First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1418 – Manifesting Mortality, Manifesting Truth, Manifesting Emptiness

The brand hovered in front of Su Yi.

His sixth incarnation’s voice rang out once more. “This is a completely different Path of Transcendence. Ever since the Contract of the Gods entered creation, no one in either the Human or Immortal Realms has ever managed to step onto it.

“This path is similarly divided into three major realms, however, the cultivation method and secrets of each realm are entirely different.

“You can call these three realms Manifesting Mortality, Manifesting Truth, and Manifesting Emptiness!

“Manifesting Mortality corresponds to the Nascent Divinity Realm. The name doesn’t imply severing the cultivation base and becoming an ordinary mortal, but rather, fusing your entire cultivation base into the Nascent Divinity.

“In doing so, the Nascent Divinity becomes a well of chaos within the body. It can manifest all Daos, its vastness beyond measure and its shape indescribable.

“Upon reaching this realm, one’s aura disappears completely. Thus, in other’s eyes, you’re like a mortal. However, your ‘mortal’ body will allow you to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with gods and immortals!”

Su Yi couldn’t help but be surprised. In the Nascent Divinity Realm, new Transcendents used the fleshly body as a root and the soul as a trunk to establish a wellspring of the Grand Dao. The better a Nascent Divinity’s quality, the stronger one’s foundations.

Upon reaching the Nascent Divinity Realm, the body’s World of the Grand Dao gave rise to a Natal Spirit, giving the World of a Grand Dao true vital energy!

With this vital force of the Grand Dao, one’s inner world would manifest all manner of transformations: the movements of mountains and rivers, the revolutions of celestial bodies, the shifting of planets, and the cycle of the seasons…

This Natal Spirit was called the Nascent Divinity.

It was only when this Natal Spirit fully formed that one could begin the process of transcending mortality.

But his sixth incarnation described a starkly different Path of Transcendence. Although it also involved condensing a Nascent Divinity, the World of the Grand Dao was instead shattered, transformed into a Wellspring of Chaos, and fused into the Nascent Divinity!

This was completely different from condensing the Nascent Divinity inside the World of the Grand Dao!

“I’ve never experienced the wonders of this path for myself, but I know that only by storing your entire cultivation base within your Nascent Divinity can you forge the most fundamental Root of Heaven and Earth within the Path of Transcendence!” said Su Yi’s sixth incarnation. “Before you break through, you must completely refine your World of the Grand Dao. Only then can you replace it with a Nascent Divinity that contains a Wellspring of Chaos.

“You must break before you can build!”

Su Yi’s pupils constricted.

Refining my World of the Grand Dao? That would be no different from destroying my cultivation base!

Had anyone else dared to suggest such a thing, Su Yi would absolutely have suspected them of harboring ill intentions.

But it was his sixth incarnation who’d suggested this. There had to be other, enormous secrets behind this!

“This brand contains the entirety of the secrets I divined back then. Once you’ve grasped them, you can combine them with my knowledge and experience of the Path of Transcendence. You’ll naturally realize how to break through then,” continued Wang Ye. “But you must remember. The moment you attempt to step onto this path, you’re sure to provoke the hostility of the Contract of the Gods.

“But you’ve grasped the mysteries of reincarnation, and you have the Sword of the Nine Hells. That’s enough for you to survive this ‘path to certain doom.’”

Su Yi mulled this over briefly, then said, “Hearing you describe it, I can’t help but feel that stepping into the Manifesting Mortality Realm is somehow similar to the mysteries of Profound Ruin.”

Wang Ye was stunned. “Truly?”

He already knew that their first lifetime had transmitted a Grand Dao known as Profound Ruin to Su Yi. It could sever karma and restrict destiny!

But he wouldn’t have guessed that this Grand Dao would be in any way similar to Manifesting Mortality Realm cultivation.

“Have a look,” said Su Yi. He exerted his will, and a wisp of the power of the Grand Dao floated from his fingertip.

Its power was as dazzling as the light of a new dawn casting away the darkness, and as boundlessly vast as the river of stars, as desolate and primordial as chaos itself.

Its hue was like the blue of spring skies, clear and ethereal, without the slightest contamination.

When Wang Ye examined it, he sensed profundities upon profundities, a charm akin to seizing fortune from the heavens.

After sensing it for a while, he murmured, “Manifesting Mortality involves sloughing off everything extraneous and bringing everything left into the Nascent Divinity, like ten thousand Daos returning to a common source. And this power of the Grand Dao is like the origin of all transformations, the common source of all profundities…

“It’s similar. It’s far too similar! I can say with certainty that if you use these Laws of the Grand Dao to establish your foundations during your breakthrough, they’ll achieve unbelievable, wondrous effects!”

Here, Wang Ye’s tone shifted, suddenly complicated. “Why do I get the distinct sense that our first lifetime anticipated that this day would come when he first transmitted the secrets of Profound Ruin to you? He was paving your path, wasn’t he?”

Su Yi was stunned. He could sense a clear hint of envy and bitterness in Wang Ye’s voice!

“We’re both his reincarnations, yet he’s severing karma and restricting destiny for you and only you… and he even paved your way to the Path of Transcendence. How is that… fair!?”

Wang Ye was obviously infuriated.

Su Yi couldn’t help but find this amusing. “Come on, we’re all the same person. You’re embarrassing yourself. Where’s the comportment of a hegemon of the Immortal Dao?”

“I’ve already been reduced to a mere Dao Imprint, and I’m trapped within the Sword of the Nine Hells,” snapped Wang Ye. “The ‘comportment of a hegemon of the Immortal Dao’ isn’t even worth a fart!”

There was no doubt about it. Learning of everything their first incarnation had done for Su Yi had provoked Wang Ye, and he completely lost his usual comportment.

Su Yi suddenly felt that this scene was quite absurd, as if his sixth incarnation were a spurned, jealous lover…

A little while later, his sixth incarnation sighed. “I forgot myself. I know that our first incarnation did this simply because you’re the only one of his future lives to have grasped reincarnation. That’s what granted you a glimpse of fate, enabling your meeting across the River of Destiny. And that’s why you received his aid.”

Su Yi fell briefly silent. “Never mind his assistance. I never asked anyone to pave my path for me. If you’re unwilling, wait until I fuse with your Dao Imprint. We can vie for supremacy within the battlefield of the heart.

“It’s just as you said. Let’s see who replaces who in the end!”

He spoke with calm composure, forthrightness, and contemptuous pride.

All his sixth incarnation had to say to that was, “Very well!”

……

Su Yi spent the days that followed deep in seclusion.

Mount Clearmoon was peaceful, but in the outside world, changes were picking up speed.

Just half a month later, the Laws of heaven and earth ceased to restrict Cloud Soaring Realm revenants. The complete Path of Transcendence had reappeared within the bounds of the Laws.

This was half a month faster than Mo Qingchou’s estimate!

Every star realm was in uproar.

Who knew how many Cosmic Enlightenment World Kings had stagnated over the years, unable to advance any further?

Now, the Path of Transcendence had finally returned. Throughout the stars, countless people proved their Daos and broke through, stepping into Transcendence!

It was much like how bamboo shoots shot up after a spring rain.

The stars’ balance of power was thrown into upheaval, and the wind and clouds surged.

“This is an unprecedented change. Nothing like this has happened since the End of the Dharma! It’s like the arrival of a new golden age!”

“The world is changing. They say great fortune follows a disaster. Countless years of dormancy and accumulations preceded this burst of vitality. Cultivators born in this era are fortunate indeed!”

“How could revenants possibly compare to true Transcendents? As time passes, those ancient orthodoxies’ advantages will fade and disappear completely!”

“That is, unless they can break their curses!”

“Hah! That’ll depend on whether or not His Excellency the Temple Master agrees to help them!” 𝒻𝘳𝑤𝘦𝑜𝘷.𝗇t

And it wasn’t just the outside world that was in uproar. The Flying Immortal Forbidden Zone wasn’t at all peaceful either.

Because immortal revenants were emerging from seclusion!

These powerful existences no longer needed to remain dormant. Although they couldn’t yet proceed into the outside world, they could traverse the Flying Immortal Forbidden Zone freely!

The Mo Family.

Their immortal revenant, Mo Xinglin, finally emerged from seclusion. He was dressed in silver robes, with a broad belt and a tall hat. He had a face like cut jade, and although he looked young, his eyes surged with the vicissitudes of countless years.

“Qingchou, has there been any word of Fellow Daoist Su breaking through?” Mo Xinglin asked warmly. He and Mo Qingchou now stood within a grand hall.

Mo Qinghcou shook her head. “Several days ago, I visited Mount Clearmoon personally. They told me that Fellow Daoist Su had gone into seclusion a month ago, and there’s been no word of him ever since.”

Mo Xinglin’s brow furrowed. “Fellow Daoist Su doesn’t have much time left.”

As immortal revenants of ancient factions emerged from seclusion, many of them announced their intentions of getting even with Su Yi.

There were even rumors that the factions hostile to Su Yi had secretly formed an alliance and that they were planning their revenge!

“Ancestor, didn’t you say it’d be another two months or so before immortal revenants could re-enter the world?” Mo Qingchou couldn’t help but ask.

“No, that was just an estimate. The world’s changes are speeding up. I suspect it won’t be anywhere near two months before immortal revenants can leave the Flying Immortal Forbidden Zone.” A hint of worry appeared on Mo Xinglin’s face. “More importantly, even now, so long as they use secret treasures to obscure their auras, immortal revenants can already venture outside without fear of a backlash!”

Mo Qingchou’s heart thudded in her chest.

She suddenly recalled that, well before Cloud Soaring revenants could wander freely, they could travel with the help of similar treasures!

There was no doubt about it. Immortal revenants could use a similar method.

Although this would severely restrict their strength, don’t forget: these were immortal revenants!

They were far more terrifying than immortal avatars of will!

“Deliver this information to Fellow Daoist Su. Tell him he must be careful, and that no matter what, he cannot get complacent.”

Mo Xinglin immediately made a decision. “Every last one of these immortal revenants is a ruthless character, and they’ll do anything to get revenge!”

“Understood!” Mo Qingchou nodded her assent, not daring to be negligent.

But it was then that an elderly servant scurried over.

“Ancestor, someone who calls himself ‘a carver of tombstones’ has come calling, and he’s brought with him an unmarked grave marker!” The servant’s expression was unsightly.

A carver of tombstones!

Mo Xinglin exclaimed in disbelief, “There are still living members of the Entombed Spirit Immortal Sect!?”

The Entombed Spirit Immortal Sect, a faction of ghost cultivators famous in the Immortal Realm for their work with departed souls. Their foundations were incomparably ancient, and their immortals were all ghost immortals!

“Carver of tombstones” was a position in the Entombed Spirit Immortal Sect. They were comparable to the emissaries of other sects.

According to the Entombed Spirit Immortal Sect’s rules, dispatching a carver of tombstones was equivalent to declaring war!

When a carver of tombstones delivered a tombstone carved with a declaration of war, that meant they wouldn’t rest until their enemies were dead!