First Immortal of the Sword

This information about the Primordial Era broadened Su Yi’s horizons. He was gradually gaining a comprehensive understanding of that time, and he’d benefited considerably.

However, fighting the Heavenly Sovereign imprint on the thirteenth floor always came as a heavy blow. He’d challenged the imprint nine times now, only to suffer a crushing defeat each and every time.

The Primordial Sword Devil had said he’d come close to succeeding on his first attempt, but by now, Su Yi couldn’t help but suspect that the Primordial Sword Devil had just been trying to comfort him.

Had he been a hair’s breadth away from success, or a trillion hairs’ breadth?

Still, Su Yi was gratified by his progress. He’d lost his first match in a single attack, but now, he could hold out for a full three attacks!

This progress was startling even to him.

It was also because of this that over the past three months, his late-stage Silent Realm cultivation was gradually showing signs of an imminent breakthrough. He was nearing the peak of the Silent Realm!

Today, Su Yi was sprawled out in his wicker chair, gazing leisurely into the sea of clouds.

Sect Leader Lu Ye stood beside him. “Master, earlier, I used one of our sect talismans to make contact with Second Junior Apprentice Sister, but I couldn’t reach her.”

Lu Ye’s junior apprentice sister was called Luo Yan. She was Jiang Wuchen’s second disciple.

Not long after Jiang Wuchen entered the cycle of reincarnation, Luo Yan decisively left the sect, as she was unwilling to follow the Malevolent Sword Venerate’s orders. There’d been no word from her since. [1]

“How could someone just up and vanish without a trace? Especially since her Dao Heart was the firmest of the three of you, and she was the most talented, too,” Su Yi said with a frown. “Logically speaking, she should have found out about the destruction of our ancestral grounds by now, so why hasn’t she made contact with you yet?”

A graceful and poised female figure floated into Su Yi’s sea of consciousness. She wore colorful clothes, and her hair was tied up. She was fair-skinned, and she carried a verdant green sword case on her back.

Back in the day, Luo Yan was a lively and spirited little girl. She loved following Jiang Wuchen wherever he went.

Later, she became the most dazzling, radiant pearl of the entire Heart-Tempering Sword House. Her glow seemed to illuminate the mountains and rivers, and she dazzled all beneath the heavens. Her unparalleled talent for the Dao of the Sword was far beyond her Senior Apprentice Brother Lu Ye or her Junior Apprentice Brother Pu Xuan.

By the time Jiang Wuchen entered the cycle of reincarnation, Luo Yan was already a peak Immeasurable Realm expert. Her sect saw her as a good seedling, the disciple with the greatest hope of one day reaching their founder’s level.

How could such a dazzling, unparalleled woman just up and vanish?

Lu Ye said with concern, “Master, I’ll be honest with you. Unless something happened, she’d have made contact with us as soon as she heard what happened to the sect.”

In other words, Luo Yan had most likely run into some kind of trouble!

Su Yi rubbed his forehead. Luo Yan had been gone for far too long, and she hadn’t left any kind of leads. Even if he wanted to go looking for her, he had no idea where to start.

Something suddenly occurred to him. Why not make contact with the Qiongqi Mountain Lord and ask him to put Divine Reverence Pavilion’s forces to work? They might well be able to uncover something.

Su Yi instantly took out the talisman the Qiongqi Mountain Lord had given him beneath the River of Destiny. With it, he could make contact with the Qiongqi Mountain Lord whenever he pleased.

He explained the situation with Luo Yan, then used a secret technique to send the message.

Before long, he received a response. It read, “We understand the situation, Fellow Daoist. Please be patient. If there’s any information, we’ll be sure to inform you immediately.”

Su Yi put the talisman away, then chatted with Lu Ye a while longer before heading to the Sword-Testing Tower.

Defeating the Heavenly Sovereign imprint on the thirteenth floor had already become an obsession. He also saw it as a rare opportunity to temper himself.

He’d decide whether or not he wanted to participate in the Struggle for Heavenly Fate once he’d succeeded.

Another month passed in a flash before Su Yi finally received word from Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan. He’d successfully negotiated for all three of Su Yi’s conditions!

Su Yi wasn’t at all surprised by this. The Yitian Eternal Throne was valuable enough to force even Heavenly Sovereigns to compromise and take a step back.

Moreover, Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan was still hiding Su Yi’s involvement. None of the other Heavenly Sovereigns had any idea that Su Yi was considering participating in the Struggle for Heavenly Fate.

All of them assumed that Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan had come up with these conditions himself. This had provoked the other Heavenly Sovereigns’ displeasure, as well as numerous complaints.

Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan told Su Yi all about it in his message. He described his righteousness and the way he’d argued fiercely on Su Yi’s behalf, going so far as to offend the other Heavenly Sovereigns. He’d refused to budge, and in the end, he succeeded. The others had agreed to all three of his conditions.

Su Yi laughed and replied that he was busy and unable to extricate himself at the moment, but that he’d settle on a time and place for the Struggle for Heavenly Fate as soon as possible.

Once he’d finished, Su Yi planned to go into seclusion and cultivate quietly for a while, only for an unexpected message to catch him off guard.

It was from Pu Xuan!

The contents were simple and clearly rushed. Su Yi couldn’t help but frown after reading its contents.

Pu Xuan had left with Lu Hongpao way back in the Blue Peak Continent. There’d been no word from him since.

It was only later, when Su Yi met with Lu Hongpao in the Literati Continent, that he learned that she’d arranged for Pu Xuan to cultivate in a hidden realm. That hidden realm could help Pu Xuan rebuild his physique and cultivation base, achieving a transformation akin to rebirth.

Su Yi was quite eager for this.

However, Lu Hongpao had vanished following the battle in the Literati Continent. All Su Yi knew was that his first incarnation’s heart devil had been involved.

Su Yi wasn’t worried about the situation. At least, he hadn’t been. He would never have anticipated that Pu Xuan would send a letter requesting his aid.

The letter’s contents were simple. Pu Xuan and Yao Monarch Lian Luo were being hunted by members of Sevendeaths Court!

The letter contained a spatial seal and a location—the Obscured Heavens Mountains, a mountain range on the Divine Wandering Continent’s southern frontier.

Su Yi felt the urge to write back and ask for further details, but he resisted. He understood Pu Xuan, and he knew that he would never have asked for help unless the situation was desperate.

In other words, that Su Yi had received this message in the first place meant that both Pu Xuan and Lian Luo were already in dire straits!

As soon as Su Yi realized this, he reached a decision. He’d set course for the southern border immediately.

“Master, Sevendeaths Court’s ancestral grounds are in the Immeasurable Continent. They’re two continents away from us,” Lu Ye said with concern. “Yet now, they’re chasing Junior Apprentice Brother Jin... err, Pu Xuan.[2]Don’t you think that’s a bit overly suspicious?"

Su Yi sighed. “You still don’t realize? They most likely chased Pu Xuan all the way here from the Immeasurable Continent. Pu Xuan likely came to the Divine Wandering Continent because he heard about the destruction of our ancestral grounds. It’s also entirely possible that he heard that I’d appeared in the ruins.”

Lu Ye gasped. They chased Junior Apprentice Brother from the Immeasurable Continent, through the Silent Continent, and all the way to the Divine Wandering Continent? How great a distance is that? How many perils and attempts at interception must Junior Apprentice Brother have overcome along the way?

“I’m going to the southern border alone. You manage things here while I’m gone,” said Su Yi. “If you run into insurmountable danger, act in accordance with my earlier arrangements and seek refuge in the Sword-Testing Tower.”

“Understood!” Lu Ye solemnly nodded his assent.

That very day, Su Yi left the Heavenly Aberrant Hidden Realm and set course for the southern border alone.

......

The Divine Wandering Continent’s southern border, the Obscured Heavens Mountains.

The mountain range stretched seemingly endlessly into the distance, in a sky-shrouding, vast expanse.

The mountains weren’t a true forbidden zone, but they were still perilous. Their slopes were home to vicious beasts both great and small.

Some had claimed their own territories, but they weren’t the greatest threat. Rumor had it that the real threat lay in the heart of the mountains, where there were numerous danger zones perilous enough to threaten even Heavenly Monarchs!

There was a cave at the base of a little hill shrouded in miasma deep within the Obscured Heavens Mountains. It was completely covered in formations, preventing those outside it from detecting it.

Yao Monarch Lian Luo sat on the ground, holding a string of skulls.

He grinned smugly. “Brother Pu Xuan, these skulls are first-rate additions to the burial mound! When we break free, I’ll head straight to White Sparrow Tower to add them to the pile!”

All of the skulls had belonged to Heavenly Monarchs. There were thirteen of them in total.

Pu Xuan laughed bitterly, but in truth, he admired Yao Monarch Lian Luo deeply.

The two of them had been chased here from the Immeasurable Continent, crossing the entire Silent Continent to reach the Divine Wandering Continent.

The pursuit had continued for almost half a year now!

Yao Monarch Lian Luo had led their escape, guiding them through at least one hundred perilous battles and attempts at interception. On numerous occasions, they’d faced all but certain doom, but every time, Yao Monarch Lian Luo managed to create a path to life.

By now, Pu Xuan had lost track of how many enemies had perished by Lian Luo’s hands, including a full twenty Heavenly Monarchs!

Their ranks included no small number of famous experts. This was a glorious accomplishment. How could Pu Xuan not admire him?

But Pu Xuan was keenly aware that Lian Luo wouldn’t be able to endure much longer. His wounds were too heavy.

He’d been injured repeatedly during their earlier escape, leaving him covered in wounds. By now, his injuries couldn’t have been any worse.

Any other Heavenly Monarch would have collapsed by now, but Lian Luo acted like it was nothing. He even laughed and conversed, as if his injuries meant nothing to him at all.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Lian Luo said, “You shouldn’t have sent that message to His Excellency Su.”

His smile had vanished, replaced with solemnity. “If His Excellency reveals himself, he’ll be in for endless trouble!”

After a moment’s silence, Pu Xuan said, “Master told me that if I ran into insurmountable peril, I should tell him. As his disciple, I must naturally obey his commands.[3]”

Although he said this, he found it hard to accept, too. Had there been any chance of escape whatsoever, he would never have asked for help like this.

And he was naturally keenly aware of how much danger his master would invite if he revealed himself.

But Pu Xuan called for help anyway, not just for his own sake, but to save Yao Monarch Lian Luo.

Yao Monarch Lian Luo sighed and was just about to say something when his gaze suddenly focused. “Those old dogs have returned. Get ready!”

1. Luo Yan has only been mentioned in passing. In Chapter 2490, it says, "(Jiang Wuchen's) second disciple, Luo Yan, had left the sect alone after Jiang Wuchen reincarnated. There’d been no word of her since." It does not, however, say why.

This would also be a Chinese-speaking reader's first time learning her gender, but I added the pronoun in translation, as this isn't written like a gender reveal. ☜

2. Lu Ye presumably only ever knew him as "Jin Xuan," and Su Yi was never shown explaining Pu Xuan's situation or name change, so let's just assume it happened during one of their off-screen conversations. ;)

I'm deviating from the raws slightly here to smooth the Jin Xuan->Pu Xuan transition. I'll do this once more in a subsequent chapter, but then it's just Pu Xuan from here on out.

☜

3. We saw Pu Xuan in Chapter 2771. At the time, he was still calling Su Yi "foster father," and although he knew who he'd been in life, he hadn't truly regained his memories.

This seems like an oversight on the author's part, but I'm going to just translate this as I see it. If it seems out of place, well, you're not the only one who feels that way. Let's just assume Pu Xuan regained his memories of his life with Jiang Wuchen off-screen. ☜

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