade. It had three eyes and eight arms, which held a saber, sword, scepter, bell, Daoist seal, feather whisk, jade ruler, and a bronze lamp.

Misty, pale gray, destructive power surged on the manifestation’s surface, and its imposing aura instantly soared to unimaginably terrifying heights.

The Burning Taboo Eight-Spirit Avatar!

This was a supreme secret art brimming with the power of a calamity of the Grand Dao.

“Break!” The man in black bellowed, and the avatar raised its eight arms. Its eight different treasures instantly burst with an appalling power of calamity, which ruthlessly slammed into the descending giant hang.

Boom!!

Heaven and earth shook violently, and the mountains and rivers swayed.

The Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow and Old Yao White Eyebrows watched in disbelief as Su Yi’s massive hand crushed the Executioner’s ninety-foot avatar, bit by bit.

As the avatar collapsed, the man in black trembled, and his face paled.

When it fell apart completely, the man in black obviously couldn’t withstand the pressure; he fell, and his knees slammed to the ground.

Even his head was ruthlessly forced into the ground, and he was helpless to raise it!

The ground shook.

Watching from a distance, the man in black seemed utterly pathetic and undignified.

Old Yao White Eyebrows was stunned, but a moment later, he applauded and went mad with delight. “You look like a dog eating shit! Wondrous! I just knew this would happen. How could a small fry like you possibly be a match for His Excellency Su? No, it seems you don’t even qualify as a small fry!”

Although he said this, inwardly, he wiped the sweat from his brow and rejoiced that he hadn’t fled in panic earlier. If he had, Su Yi would have surely come looking for him to settle the score!

The Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow, meanwhile, was struck dumb. It felt as if it had been struck by lightning.

Earlier, it had disdained and provoked Su Yi. It had even said it wanted to see just what the reincarnated Spiritual Revolution Realm Su Yi could accomplish.

Now, in the blink of an eye, the Executioner—its pillar of support—had been forced to his knees, and his face had been smeared in the dirt. He had no dignity left!

Heaven and earth were in turmoil. Dust and smoke permeated the air.

The man in black coughed up blood. He was so angry and ashamed that he almost wanted to die.

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“Activate!” He let out a hoarse roar, and his entire body burst with an explosive, destructive aura of calamity.

His ferocious majesty was enough to slay other Profound Serenity Emperors with ease!

Yet beneath the power of Su Yi’s palm, the Executioner’s struggles seemed weak and ineffectual. The harder he fought, the stronger and more terrifying the power suppressing him.

A few blinks of the eye later, and numerous cracks appeared all over his skin. Blood gushed from his wounds, and his bones audibly rubbed together, unable to bear the pressure. Even his face contorted.

“I said it already. In this forbidden zone, I am a sovereign. Your life and death are mine to decide.” Not far away, Su Yi stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly, “Never mind a paltry peak Profound Serenity Emperor like you; even the power you control, the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness, is restricted and helpless against me.”

When he heard this, the man in black finally understood just how dire his predicament was. He rasped, “No wonder you dare act with reservation here despite your mere Spiritual Revolution Realm cultivation. So, you mastered the power of the tombstone a long time ago!”

He understood.

He understood completely!

His opponent wasn’t Su Xuanjun, but rather, the tombstone standing in this forbidden ground, the treasure that safeguarded the entire City of the Wrongfully Dead!

Even with the Executioner’s peak Profound Serenity Realm cultivation, it had taken him nine whole years and an enormous amount of effort just to get within seventy feet of the tombstone. It was easy to imagine just how terrifying its power was.

Yet Su Xuanjun could control this terrifying power with ease!

Given the circumstances, Su Xuanjun was right: in this forbidden zone, he was an invincible sovereign!

“So, that’s how it is…” The Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow suddenly understood. A terror and dread too great for words welled within its heart. As it realized just how dire its predicament was, it beat its wings and tried to flee.

Su Yi had suppressed even the Executioner with ease! How could the crow possibly be a match for him?

All it wanted to do now was run as far away as possible!

“Little crow, you promised to twist off your head and let me kick it around, so don’t leave just yet.”

Before this light, airy declaration even finished echoing through the air, Su Yi stretched out his hands and grabbed from afar. The power of the Laws formed an enormous hand, which effortlessly plucked the fleeing crow from the air.

As casual and understated as a Buddha plucking flowers.

“Old Monster Su, there’s never been a grudge between us, so why oppose me at every turn?” the Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow shrieked in rage and panic.

“Don’t act like a victim. The winner is a king, and the loser is a bandit. Surely you understand that?” Su Yi raised his right hand and flicked the bird on the forehead.

The Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow instantly saw stars, and dizziness washed over it. It was instantly beside itself with anger. “Old Monster Su, if you’ve got the balls, just kill me! See if I so much as cry out in pain!”

“Little crow, someone like you wishes to die at His Excellency Su’s hands? You’re dreaming!” 

Old Yao White Eyebrows approached. After harshly rebuking the bird, he turned and requested orders from Su Yi. “Your Excellency, please allow me to kill this little bird for you. No need to dirty your illustrious hands.”

His smile was as obsequious and servile as could be.

“Dammit, Old White Eyebrows….” The Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow was so angry it instantly started cursing, but before it could finish spewing profanities, Su Yi pressed harder on its forehead, and it instantly fell unconscious.

“Just keep an eye on it for now.” Su Yi used the tombstone’s power to seal the Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow’s cultivation completely before tossing it to Old Yao White Eyebrows.

“I shall assiduously carry out your orders, sir!” Old Yao White Eyebrows solemnly assented. Inwardly, he completely relaxed.

He realized that Su Yi had no intentions of holding him accountable for being so afraid that he almost fled earlier. 

But then, it makes sense. How could someone as magnanimous as His Excellency Su make trouble for an old codger like me over something so trivial? Old Yao White Eyebrows was inwardly wistful.

“Now can we have ourselves a nice chat?” As Su Yi approached, he gazed down at the man in black trapped on the ground.

The formless power of the Laws filling the landscape was utterly terrifying, but in front of Su Yi, it behaved like a minister before a monarch: as meek and agreeable as could be.

“What would you like to discuss, Fellow Daoist Su?” The man in black had obviously regained his cool, and he completely gave up all thoughts of resistance.

“Let’s chat about your Nine Heavens Pavilion,” Su Yi said without so much as pausing to think.

The Executioner’s pupils constricted, and he instantly fell silent.