First Immortal of the Sword

River Ancestor Shen Xiao was badly injured, with startling, still bloody claw marks on his neck, shoulders, and back. In some places, the wounds were so deep that even his bones were visible.

Most startling of all, dense death qi hovered around the wounds, devouring his life force.

River Empress Peacock’s heart was heavy.

River Ancestors were akin to the Heavenly Sovereigns of the Eternal Heavens Domain. Who could possibly have injured River Ancestor Shen Xiao this badly?

“What on earth happened?” River Ancestor Shen Xiao asked gravely.

“There’s no time to explain,” River Ancestor Shen Xiao said frantically. “Hurry up and run! If you don’t go now, it’ll be too late!”

River Ancestor Lu Shu and the others immediately realized the severity of the matter. All of them looked toward Su Yi.

But Su Yi just said, “And where would we flee to in such a hurry? What if we run, only to fall into our enemies’ trap? We’ll only be in even more danger then.”

Everyone’s head cleared, but River Ancestor Shen Xiao was still frantic. “But they’ll be upon us soon. If we don’t leave now...”

Su Yi shook his head slightly. “You needn’t be so frantic. Just explain the situation clearly.”

River Ancestor Lu Shu nodded. “That’s right. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you can win every battle.”

River Ancestor Shen Xiao took a deep breath, forcefully suppressed his franticness, and explained the situation.

Several days prior, he took a trip back to his own territories, the Jadelight Water Domain.

However, when he arrived, he discovered that all of his subordinates, disciples, and grand-disciples had been slaughtered, and their bodies had been piled on top of each other!

Even his personal cultivation grounds had been flattened, and all of his treasures had been pilfered.

River Ancestor Shen Xiao felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. He was overcome with grief so intense, it drove him to the brink of madness.

It was also then that he fell prey to his enemies’ meticulously prepared ambush.

His assailants were four River Ancestors famed throughout the River of Destiny: the Ape Ancestor, River Ancestor Bai Mang, River Ancestor Ji Dian, and River Ancestor Sparrow!

The four River Ancestors had worked together to place a powerful killing formation. With it, they smoothly surrounded River Ancestor Shen Xiao.

In the end, River Ancestor Shen Xiao fought with his life on the line, using his hidden trump cards. Only then did he manage to create a path to life. Even so, he was heavily injured.

That was the situation. River Ancestor Shen Xiao described it plainly, but there was no hiding his grief and hatred.

River Empress Peacock’s heart quivered as she realized the severity of the matter.

River Ancestor Lu Shu sighed. He naturally understood that River Ancestor Shen Xiao’s misfortune was connected to the Struggle for Heavenly Fate.

Su Yi’s brow furrowed, and his eyes flashed with murderous intent. This disaster had clearly been aimed at him, yet his enemies had implicated River Ancestor Shen Xiao and all of his followers!

“Everyone, hurry up and run! If all is as I suspect, the four of them are on their way here as we speak!” urged River Ancestor Shen Xiao.

Su Yi shook his head. “Ol’ Brother, they wouldn’t have attacked you if they weren’t thoroughly prepared. No matter where we run now, it’ll be useless!”

“Then why not simply leave the River of Destiny?” River Ancestor Shen Xiao couldn’t help but suggest.

Before Su Yi could respond, River Ancestor Lu Shu rejected the idea. “Perhaps that’s exactly what our enemies want!”

River Ancestor Shen Xiao blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Fellow Daoist Su’s enemies must surely be behind this attack,” River Ancestor Lu Shu said gravely. “Here beneath the surface of the River of Destiny, there’s nothing they can do to him. Their only choice is to request River Ancestors’ aid. But if he leaves the River of Destiny, he’ll be throwing himself right into their net!”

River Ancestor Shen Xiao instantly understood. His heart sank into the pit of his stomach. It’s true. Even as they gave chase, those four old-timers were likely in contact with the Heavenly Sovereigns. That means that if we leave the River of Destiny, we’ll face the threat of the Heavenly Sovereigns instead!

“So what do we do?” asked River Ancestor Shen Xiao, his gaze full of uncertainty.

River Empress Peacock felt a chill in her hands and feet. She was at a complete loss, too.

Four River Ancestors!

In the River of Destiny, a lineup like that could go wherever they pleased with impunity!

“The situation is indeed a bit troublesome, but... I wouldn’t call it desperate,” River Ancestor Lu Shu said calmly. “I’m here, and I’m sure I can help you all find a path to life!”

But Su Yi shook his head. “Why should we flee?”

The crowd blinked in surprise, only for Su Yi to take a sip of wine and say calmly, “After everything Brother Shen Xiao just suffered, they must pay for their crimes in blood!”

He looked at River Ancestor Shen Xiao. “Brother Shen Xiao, rest here and tend to your wounds. Leave the rest to me.”

“You...” River Ancestor Shen Xiao tried to object.

But before he could finish, River Ancestor Lu Shu said warmly, “Brother Shen Xiao, if you trust Fellow Daoist Su, say no more. Just leave it to him and focus on tending your wounds.”

River Ancestor Shen Xiao fell silent, his gaze conflicted. He knew what Su Yi was planning. He wanted to fight the four River Ancestors and avenge him!

Su Yi looked at River Ancestor Lu Shu. “Daoist Brother, how about you and I go test our enemies’ mettle?”

Su Yi had originally addressed River Ancestor Lu Shu as senior, but River Ancestor Lu Shu strongly objected. After all, Su Yi could sit with his master, the Monarch of Endless Tribulations, as an equal. The way Lu Shu saw it, if anything, he ought to call Su Yi senior!

In the end, they both took a step back. Su Yi called him “Daoist Brother,” while he called Su Yi “Fellow Daoist.”

River Ancestor Lu Shu smiled. “It would be my honor.”

Su Yi and River Ancestor Lu Shu promptly set off, while the others remained in the Five-Colored Hidden Realm.

......

The current coursed beyond the Five-Colored Hidden Realm. Numerous mountain-sized boulders floated throughout the current, interspersed with swaying water grasses.

Four River Ancestors currently lay in ambush amidst the “mountains.”

“That old bastard Shen Xiao must think he’s something special, huh? He must really think he managed to create a path to life with his own strength,” River Ancestor Sparrow said with a cold laugh and playful glint in his eyes.

He was fair-skinned and dressed in white. He carried a jade fan, and he had an elegant, dashing bearing. His long golden hair scattered a dazzling rain of the light of the Grand Dao.

Beneath the surface of the River of Destiny, he was extraordinarily quick, and he’d mastered utterly strange Laws of Space. They let him kill his enemies instantaneously.

Most of his enemies had died without ever knowing what had hit them.

However, as a River Ancestor, he seldom traversed the River of Destiny, and most who saw him had no idea who he really was.

“Who cares what he thinks? It’s enough so long as we accomplish our goals,” said River Ancestor Ji Dian, not the least bit concerned. “I sent a message to Heavenly Sovereign E earlier. I told him and the other Heavenly Sovereigns to get ready. That way, even if our prey escapes the River of Destiny, he won’t get far!”

River Ancestor Ji Dian was tall, stalwart, and dressed in heavy, worn-out armor. He had a prominent mustache, and his eyes flashed like cold lightning, like a general of a bygone age. Combined with the baleful energy surging around him, he cut an intimidating figure.

Unlike River Ancestor Sparrow, River Ancestor Ji Dian was bloodthirsty. He was terrifyingly strong, and his powers of the Grand Dao were utterly destructive. The denizens of the River of Destiny knew him as an infamous butcher!

He was the one who’d slaughtered most of River Ancestor Shen Xiao’s followers and disciples.

“Be careful, everyone. River Ancestor Shen Xiao isn’t alone. We have to be on guard against River Ancestor Lu Shu, too!” the Ape Ancestor said gravely.

Several years prior, he’d sent River Emperor Winged Dragon into the Abhorrent Evil Origin Zone to search for the Key to Endless Tribulations on Li Shouhu’s orders.

It was there that he saw Su Yi and his companions return from the Cave of Obsession.

River Ancestor Lu Shu had been there, too!

“Ol’ Ape, are you sure that person was River Ancestor Lu Shu? The one who famously died during the Primordial Era?” said River Ancestor Sparrow. “The Spirit Treasure Celestial City is constructed on his bones, and again, he died during the Primordial Era. Countless years have passed since then. How could he possibly have come back to life?”

The others looked at the Ape Ancestor. It wasn’t that they were particularly afraid of River Ancestor Lu Shu, but they were highly skeptical of his identity.

“It’s hard to say.” The Ape Ancestor shook his head. “But I can say with certainty that he’s a River Ancestor!”

“Hah! River Ancestor Shen Xiao is injured. If he dares show himself again, I’ll be the first in line to kill him!” River Ancestor Sparrow waved his jade fan and said flatly, “As for that dogshit River Ancestor Lu Shu? He’s just one person. How could he possibly fight the four of us?”

Here, River Ancestor Bai Mang suddenly spoke for the first time since the conversation began. “It’s been about ten minutes since River Ancestor Shen Xiao fled into the Five-Colored Hidden Realm. Logically speaking, they should know we’re on our way, and they should be trying to escape. So why hasn’t there been any disturbance of any kind?”

The other three River Ancestors blinked in surprise.

They were lying in ambush here to intercept River Ancestor Shen Xiao and capture Su Yi alive.

Moreover, they’d already placed an inescapable net over the Five-Colored Hidden Realm. The entire area was covered in death traps.

But if their target refused to show himself, all their efforts would prove as useless as trying to gather water in a bamboo basket.

“How about we just charge right into the Five-Colored Hidden Realm, kill them all, and be done with it?” River Ancestor Ji Dian said with seething murderous intent. When he fought, he always preferred a head-on confrontation. The more his enemies struggled, the more excited he got, and the stronger his murderous intent.

By now, he was ready and raring to go, and he was frantic with impatience.

“You’re welcome to try it,” said River Ancestor Bai Mang. “We’ll back you up.”

She was the only woman in the group. Her hair was tied up, and her colorful dress stopped just above her knees, revealing slender, fair calves and jade-like feet.

She had the youthful features of a girl of just thirteen or fourteen, with arched, darkened eyebrows and bright eyes.

However, it was the enormous, curved saber on her back that drew the most attention. It was red throughout and intimidatingly sharp. Moreover, it was even taller than she was. From a distance, it resembled a blood-red crescent moon.

She was one of the most eccentric River Ancestors in the River of Destiny. She looked like an innocent, guileless girl, but when she attacked, she was as frenzied, ferocious, and terrifying as a demon.

Even the bloodthirsty River Ancestor Ji Dian wouldn’t provoke her lightly.

“You want me to go by myself?” River Ancestor Ji Dian blinked in surprise.

“What, are you too afraid?” River Ancestor Bai Mang fixed her bright, clear gaze on him.

“Hmph! Of course not!” River Ancestor Ji Dian took a step forward, but just as he was about to take action, ripples emanated from the distant Five-Colored Hidden Realm. Its barrier churned as a portal took shape.

Shortly after, two figures sauntered through the doorway.

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