First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2766 – Good Brothers Meet Again

The crowd’s expressions turned strange. Some of the Heavenly Monarchs barely resisted the urge to laugh. What can we call this if not ‘actively throwing your life away?’

Beads of sweat formed on Yue Ming’s forehead. He said in a quavering voice, “The ignorant are without sin. Senior, please forgive this junior’s mistakes. Don’t…”

Boom!

A swath of sword qi descended, scattering Yue Ming’s soul.

The boy in green gnashed his teeth. “I disdain nothing more than spineless cravens like you!”

The crowd fell silent. Many of them were stunned by the boy’s murderous intent. Even some of the Heavenly Monarchs looked more solemn than before.

“Fellow Daoist, just what are you planning?” Pu Xuan had already calmed down. He’d suddenly realized that although they were still surrounded by threats on all sides, the situation was shifting.

All because of the spirit of that sword.

But Pu Xuan found it strange that Su Yi was refusing to let the boy accept him as his master.

“That sword spirit is a trap someone created just for me,” Su Yi said casually.

“…” Pu Xuan didn’t know what to say. A sword fit for a Heavenly Sovereign recognized him as its master. That’s actually a trap?

When Pu Xuan next looked at the boy in green, his expression shifted. If he’d accepted me as his master, I’d have long since gone mad with delight. I would never have even paused to question whether it was a trap or not.

No, wait. Other sword cultivators wouldn’t be worthy of being acknowledged as the sword spirit’s master. In other words, they wouldn’t even be worthy of being tricked by it…

“Forgive my boldness, but what must we do to earn your recognition?” A long-haired Heavenly Monarch in black stepped forth, his bearing steady, neither haughty nor servile.

The crowd stirred. They recognized the Heavenly Monarch. He was a true sword cultivator, and his title was Pei Yu.

More importantly, he was famed throughout the Eternal Heavens Domain for his fearlessness!

The boy in green looked askance at him, then said coldly, “Never mind a Heavenly Monarch like you; even if you were a Heavenly Sovereign, I’d have no need of you. Just scram!”

The boy had just insulted and disdained him in front of a crowd, leaving Pei Yu’s expression a bit unsightly, but he didn’t back down. Instead, he pointed at Su Yi. “A Heavenly Monarch like me isn’t good enough for you, but what about him? He’s only in the Unfettered Realm. What right does he have to become your master?”

This was precisely what most of those present didn’t understand.

The boy in green cleaned out his ears and sneered. “Who gave you the courage to compare yourself to His Excellency? Are you worthy?”

The boy in green placed his hands behind his back, scanned the crowd, and shook his head. “In my heart, you people aren’t worth even a hair on His Excellency’s head!”

The crowd exchanged glances, expressions stifled and unsightly. How could he consider us inferior to that Unfettered Realm sword cultivator?

Pei Yu snorted coldly. “They say a man’s handwriting is a reflection of his character. The same is true of swords—and sword spirits. If you act like this, your ‘master’ can’t be worth much either!”

“Are you looking to die!?” The boy in green glared, his gaze suddenly vicious and sinister.

Pei Yu didn’t back down in the slightest. He said gravely, “My apologies, but I’ve never been afraid to die. If your original master were still alive to see you accept an Unfettered Realm sword cultivator as your master, he’d be deeply disappointed!”

Boom!

The entire stretch of heaven and earth descended into chaos. Dense murderous intent clashed between the boy and Pei Yu, stirring up the wind and clouds.

Just as the crowd thought a battle was about to break out, the boy waved with waning interest. “Just scram. Don’t let me see you again.”

But Pei Yu didn’t back down. He gazed directly at the boy, a solemn look on his face. “I’m not afraid to die. I’ve never been afraid of anything. Earlier, you said that Heavenly Sovereign Changhen was one of the culprits behind your master’s death. I can promise that, should you serve me, I’ll one day go to the Court of the Southern Heavens and determine life and death with Heavenly Sovereign Changhen!”

Gasps arose throughout the battlefield. Heavenly Monarch Pei Yu was obviously so eager to acquire the sword that he wasn’t at all concerned about the potential consequences.

Many of the other Heavenly Monarchs couldn’t help but admire him. How many here would have gone to such lengths?

“That guy’s schemes run too deep. It’s loathsome,” transmitted Pu Xuan. “That Yue Ming guy’s death obviously made him see an opportunity. That’s why he’s going all out like this.”

Su Yi subtly inclined his head.

Having learned that the boy in green loathed spineless cravens, Pei Yu presented himself as firm, unyielding, and proud. He refrained from addressing the boy in green as his senior to display his strength of character.

Were that the extent of it, it’d all be superficial and unimportant.

The more impressive part was that Pei Yu was risking his life to test the boy’s temper. When he confirmed that, despite his proclivity to murder, the boy hadn’t killed him, he realized he’d made a winning bet.

Thus, he didn’t hesitate to go all out and promise to avenge the boy’s original master! This was an exchange, a bid to acquire the sword spirit’s recognition.

His spirit and abilities were indeed far beyond most ordinary Heavenly Monarchs.

But Su Yi detested his scheming ways, just like Pu Xuan did.

More importantly, earlier, Pei Yu had compared himself to Su Yi, criticizing the boy for choosing the wrong new master. He even said that the boy’s original master would have been disappointed.

That was far too loathsome. Pei Yu was essentially using Su Yi as a stepping stone. How could Su Yi not detest him?

“Come here,” said the boy, beckoning to Pei Yu.

Pei Yu walked right up to him. From beginning to end, he showed no sign of fear.

Whap!

The boy in green jumped up and slapped Pei Yu in the face, sending him spinning through the air like a gourd. He flew several thousand feet before stopping, his hair disheveled and his face an indistinct, meaty pulp.

Everyone was stunned.

Pei Yu clutched his face, blood spurting between his fingers. Inwardly, he was so humiliated that he almost wanted to die.

He was a mighty Heavenly Monarch of the Dao of the Sword, yet now, he’d been slapped in the face. How humiliating was that?

The boy rubbed his wrist and grimaced. “Your face is too fucking thick. Slapping you almost shattered my wrist.”

Pei Yu’s face was ashen. “You cannot humiliate me like this. You…”

The boy in green swung his sleeve, and Peach Blossom whooshed through the air and attacked. A dazzling windstorm of blood-red power swept forth, scattering deep crimson flower petals.

That utterly ferocious, explosive sword force made many of the surrounding cultivators feel as if they’d been plunged into an icy abyss. Their souls were overcome with panic.

Pei Yu, the primary target, felt his heart and body shake. His hair stood on end as he defended himself on pure instinct.

Bang!!

His body was minced into pieces, scattering chunks of flesh.

His soul lived on, but it too was badly injured.

The boy in green chortled. “You said you weren’t afraid to die, so I spared your life. Let’s see if the Court of the Southern Heavens and Jiang Changhen spare you or not!”

The crowd watched in horror, overcome with astonishment.

The boy had just destroyed a Sword Monarch’s body and damaged his soul in a single strike.

Most terrifying of all, he spared Pei Yu so that he might face the combined retribution of Jiang Changhen and the Court of the Southern Heavens!

Many of the Heavenly Monarchs felt the urge to retreat. This was a competition for good fortune, but since their lives were on the line, they needed to carefully weigh the consequences of their actions.

Pei Yu left, not daring to even leave behind any threats.

“You finally grew wiser, huh? If you’d said even one more word out of turn, I’d have killed you!” the boy said with a cold laugh.

As the spirit of a sword fit for a Heavenly Sovereign, he had an abundance of experience. He naturally saw right through Pei Yu.

He was the type who used fearlessness as a pretense. He might have seemed like he had an extraordinary bearing and superhuman courage, but in truth, he had a bellyful of malicious intentions. He was as dirty as could be!

The boy in green scanned the group, then said coldly, “What are you lot staring at? Don’t tell me you want to throw your lives away, too? Hurry up and scram before I lose my rationality completely!”

Many of the gathered cultivators reacted as if they’d just received an imperial pardon. They scampered off in panic.

Even some of the Heavenly Monarchs sighed to themselves and gave up, despite their unwillingness.

They’d committed Su Yi’s appearance to memory.

He was just an Unfettered Realm sword cultivator, yet he’d had dogshit good luck. Somehow, he’d convinced the spirit of a sword fit for a Heavenly Sovereign to accept him as its master. If word spread, it would take the entire Eternal Heavens Domain by storm.

It would also surely lead to endless trouble!

“Don’t go, everyone!” Su Yi suddenly cried out. “I already gave up on the sword. Why aren’t you fighting for it? I really, truly want to give up on this good fortune, so why not test your luck? Miss out on this chance, and you won’t get another one! You’ll regret it for the rest of your life!”

Pu Xuan nodded along. “It’s true! What if you managed to succeed? That’s a sword fit for a Heavenly Sovereign, you know!”

Mu Qing and Yu Guangjun looked on, strange expressions on their faces. Why does it seem like they’re doing this on purpose? Are they borrowing the sword spirit’s hands to kill their enemies?

Even the Heavenly Monarchs found the situation absurd. They sensed that something was amiss and turned and left.

The boy in green blinked. “Your Excellency, are you testing my loyalty! That’s totally fine! I promise to kill them all without batting an eye!”

Before his voice had even finished echoing through the air, the boy vanished into Peach Blossom.

Peach Blossom then shot into the air and launched a massacre.

Bang!

Sword qi swept forth, slicing Old Ghost Luo’s body to bits. Even his black earthenware jar shattered.

He shrieked in terror and was just about to unleash a forbidden technique to protect his soul when Peach Blossom’s blood-red, baleful sword qi scattered like flower petals and landed on him.

Blood-red power instantly devoured his soul.

He’d been destroyed completely and utterly!

But the boy in green didn’t care in the slightest about the life and death of an elite heretical cultivator. He went on to attack a dozen more times in rapid succession.

Dazzling, blood-red sword qi flew to and fro, tearing rifts in the sky. From a distance, it seemed as if the entire area had been sliced to ribbons.

Desperate cries rose and fell without end.

Zhu Quan of the Black Cliff Sword Sect shrieked as half of his body was sliced to ribbons.

Madam Rao Yun of Symphony of Rain Tower sacrificed all of the treasures she kept in reserve, but still just barely managed to protect a wisp of her soul. Her tall, slender form had been ground away completely.

Similar bloody scenes unfolded across the battlefield. It was a tragic sight. Bloody light dazzled the world in a striking vision of carnage.

Meanwhile, the boy in green perched atop the sword, turned to look at Su Yi, and said tentatively, “Your Excellency, are my paltry skills worthy of your notice?”

Paltry skills? Mu Qing, Yu Guangjun, and the others sank deeper into silence. The corners of their lips twitched.

Su Yi couldn’t help but rub his forehead. Is he trying to show off his martial prowess?

He took a sip of wine and said airily, “They aren’t even worth looking at.”

The boy fell silent.

It was then that a burst of hearty laughter rang out. “I knew we’d cross paths sooner or later. We meet again, Brother!”

An emaciated, unkempt vagrant of a swordsman walked over, jug of wine in hand.

Xiao Zhixuan!

Or rather, strictly speaking, Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan, the founder of the Taiwu Sect!