First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2477 – The Apex of Spirit Mother Cauldron

Mist permeated the air. It seemed impenetrably dense.

The formation obscured this place from the heavens, and it was full of terrifying perils sufficient to threaten the lives of Nine-Tribulation Master Gods.

However, with Qi Bowen and Qi Shulin leading the way, Su Yi didn’t run into any danger.

Before long, he was far enough into the formation to see the two experts guarding it.

Qi Bowen was gaunt, and his hair and beard were graying. Qi Shulin was swarthy, with steely features and a steady disposition. When they saw Su Yi in the distance, both of them clasped their fists in silent greeting.

Su Yi returned the greeting, but just as he was about to continue, he transmitted, “Please, leave this place to avoid the Great Yin Divine Race ordering you to attack me after the fighting begins.”

Qi Bowen transmitted his agreement. “Very well. You must be careful, Fellow Daoist.”

Su Yi nodded, then continued further in. Before long, the mist receded, and a boundless stretch of ocean came into view.

The seas were black, and blood-red lightning flashed through its waters, clashing and colliding too many times to count. It was a strange, unsettling sight.

Fierce gales swept over the surface of the water, shattering the sky and producing countless densely packed spatial tears.

The winds howled, like the wailing of ghosts or the howling of wolves. It lent the entire stretch of ocean a fierce, turbulent energy.

The Thunderwind Sea!

This was a spacetime forbidden zone separate from the outside world, as if someone had carved out another spacetime.

When Su Yi scanned the area with his divine sense, he instantly discovered an area in the distance. A black palace swathed in fierce gales and crackling light stood there.

The palace was surrounded by turbulent spacetime. The winds tore open space, and the lightning threw time into chaos. It was a mysterious, terrifying sight.

There was no need to even question it. The black palace was not of this era. It stood in another spacetime!

It seemed entirely possible that it was from the River of Destiny’s Eternal Heaven Domain. After all, that was where the Great Yin Divine Race was from.

Su Yi flipped his palm, and the Divine Replenishment Furnace floated into the air.

Shang Wushe was imprisoned inside. Now, he planned to ensure both the old man and the entire Thunderwind Sea faced the divine punishment of the present day!

But it was then that a cold, indifferent voice emanated from the depths of the Thunderwind Sea. “If you dare cause trouble without permission, everyone in the Qilin Race will die!”

Every word went off like a thunderclap. It drowned out the howling of the wind, booming with the rumbling of the blood-red thunder.

Su Yi looked over, and saw a strange spacetime ripple within the distant black palace. A figure appeared.

He was a tall, powerfully built old man with snowy hair. He had an imposing, majestic aura, and a natural crescent moon mark on his forehead.

Su Yi didn’t even need to think that this was an old monster of the Great Yin Divine Race!

Practically simultaneously——

Boom!

The mist blanketing heaving and earth transformed behind Su Yi. The power of the formation seized forth, sealing Su Yi’s escape route.

Su Yi wasn’t at all surprised.

“You threw yourself into our net without even realizing it. How stupid is that?” The white-haired old man shook his head.

“Come on out, you two,” Su Yi said calmly.

A sigh rang out, and Qi Bowen and Qin Shulin silently appeared behind Su Yi.

“My apologies, Fellow Daoist. We were ordered to remain here to capture you.” Qi Bowen clasped his fist, a conflicted look on his face.

“You aren’t doing this of your own volition. I understand.” Su Yi inclined his head slightly. He didn’t turn to look at them, but even so, he could clearly sense the shame and frustration in the two old-timers’ expressions.

“You understand?” The white-haired old man in the distant black palace said, “If you understand, hurry up and release Shang Wushe!”

Su Yi raised the Divine Replenishment Furnace into the air. “The old man’s inside. Tell Qi Bowen and Qi Shulin to leave, and I’ll release him immediately.”

The white-haired old man said expressionlessly, “My race obeys the Sword Venerate’s commands. We’ve never feared threats of any kind. If you refuse to release him, we’ll at worst lose one of our clansmen. It will be the Qilin Race that pays an unbearable price!”

“Oh,” said Su Yi. He then pulled Shang Wushe out of the furnace.

“Hear that? Your clansmen have no intention of making a deal to save your life,” Su Yi said casually. “In that case, there’s no point in keeping you alive.”

Shang Wushe looked stricken. “Wait! There’s still room for discussion!”

He looked at the white-haired old man in the distance. “Clan Brother, sending the two of them away will save my life. Why not agree?”

His voice was tinged with fury.

The white-haired old man was indeed his clan brother. His name was Shang Qiuyuan.

“Wushe, these are the Sword Venerate’s orders,” sighed Shang Qiuyuan. “No matter what, we cannot let Su Yi leave this place alive. You should have been prepared to die when you swore to follow the Sword Venerate’s orders!”

As he said this, his gaze was utterly determined.

Shang Wushe had an unsightly look on his face. He opened his mouth to speak, then hesitated. In the end, he just sighed deeply. “I… understand!”

Su Yi suddenly said, “If you let them go, I can promise not to leave.”

Shang Qiuyuan’s gaze was cold and indifferent. “I forgot to tell you, but there’s no room to negotiate here, not unless you give up and come quietly!”

His attitude was extraordinarily firm and tyrannical. He refused to negotiate even if it meant sacrificing Shang Wushe!

Su Yi pondered briefly, then laughed. “I understand, too. You must already know that I can control the power of Supreme Emergence, right?”

Shang Qiuyuan said calmly, “We know far more than you realize.”

“Yet you’re relying on Qi Bowen and Qi Shulin,” said Su Yi. “You’re doing this because you know that your methods alone cannot contend with the power of divine punishment. Shang Wushe’s defeat is clear proof of that.

“Thus, you’ve pinned your hopes of capturing me alive on the two Qilin experts. That’s why you refuse to let them leave even if it means sacrificing Shang Wushe.

“After all, they’re not like you. They were born in the God Domain, and they cultivated here, too. They have no need to fear divine punishment.”

Su Yi turned to look at Qi Bowen and Qi Shulin. “Am I right, you two?”

The two old-timers’ expressions shifted, but neither of them said anything.

“So what if you realize that?” Shang Qiuyuan said coldly. “They swore to keep you here even if it costs them their lives! If two peak Nine-Tribulation Master Gods do their utmost to stop you, you might well have means of surviving, but there’s no way you can save them, too!”

Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. “Aren’t you afraid that I’ll destroy this place and render it impossible for the Great Yin Divine Race to enter the God Domain during the Dark Days of Legend?”

Shang Qiuyuan sneered. “Destroy this place, and you’ll simply destroy a single spatial node leading to the God Domain. When the Dark Days of Legend arrive, the Sword Venerate will naturally be able to arrange alternative means for us to enter the God Domain!”

Su Yi said calmly, “But if I destroy this place, you’ll have to pay a heavy price to descend. Otherwise, why bother setting up this spatial node in the first place?’

Shang Qiuyuan said expressionlessly, “Everything has its price. It’s just a matter of whether you can bear it or not. We of the Great Yin Divine Race are willing to serve the Sword Venerate even if it costs us our lives. How could we be concerned about paying a bit of a price?”

Su Yi understood. When a race was willing to go to its death if need be, they really didn’t need to concern themselves with the consequences, nor did they need to heed any threats!

That was exactly what was happening here. Thus, Shang Qiyuan was utterly fearless.

But he wasn’t the only one unafraid of threats. Su Yi wasn’t afraid either!

Bang!

Su Yi didn’t hesitate to tighten his grip and slay Shang Wushe on the spot.

In the last moments before his death, bewilderment was written all over Shang Wushe’s face. He’d obviously been caught off guard.

Shang Qiuyuan watched him die. Outwardly, he remained as calm as ever, but his expression was incomparably ashen, and his eyes surged with murderous intent.

“What are you just standing there for? Get him!” He roared, his voice booming throughout the Thunderwind Sea.

Boom!

Qi Bowen and Qi Shulin attacked.

Both were ancient experts of the Qilin Race, peak Nine-Tribulation Master Gods blessed with unique talents. They were terrifyingly strong, far beyond most others of the same level.

Still, in a one-on-one competition, Su Yi was confident that he could have suppressed them.

Defeating them, however, would have been difficult.

Two against one, Su Yi had practically no hope of victory!

Of course, that was on the assumption that he relied purely on his own strength. Given the circumstances, there was no room for Su Yi to even try it. He needed to deal with the two Qilin experts as soon as possible, or he’d find himself in an increasingly passive situation.

Boom!

As the two Qilin attacked, the formation covering the Thunderwind Sea activated, unleashing countless blood-red thunderbolts on Su Yi.

Su Yi didn’t panic, nor did he shift positions. He just took out an old-fashioned bronze cauldron and lifted it into the air.

Boom—!!!

When the cauldron appeared, heaven and earth shook, and all of creation dimmed.

Endless chaos energy erupted from the cauldron, blanketing heaven and earth. Shockingly, it suppressed the erupting power of the formation.

An illusory qilin took to the skies amidst the churning chaos essence, its vast form filling the firmament. Countless stars manifested out of chaos essence, then exploded around it.

Its terrifying power threw the entire Thunderwind Sea into chaos. Both heaven and earth seemed at risk of sinking.

“The Apex of Spirit Mother Cauldron!” Both Qi Bowen and Qi Shulin looked stricken.

The cauldron was a taboo treasure of the Qilin Race. It was from the River of Destiny!

More importantly, it was emblazoned with the life imprints of every last member of the Qilin Race. If anything happened to a Qilin expert, the clan could use the cauldron to discover it immediately and protect their life imprint.

But at the same time, if someone used one of the clan’s top-secret arts to activate the cauldron, they could instantly suppress every last person imprinted within it!

The Qilin Ancient had always maintained personal control over this treasure, and he wouldn’t use it lightly. Yet now, it had appeared in Su Yi’s hands. How could the two Qilin experts be anything but surprised?

Kaboom!

The Apex of Spirit Mother Cauldron rumbled and boomed. Chaos essence spread, and the illusory Qilin roared, its voice shaking both heaven and earth.

That endless power instantly suppressed both Qi Bowen and Qi Shulin. They found themselves trapped in the cauldron before they could even struggle!

But although no one else knew it, the moment they were suppressed, the two Qilin experts weren’t the least bit angry or frantic.

On the contrary, they were secretly mad with delight!