First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1205 - Illuminating Stars

The Laws of Flying Light and the Dark and Gold Fortune Vine, combined with peak Profound Unity Realm cultivation, let Su Yi kill a late-stage Heavenly Longevity Realm World King in a single slash!

His attack was so direct and crisp that it left the spirit sparrow unwittingly stunned. “Over the years, I’ve seen countless miraculous geniuses, but this is my first time seeing someone like you. You’re a young man in the Imperial Realm, but you just killed a Heavenly Longevity World King!”

Su Yi laughed. “You haven’t seen anyone like me, because before me, there was no one like me. Going forward... I’m afraid there won’t be any others, either.”

The spirit sparrow laughed coldly. “Unprecedented and unsurpassable? In terms of bragging, maybe! I’m not afraid to tell you that in ancient times, Venerate Flooding Heavens killed a World King while still in the Imperial Realm too!”

“Oh?” said Su Yi. “And could he contend with Oneness World Kings?”

“Err...” The sparrow hesitated.

“I’m sure you saw it too. When I entered the secret origin grounds, six Enforcers surrounded me, but here I am. Do you think Venerate Flooding Heavens could have done that when he was in the Imperial Realm?”

The sparrow sank even deeper into silence.

Su Yi immediately concluded that while the venerate might well have been able to cross realms and kill World Kings while still in the Imperial Realm, the venerate’s strength and foundations in the Imperial Realm were inferior to his!

“Hurry up and take your trial!” the sparrow said coldly. “I’m actually eager to see whether or not you’ll be the first in history to pass the third trial!”

But Su Yi was in no rush. He looked up at the one hundred and eight stars overhead. “Every one of those stars is manifested from the combat awareness of a legendary expert of the ancient era. Does that mean that the former Dark and Gold Star Realm had one hundred and eight legendary experts?”

“No. Strictly speaking, only thirty-six sovereign-like existences were truly worthy of the title ‘legendary,’” said the spirit sparrow. “What does it mean to be a legend? It means becoming an ancestor of the Dao, proclaimed sovereign amongst the masses. Every such expert was a leading powerhouse of their era, and practically all of them had Cosmic Enlightenment Realm cultivation!”

Su Yi’s brow furrowed. “There weren’t any legendary experts with cultivations beyond Cosmic Enlightenment?”

The spirit sparrow sighed deeply. “There should have been.”

“What does that mean?” said Su Yi, his curiosity piqued.

The sparrow didn’t hide it. Instead, it revealed a shocking secret. “Venerate Flooding Heavens gleaned enlightenment into a path beyond that of Heaven’s Ascension, made ample preparations, and fully intended to valiantly attempt a breakthrough, heedless of the risk of death.

“Who’d have thought that just as he attempted to prove his Dao, that mysterious catastrophe would befall us...”

The sparrow’s gaze was complicated, and extremely melancholy.

Su Yi exclaimed, “Don’t tell me... that mysterious catastrophe was targeting Venerate Flooding Heavens?”

“Absolutely not!” The sparrow firmly denied it. “All I can say is... it was a coincidence.”

“I most certainly don’t think it was a coincidence.” Su Yi shook his head slightly.

As the Temple Master, he’d spent countless years wandering the stars. He too had discovered a higher path. He’d even brushed up against its threshold.

Alas, due to flaws in his Grand Dao, he ultimately wasn’t fated to advance any further.

At the time, he too met with numerous strange and unusual circumstances. Every time he attempted to investigate that higher path, unexpected developments arose. Natural disasters, attacks, karmic fetters...

The Temple Master had felt as if the invisible hand of destiny was preventing him from approaching that higher path!

Thus, when he learned of Venerate Flooding Heavens’ misfortune, Su Yi felt the sympathy of a fellow sufferer.

“All of that happened a long time ago,” said the spirit sparrow. “What you need to do now is undergo trial. The moment you enter the ritual grounds, your trial will begin, so don’t say I didn’t warn you!”

Su Yi could tell that the sparrow wasn’t willing to discuss Venerate Flooding Heavens any further, and he didn’t push it.

Instead, he gazed at the one hundred and eight stars overhead.

“Bear this in mind: you are only permitted to use your power of the Grand Dao. If you borrow external items, you’ll be directly eliminated,” warned the sparrow.

Before its voice had even finished echoing through the air, Su Yi attacked.

Kcch!

His sleeves billowed around him as he sent a slash streaking into space.

All one hundred and eight stars transformed, as if their consciousnesses were awakening. They darted about at top speeds.

A rain of immortal light surged forth, and the unfathomable power of the Laws descended, enveloping the entire ritual grounds.

Su Yi’s mind shook as the scenery transformed before him.

All one hundred and eight stars transformed into human figures. Some were as elegant and ethereal as immortals. Some carried ancient swords. Others were peerless beauties whose clothes billowed around them as they moved, while still others controlled the lightning and rode upon the stars...

All of them were indistinct and illusory, their features unclear. Nonetheless, each was more terrifying than the one before, like sovereigns gazing down from on high.

Even just standing there amidst the void, the aura emanating from them was enough to set Su Yi’s will to fight ablaze.

“Not bad! Finally, a somewhat interesting challenge!” Su Yi’s dark eyes lit up.

Without the slightest hesitation, he circulated his Laws of the Grand Dao and attacked the nearest expert, a white-robed man with an ancient sword on his back.

Clang!

The white-robed man swung his sword, sending an explosive arc of electricity Su Yi’s way.

This was merely the man’s combat awareness, but it was strong to the extreme. He gave Su Yi no chance to get near, and the Laws embodied in his slash struck like a tidal wave or avalanche. They were shockingly destructive.

Just like that, a grand battle broke out.

Su Yi unleashed the Laws of the Far Shore. As he swung his sword, fiery red sword qi flew through the air.

A few blinks of the eye later.

Bang!

A streak of sword qi struck the white-robed man.

For a moment, he seemed to find this hard to believe. Then, he clasped his fist and sighed. “Fellow Daoist, your control of the Grand Dao has already reached a level of mastery too wondrous for words. I am not your equal.”

Before his voice had even finished echoing through the air, he disappeared without a trace.

A decent opponent, but alas, he was merely a manifestation of the original’s combat awareness, thought Su Yi.

He could tell at a glance that in life, the white-robed man had been a Cosmic Enlightenment World King! And a mighty sword cultivator on top of that!

Even just that manifestation of his combat awareness would have been a top-notch expert out amongst the stars. In some sects of sword cultivators, he could have been an ancestor!

Of course, Su Yi had nothing to fear in a contest of mastery of the Grand Dao or combat awareness.

The Temple Master’s combat awareness alone was already far beyond the man in white.

Without delay, Su Yi charged at his second opponent.

Outside of the ritual grounds.

“Nine snaps of the fingers, and he’s already defeated the combat awareness of a legendary expert?”

The sparrow was flabbergasted.

It couldn’t see the details of the battle, but it could see that one of the formerly gray stars had lit up.

“You really can’t use common sense to gauge those who’ve mastered the profundities of reincarnation,” sighed the sparrow.

Before long, it didn’t even have time to feel rueful. Its eyes widened, and it froze on the spot.

Because one star after another lit up, blazing like torches.

Mere moments later, he’d already illuminated nine stars!

That meant he’d successfully passed the third trial.

But this was in no way the end.

As time passed, more and more stars lit up, and a rain of immortal light scattered across the entire path of trials.

The spirit sparrow quivered from head to toe. It knew full well that this was entirely unprecedented!

Even more unbelievably, even though Su Yi was in the middle of his trial, he seemed relaxed. At his quickest, he defeated his opponents in just seven snaps of the fingers.

But not even his strongest opponents lasted longer than seven minutes!

This was far too terrifying!

After all, due to the extreme difficulty of the third trial, Venerate Flooding Heavens gave trial-takers a full three months!

Who’d have thought that to Su Yi, the trial would amount to nothing at all? He in no way needed all that time!

Shortly after, a soft sigh rang out. “It’s over already?”

The sparrow instantly reacted as if awakening from a dream. It instinctively looked over.

There, amidst the void of outer space, one hundred and eight stars shone like torches flowing with light, illuminating the entire stretch of void!

“How... How long has it been?” The sparrow stared intently.

“Not even four hours, I guess?” said Su Yi, sounding as if he’d yet to get his fill. “It’s a pity that there were so few of them.”

“...”

The sparrow didn’t even know what to say.

Throughout all of history, this trial had stopped everyone who attempted it. Every trial-taker who made it here could only return home in defeat, no exceptions.

Yet now, a Profound Unity Emperor had overcome it in less than four hours. He’d even illuminated all one hundred and eight stars!

This was simply no different from a miracle!

The spirit sparrow even suspected that were Venerate Flooding Heavens still alive, he too would have been astonished!

“I’m actually starting to believe what Xue Changjing said earlier. It... really does seem like you’re cheating...” muttered the sparrow.

“....” Su Yi stretched out his finger and flicked the bird’s head. “Ignorant.”

The spirit sparrow was instantly furious. “I’ve witnessed the passage of countless years, and I’ve welcomed too many trial-takers to count. How could I possibly be ignorant? All I can say is... it really seems like you’re cheating!”

Suddenly, a stone stele surged forth.

This was the Stele of Illuminated Stars, but it was completely blank.

There was no doubt about it. Just like the sparrow had said, every last trial-taker in recorded history had washed out before completing this trial. They naturally never got the chance to leave their names on the Stele of Illuminated Stars.

Su Yi walked right up and casually wrote his name.

A streak of light shot forth, carrying a bronze box up to Su Yi.

The sparrow was instantly curious. It approached and said, “Quick! Open the box and see what your prize is!”

“You don’t know either?” asked Su Yi.

“How should I know?!” grumbled the spirit sparrow. “Venerate Flooding Heavens himself left the bonus prizes for the trial of the heart, the trial of perceiving the profound, and the trial of illuminating stars, too. How could I possibly know what this prize is?”

It paused, then said, “Especially since no one has ever overcome the trial of illuminating stars. I couldn’t even be sure whether there even was a bonus prize for this trial.”

Su Yi nodded, then casually drew his hand across the box, undoing the seal.

When he opened the box to see what was inside, the spirit sparrow was flabbergasted.

Su Yi was stunned too.

Cold, imposing light drifted out of the box, permeating the air. As the light flowed away, he saw that the object within the box was a skeletal hand!

The bones were clear and crystalline, the joints of its fingers as white as snow.

Wisps of dreamlike white light surged from the bones, like sacred immortal radiance, an utterly mysterious sight.