First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 852: The Netherworld Judge’s Writing Brush

It was the middle of the night, but the Cui Family was celebrating.

The clansmen who’d taken refuge within Jinluo Grotto had already received word of tonight’s victory and returned home. All of their expressions contained undisguisable delight and excitement.

When the old blind man returned to the pavilion he’d taken up refuge in, he saw Su Yi sprawled out in a wicker chair, drinking and pouring his own wine, leisurely and at ease.

“Your Excellency Su, they say the Cui Family used a portion of the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force’s cultivation base to annihilate all the invaders in one fell swoop!” said the old blind man with undisguised excitement. When he mentioned the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force, his gaze was reverent.

“Mm,” said Su Yi, but his thoughts were elsewhere.

“Your Excellency Su, how do you view tonight’s incident?” the old blind man couldn’t help but ask.

Just like Cui Jingyan, he highly suspected that Su Yi was Su Xuanjun’s descendant.

Thus, he couldn’t help but find Su Yi’s indifferent response strange.

“A trivial matter, that’s all. What’s there to exclaim over?” Su Yi said casually.

He was currently pondering something, and after meeting with Cui Chang’an, he planned to visit the ruins of the Bureau of Adjudication once more.

First, he had to re-imprison the old monsters.

Second, he had to figure out what exactly the Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow and Dark Vassal had gone to the ruins of the Bureau of Adjudication for. 𝐞𝐨𝘃𝐞𝐥.

“A trivial matter…” The old blind man froze, stunned. But a moment later, he nodded in complete agreement. “You’re absolutely right, Your Excellency Su. A legendary expert like the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force left behind a portion of his cultivation base. That was enough to ensure that tonight’s incident wouldn’t end in disaster!”

His voice was full of utter reverence.

“….” Su Yi couldn’t help but find it funny. He’d once told the old blind man that he was the Swordmaster of Abstruse?Force.

But it was to no avail; the old blind man didn’t believe him, and moreover, he warned Su Yi not to impersonate the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force, as doing so was highly disrespectful.

After chatting a while longer, the old blind man noticed Su Yi’s disinterest and considerately said no more. He just turned and went back to his room.

Shortly afterward, Cui Jingyan arrived.

The young woman’s steps were light and exuberant, and her expression was radiant. Her beautiful features were full of irrepressible excitement.

Su Yi could guess why, so he said preemptively, “If you’re here to chat about the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force, don’t bother.”

Cui Jingyan froze, then looked Su Yi up and down. “Brother Su, don’t you take pride in tonight’s battle?”

Su Yi couldn’t help but facepalm.

Cui Jingyan giggled. “I understand how you must be feeling. You must have long since anticipated this result. That’s why you’re not interested in discussing it any further, right? I would feel the same. After all, with the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force’s power around, victory was inevitable. It would have been stranger if we’d lost.”

“….”

.

Before Su Yi could respond, footsteps resounded beyond the pavilion.

Cui Chang’an had arrived. He glanced at his daughter, then said, “Lass, step aside for now. Young Lord Su and I have something to discuss.”

Cui Jingyan opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she dared not disobey. She trudged off with obvious reluctance.

Cui Chang’an couldn’t help but worry. Going forward, I can’t let her interact with Uncle Su so often. If things go on like this… Agh, the generational hierarchy will be a complete mess!

Su Yi had no idea what Cui Chang’an was worried about. He just rose from his wicker chair and said, “Come with me to the ruins of the Bureau of Adjudication. If you have something to say, say it along the way.”

Cui Chang’an naturally didn’t object.

……

On the way to the ruins of the Bureau of Adjudication.

“Uncle Su, earlier, an old man in Daoist?robes appeared out of nowhere with three heads. Furthermore, he left a jade slip and asked me to pass it on to you,” said Cui Chang’an. “I checked, and those three heads belonged to Qu Yunzhong, Hong Tianhe, and Tantai Che.”

He then took out a sealed jade slip and passed it to Su Yi with both hands. “This is the jade slip he left.”

Su Yi accepted the slip, looked it over, and immediately understood.

Not long ago, in the Pawnshop of the Heavens, he’d given the Record of the Ten Yama Kings to that master and apprentice. In exchange, the old man in Daoist?robes agreed to help defend the Cui Family against its external foes.

He hadn’t gone back on his word.

However, earlier, just as the old man in Daoist?robes planned to intervene, Su Yi used Moonlit Shadow to launch a counter-attack. This left the old man no space to intervene.

Fortunately, the old man had found Qu Yunzhong and the others. He then took their heads and delivered them.

The jade slip said that he and his apprentice set off late that very night. They were headed to the ruins of the Limitless Palace in the Sea of Bitterness.

Naturally, this was to help the young man in white, Wang Ting, prepare for his breakthrough into the Imperial Realm. If he succeeded, he’d step onto the rare and ancient Path of the Yama King!

“Uncle Su, just who was that old man?” Cui Chang’an couldn’t help but ask.

“Do you remember the Xiantian black lotus that appeared in the Netherworld all those years ago?” asked Su Yi.

“The Dark Oblivion Yao God!?” blurted Cui Chang’an, visibly stunned. “No wonder his aura was as deep and unfathomable as an abyss. So, he was that Xiantian Yao Emperor!”

Su Yi nodded, but he said no more on the matter.

Before long, the two of them reached the ruins of the Bureau of Adjudication.

“During the Lantern Festival, the Dark Vassal and Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow attempted to break into the ruins,” said Su Yi. “Do you know what they were after?”

Cui Chang’an had obviously considered this problem too. He said uncertainly, “If I’m not mistaken, they were after the Netherworld Judge’s Writing Brush!”

“So that really was it,” said Su Yi, looking enlightened.

In ancient times, the Netherworld Judge’s Writing Brush was the supreme treasure of the Bureau of Adjudication. The Cui Family had always overseen its use.

This treasure was full of the source power of the Grand Dao of Adjudication. The Bureau of Adjudication used it to sentence and execute the most heinous of offenders.

Rumor had it that in ancient times, the Netherworld Judge’s Writing Brush had served as a key to the City of the Wrongfully Dead. It could reconfigure a portion of the Laws covering the city!

Earlier, when he attacked the Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow, Su Yi guessed that an even stronger being stood behind the bird.

And the Dark Vassal accompanying the crow was the attendant of the Netherworld King.

This implied that the Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow’s backer was none other than the Netherworld King!

And the mysterious Netherworld King was most likely trapped within one of the City of the Wrongfully Dead’s forbidden grounds.

Tonight, the Dark Vassal and Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow had come to the ruins of the Bureau of Adjudication to obtain the Netherworld Judge’s Writing Brush. With its power to rewrite the Laws of the City of the Wrongfully Dead, they could free the Netherworld King from confinement!

“They couldn’t have taken the Netherworld Judge’s Writing Brush,” Cui Chang’an said with staunch conviction. “It’s been in the Bureau of Adjudication since antiquity, and it has long since become one with the bureau’s source power.

“The three-layered underground dungeons, the ninety-nine Armillary Sash Demon-Suppressing Pillars, and Heavenly Tripod Mountain have all inherited a portion of its powers.

“Even Ziluo City’s Golden Grow Annihilating Calamity Formation and the stone statues of the Bi’an and Xiezhi have, over the years, grown stronger as a result. The brush’s source power has nourished them.

“According to my father, short of refining the entire grand palace of the Bureau of Adjudication, no one could possibly leave with the Netherworld Judge’s Writing Brush.”

Su Yi nodded.

Cui Longxiang had told him the same thing. Furthermore, he knew that in ancient times, the Infernal Palace had three supreme divine artifacts.

The Netherworld Judge’s Writing Brush, the Record of the Netherworld, and the Six Paths Disc.

They’d belonged?to the Bureau of Adjudication, the Ten Yama Kings, and the Bureaus of the Six Paths respectively.

In addition to these three supreme divine artifacts, the Infernal Palace had had?several other means of intimidating the rest of the Netherworld.

For instance, Meng Po Palace’s Naihe Bridge, the Yellow Springs of Yellow Springs Palace, the Fire Illumination Divine Palace’s Path of Deliverance, among others.

However, when the Infernal Palace, a massive alliance of numerous top factions fell apart, their hold over the Netherworld disappeared like a puff of smoke.

As they conversed, Su Yi and Cui Chang’an entered the Bureau of Adjudication.

Soon, they reached the third layer of the dungeons.

Heavenly Tripod Mountain.

Su Yi used the power of the Heavenly Evil-Smiting Formation to reseal the Netherworld River Dragon Monarch, Tianji Yao Empress, and the other old monsters.

Then, after a moment’s thought, he still wasn’t reassured. He took out Moonlit Shadow and placed it back into the altar on the peak.

He still didn’t know for sure whether Cui Longxiang was alive or dead, but with Moonlit Shadow here to coordinate with the formation, those old monsters could forget about escaping and causing trouble unless the Cui Family met with insurmountable disaster!

“When your father gets back, have him deliver Moonlit Shadow to me,” Su Yi said casually.

Cui Chang’an froze, then said somberly, “Uncle Su, will my father… really be alright?”

This was what worried him the most.

Su Yi didn’t even pause to think. “He’ll be fine!”

He didn’t explain. He knew that an explanation wasn’t what Cui Chang’an needed right now.

Indeed, Cui Chang’an visibly relaxed. “Uncle Su, I’m also convinced that my father will be just fine!”

Su Yi smiled. “Let’s go.”

……

The Cui Family.

Jinluo Grotto.

Su Yi visited the Tree of Ten Thousand Daos on his own, took out his wicker chair, and sprawled out.

Misty light descended from the canopy, transforming into a graceful, dreamlike figure.

This was none other than Po Suo.

“Fellow Daoist, did tonight go smoothly?” she asked in a voice like the music of the heavens. Her snow-white hair swayed around her, and the red dot between her eyes gave her an additional mysterious charm.

Although she was shrouded in faint mist, making her features misty and indistinct, this did nothing to obscure her extraordinary beauty.

“It went fairly smoothly,” Su Yi said casually. “But something unexpected happened, and I let the little birdie get away.”

“It got away? From you? This Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow sure isn’t simple,” said Po Suo.

As she spoke, she beckoned, and a little table appeared beside Su Yi. Tea, wine, and refreshments were laid out on its surface.

She sat on her knees on the other side of the table, raised the jug of wine, filled a cup, and passed it to Su Yi.

Su Yi accepted it, then drained it.

Then, he flipped his palm and took out a battered black feather. “This is the Natal True Feather the?little crow left behind. Have a look and tell me if you can discern the nature of its source power.”