First Immortal of the Sword

“How….
How is this possible…..” The small, gaunt elder was wide-eyed, tongue-tied, and so startled he almost jumped.

The Small Thunderflame Formation he’d put into place was enough to severely injure a Xiantian Martial Ancestor, and that was assuming it didn’t outright kill them!

Yet now, Su Yi had emerged from the building without a single hair out of place, as if the formation weren’t even there!

“As expected, this Young Lord Su isn’t simple.” Wang Zhuo was briefly stunned, but then, he sighed ruefully.

It seemed he wasn’t overly surprised.

“The formation can’t trap him, but that doesn’t mean we can’t kill him,” said the hulking giant with a grin.
His big eyes were bright red, and they shone with intimidating cruelty and bloodlust.

Kssssh!

Suddenly, the faint, nigh-indiscernible sound of something cutting through the air appeared amidst the downpour.

Su Yi held his oil-paper umbrella in his left hand.
With his right, he tapped the air.

A pitch-black arrow exploded into bits amidst the darkness, just ten feet from Su Yi.

But that was only the beginning—

An urgent, high-pitched sound reminiscent of someone strumming a zither resounded throughout the night sky, and suddenly, one sharp blade after another hurtled through the darkness, striking from all directions.

The blades were as thin as a cicada’s wings, and they were shaped like willow leaves.
They were almost transparent, yet they emanated a fierce, intimidating sharpness.

As they flew through the air, they sliced it open, leaving rifts in their wake.

The blades mixed with the rain, erratic and only barely perceptible.
They were almost impossible to guard against.

This attack was so sudden that never mind a Grandmaster, even a Xiantian Martial Ancestor would have found the blades almost impossible to trace.

There was no doubt about it; the blades’ owner was extremely proficient in the Dao of Assasination.
They were using the darkness and rain as cover to launch a terrifying ambush against Su Yi.

Wang Zhuo nodded to himself, and his eyes flashed like lightning.
He watched Su Yi from afar, as if curious to see how he’d counter this assassination attempt.

But against all expectations, Su Yi made no attempt to dodge.
It was as if he didn’t even notice the blades.
He just continued walking ahead.

When the seemingly inescapable net of sharp blades drew near—

A streak of sword light even darker and deeper than the night appeared in Su Yi’s right hand.
The indistinct, proud shriek of a vicious bird reverberated through the air.

Whoosh!

There was a flash of sword light.

’

A massive sharp edge appeared, just as it had when Su Yi fought Hua Liuye.
It descended, cutting through the air as if it were made of tissue mache, shattering everything within a foot of Su Yi into powder.

The sword even cut through the curtain of rain, its edge unstoppable.
Just watching it shook the heart. 

“This….” About a hundred feet away, behind a black boulder, a woman in black robes was stunned.
A zither lay by her knees.
It was a mighty spiritual weapon.
Its strings could form invisible blades out of sound waves, striking and killing enemies from a distance. 

The woman in black had lofty, deep attainments in the Martial Dao to begin with, and she’d practiced the zither to the point of mastery.
She was confident that, even if her foe were a Xiantian Martial Ancestor, she could make him die a miserable death.

Yet now, a single sword had broken through her ultimate killing blow!

She gnashed her teeth, and her fingers strummed her zither.
She was just about to try another attack when she heard a faint sigh.

“The art of assassination is such that, if one attack fails, you are to flee as far away as possible; you absolutely cannot hesitate in the slightest.
And you…are most certainly not a qualified assassin.

Before this voice even finished echoing through the air, and before the woman in black could react, a streak of sword qi descended out of nowhere.

Snap!

The zither’s strings split, followed by its base.

The woman in black was still sitting there cross-legged as a straight, bloody line appeared.
It started on her forehead, then traveled down her nose, lips, chin, throat, and chest….

“Good….
Good technique….” said the woman in black.

The words came out disjointed, and by the time she finished, her body split soundlessly down the midline, the two halves falling to the sides like a freshly-cut melon.
Fresh blood poured out like a waterfall, mixing with the pooling rainwater.

And Su Yi? He ignored her and continued walking through the rain.

Despite the downpour, the water poured down his umbrella.
Not one drop touched his clothes.

Wang Zhuo was watching from a distance, and when he saw this, his expression turned grave. 

“Tie Kong, it’s your turn.”

The hulking giant beside him nodded. 

Boom!

Tie Kong’s mountainous body suddenly surged with vast, towering yao qi.
His eyes were bright red, and steely, needle-like black hair sprouted rapidly all over his skin.

Boom!

“Get in formation!” Tie Kong bellowed, his voice booming like thunder and shaking the clouds.

’

Su Yi had almost left the bounds of Dragonbridge Station, and he wasn’t far away.
He suddenly paused, then swept his gaze around the area.

He then watched as eighteen figures shot over from all four directions.
They included a mix of men and women, but all of them emanated devastating yao qi.
Together, they formed a unique combat formation.

Boom!

Their disparate energies shifted to match each other; it was like they’d become one entity.
All of their energy gathered together, surging into Tie Kong’s hulking frame.

His aura visibly expanded, growing and growing.
It even scattered and dispersed the pouring rain.

This was unquestionably terrifying!

By comparison, Xiantian Martial Ancestors like Xia Houlin and Cai Jinghai were a full level lower.

Even an old demon like the vice sect leader of the Deathbringer’s Gate, Hua Liuye, wasn’t as intimidating as Tie Kong was now.

There was no doubt about it: upon receiving the combined power of eighteen people through the formation, Tie Kong’s strength rose to a whole new level!

“This should be enough to deal with the boy….” Wang Zhuo gently patted the civet, which was now in his arms.
He felt much calmer.

Tie Kong was a spirit beast in human form, a yaoling more terrifying than any tier-nine spirit beast.
His true form was a variant Violent Ape, and his individual strength was already on par with a Xiantian Martial Ancestor.

And each of the eighteen people contributing to the formation was a Grandmaster.
The formation in question was called the Six Harmonies Qi Gathering Formation.
With it, the combined essence, qi, and spirit of eighteen people gathered and converged in Tie Kong’s body.

He effectively had the power of eighteen Grandmasters to supplement his strength!

Wang Zhuo asked himself, Were I his foe, could I beat him without using my trump cards? I’m afraid I’d find it rather hard to defeat Tie Kong in his current state.

“Die!” Tie Kong roared, his voice booming like lightning.
He charged, like a mountain in motion, ripping through the downpour. 

When he was still about one hundred feet away, he suddenly clenched his fists and swung his massive arms.

Boom!

The force of his fist burst, illuminating the darkness like the sudden appearance of a dazzling crimson sun.
The air shattered around it as towering baleful energy slammed toward Su Yi.

Su Yi’s expression didn’t so much as waver; he was just as calm as before.

Back when he was a first-level Grandmaster, he could already easily kill a Xiantian Martial Ancestor on the level of Xia Houlin, and when he went all out, not even an old devil like Hua Liuye was worthy of his concern.

Nevermind now that he was a second-level Grandmaster!

The onlookers watched as—

Su Yi’s sleeves fluttered as he suddenly waved his hand.

’

Formless Dao Astral Force howled and surged forth, carrying the unique Dao Light of fire mixed with the natural, subtle charm of the Grand Dao.

Boom!

The earth caved in, and the sky was in turmoil.

The power of Su Yi’s attack didn’t decrease.
It slammed viciously into Tie Kong, whose pupils constricted.
He then roared and raised his arms as if lifting a mountain.

Blood-colored light surged in front of him, forming a thick, crimson barrier.
It acted like a wall, just barely blocking Su Yi’s sweeping attack.

Bam!

The crimson barrier boomed, then swayed violently.
Dense, web-like cracks appeared on its surface.
Although the barrier successfully blocked Su Yi’s attack, it burst apart shortly after. 

Tie Kong’s ferocious figure staggered slightly, his blood and qi flowing in reverse.

Despite himself, he was stunned.

The force of the blow left the eighteen people contributing to the Six Harmonies Qi Gathering Formation staggering too.
Without exception, their expressions changed dramatically. 

“They said he’s a first-level Grandmaster, but he’s far stronger than the rumors said!” Watching from a distance, Wang Zhuo gasped.
He was finally starting to lose his composure.

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“Kill him!” Tie Kong didn’t delay.
A bronze staff appeared in his hand.
His soles pressed against the ground, and he charged into the air.

Boom!

Before he even got close, he raised his staff and swung with all his might.
His attack was so heavy that it could cleave mountains and split rivers.

Su Yi glanced at his oil-paper umbrella, then decided not to hold back any longer.

Otherwise, when they fought, the aftershock would inevitably spread to the weak, fragile umbrella, destroying it.
If that happened, wouldn’t he get drenched? 

That would be far too unseemly! 

Clang!

The Abstruse God Sword was every bit as dark as the night sky.
He raised it into the air, then slashed down.

With my sword, I split mountains and seas.
My troubles recede like the tides.

In that instant, a thousand-foot streak of sword qi pierced the skies, as splendid as the rising sun. 

’

The darkness, the curtain of rain, the air, the mist….
All of it seemed to evaporate beneath that unstoppable sword light.
Soon, it illuminated the entire stretch of heaven and earth.

His imposing might was completely different from before.

Part of this was that Su Yi was now a second-level Grandmaster.

And part of it was that Su Yi had improved on the Abstruse God Sword.
It was engraved with the Spirit-Devouring Edict, which already had the power to absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth.
Now, it also had a wisp of soul originating from a Netherflame Demon Sparrow.

This power was then displayed through Su Yi’s Rejoicing Sword Sutra.
Of course he was far stronger than before; how could he not be?

Blue sword qi arced like a rainbow, looking so radiant that it seemed like the work of an immortal.
It cut through the rain and darkness as it descended upon the world below. 

Wang Zhuo’s hair instantly stood on end, and he felt a chill in his hands and feet.

The tiny, gaunt elder beside him was so scared that his soul practically left his body.
He shrieked in terror.

Beneath this sword, even the ten-foot-tall Tie Kong sensed the fatal threat.
It drove him into a frenzied state, and he waved his staff with all his might in an attempt to defend himself. 

Crunch!

The bronze staff split as easily as if it were made of tofu.

Immediately afterward, the thousand-foot streak of sword qi struck Tie Kong’s hovering, mountainous frame with a spray of blood. 

This Xiantian Martial Ancestor who originated as a Violent Ape yaoling split in two before he even hit the ground.
Blood and organs poured from the cut, forming a pile on the ground.

His death was shocking to behold.

Bang!

The slash also cleaved open a perfectly straight, thousand-meter-long rift in the earth, scattering rocks and mud.

And the eighteen people who’d formed the combat formation? They suffered a terrifying backlash.
All of them were flung backward, blood spurting from their mouth and nose as their cries shook the heavens. 

Earlier, they’d fused their essence, qi, and spirit with Tie Kong.
Now that Tie Kong was dead, they suffered horrifying injuries!

One sword slashed through one thousand feet of sky, slaying Tie Kong and breaking his formation!

If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, who would dare believe that such a powerful slash was the work of a young second-level Grandmaster?