First Immortal of the Sword

Light fell like rain, each droplet as radiant as a shooting star illuminating the night sky.

It was a group of young men and women.
The men were handsome and elegant, while the women were strikingly beautiful.

The leader of the group was a young woman in purple.
She had bright eyes, pearly teeth, and a graceful figure.
When her phoenix eyes looked around, they shone with lofty and imposing majesty.

“Wait a moment,” said Jiang Li, her purple clothing swaying around her.
Her phoenix eyes flashed like cold lightning as she gazed at the bustling city of ghosts. The group instantly came to a halt.

“This place is overrun with ghosts and brimming with dark miasma.
It ought to be removed from this world!” Jiang Li’s painted eyebrows were like distant mountains, but now, they knit together slightly; her aversion was on full display.

“Senior Apprentice Sister Jiang, allow me to dispose of those ghosts and goblins,” said the golden-robed, extraordinarily handsome Tao Yunchi, volunteering with a smile.

“No need,” said Jiang Li.
She extended a fair hand and beckoned.

Whoosh!

Dazzling, bright red flames soared into the air, forming a massive phoenix.
Fully unfurled, its wings stretched a full thousand feet across.
Firelight drifted down to earth like a colorful rain of light.

A rampaging, explosive, destructive aura spread outward.

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The Dao Charm of Phoenix Jade True Fire!

This was an extremely rare and tyrannical peerless Dao Charm, one that surpassed the usual framework of “three grades, nine classes”! 

Although the Jiang Family was one of the Great Xia’s three great clans, rumor had it that Jiang Li was the first of its clansmen to use a secret method to successfully awaken the latent talent of their lineage in the past thousand years.
In doing so, she gleaned enlightenment into this unparalleled, ancient variety of Dao Charm. 

The monstrous heavenly flames illuminated her, offsetting the purple of her clothing.
Jiang Li was already a city-toppling beauty, but now, she seemed like an utterly majestic goddess.

The male Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect disciples were all unwittingly awed and transfixed; Jiang Li’s unmatched magnificence left them stunned.

“Go!” Jiang Li stretched out a slender, jade-like finger and pointed at the city below.

Boom!

The burning phoenix let out a sonorous cry, beat its wings, and dove.

The mountain city with the name Green Locust Kingdom carved on its gates was only ten thousand feet across.
As the fiery phoenix shot toward it, the entire city was enveloped in heavenly flames.

Its spectral inhabitants shrieked in terror and scattered in all directions.

But before they could flee city limits, both the ghosts and the city were enveloped in endless flames.

Boom!

The surrounding mountains shook, and flecks of light flew into the air.

In the blink of an eye, the entire city was burnt to nothingness; it had been wiped off the face of the earth.
The flames’ blazing, destructive aura ran rampant, turning the nearby boulders to powder and the vegetation to ash.

As far as the eye could see, the mountains were now nothing but scorched earth!

Qiu Hengkong couldn’t help but gasp.

Of those in their group, Tao Yunchi had the highest cultivation—he was in the early-stage Gathering Stars Realm.

However, in terms of combat prowess, the mid-stage Origin Palace Realm Jiang Li was the strongest!

Inner sect disciples of the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect were one in ten thousand even among others of the same cultivation.
They could easily destroy mundane cultivators of the same level.

It was even possible for them to cross realms and kill opponents of higher cultivations.
This was universally acknowledged.

If one were to rank the cultivators of the Great Xia, the rootless rogue cultivators of the mundane world would be at the very bottom.

The cultivators of the sects and factions scattered throughout the Great Xia’s thirteen provinces were one step up.
Their ranks included extremely mighty experts, but such people were few and far between.

The disciples of the four great orthodoxies, three great clans, and the imperial family undoubtedly stood at the very top of the Great Xia’s world of cultivation. 

The Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect was one of these top factions. 

It was divided into outer sect disciples, inner sect disciples, and core disciples.

In the Great Xia’s mundane world, someone like Qiu Hengkong was strong compared to others of the same cultivation.

But in the Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect, he was merely an outer sect disciple; he was far from comparable to an inner sect disciple like Tao Yunchi, never mind a core disciple like Jiang Li.

If Tao Yunchi was a one-in-ten-thousand prominent elite, then Jiang Li was a monstrous genius of her era, a chosen daughter of heaven!

The Qingyi Daoist Sect, Cloudsky Divine Palace, and Maha Temple operated in much the same way.

I’m afraid that even if I work hard my entire life, I’ll never be comparable to an unparalleled genius like her… Qiu Hengkong sighed to himself.

He was inferior to her in terms of talent, the quality of his spirit root, and his accumulations, and by no small margin, either. 

Even forgetting Jiang Li’s status as a direct-line descendent of one of the nation’s three great families, she had still mastered a peak-level legacy and she practiced a top-notch cultivation technique.
Both at home and in the sect, her seniors were illustrious, prominent experts.

Proud daughters of heaven like Jiang Li were the cream of the crop; even if you searched the entire world, you’d find but a handful of them!

How could Qiu Hengkong compete with her? How was he supposed to catch up to her?

What really gave him cause for despair was that on top of her unparalleled talent, her Dao Heart was firm, and she was assiduously hard-working.
No one in the sect put in more effort than her.

She was a shockingly talented young woman with a top-notch family background, and she was a hard worker on top of all that.
Only her fellow geniuses of the present day could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her!

“Eh? There are still three people there—one human and two yao cultivators!” Someone suddenly exclaimed. 

The group looked over and saw three figures rise out the wreckage of the city, then stand atop a nearby mountain.
There was a handsome young man in blue robes, a tall, stalwart, earnest-looking man, and a graceful beauty.

“Those three were skulking about that unclean, miasma-ridden place.
I’m afraid they’re no good either,” muttered Tao Yunchi.

His words won quite a few of his companions’ approval. This was the remote mountain wilderness, yet they’d just discovered three people mixed in with a city of ghosts.
It was hard not to assume the worst.

Jiang Li’s beautiful eyebrows furrowed.
“Come on, let’s greet them and seize the opportunity to ask about their origins while they’re at it.
If it turns out they’re a decent sort, we can end it there, but if they’re evildoers, we absolutely cannot let them escape. ”

The group immediately flew towards them.

……

“Master, they’re coming toward us!” said Yuan Heng gravely.

Earlier, he saw when Jiang Li ’s attack and witnessed those phoenix flames soaring through the heavens and obliterating an entire city.
He’d long since guessed that this group had extraordinary origins.

Now, seeing them draw near, Yuan Heng couldn’t help but be on guard.

“I wouldn’t have thought I’d bump into him here….” Su Yi’s eyes flashed with a hint of surprise; he recognized Qiu Hengkong.

“Fellow Daoist Su!” As Jiang Li and her companions approached, Qiu Hengkong recognized Su Yi, and his face lit up with surprise and delight.

This reaction stunned his companions, who looked at him.
Qiu Hengkong realized he’d slipped up, and he hurriedly said, “Senior apprentice brothers and sisters, Fellow Daoist Su is no evildoer.
He’s an old friend of mine.”

Jiang Li nodded, but Tao Yunchi said suspiciously, “Junior Apprentice Brother Qiu, didn’t you say you didn’t have any friends in the Great Xia? Why has one appeared out of nowhere, and why is he mixed up with two yao cultivators?”

His tone wasn’t the least bit polite.

This made the distant Yuan Heng and Bai Wenqing furrow their brows.

Displeasure rose within Qiu Hengkong’s heart, and he explained in a whisper, “Senior Apprentice Brother Tao, Fellow Daoist Su isn’t a cultivator of the Great Xia.
He’s from the Great Zhou, where he has the title of imperial preceptor.
He’s exceptionally talented; ordinary people can’t compare with him.”

“The Great Zhou?” Tao Yunchi seemed dumbstruck.
“Which backwater nation is that?”

One of his companions laughed, “It’s a tiny little country on the southernmost edge of the continent.
It neighbors Junior Apprentice Brother Qiu’s home country.
That place… It really is remote.
It’s such a backwater that it’s not surprising that you haven’t heard of it.” 

“Oh? So it’s one of the tiny little countries bordering the Great Wei!” Tao Yunchi instantly understood, and he burst into jeering laughter, his eyes shining with indifferent disdain.

His companions shook their heads dismissively too.

He was just a cultivator from some backwater.
What “imperial preceptor of the Great Zhou”? A title like that could only intimidate civilians of the mundane world.

Qiu Hengkong found their reaction hard to bear, but he could only endure. 

Jiang Li’s beautiful phoenix eyes swept across the group, and she said in a smooth, pleasing voice, “We’re out touring the world, and we’re all sectmates.
When we meet Junior Apprentice Brother Qiu’s friend, be polite.”

Tao Yunchi smiled.
“Senior Apprentice Sister Jiang, rest assured.
He’s a cultivator from a remote little nation; we naturally won’t do anything to lower our statuses.”

His tone contained a clear air of superiority.

The others smiled and nodded.

Would an eagle deliberately make trouble for an ant?

Of course not.

Although Qiu Hengkong disliked Tao Yunchi and his companions’ attitude, he knew that they indeed had the strength to back it up.

He took a deep breath, clasped his hands in front of him, and bowed to Jiang Li.
“Many thanks, Senior Apprentice Sister Jiang.”

Jiang Li inclined her head, but she said nothing. 

As they conversed, the group descended and landed atop a mountain.
They now stood directly before Su Yi and his companions. 

“Junior Apprentice Brother Qiu, go catch up,” ordered Jiang Li.
“We’ll wait here for a bit, then leave.”

As she spoke, she walked to the side of the mountaintop and gazed into the night skies.

Upon learning that Su Yi was Qiu Hengkong’s friend, she lost all interest in inquiring about his background.
She had no plans of exchanging pleasantries, either. 

After all, he was just some backwater rogue cultivator.
How could he possibly be worthy of her taking the initiative to greet him?

Of course, this wasn’t disdain, nor was it contempt or rejection.
She simply saw him as a stranger. 

“Fellow Daoist Su!” Qiu Hengkong set all other concerns aside and immediately went up to greet him.
“What are you doing here?”

Su Yi smiled.
“I’m surprised to bump into you here too.”

He noticed Jiang Li and her companions.
However, they practically had the words “Back off, strangers!” written on their foreheads.
 How could Su Yi possibly pay them any heed? He directly ignored them.

As he spoke, he flipped his hand, took out his wicker chair, and sprawled out in it.
He tossed a jar of wine to Qiu Hengkong and gestured to the rock beside him.
“How about you sit down?”

His demeanor was so casual that it seemed as if he saw this as his own backyard.
The nearby Tao Yunchi and his companions couldn’t help but feel dazed, and they felt subtly uncomfortable. This kid… Does he not take us the least bit seriously!?

The Fulcrum of Heaven Sword Sect struck terror into the hearts of every cultivator beneath the heavens.
Who dared not take the initiative to greet them?

Yet now, someone from a tiny little backwater was completely ignoring them, as if they weren’t even there…