First Immortal of the Sword

Tang Bao’er approached with obvious delight, then handed Su Yi a jug of wine. “For you, Handsome!”

Su Yi accepted it with a smile. “I suggest all of you leave this place now while you have the chance.”

The crowd was instantly solemn, and much of their delight vanished.

The silver-robed man had said that the Church of Divine Flame had long since seized control of the ruins of the Academy of Eternal Night!

In other words, the silver-robed man wasn’t the only member of the Church of the Divine Flame present. There were surely others nearby!

“You aren’t leaving with us, Fellow Daoist?” Tang Lingqi couldn’t help but ask. He’d changed how he addressed Su Yi, calling him “fellow Daoist” instead of “young friend.”

This was how older-generation cultivators conducted themselves. On the road of cultivation, strength was revered.

The last battle had already proven how powerful Su Yi was. Thus, Tang Lingqi and the other Immortal Lords no longer dared put on the airs of a senior.

Su Yi shook his head. “I have other business to attend to here, but I can at least see you off. Let’s go.”

With that, he turned toward the exit, still holding a jug of wine.

The others hurried after him.

Heaven and earth were shrouded in darkness, and thunder boomed overhead. The entire desolate landscape was enveloped in a heart-palpitating atmosphere.

Su Yi and company had only just left the hall when a grave, icy voice boomed beneath the distant dome of heaven.

“You think you can leave? As if!”

The voice was so loud that it obscured the booming thunderclaps.

Three figures appeared accompanying it. The leader was an old man in inky robes. He had graying hair but youthful features, and he gripped a jade ruler.

His companions were a gaunt but ferocious-looking man and a beautiful older woman in wide sleeves.

All three of them emanated the characteristic energy fluctuations of an Immortal Lord!

Tang Lingqi and the others’ hearts sank. Their expressions were instantly solemn.

“Who killed Libationer Yin He? Come on out and face me!” bellowed the old man in inky robes. His murderous intent soared into the firmament.

Su Yi couldn’t be bothered to waste time talking. He waved his sleeves through the air, and that scroll of calligraphy shot forth.

He stretched out his hand and tapped.

Kccch!

The word “suppress” emerged from the text and cleaved through the sky like the edge of a sword. It burst with dazzling sword light, illuminating the mountains and rivers.

The old man’s expression shifted abruptly. He shouted, “Dammit! It’s that calligraphy! Hurry up and run——!”

Even as he spoke, he tried to dodge. But he was one step too late.

The character “suppress” descended from the heavens like a divine mountain, and it emanated terrifying suppressive power, sealing the surrounding air on all sides.

Even the surging thunderclouds were suddenly unnaturally still.

The old man in inky robes and his companions were all Immortal Lords of the Church of Divine Flame. Each was stronger than the one before.

Yet now, they were like flies trapped in a spider’s web. Their vital energy was completely suppressed, and they couldn’t even move a finger.

They could only watch helplessly as that glittering, limitlessly powerful “suppress” descended upon them. Terror and despair were written all over their faces.

Boom!

A massive impact shook the heavens.

The old man in ink-dark robes and his three companions exploded into pieces. Even their souls were ground down to nothingness.

Squished like ants!

The crowd was overcome with astonishment, as if they’d just witnessed a miracle.

“It’s just casually written calligraphy, yet it possesses such astonishing power. I can’t even begin to imagine how powerful the Eternal Night Immortal Sovereign was when he established himself at the pinnacle of the Immortal Dao…” someone murmured.

Emotions coursed through the crowd’s hearts.

The word “suppress” transformed into a beam of light and returned to the calligraphic scroll.

Su Yi noticed that the calligraphy’s luster faded, and much of its charm dissipated.

Indeed, this isn’t a true immortal treasure, and it can’t withstand repeated use, thought Su Yi. It was already impressive enough that the calligraphy had lasted all this time.

The man in silver robes had obviously used it many times. Its power of the Dao of the Sword, its charm, and its essence had all but been depleted.

Su Yi guessed that he could at most use it three more times before it completely lost its spirituality and became no more than waste paper.

“I recognized that old man! That was Immortal Lord Zhao Changkong! Three thousand years ago, he left to seek out good fortune in the Luo River Forbidden Zone, never to return. Rumor has it he met his end. Who’d have thought he’d actually joined the Church of Divine Flame?” someone cried out.

“It’s not just Zhao Changkong. The other two were Yunhua Mountain’s Yao Lord Du Mo and Yao Lord Fierce Cloud! The two of them disappeared in the Luo River Forbidden Zone three hundred years ago. It seems they too joined the Church of Divine Flame!” someone said gravely.

The crowd was in uproar.

Zhao Changkong, Yao Lord Du Mo, and Yao Lord Fierce Cloud were all famous Immortal Lord experts!

Yet after entering the Luo River Forbidden Zone, they’d disappeared from the face of the earth. There’d been no word of any of them since.

Thus, everyone had assumed they’d perished!

But now, everything they’d just witnessed told them that the three Immortal Lords hadn’t died after all. Rather, they’d joined the Church of Divine Flame!

“It seems that that silver-robed man, that Yin He person, didn’t come here to kill us. Rather, he wanted to force us to submit and join the Church of Divine Flame!” said Tang Lingqi.

The crowd’s hearts shook.

Someone couldn’t help but say, “Over the years, countless experts have disappeared after entering the Luo River Forbidden Zone. Don’t tell me… that Yin He was telling the truth and many of them joined the Church of Divine Flame?”

Su Yi said nothing, but he believed that was the case.

The Church of Divine Flame was a Demonist faction, and they’d always been tyrannical. Those who submitted prospered, while those who opposed them died. They’d been one of the Immortal Realm’s three top Demonist factions prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals.

And their founder, the Leveling Heavens Immortal Sovereign, was one of Wang Ye’s greatest enemies!

“Let’s go.” Without any further delays, Su Yi continued leading the way. He wanted to see the group to the shore of White Bone Swamp.

He’d founded the Academy of Eternal Night, yet now, the Church of Divine Flame had taken it over to trap those who came here in search of good fortune. There was naturally no way Su Yi could tolerate that.

As the true owner of this place, Su Yi naturally didn’t mind seeing Tang Lingqi and the others off.

But before they got far, something else unexpected happened.

Nine battered bronze statues charged out of the ruins.

All of them had been buried for countless years, leaving them covered in dust. However, as soon as they appeared, they lit up with intense radiance. The light of a formation soared into the heavens! Beneath the crowd’s astonished gazes, the bronze statues seemed to come to life, as if awakening from dormancy. Every last one of them transformed into a terrifying figure.

A Confucianist with an awe-inspiring aura and a feather fan.

An armored spearman swathed in demonic flame.

A young Daoist in wind-and-fire-patterned robes. He sat astride a white ox.

A kindly old monk seated upright on a lotus platform, holding a string of prayer beads.

…Despite their varying appearances, all of them were like gods out of a legend. The light bursting from their figures dispersed the darkness, illuminating all of heaven and earth!

Tang Lingqi and the others were stunned. Chills coursed through their bodies.

But when Su Yi saw these nine figures, his gaze was conflicted.

These were Nine Great Teaching Elders of the Academy of Eternal Night!

A grandmaster of Confucianism, a mighty and accomplished Demonist, a wondrously skilled Daoist, a supreme Buddhist venerate whose cultivation had borne fruit… all of them were pre-eminent Immortal Kings of their respective schools of thought!

At its peak, there had been over a hundred Teaching Elders. Some had higher cultivations than others, but all were supreme masters of their respective schools of thought.

Back then, all types of different practices competed in the academy. A hundred schools of thought vied for dominance!

But the nine elders in front of him were the strongest of all. Every last one of them had been a pillar of the Academy of Eternal Night. Wang Ye had personally sought them out and recruited them to teach in his academy!

Suddenly, a cold, indifferent voice rang out.

“My name is Ying Jue. If you can escape the Nine Kings Heaven-Sealing Formation alive, I’ll freely offer you my head!”

A man in jade-colored robes appeared behind the nine terrifying figures accompanying this voice. His hair hung loose, and his eyes shone with unearthly light. He gripped an old-fashioned formation disc and stood in midair, his entire body emanating the terrifying, imposing aura of an Immortal Lord.

Only then did Tang Lingqi and the others realize that those nine terrifying figures were manifestations of a formation!

And it was the jade-robed Ying Jue controlling them from behind the scenes!

There was no doubt about it. He too was a follower of the Church of Divine Flame.

Tang Lingqi and the others subconsciously looked at Su Yi; they now saw him as their pillar of support.

Su Yi said nothing. He just grabbed the black jade pendant hanging from his waist and tapped it.

Kcch!

A profound and inscrutable Edict rose into the air.

“Let’s go.” Su Yi was already continuing on his way.

There were nine terrifying figures intercepting them. Their aura alone was enough to make one’s heart shake.

But Su Yi was acting like they weren’t even there!

Despite their confusion, the crowd steeled themselves to follow him.

“Hah!” Ying Jue laughed coldly, then activated the bronze formation disc.

Boom!

Heaven and earth were thrown into upheaval. Radiant Dao Light stung the eyes.

Monstrous divine majesty surged from all nine terrifying figures.

Meanwhile, Su Yi waved his sleeve through the air.

Weng!

The Edict that had appeared over the black jade pendant suddenly lit up. A strange fluctuation of the Grand Dao burst forth, blanketing heaven and earth.

It was indistinct, but within the Edict, a line of text appeared. They were written in the most ancient of Dao Markings, and they took on the shape of a sword.

“Seeing me is like seeing the heavens!”

“Go take his head,” Su Yi said flatly.

The crowd was initially baffled, but before they could ask any questions, something unbelievable happened.

The nine terrifying figures actually whipped around and charged at Ying Jue!

“!!!?” Ying Jue’s cold smile froze in place, as if he’d been struck by lightning. This sudden development left him so panicked that his soul practically flew out of his mouth. He turned to flee; he had no time to ponder what was happening.

As he fled, he frantically tried to activate the formation disc.

But he soon gave in to despair, as the disc had completely lost its effectiveness. It wasn’t responding to him at all!

“Why is this happening!?” Ying Jue cried out.

A moment later, he felt a hand on his head, a sharp pain in his throat, and then... nothing.

The kindly old monk had plucked his head from his shoulders!