First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1994 – The City of the Lost, Inauspicious Spirits

Nan Pingtian stiffened, then turned to see a familiar face.

Su Yi!

His face was instantly ashen, and he gave up all thoughts of struggling.

“To you, I’m no more than a small fry entirely unworthy of notice. Why must you kill me?” Nan Pingtian said bitterly.

Prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals, he too was a prominent and influential hegemon of the Immortal Dao, a figure comparable to Jiang Tai’e, Blood Firmament, and the others.

But standing before Su Yi now, he seemed meek, humble, and downtrodden!

“I have to put our old enmity to rest. How could I simply let it go?” said Su Yi. “Even if you turned yourself into an ant, I’d have to find and crush you.”

Nan Pingtian let out a deep sigh. “I escaped the Age of Fallen Immortals and hid from divine misfortune. I thought I could prove my Dao and become a god. Who’d have thought that all my hard work would amount to nothing in the end?”

He suddenly felt that he’d lived all these years in vain!

This was what they meant when they said that there was no greater grief than the death of the heart.

“I’ll let you die with dignity. End yourself.” Su Yi relaxed his grip on Nan Pingtian’s shoulders.

Nan Pingtian froze, then suddenly said, “Do you know where Xiao Ruyi, Ye Chunqiu, and Xu Fushi went?”

“If you have something to say, say it directly,” said Su Yi.

Nan Pingtian suddenly broke into a strange grin. “Wang Ye, don’t you find yourself pitiful? You’ve reincarnated and returned, but all of your friends are gone. You’re the only one left!”

Su Yi’s brow furrowed. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

Nan Pingtian’s smile faded. “They say that men speak with kindness before their deaths, but I most certainly don’t agree. I would love nothing more than for you to disappear into the City of the Lost forever, just like your friends!”

Su Yi’s pupils constricted.

The City of the Lost!

This was one of the most mysterious forbidden grounds in the River of Epochs. Rumor had it that if those who sought the Dao over the River of Epochs entered the City of the Lost, they’d vanish completely, lost for all eternity, never to escape!

There were also rumors that those who entered the City of the Lost could never find their way back home. They’d be reduced to pitiful wandering ghosts, drifting aimlessly throughout the City of the Lost with no sense of self.

Wang Ye had explored the River of Epochs before. He naturally knew of the City of the Lost, and he knew that it was rumored to hold opportunities to achieve divinity.

“Are you saying Xiao Ruyi and the others are trapped in the City of the Lost?” Su Yi furrowed his brow.

“Of course,” said Nan Pingtian. “Back then, I left the Immortal Realm and sought the Path of Divinity in the River of Epochs. It was there that I first heard rumors of the City of the Lost, and I saw Xiao Ruyi, Xu Fushi, and the others go inside.”

Here, he chuckled. “At the time, perhaps out of sheer boredom, I decided to wait and see if they returned alive.

“So I remained there, watching and waiting, for ten years straight.”

Here, Su Yi jeered, “You really didn’t have anything better to do, huh?”

Nan Pingtian disregarded this and continued, “During the tenth year, I saw something utterly unearthly. A strange procession emerged from the City of the Lost!

“An army of evil spirits astride skeletal horses, ancient corpses carrying a bloodstained palanquin, a giant thoroughly bound in chains with a bony old woman on his back…”

Nan Pingtian shuddered at the memory of it.

“Most terrifying of all was the blood-red altar at the center of the procession. A fat, meaty worm several dozen feet long lay atop it, its entire body covered in hideous eyes.

“That monster was simply terrifying! The moment I laid eyes on it, I almost lost control over my Dao Heart. It was as if countless tendrils had seized my very soul. It felt like my soul might well dissipate.”

Nan Pingtian took a deep breath. “Fortunately, I used a secret treasure at a critical juncture and fled, escaping with my life.”

“What was that strange procession out to do?” asked Su Yi.

“No idea,” said Nan Pingtian. “Afterward, I discussed the situation with Jiang Tai’e. He learned numerous secrets while exploring the River of Epochs too. According to him, that procession was likely a group of Ghost Gods wandering the River of Epochs. You could also call them ‘inauspicious spirits.’”

Ghost Gods! Inauspicious spirits!

Su Yi’s brow furrowed. Wang Ye had heard similar rumors.

Ghost Gods were spirits manifested from the lingering resentment of a fallen god.

But they were also different from true ghosts. Ghost Gods’ entire bodies were shrouded in malevolent, inauspicious power. Thus, they were also known as inauspicious spirits.

These apparitions were extremely terrifying. Any Great Realm expert unfortunate enough to bump into them was all but certain to perish.

Now, it seemed like the City of the Lost was home to numerous such inauspicious spirits. Su Yi instantly felt an ill premonition.

“You’re about to die. Why tell me this?” Su Yi suddenly asked.

“They say a man speaks with kindness before his death,” said Nan Pingian. “But again, I’ve never believed that. I just want to lure you to your doom in the City of the Lost!”

He laughed. “I dare say with certainty that you’ll go. After all, Xiao Ruyi, Xu Fushi and the others disappeared into the City of the Lost, and there’s been no word of any of them since. Even… Even if they all died a long time ago, given your personality, you’re certain to try to avenge them!”

He was right, too. Su Yi didn’t deny it. Neither Wang Ye nor his current incarnation could possibly have remained bystanders after hearing that.

Nan Pingtian understood Wang Ye. That was why he’d revealed this information before his death..

“You’re too clever for your own good,” said Su Yi. “Excessive cleverness makes a man a coward. It makes him waste his energy on mind games, schemes, and external objects. When a clever man runs into disaster, instead of thinking about how to face it, he fixates on how he’ll escape—or how he’ll use it to hurt and trick other people.”

Nan Pingtian’s expression shifted erratically. Su Yi’s words hit him right where it hurt!

“Simply put, you lack the spirit to face death head-on and fight for your life.” Su Yi pointed to Nan Pingtian. “I gave you a chance to end yourself, but I know you would never do such a thing because part of you is always thinking, ‘What if something changes? Maybe I’ll be able to wriggle my way out of this!’”

Nan Pingtian sank into silence. He was indeed thinking just that. Even as he conversed with Su Yi, he paid close attention to everything happening around him.

Alas, nothing changed. At least, nothing sufficient to change his situation.

“‘When your situation is advantageous, it seems as though heaven and earth themselves are on your side, but when fortune departs, even a hero struggles to retain their freedom.’ It seems my fortune has run out!” Nan Pingtian slumped and let out a deep sigh.

“Farewell.” Su Yi patted him on the shoulder.

“At the very least, I got to die by your hand. I, Nan Pingtian… didn’t live in vain.” Nan Pingtian suddenly laughed. He’d accepted his fate and found release.

Moments later, his body silently split apart, then disintegrated into ash.

Su Yi took out a jug of wine, threw back his head, and took a big gulp before turning and leaving.

Boom!

Heaven and earth collapsed, and all of creation crumbled and broke.

Just like that, the entire Epoch Battlefield fell apart.

Numerous figures shot out, returning to the outside world, each like a resplendent arc of divine radiance.

Other arcs of divine radiance tore through time and space, shooting far beyond the firmament. These were manifested of true divine power!

Supposedly, so long as one achieved divinity, they could use their Godhead to sense the spacetime coordinates of the God Domain. This enabled gods to shatter the void and cross all barriers of time and space in their path to return to the God Domain at will.

“A’Ning, once I’ve settled things here, I’ll come find you in the God Domain. In the meantime, you must take care!” Su Yi gazed into the dome of heaven.

He knew that Divine Venerate Xi Yue had left with Xi Ning.

That day, the Epoch Battlefield hanging over the Immortal Realm vanished, and the curtains ended on the grand event the entire Immortal Realm was paying attention to.

Waves of uproar instantly swept across the world.

“How many people managed to achieve divinity this time?”

“I wonder if Sovereign Venerate Su managed to survive…”

“Quick, let’s investigate!”

……

The Academy of Eternal Night.

“It’s finally over!”

Lin Feng, Ning Xiu, the Sword-Bearing Ape, the Red Dragon Dao Monarch, Qing Wei, Immortal Queen Liu Yun, the Sword Fanatic, and the other Academy of Eternal Night had gathered. All of their expressions were full of unconcealable anticipation.

But there was nervousness there too.

The reason was simple. They feared that Su Yi had met with disaster in the Epoch Battlefield and that he’d never return…

“Rest assured, all of you. Given my master’s capabilities, I’m sure he crushed every danger in his path!” Lin Feng said with staunch conviction.

But sometimes, taking the initiative to emphasize something just meant that you lacked absolute confidence. That was true of Lin Feng now. How could he not be nervous?

He spoke to comfort the others, but more than that, to comfort himself.

“I’ve already prepared the finest immortal brews for Master, and arranged a banquet. When he returns, we’ll welcome him together,” Ning Xiu said tenderly.

The crowd nodded.

The Sword Fanatic hesitated, then said softly, “But what if… and I’m not saying this is likely, but what if… Sovereign Venerate Su never returns…”

Before he could finish the question, he jumped. The others were glaring at him as if they wanted to tear him to shreds!

“Just pretend I didn’t say anything,” the Sword Fanatic hurriedly begged for mercy.

But it was then that a calm voice tinged with laughter rang out. “I’m back already, but I’ll be leaving soon enough, and I hope that you can shoulder your responsibilities in my absence.”

The crowd shook, then gazed into the distance. A tall, upright figure in blue robes was approaching from beneath the distant dome of heaven, detached and transcendent. One hand was behind his back, and the other held a jug of wine. His gait was leisurely and relaxed, and he had a comforting air about him.

This was none other than Su Yi!

The crowd felt as if they’d finally set down the massive boulders weighing on their hearts, and their faces lit up with delight and excitement. Everyone rushed up to welcome Su Yi’s return.

That very day, the Academy of Eternal Night held a banquet. Su Yi and his friends gathered and drank themselves into a stupor.

Meanwhile, word of what had happened in the Epoch Battlefield spread across the Immortal Realm. The Immortal Realm was already in uproar, but now, it completely boiled over.

Only now did everyone learn that the Sovereign Venerate Su they revered almost as a god had done more than just survive the Epoch Battlefield. He’d slain a throng of gods and cut down every enemy in his path!

Everyone was astonished. The whole world shook.

“Although Sovereign Venerate Su has yet to become a deity, after this battle… to us of the Immortal Realm, he might as well be a god!”

Even the older-generation cultivators sighed. “This is Sovereign Venerate Su’s golden age. He would have shone with unique brilliance in any age, and he’s unparalleled in this era!”