First Immortal of the Sword

The sight of the sect leader’s frantic, infuriated panic made the Spherical Heavens Immortal Sovereign chuckle.

“I know that the divine son you hope to usher in is simply coming here to prove his Dao and become a god in the Immortal Realm. He hopes to seize Epoch Laws of the present day and condense a Godhead before others get the chance,” the Spherical Heavens Immortal Sovereign said flatly. “After all, if it’s as I suspect, even divine children require the right opportunity before they can condense a Godhead and forge a Divine Throne!”

The Divine Fortune Teller’s heart shook.

He’d long since heard rumors that they'd entered a golden age, and that opportunities to achieve divinity would soon appear in the Immortal Realm!

But this was his first time learning that even the descendants of the gods had their sights on these opportunities!

The Divine Fortune Teller thought to himself, And here I thought the gods’ will had permeated the Immortal Realm to target Wang Ye. So, it turns out they had an altogether different goal!

Divine Venerate Tian Wu, the god behind the Church of All Spirits, had arranged for a divine son to descend into the Immortal Realm.

It seemed logical to assume that other factions with divine backers had similar plans!

The Divine Fortune Teller could see it already. In the days to come, when an opportunity to achieve divinity appeared in the Immortal Realm, the situation here would become increasingly complicated—and dangerous!

The leader of the Church of All Spirits had an unsightly look on his face. “Daoist Brother, I can tell you how to neutralize divine misfortune, but what guarantee do I have that you won’t simply renege on our agreement?”

The Spherical Heavens Immortal Sovereign said expressionlessly, “Drop the act. I know you carry a secret treasure given to you by your god, and I know it’s enough to threaten my life. Given the circumstances, how could you possibly be afraid of me? Ultimately, you just don’t want to help me. You want to exploit my divine misfortune to control me!”

His voice was cold and tinged with mockery.

An Immortal King dared try to manipulate him. It was simply laughable!

The leader of the Church of All Spirits narrowed his eyes. “Daoist Brother, I hope you won’t disappoint me.”

He put the black talisman away, swapping it for a bone slip. “This contains the secret method for neutralizing divine misfortune.”

He then started to toss it to the nearby Divine Fortune Teller, only for the Spherical Heavens Immortal Sovereign to change his mind once more. “Wait! Give it to me directly!”

Fuck! The Divine Fortune Teller felt the urge to curse him out. Ol’ Spherical Heavens really is no good!

The leader of the Church of All Spirits tossed it to him as directed.

Weng!

The Spherical Heavens Immortal Sovereign stretched out his hand and tapped. The bone slip froze in midair just three feet away from him.

It was only after examining it with his divine sense and confirming that it wasn’t dangerous that he took it. “Wait a moment. I’m going to look through it first.”

“Completely neutralizing the power of divine misfortune requires the power of a god?” After examining the slip’s contents, the Spherical Heavens Immortal Sovoereign’s expression darkened, and his eyes blazed with murderous intent. “Little wretch! Are you toying with me!”

The leader of the Church of All Spirits furrowed his brow. “You ought to know how taboo and calamitous the power of divine misfortune is. How could you possibly remove it without divine intervention? Anyway, although the method recorded in that slip can’t remove it from the roots, it can help you suppress its power and prevent it from invading your body! Then, after the divine son arrives, he can help you neutralize it completely!”

The Spherical Heavens Immortal Sovereign snorted coldly. “I hope it’s as you say.”

The leader of the Church of All Spirits sighed in relief.

But then, the Divine Fortune Teller said out of nowhere, “Ol’ Spherical Heavens, aren’t you afraid that the divine son you’re ushering in will just kill you after he gets here?”

But the Spherical Heavens Immortal Sovereign just laughed. “This is the divine son’s first time in the Immortal Realm, and he’s sure to need helpers. If even an Immortal King like the leader of the Church of All Spirits can serve as a divine emissary, do you really think they’ll refuse me?”

The leader of the Church of All Spirits didn’t seem at all pleased to hear that, but in the end, he said nothing.

The Divine Fortune Teller jeered. “You really live up to your reputation! Who’d have thought a lofty yao Sovereign would be so shameless as to willingly serve as another’s dog! And you even put it so pompously!”

But the Spherical Heavens Immortal Sovereign thought nothing of it. “If you want to obtain something, you have to pay the corresponding price. The divine son can help neutralize the power of divine misfortune, and if I obtain his trust, when the path to divinity appears, I’ll have increased odds of proving my Dao and becoming a god in my own right! As they say, the pavilion closest to the waterfront enjoys the moonlight first!”

The Divine Fortune Teller was instantly at a loss for words.

The leader of the Church of All Spirits had a strange look on his face, too. “If that’s what you have in mind, I’d like to ask you to hurry.”

The Spherical Heavens Immortal Sovereign subtly inclined his head.

In truth, he really couldn’t last much longer. Activating the ritual grounds took his full strength, and it was exhausting even for an Immortal Sovereign like him.

Of course, he maintained a calm facade.

“Activate!” The Spherical Heavens Immortal Sovereign took a deep breath and bellowed.

Boom!

The illusory Tree of All Worlds shook, right down to the roots that stretched into countless worlds and planes. Its branches grew, extending endlessly deeper into the firmament, piercing one spacetime barrier after another. In the end, it slammed into a mysterious and distant barrier between worlds.

The dome of heaven shook, and spacetime power surged, as if countless worlds had been run through. A dazzlingly bright beam of light spread from impossibly far away, drawing closer and closer to the Immortal Realm.

It was actually a spacetime tunnel built between the illusory tree branches. In the blink of an eye, it was floating beneath the dome of heaven.

“Success!” The leader of the Church of All Spirits lit up with delight.

The markings covering the ritual grounds were actually spatial coordinates.

With their help, they’d paved a path through the endlessness of time and space to reach the God Domain!

Boom!

The sky churned as spacetime power contorted into a vortex-like portal, as if the sky itself were opening its gaping maw.

It was indistinct, but a tall, stalwart figure had appeared within the tunnel. He was bathed in resplendent divine radiance like a distant, unattainable god standing above the nine heavens!

The Divine Fortune Teller and the Zhuyou Great Peng’s hearts shook. Is that a path to the God Domain? Then that person must be the divine son the sect leader spoke of!

The entire ritual ground seemed to boil over with flashing, resplendent talisman markings. Atop the nine-foot altar, the withered section of root burned, and the illusory giant tree seemed increasingly tangible.

The Spherical Heavens Immortal Sovereign’s face was pallid. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

Maintaining the formation was far too exhausting. He was on the verge of running out of steam.

But when he saw the tall, stalwart figure within the tunnel, a strange light lit in the depths of his gaze. So, that’s the descendent of a god?

A complicated knot of emotions suddenly rose within his heart.

Some people were born as lowly as blades of grass, while others were the children of gods and goddesses. The disparity was far too enormous! Even he, an unparalleled Great Realm powerhouse who’d risen to prominence prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals, couldn’t help but lament the unfairness of destiny!

The leader of the Church of All Spirits quivered from head to toe and flung himself to the ground. “Your subordinate, Wan Yunya, greets you, Divine Son!”

“Wan Yunya, you’ve done well. Once I’ve broken through the fetters of time and space to descend into the Immortal Realm, I’ll be sure to grant you good fortune!”

The tall, stalwart figure’s voice boomed from within the tunnel, like a deity issuing a divine decree. Every word was full of dignity and power.

That tall, stalwart figure continued, “Spherical Heavens Immortal Sovereign, Wan Yunya told me about you. We couldn’t have opened this spacetime tunnel without your contribution. When I arrive in the Immortal Realm, I’ll rid you of divine misfortune personally!”

The Spherical Heavens Immortal Sovereign’s spirits soared. “Many thanks, Esteemed Divine Son!”

Fuck! You’re really shameless! You even added an ‘esteemed’ to his title. Aren’t you laying it on a bit thick? The Divine Fortune Teller grumbled to himself.

“Divine Son, please descend into this lower plane quickly. I won’t be able to support the tunnel for long,” the Spherical Heavens Immortal Sovereign said hurriedly.

“Very well!” That tall, upright figure approached from further down the tunnel.

Boom!

Explosive spacetime power surged forth, continuously attempting to intercept him. But his whole body erupted with divine radiance, and he forged valiantly ahead, crushing every obstacle in his path. He was headed toward the exit!

As the “esteemed divine son” drew near, the group watching from the Immortal Realm finally saw his features clearly.

He had long, silver hair, and he wore dark military robes. His features were youthful and handsome, and his eyes flashed like lightning.

There was a contorted golden serpent emblazoned in the center of his forehead, and he held a white bone treasure tower aloft in the palm of his hand. The tower had nine stories, and it erupted with dazzlingly bright divine radiance that broke through all the spacetime power blocking the divine son’s path.

There was no doubt about it. The bone tower was an extraordinary treasure!

“Open!” The silver-haired man bellowed and charged toward the exit.

Heaven and earth shook violently.

The entire ritual ground shook, and the nine-foot altar hummed and buzzed.

Splurt!

The Spherical Heavens Immortal Sovereign coughed up blood. He’d almost lost control.

He suddenly took a deep breath, then fought with all his might. Even then, he only just barely ensured that the ritual grounds and altar weren’t affected.

The silver-haired man was now half-visible within the spacetime tunnel. One more step, and he could truly descend into this world!

“We’re about to succeed!!” the leader of the Church of All Spirits cried out with excitement.

He could picture it already. Under the divine son’s leadership, the Church of All Spirits would dominate the world! They’d be invincible!

The Divine Fortune Teller and Zhuyou Great Peng’s hearts sank. If a divine son really entered the Immortal Realm… even disregarding his impact on the big picture, the two of them would be unlikely to escape disaster!

What do we do? The Zhuyou Great Peng was frantic.

The Divine Fortune Teller gnashed his teeth and said at top speed, “Now’s our chance. Run!”

With that, he flipped his palm. A dark turtle shell floated into the air.

But just as he was about to take action….

Boom!

Sword qi rose into the heavens, slicing open the firmament before descending upon the thousand-foot ritual ground. Both the Spherical Heavens Immortal Sovereign and the leader of the Church of All Spirits looked stricken.

“Break!”

The leader of the Church of All Spirits tried to block the descending sword qi, only to be sent flying back on impact.

The sword qi was searing, intense, and tyrannical. It cleaved right into the ritual ground.

Kaboom!

It slammed into the ground like a shooting star. The ritual ground split and collapsed.

The nine-foot altar at its center crumbled and collapsed, inch by inch. The impact spread to the illusory giant tree, which shook, then scattered into motes of light that popped like soap bubbles.

Dammit!

The Spherical Heavens Immortal Sovereign was furious.

Beneath the distant dome of heaven, the spacetime portal suddenly cracked. It was on the verge of collapse!

The silver-haired man was only halfway through the portal, and this strike startled him so badly that he let out a heaven-shaking roar. “Who dares ruin this lofty one’s grand ambitions!?”