First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 965: Before You Fight a Demon, You Must Master Your Own Heart

Next to Hong Ying, an old man said in a low voice, “Your Excellency, Liu Changsheng didn’t leave alone.”

“Oh?” said Hong Ying. “Who else is with him?”

“A young man in blue. Two days ago, that same boy accompanied the Thunderflame Demon Sovereign into the City of Eternal Night,” the elder explained at top speeds. “As I’m sure you’re aware, both of the two Jailers we sent after the Thunderflame Demon Sovereign have yet to return.”

Hong Ying furrowed his brow. “Is there anything strange about that boy?”

The old man hesitated. “He really is strange; his cultivation is just too weak. He’s only in the Spiritual Revolution Realm. The idea that he killed two of our Jailers is utterly preposterous.”

Something suddenly occurred to Hong Ying. “Was this him?”

As he spoke, he waved his sleeves through the air. A rain of light interwove in midair, outlining the illusory figure of a young man in blue reclining languidly in a wicker chair with a fat orange cat in his arms.

The old man’s pupils constricted. “That’s him!”

Hong Ying flicked his fingers, and the curtain of light instantly dissipated.

He furrowed his brow and said, “There really is something strange about that kid. His cultivation might be weak, but his origins aren’t the least bit simple.”

He remembered seeing that very young man in the Timekeeper’s courtyard just two days before. Shockingly, he’d sat across from the Seventh Warden as an equal, chatting and smiling with carefree ease. This extraordinary scene had naturally drawn Hong Ying’s attention.

He immediately issued orders.

“Contact the Seventh Warden. Tell her that Liu Changsheng is leaving the City of Eternal Night, and that we’re about to begin our operation.”

The way he saw it, the Seventh Warden was sure to know the young man in blue’s origins. Furthermore, she’d already agreed to join them in this operation.

“Understood!”

The old man scurried off to carry out his orders.

……

“Listen up, all of you. If you accompany me into battle this time, it’s highly likely that you’ll meet with certain doom. If you’re afraid, stay behind. I absolutely won’t blame you for it in the slightest.” The Thunderflame Demon Sovereign, Wang Chonglu, sat valiantly within a grand hall. His eyes flashed like cold lightning, and he was as majestic as the sea.

The Thirteen Demon Generals of Thunderflame Mountain looked at each other, but not one of them chose to retreat.

“Your Excellency, what wind and waves haven’t we overcome over the years? Even if we meet with disaster, none of us are afraid!” a bald man said gravely and with staunch conviction.

The others nodded.

The Thunderflame Demon Sovereign’s eyes shone with a hint of gratification. “In that case, let’s set off right away!”

With that, he rose and strode outside the hall. The Thirteen Demon Generals followed immediately afterward.

……

“Liu Changsheng is leaving the city today, and so is the Thunderflame Demon Sovereign. It seems a major disturbance is about to unfold….” The gray-haired Ye Luo had his hands behind his back as he leisurely shuttled through the busy streets of the City of Eternal Night.

This works. I can use the opportunity to…purchase some Threelives Rebirth Stones from that kid, thought Ye Luo.

……

Outside of the City of Eternal Night.

Whoosh!

An Unsinkable Boat floated into the air, and Su Yi landed lightly at the head of the boat. “You steer it.”

Liu Changsheng was stunned.

It had been a long time since anyone had ordered him about like this. Furthermore, it was a young Spiritual Revolution Realm young man giving him orders!

However, when he recalled what the Timekeeper had told him, Liu Changsheng suppressed his displeasure and walked onto the Unsinkable Boat. “Where are we going?”

“The Burial Ground of the Dao,” said Su Yi as he sat, relaxed, and took out a jug of wine.

This time, when he left the City of Eternal Night, he brought with him dozens of jugs of aged wine from the Timekeeper’s collection. They would last him for a while.

Liu Changsheng said nothing. He simply steered the Unsinkable Boat, and they soared through the air.

When they left the seas surrounding the City of Eternal Night, the perpetually inky skies lit up. The skies were clear, blue, and bright, and the sight lifted one’s spirits.

After several days shrouded in perpetual darkness, the light of day made Su Yi feel a bit dazed, as if he’d entered a different world.

Suddenly, Liu Changsheng broke the silence. “My young friend, if everything goes as I expect, it won’t be long before the forces of the Far Shore catch up to us. Might we chat before then?”

“About what?” Su Yi said casually.

Liu Changsheng’s gaze was as distant and deep as the ocean. “I won’t lie to you: not long ago, I was severely injured, and my wounds have yet to fully recover. I can at most display seventy percent of my strength. With my current power, even if I fight to death, I’m afraid I won’t be a match for the experts of the Far Shore.”

“Hm,” said Su Yi, not the least bit surprised. “That, I already knew.”

When he saw how entirely unmoved Su Yi was, Liu Changsheng’s brow furrowed slightly, and he said once more, “Even if my junior apprentice brother Zhan Beiqi intervenes, he can at most increase my odds of escaping alive. Our hopes of defeating our opponents are fleeting.”

As he spoke the last few sentences, his voice was a bit grim.

Although the experts of the Far Shore didn’t have overly terrifying cultivation bases, they controlled a taboo, calamitous power of the Grand Dao.

This was what Liu Changsheng dreaded the most.

Su Yi took a sip of wine. “Although Zhan Beiqi’s attainments in the Dao of the Saber are impressive, he really isn’t up to contending with an Executioner with mastery of the Laws of Heavenly Prayer.”

“An Executioner? The Laws of Heavenly Prayer?” Liu Changsheng was visibly moved. “Might you explain in detail, my young friend?”

Su Yi didn’t hide it. He concisely explained much of what he knew about the Nine Heavens Pavilion.

“So, they’re actually from the depths of the starry skies…” Liu Changsheng’s expression shifted erratically. He looked enlightened, but more than that, his heart was full of surprise.

This was his first time hearing that the Far Shore’s terrifying, taboo power of the Grand Dao was called the Laws of Heavenly Prayer!

Suddenly, the way Liu Changsheng looked at Su Yi underwent a subtle shift.

It might seem like this young man was only in the Spiritual Revolution Realm, but he had access to an unbelievable wealth of secrets!

Liu Changsheng thought for a moment, then asked, “Tell me, my young friend: how do you think we ought to resolve this tribulation?”

Su Yi didn’t so much as pause to think. “When the fighting truly begins, you and Zhan Beiqi should restrict your opponents. Leaving killing them up to me. That’s all the plan we need.”

Liu Changsheng had overcome countless battles, and his sword had cut down too many powerful foes to count. Nonetheless, he couldn’t help but be flabbergasted. “It’s just… Just that simple?”

Su Yi nodded. “Yup, it’s just that simple.”

Liu Changsheng was suddenly at a loss for words.

He was in the peak of the Profound Serenity Realm, yet the forces of the Far Shore had nonetheless dealt him severe injuries. He truly couldn’t even imagine how a Spiritual Revolution Realm young man could take down these experts. But according to this young man, all he and Zhan Beiqi had to do was help keep their opponents from running away…

If not for the Timekeeper, Liu Changsheng would have long since turned up his nose at Su Yi and dismissed him as an ignorant little liar.

“Seems to me that you’d best not get complacent, my young friend.” Liu Changsheng pondered briefly. “Perhaps you’ve mastered some unknown, powerful trump card, and perhaps you have unbelievable methods up your sleeves, but when the battle changes, it’s hard to say how the situation will develop…”

But before he could finish, Su Yi sighed and interrupted him. “Just do as I say.”

“….”

Su Yi had rejected his words before he could even finish them. This filled Liu Changsheng’s heart with displeasure.

But in the end, he endured it and said nothing more.

Su Yi, however, sighed to himself.

His impression of the Mad Sword Netherworld Sovereign Liu Changsheng was that they were “kindred spirits”!

Liu Changsheng’s sword heart was like iron, and he was proud by nature. Even rarer and more precious, he pursued a unique variety of swordsmanship, a true Grand Dao of the Sword.

Even in the Nine Provinces of the Wilds, he would have been a peak expert of the Dao of the Sword!

Yet now, perhaps due to his injuries, or perhaps because the Far Shore’s forces had targeted his mind, Liu Changsheng seemed somehow withered, and his words were full of fear over the outcome of this expedition. There was no trace of his former unbridled pride.

Su Yi said nothing about this.

Liu Changsheng was already a peak Profound Serenity existence, and he’d lived too many years to count. He naturally had no need of others’ guidance.

Whether his mentality recovered from this blow or not was up to him.

“When fighting a demon, you must first dominate your own heart. ?Before you control what’s around you, you must first control yourself. If you cannot destroy the thieves of the heart, they’ll become your cage, and you’ll never escape. Over the years, who knows how many people lived and died without ever breaking free of such self-made cages?” Su Yi muttered to himself, and the words came straight from the heart.

Liu Changsheng was stunned, and he fell silent.

“When fighting a demon, you must first dominate your own heart. ?Before you control what’s around you, you must first control yourself… It’s easy to say that, but it’s difficult to realize in practice…” Liu Changsheng sighed to himself.

Knowledge acquired solely through books was shallow; mastery required practice.

Who didn’t understand these fundamental truths?

But when it came to one’s own mental barriers, it was different. Those directly involved were too close to the problem to see clearly!

The Unsinkable Boat rapidly shuttled through the boundless Sea of Bitterness, riding the wind and breaking through the waves. It was preternaturally quick.

The City of Eternal Night had long since faded from view.

Time slipped by.

Suddenly, a leisurely voice resounded from the distant surface of the ocean.

“Liu Changsheng, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”

It was a voice like the roar of a dragon or tiger, and it resounded between ocean and sky. For a moment, the turbulent waves died down, and an austere silence descended upon everything throughout the surrounding area.

“They’re here,” Liu Changsheng said softly. A grave look had appeared upon his face.

Su Yi looked up and saw a group of people appear in the distance, one after another.

The leader was a handsome, youthful man in red robes. This was none other than the Fourth Executioner, Hong Ying.

Seven others appeared after him, a mix of men and women. All of them coursed with similar energy fluctuations of the Grand Dao.

What surprised Su Yi was that the bewitching Netherworld King was actually standing right beside Hong Ying!

“We meet again, Fellow Daoist.” Her red lips parted as she smiled at Su Yi.

Her dress was as dark as ink, and her legs were long and slender. She had the aloof, solitary bearing of a goddess, and her beauty was unmatched.

Liu Changsheng’s heart shook. The aura emanating from her was so terrifying that even he felt enormous pressure, and his entire body instinctively tensed.

But Su Yi just stood at the helm of the boat, one hand behind his back, the other holding a jug of wine. He said thoughtfully, “Do you plan to work with them to take me down?”

The Netherworld King flashed him a faint, elegant smile. “Fellow Daoist, if you’re willing to submit to me, I naturally wouldn’t mind sparing your life.”

Hong Ying smiled too. “Out of consideration for Her Excellency, we naturally can leave that little guy a path to life. However, Liu Changsheng must die!

He placed particular emphasis on the word “die,” and it resounded throughout the entire stretch of ocean like a sudden thunderclap, shaking the heart and soul.

Liu Changsheng’s heart sank.

However, Su Yi merely put away his wine and said casually, “Who shall live and who shall die? We won’t know until we fight.”