First Immortal of the Sword

Even as his hearty laughter echoed throughout heaven and earth, the Sword Fanatic’s aura abruptly transformed!

He gripped his sword, a radiant smile blooming across his face. The depths of his eyes blazed like fire as he whispered, “Activate!”

Boom!

An unbelievable scene followed. The Sword Fanatic blazed like a furnace, as if his essence, qi, and spirit were burning. Dazzling sword intent billowed from his long hair, eyebrows, and skin, soaring into the nine heavens.

The ruined, dark landscape suddenly transformed.

Clusters of wild grasses teeming with life sprouted and grew like mad throughout the ruins. Countless flowers bloomed and swayed on their stalks.

Flecks of starlight decorated the dome of heaven, gathering into a coursing river of stars.

Winds whooshed past, rustling the verdant grasses and creating rippling waves of green, like the surface of the ocean.

“A single thought transformed heaven and earth?” Tang Bao’er exclaimed.

The scenery was entirely unassuming, and it wasn’t particularly spectacular, but the transformation itself had a grand, almost holy quality to it!

The young woman noticed that the charm of the Dao of the Sword flowered around each and every blade of grass!

And the grass covered the ground. It was like an uncultivated plain formed entirely out of concentrated sword intent!

“No, he’s using his life force as a guide for the entirety of his essence, qi, and spirit to create this manifestation of his Immortal Origin Space!” Tang Lingqi looked utterly astonished.

The Immortal Dao started with the Universe Realm. The Immortal Origin Space cultivators created upon breaking through served as the foundations of their Immortal Dao. It contained the cultivation base. The deeper the foundations of one’s cultivation, the firmer and grander the Immortal Origin Space, and the more Immortal Origin it could contain.

The Immortal Origin Space was incomparably wondrous, like a standalone universe. It could contain all manner of Grand Daos, and it could manifest suns, moons, and stars, and all facets of creation. It even reflected the cycles of the seasons, withering, and flourishing.

Those with particularly powerful foundations could even manifest their Immortal Origin Space in different shapes!

As your cultivation deepened and your mastery of Immortal Laws grew stronger, you could manifest increasingly wondrous phenomena within your Immortal Origin Space. You could even materialize them externally!

That was what the Sword Fanatic was doing now. He was manifesting his Immortal Origin Space externally to “transform heaven and earth!”

What startled Tang Lingqi was that this simply wasn’t possible for most Immortal Lords, let alone ordinary cultivators!

Typically, only Immortal Kings could manifest their Immortal Origin Space to create their own heaven and earth!

This ability was known as Manifesting Heaven and Transforming the Dao.

“Manifesting Heaven” referred to manifesting one’s Immortal Origin Space, effectively materializing one’s own little universe.

“Transforming the Dao” meant replacing the Laws of heaven and earth within that space with your own cultivation!

But immortals typically preferred to call such abilities “Dao Domains!” Manifesting one’s own Dao to create one’s own domain! Within this space, cultivators were omnipotent rulers of the Grand Dao!

Yet now, the Sword Fanatic had achieved this despite his Saint Realm cultivation!

Who wouldn’t have been surprised?

“You’re exhausting your life force and cultivation base to display this Grand Dao Sword Domain. Is it worth it?” Su Yi raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Others called such abilities Manifesting Heaven and Transforming the Dao, or simply Dao Domains. When sword cultivators used them, they were naturally Grand Dao Sword Domains.

When Wang Ye first established his foundations in the Universe Realm, he manifested a thirty-three-layered sword domain within his Immortal Origin Space!

Upon reaching the pinnacle of the Immortal Dao, when he circulated his cultivation base, he could manifest that thirty-three-layered sword domain externally! When he did so, it seemed like a world of the Dao of the Sword. It could easily blanket the skies, blot out the sun, and slay even the strongest of foes!

In this lifetime, when Su Yi stepped into the Universe Realm, his Immortal Origin Space manifested the shape of the Sword of the Nine Hells.

The Sword Fanatic’s eyes lit up, and he laughed. “I’m not afraid to die, so why would I concern myself with my life?”

Su Yi nodded. “I understand. All you seek is satisfaction.”

The Sword Fanatic nodded. “That’s right.”

As he spoke, his sleeves billowed around him. He stretched out his finger and tapped his sword.

Clang!

The hum of his sword reverberated throughout the nine heavens and ten earths.

Every blade of grass in the vast plain burst forth with stingingly bright sword qi and swayed in rhythm with the humming of the sword.

Far-reaching, austere, murderous energy gathered around the Sword Fanatic. He was like a blazing streak of light, thoroughly illuminating the surrounding mountains and rivers.

The river of stars revolved around his head. The stars lit up, making his aura seem all the more terrifying, as if he were the ruler of the galaxy.

Tang Bao’er felt a stinging pain in her eyes. She instinctively shut them, and her soul quivered with fright.

Tang Lingqi didn’t hesitate to lead her even further away.

But soon, he was horrified to discover that the Sword Fanatic’s Grand Dao Sword Domain had enveloped this entire stretch of heaven and earth. No matter where they fled, it was to no avail.

This was what made Dao Domains so terrifying. They transformed heaven and earth. Here, the Sword Fanatic ruled over everything and presided over life and death!

“When I was a young man, my life was as lowly as that of a single blade of grass. I was so impoverished that I couldn’t even afford a half-decent sword, but I didn’t lose heart. I was fixated on the Dao of the Sword, and my life force was as stubborn as the weeds growing by the side of the road. No matter how others trampled or burned me, I hung on!

“It was then that I swore an oath. I would die in a blaze of glory seeking the Dao of the Sword before I’d betray my own swordsmanship out of fear. I swore to emulate a shooting star. Even if my life were fleeting, during that moment, I’d shine brightly enough to illuminate the night sky!”

The Sword Fanatic’s eyes shone with fervent light. “This is my Dao of the Sword!”

He turned to face Su Yi and said with a laugh, “I’ve never shared any of this with anyone else. I don’t know why, but I like the look of you. I decided to bare my heart before we determined victory and defeat—and life and death.”

Su Yi inclined his head. “You’re fixated on the sword, without regard for life and death, and you seek only satisfaction. Such a sword heart is rare indeed.”

Clang!

He waved his sleeves, and the Sword of the Human Realm shot into the air.

The three-foot, blue gray blade looked ancient and ethereal.

As soon as he had his sword in hand, Su Yi’s aura transformed, becoming prideful and contemptuous, like a deity presiding over the heavens!

“Such a sword heart is worth drawing my sword and attacking in full force.” Su Yi drew his fingertip across the flat of the blade. “Now, allow me to show you my Dao of the Sword.”

As he spoke, he took a step forward. His gait was light and airy, as if he were out for a casual stroll.

But with every step he took, it was as if a thunderclap went off beneath his feet. Heaven and earth swayed, and the blue-green grass covering the ground swayed violently.

It was like a frigid gale sweeping across the land, coating the vegetation in frost!

The grass imbued with terrifying sword intent shattered with a bang beneath Su Yi’s feet and dissipated into a rain of light.

And with each step Su Yi took, his momentum soared and intensified. It seemed to piece through the nine heavens and shake the starry sky!

In the face of his fierce momentum, the Sword Fanatic couldn’t help but sigh. “Excellent!”

He stood in midair and waved his sword.

Boom!

The plains shattering beneath Su Yi’s feet gave rise to countless new blades of grass and a dense storm of sword qi erupted and cleaved at Su Yi.

When the wind blew, life renewed itself, and sword qi filled the heavens!

Even in the face of this attack, Su Yi neither fled nor dodged. He just continued ahead, the Sword of the Human Realm clanging in his grip and bursting with terrifying sword force.

He still didn’t strike, but his sword force alone was enough to shred the sword qi blanketing heaven and earth!

Boom!

The Grand Dao Sword Domain shook violently. The Sword Fanatic was like its sovereign. A simple exertion of will, and a resplendent, utterly dazzling sword intent swept forth.

Throughout the uncultivated plain, wild grasses grew endlessly. Su Yi was like a wildfire, but burn as he might, he couldn’t destroy the plains completely.

Meanwhile, overhead, stars flowed like a river. Countless blazing shooting stars rained down to earth, each full of dense, terrifying sword qi.

This was the Sword Fanatic’s strongest attack. He’d poured the full extent of his life force and cultivation into it!

In Su Yi’s shoes, most Immortal Lords would have died many times over by now.

In truth, for a moment, Tang Lingqi suspected he was already dead. When he looked around, all he saw was a dense, raging storm of sword qi. Every streak of sword qi flashed with the terrifying mysteries of the Dao of the Sword!

However, Tang Lingqi quickly realized that that seemingly omnipresent sword qi seemed intelligent. Although it whooshed past him, it didn’t damage him in the slightest.

There was no doubt about it. The Sword Fanatic’s control had reached wondrous heights!

Tang Lingqi was unwittingly stunned, and he couldn’t help but sigh with admiration.

When he next looked over, he saw boundless sword qi pouring onto the world below. How terrifying was it? And yet——

A perfectly straight line of blade light was cleaving right through it, like a fierce gale parting the waves!

It was Su Yi! His blue robes billowed around him, and he gripped the Sword of the Human Realm. His gait looked unhurried, yet in truth, he was extraordinarily quick. No matter how the winds battered him, he seemed unmovable and indestructible!

A seemingly perfect and complete, mysterious sword intent revolved around his tall, upright figure. It was like a divine ring, and it neutralized all of the incoming murderous intent.

Within just a few blinks of an eye, Su Yi was within a thousand feet of the Sword Fanatic and drawing closer with every step!

The Sword Fanatic wasn’t startled. On the contrary, he seemed delighted. He threw back his head and laughed. “Your sword’s been accumulating power all this time, and you’ve yet to strike. You sure know how to build anticipation!”

The Sword Fanatic’s eyes blazed with determination, and he seemed relaxed and carefree. His laughter resounded throughout the nine heavens.

Boom!

When his next slash fell, a river of stars poured down to earth.

On the ground below, countless blades of grass caught ablaze.

As for the man himself? He seemed to fuse fully into his attack.

There was no need to even question it. This was the strongest attack the Sword Fanatic had ever used, and he was completely disregarding his own survival. He was giving it everything he had.

He was like a shooting star intent on shining with the utmost radiance before disappearing!

Everything went white before Tang Lingqi and Tang Bao’er’s eyes as their minds were blank. They were completely overcome with astonishment, and they could no longer sense the outside world.

But it was then that Su Yi unleashed his long-brewing attack.

He’d spent his last three years in the Spring and Autumn Space combing through everything he’d realized about the Dao of the Sword across multiple lifetimes. He then continuously polished and refined this attack, pouring everything he had into it.

This was the first stance of the supreme sword art Su Yi had created, a strike fully compatible with the mysteries of reincarnation.

When he unleashed this attack, the burning grassland silently returned to stillness, then crumbled into ash.

The descending river of stars dimmed and withered, its radiance as short-lived as fireworks.

The Sword Fanatic’s sword shook violently in his grip as his power was whittled away, bit by bit.

Heaven and earth sank into a strange, stifled atmosphere. Everything was terrifyingly still.

As if every facet of creation had been annihilated.

Only Su Yi’s sword qi moved. Amidst the stilled landscape, it was the only flash of light, and it was headed right for the Sword Fanatic.

Yet in the face of this incoming attack, the Sword Fanatic’s gaze was actually filled with fervent obsession.

What kind of strike is that?

If I die to such a strike, I’ll have no regrets!

As this thought arose, a smile spread across his face. He charged like a moth to flame, knowing he was doomed, yet rushing valiantly ahead anyway!

Even if he died, he had to unleash the full extent of his power and fight to the bitter end!

Boom!

When Su Yi’s strike landed, heaven and earth collapsed, and everything in them was destroyed.

The Grand Dao Sword Domain popped like a soap bubble.

A current of destructive power swept outward in all directions. The mountains and rivers were thrown into disarray, and everything was covered in rubble.

The Sword Fanatic stood amidst the ruins, his clothes covered in blood.

The tip of a sword hovered just an inch from his forehead. Just a little further, and it would pierce him right between the eyes.

He was stunned, then bewildered.

A long time passed before he asked in confusion, “I came here to kill you. Why not strike the killing blow?”

Clang!

Su Yi put away the Sword of the Human Realm and sipped from his jug of wine.

He said softly, “Even after grasping the enormity of the universe, I cherish each blade of grass.”

Seth's Thoughts

"Su Yi was like a wildfire; burn as he might, he couldn’t destroy the plains completely."

This chapter is full of references to one of Bai Juyi's most famous poems. Here's (one) translation:

The grass abundantly flourishes on the plain,

Year after year it withers and grows.

Wildfire cannot burn it down,

For the spring wind is its source of revival.

I am not Chinese so take this with a grain of salt, but my understanding is that this poem is so famous that you could reasonably expect a Chinese elementary schooler to know it and potentially even recite it from memory.