First Immortal of the Sword

When the dust and smoke dispersed, heavy darkness descended upon the surroundings once more.

The stretch of ruins deep within the Midsummer Mountains seemed even more desolate and bleak than before.

Tang Lingqi and Tang Bao’er recovered from their fear and despair. Both of them looked dazed.

Their hearts were full of lingering terror. This battle had been overwhelmingly terrifying!

Especially that final strike. Although the two of them were right there on the battlefield, it cut off all their senses. They had no idea how Su Yi managed to cleave through the Sword Fanatic’s Grand Dao Sword Domain in the end.

Now, when they saw Su Yi lower his sword from the Sword Fanatic’s forehead and heard his words, both members of the Tang Family were unwittingly stunned.

It was just one sentence, but the spirit displayed herein was simply astonishing!

“Even after grasping the enormity of the universe, I cherish each blade of grass,” murmured the Sword Fanatic.

No one knew how great an impact those words had on his heart!

“Is this what you meant when you spoke of the spirit of a sword cultivator?” asked the Sword Fanatic. His lapels were tattered and stained red with blood, and his skin was covered in fine cuts interwoven like a spider’s web. Blood gushed from countless wounds. His thin face was as pale as a sheet, making him look all the more down on his luck.

But when he looked at Su Yi, his gaze was as pure, fanatical, and determined as ever.

Su Yi thought for a moment, a deep, heavy look in his eyes as he whispered, “The spirit of a sword cultivator ought to be large enough to encompass all facets of creation and the full extent of the starry skies, yet small enough to hold even the smallest speck of dust.

“It ought to rise above the heavens, and transcend the alternation of worldly affairs, taking in human life in all its facets.

“It ought to accept the treachery of the human heart, the six desires, and the red dust of mortality!

“The three thousand worlds can all fit within a mustard seed and rest in the palm of a true sword cultivator’s hand!

“Even when the skies are full of gods, Buddhas, and countless foes, none can withstand the sharp edge of his sword.

“He ought to be invincible beneath the heavens, with countless Daos at his disposal. He ought to compete against himself, shattering all fetters as he strives for ever greater heights!

“If the Grand Dao is endless, he ought to strive for endlessness!

“That’s how a sword cultivator ought to be!”

When he said that last part, Su Yi threw back his head and drained his cup of wine, feeling gratified, relieved, and high-spirited.

He’d only just emerged from ten years in seclusion in the Spring and Autumn Space, yet he’d already encountered and fought such a powerful opponent. What could have been more delightful?

The Sword Fanatic stood there in a daze.

Su Yi’s description of the spirit of a sword cultivator had inspired and enlightened him. Waves of emotion coursed through him, and he had a hard time calming down.

A long time passed before the famous Sword Fanatic emerged from his reverie and bowed deeply in Su Yi’s direction.

“Your words have enlightened me. Sharing them with me was an act of benevolence!” The Sword Fanatic’s eyes blazed with fervor and admiration.

Like a pious devotee before a sage!

Sometimes, cultivators faced bottlenecks and confusion in their pursuit of the Grand Dao due to narrow horizons and limited perception.

It was like seeing flowers through the fog, or trying to scoop the moon out of a pool. The goal was in front of them, yet they couldn’t break through.

To the Sword Fanatic, Su Yi’s words were like a torch dispelling the fog, illuminating the darkness and breaking the barriers obscuring his vision. He now saw an all-new level of the Dao of the Sword!

This type of enlightenment was no different from a rare and grand stroke of fortune!

Off in the distance, Tang Lingqi and Tang Bao’er witnessed this entire exchange. Both of them looked moved.

Su Yi smiled and said, “Your attainments in the Dao of the Sword have already reached wondrous heights. All you were missing was a moment’s guidance and enlightenment. Besides, had I said these words to anyone else, they’d have gone to waste.”

A moment later, Su Yi sharply changed tacks. “I didn’t kill you, but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you. Tell me, why did someone loyal to the Central Immortal Court choose to serve the Church of Divine Flame?”

The Sword Fanatic didn’t even pause to think. “I owe their leader a life debt!”

He then launched into the full story.

During the Age of Fallen Immortals, the cataclysm that swept the world affected the Sword Fanatic too. It didn’t just badly damage his foundations in the Grand Dao; it even came close to destroying his life force.

Just as he was on the brink of death, the leader of the Church of Divine Flame saved his life and brought him back to the church to recover. The Sword Fanatic had owed him a life debt ever since.

“However, I detest the Church of Divine Flame’s conduct. We pursue different Daos, and can never truly be allies. Thus, I never joined their ranks,” said the Sword Fanatic. “Instead, I offered to die and return what I owe, or to agree to three requests, provided they didn’t go against my fundamental nature. The leader of the Church of Divine Flame chose the latter.

“Over the long years that followed, I fulfilled two of his requests. First, he asked me to slay a traitor to the Church of Divine Flame. His second request was that I spend one hundred years guiding his eldest disciple, Hua Mingzhen, in his cultivation of the Dao of the Sword.

“This expedition to the ruins of the Academy of Eternal Night was his third request. Succeed or fail, I no longer owe the Church of Divine Flame anything.”

The Sword Fanatic took out a jug of wine, drank in silence, and said with self-deprecating laughter. “I wouldn’t have thought I’d repay that favor, only to owe yet another life debt.”

Su Yi nodded. “Is Nan Pingtian still alive?”

Nan Pingtian was the founder of the Church of Divine Flame! Prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals, he was a grandmaster of Demonism at the pinnacle of the Immortal Dao! They called him the Leveling Heavens Immortal Sovereign!

Prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals, it was entirely thanks to Nan Pingtian’s support that the Church of Divine Flame grew to become one of the Immortal Realm’s three great Demonist sects!

He was also one of Wang Ye’s greatest enemies.

“He’s still alive,” said the Sword Fanatic. “He went into seclusion when the curtains fell on the Age of Fallen Immortals. He’s hidden himself in a place no one knows, and even after all this time, there’s been no word of him. The current leader of the Church of Divine Flame is the Leveling Heavens Immortal Sovereign’s youngest son, Nan Wujiu.”

“Then do you know what role the Church of Divine Flame played in the Academy of Eternal Night’s downfall?” asked Su Yi.

The Sword Fanatic shook his head. “I don’t. I’ve never paid any attention to the affairs of Demonist factions. It was only when I set off for this mission that I learned that the church had occupied the ruins of the academy.”

Su Yi was instantly curious. “I slew quite a few of the church’s Immortal Lords. The Church of Divine Flame already knows that, so why did they just send you?”

“The Church of Divine Flame has run into thorny difficulties,” explained the Sword Fanatic. “Their top experts are locked in fierce combat with the experts of Lotus Temple, so they’ve all rushed to the Elephant Province.”

Su Yi was stunned. “So, that’s it.”

Lotus Temple was a Buddhist pure land. Prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals, it was the leader of the Immortal Realm’s Buddhist sects, and its foundations were incomparably ancient.

It was no wonder that they’d just send the Sword Fanatic if they were up against such a behemoth of an orthodoxy.

“Why did those two powerful orthodoxies start fighting out of nowhere?” asked Su Yi with great interest.

“Rumor has it they came into conflict over a grand stroke of good fortune involving a breakthrough into the Great Realm,” said the Sword Fanatic. “But that’s all I know.”

Fortune that could help someone break into the Great Realm? Su Yi’s eyes narrowed. In that case, it was no wonder the two top orthodoxies had come to blows. Prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals, whenever any such good fortune appeared, it was sure to stir up a storm of bloodshed!

After all, obtaining such good fortune meant that they had hope of acquiring a powerhouse at the pinnacle of the Immortal Dao. What orthodoxy wouldn’t be tempted? An expert of the Great Realm was enough to shift the Immortal Realm’s balance of power!

But Su Yi currently had no interest in such good fortune.

For one thing, his cultivation was far from sufficient to take advantage of it. Second, a battle like that would involve far too many prominent factions. On the surface, it seemed as if only Lotus Temple and the Church of Divine Flame were involved, but Su Yi dared say with certainty that numerous others were eyeing them hungrily, ready to swoop in and pilfer the spoils at a moment’s notice!

It wouldn’t even be strange if a few orthodoxies were wiped out completely during the resulting struggle.

“You can leave,” said Su Yi.

With that, he started walking toward the distant Tang Lingqi and Tang Bao’er.

The Sword Fanatic was stunned; he hadn’t expected this. “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t forgive me so easily?”

Su Yi laughed. “You’ve already answered some of my questions. Why keep you here?”

The Sword Fanatic furrowed his brow. “I don’t like owing others favors, and I really don’t like owing others a life debt.”

Su Yi froze, stunned, then mulled that over. “How about this? Do something for me, and we’ll be completely even.”

The Sword Fanatic visibly sighed in relief. “So long as it doesn’t go against my core principles, I’ll do whatever you ask, even if it means going to my death.”

Su Yi thought for a moment. “Do you know how the Central Immortal Court fell during the Age of Fallen Immortals?”

The Sword Fanatic’s gaze was complicated. “Naturally, the Central Immortal Court collapsed when that cataclysm swept across the Immortal Realm.”

Su Yi shook his head. “The Church of Divine Flame, the Church of Supreme Oneness, the Church of the Pure One, Lotus Temple, and numerous other top orthodoxies managed to survive, so why couldn’t the Central Immortal Court?”

The Sword Fanatic’s pupils constricted. “Do you suspect there are other secrets behind it?”

“I’m sure of it,” said Su Yi. “If you’re willing, help me get to the bottom of this. No matter what you learn, or how long it takes, I have to get answers!”

After a moment’s silence, the Sword Fanatic nodded. “Very well!”

He was originally the greatest of the Central Immortal Court’s ten great Immortal Lords. He naturally wouldn’t refuse this request.

Su Yi took out a talisman and tossed it to him. “Take this. With it, you can contact me at any time.”

The Sword Fanatic accepted the talisman, then turned and left without a word. He didn’t drag things out in the slightest.

Meanwhile, Su Yi walked over to Tang Lingqi. “Why were you waiting here all this time?”

Tang Lingqi quivered, then said solemnly, “Fellow Daoist, I won’t lie to you. This old man was waiting here to see the Church of Divine Flame’s response, and if possible, contribute what little strength I have to repay your benevolence. Now, it seems I was overthinking things.”

Here, he laughed bitterly. Even the Sword Fanatic had lost to Su Yi; there was no need for Tang Lingqi’s aid.

Su Yi smiled. “I appreciate your good intentions. If possible, I’d like to ask you to do something for me.”

Tang Lingqi’s spirits soared. “Please command me, Fellow Daoist.”

Su Yi took out the calligraphy that read “Suppressing the heavens until they’re just three feet tall” and passed it to Tang Lingqi. “Can you deliver this birthday gift to Xue Hongfeng of the Divine Cloud Xue Family?”