First Immortal of the Sword

Azurecloud Court.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Fu Qingyun took out a jade slip and passed it to Su Yi.
“Fellow Daoist, here is a list of the experts participating in the battle on the fifth.”

Su Yi couldn’t help but exclaim, “They aren’t just not hiding it, they even dared to give you a list of names like this?”

A strange light shone in Fu Qingyun’s eyes.
“This perhaps proves that they have indeed made ample preparations, and that they’re without fear.”

Su Yi nodded, accepted the jade slip, and started looking through it.

Each of the four ancient factions and three otherworld factions were sending nine Spiritual Revolution cultivators into battle: sixty-three in total!

Such a lineup was utterly shocking.
There was no other comparable force in the modern world!

The jade slip even included the Spiritual Revolution experts’ names and information about their cultivations.

Su Yi didn’t care about all that, but he did notice something interesting.

Most of the participating Spiritual Revolution experts were of the older generation.
Simply put, they were like Huan Tianxu and Nie Wanzhi.
Older-generation cultivators like them had all suffered the corrosive effects of the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness, and within the Spiritual Revolution Realm, their abilities were average at best.

Su Yi had killed people like that back in the Spiritual Manifestation Realm.

Then aside, a minority of the participating Spiritual Revolution cultivators had broken through after the onset of the Radiant Epoch.

They had deep cultivations and extraordinary aptitude.
Without exception, they were core members of their respective factions, and their combat prowess far surpassed the older-generation cultivators.

They were comparable, if not superior, to Huan Shanglin and Xie Zhibei.

“Although this lineup looks enormous, and although others might find it quite scary, in my eyes, it’s a bit ridiculous.” Su Yi shook his head.

The older-generation cultivators had long since ceased to interest him.

As for the younger, recently-broken-through Spiritual Revolution cultivators? They were at best on par with Huan Shanglin and Xie Zhibei.
Even if they were stronger, they couldn’t compete with the Kunwu Mountain Ye Family’s Ye Xiao.

It didn’t matter how many of them there were, or how much terror they struck into the hearts of the nation’s cultivators.

To Su Yi, if his opponents were in the Spirit Dao, their numbers meant absolutely nothing to him!

“Throughout the world, only you could say something like that, Fellow Daoist,” Fu Qingyun said with a laugh.
Then, he warned, “But you’d still best be on guard.”

Su Yi fidgeted with the jade slip.
“Why do you say that?”

The Xia Emperor said, “Fellow Daoist, according to our intelligence, it’s highly likely that the ancient factions will use their sects’ ultimate treasures to ensure your death.
All of these treasures were left behind by Imperial Experts.”

When he heard that, Su Yi’s eyes lit up, and he looked intrigued.
“Let’s hear the specifics.”

The Xia Emperor couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

He’d been trying to urge Su Yi to be more cautious.
Who’d have thought talk of supreme treasures would instead pique his curiosity?

“Fellow Daoist Fu, your Bluecloud Tower understands this the best.
How about you explain?” The Xia Emperor glanced at Fu Qingyun.

“Alright,” said Fu Qingyun before launching into a thorough explanation.

The Demonic Huan Family’s ultimate treasure was a bone umbrella their ancestor, Demon Emperor Heavenly Avarice, had left behind.
It was called the Thousand Demon Profound Mirror Umbrella.

The Thousand Demon Profound Mirror’s surface was carved with sixty-four images of demonic domains.
When activated, it manifested all sixty-four of them, summoning the power of three thousand heavenly demons.

The ultimate treasure of Tianji Dao Mountain was called the Profound Astral Galaxy Seal.
It contained the will imprints of three Emperors, and even a wisp of its aura could suppress the entire land.

The Burning Sun Sect’s ultimate treasure was the Nine-Nether God-Burning Cauldron, and the Pure Emptiness Buddhist Sect’s ultimate treasure was the Spirit Firmament Whisk…

The words flowed out of Fu Qingyun.
He knew these treasures like his own family tree.

“These treasures experienced thirty thousand years of the Prohibition of Ancient Darkness.
All surviving Imperial treasures are severely damaged,” said Fu Qingyun.
“Still, it has to be said: if they really activate these treasures, their power will be unimaginable…

“That aside, these factions’ legacies have long histories, and their foundations are incomparably firm.
They surely have no lack of Imperial-level talismans….”

By the time Fu Qingyun finished, Su Yi roughly understood.

In order to take him down, the hostile factions hadn’t just rallied an enormous number of Spiritual Revolution experts; they’d also called upon their last resorts, their ultimate treasures!

However, this situation was within Su Yi’s expectations.

Powerful factions were powerful, not just because they had numerous mighty experts to hold down the fort, but because they had ancient legacies and deep foundations.

The treasures and powers Emperors had left behind were the source of their confidence and the reason they could gaze upon the world with pride.

“As for the House of the Skywalking Sword, the Tiandou Spirit Cult, and the Incarnation of Stars Sect, they might come from other worlds, but they surely have no lack of similar killer weapons and trump cards.”

Fu Qingyun had only just said this when he looked at Su Yi solemnly.
“In other words, once fighting breaks out, they’ll do everything in their power to kill you!”

Su Yi nodded, not the least bit concerned.
“They can’t afford to lose, so they’re putting all their eggs in one basket.
This battle is their last hope.
I understand.”

His tone was casual, and he was as calm as ever.

When Fu Qingyun saw this, he instantly understood, and he smiled.
“I can tell that you’ve thought this through.
I’m rather looking forward to seeing how much you’ll surprise the world this time.”

Su Yi laughed.
“In my eyes, this is no more than a petty squabble.
Why all this talk of surprises?”

Fu Qingyun and the Xia Emperor looked at each other.
Both were surprised by the contempt implied in Su Yi’s words. 

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Actually, they misunderstood.

This wasn’t contempt; Su Yi was just telling the truth as he saw it.

A battle like this might well be enough to draw the world’s attention, and it might well influence the trend of the Radiant Epoch. 

But at the end of the day, it was just a battle between Spirit Dao cultivators.

Su Yi had, in his past life, overcome countless battles between Imperial Realm experts.
A battle like this truly meant little to him.

After chatting a while longer, Fu Qingyun bade farewell and left, but the Xia Emperor remained behind.

He took a jade box from his sleeves, then solemnly passed it to Su Yi.
“Fellow Daoist, although the Xia Family cannot assist you with this battle in any big way, we absolutely won’t just stand back and watch.
This is our supreme ancestral treasure, the Gods of Grain and Earth Nine Provinces Tripod..…”

Before he could finish, Su Yi interrupted him, sounding a bit helpless.
“Enough.
I appreciate your good intentions, but you’d best hold onto your treasures.”

The Xia Emperor was stunned, and he was just about to say something when Su Yi rose from his wicker chair.
“If you really want to help me, when the fifth rolls around and I’ve dealt with all those factions, help me gather up the spoils.
That’ll be plenty.”

“….”

For some inexplicable reason, the Xia Emperor’s blood heated up.
Su Yi spoke as if all of this were perfectly natural, but they revealed unquestionable contempt and supreme confidence. 

As night fell, the Xia Emperor bade farewell and left.

“Brother Su, can my master, Qing Ya, and I come watch the battle on the fifth?” Wen Xinzhao couldn’t help but ask over dinner.

Su Yi thought for a moment, then said, “Today, the Xia Emperor and Fu Qingyun only told me about the strength the hostile factions willingly revealed.
I suspect that, after the curtains set on our battle, I’ll find hidden dangers lying in wait. 

“Although I’m not worried about anything unexpected happening, I’d hate for something to happen to you.” Su Yi swept his gaze across Wen Xinzhao, Qing Ya, and Daoist Master Coldsmoke.
“So you’d best stay here where it’s safe.”

Su Yi was well aware that his possession of the Seed of the Azure had long since become common knowledge, and he knew that the Glittering Ghost Domain had already become the heart of the coming storm.

On the surface, this looked like a battle between him and the factions hostile to him, but it was hard to say whether or not other factions would get mixed up in this.

Take his last tribulation.
No one had expected the forces of the Celestial River Realm’s Frigid North Sword Pavilion to show up.

Su Yi naturally wasn’t afraid, but he had no choice but to consider the safety of those around him.

When Wen Xinzhao and the others saw this, they could only let it go.

……

One day passed after another.

More and more cultivators gathered in the Glittering Ghost Domain.

Even experts of Hidden Cloud Sword Mountain, the Dongguo Family, the Deathbringer’s Netherworld Palace, and other non-participating factions rushed over.

Like Hidden Cloud Sword Mountain’s Shen Suiyun, the Dongguo Family’s Dongguo Feng, and Holy Maiden Xuan Zhi of the Deathbringer’s Netherworld Palace.

Shen Suiyun’s arrival triggered a non-insignificant uproar.

He was a legendary monster of the ancient era, and for a long time, he’d kept a firm grip on first place on the Ranking of Stars.
He’d once gone to Nine Tripod City to publicly challenge Su Yi, too. 

Although this duel never took place, the world’s cultivators were nonetheless well aware that Shen Suiyun was inferior to Su Yi!

Although his name was still technically in first place on the Ranking of Stars, in front of Su Yi, this preeminent position had lost its former glory. 

“There sure are a lot of people…” Dongguo Feng stood amidst the crowd and muttered to himself.

The Glittering Ghost Domain was like a hidden realm, but lately, it had been packed with cultivators from all over the world.
It was like a sea of people.

Some were long-established, famous older-generation cultivators.
Others were modern geniuses whose names shook the nation.
There was no shortage of experts from prominent factions, either.

It was no exaggeration to say that if you went into the Glittering Ghost Domain and picked any cultivator at random, you’d find someone with an extraordinary background!

And now, these countless cultivators had gathered near an utterly barren mountain that towered into the heavens.

It was Mount Starpluck.
 

They called it this because it was so tall that when you stood on its peak, it seemed as if you could pluck the stars out of the sky!

The experts of the seven factions had long since set up camp here.

Furthermore, everything within ten miles of the mountain had been sealed off.
No cultivators were permitted entry.

Thus, although countless cultivators had gathered in the surrounding Glittering Ghost Domain, they could only watch from afar.

“Mount Starpluck is covered in layer after layer of formation, and who knows how many hidden deathtraps…” Dongguo Feng couldn’t help but feel alarmed as he gazed at the distant mountain shrouded in churning mists.

He didn’t have to wait long.
When the darkness eceded and the light of dawn broke, the long-anticipated fifth day of the fifth lunar month finally arrived.

The entrance to the Glittering Ghost Domain.

When Su Yi arrived in this hidden world for the second time, he put his hands behind his back and looked at the skies densely packed with clouds. 

From the look of the sky, I’m afraid we’re in for a downpour.