First Immortal of the Sword

Immortal King Xue He felt prickling pain all over his skin. His heart shook, and he inwardly cried out, This is bad!

He’d never looked down on his opponent. He’d prepared thoroughly, and he’d remained on guard and ready to fight throughout this operation.

Thus, the moment he laid eyes on Shen Mu, he attacked without the slightest hesitation.

Despite this, his heart sank in the face of Shen Mu’s sudden attack. He suddenly realized that, for all his caution, he’d still underestimated just how terrifying this young man was.

This slash was strong enough to provoke instinctual fear! He was an Immortal King, yet he sensed an impending lethal threat!

But there was no time left to change his approach.

If I block this attack, I can take out the Bloody Soul Bells. I might get badly injured in the process, but I can definitely take him down!

Immortal King Xue He’s eyes flashed with ruthless light. So long as he survived this slash, he could use his killer weapon to make Shen Mu regret having ever tried to attack him.

Clang!!!

A heaven-shaking impact rang out.

The Sword of the Human Realm struck like the blue dome of heaven pouring onto the world below. It slammed into Xue He’s white bone halberd like an axe striking bamboo.

Crunch!

The halberd split in two.

The sound made Xue He’s heart pound in his chest, and he visibly lost his composure.

Even if you’d hit him over the head, he would never have guessed that his natal immortal weapon, a top-notch treasure within the Miracle Realm, would break as easily as paper window paneling!

This caught him completely off guard. He didn’t even have time to use his other killer weapons. All he could do was instinctively shift to the side.

But he was one step too late.

The Sword of the Human Realm rumbled and boomed. A waterfall of sword qi fell down to earth, sweeping outward in all directions with unbelievable speed.

It was as if the skies were falling.

Bang!

Xue He’s defenses exploded.

“No——!”

His eyes bulged with fury, but there was nothing he could do. The Sword of the Human Realm fell and split him open!

In the last moments before his death, bewilderment and bitterness were written all over his face.

It was just one attack. I couldn’t even block a single strike? I didn’t even have time to use my trump cards! How is this…

Is he… really an Immortal Lord!?

A rain of blood scattered, and the tyrannical sword qi dispersed. Immortal King Xue He was torn apart, and his soul was reduced to powder. His remains quickly crumbled into ash.

One slash had split his white bone halberd and ended his life!

It all happened in an instant. But that instant was deadly!

The thought alone was enough to strike fear into one’s heart. A top expert among early-stage Immortal Kings had died a bitter death before he could even react!

“Hah~~”Su Yi let out a long breath of turbid air.

He too had poured everything he had into that strike. It was fully imbued with his essence, qi, and spirit, as well as his attainments in the Dao of the Sword fused with his powers of the Grand Dao.

His aim had been to destroy his opponent in a single strike.

Now, this goal had been realized!

He was only in the early stage of the Miracle Realm, but he was still stronger than the Immortal Kings I killed after the Divine Hunt… thought Su Yi.

Even at the same level of cultivation, strength was highly variable. Only a select few were peak experts. Most were, by definition, just ordinary.

Xue He was undoubtedly the former, a rare elite.

Su Yi wasn’t certain that he could have defeated Xue He in a single slash immediately after stepping into the Void Realm. At least, not relying purely on his own strength.

Fortunately, he was now on the verge of breaking into the mid-stage Void Realm. Taking down a top early-stage Immortal King like Xue He was no longer much of a problem.

Suddenly, a lamp cast its light upon the ground.

Su Yi whipped around and saw a beautiful, flabbergasted face.

Madam Pei Jing!

She carried an octagonal jade palace lamp, and sixteen flying knives whirled around her, each swathed in electric light.

Practically instantaneously——

Su Yi shot through the sky and charged explosively at Madam Pei Jing, who turned and fled. Both of them reacted unbelievably quickly.

As Madam Pei Jing fled, she shouted, “Save me! Hurry!”

But her voice soon came to an abrupt halt.

Boom!

The nearby skies collapsed, and a swath of sword qi descended. Its glittering, golden light blanketed the sky, sealing it off completely.

The Laws of Restricting the Profound!

Madam Pei Jing froze in place, like a fly in a spider’s web.

She waved her hand, and…

Boom!

Flames swept out of the glazed palace lamp, spreading in all directions.

At the same time, the sixteen flying knives transformed into dazzling electric lights and shot outward.

The Laws of Restricting the Profound instantly fell apart.

But Su Yi had seized this opportunity to charge over. His gaze was distant and cold, and his robes billowed around him as he swung his sword and attacked.

Boom!

It was just one slash, but it seemed to sever mountains and split oceans. Nothing could stand in its way. Heaven and earth rumbled and boomed, and the fire filling the sky went out.

Sword qi crisscrossed, and a series of explosions rang out in rapid succession.

The sixteen glittering golden knives were reduced to scrap metal as the sword qi slammed into them.

That tyrannical sword intent dealt Madam Pei Jing a heavy blow, sending her flying backward.

Splurt!

She coughed up blood, and her face paled.

Is it really possible for an Immortal Lord to possess such power? I’m a mid-stage Immortal Queen!!

But before she could give the matter any further thought, Su Yi attacked again.

Rather, his attacks never once stopped. He just shot right in with domineering force, the Sword of the Human Realm buzzing in his grip as his sword intent rose into the firmament.

Boom!

The sword rain filling the sky came crashing down, its light stinging the eyes. It was imbued with the full extent of Su Yi’s murderous intent and will to fight. This was the appalling power that resulted when he circulated the full extent of his cultivation.

He was as contemptuous as a god of the sword!

Madam Pei Jing suddenly gnashed her teeth. Her eyes flashed with blood-colored light as she unleashed a forbidden technique, one that damaged the user’s cultivation base.

“The light of my lamp shall guide you to your death!” she roared, her glazed palace lamp taking to the skies and erupting with far-reaching, blood-colored light.

As endlessly radiant as a blood-red sun!

Su Yi’s rain of sword qi melted into nothingness.

But Su Yi didn’t retreat. On the contrary, he advanced, leaping directly into the fray.

Weng!

The Divine Replenishment Furnace took to the sky. Endless Immortal Light came pouring down, crushing the air and tearing a path through the illusory red lamps blanketing the heavens.

Madam Pei Jing poured everything she had into the palace lamp. Shockingly, she managed to block the Divine Replenishment Furnace’s offensive.

Su Yi snorted coldly. The Sword of the Human Realm let out a clear hum as it pointed into the heavens.

Sword qi burst forth, like an arc of white light piercing the sun.

The glazed palace lamp let out a heaven-shaking mournful wail.

Su Yi seized the opportunity to swing his sword and take her down, once and for all.

Her long hair was disheveled, and her skin was covered in terrors. Sword qi had invaded her body, and she felt a rending pain in her organs as she toppled over backward.

“Don’t kill me!” shrieked Madam Pei Jing. “You can take me hostage. If you use my life as leverage, they’ll let you out of the Datura Barrier!”

Before her voice had even finished echoing through the air, Su Yi’s sword descended.

Splurt!

Madam Pei Jing’s head and shoulders parted ways, and she died on the spot.

“I forgot to mention this, but I actually came in here of my own accord. How could I need anyone’s help to leave?” whispered Su Yi, his eyes full of disdain.

His enemies had meticulously set this trap for him, but if he used it properly, he could use it to destroy them instead!

The Immortal Kings of the Church of the Exquisite Goddess had been completely confident. The possibility that Su Yi had fallen into their trap intentionally would never have occurred to them!

Of course, this approach was quite dangerous. Had anyone else tried it, they’d likely have died a long time ago.

Su Yi let out a deep breath.

A golden beast skin shone with wondrous light, neutralizing the power of the Datura Barrier. This was the hide of the Great Realm Immortal Beast, the Cloudlight Void Beast, and a treasure Luo Changning left behind in the Primeval Era. It contained the secrets of divinity!

The treasure’s power was all but expended, but its divine qualities remained. Carrying it on his person could neutralize much of the Datura Barrier’s power.

“The enemies outside the barrier have likely long since sensed the disturbance. It won’t do to linger…”

Without any further delays, Su Yi put away the Sword of the Human Realm and the Divine Replenishment Furnace, gathered his spoils, and left.

……

“There’s a grand battle raging in the valley!”

“Here that? Madam Pei Jing is calling for help!”

“Should we charge into the valley?”

“We can’t!”

…Outside the valley, the thin old man, Han Yun, and the man in black had overcast looks on their faces.

The Datura Barrier’s power was under attack. They could no longer see what was happening inside.

But all of them clearly sensed the energy fluctuations of a battle raging inside, and all of them heard Madam Pei Jing’s cries for help.

They realized that things weren’t going well.

“Don’t tell me we have to just watch as Xue He and Pei Jing face grave peril?” the man in black said with a frown.

“Of course not!” The thin old man immediately reached a decision. “The situation has changed, and we cannot concern ourselves with anything else. Libationer Han Yun, remove the barrier covering the valley.”

“Um…” Han Yun hesitated. “But if I do that, Shen Mu is sure to seize the opportunity to escape! When that happens…”

Before he could finish, the gaunt old man said, “Saving our allies’ lives comes first!”

Han Yun nodded, but just as he was about to take action…

Bang!

A bloody figure staggered out of the valley. He was so covered in blood that it took them a moment to realize who it was.

This was Xue He! But he looked utterly wretched, and he was severely wounded. After bursting through the barrier, he fell to the ground, and shockingly, he couldn’t get back up again.

“Hurry! Hurry up and save her——!” Xue He cried out urgently.

Han Yun and the others’ hearts shook, and their faces paled. It’s just as we thought! Sending them in was a bad move. Both of them have been attacked!

The man in black rushed over to help Xue He up. “Hurry up and tell us what happened in there. Is Madam Pei Jing…”

But his voice came to an abrupt halt. Before he could finish his question, his neck snapped with an audible crunch.

To his astonishment, it was Xue He, the injured ally he’d just helped to his feet, who’d broken his neck.

A moment later…

Bang!

His body exploded into ash.

It happened so suddenly that the man in black couldn’t even react. He was incinerated before he even knew what was happening.

“Xue He, you…”

Han Yun’s eyes bulged with disbelief. All of them were Immortal Kings, and all of them were covered by their powers of the Grand Dao. Even if they ambushed, they should have been able to react and fight back.

Yet now, the man in black had been killed in a flash! It was just too sudden!

And it was Xue He of all people who’d killed him! How could Han Yun not be surprised?

“That isn’t Xue He!” the gaunt old man bellowed, his hair and beard bristling with fury and astonishment.

They were Immortal Kings! They could see through truth and lies at a glance. Most illusions were useless against them. Most of the world’s transformation techniques and disguises could in no way deceive their senses.

Yet this time, all of them had been fooled!