First Immortal of the Sword

“The Divine Cloud Mountain Xue Family?” Tang Bao’er looked a bit confused. “Never heard of them.”

She was from the ancient Tang Family, and she wasn’t from the White Reed Province. The Xue Family was just a local Immortal Lord clan; there was no way she'd know them.

Meanwhile, Tang Lingqi was stunned. “Fellow Daoist, that’s the masterful calligraphy of the Eternal Night Immortal Sovereign! Are you sure you want to give it to the Xue Family?”

Su Yi subtly inclined his head.

Not long ago, when he and Xue Hongfeng parted ways, Xue Hongfeng invited him to attend a banquet a month from now.

But really, Xue Hongfeng just wanted Su Yi to make him look good.

Su Yi naturally had little interest in such a banquet, but he'd agreed to at least prepare a gift. He figured this piece of calligraphy ought to be good enough.

Irrepressible envy and greed welled within Tang Lingqi’s heart. He sighed, “The Xue Family is fortunate indeed to receive such a treasure.”

The Eternal Night Immortal Sovereign’s calligraphy seldom appeared. Were someone to auction a piece, even Immortal Kings would drool over it!

And even experts at the pinnacle of the Immortal Dao would be intrigued!

What really surprised Tang Lingqi was that Su Yi would casually give such a treasure away. Such generosity was truly unexpected.

Su Yi laughed. “A line of text, that’s all. Most of its charm has been frittered away. It still has value, but not much.”

This calligraphy was his work, albeit from a past life. How could he care about such a thing?

But his words made Tang Lingqi laugh bitterly. Not much? If not for my desire to save face, I’d pay any price to acquire this treasure!

Tang Lingqi took a moment to steady himself, then said solemnly, “Leave this to me.”

“Also, after you leave the Divine Cloud Xue Family’s estate, it’d be great if you could stop by Blue Cliff Academy and pass on a message to their dean.”

“Please command me, Fellow Daoist,” said Tang Lingqi.

Su Yi said softly, “Within ten days, I plan to visit Blue Cliff Academy and challenge the Blue Cliff Twelve Towers.”

The Blue Cliff Twelve Towers!

This was the greatest forbidden zone in Blue Cliff Academy.

During Wang Ye’s pursuit of the Immortal Dao, he never got the chance to attempt the towers' challenges. This was a not-insignificant regret.

Even after reaching the pinnacle of the Immortal Dao and standing atop all forty-nine provinces, he still couldn’t let this go!

This was because, in his youth, he promised someone that he’d one day challenge the Blue Cliff Twelve Towers and make the bell ring twelve times!

“Blue Cliff Academy?” Tang Lingqi was a bit surprised. He naturally had heard of Blue Cliff Academy; it was one of the Immortal Realm’s three great Confucian orthodoxies.

Its foundations were ancient, and prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals, it had given rise to a Confucian master at the pinnacle of the Immortal Dao!

However, Blue Cliff Academy had declined since the Age of Fallen Immortals. Its reputation was far from what it once was, far beneath Clear Plain Academy and Pine Hunt College.

By the standards of the White Reed Province, it was a top Immortal King faction, but by the standards of the Immortal Realm as a whole, it was barely first-rate. It was even inferior to a top ancient clan like the Tang Family.

Of course, no Immortal King faction was to be underestimated. All were far beyond Immortal Lord factions; all could intimidate entire provinces!

Although he was confused as to what business Su Yi had with Blue Cliff Academy, Tang Lingqi considerately refrained from asking any further questions. He just pounded his chest and agreed.

“Su-... Su….” Tang Bao’er started to speak, but hesitated. It seemed she didn’t quite know how to address Su Yi.

Su Yi laughed. “A title, that’s all. Call me whatever you like. Right, what were you trying to say?”

Tang Bao’er could no longer hold back. She laughed, “I wanted to invite you to participate in the upcoming Divine Hunt. I just don’t know if you’re interested or not.”

The Divine Hunt!

Su Yi instantly understood. “They’re still hosting this event, even after all this time?”

Prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals, there had been numerous famous recurring events, like the Central Immortal Court’s Immortal Peach Banquet, Mount Buzhou’s Immortal King Night Banquet, the Academy of Eternal Night’s Immortal Assembly of Seeking the Profound, and the Buddhists' Orchid Platform Assembly.

All of these assemblies were famous throughout the forty-nine provinces, and every time they were held, they drew attention from the world’s immortal cultivators.

The Middle Province’s Divine Hunt wasn’t as grand or famous as those top assemblies, but it was a first-rate grand occasion for the world’s Immortal Lords.

When the time came, the strongest Immortal Lords beneath the heavens would gather at the Divine Hunt Demon Mountains to compete for good fortune and discuss the Dao. It was a glorious occasion indeed.

“That’s right. It’s held once every hundred years. The next Divine Hunt will begin in just six months,” explained Tang Bao’er. “And this time, the Tang Family is hosting the event. We’ve invited all of the strongest Immortal Lords in the Immortal Realm. It’ll be grander than ever before!”

Su Yi laughed. “I’m just a Universe Realm Immortal. I’m not qualified to participate.”

“Uh…” Tang Bao’er facepalmed, then said sheepishly, “I forgot about that detail.”

After seeing Su Yi cut down a slew of the Church of Divine Flame’s Immortal Lords, and after he defeated a heaven-defying Immortal Lord like the Sword Fanatic, she subconsciously took him for an expert among Immortal Lords.

Tang Lingqi suddenly interjected, “Fellow Daoist Su, if you want to participate, there are ways to arrange that. Technically, anyone beneath the Immortal King level is eligible.

“Furthermore, since the Tang Family is hosting this event, there’s no need for you to undergo any sort of selection process. I can simply give you a spot!”

Tang Bao’er’s beautiful eyes lit up. “Yeah, that’s right!”

Su Yi thought it over, then said, “Let’s see what the situation is like then.”

In the course of worldly affairs, people often had little control. Su Yi hated being tied down, and he wasn’t all that interested in the Divine Hunt.

Tang Lingqi said furtively, “Fellow Daoist, this is a secret, but this year’s Divine Hunt is different from the rest. Our experts joined forces with those of several other prominent factions to explore the Divine Hunt Demon Mountains, and we discovered an ancient secret realm. We suspect that it has existed since the Primeval Era!

“Unfortunately, it’s protected by an extraordinarily terrifying formation, and no one can enter it.

“However, according to numerous Immortal King’s divinations, in just about half a year, the formation sealing the hidden realm will weaken just enough to let Immortal Lords and under through.

“This is one of our goals for convening this Divine Hunt!”

Su Yi couldn’t help but exclaim, “Are you sure the hidden realm has existed since the Primeval Era?”

The Primeval Era was the oldest, most distant era of the Immortal Realm’s history, so old that it seemed ancient even in Wang Ye’s memories.

Thus, anything that had existed since that era was an antique among antiques!

The Black Dragon Market’s Nine Steles of the Primeval Era were a fortuitous ground that had existed since the Primeval Era, and they hid the Primeval Grounds, a place full of ancient vestiges of the Dao!

But now, a suspected hidden realm from the Primeval Era had appeared deep in the wilderness of the Divine Hunt Demon Mountains. This naturally piqued Su Yi’s interest.

Tang Lingqi said solemnly, “We believe that is the case.”

“If I have free time, I’ll be sure to check it out,” said Su Yi.

Wang Ye couldn’t have reached the pinnacle of the Immortal Dao without good fortune from the Primeval Era.

And just thinking about it, it was obvious that any treasure that had endured the countless years since the Primeval Era, including the cataclysm of the Age of Fallen Immortals, was sure to be extraordinary!

Tang Lingqi smiled and said, “This grand occasion will surely be all the more glorious if you can attend, Fellow Daoist!”

After chatting a little while longer, Tang Lingqi and Tang Bao’er bade Su Yi farewell and began their journey to the Divine Cloud Mountain Xue Family.

Su Yi, meanwhile, planned to go further up the Luo River, where Mount Taiwu, once the greatest mountain in the Immortal Realm, had stood.

Mount Taiwu had an extraordinary significance to Su Yi. It was the place Wang Ye went into seclusion, and the place he’d built the famous coronation platform. Others called it the “Little Heavenly Court!”

Prior to the Battle of Eternal Night, Wang Ye sealed his sword, Distant Seas, in the coronation platform on the peak of Mount Taiwu!

However, according to Qi Fufeng’s investigations, Mount Taiwu had disappeared during the Age of Fallen Immortals. No trace of it remained.

Over the years, countless top factions had investigated, but none uncovered anything at all.

Naturally, the mountain’s disappearance was now a well-known unsolved riddle.

This naturally perplexed Su Yi. How could Mount Taiwu just pop out of existence? There had to be secrets behind it all!

Now, Su Yi planned to investigate personally.

Before he left, Su Yi walked over to the stele outside the Valley of Seeking the Profound and said softly, “I’ll be back, little toad.”

With that, he turned to leave.

After this expedition to the Luo River Forbidden Zone, he knew that the primary culprit behind the destruction of the Academy of Eternal Night was Li Changsheng, but that the Church of Divine Flame, the Church of the Pure One, and numerous other factions were inextricably involved.

One day, he’d be sure to make them repay this debt in blood, and he’d rebuild the Academy of Eternal Night!

“Croak——!”

The cry of a toad shook the heavens, and a streak of immortal light shot out of that stone stele and transformed into a snowy, crystalline toad.

It watched Su Yi fade into the distance. Only after Su Yi disappeared from view did it disappear into the stele.

“Grand Uncle, don’t you think Su Yi is far too mysterious?”

Atop a treasure ship on course for the Divine Cloud Mountain Xue Family, Tang Bao’er couldn’t help but say, “I’ve lost track of how many ancient tomes I’ve read over the years, and I’ve heard countless myths and legends from my elders, but I’ve never heard of anyone as unbelievable as him!”

Tang Lingqi laughed bitterly. “Isn’t that true for me too?”

He paused, then waved. “Never mind all that. We’d best complete the task Fellow Daoist Su entrusted us with before we do anything else, and we’d best do it well! He saved our lives, and we can’t let him down.”

Tang Bao’er nodded repeatedly. “Of course.”

Tang Lingqi thought for a moment. “I’m actually curious as to how an Immortal Lord Faction like the Xue Family managed to win Fellow Daoist Su’s favor. I’ll be curious to go meet with them.”

Tang Bao’er giggled. “Let’s just give them an additional gift as representatives of the Tang Family. No one will object to extra gifts!”

Tang Lingqi broke into a gratified grin. “Exactly what I had in mind.”

Although they didn’t know it, Su Yi’s gift was purely out of consideration for Xue Hongfeng; it had nothing to do with the Xue Family. He just wanted to help an overlooked son of a concubine look good in front of his family.