First Immortal of the Sword

Meng Zhe and company flew through the fog-shrouded landscape. None of them dared to employ any sort of teleportation here.

This was the Abyss of Dark Fog, the most dangerous place in the Dark Province. They were Immortal Kings, but that didn’t matter. A moment’s incaution, and they risked getting swept into a spatial rift. That would mean the end of them and their Daos!

Su Yi followed at the tail end of the procession, cold and silent. The quieter he was, the less likely he was to let something slip.

Along the way, the man in beast skin robes furrowed his brow. “The Abyss of Dark Fog is enormous, with numerous danger zones. Given the circumstances, hunting down Shen Mu is sure to be troublesome.”

His archery had left a deep impression on Su Yi. The archer and the assassin, Meng Zhe, were the greatest threat when they worked together.

“Don’t be in such a rush. A group of Immortal Kings is already keeping watch over the Abyss of Dark Fog. Shen Mu has no hope of escape,” said the woman in white calmly. “That aside, after fleeing into the Abyss of Dark Fog, Shen Mu is in danger too.”

They conversed amongst themselves and came up with a strategy for their upcoming operation.

Su Yi couldn’t help but find this amusing, but although he didn’t know it, even as they conversed, they were having another, secret conversation through silent transmissions.

“If we encounter lethal danger on the road ahead, we can put Xue He at the front of the party,” Meng Zhe said hurriedly. “To prevent him from suspecting us, let’s treat him with respect in the meantime. Whatever you do, don’t let the cat out of the bag.”

“Indeed, that’s the best approach.”

His four companions all expressed their agreement.

As they conversed, Meng Zhe suddenly looked at Su Yi. “Fellow Daoist Xue He, do you have any suggestions for our upcoming operation?”

He was only asking casually. He wouldn’t have thought that Su Yi would nod and say, “I actually have a way to trace Shen Mu’s location.”

The others were stunned, and their spirits soared. None of them had anticipated this.

“Please enlighten us, Fellow Daoist!” Meng Zhe said with delight. “If we’re the first to find Shen Mu, we can avenge your companions and acquire all of Shen Mu’s belongings!”

Su Yi’s expression never wavered. “I can help you, but after we capture Shen Mu, I want half the spoils.”

The others frowned in displeasure, but after this demand, they subconsciously started to believe that “Xue He” really could find Shen Mu.

Meng Zhe mulled it over, then agreed. “Very well!”

He transmitted to the others, “Let’s agree to his demands for now. If he dares demand the trophies after we’ve captured Shen Mu, we can just kill him! After all, this is the Abyss of Dark Fog. As long as we’re careful, there’s no way anyone will figure out that it was us!”

The others’ eyes flashed. All of them agreed.

Su Yi asked suddenly, “And what if you renege on our agreement?”

Meng Zhe’s heart thudded in his chest. Out loud, he hurriedly argued that he wouldn’t do that. He then swore on his honor and the reputation of the Church of Divine Flame.

Only then did Su Yi “reluctantly” agree.

He then led the party in a different direction. All of them hurtled into the distance.

“I wouldn’t have thought cooperating with Xue He would bring such an unexpected delight. Could this be fate?” Meng Zhe wistfully transmitted to the others.

“He’s just one person. He has little hope of defeating a dangerous opponent like Shen Mu on his own. In other words, he has no choice but to work with us,” transmitted the woman in white. “Seems to me that once we’ve captured Shen Mu alive, we shouldn’t waste time negotiating with him. Best to be thorough. Let’s just kill him to keep anything unexpected from happening.”

“Sounds good to me. If we want all of Shen Mu’s belongings, there’s no way Xue He will agree. In that case, it’s best we just kill him.”

The others quickly agreed. Meng Zhe mulled it over, but in the end, he agreed too. “Xue He is undoubtedly on guard against us. When the time comes, do as I say. Since we’ve decided to kill him, we absolutely cannot leave him any chance at survival!”

As he spoke, murderous intent flashed through the depths of his gaze.

A little less than ten minutes later, a silver lake appeared in the distant, fog-shrouded landscape. It was fully ten thousand feet across, its silver waters burbling like lava as they emanated searing heat.

Nothing grew along the shore, not even a single inch of grass. The blazing heat contorted the air. Billowing steam permeated the entire area.

Su Yi stopped a thousand feet away from the silver lake and said, “If it’s as I suspect, Shen Mu is hidden nearby!”

Meng Zhe and the others’ spirits soared!

But when they examined the lake with their divine senses, all of them looked stricken.

There was something strange going on with the lake! The aura emanating from it was enough to make them tremble. All of them sensed an instinctual threat.

“Are you sure, Fellow Daoist?” Meng Zhe furrowed his brow.

Su Yi said coldly, “Believe me or don’t. You’ll know once you’ve tested it, won’t you?”

“And why don’t you test it?” asked the woman in white.

Su Yi’s gaze frosted over, and he said with displeasure, “We’re working together to hunt Shen Mu down, yet now, you want me to risk myself alone. I rather suspect you’re just using me as a weapon!”

The Immortal Kings instantly looked ill at ease.

“Don’t misunderstand, Fellow Daoist,” Meng Zhe said carefully. “How about this? We’ll move further away, then attack the lake with our treasures. Let’s see if we can force Shen Mu out into the open.”

With that, he led the group several tens of thousands of feet back.

“Be careful, everyone. Something strange is going on here. I suspect that terrifying danger is hidden beneath the surface. The moment you discover something amiss, retreat immediately!” ordered Meng Zhe as he flung a blue flying weaver’s shuttle at the distant silver lake.

Boom!

The waters churned explosively, as if a divine mountain had crashed into the lake. A tidal wave rose into the heavens, booming like thunder.

Shockingly, the splattering silver water transformed into silver butterflies!

Each was only about the size of a fist. They were bathed in glittering silver flames, and their eyes were as red as blood. Their wings looked as if they’d been woven entirely out of silver fire.

Boom!

The enormous silver lake churned as more and more butterflies flew into the air, blanketing heaven and earth. They were tightly packed, filling every last nook and cranny of space.

Meng Zhe and the other Immortal Kings instantly broke out in cold sweats.

Skeleton-Stripping Demon Butterflies!

These were strange and terrifying vicious creatures seldom seen in the outside world.

If surrounded, not even Immortal Kings could escape. The butterflies would devour their flesh, blood, and even their souls. In the end, nothing would remain of them but bones!

“Hurry! Hurry up and retreat——!” Meng Zhe bellowed and led the others away.

But the moment he turned around, a sword flashed past him.

Splurt!

A still-bleeding head soared into the air.

It was Su Yi who’d attacked. He’d used the Sword of the Human Realm to decapitate the archer clad in beast skins.

It happened so suddenly that the man in beast skins was caught completely off guard. Even after he’d been decapitated, his expression was full of bewilderment.

This sudden development startled Meng Zhe and the others. All of their expressions shifted, and all of them felt completely caught off guard.

“Xue He, what are you doing!?” the woman in white shouted in fury.

“That isn’t Xue He! He’s Shen Mu!” roared Meng Zhe, his face ashen.

The Immortal Kings’ hearts shook, and their hair stood on end.

Shen Mu!

Who’d have dared imagined that their target had been by their side this entire time?

The thought that they’d tried to use Xue He to hunt Shen Mu down made them feel like a pack of bungling clowns. He’d been toying with them!

“You could have chosen to work with anyone in this world, but it just had to be me. In light of your enthusiasm, I of course have to send you on your way personally,” Su Yi said flatly.

Meng Zhe and the others’ expressions were instantly unsightly, and their eyes were bloodshot. Murderous intent coursed through their entire bodies. All of them felt as if they were on the verge of going insane.

Boom!

Meanwhile, countless Skeleton-Stripping Demon Butterflies were sweeping toward them like a silver hurricane.

It was just too terrifying. Meng Zhe and his companions stiffened, but they had no time to think about anything else, nor could they even consider trying to get even with Su Yi. All they could do was flee as fast as they could.

But how could Su Yi possibly let them escape?

He swung the Sword of the Human Realm to intercept them.

Boom!

Sword qi ran rampant, criss-crossing through the air.

Meng Zhe and the others were furious. They attacked with everything they had, and soon, they were locked in fierce battle with Su Yi.

“Shen Mu, are you insane!? If the Skeleton-Stripping Demon Butterflies surround us, you’re doomed too!” someone shouted.

“Get him!” shouted another Immortal King. His eyes were red with madness, and he was desperate to escape. He had no desire to get tangled up with Su Yi.

It was obvious to all of them that if those strange and terrifying butterflies trapped them, their Miracle Realm cultivations wouldn’t save them. They’d be doomed!

But Su Yi had no intention of giving them the chance to flee.

He swung his sword and attacked. Sword qi poured onto the world below, and although he was just one person, he blocked Meng Zhe and his companions at every turn. They couldn’t escape!

Meng Zhe and company were frustrated and frantic. All of them fought with all their might, and in the blink of an eye, Su Yi was covered in wounds and bleeding profusely.

But Su Yi was even more ruthless. He completely disregarded his injuries, and he paid each wound back in full. He thoroughly restricted all four of them.

It was as if he had no regard for his own life.

Meng Zhe and company couldn’t help but feel chills course through them, and their eyes bulged as if about to pop. Try as they might, they couldn’t wrap their heads around it.

What is Shen Mu thinking? Is he trying to drag us to the grave with him?

But it was then that the windstorm of Skeleton-Stripping Demon Butterflies reached them.

Boom!

The massive swarm completely enveloped everyone present.

“Attack!!”

“Hurry! We have to fight our way out!”

Meng Zhe and his companions roared in fury and struck with everything they had. All of them fought like mad to stave off the relentlessly charging swarm of demon butterflies.

Countless little winged corpses fell like rain, but there were just too many of them. There was no killing them all!

Furthermore, they weren’t at all afraid to die. Every last butterfly was like a searing silver flame. They charged with everything they had, and before long, they had Meng Zhe and his companions thoroughly surrounded.

In stark contrast, Su Yi seemed downright relaxed. He too was thoroughly surrounded, but whenever the butterflies tried to get closer, they fled as if startled. Thus, there were no butterflies in his immediate vicinity. He was like a boulder standing tall amidst the pounding waves, unmoving.

When Meng Zhe and the others saw this, they were so furious that they almost coughed up blood, and their lungs practically exploded.

By now, who could fail to realize that they’d been tricked?

Shen Mu had been planning this all along. He’d led them here with wicked intentions!