First Immortal of the Sword

The Blue Firmament Divine Mountains.

This was the home base of the Endless Swords Immortal Sect, a mountain range famous as the most blessed ground in the Wen Province.

The sun had only just risen. A group of outer-sect disciples were on guard duty outside the gates. All of them were energetic, and all of them had swords at their waists.

Su Yi approached from afar. The distance seemed to shrink beneath his feet, and within just a few steps, he’d reached the gates.

Su Yi was obviously right in front of them, but the guards didn’t notice him at all.

Whoosh!

A pool surrounded by stone pillars was built beside the gate. When Su Yi arrived beside it, the surface of the water churned, and a mountainous beast poked out its head.

The beast’s golden eyes were like torches, and a single horn sprouted from its forehead. Its terrifying aura spread outward as it appeared. It was a true spirit divine beast, a Xiezhi!

This was the spirit guardian of the Endless Swords Immortal Sect. It had been guarding the gates since the days prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals. The beast could use its wondrous innate talent to see through truths and lies; no disguise could deceive it.

“Shh!” Su Yi raised his finger to his lips.

The Xiezhi froze, stunned, as if its dignity had been provoked. Its glittering golden eyes filled with irrepressible fury.

But a moment later, it was stunned once more.

Su Yi had drawn his hand through the air, manifesting a scene of a man in dark robes. He clutched a baby Xiezhi to his chest and gently lowered it into the pool.

Once the beast was safely in the water, the dark-robed man said with a smile, “Little fellow, help Ol’ Xu watch over his gates. Should the opportunity arise, I’ll come back to visit you one day.”

The young Xiezhi was enthusiastically playing in the water as the man spoke. By the time it calmed down, the man in dark robes was already gone.

Here, the scene came to an abrupt halt.

The massive Xiezhi was completely dumbstruck, and the rims of its eyes reddened.

Su Yi smiled and transmitted, “Little fellow, when I’m done here, I’ll come back to visit you.”

With that, he passed through the gates to the Blue Firmament Divine Mountains.

Whoosh!

The waters of the pond churned. The Xiezhi waved its head excitedly and opened its mouth as if to say something, but in the end, it held back.

The disciples watching over the gates were startled. All of them looked at the Xiezhi in alarm.

“Ancestor, did you perhaps discover something?” one of the disciples asked respectfully.

The Xiezhi opened its mouth, only to blow bubbles. It coyly closed its eyes and sank back into the pond; it couldn’t even be bothered to respond to the disciples.

The disciples exchanged glances. From beginning to end, none of them discovered the man strolling casually through the gates covered in dense layers of killing formations!

……

Su Yi walked into the Blue Firmament Immortal Mountains, traversing the winding stone path between the peaks as if on a stroll through familiar territory.

There were thirty-six peaks in total, each like halberds piercing the sky. The mountains were connected by white jade bridges.

The heart of the sect was on the centermost peak.

Su Yi was headed right toward it. Along the way, he saw misty clouds, springs, and waterfalls. Everything was as picturesque as an otherworldly pure land.

From time to time, sword cultivators whooshed past. All were immortals, and all of them had an extraordinary bearing.

Su Yi encountered numerous Endless Swords Immortal Sect disciples along the road, too. No matter their cultivation base, none of them sensed Su Yi. It was as if he were nothing but air.

Even when he was at close quarters, and even when they brushed past him, they didn’t notice at all!

When Su Yi passed a training ground, he suddenly stopped in place. There were over a thousand young men and women standing there, all of them still in their teens. They wore the uniforms of outer sect disciples as they listened to a bearded middle-aged man expound on the Dao.

“Sword cultivators cultivate the Dao of the Sword and temper their hearts! Before you can become a true sword cultivator, you must ask yourself why you’ve chosen to pursue the Dao of the Sword!

“They call this ‘inquiring the heart and seeking one’s true nature!’ It might sound simple, but you’ll soon come to understand that this first, most basic step will determine how far your path takes you!”

The middle-aged man’s gaze was cold and stern, and his voice boomed throughout the surrounding area. The youths listened with rapt attention and bated breath.

Su Yi chuckled. It was true. If you wanted to become a true sword cultivator, you first had to grasp your true nature!

When he saw the earnest youths bathed in the light of a new dawn, Su Yi couldn’t help but recall how each of his past lives had first begun their pursuit of the Dao of the Sword.

Moments later, he shook his head and prepared to leave.

Suddenly, the bearded middle-aged said gravely, “Prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals, our Endless Swords Immortal Sect was one of the Immortal Realm’s four great sword sects! Our founder was an expert of the Dao of the Sword at the pinnacle of the Immortal Dao!

“Furthermore, our sect is home to the famous Sword Stele admired by every sword cultivator beneath the heavens!”

“As I’m sure you already know, the Sword Stele was given to us by the Eternal Night Immortal Sovereign! He inscribed thirteen supreme legacies of the Dao of the Sword on its surface!”

The youths' faces filled with longing and eagerness. The Endless Swords Immortal Sect’s Sword Stele was indeed famous throughout the Immortal Realm. In the eyes of the world’s sword cultivators, it was a supreme “scripture repository” of the Dao of the Sword!

Even prior to joining the Endless Swords Immortal Sect, all of them had heard about the stele from their elders many times over!

It was because of the Sword Stele that throughout the years, those with ambitions to pursue the Dao of the Sword would come to the Wen Province from all over the Immortal Realm. Their goal was to join the Endless Swords Immortal Sect to cultivate and one day experience the Sword Stele’s mysteries for themselves!

A young man couldn’t help but ask, “Teaching Elder, when can we contemplate the stele’s mysteries?”

The others pricked up their ears.

The bearded middle-aged smiled faintly. He’d anticipated this question.

Over the years, he’d taught countless groups of new disciples. The moment he brought up the Sword Stele given to them by the Eternal Night Immortal Sovereign, the youngsters were sure to exclaim over it. Curiosity was inevitable.

“The Dao is not to be transmitted lightly. Without sufficient ability, you won’t be able to grasp anything at all. When you’re qualified to become core disciples of the sect, you’ll naturally have an opportunity to contemplate the legacies inscribed on the Sword Stele!” said the bearded middle-aged man.

A rueful look appeared on his face. “I’ve been cultivating in this sect for almost nine thousand years, but I’ve only cultivated in front of the stele three times. Every time, my understanding of the Dao of the Sword advanced by leaps and bounds!”

The youths were instantly in uproar.

Su Yi, meanwhile, turned and silently slipped away. He suddenly realized something.

Perhaps something had changed about the Endless Swords Immortal Sect, but the vast majority of its members were completely in the dark about it. They likely had no idea that he was the reincarnation of the Eternal Night Immortal Sovereign. Similarly, it seemed likely that only the sect’s old-timers knew the truth of their involvement in the Bi’an Spirit Race’s demise.

All of this became clear after hearing how that elder spoke of the Sword Stele. It meant that the vast majority of cultivators in the Endless Swords Immortal Sect had strong attachment to the Sword Stele, and they still revered the Eternal Night Immortal Sovereign. Had they known that he was Wang Ye’s reincarnation and that their sect had sent its experts to kill him, how could they have dared speak openly of such things?

That’s good, at least. Problems might well have arisen in the Endless Swords Immortal Sect, but it isn’t unsalvageable, thought Su Yi. He finally felt a bit better.

Had the Endless Swords Immortal Sect rotted through, he might well have had to wipe them out.

As Su Yi pondered, he traversed the winding road through the mountains, crossing the white jade bridges, and arrived at the halfway point of the centermost peak.

The first thing he saw was a grand, ancient martial arts stage. It was hewn out of blue-gray stone and fully one hundred thousand feet across. A thousand-foot stele stood proudly at its center. The stele was pure black, and it looked like a divine sword towering into the heavens. Beneath the light of a new day, it shone with mysterious, ethereal light.

This was the Sword Stele, the monument that every sword cultivator in the Immortal Realm had longed for throughout the ages!

Long ago, Wang Ye forged it personally. Its surface was inscribed with thirteen supreme legacies. It had been one of the Endless Swords Immortal Sect’s core treasures ever since!

Su Yi stood with his hands behind his back, looking the Sword Stele up and down. Visions of his past life flashed through his mind like fireworks.

Back then, Wang Ye presided over the nine heavens, dominating his era like the supreme ruler of the Immortal Realm. All others of his generation paled by comparison!

Back then, Xu Fushi was still around. The two of them once got together, drank to their hearts’ content, and discussed the direction of the world in front of the Sword Stele.

Alas, nothing could escape the passage of time. That era had long since withered away, becoming no more than another wave in the long river of history. The world had changed completely; the lands remained, but the people were different.

Suddenly, a grave voice rang out. “Who are you, sir? Why have you come uninvited?”

A gaunt old man rose from beneath the Sword Stele, his eyes glinting like the edge of a sword as he locked onto the distant Su Yi.

Su Yi had only just arrived, but someone had already sensed him.

He didn’t find this surprising, however. He’d withdrawn his presence and hidden himself this entire journey, but he was now in the heart of the sect. It would have been downright pathetic for the Endless Swords Immortal Sect not to discover him now. Furthermore, the formations covering the central peak were completely different from what he remembered. Someone had obviously replaced them.

Given the circumstances, slipping in unnoticed was all but impossible.

“Go tell your leader that I’m just here for an explanation,” said Su Yi. He walked onto the stage and said calmly, “I’ll wait just long enough to brew a cup of tea. If he doesn’t come see me, then I will go to him... no matter what I have to do to get there.”

The gaunt old man’s eyes widened in disbelief. He looked Su Yi up and down, took a deep breath, and suppressed his confusion and murderous intent. “Might I ask your name, sir?”

Su Yi took out a jug of wine and had a sip.

“Su Yi.”

It was just two light, airy syllables, but they went off in the gaunt old man’s ears like a thunderclap. His entire body stiffened, and chills coursed down his spine.

So, it’s him! How… How on earth did he sneak into the heart of the Endless Swords Immortal Sect without anyone noticing?!? And what is he doing here? Don’t tell me he’s after revenge?

The gaunt old man’s expression shifted erratically as his thoughts raced.

Su Yi glanced at him and said, “Relax. I won’t touch anyone before I get answers. Go on, and be quick about it.”

“Please wait a few moments,” said the thin old man. He took a deep breath, leaped into the air, and flew off.

Su Yi, meanwhile, walked over to the Sword Stele and gazed intently at it.

Beneath the light of the rising sun, his solitary, upright figure cast an elongated shadow.

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