First Immortal of the Sword

Half a month later, in an ancient city in the Green Parasol Continent.

Su Yi and Hua Qingyi sat and drank in a tavern. The wine was the city’s unique brew, Spring Apricots.

Outside the window, the scenery was misty with rain, and the pedestrians hurried through the streets.

“This is where I was born and raised, but so much time has passed that it’s nothing as I remember,” said Hua Qingyi, resting her head in her hands. As she gazed out the window, her eyes were as misty as the rain.

In that moment, her cold, aloof demeanor softened, revealing a rare hint of tenderness.

None who saw her could have imagined that this bright-eyed, pearly-toothed young beauty was actually the famed Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi, the woman who’d just recently shaken the entire Eternal Heavens Domain.

From Su Yi’s perspective, the sight of Hua Qingyi watching the rain through the window was a picturesque scene all its own. She was icy, with a hint of softness, and tranquil, but her eyes carried a trace of lingering melancholy.

This, perhaps, was homesickness. Ages had gone by, and time changed all things. The home she remembered from her youth had changed beyond recognition.

When Su Yi left the Divine Wandering Continent, he wasn’t sure where to go next. The world was open to him, yet it seemed there was nowhere to go.

Heavenly Sovereign Qingyi could tell that Su Yi was in a bad mood. Sure, they’d chased Heavenly Sovereign Wen back to his nest, but that had done little to satisfy Su Yi, as he was worried about the Heart-Tempering Sword House. Thus, Hua Qingyi chose to lead Su Yi to the Green Parasol Continent.

The Green Parasol Continent was just one of the Eternal Heavens Domain’s thirty-three continents. It wasn’t the bottom of the barrier, but it was second-rate at best. But it was also the home Hua Qingyi longed for. Alas, all of her relatives had died long ago, and her former home was no longer recognizable.

“In the path of cultivation, my home is wherever my heart is at peace. I’ve grown accustomed to wandering and solitude,” said Su Yi, taking a sip of wine. “Even if I lose everything else in the end, I’ll still have the sword in my hand and the path beneath my feet.”

He meant every word, too.

The living were mere passersby in this world. Only the dead were at peace. Heaven and earth were but temporary lodgings for those who passed through them. This was the shared sorrow of the living.

In the pursuit of the Grand Dao, nothing and nowhere were ever fixed in stone. All living beings, regardless of strength or status, were but passersby in this world.

Hua Qingyi gazed through the window lattice. “But the way I see it, your Dao Heart isn’t at all at peace.”

Su Yi didn’t deny it. The disappearance of the Heart-Tempering Sword House weighed on him, and he felt helpless to solve the problem.

Hua Qingyi said, “What do you plan to do next?”

Su Yi said casually, “I’m going to visit the Blackwater Celestial Capital and check on the Taiwu Sect's situation.”

Hua Qingyi said thoughtfully, “Are you worried that something happened to Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan?”

Su Yi nodded.

There was still no word from Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan. He’d tried repeatedly, but Su Yi still couldn’t contact him. There was undoubtedly something strange going on here.

“I’ll go with you,” said Hua Qingyi. She took a sip of wine, and her cheeks reddened with tipsiness, lending her an additional charm.

“I’ll return to the Far Shore after you’ve settled things here!” she said, her eyes glowing with determination.

Long, long ago, she left for the Far Shore on a solitary journey, overcoming countless trials and tribulations. In the end, she finally found it.

Unfortunately... she was still mid-journey when something unexpected happened. She ran into Old Lord Gouchen, one of the Secluded Ones, then wound up a black sheep, her voice and memories sealed.

Hua Qingyi didn’t particularly hate Old Lord Gouchen; she was, after all, weaker than him. All she could say was that she’d gotten unlucky.

Moreover, Old Lord Gouchen said that if she did something for him, he’d return her freedom, and even teach her a “supreme Grand Dao” that would lead her straight to the Far Shore. But he obviously hadn’t kept his initial promise. She’d regained her freedom, her true body, and reawakened her memories, but there was no sign of any “supreme Grand Dao.”

Hua Qingyi wasn’t despondent about it. She’d just have to take another trip to the Far Shore, for that was the Dao she sought!

Su Yi blinked, then reminded her, “The All-Profound Dominion has changed, and a storm is brewing. It’s headed our way, and it might well reach the River of Destiny at any moment. Leaving now would be far too dangerous.”

He pondered, then added, “Also, numerous forces of the Far Shore have appeared on the River of Destiny. They’ve been forbidden to intervene, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t dangerous.

“Great changes are in store, not just for the Eternal Heavens Domain, but also for the Void, the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain, and the source of the River of Destiny. I have a strong premonition that you’d be far better off staying here than trying to reach the Far Shore.”

Thoughts flooded Su Yi’s mind. He thought about the Negative Karma Destiny Demons of the Silent Annihilation Forbidden Domain, the Celestial Demons of the Void, and the experts who’d left in search of the source of the River of Destiny following the Struggle for Heavenly Fate. Of course, he thought about the experts of Sword Sovereign City, too.

It was because of all these considerations that Su Yi urged Hua Qingyi against leaving.

Hua Qingyi blinked, then furrowed her brow and glared at him. “It sounds like a well-intentioned warning, but you really just want me to stick around so I can fight on your behalf, right?”

Su Yi feigned shock. “Are you a tapeworm living in my guts? Can you hear the voice of my heart?”

Hua Qingyi was cold and aloof, but in the face of such crude nonsense, even she couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “You’re dreaming!”

Su Yi laughed. “Life is hard. What would it be without a few beautiful dreams?”

He’d spoken in jest, but to his surprise, Hua Qingyi furrowed her brow and mulled it over seriously.

When Su Yi saw this, he found it hard to remain seated. “Don’t take this so seriously. I have no intention of keeping a unique, unparalleled Heavenly Sovereign such as yourself by my side. Even if you agreed, I wouldn’t be able to bear such good fortune.”

Hua Qingyi laughed coldly. “You seemed quite bold earlier, so why wimp out all of a sudden? Are you even still a man?”

Su Yi practically spat out his wine. What does this have to do with my manhood?

“I get it now.” Hua Qingyi drummed her fingers on the table. She said solemnly, “Didn’t you say that Old Lord Gouchen appeared during the Struggle for Heavenly Fate? That suggests that the old-timer is still somewhere in the River of Destiny!”

Su Yi’s heart shook. “Are you planning to go look for him?”

“Why shouldn’t I?” asked Hua Qingyi.

Su Yi felt a headache coming on. He didn’t know much about the Secluded Ones, but he did know that the Mountain of the Secluded Ones was among the most ancient factions of the All-Profound Dominion. Old Lord Gouchen was one of the Secluded Ones. He was an unfathomable, progenitor-level expert. If Hua Qingyi recklessly went looking for him, there was no telling what would happen to her!

“Help me,” Hua Qingyi said with increasing solemnity, her bright eyes boring into Su Yi. “I’m confident that you can find him. Agree, and I’ll...

Su Yi hurriedly interrupted her. “There’s no need for any such promises between us. If you’re dead set on seeing the old-timer, I’ll naturally try to find a way to make it happen.”

Although he said this, Su Yi felt a headache coming on. He and Old Lord Gouchen weren’t at all familiar, and his first incarnation’s heart devil was no longer by his side. Given the circumstances, trying to hunt down a powerful, elusive Secluded One was sure to be difficult.

Hua Qingyi was obviously pleased with Su Yi’s answer, and her typically cold, stern face mellowed. She raised her cup of wine and said, “Of course, it’s enough that you try your best. If you really can’t do it, I won’t push.”

She drained her cup, then said, “Come on, let’s take a walk. It’s spring, and it’s apricot blossoms. Such days are rare and precious indeed.”

She then walked off before giving Su Yi a chance to respond.

Su Yi rubbed his nose. Miss Baa Baa Black Sheep sure has a lot of personality. She’s nothing like ordinary women. She’s cold, aloof, and tyrannical, but there’s no denying that inside... she’s actually quite attentive and considerate.

He hadn’t forgotten the way she’d carried him along when they’d chased Heavenly Sovereign Wen, or the way she’d started tending to his wounds despite disdaining to express a single word of concern.

Admittedly, she’d only just insisted that he help her in turn, and she left him no room to refuse. She was like a sovereign issuing a one-sided decree. But didn’t that in turn mean that she took him for a friend? She wouldn’t have acted so otherwise.

Besides, it wasn’t like she was forcing him to do anything.

As Su Yi pondered, he rose and chased after her.

Two others rose unbidden to his mind. The first was the red-robed Lu Hongpao, the other, the graceful, ethereal Xi Ning.

But then, he shook his head, then suppressed the concern he’d long buried in the depths of his heart.

Misty rains blanketed the city, each droplet as fine as an ox hair. The cobblestones were slick with rain, and the air was moist.

It was like a soft veil over the ancient city, stretching as far as the eye could see, like a scene from a poem or a painting.

Hua Qingyi had tied her long hair into a loose ponytail, which swayed as her tall, slender figure walked through the rain.

She was like an elegant flourish of the brush, her beauty spreading across the page.

Su Yi laughed to himself and caught up, relaxing inside and out. Neither of them said a word. They just walked leisurely through the rainy streets.

Hua Qingyi didn’t say anything either. It seemed she was immersed in memories of the past, and her starry eyes shone with reminiscence.

The two of them walked side by side. She was only half a head shorter, and the comparison only made her tall, elegant grace all the more apparent.

One was dressed in blue, the other in black. They just walked through the mist and rain, gradually fading into the distance.

When they left the city and saw the dark green mountains in the distance, Hua Qingyi suddenly said, “Apricot blossom rains are wonderful, but it isn’t like it was in my youth. My former home, as I remember it... lives on, tucked away in my heart.”

Su Yi blinked, then pondered her words seriously. Just as he was about to respond, Hua Qingyi grabbed him by the arm and shot off.

“Come on, let’s go to the Taiwu Sect.”

This was Hua Qingyi. Her every movement was full of the glorious demeanor of a Sovereign.

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