First Immortal of the Sword

Su Yi stood before the Sword Mountain, hands behind his back, casual and at ease save for the invisible sword force spreading around him.

Over ten thousand swords hovered in midair, like ministers prostrating before a ruler. All of them emanated distinctively different hums.

The combined rumbling of ten thousand swords echoed throughout the onlookers’ hearts, leaving Sect Leader Lu Ye and the old monsters dazed. They were simply overcome with astonishment, as if they’d witnessed a true, unbelievable miracle!

The most astonishing part was that even their personal weapons were clanging, all of them clearly agitated. It was to the point that they suspected that their founder could have summoned their swords with a wave of his hand. A single gesture, and they’d have thrown themselves into his embrace!

What kind of attainments in the Dao of the Sword were needed to convince ten thousand swords to prostrate before him at once? Just how pure was his sword heart?

No one knew.

Even Su Yi was a bit surprised. He’d been told to make all of the swords resonate, not to make them prostrate first!

In other words, he’d relied purely on his attainments in the Dao of the Sword and his sword heart to earn all of their submission!

Su Yi couldn’t help but feel valiant pride.

Sword cultivators put their faith in their swords. For all of these swords to submit to him was the greatest possible validation of his attainments in the Dao of the Sword. Few else in this world could compare!

After a while, Su Yi withdrew his sword force. Only then did the swords return to their original spots on the mountain.

Then, he raised his hand and gestured. The bamboo sword at the foot of the mountain, Proper Conduct, blurred into a beam of misty green light and landed in his palm.

The jade-like bamboo sword jumped for joy, strange markings of Spirit Firmament Astral Lightning rising all over its surface.

Su Yi extended and flicked his finger. Proper Conduct seemed to sense his intentions and immediately transformed into a hairpin, then inserted itself into his topknot.

He’d fused the Sword of Proximity with the other Mysteries of Chaos to create the Contented Heart Scepter. He could still use it as a sword, but he thought it best not to use a Secret Heart Treasure like the scepter unless it was absolutely necessary.

But that meant he lacked a sword for regular use. Fortunately, Proper Conduct was a perfect fit for that role.

This was part of why Su Yi had wanted to visit the Sword Mountain.

“Let’s go,” said Su Yi. “Let’s find a place and have a drink.”

This was the first free moment he’d gotten since returning to the Heart-Tempering Sword House, so he wanted to seize this opportunity to chat with the sect’s old-timers, drink, and make merry.

All of them were all too glad to agree.

......

Dawn the following day.

Chief Meng Che of the Aberrants had convened a meeting of the tribe’s higher-ups on Heavenly Aberrant Mountain. The tall, stalwart Bei Lin and the bony Grand Libationer Mu Yang were both in attendance.

“When the Heart-Tempering Sword House arrives, I have but one demand,” said Meng Che, his gaze deep and his voice calm. “They either submit or get the hell out of the Heavenly Aberrant Hidden Realm!”

His gaze shifted to Grand Libationer Mu Yang. “Grand Libationer, are our preparations in order?”

Mu Yang smiled. “We’ve been ready for a while now!”

Over the past nine days, he’d acted in accordance with the chief’s orders and gathered all of the older-generation libationers, even those deep in seclusion.

That way, even if negotiations went awry, they’d be able to suppress the Heart-Tempering Sword House!

That aside, every Aberrant expert in the tribe had gathered, and they were ready to face the unexpected.

Chief Meng Che nodded, then looked at the valiant, armored Bei Lin. “Is our ancient formation in place?”

Bei Lin nodded solemnly. “We can activate it at any time!”

The entire Heavenly Aberrant Hidden Realm was under their control. Here, they were the rulers of creation!

There were three ancient killing formations on the mountain, all of them the work of their forebears. They’d been passed down since the Devastation.

All three of these ancient killing formations could suppress Heavenly Monarchs!

“Excellent!” Chief Meng Che grinned. “Those sword cultivators aren’t afraid to die, but here in our territories, what good will their courage do them? They’re no different from lambs to the slaughter!

“If they submit, all is well, but if they refuse, there’s no need for us to march into battle. We can simply expel them from our territories.

“We’ve made all of these preparations just in case something unexpected happens,” said Meng Che, a cold smile on his face. “That said, I’m about ninety percent certain that the Heart-Tempering Sword House will lower their heads. After all, if they don’t, they only bring about their own annihilation!”

As they conversed, a voice emanated from outside the hall.

“Chief, Libationers, the emissaries of the Heart-Tempering Sword House are at our gates!

The gathered higher-ups' spirits soared.

Except for Chief Meng Che, who furrowed his brow. “The emissaries? Are you saying that Sect Leader Lu Ye didn’t come in person?”

“He didn’t!” said the messenger outside the hall. “They sent Mountain Lord Wu Qing of Mount Heavenquench and a young sword cultivator. None of us know his name.”

Chief Meng Che and the gathered higher-ups glowered, visibly enraged. This is a matter of the utmost importance. How could they have sent just two people to negotiate? They obviously don’t take us Aberrants the least bit seriously!

“Tell them to scram!” Chief Meng Che slammed the table and bellowed, “Tell them that if Sect Leader Lu Ye doesn’t show up in person within ten minutes, there’s no need for any further negotiations!”

“Yes, Chief!” The messenger dashed off.

The atmosphere in the hall was stifled and oppressive. All of them had instinctively assumed that since the Heart-Tempering Sword House had agreed to negotiate, they planned to take a step back, lower their heads, and express their goodwill.

The Aberrants would never have guessed that they’d send two unimportant nobodies to negotiate on their behalf!

Mountain Lord Wu Qing of Mount Heavenquench? His position was inferior to the four pavilion masters, let alone the two hall masters. He certainly didn’t count as someone important.

Worse, Wu Qing had actually brought some unknown young sword cultivator with them. They obviously weren’t here to negotiate; they just didn’t take the Aberrants’ threats seriously!

“If the Heart-Tempering Sword House really refuses to see sense, we’ll just have to borrow their enemies’ hands,” someone said through gnashed teeth. “Who the hell do they think they are? They’re nothing but masterless dogs. Who are they to put on such airs?”

“We’ve got to teach them a lesson!”

“That’s right. Even if they submit, we’ve got to knock some sense into them. If they’re to be our dogs, they'd best learn how to tuck in their tails!”

All of the Aberrant higher-ups were furious. They’re guests in our territories, lambs to the slaughter. How could they be so senseless?

Meanwhile, outside the gates to Heavenly Aberrant Mountain, Su Yi and Wu Qing awaited a response.

Su Yi stood there with his hands behind his back, calm and composed as he took in the scenery.

No one else knew it, but when he used the Ashes of Spirit Edict to examine the mountain, it looked starkly different, full of sinister, accumulated murderous intent!

Dark currents flowed beneath the mountain’s seemingly calm exterior.

Wu Qing looked solemn, and he was inwardly confused. He couldn’t figure out how the founder planned to negotiate with these barbarians.

“Listen up, you two!” Before long, a group shot out of the gates. They were led by a tall, thin man whose eyes glinted like sabers. He pointed at the distant Su Yi, then said, “Our leader commanded you two to scram. Get the hell out of here, then tell Lu Ye that he has fifteen minutes. If he doesn’t apologize in person before time runs out, there’ll be no need to negotiate any further!”

Wu Qing’s expression darkened. They think we aren’t even worthy of negotiating with them!

Su Yi suddenly took a step forward, then appeared in front of the Aberrant experts and pressed down.

Boom!

Sword qi rumbled and boomed as all of the Aberrants were sent flying, save for their leader, the tall, thin man. He was forced to his knees right in front of Su Yi!

“Do you remember me?” Su Yi looked down and asked.

The man was one of the two guards who’d extorted Wen Feng and Fei Qiu when Su Yi first arrived in the Heavenly Aberrant Hidden Realm. All they’d done was open the portal, yet they’d demanded a full ten pieces of Destiny Jade!

“You...” The tall, thin man knelt, his face full of shock and fury. “I don’t care who you are! Attacking me in our territory is no different from seeking death!”

“Oh,” said Su Yi. He kicked the man unconscious, leaving him lying there like a dead dog.

Wu Qing’s eyes widened, and his jaw hung slack. Wasn’t the founder coming here to negotiate? How could he attack after a single word out of turn? How can we negotiate now?

“Quick, keep up.” Su Yi beckoned to him.

Wu Qing hurried up to him, then said, “Founder, are you planning to just fight our way into their territory?”

Su Yi said casually, “There will naturally be no need to fight if they don’t resist.”

Wu Qing didn’t know what to say. We just barged into their territories. There’s no way they won’t resist!

“You could really stand to learn a thing or two from Pu Xuan,” Su Yi said with a soft sigh. He actually somewhat missed Pu Xuan. Were the former inauspicious spirit here, he’d have surely clapped and applauded.

Pu Xuan would have considered this invasion a mere matter of course!

Wu Qing was instantly a bit ashamed. He could tell that the founder was displeased that he was making such a fuss over nothing.

“I’ll be sure to request Martial Uncle Jin, er, Pu Xuan’s guidance when I next see him,” Wu Qing said solemnly.

When Wu Qing first joined the sect, it was Jin Xuan who’d taught him the Dao. However, they weren’t officially master and apprentice. Going by seniority, Jin Xuan had been his martial uncle.

As the two of them conversed, a clamor of voices arose beyond the gates.

“What? Those two sword cultivators didn’t just refuse to leave... they even dared to attack our clansmen?”

“They’re simply sick of living!”

“Come on, let’s kill them!”

The Aberrant experts were startled into action. A group of them shot through the gates with an earsplitting boom.

There were dozens of them, but their strength was highly variable. Most were at best comparable to an Immeasurable Realm Dao Lord. Only their leader emanated a shocking aura as strong as a Heavenly Monarch’s.

The strongest of the group was a short old man with coppery skin and a goatee. He carried a massive bone hammer.

As soon as he arrived, the old man shifted on his feet, then grew into a ten-thousand-foot-tall giant. Even his hammer expanded until it was the size of a mountain.

The terrifying power of his blood and qi shook heaven and earth.

He let out a massive roar, then ruthlessly slammed his hammer at Su Yi and Wu Qing.

Even the very air itself was blasted to bits.

The hammer brought with it dazzling, blood-red flames, like a crimson waterfall of terrifying power.

Wu Qing drew his sword and prepared to defend himself, but then, a sword hum echoed throughout heaven and earth.

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