First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2138 – Yi Daoxuan, Like a Dog Without a Master

The River Lord glanced down at the sheath, but he didn’t seem at all surprised. Rather, he’d anticipated that the sheath would appear in Su Yi’s hands.

“That sheath has extraordinary origins, and it accompanied your first incarnation for years,” said the River Lord. “It’s a taboo treasure in its own right, but… only you can use it. Anyone else, no matter who, couldn’t use this treasure even if they acquired it.”

Su Yi’s eyes lit up. A taboo treasure that accompanied my first incarnation in battle! This entirely unassuming sword sheath really does have shocking origins!

“What does it do?” asked Su Yi.

“For now, nothing. It’s completely useless. But you might well find a chance to use it in the God Domain,” said the River Lord. “I’m not trying to be mysterious; not even I know just what secrets are hidden within the sheath. All I know is that it will play a crucial role in your chosen Path of Divinity.”

Su Yi’s brow furrowed. “Then why are you so certain it’ll come in handy in the God Domain?”

“The God Domain is at the heart of the present day, and it’s closest to the River of Destiny. Only there can you improve your cultivation base,” said the River Lord. “Anywhere else you go, your cultivation base is sure to stagnate. So, given the circumstances, you won’t get the chance to uncover the sheath’s secrets unless you go to the God Domain, right?”

Su Yi pondered that, then looked down at the sheath. “If it’s that mysterious, and a taboo treasure at that, why does it look like a hunk of scrap iron? It’s… so pathetic I almost can’t bear to look at it.”

The River Lord said irritably, “True treasures aren’t ostentatious! Once you’ve uncovered its secrets, it will transform from trash into treasure, and shine so brightly that its radiance will blind you!”

Su Yi laughed. “Ultimately, it might be a treasure, but right now, it really is trash.”

With that, he put it away.

“You’re welcome to think of it that way,” said the River Lord. He shot Su Yi a meaningful look. “All I can say is, when the time is right, this taboo treasure will naturally come in handy!”

“Never mind that,” said Su Yi. “I’ve always been curious. Just who are you, and how are you connected to my first incarnation? Why have you willingly watched over the River of Epochs all this time, and…”

But before he could finish, the River Lord grimaced and interrupted him. “Let’s take things one step at a time. Don’t rush. But let me get the bad news out of the way first. I’ll tell you everything I can, but if I shouldn’t divulge something, you won’t pry even a single word out of me!”

“Understood!” Su Yi straightforwardly agreed.

Time slipped by.

In the Kingdom of Lasting Light, night never fell.

The two of them went on like that, one asking and the other answering, for a long time. Over time, Su Yi understood a fair bit.

First, the River Lord was his first incarnation’s old friend! He’d accompanied his first incarnation for a long, long time.

It was only when his first incarnation decided to reincarnate that he arranged for the River Lord to guide his future selves and protect the River of Epochs.

In other words, the River Lord had been waiting for a reincarnation of his old friend this entire time. Moreover, he was specifically waiting for someone who’d also mastered reincarnation.

Naturally, that person was Su Yi.

Second, when Su Yi first achieved divinity, Di E and around a dozen other mysterious figures appeared from across endless time and space to interfere with his tribulation. All of them had stepped onto the River of Destiny!

Di E was the only one among them living in the present, one of the few people in the God Domain to have brushed up against the threshold of the River of Destiny.

The others had long since stepped onto the River of Destiny, transcending the Undying Realm to become Eternal!

But those who’d stepped onto the River of Destiny couldn’t interfere with the Path of the Ancient God’s affairs. That was how the River Lord had sent them packing.

As for the River Lord himself? He too had stepped onto the River of Destiny and become Eternal, but… his strength was now less than even one percent of his former peak!

This was due to an Eternal Tribulation connected to destiny. If he couldn’t treat his Dao Wounds, he’d be stuck in the River of Epochs forever.

When he spoke of his wounds, the River Lord’s expression was bleak and frustrated.

Su Yi couldn’t help but be rueful. This was an expert of immeasurable power, someone who’d reached the River of Destiny and become Eternal, yet a tribulation had nonetheless reduced him to his present state. It was thus obvious that the further you advanced in your pursuit in the Grand Dao, the more dangerous it became!

But before Su Yi had time to lament, the River Lord said he hoped that when Su Yi reached the River of Destiny, he’d take him along…

His shameless tone left Su Yi unsure of whether to laugh or cry. Moreover, he’d only just become a god. Who knew how long he’d need to reach the threshold of the River of Destiny?

He agreed nonetheless. The River Lord beamed and repeatedly expressed his gratitude for Su Yi’s righteousness.

The third thing Su Yi learned about was his third incarnation, Xiao Jian.

Su Yi had always been curious about Xiao Jian’s origins and how he’d managed to survive in the Abyssal Ruin at the far end of the Path of the Ancient Gods.

That aside, he was curious. Just how strong was Xiao Jian anyway?

The River Lord just told Su Yi that that was their business. As an outsider, the River Lord wouldn’t get involved in his destined conflict with Xiao Jian in any way.

But although the River Lord was unwilling to discuss Xiao Jian’s background or cultivation, he did tell Su Yi that of all of his incarnations, Xiao Jian was the most similar to that swordsman.

Even his Dao was shockingly similar!

The River Lord had an extraordinarily conflicted, rueful look on his face as he said this. “Every time I see him, I recall your first incarnation. If that bout of unexpected misfortune hadn’t befallen Xiao Jian, he might well have reached your First Incarnation’s lev—”

But here, his voice came to an abrupt halt, and he left the rest unsaid.

Still, it was enough. Su Yi already understood that Xiao Jian was, effectively, retreading their first incarnation’s old path. He might have had limitless potential, but it would be difficult for him to surpass their first incarnation.

Moreover, Xiao Jian’s Dao of the Sword wasn’t what their first incarnation wanted to see.

After all, their first incarnation had entered the cycle of reincarnation in search of a higher path. If all Xiao Jian did was retread his old path, that would make entering the cycle of reincarnation meaningless.

Su Yi also finally understood how Xiao Jian must have felt looking at him. He was unwilling and unconvinced!

After all, Su Yi had, upon stepping into divinity, begun down a path starkly different from their first incarnation’s!

Su Yi went on to ask a few more questions, but either the River Lord had no answers, or he refused to share them. All he said was, “You’ll find out when the time is right.”

But Su Yi didn’t push.

“Actually, you don’t need to worry about your first and third incarnations at all. They have nothing to do with you for now,” said the River Lord. “Instead, you need to focus on going to the God Domain!

“Thirty years from now, the Dark Days of Legend will arrive. The entirety of the past, present, and future will sweep across the God Domain like a windstorm.

“Simply put, the God Domain will be the Dark Days of Legend’s primary battleground. Whoever can carve a bloody path through the resulting upheaval will end the darkness and stabilize the world, becoming the strongest beneath the heavens!”

Had anyone else heard that, it would have gotten their blood boiling, but Su Yi just shook his head. “I’m not interested in competing to become the strongest, but I am eager for more worthwhile opponents!”

The River Lord looked at him strangely. “Rest assured that when the Dark Days of Legend arrive, you’ll be like the most brilliant light in the darkness. I guarantee that an endless number of big moths will come looking for you.”

Su Yi rubbed his nose. He couldn’t help but laugh.

It was true. He controlled the power of reincarnation and carried the Epoch Spark. His third incarnation viewed him with enmity, but he was far from alone. Those terrifying entities, “anomalies” consigned to the darkness by the power of reincarnation, wouldn’t let him off either.

That aside, his fourth and fifth incarnations’ old enemies would surely seek to get even with him.

When he looked at it that way, Su Yi realized that he really would be surrounded by enemies on all sides again upon reaching the God Domain.

“You’d best hurry up and grow stronger before the Dark Days of Legend arrive. At the very least… you need to be able to slaughter Master Gods with ease. That ought to be about enough,” said the River Lord. “If you can manage that, you should just barely be able to establish yourself in the Dark Days of Legend.”

Su Yi didn’t know what to say. Is that any way to talk? I ‘ought to be able to slaughter Master Gods with ease?’ Seriously? Li Fuyou couldn’t do that even at his peak!

And even that will make me only just barely strong enough to establish myself…? Is he serious or is he just exaggerating?

“Don’t doubt me. When the Dark Days of Legend arrive, the ironclad rules of the established order will crumble. Who knows how great the resulting perils and catastrophes will be?” said the River Lord, uncharacteristically serious and stern. “More importantly, when the time comes, you’ll encounter your true, unparalleled, rivals!”

“My ‘unparalleled rivals?’” repeated Su Yi. “They’re that strong?”

“They certainly won’t be weaker than you!” said the River Lord. “And if they defeat you, you’ll… lose your qualifications to bring stability to the world! And most importantly, you’ve got more than just a few rivals!”

He gestured to himself and added, “Don’t think I’m being an alarmist, or that I’m just trying to knock some sense into you. You’ll naturally understand once you’ve seen these rivals for yourself.”

Su Yi raised his jug of wine and drank without a word.

The River Lord had good intentions, and he wouldn’t have been so serious if those rivals were ordinary people.

But… Su Yi was actually rather looking forward to having such opponents!

“Oh, yeah.” The River Lord suddenly recalled something. “You have to be on guard against the possibility that your fourth incarnation’s Dao Imprint turns on you!”

This came completely out of nowhere, and it left Su Yi a bit stunned. Why’s the old man bringing up Yi Daoxuan all of a sudden?

“I originally shouldn’t have said this, but now that you and your third incarnation are enemies, I must warn you about your fourth incarnation,” said the River Lord, a complicated look on his face. He sighed. “Yi Daoxuan lived a hard life plagued with misfortune. When I look at his life as a whole, it’s just… too cruel.”

Su Yi didn’t know what to say.

“Perhaps because he suffered so many misfortunes and setbacks, he had the most obsessive and determined Dao Heart among you,” said the River Lord. “I also remember a time when a group of powerful enemies forced him to flee the God Domain and seek refuge in the River of Epochs.

“It might be unpleasant to hear this, but at the time… he was so wretched that even I couldn’t bear to look at him, no different from a dog that’s lost its master!”