First Immortal of the Sword

The Golden Frost Forbidden Zone.

This was the new base that River Ancestor Shen Xiao had chosen for them. It was located in a stretch of fierce currents, and it was assailed by storms year-round. Practically nothing lived within the surrounding thirty thousand miles.

The Golden Frost Forbidden Zone was an enormous archipelago of nine islands within the River of Destiny.

All nine islands were covered in strange, calamitous power. It took the form of black mist and enveloped everything on all sides.

Even River Ancestors had to circulate the full extent of their cultivation bases to prevent the black mist from corroding their fleshly bodies.

That aside, the nine islands were covered in caves, like nine giant wasp nests. The caves were inhabited by strange creatures known as Evil Spirit Dragon Scorpions. They were vicious, brutal creatures capable of ripping River Emperors to shreds with ease, and they feasted on souls.

Worse, they travelled in massive swarms, like a baleful hurricane sweeping across the land. They were a deeply unsettling sight.

When Su Yi and his companions arrived, just cleansing the area of Evil Spirit Dragon Scorpions took almost two weeks.

In the end, Su Yi and his companions discovered that the true danger of the Golden Frost Forbidden Zone wasn’t the Evil Spirit Dragon Scorpions, nor was it the omnipresent black mist.

Rather, it was the strange spring at the center of the nine islands.

Every day at midnight, a swarm of blood-red insects would shoot out of the spring. Their numbers ranged from just over a hundred to well over a thousand.

The insects were extraordinarily quick, and they disregarded space completely. They could instantaneously invade cultivator’s hearts and devour their heart power!

However, they were limited to the thirty thousand foot radius around the spring.

At first, Su Yi and his companions disregarded the insects.

But then, River Ancestor Shen Xiao tried to uncover the spring’s secrets, only for a swarm of insects to assail him and invade his heart.

He was a River Ancestor, but as strong as his heart was, he couldn’t take it. He had no choice but to call for help.

Su Yi intervened at a critical juncture, transforming his secret power of the heart into a sharp sword, which entered the landscape of River Ancestor Shen Xiao’s heart and slew the invading insects.

It was then that the group realized how terrifying the strange creatures were. None of them dared approach the spring lightly after that.

However, this incident piqued Su Yi’s curiosity. He originally hoped to have Innocence take action. She was, after all, an Outsider Celestial Demon, and she excelled at nothing more than attacking the heart.

Unfortunately, she’d been dormant for years, as if she’d entered a deep sleep. Even now, she showed no sign of awakening.

In the end, Su Yi decided to investigate himself.

Against all expectations, despite being on the verge of condensing a Natal Heart Lamp, he faced a potentially lethal threat when he got within a thousand feet of the spring.

The threat didn’t come from the insects, but rather, a strange power that erupted from the spring. It was like a formless barrier; when anyone drew near, a bloody windstorm would assail their heart.

The first time Su Yi tried to approach, his heart was plunged into a blood-red purgatory. A blood-soaked aura condensed into a storm with the power to rip and rend everything in its path.

Su Yi’s Heart Soul was extraordinarily strong. It had already given rise to the Light of the Heart, yet in the face of that bloody storm, it narrowly avoided being ripped to shreds!

Su Yi retreated without hesitation right in the nick of time. Only then did he manage to avoid getting trapped.

After this near-death experience, Su Yi concluded that most Heavenly Sovereigns and River Ancestors would have perished, their hearts destroyed.

All of this made the spring seem all the more mysterious. None of them had anticipated that the place River Ancestor Shen Xiao had chosen for them to hide in would contain such a strange, dangerous power.

According to River Ancestor Shen Xiao and River Empress Peacock, similar forbidden zones were common throughout the River of Destiny.

It was, after all, utterly, endlessly enormous. There was no end to its current; even now, no one knew how long it was, how many forbidden zones it contained, or how many secrets it hid.

The Golden Frost Forbidden Zone was just one of many.

But this didn’t scare Su Yi. On the contrary, it delighted him. He’d been trying to find a way to make rapid progress with his cultivation of the heart.

The spring was a threat, but he saw an opportunity in it, too.

The most surprising part was that the insects shooting out of the spring could be refined. They were inestimably useful for tempering his heart.

It was like happening upon a treasure trove!

Su Yi slew over a hundred of the insects and refined them, then found they’d thoroughly nourished his heart. He was now one step closer to igniting his Natal Heart Lamp!

It was just one step, but to Su Yi, the difference was obvious!

Soon, Su Yi decided to just take up residence near the spring. During the day, he’d challenge the barrier around the spring to temper his heart. Although the process was extraordinarily dangerous, and although he was at constant risk of injury, this tempering in the face of life and death helped him rapidly excavate his heart’s latent potential.

When night fell, swarms of insects would shoot out of the spring. Su Yi simply waited nearby, then cut them down and refined them one by one.

Su Yi called the insects “Heart-Nourishing Bugs,” and he took to using them to replenish the heart power he expended during the day. With their help, he always made a rapid recovery.

Su Yi endured this hardship and danger gladly.

With his Immeasurable Realm cultivation base, bitter cultivation alone wasn’t enough to progress. If he wanted to advance rapidly, he needed the right opportunity.

Thus, of late, Su Yi poured practically all of his cultivation time into tempering his heart.

River Ancestor Shen Xiao and the others thought his approach was frenzied and insane. The way they saw it, Su Yi was practically seeking out abuse. His repeated challenges each came with the risk of death or severe injury. He was dancing on the edge of a knife!

But there was no denying that as insane as his approach seemed, his boldness shocked and inspired the two River Ancestors.

There were no shortcuts to success. There was unseen hardship and determination behind every success story!

Time slipped by. Soon, a full month had passed.

Su Yi returned to the area around the spring, as had become his custom.

At first, he could only get within a thousand feet of the spring, but now he could get within six hundred feet!

This progress was unquestionable proof of the progress he’d made over the past month. He had a strong premonition that all he needed to ignite his Natal Heart Lamp was the right opportunity!

He just had to pierce the paper covering the window. Then, his heart would soar to a new level!

Most wondrous of all, as his secret power of the heart grew, Su Yi’s cultivation base, body, and soul benefited, too.

The benefits were especially obvious when he tempered his powers of the Grand Dao. He could enter a state of enlightenment faster and more smoothly than before!

But there was one thing that troubled him. He was on the verge of running out of cultivation resources.

There was nothing for it. The Golden Frost Forbidden Zone lacked any suitable grounds for cultivation, and the surrounding thirty thousand miles of water were inhospitable to life.

It was uninhabited for a reason.

Thus, Su Yi had been burning through his accumulated resources all this time.

Fortunately, the spring had no shortage of Heart-Nourishing Bugs, so he had no need to worry about fueling his cultivation of the heart.

Soon, a month had passed.

River Ancestor Shen Xiao and River Empress Peacock had recently left the Golden Frost Forbidden Zone to gather information elsewhere in the River of Destiny.

Today, they returned in a hurry, with both a fresh supply of cultivation resources and news of recent developments in the River of Destiny.

Su Yi now stood just ten feet away from the mysterious spring!

Explosive power assailed his heart, as if he stood amidst a blood-red purgatory. Countless sharp winds cut into his heart, attacking from all sides.

His Heart Soul was on the verge of giving in, its Light of the Heart dimming and ebbing.

But Su Yi wasn’t concerned about any of that. It had been two months since he’d begun cultivating here, but this was his first time getting so close to that mysterious spring.

He was pouring his full strength into protecting his heart, but he managed to extract a wisp of divine sense, which hovered in midair and peered into the spring’s depths.

An unbelievable scene awaited him. A blood-red spacetime barrier lay hidden in the spring’s depths!

Moreover, the barrier was already cracked, letting him dimly discern the strange, overcast world on the other side.

Countless figures had gathered there, like an army stationed around the crack, their ranks stretching as far as the eye could see.

A ten-thousand-foot altar stood at the front of the army, and a blood-red furnace blazed atop it.

An aged figure stood before the altar, his hands condensing strange, mysterious seals. Blood-red light surged around him.

The moment Su Yi’s divine sense “laid eyes on him,” the old man realized he was being watched. His eyes opened, and he looked over.

His eyes blazed like twin blood-red suns. They were horrifying to behold.

Su Yi’s wisp of divine sense was instantly crushed as if it had been struck by lightning.

Boom!

He felt a rending pain in his soul, and he couldn’t help but let out a muffled grunt. He could no longer stave off the power assailing his heart, leaving him no choice but to retreat.

He didn’t stop until he was a thousand feet away. Only then did he manage to stabilize his heart, which had come dangerously close to taking heavy injuries. His expression was still full of uncertainty.

There was actually a blood-red spacetime barrier at the base of the well. It led to a strange, mysterious world, with a vast army, giant altar, and blood-red furnace.

But the old man standing before the furnace was the most terrifying of all. He was obviously an existence comparable to a Heavenly Sovereign!

Just what is that world beyond the barrier? Why are so many experts gathered there, and who was that old man? Don’t tell me that they’re trying to break through the barrier in the spring and enter the River of Destiny?

Unfortunately, Su Yi could only dimly discern that strange world through the cracks in the barrier. He couldn’t see anything in detail, nor could he uncover any worthwhile leads.

All he could say for certain was that the Heart-Nourishing Bugs originated from the world on the other side of the barrier!

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