First Immortal of the Sword

Su Yi stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the distant City of the Lost.

The city walls were pitch black, as if they’d been formed out of ink, and they extended seemingly without end. There was no way of knowing how enormous the city really was.

Blood-red thunderclouds churned and interwove above the city walls, but strangely, there wasn’t even the barest hint of thunder.

It was just as Su Yi remembered. Despite the passage of countless years, the ancient and mysterious city hadn’t changed much at all.

Alas, back then, Wang Ye never actually went inside. He had no idea how many strange perils lurked behind those walls.

Su Yi saw the woman in the conical hat’s predicament clearly, but he could also tell that she had some sort of treasure Ol’ Fiend Thunder and the others were dead set on acquiring. No matter how ruthless they were, they dared not attack her lightly.

“Young man, we set aside all that earlier unpleasantness and brought you two with us. Don’t you think you ought to show your appreciation?” Ol’ Fiend Thunder suddenly fixed his cold gaze upon them.

Wu Lingchong’s heart clenched as he realized that the False God planned to endure no longer. He was casting aside all pretenses of cordiality!

“Oh?” said Su Yi. “And how would you like me to show my appreciation?”

The woman in the feather dress smiled warmly. “Since we’re traveling companions, that sword of yours would be appreciation enough.”

The man in beast skins shook his head. “No, that won’t do. There’s only one sword, but there are three of us. Seems to me that they’d best offer up all their treasures.”

Ol’ Fiend Thunder laughed. “I feel the same way. What do the two of you say?”

His gaze was calm, contemptuous, and unbridled. He looked at Su Yi and Wu Lingchong as if they were already dead.

The atmosphere was stifled and oppressive.

The woman in the conical hat couldn’t help but sigh. Now do those fools finally understand how stupid it was to travel with these old devils?

But Su Yi just sighed in apparent disappointment. “And here I thought you’d come to the City of the Lost in search of some stroke of good fortune. That’s why I was willing to accompany you. Now, it seems you dare not even pass through the city’s gates.”

“….” The crowd didn’t know what to say.

Su Yi turned and faced the three old monsters. “Must I make myself clearer? Very well. It pains me, but I can give you two choices. You can serve as scouts and explore the City of the Lost alongside me, or I can grant you death. Decide for yourselves.”

With that, Su Yi took out a jug of wine and drank.

If the woman in the conical hat hadn’t intervened and told Ol’ Fiend Thunder to apologize, Su Yi would have killed him and his two companions a long time ago.

He’d chosen to travel with them out of curiosity. He wanted to see just what they’d come to the City of the Lost to do.

Who’d have guessed that Ol’ Fiend Thunder would run out of patience before they’d even reached the City of the Lost? How could Su Yi find this anything but disappointing?

Meanwhile, Su Yi’s “offer” left Ol’ Fiend Thunder and his companions stunned, including the woman in the conical hat, Li Shuang. Does this guy seriously not understand his situation?

“Don’t just stand there!” Wu Lingchong urged them on with a grin. “Hurry up and make your choice!”

Over the past few months, he’d gained a clear understanding of Su Yi’s character and conduct. He naturally wasn’t worried about anything.

Ol’ Fiend Thunder and the others frowned. They could tell that Su Yi and Wu Lingchong were far too calm. Something was undoubtedly awry!

Thus, although they were furious, they were clear-headed, too.

The woman in the feather dress smiled. “My young friend, if you think an Epoch Treasure is enough to let you act as you please, I’m afraid you’re gravely mistaken.”

Su Yi could tell that she was probing him. He couldn’t help but laugh and tell them openly, “Killing you wouldn’t require any treasures.”

The group’s expressions darkened. They couldn’t tell whether Su Yi was bluffing or whether he was really just that fearless.

After all, any other Great Realm expert would have quivered in fright at the sight of them, overcome with terror and unease.

But Su Yi was different. From the moment they first met, he was more than just fearless. He was incomparably domineering, and he even dared to sneer at them and threaten them without the slightest politeness. Something strange was afoot here!

The three of them were old devils of the Heretical Path, and they’d explored the River of Epochs for years. This was their first time encountering such a strange opponent, and for a moment, they couldn’t help but be bewildered.

“Quickly!” urged Wu Lingchong. He could tell that the three of them sensed that something wasn’t right, and they were still uncertain.

His urging made the three of them frown, but it also made them even more on guard.

By now, even the woman in the conical hat picked up on some of what was going on, and she was unwittingly stunned. Two “ignorant, fearless fools” had just intimidated a group of three long-established old devils. This was ludicrous!

Ol’ Fiend Thunder took a deep breath and said, “Very well. Pretend I didn’t say anything. As for what happened earlier? Let’s let bygones be bygones.”

Everyone was stunned, even the woman in the feather dress and the man in beast skins.

But a moment later, the two of them nodded.

“Hah.” Wu Lingchong laughed coldly, his gaze contemptuous. In truth, he was inwardly quite stunned. He would never have guessed that Ol’ Fiend Thunder, a famous False God, would back down at this critical juncture!

Su Yi raised an eyebrow at this too, but he wouldn’t simply let this go. When you started something, you had to see it through. How could he possibly give up halfway?

But just as Su Yi was about to take action, an icy voice resounded from beyond the gates of the City of the Lost. “To think that a young Great Realm cultivator would be enough to scare a False God and two Demigods so badly. It’s truly ridiculous!”

A burst of uproarious laughter followed, shaking the heavens.

The group outside the city was startled. All of them looked over, and saw a group of skeletal horses emerge from the city gates.

There were thirteen of them in total, each swathed in unearthly green flames. Their riders were a motley array of evil spirits!

The spirits had no fleshly bodies, and their armor was condensed entirely out of baleful power. Their eyes were like burning flames.

When the evil spirits arrived, heaven and earth shook, and the blood-red thunderclouds were thrown into chaos. Sinister and strange baleful energy enveloped the entire area.

The leader of the evil spirits stood out. He was dressed in blood-red armor, and he gripped a long spear. His baleful aura manifested a sinister vision of purgatory, making him seem terrifying beyond measure.

Ol’ Fiend Thunder and the others were startled, and they exchanged glances. They could tell at a glance that the leader of the evil spirits was a true Ghost God!

When someone died but their soul lived on, they became a ghost. When a god died but their soul lived on, they became a Ghost God!

In other words, in life, the leader of the evil spirits had been a true god!

The situation didn’t bode well. Wu Lingchong’s expression shifted, and he was more nervous than ever before.

Su Yi, meanwhile, just stood there as if everything were perfectly natural. He faced away from the evil spirits, and he didn’t so much turn his head to look at them.

Instead, he gazed at Ol’ Fiend Thunder and said, “I’ll count to three. You have until then to make a decision. Refuse, and I’ll kill you.”

A deathly silence descended over the entire area. Everyone was flabbergasted.

Everyone—Ol’ Fiend Thunder, his allies, and even the evil spirits on skeletal horses—looked at Su Yi in disbelief. Even a blind man could tell that the situation has changed, so why won’t this guy let go?

“One.” Su Yi had already started counting.

“Haha! This kid is quite interesting. He’s actually brazen enough to disregard us!” The leader of the evil spirits burst into uproarious laughter. His ferocity shook the heavens.

The other evil spirits laughed too.

Ol’ Fiend Thunder’s expression darkened, and he said gravely, “Little Fellow, don’t tell me you haven’t noticed those inauspicious spirits? Are you seriously unafraid to die!?”

He was completely frantic with anger. He couldn’t help but suspect that Su Yi was completely brainless. Otherwise, why would he be so stubborn even now?

“Two.” Su Yi raised his jug of wine and continued counting.

“Aiyo, that kid really doesn’t take us seriously, huh?” The leader of the evil spirits was quite surprised.

From beginning to end, Su Yi faced away from them, as if they didn’t even exist. His prideful bearing deeply displeased the leader of the evil spirits.

“Your Excellency, please grant your subordinate permission to kill him!” An evil spirit emerged from the ranks on his skeletal horse, seething with murderous intent.

The leader of the evil spirits waved. “No need for that. I’m actually rather curious as to how a paltry little Great Realm cultivator like him plans to contend with those three. Let’s just stand back and watch the show. In any event, none of them will escape death today.”

Meanwhile, Ol’ Fiend Thunder and his allies’ expressions were as dark as could be.

“Retreat!” Ol’ Fiend Thunder and the others turned to flee.

Boom!

His Bagua mirror took to the skies and erupted with intense radiance.

At the same time, his allies took action. Each drew a treasure and coordinated with Ol’ Fiend Thunder to flee with all their might.

“Hmph!” The leader of the evil spirits snorted coldly, then raised his spear. Blood-red power of the Laws swept forth, like arcs of divine light blanketing heaven and earth!

But it was then that Su Yi finished counting.

“Three.”

Time seemed to slow to a crawl.

Ol’ Fiend Thunder and his cohort were in the middle of fleeing, and the leader of the evil spirits was about to intercept them.

When Su Yi counted to three, the sleeves of his right hand billowed, and he waved his arm through the air.

His left hand, meanwhile, formed a seal, then pressed down.

Boom!!!

All-encompassing sword intent rose into the heavens, like the blazing sun illuminating the blue dome of heaven. It crushed the blood-red power of the natural order and split the nearby skies. Terrifying sword qi sliced everything to ribbons!

The leader of the evil spirits suffered a backlash and swayed on his feet. He almost fell from his skeletal horse.

The other evil spirits cried out in alarm. All of them were stunned.

That sword qi continued into the heavens, so intensely radiant that it illuminated everything in all directions and so oppressive that just looking at it was enough to make one feel suffocated.

And practically simultaneously, from another direction, Su Yi’s left hand fell.

Boom!

A sword curtain descended from the heavens, like a range of divine mountains descending ruthlessly upon the three heretical cultivators.

“Break!” The man in beast skins bellowed, swung his bone spear, and attacked with all his might.

But he was like a mantis trying to block a chariot. Within moments, the spear was blasted to bits, and tyrannical sword qi suppressed and enveloped its wielder. He was quickly torn to shreds, and pieces of his corpse fell like rain.

In the last moments before his death, his expression filled with bewilderment. How could a Great Realm young man possibly have killed a Demigod in a single shot?

“How is this possible!?” shrieked the woman in the feather dress. She visibly lost her composure, and her eyes bulged with shock.

That same slash was now headed toward her too, and it quickly shattered her defenses. Before long, she too was sliced to ribbons, inch by inch.

“So, he was telling the truth…” In the last moments before her death, the woman in the feather dress recalled what Su Yi had said earlier:

“Killing you wouldn’t require any treasures.”

At the time, she thought it laughable, but now, she realized she’d been the ridiculous one all along…

Alas, she realized this too late. In a flash, she was destroyed completely, and her remains scattered to the wind.

Only Ol’ Fiend Thunder, the False God, remained. He was doing his utmost to block that terrifying strike.