First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1314 - The Man Behind the Curtain

The young woman’s expression darkened, and she stared intently at Su Yi.

But then, she suddenly laughed. “You cheated, so I’m not giving you any answers.”

“Oh,” said Su Yi. With that, he disappeared into thin air.

A moment later, an illusory reincarnation sword shadow swept toward the young woman in the pomegranate skirt.

A golden knife floated above her palm and clashed with it head-on.

Clang!

Sword clashed against knife, scattering divine light.

It was as if the young woman in the pomegranate skirt had been electrocuted. She flew violently back.

The power of reincarnation was far too tyrannical. It traveled through the sword qi and exploded into her, shattering the power of her knife and striking her directly.

Her grinning, delicate face paled, and even her soul felt a burning pain.

Before she could steady herself, Su Yi attacked once more.

The humming of a sword swept forth like a dark wave. In the face of its terrifying momentum, the young woman dared not be negligent. She raised her hand, took out a snow-white bone, and waved it in the air.

Whoosh~

Immortal light scattered, and the young woman disappeared into thin air.

Su Yi’s brow furrowed slightly.

The young woman reappeared ten thousand feet away, her gaze icy. “Little fellow, next time we meet, I’ll show you just how capable I am!”

With that, she turned to leave.

Boom!

A fragment of bronze descended. The young woman’s expression shifted, but she dared not hesitate. She activated that snow-white bone and clashed with it head-on.

Bang!

The young woman was sent flying back.

Two figures seized the opportunity to lunge at her.

One was Su Yi, the other Li Beishan, who shot out of the bronze fragment.

But strangely, as immortal light rose from the bone, she disappeared once more.

Su Yi and Li Beishan’s pincer attack hit nothing but air. Both of them frowned and gazed into the distance.

There, beneath the distant dome of the night sky, the young woman in the pomegranate skirt appeared once more.

Her face was pale and unsightly.

She’d almost met with disaster twice in a row, and this left her incomparably infuriated.

“Remember this: my name is Ning Yuluo. One day, I’ll be sure to come back and kill you both!” the young woman said slowly and emphatically, forcing the words between the gaps in her teeth. Her voice was full of endless hatred.

Weng!

Immortal light flowed across the surface of that white bone.

But a moment later, Su Yi raised his hand and summoned a bamboo sword.

It was nine inches long, vibrantly green, and smooth as jade. It was called the Moon Palace Branch, and Daoist Master Red Cloud had refined it herself.

It now seemed like an illusory, ethereal beam of green light ripping through the sky. The inky darkness of the night was now dyed a brilliant shade of blue.

The young woman had only just disappeared when the bamboo sword arrived.

Boom!

The entire stretch of sky collapsed with a burst of flame.

Immediately afterward, a desperate, agonized cry rang out. The young woman in the pomegranate skirt appeared, then staggered back. Half her body split open, and blood burst forth like a waterfall.

Immediately afterward, her body collapsed and disappeared.

Only her soul remained, hovering in the air. A white bone emanating immortal light floated in front of her.

“That was comparable to a Dao Integration powerhouse’s full-force attack!” Li Beishan gasped, and a chill coursed through him.

He was naturally well aware of the Moon Palace Branch’s origins. Daoist Master Red Cloud said that it could kill revenants of his level with ease!

Now, as he witnessed the young woman’s misfortunate, Li Beishan immediately judged that Moon Palace Branch wasn’t simply an ordinary talisman sword!

“Still alive?” Su Yi, however, frowned slightly. He could tell at a glance that the white bone the girl carried was incredibly wondrous. It was this treasure that saved her life right in the nick of time.

When she saw that Su Yi was about to attack once more, the young woman in the pomegranate skirt suddenly cried out, “I’ll tell you the truth if you leave me a path to life. How about it?” She raised that white bone and hissed, “If it really comes to a life-or-death fight, I’ll die, but you won’t gain anything either.”

“Speak,” said Su Yi.

The young woman took a deep breath. “The faction behind me has formed an alliance with an old-timer called the Tailor. He’s the one who told me that so long as I waited here in All Willow City, I was sure to be able to capture you, the Temple Master’s reincarnation.”

The Tailor!

Su Yi’s gaze frosted over. It’s that old bastard again!

Out loud, he asked, “Does that mean the Tailor told you about Ol’ Wei, too?”

“That’s right.” The young woman in the pomegranate skirt said, “The Tailor said that if we used Old Cripple Wei as bait, we’d have no need to worry about bringing in the ‘big fish’ that is the Temple Master.”

“Then did he tell you if Old Wei is alive or dead?”

The young woman in the pomegranate skirt shook her head. “He didn’t.”

Su Yi understood. Right from the start, none of these people knew whether Old Wei was alive or dead. They were just using the promise of a lead against him!

And the Tailor had surely learned about Old Wei from Yan Daolin.

After all, it was Yan Daolin who’d saved Wei Shan and his daughter. He naturally understood the disaster that had befallen them in the Glittering Jewel Hidden Realm.

The thought actually left Su Yi a bit melancholy. Even after all this, he couldn’t say with certainty that Old Wei was still alive.

How could he not be melancholy?

Su Yi then went on to ask about the young woman’s origins.

“I’m from the Hidden Skies Immortal Sect...” said the young woman in the pomegranate skirt.

But she’d only just said this when the white bone shook violently, then burst with dazzling immortal light, instantly carrying her away.

Su Yi’s keen senses told him that the girl was caught off guard. There was no doubt about it; not even she had anticipated the bone’s sudden movements!

“The Hidden Skies Immortal Sect? I feel like I’ve heard that name before...” Li Beishan looked thoughtful.

A moment later, he slapped his forehead. “Ah, it’s that Demonist faction! I wouldn’t have guessed they’d survived the End of the Dharma too.”

As he said that last sentence, his face filled with uncertainty.

“Is this sect strong?” asked Su Yi.

“In ancient times, there were three hegemons amongst Demonist factions, and the Hidden Skies Immortal Sect was one of the three. Their foundations are incomparably ancient, and they’ve given rise to numerous immortals,” Li Beishan said gravely. “I once presided over a major sect too, but we were nothing compared to the Hidden Skies Immortal Sect. The disparity was enormous.”

He paused, then continued, “But during the End of the Dharma, the greater the orthodoxy, the greater the blow they suffered. It was just as Daoist Master Red Cloud said: when the heavens fall, those standing at the top are hit first.

“Back then, several of the Hidden Skies Immortal Sect’s immortals in the Human Realm perished beneath this catastrophe, their souls dispersed. The sect suffered countless casualties, and there were rumors that they fell apart completely. Now, it seems that they still exist...as revenants!”

But even after hearing the full story, Su Yi didn’t seem concerned. “They were practically destroyed back then, and even if some of their experts remain, they’re nothing but a pack of revenants.”

Li Beishan laughed bitterly. I guess it makes sense. Su Yi controls the power of reincarnation. In his eyes, no revenants are much of a threat.

“But in life, each of these revenants was stronger than the one before. Furthermore, they’ve mastered unbelievable abilities. It won’t do to underestimate them,” Su Yi said softly.

Take what happened just now, for instance. He had used a treasure called a Transformation Pearl to create a clone, which was what had walked into the ambush in the courtyard.

It was fortunate that he’d done so, as this was what had allowed him to escape the Mountain and Sea World-Burying Formation’s attack. Had his true body been there instead, and had he gotten trapped, he would have needed to draw on the Sword of the Nine Hells to survive.

The Transformation Pearl was one of the trophies he’d gotten from the Ghost Scholar’s lair. With it, he could create a clone convincing enough to fool even experts of the Path of Transcendence.

“Your Excellency Su, it seems to me that you’d best keep a low profile for a while,” Li Beishan warned. “After all, it’s easy to dodge a spear held in the open, but difficult to dodge an arrow fired in secret. Who knows how many people are searching for you now?”

Su Yi asked right back, “You don’t think I kept a low profile on this return home?”

Li Beishan shook his head.

“There’s no avoiding the trouble to come. Shrinking back and keeping a low profile for no good reason isn’t how I do things,” said Su Yi, his eyes glinting with cold light. “On the contrary, I’ve never liked passively waiting for my enemies to strike. I know the Tailor is causing trouble behind the scenes, so I naturally won’t just let this go.”

As he spoke, his heart filled with irrepressible murderous intent.

Even ignoring their past enmity, how many times had the Tailor plotted against him over the past few years?

Back in the Dark and Gold Star Realm, it was the Tailor who’d sent an alliance of the stars’ top sects against him!

Even Yan Daolin owed the Tailor a favor and helped him place a trap, using Qing Wan and Heavenly Prayer against him.

That aside, there was that woman who’d killed Shen Mu, Lady Snowjade. She was somehow connected to the Tailor too.

And today was his first day back in his former home, All Willow City, but he’d already met with one of the Tailor’s deathtraps. How could Su Yi not be furious?

He’d never been the type to passively take a beating. This time, he had to take the initiative to strike back!

It seems it’s time to visit Old Monk Illuminating Emptiness at Universal Emptiness temple, thought Su Yi.

Universal Emptiness Temple was an otherworldly pure land in the eyes of Buddhist cultivators, and an unknown, mysterious Buddhist ground.

It was home to an elderly monk whose title was Illuminating Emptiness. He proclaimed himself the Monastic Guardian, and he was one of the stars' top secluded powerhouses.

As well as one of the few people the Tailor was afraid of!

It was then that Wei Shan arrived with the man in black Su Yi had captured earlier. “Should I let him go, Young Master?”

The man in black said in a quavering voice, “Your Excellency, you agreed to let me leave in peace.”

Su Yi nodded and waved. “Let him go.”

Wei Shan tossed the man in black away.

“Thank you so much, Your Excellency! Thank you so much!” The man in black went mad with delight and thanked them repeatedly before scurrying off in a flash.

“Your Excellency Su, why let him go?” Li Beishan didn’t get it.

Wei Shan laughed. “That’s how the young master has always done things. He’s a man of his word, and he never breaks his promises.”

Li Beishan was deeply touched.

On the path of cultivation, the human heart was the most difficult to fathom, and worldly affairs were rife with deception. Maintaining such strength of character was far too rare.

Li Beishan couldn’t help but find this admirable, and he clasped his fist. “Your subordinate understands.”

At first, he hadn't particularly respected Su Yi. He followed him purely because he wanted to borrow Su Yi’s hands to dispel his curse.

But now, his attitude toward Su Yi was starting to shift.

Su Yi, of course, didn’t care about any of that. He just ordered, “Little Wei, gather up the spoils. We’re going to Universal Emptiness Temple next.”

The former Temple Master had trounced the Tailor so badly that he only dared turtle up in the darkness, too afraid to stick out his head.

If Su Yi didn’t display some of his strength now, it’d be pathetic!