First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2266 – The Lord of Sleepless Nights

Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk?

Feng Wuji pondered briefly, then exclaimed, “I can see it already. This divine ability is sure to take first place in the rankings! It will be unique throughout the history of the God Domain!”

Su Yi smiled but said nothing. He simply rose and proceeded toward the sixth layer.

Feng Wuji hurried after him.

……

The divine wraiths of the sixth level had been comparable to Five-Tribulation Master Gods.

Su Yi didn’t attempt to do battle on his own strength any further; he simply wasn’t a worthy opponent for the wraiths beyond this point, or at least, not with a little help. He circulated the mysteries of reincarnation and drew on the Sword of the Nine Hells to fight through everything in his path.

The power of reincarnation was a natural counter to the undead. Combined with the power of the Sword of the Nine Hells, Su Yi ran into little danger on the seventh floor.

But Su Yi knew that he wouldn’t be a match for a true Six-Tribulation Master God even with the power of the Sword of the Nine Hells and the power of reincarnation.

The reason was simple. Divine wraiths weren’t alive and couldn’t change or adapt. The wraiths here had strength comparable to a Six-Tribulation Master God, but they were inferior by every other metric.

Ultimately, at his current level, he was at best comparable to a Five-Tribulation Master God.

It was only when he used his nascent but mighty Grand Dao Divine Ability, Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk, that he had hope of victory.

……

Upon reaching the eighth floor, Su Yi used the Umbrella of Tribulations to obscure his and Feng Wuji’s presences, and they snuck their way through.

This floor would have been too dangerous, otherwise. The wraiths here were comparable to Nine-Tribulation Master Gods, and the air was full of utterly strange and sinister turbid energies.

The moment fighting broke out, even if Su Yi drew on reincarnation at the Sword of the Nine Hells, unexpected disaster was all but certain to follow.

As unnerving as the journey was, they didn’t run into danger.

Halfway through the eighth floor, Su Yi sensed that something was amiss. “Strange. Why hasn’t the Lord of Sleepless Nights shown up yet?”

“The Lord of Sleepless Nights?” Feng Wuji asked in confusion. “Who’s that?”

“The master of the Dao Transformation Blood Cave, a tea tree born in the earliest days of the God Domain’s history,” said Su Yi, his eyes shining with reminiscence. “The old timer met with a terrifying cataclysm, just as the divine wraiths did. He can only plant his roots in the deepest depths of the Dao Transformation Blood Cave.”

Amongst the general populace, “the Lord of Sleepless Nights” was an elegant way to refer to tea, while “the Lord of Forgotten Worries” referred to wine.

The master of this place went by the same name, and it suited him, as this “Lord of Sleepless Nights” was actually a mysterious, ancient tea tree.

In a sense, the tea tree was the most terrifying entity in the whole Extreme Lightning Demon Cave. He was far beyond other divine wraiths.

When Li Fuyou first fought his way to the eighth floor, he encountered the Lord of Sleepless Nights, and the two of them drank and conversed.

The Lord of Sleepless Nights shared his hospitality with Li Fuyou, and before he left, he gave Li Fuyou three tea leaves.

The three tea leaves were supreme treasures for cleansing the mental state and nourishing the heart and spirit. They were unquestionably rare and precious, especially since such tea leaves had long since vanished from the God Domain.

Li Fuyou saw them as supreme treasures. It was only when he reached the Nine-Tribulation Master God level that he brewed the tea leaves into tea to celebrate.

Su Yi came here in part to meet with the Lord of Sleepless Nights. He would never have guessed that the master of the Dao Transformation Blood Cave would be nowhere to be found.

Su Yi got the vague sense that something had most likely happened to him!

“Has something happened to even the master of the Dao Transformation Blood Cave?” Feng Wuji felt a chill course through him. “Then whatever happened to my grandfather likely happened to him, too!”

Su Yi said nothing. He just continued ahead.

When he reached the end of the eighth floor, he sensed something and stopped in place. Then, he picked an ancient tree branch off the ground.

The branch was burnt black, as if burnt by lightning.

Su Yi recognized it. This branch came from the Lord of Sleepless Nights’ body!

He frowned. “Even his true body is damaged? Just how powerful was the person who did this? Injuring the Lord of Sleepless Nights is no small feat!”

“Brother Su, if it’s that dangerous, how about we retreat?” Feng Wuji couldn’t help but whisper. He’d sensed an intense threat ever since they’d arrived on the eighth level, and it wouldn’t go away.

“Don’t you want to see your grandfather?” asked Su Yi.

Feng Wuji’s expression shifted erratically. “If it’ll risk my life, then I can leave without seeing him! If I live, I might be able to save him later. If I die… it’ll all be over.”

Su Yi laughed. “That’s logical enough, but we’d best go see what specifically is going on first.”

With that, he led Feng Wuji to the ninth level.

The ninth level was different from the first eight. It was like a hidden world. The hidden world contained a boundlessly vast, blood-red plain. The skies were dark and gray, and the earth was withered and devoid of life.

Dense, baleful energies transformed into leaden, blood-red clouds that hung over the sky.

Mottled winds of different auras of the Grand Dao blew across the ground.

It was like they’d arrived in the ruins of an ancient battlefield!

There were no divine wraiths here.

There was, however, a towering bronze pillar at the center of the blood-red plains.

A figure was tied to the pillar, a tall, stalwart old man with disheveled hair and a tangled beard. His eyes were blue-green.

A silver chain pierced his flesh, binding him thoroughly. The other end of the chain extended into the pillar, reaching the base, where there stood a Daoist altar.

A pitch-black earthen jar sat atop the altar. The far end of the silver chain was soaking inside it.

Undying life force gushed out of the old man’s body alongside his blood. It traveled along the silver chain and emptied into the earthen jar at the altar by the base of the pillar.

Undying divine radiance emanated from the jar. A considerable quantity of divine blood had already gathered inside it!

The old man on the pillar was deathly pale and listless, as if he’d sunk into a coma.

When Feng Wuji saw him in the distance, his heart filled with horror, and he exclaimed, “That’s… that’s my grandfather!

Su Yi narrowed his eyes.

That was indeed the Rahu Yao Ancestor!

It was just that Su Yi hadn’t expected a peak Nine-Tribulation Master God would find himself in such dire straits!

He’d been butchered like prey!

“Don’t do anything reckless,” Su Yi transmitted.

This place was strange. The bronze pillar, the silver chain piercing the Rahu Yao Ancestor’s flesh, the altar, and the pitch-black earthenware jar atop it all suggested a mysterious sacrificial ritual.

It was just that this time, the Rahu Yao Ancestor was the offering. Someone was stripping away his Undying power and life force!

The bronze pillar, silver chain, altar, and earthenware jar were the implements used to carry out the ritual.

If word got out, it would astonish the entire God Domain.

The Rahu Yao Ancestor was, after all, among the greatest Nine-Tribulation Master Gods in the God Domain. His cultivation base was so lofty that he could sit with Yun He, Tian Huang, Severed Heavens, and other ancient Master Gods as an equal!

Feng Wuji’s expression shifted, and he silently clenched his fists. He didn’t say a word.

The Rahu Yao Ancestor doted upon him, his direct descendant, more than anyone. Their bond ran deep. How could Feng Wuji’s heart not ache at the sight of his grandfather in such a miserable condition?

But he knew that he had to stay calm! He couldn’t create trouble for Su Yi!!

“Are you the one who underwent tribulation outside?” a hearty voice asked out of nowhere.

Feng Wuji suddenly looked up, then saw that a chair had suddenly appeared beside the altar.

A man in wide-sleeved robes and a broad belt sat upright atop it. He wore a jade crown on his head. The man looked young, and his eyes sparkled like stars. He was extraordinarily handsome, and he emanated the elegant air of a Confucian scholar.

His eyes were tinged with laughter as he gazed at Su Yi from afar.

He ignored Feng Wuji completely.

“So, you knew we were here this entire time?” Su Yi asked thoughtfully.

“That’s right,” the scholarly man said with a smile. “It’s just that I didn’t expect people with such modest cultivation bases to make it all the way here. It’s obvious that you’re no ordinary Limit Realm Mid-Rank God.”

He rose from his chair and waved his sleeve. A tea table and another chair appeared out of thin air.

Next, he raised his hand, and a teapot appeared out of nowhere. The table, meanwhile, suddenly had two teacups on it.

“Anyone capable of reaching this place is worth treating as a distinguished guest. If you’re not opposed, why not sit down? Allow me to offer tea in lieu of wine and share my hospitality,” the scholarly young man said with a smile.

Su Yi glanced at the teacups, his expression suddenly a bit strange. “I didn’t come here to enjoy your hospitality.”

“Oh?” said the scholarly young man. He sat back down, then poured himself a cup of tea. “What did you come here for, then?”

“I’m here to see the Lord of Sleepless Nights, and Ol’ Man Rahu while I’m at it,” Su Yi said calmly.

The young man in Confucian robes was stunned. “You’re talking about that old tea tree, right? He’s already submitted to me. When my people descend into this world, I plan to take him as our guardian divine tree and transplant him outside the gates of our new home.”

Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. “So, you’re not of our era, and you’ve come here from another spacetime?”

The young man in Confucian robes said approvingly, “You’re quite perceptive! I can tell that you know a bit of what’s going on in the world.”

He took a sip of tea. “As for the Rahu Yao Ancestor, well, as you can see, he’s become our sacrificial offering. It wasn’t easy to capture a peak Nine-Tribulation Master God like him alive. I paid an unimaginable price for my success.”

He looked at Su Yi. “You aren’t here to save the two of them, are you?”

Feng Wuji was instantly nervous. He couldn’t help but glance at Su Yi.

He knew better than anyone that Su Yi wasn’t the least bit concerned about his grandfather’s life or death. On the contrary, if the Rahu Yao Ancestor died here, it would rid Su Yi of a powerful enemy!

But at the same time, he hoped Su Yi wouldn’t just let his grandfather die…

This conflicted mental state was sheer anguish.

“If you’re my enemy, saving one will mean saving the other,” Su Yi said calmly. “If you aren’t my enemy, I’ll have to ask you to entrust both of them to me. That’s how you ought to show your hospitality.

The young man in Confucian robes looked stunned, as if he found this hard to believe. He shook his head, and despite himself, he laughed. “You’re far more brazen than I anticipated.”

A moment later, he asked with great interest, “But I’m curious. Tell me, just what gives you the right to teach me how to treat a guest?”

He paused, then retracted his gaze, filled his cup of tea, and said, “Allow me to give you a well-intentioned word of advice. You’d best consider the consequences carefully before answering me.

“If I’m not satisfied with your answer, these plains shall become your grave!”