First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1093 - A Buddhist Gatha

Not long after the Heavensdeath Demon Empress left, Xuan Ning approached Su Yi on his own.

“Master, your disciple has a question. Would you please clear up my doubts?” he whispered.

He’d spent all this time cultivating quietly in the Seed of the Azure, and he’d already recondensed his body. Even his cultivation had recovered to the early-stage Profound Illumination Realm.

Su Yi was briefly stunned. “What is it?”

“Back then, you arranged for me to go to the Little Western Paradise to follow Buddhist Master Inkstone Heart, learn from him, and temper my heart…” said Xuan Ning.

Here, a hint of confusion appeared on his brow. “But looking back on it now, it seems… something wasn’t quite right, as if it were all a dream. Although I still vividly recall everything I experienced by Buddhist Master Inkstone Heart’s side, it seems like something is missing.”

Su Yi’s eyes widened. “What gives you that impression?”

Xuan Ning scratched his head and examined his memories. “When I left the Little Western Paradise to go to the Netherworld in search of your whereabouts, Buddhist Master Inkstone Heart’s closed-door disciple, Ji Yuan, visited me in private. He gave me a talisman forged out of a bodhi leaf and said that I could activate it after I left. He said that if I ever sensed that something was not quite right with my memories, I could silently chant the Buddhist gatha within the talisman.”

This piqued Su Yi’s curiosity. “Don’t tell me there are profound secrets hidden within that verse?”

“Master, the gatha in the talisman goes: ‘All conditioned phenomena are as transient as dreams, bubbles, dew, and lightning, and should be perceived as such.’”

He paused, then continued, “Not long ago, when I returned to the Profound Illumination Realm and tried to temper and strengthen my soul, I suddenly felt that something wasn’t quite right. I discovered that even though it seems like I still vividly recall everything I experienced with Buddhist Master Inkstone Heart, and even though it seems like nothing is amiss, I can’t help but feel like something is missing.

“Thus, your disciple recalled the talisman Ji Yuan gave me when I left, as well as what he told me. However, something seems fishy about it, and I dare not test it recklessly. Thus, I’ve never inwardly recited that verse for fear of causing something unexpected.”

Su Yi’s pupils constricted. “Given Ol’ Bald Donkey Inkstone’s methods, he naturally could erase or modify a portion of your memories without leaving a trace, but if that’s really what happened… then there’s a problem with the old donkey…”

Here, he shook his head and said to himself, “Given my understanding of the old-timer, he’s wise, with a strong will. There’s no way he’d do something like that… unless something unexpected has changed!”

Here, Su Yi furrowed his brow. “And then there’s that Ji Yuan. It seems he predicted that issues would arise with your memory. That’s why he warned you and gave you the talisman refined from a bodi leaf…. Right, do you still have the talisman on you?”

Bodhi leaves were rare and precious treasures. Throughout the Wilds, they could only be found growing on the Little Western Paradise’s Xiantian Lifeform, the Bodhi Tree.

Xuan Ning shook his head. “Master, this treasure was destroyed a long time ago, when I crossed the boundary between worlds to arrive in the Azure Continent.”

It wasn’t just the talisman; his body had been destroyed too. Only his remnant soul made it to the Azure Continent.

Su Yi naturally knew that, but when he heard that the talisman had been destroyed, he couldn’t help but be disappointed.

“‘All conditioned phenomena are as transient as dreams…’” Su Yi pondered. “This gatha isn’t difficult to understand. Simply put, all of the world’s karmic ties are like dreams or illusions, as fleeting as bubbles and unfathomable as mist, impermanent and shifting. These changes are as quick as lightning. Thus, those who wish to contemplate the unsurpassed dharma must first see through illusions and grasp the fundamental truth within their hearts.

“This verse doesn’t seem like it contains many secrets, but it’s most likely a key of sorts. If you chant it within your heart, it might well lead to unpredictable changes.”

Here, Xuan Ning’s expression was instantly solemn, and his back broke out in cold sweats. “Fortunately, I was cautious, and I never tried it. Otherwise…”

Su Yi shook his head. “It’s hard to say whether it would have led to fortune or disaster, but I can say with near certainty that someone set their sights on you during your time in the Little Western Paradise, and that they did something to you. Furthermore, it was most likely either Old Bald Donkey Inkstone or his apprentice, Ji Yuan.”

Xuan Ning couldn’t help but feel a bit alarmed. “Master, how should I respond to this?”

“Sit cross-legged and open up your soul. Don’t resist,” Su Yi ordered as he rose from his wicker chair.

Xuan Ning did as he was told and promptly sat down.

Su Yi circulated his soul power and investigated. However, shortly after, he frowned. There was nothing at all unusual about Xuan Ning’s soul.

He thought for a moment, then tried a secret soul art originating from Meng Po Palace. They called it the Perceiving Subtleties Divine Mirror Incantation, and as the name implied, it functioned like a mirror. It could reflect the situation of the soul down to the finest details.

But in the end, Su Yi learned nothing at all.

But he didn’t give up just like that. After a moment’s thought, he ultimately decided to take a risk!

“All conditioned phenomena are as transient as dreams…” Su Yi used the power of his divine sense to chant the gatha within Xuan Ning’s soul.

But before he got halfway through, a strange black talisman marking appeared on the reflective surface of the Perceiving Subtleties Divine Mirror Incantation. It was shaped like a sword and a saber, crossed like the character “乂.” It was mysterious and obscure, and it was hidden in the deepest depths of Xuan Ning’s soul. Even now, it was only barely visible.

But before Su Yi could examine it further, Xuan Ning’s soul trembled violently! It seemed as if he were in extreme agony. His seated figure shook, and his face contorted in pain.

Su Yi’s expression shifted, and he promptly withdrew the power of the Perceiving Subtleties Divine Mirror Incantation, leaving the verse unfinished.

Even so, Xuan Ning’s soul suffered a terrifying backlash. His face paled, and his face was covered in cold sweat. His spirit looked depleted.

Su Yi couldn’t help but feel solemn. Had he recited the complete gatha, the consequences might well have been unimaginable!

“Master, did you discover anything?” Xuan Ning wiped the sweat from his brow and breathed heavily.

“Someone did indeed do something to your soul,” said Su Yi, his expression overcast. “Furthermore, their methods were extremely powerful, and extremely well-hidden. It seems highly likely that I’m their true target.”

Xuan Ning was stunned. “Master, what do you mean?”

“Someone knew you were headed to the Netherworld to investigate my whereabouts, so they made arrangements in advance and stealthily placed a strange seal within your soul!”

Su Yi’s gaze was cold and inscrutable as he whispered, “And the talisman Ji Yuan gave you is the key to awakening that mysterious seal. Chanting that gatha would lead to unpredictable consequences.”

Xuan Ning was instantly alarmed, and a chill coursed down his spine.

Su Yi said gently, “Later, I’ll take you to see the Little Western Paradise myself. Then, all will become clear. Until then, you’d best stay within the Seed of the Azure. That way, even if something unexpected happens, I’ll be able to help you immediately.”

Xuan Ning said solemnly, “I shall assiduously carry out your orders, Master.”

Before long, Wang Zhuofu and Wang Zhongyuan arrived.

Apparently, High Elder Wang Tianhang—the white-haired old man—had been imprisoned in the family’s forbidden ground to endure eight thousand years of “wind and rain.”

“Wind and rain” was actually a type of torture used in the Wang Family. Baleful Yin winds and a rain of blazing Yang fire condensed into whips, lashing a prisoner’s soul day and night. It was so agonizing that the condemned longed for death.

The others who’d colluded with Pi Mo also received suitable punishments.

As they described this, Wang Zhuofu and Wang Zhongyuan seemed uneasy. They were concerned that Su Yi wouldn’t find this level of punishment satisfactory.

“What do you think?” Su Yi glanced at Wang Que.

Wang Que said in a low voice, “Master, so long as I, Wang Que, live, those old-timers won’t dare show their faces. If you’re not satisfied with that, I’m willing to punish them myself!”

Su Yi waved. “Forget it. Let’s leave it at that.”

All he cared about was Wang Que’s safety.

Wang Zhuofu and Wang Zhongyuan both sighed in relief and bowed. “Many thanks for your benevolence, Your Excellency Su!”

Su Yi subtly inclined his head. “I’ll spend the next few days in the Allmist Spirit Mountains. First, to wait for someone. Second, to see whether or not Pi Mo sends anyone else.”

Wang Zhongyuan said promptly, “The Wang Family is honored to host you. I’ll go arrange a residence for you immediately, Your Excellency!”

Wang Que couldn’t help but say, “Father, allow me.”

Wang Zhongyuan glanced at Su Yi, and when he saw that Su Yi didn’t object, he nodded. “Very well.”

That very day, Su Yi and his companions took up residence with the Wang Family.

In the days that followed, word of the grand battle in the wilderness of the Ten Directions Yao Mountains spread throughout the Wilds, causing a massive uproar.

“A throng of Yao Emperors attacked en masse. Moreover, a Golden-Winged Great Peng and a group of Profound Serenity Yao Emperors combined their strengths to place a multi-layered death trap, but that still wasn’t enough to take Su Yi down!?”

“Pi Mo has really fallen flat on his face this time!”

“Just who is this Su Yi person?”

“Rumor has it that the Red Pine and Dark Mountain Yao Emperors are convinced that he really is the reincarnation of the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force!”

“Also, before the Golden-Winged Great Peng, Garuda, died, he called Su Yi ‘master.’ The eighth legacy disciple of the Grotto of Abstruse Force, Bai Yi, did the same and changed sides in the middle of battle!”

“Doesn’t that mean Pi Mo’s trap was intended to kill his own master!? He’s turned on his sect and his master. He’s sick and depraved!”

“Reincarnation…. So, that legendary power really does exist in this world?”

…There was uproar throughout the Wilds, like a pot blowing off its lid. It had been a long time since anything had caused such a disturbance.

The former sovereign of the Wilds, the man whose sword suppressed the heavens, had disappeared five hundred years ago. Now, it seemed he’d reincarnated and come back. Who wouldn’t have been astonished?

And Pi Mo’s traitorous behavior provoked widespread criticism and contempt.

The world was in uproar.

And the factions that had subordinated themselves to the Abstruse Force Alliance were terrified. They could neither eat nor sleep in peace!