First Immortal of the Sword

Two days later, just as Su Yi grasped the Myriad Facets Edict, River Ancestor Sparrow carried him into the Golden Frost Forbidden Zone.

Even as he stepped off the giant bird’s back, he was still ruminating on the mysteries of the Myriad Facets Edict.

He’d also fully grasped the mysteries of the Medallion of Past Karma. It was an undeniably terrifying treasure, too wondrous for words, as it let him glean insight into others’ accumulated karma.

But the true crux of the treasure was the Myriad Facets Edict carved on it. It could plunge enemies into a karmic prison mid-battle before they even realized it, making them lose themselves to obsession!

Without the Edict, this Ancestral Destiny Artifact of the Negative Karma Destiny Demon Race would have been far less impressive.

“Your Excellency, why... did you return with River Ancestor Sparrow?” Star Toad exclaimed in the distance.

He was the first to discover Su Yi’s return, but he would never have guessed that Su Yi would fly in on the back of the Spacesplitter Sparrow.

River Empress Peacock arrived shortly after. All of them were surprised, too.

Su Yi explained casually, and the two of them quickly understood, but his explanation only made them all more surprised.

River Ancestor Sparrow submitted of his own accord! If word gets out, it’ll shake the entire River of Destiny. Countless river denizens’ jaws will fall off for sheer shock!

“Where are Daoist Brother Lu Shu and Brother Shen Xiao?” asked Su Yi. He’d come back to finalize some arrangements, then leave the River of Destiny and return to the Eternal Heavens Domain.

“The two seniors are cultivating near the spring,” said Star Toad.

He’d only just said this when both River Ancestors whooshed over from afar.

“Fellow Daoist, I see you’ve returned. I’m sure you’ve already accomplished what you set out to do,” River Ancestor Lu Shu said with a laugh.

River Ancestor Shen Xiao looked at River Ancestor Sparrow in astonishment. “Little Brother, did you take that old-timer prisoner?”

River Ancestor Sparrow said gravely, “I now serve Destiny’s Chosen, and I shall work loyally on his behalf going forward!”

He clasped his fist and bowed to River Ancestor Shen Xiao. "If I offended you previously, I humbly request your forgiveness, Fellow Daoist.”

After a moment’s smile, River Ancestor Shen Xiao smiled. “Easily done.”

Su Yi looked at them both, then said, “You’ve been cultivating near the spring for the past several days. Has anything unusual happened?”

River Ancestor Lu Shu’s smile faded. “Fellow Daoist, I have something to discuss with you. Come with us; it’d be best if we spoke closer to the spring.”

Su Yi nodded, and the three of them set off, then stopped just one thousand feet from the spring.

“To tell the truth, Fellow Daoist, there was a strange disturbance deep within the spring the very day you left. An arc of blood-red light shot forth, distorting time and space within a hundred-thousand-foot radius of the spring,” said Lu Shu, pointing at the spring. “It stayed that way for about as long as it takes to burn a stick of incense. Then, everything sank back into silence.”

River Ancestor Shen Xiao chimed in, “We dared not draw any closer, so we only gazed upon it from afar. We soon discovered that no more bugs were emerging from the spring, but that wisps of blood-red mist had taken their place.”

Su Yi had noticed the wisps of strange, mysterious mist. They were sparse, but definitely there.

“When River Ancestor Lu Shu and I examined the mist, we discovered that it was actually an utterly mystical power,” said River Ancestor Shen Xiao, an excited look on his face. “Refining it is inestimably beneficial for cultivating the heart. It’s far better than refining those Divine Heart Bugs!”

River Ancestor Lu Shu nodded. “We’ve been cultivating here this entire time, and our hearts have indeed progressed considerably.”

River Ancestor Sparrow listened in astonishment. That spring actually contains power useful for tempering the heart? That’s unquestionably an enormous stroke of good fortune!

River Empress Peacock and Star Toad didn’t find it strange. They’d already known about the well.

“Let me test it," said Su Yi, taking a step closer to the well.

River Ancestor Sparrow wanted to follow, but River Ancestor Lu Shu stopped him. “The area around the spring is enveloped in invisible power. Approach recklessly, and your heart will suffer a severe backlash.”

River Ancestor Sparrow took several steps back for sheer fright.

When he watched Su Yi approach the spring casually, his gaze shifted inscrutably. It’s no wonder Destiny’s Chosen managed to suppress Ying Qi. His heart is unbelievably powerful!

Soon, Su Yi stopped near the spring. There was a spacetime barrier deep within it, but its surface was cracked, so he could see the Void on the other side.

Su Yi had already known about this, but when he peered down the spring now, he saw that the crack had widened considerably. Wisps of blood-red power spurted out of its depths, then rose into the air.

There was no doubt about it. That was the mystical power the two River Ancestors had told him about, the one useful for tempering the heart!

As Su Yi peered down, a wisp of mist surged forth and enveloped him.

But it was then that something unexpected happened. River Empress Peacock, Star Toad, and River Ancestor Sparrow watched in astonishment as River Ancestor Shen Xiao shot explosively toward Su Yi, quick as a beam of flowing light. He covered a thousand feet in a single step, his ferocious majesty billowing around him.

His hands had formed a strange magic seal, which he hurled at Su Yi’s back.

Boom!

The seal lit up with dazzling, blood-red light.

The onlookers’ hair stood on end, their hearts on tenterhooks. They could already picture Su Yi being blasted into the well.

But at this critical juncture, Su Yi dodged, shifting to the side as if he had eyes on the back of his head.

A massive impact rang out as River Ancestor Shen Xiao’s strike hit nothing but air.

Meanwhile, Su Yi whipped around to face River Ancestor Shen Xiao. He said calmly, “It seems there really was a problem.”

River Empress Peacock and the others sighed in relief, the lapels of their clothing drenched in cold sweat.

That sudden attack had been far too startling. Who could have anticipated that River Ancestor Shen Xiao would attack Su Yi out of nowhere?

But before they could respond, a grave voice boomed in River Empress Peacock and Star Toads’ ears. “Don’t move!”

Before they could respond, a mysterious power sealed them in place, and the landscapes of their hearts stilled as if frozen. Neither could move a muscle.

The culprit was River Ancestor Lu Shu!

His eyes were cold, indifferent, and full of undisguised murderous intent.

River Empress Peacock and Star Toad were overcome with shock. Something’s gone wrong with River Ancestor Lu Shu, too?

River Ancestor Sparrow took a step forward and was about to intervene when River Ancestor Lu Shu said coldly, “Try anything, and I’ll kill them!”

River Ancestor Sparrow stopped in his tracks, then looked at Su Yi. He could never have anticipated that something like this would happen so soon after he delivered Su Yi to the Golden Frost Forbidden Zone.

The only thing he could tell for certain was that River Ancestor Lu Shu and River Ancestor Shen Xiao had planned this. They’d worked together to lure Destiny’s Chosen to the well!

There was obviously something off about that blood-red mist, too. River Ancestor Shen Xiao had chosen to attack just as it surrounded Destiny’s Chosen.

But... it seemed Destiny’s Chosen hadn’t fallen for their tricks. He dodged immediately, avoiding both the mist and River Ancestor Shen Xiao’s ambush!

As River Ancestor Sparrow’s thoughts raced, River Ancestor Shen Xiao attacked once more, charging explosively at Su Yi. His aura was terrifying to behold, and he unleashed his full power. He was clearly holding nothing back.

This time, Su Yi didn’t dodge. Instead, he used two abilities and a treasure in rapid succession—Speaking Divine Writ, Seizing Destiny, and the Medallion of Past Karma.

When River Ancestor Shen Xiao drew near, his body stiffened. Speaking Divine Writ shook his true name, and his qi circulation stagnated.

Su Yi seized the opportunity to borrow the power of River Ancestor Ji Dian’s true name, then gripped the Medallion of Past Karma and attacked.

The terrifying majesty of a River Sovereign appeared around him, and the Medallion of Past Karma erupted with a rain of blood-red light, enveloping heaven and earth.

The secrets—and weaknesses—of River Ancestor Shen Xiao’s heart were instantly on full display.

And when Su Yi attacked with the medallion, the power of the Myriad Facets edict spread, invading the landscape of River Ancestor Shen Xiao’s heart to create a karmic prison.

Bang!!!

River Ancestor Shen Xiao was sent flying backward, a desperate scream escaping his lips.

Everyone was startled. None of them had anticipated that River Ancestor Shen Xiao would lose so quickly. He couldn’t block even a single hit! One strike, and he was badly injured!

River Ancestor Lu Shu looked stricken. He bellowed, “Stop! Or else, both of them will die!”

Su Yi approached, blue robes swaying around him, his body still emanating River Ancestor Ji Dian’s terrifying aura.

“If I’m not mistaken, you’re both Outsider Celestial Demons from the far side of the barrier. Am I right?” asked Su Yi.

Outsider Celestial Demons! River Empress Peacock and Star Toad instantly understood. The two River Ancestors’ hearts must have been taken over. The Celestial Demons have taken control of them!

River Ancestor Lu Shu’s expression shifted. “You figured it out a long time ago?”

Su Yi nodded; he felt no need to hide it. “I realized something was amiss the moment I laid eyes on you two.”

Celestial Demons were, in a sense, heart devils given form!

Everyone knew that heart devils were strange, formless entities that lurked in the deepest recesses of the heart. They were all but impossible to guard against.

And Outsider Celestial Demons were experts among them!

Unfortunately, these two Outsider Celestial Demons had severely underestimated the strength of Su Yi’s heart.

Prior to igniting his Natal Heart Lamp, Su Yi likely wouldn’t have noticed anything unusual about River Ancestors Lu Shu and Shen Xiao unless he examined them closely.

But it was different now. There was no need for him to use any kind of secret art, nor did he need to pay any particular attention. The moment Su Yi laid eyes on them, he sensed that something was amiss. He could sense the presence of a heart devil.

When the two River Ancestors invited him to the spring, he was already on guard. Moreover, he hadn’t trusted a single word they said about the blood-red mist!

The outcome confirmed his suspicions. The two River Ancestors, or rather, the heart devils controlling them, had tried to force him into the well and through the gaps in its spacetime barrier!

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