First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1319 - An Ambush on All Sides, All Swords Point at a Common Foe

Universal Emptiness Temple was located deep within the desolate wilderness.

Unnatural mists rose throughout heaven and earth, and blood-colored lightning flashed.

Surging waves of baleful energy swept toward it from all sides!

Universal Emptiness Temple stood alone, like a solitary island surrounded by turbulent waves and flashing lightning. Bright red arcs of electricity danced repeatedly through the air.

One group after another arrived from all sides.

A massive bird, fully ten thousand feet across, beat its wings as it appeared carrying a group of cultivators.

A dazzling arc of sword qi carried a group of Daoists in feather coats, each with an ancient sword strapped across their back.

A white jade elephant the size of a mountain range walked through the air, carrying a densely packed group of yao cultivators. Each was like a barbarian god, and their collective yao qi shook both heaven and earth.

Them aside, numerous other terrifying figures appeared amidst the churning thunderclouds. They stood in different places, but all of them gazed down at Universal Emptiness Temple.

As far as the eye could see, experts were as numerous trees in the forest, blanketing heaven and earth!

“Yao cultivators, demonic cultivators, aberrant cultivators, sword cultivators, Buddhist cultivators, ghost cultivators... My heavens! Isn’t this lineup a bit too terrifying?”

“How could the Temple Master possibly survive this?”

“Forget it. We’d best retreat as soon as possible. We cannot let ourselves get mixed up in these turbid waters. The aftershock alone will kill us instantly!”

Some cultivators beneath the World King level had come hoping to witness a spectacle.

But when they took in this terrifying scene, chills coursed through their entire bodies, and they fled immediately, not daring to linger.

Even the World Kings’ hearts quivered, their expressions solemn.

The revenants were the main characters here!

There were tens of thousands of them, and they blanketed both heaven and earth. It seemed there was no limit to them.

The vast majority weren’t intelligent; the few intelligent revenants were controlling the rest.

But even the unintelligent revenants each had monstrous, terrifying auras. Even the weakest could slay a Heavenly Longevity Realm World King!

While the strongest were comparable to Cosmic Enlightenment powerhouses.

“Indeed, times have changed. Revenants can now wander the outside world!” Some of the old-timers’ hearts shook, their expressions grim.

Nothing like this had ever occurred before!

The populace knew that revenants existed in forbidden grounds like the Impermeable Demon Ocean and Flying Immortal Forbidden Zone.

Only now did they realize that the revenants who’d survived the End of the Dharma could now travel outside these regions too!

Were word of this to spread, it would surely cause widespread commotion and shift the stars’ balance of power!

“What if I controlled an army of revenants?” someone whispered. “I could easily take over entire cities with ease and sweep through an entire stretch of stars!”

He could picture it now: tens of thousands of revenants, each as terrifying as a World King. Who could possibly block such a force?

The thought was enough to make one tremble despite the absence of cold.

“If someone hadn’t revealed that the Temple Master was currently in Universal Emptiness Temple, who would have known that revenants were already this terrifying?” someone said with a deep sigh.

Of late, a flood of news had the stars practically boiling over. News of the Path of Transcendence, fortune related to immortality, and revenants shot up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, becoming popular topics of discussion.

But only a tiny handful of people had ever actually seen a revenant. The vast majority of cultivators had no opportunity to interact with revenants whatsoever.

Yet now, everyone present realized that as revenants entered the world, an age of unprecedented upheaval was sure to follow!

“Don’t the rumors say that the Temple Master’s power of reincarnation is a natural counter to these revenants? I’m sure that given his courage and breadth of spirit, he can overcome the turmoil ahead and turn the tides in his favor,” someone whispered.

“Don’t hold your breath. Who knows if the Temple Master will even make it through today alive?” someone said with concern. “After all, he’s ultimately just one person, and they say he’s only at the Oneness Realm. No matter how heaven-defying his abilities are, he’s still far from the Path of Transcendence.”

The crowd fell silent.

That was in no way the end of it; they also said the Temple Master had become prey in the eyes of the world’s revenants!

“Argh. The return of the Path of Transcendence ought to be an unprecedented stroke of good fortune, immortal destiny we cultivators could previously only dream of. Who’d have thought it’d come with such turmoil and grave peril...?”

The crowd just watched from afar, not daring to draw near.

It was then that an icy voice reverberated throughout heaven and earth.

“Where is the Temple Master? Why haven’t you come out even after such an enormous disturbance? What, have you gone deaf?”

His voice boomed like thunder, echoing throughout heaven and earth.

Many of the onlookers’ expressions shifted.

They looked over and saw a terrifying old man in black standing in the distance atop the head of the massive white jade elephant.

Yao qi soared around him, rising into the heavens. It was like the descent of an unparalleled yao god. This was an intelligent revenant. In life, he’d surely been a top powerhouse!

“Come out! Hide any longer, and I’ll flatten this place to make you come out!” said one of the Daoists in feather coats standing on that golden arc of sword qi. His voice was like the clanging of his sword, and his murderous intent shook the world.

“Fellow Daoists, please, don’t be in such a rush. The Temple Master has most likely never seen such a lineup before; he’s got to be too scared to show himself,” laughed a red-robed woman standing atop a cloud.

Her entire body was swathed in crimson lightning, and demonic flames blazed above her head. She was obviously a revenant of the demonic path.

Suddenly, a Cosmic Enlightenment Realm World King stepped forth. “Seniors, please allow me to try to persuade the Temple Master. It would naturally be best if he could adapt to his circumstances and lower his head.”

With that, he proceeded toward Universal Emptiness Temple.

“High Elder Lu Bugui of the Divine Waters Aberrant Sect!”

The crowd recognized him, and a commotion ensued.

“The old-timer’s actually long since established an alliance with the revenants. No wonder he’s so fearless as to attempt to convince the Temple Master to lower his head,” someone said softly.

Many of the onlookers looked conflicted. In the past, how could someone like Lu Bugui possibly have dared behave so impudently in front of the Temple Master?

Meanwhile, the crowd watched as Lu Bugui arrived outside Universal Emptiness Temple.

He looked relaxed, but in truth, he was fully on guard. He cleared his throat and said, “Temple Master, I’m sure you can see the situation out here. Please, heed my warning. You can’t simply hide and wait for this calamity to pass you by. How about...”

He’d only just said this when a streak of sword qi shot out of the temple.

It soared into the sky like the light of a new dawn, illuminating everything on all sides.

Lu Bugui’s expression shifted, and he turned tail and fled.

Boom!

Sword qi descended, shattering him and dispersing his soul.

A long, perfectly straight rift appeared on the ground. Dust and smoke rose into the air.

Deathly silence followed.

None of them had anticipated that even the mighty Cosmic Enlightenment Realm World King Lu Bugui would fail to block even a single slash. He’d been cut down on the spot!

It was then that the blue-robed Su Yi emerged from the gates of Universal Emptiness Temple and walked toward them with his hands behind his back.

Su Yi scanned his surroundings and shook his head. “A World King, that’s all. There was no need for him to throw his life away.”

The crowd exchanged glances.

He’d been ambushed, and he was surrounded on all sides, yet the Temple Master was still so domineering!

“Are you Su Yi, the one they call the Temple Master? You sure are young.” Within the layers of cloud, the red-robed woman swathed in blood-colored lightning let out a charming laugh. “Rest assured. We haven’t come with ill intentions. Rather, we’re here to do business with you.”

With that, she raised her hand and tossed something through the air.

Boom!

A massive bronze box slammed into the ground.

“This box contains three hundred Transcendent spirit stones, nine Transcendent legacies, a Transcendent-level sword, and ten types of Transcendent spirit medicine,” the red-robed woman said with a smile. “Do us a single favor, and all of these treasures are yours.”

Uproar ensued.

All of them were stunned by her enormously generous offer.

“Furthermore, I, Qin Hongyu, can promise not to make any trouble for you in the future,” said the woman with a charming smile. “I trust that you can sense my sincerity, Fellow Daoist Su. What do you think?"

“We all heard what happened to the Hidden Skies Immortal Sect. If at all possible, we’d rather not fight you directly,” said the middle-aged Daoist in the feather coat from atop the golden sword arc. “How about this? You do us a favor, and I’ll give you a Transcendent-level sword sutra enough to support your cultivation through the Cloud Soaring Realm. With this, it’s even entirely possible that you’ll one day cleave open heaven’s gates and transcend into immortality.”

The other terrifying figures spoke up too, one after another, each offering generous conditions: legacies, cultivation resources, promises never to oppose Su Yi, etcetera, etcetera.

What left the onlookers flabbergasted was that even the revenant allies of the Divine Waters Aberrant Sect expressed their willingness to cooperate; they had no intention of getting even for Lu Bugui’s death at all...

In short, all of this was completely outside of the distant onlookers’ expectations.

This made them realize that the revenants brought this massive lineup and offered such incomparably tempting rewards... because they were afraid of the Temple Master!

Indeed, the revenants both love and hate the power of reincarnation! Many of the onlookers sighed to themselves.

Meanwhile, Su Yi stepped into the air, arrived beneath the sky, and said, “Want my help? Very well. I just have one request.”

The terrifying revenants all pricked up their ears.

“Better to talk things over. It’s always better than fighting and killing. Please speak, Fellow Daoist,” the red-robed Qin Hongyu said with a smile.

Su Yi raised his hand and pointed. “Fight me one-on-one. If you beat me, I’ll free you from your curse. If you lose, I’ll let you off without further punishment so long as you lay down your treasures and leave immediately.”

Widespread uproar followed this declaration.

None of them would have imagined that the Temple Master would want to fight these revenants with strengths far beyond the bounds of the World King Realm!

“Hmph! Seems to me you’re insincere!” said a tall, stalwart man reminiscent of a barbarian god. He snorted coldly, “You control the power of reincarnation, making you our natural counter. Isn’t a one-on-one duel far too unfair?”

The other revenants chimed in their agreement.

If not for Su Yi’s mastery of the power of reincarnation, his strength would have been completely beneath their notice.

Illuminating Emptiness emerged from the temple and laughed at the whole group. “Don’t make this ol’ monk laugh himself to death. My brother the Temple Master is only in the Oneness Realm, and you? All of you have cultivations far beyond the bounds of the World King Realm. You’re nattering on about fairness? Aren’t you ashamed of yourselves?”

The revenants’ expressions darkened.

But Su Yi just laughed. “Relax. I won’t use the power of reincarnation. Everyone present can serve as a witness to that.”

Sometimes a single stone could create a thousand waves. Uproar ensued.

The revenants were unwittingly struck dumb. They almost dared not believe their ears.