First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1206 - The Truth Behind the Catastrophe

A snow-white skeletal hand shrouded in an immortal air lay quietly within the bronze box.

It was mysterious, with a hint of a strange, unsettling flavor.

Even just looking at it, Su Yi felt pressure bearing down on him, and his soul palpitated.

An indistinct scene appeared before him: a world enveloped in apocalyptic tribulation light. Throngs of figures reminiscent of demons and gods waged war, magic treasures whooshing through the skies. Countless secret arts and divine abilities burst with divine radiance, sweeping across heaven and earth.

Blood fell like rain.

The heavens fell, and the earth collapsed.

Countless lifeforms died in despair.

Massive streaks of the power of the Laws descended like azure dragons, shattering the dome of heaven as they plummeted to the ground.

“The Contract of the Gods cannot be defied!”

An icy, dignified bellow reverberated throughout heaven and earth, like the decree of a sovereign.

As each word rang out, the entire stretch of heaven and earth trembled violently. Countless mountains and rivers collapsed, and countless beings were shaken to death.

Su Yi looked closer, but he could only just barely discern a proud, illusory figure standing beneath the firmament.

He stood atop the River of Time, dressed in white. A war spear swathed in immortal light hovered before him. He looked eternal, like a true immortal arriving across time and space.

Yet he seemed unreachably distant, and due to his position atop the River of Time, his features were indistinct.

Despite the distance, when he attacked, endless tribulation light burst forth, descending upon the world.

Those figures reminiscent of demons and gods at war were all badly injured. Many of them perished, their souls dispersed beneath the light of the tribulation.

“According to the contract, power not of this epoch is not permitted to interfere in the rise and fall of its Dao. You... have overstepped!”

Suddenly, a cold, clear voice rang out.

A slender, jadelike hand suddenly ripped open the skies, reaching into the River of Time and slapping that tall, prideful figure.

Boom!

The River of Time shook violently, scattering waves.

Waves of apocalyptic energy burst from the River of Time. Boundless white light enveloped it completely.

The scene instantly and abruptly fell apart.

Before Su Yi could come back to his senses, yet another scene appeared before him.

However, this one was completely different.

This time, he saw a withered, devastated earth. A severely injured man crouched on the ruined ground.

Startling, heart-stirring tribulation light still lingered around his battered frame, corroding his life force.

But he disregarded it. He moved with great difficulty as he cautiously placed a slender, snowy skeletal hand into a bronze box.

“What Contract of the Gods? They’re just afraid... someone will achieve reincarnation once more...”

His raspy voice rang out.

The badly injured man clutched the bronze box to his chest and sat there alone, his expression bleak.

“Alas, I, Hong Yulou, can no longer protect these immortal bones on that senior’s behalf... But I trust that she’ll return one day and realize her ambitions!”

With that, the scene disappeared completely, and Su Yi sank into contemplation.

A skeletal hand lying silently in a bronze box had somehow shown him two starkly different visions.

The first was of the descent of a catastrophe. The heavens collapsed and the earth caved in as ten thousand Daos were destroyed! Countless lifeforms were reduced to ash, and even those cultivators reminiscent of gods and demons were destroyed in the endless flood of tribulation light.

All of this was the work of a mysterious figure, the man in white standing atop the River of Time!

This person had launched that mysterious catastrophe in the name of the Contract of the Gods!

But in the end, a slender, jadelike hand had reached out to fight him.

Combining the first vision with the second vision instantly got Su Yi’s mind racing.

Hong Yulou!

He was most likely the “Venerate Flooding Heavens” the spirit sparrow spoke of.

And the skeletal hand within the bronze box was most likely the very same hand that had ripped open the curtain of heaven, reached into the River of Time, and fought the white-robed man.

Furthermore, the owner of that jade hand was surely the “senior” Venerate Flooding Heavens, Hong Yulou, spoke of!

Neither vision revealed her true appearance, but she was unquestionably extremely mysterious.

As for that seemingly eternal man in white, the one standing atop the River of Time like a true immortal? He most likely wasn’t of this era!

A long, long time ago, that mysterious catastrophe that ravaged the Dark and Gold Star Realm was almost certainly his work.

Su Yi couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

The former Dark and Gold Star Realm had been incomparably dazzling and flourishing. It had given rise to a group of legendary experts, and out amongst the stars, they honored it as the Birthplace of Ten Thousand Daos.

Yet after meeting with that mysterious catastrophe, its Laws had been shattered. The star realm was completely devastated.

From that day forth, the worlds of the Dark and Gold Star Realm were no longer connected to the Path of Heaven’s Ascension!

Before, Su Yi had wondered about the origins of that mysterious catastrophe. Now, he roughly understood.

A white-robed man not of this epoch had crossed the River of Time and launched a taboo, devastating catastrophe in the name of the Contract of the Gods. In doing so, he destroyed the Laws of the Dark and Gold Star Realm in one fell swoop!

According to Hong Yulou, his true purpose had been to prevent reincarnation from appearing in this world ever again!

“Does this skeletal hand... come from a true immortal?” The spirit sparrow looked completely dazed. It was obviously stunned too.

However, it was also obvious that it hadn’t seen either of the visions Su Yi had just witnessed.

“You don’t know the hand’s origins either?” asked Su Yi.

The spirit sparrow shook its head. “Ultimately, I’m just a manifestation of the Laws. My knowledge is limited.”

Su Yi thought for a moment. “Was Venerate Flooding Heavens originally called Hong Yulou?”

“That’s right,” said the sparrow.

“Did he survive that mysterious catastrophe, or did he die in the end?”

“It seems he... passed away.” The sparrow let out a deep sigh.

Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. “It ‘seems’? Does that mean not even you know for certain?”

The sparrow asked right back, “If Venerate Flooding Heavens is still alive, why hasn’t he shown himself even after all this time?”

Su Yi asked no further questions. He could tell that the spirit sparrow didn’t know the truth of that mysterious catastrophe’s onset either.

“I passed the trial of illuminating stars, only to receive a skeletal hand from Hong Yulou... how truly strange...” whispered Su Yi.

He recalled that in the vision he’d just witnessed, Hong Yulou said that a certain “senior” would return sooner or later. He’d definitely been certain that the owner of this skeletal hand would one day come back!

“How can you call Venerate Flooding Heavens directly by name?” The spirit sparrow was a bit displeased, but Su Yi ignored it.

He made up his mind, stretched out his hand, and touched the bones lying in the bronze box.

Bang!

Misty light burst forth, ruthlessly repelling his touch.

Su Yi immediately circulated his cultivation base and tried again, but the result was exactly the same.

His hand stung. He couldn’t help but be surprised. The power within that skeletal hand was terrifying beyond imagination!

The spirit sparrow couldn’t help but titter. “You might have received this prize, but it seems... these immortal bones don’t approve of you.”

“What need do I have for bones’ approval?” Su Yi laughed dryly and tried once more.

But this time, he used the power of reincarnation.

Weng!

An unbelievable scene occurred. The bones of the skeletal hand trembled, and radiant immortal light circulated.

The moment Su Yi’s fingertip made contact...

Boom!

A cold, mysterious power surged forth.

As if in a trance, Su Yi saw a mysterious seal shaped like a Daoist altar. It looked as if it were forged out of radiant immortal gold. An indistinct figure was sealed inside.

“Reincarnation!”

That mysterious seal trembled. Immortal light rose, and that indistinct figure looked as if it were struggling to break free. It was obviously excited.

“Who are you?” Su Yi asked with his divine sense. He was quite surprised; he hadn’t expected to encounter such a mysterious seal within the skeletal hand.

“I...” The indistinct figure looked dazed, and its voice was full of indescribable bewilderment. “That’s right. Who... Who am I?”

A moment later, the indistinct figure clutched its skull in apparent agony. “Why? Why can’t I remember anything? Just who sealed me here?”

Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. “Do you know Hong Yulou?”

The indistinct figure shook its head. “Who is that? Is he somehow connected to me?”

Su Yi couldn’t help but be disappointed. It was obvious that this indistinct figure was just a remnant soul, and furthermore, that it had lost its memories!

“How did you recognize the power of reincarnation?” asked Su Yi.

“Reincarnation... Reincarnation...” The indistinct figure repeated the word several times.

In the end, it said with great pain, “I don’t remember!! Why is this happening...? Right! You! You surely know who I am, right?”

It suddenly raised its head and gazed through the altar-shaped seal at Su Yi, its voice full of eagerness.

In that moment, a certain figure arose within Su Yi’s sea of consciousness.

That white-robed man standing atop the River of Time, a war spear swathed in immortal light hovering before him, as proud and contemptuous as a sovereign!

“Could it be him?” Su Yi’s eyes narrowed. He recalled that in his earlier visions, the owner of these bones had torn open the sky to fight the man standing atop the River of Time.

If his hypothesis was true, then the wisp of soul sealed within these bones most likely belonged to the man in white, an expert not of this era!

As soon as this occurred to him, Su Yi took his time to examine the sealed soul seriously.

Alas, the figure within the mysterious seal was far too indistinct, like a shifting bundle of light. There was no way to see its features clearly.

“Fellow Daoist, can you tell me everything that happened? Actually, can you let me out first?” That indistinct figure asked frantically.

“For now, no.” Su Yi directly refused. He knew nothing about the figure sealed within the bones; he naturally wouldn’t do anything reckless.

“Why!? You’re obviously perfectly capable of shattering that seal. You could do it easily!” That indistinct figure shouted bitterly.

Su Yi disregarded him, then withdrew his divine sense.

The slender, snow-white skeletal hand hadn’t changed at all, but Su Yi had realized that its owner was most likely terrifying beyond his imagination.

After all, if his guess was accurate, that would mean that when that ancient, mysterious catastrophe befell the Dark and Gold Star Realm, it was the owner of these bones who’d defeated that expert of another era!

“What exactly did you see?” the spirit sparrow couldn’t help but ask. It could tell that there was something off about Su Yi’s expression.