First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1460 - Arrival

The setting sun cast its last remnants of light.

Su Yi stood alone amidst the rubble, completely silent.

The ruins stretched as far as the eye could see. Everywhere he looked, he saw collapsed buildings and utter desolation.

The marks of a grand battle covered the ground, with fragmented corpses scattered across the ruins. The bloodstains had already dried, and they almost seemed like splatters of ink.

This was the Shen Family estate!

Shen Mu remembered this place as a blessed ground covered with pavilions. It was glorious and resplendent, and over ten thousand of his clansmen had lived here alongside him.

This was the site of Shen Mu’s happy memories of his childhood and young adulthood. His mother’s doting, his father’s strictness, his clansmen’s caring, his seniors’ earnest guidance...

But now, all of it lay in ruin! And too many of his clansmen had died to count!

A heart-rending agony coursed through Su Yi’s entire body. These were Shen Mu’s emotions: regret and hatred.

Su Yi took out a jug of wine and sipped in silence.

He’d already fused with several of his past lives’ Dao Imprints. Shen Mu, the one who’d let a woman destroy his heart, was undoubtedly the most pathetic of the bunch.

But there was no denying that when it came to sheer talent and powers of comprehension, Shen Mu surpassed Wang Ye, the Temple Master, and Su Xuanjun, too.

Shen Mu had suffered a crushing defeat at a woman’s hands, but that was ultimately because his heart was just too pure. He’d never experienced adversity, and he knew nothing of the darkness of the human heart. Yet he just had to go and meet Lady Snowjade of all people. Of course their encounter ended in tragedy.

Su Yi didn’t blame Shen Mu. He wasn’t qualified to reproach him. He’d come here to let Shen Mu see through his eyes. He wanted his long-dead seventh incarnation to understand that his infatuation hadn’t just hurt him. No, he’d implicated everyone in the Shen Family, too.

“Your obsession became my heart devil, but no matter what, you and I are the same person. Since I'm here, I’ll help you resolve all this.”

With that, Su Yi threw back his head and drained the jug.

Wu Meng’s thin, aged figure approached beneath the light of dusk and bowed. “Your Eminence, all arrangements are already in place.”

“Come on, let’s go to the Six Desires Demonist Sect,” ordered Su Yi.

Whoosh!

Wu Meng transformed into a massive Three-Legged Demon Crow. His blood-colored wings were fully a thousand feet across.

And that was after he deliberately reduced his size. Were he to reveal himself completely, his wings alone would obscure three thousand feet of landscape!

Once Su Yi had taken a seat on the massive crow’s back, Wu Meng beat his blood-red wings, instantly carrying them both beyond the clouds.

......

The Thousand Eddies Divine Mountains, the base of the Six Desires Demonist Sect.

These grand, majestic peaks were shrouded in auspicious light year-round. It was a first-rate blessed ground by the standards of the Profound Eternity Realm as a whole.

Meanwhile, within one of its halls.

Lady Snowjade was hosting a banquet. Her guests were Cloud Soaring experts from the other seven of the Eight Great Demonist Sects.

The greatest factions of the modern Profound Divinity Realm were known as the Eight Great Demonist Sects.

Of them, the Six Desires Demonist Sect was the greatest, and they were like a sovereign over their vast territories. They were a level above the other seven sects.

“Allow me to toast you for coming all this way to reinforce us.” Lady Snowjade, the leader of her sect, sat in the centermost seat and raised a cup of wine.

She wore a wide-sleeved black dress, and her long hair was tied up. Her face was pristinely beautiful, and she was utterly dignified and majestic.

The crowd lifted their glasses, smiled, and drank.

Each of the other seven top Demonist sects had sent nine Cloud Soaring Realm experts as reinforcements. All of them had gathered here today, and they were a spectacular sight.

But when they faced the woman in the centermost seat, they all felt varying degrees of dread.

Who in the Profound Eternity Realm didn’t know that the leader of the Six Desires Demonist Sect was cold and aloof, like an all-powerful sovereign?

Suddenly, an old man asked, “Fellow Daoist Snowjade, might I ask just who you’ve gathered all of us together to defeat?”

Everyone instantly pricked up their ears. Even now, they had no idea what was going on.

Lady Snowjade slowly lowered her cup. “A man named Su Yi. He just barely qualifies as a long-standing enemy.”

“Just one opponent?” someone exclaimed.

Lady Snowjade inclined her head. “That’s right. If I’m not mistaken, he’ll have stepped onto the Path of Transcendence by now, and he’ll be somewhere in the Nascent Divinity Realm.”

The crowd looked at each other in astonishment. They almost dared not believe their ears.

How could the Six Desires Demonis Sect rally such a massive force to take care of a mere Nascent Divinity pipsqueak? Pick any Dao Integration Realm Transcendent at random, and they’d be able to destroy him with ease!

A strange, stifled atmosphere descended upon the hall.

“Do you find this absurd?” whispered Lady Snowjade.

An old man coughed dryly. “I won’t hide it, Fellow Daoist. It does seem rather unbelievable and difficult to understand.”

“Don’t underestimate our target,” said Lady Snowjade. “Were he an ordinary person, I’d have no need of your assistance. Of course, it’s just as I told you. He’s ultimately only in the Nascent Divinity Realm, and we’ve already placed an inescapable net. All we have to do is wait for him to throw himself into it.”

Although she said this, the crowd still felt as if none of this were quite real.

Who’d have dared imagine that the greatest faction in the Profound Divinity Realm, the Six Desires Demonist Sect, would rally such a massive force to dispose of a single Nascent Divinity cultivator?

It was simply insane!

Lady Snowjade took in their expressions, but she didn’t explain. All she said was, “It’s always best to be careful. I too hope that we can destroy that Su Yi with ease. If so, there’ll be no need for your assistance.”

She’d only just said this when an aged voice emanated from far beyond the palace. “His Eminence has arrived. Where is the leader of the Six Desires Demonist Sect? Why haven’t you come to greet him?”

This aged voice spread in all directions, booming throughout the Thousand Eddies Divine Mountains.

The crowd was stunned. All of them were astonished. Who could be so brazen as to act up here in the Six Desires Demonist Sect’s territory?

In the centermost seat, Lady Snowjade’s delicate eyebrows furrowed. If Su Yi had come here from across the River of Spacetime, he should have appeared in the Star Origin Mountains. After all, that’s where the spatial node she’d given him led.

And the Star Origin Mountains were completely sealed off!

Yet now, someone was causing a disturbance right at their doors, and they’d even proclaimed that she was to come out to see them. How brazen was that!?

“Go see what’s happening outside,” Lady Snowjade casually ordered an attendant.

“Understood!” An elderly servant rushed off to do her bidding.

“Let’s continue, everyone.” Lady Snowjade smiled and raised her cup.

There was a calm before every storm.

As the leader of the Six Desires Demonist Sect, she wouldn’t lose her cool just because someone was causing a commotion outside.

But before she could finish her cup of wine...

Boom!

A heaven-shaking impact rang out. It was coming from their mountain gates!

And the sound of the explosion intermingled with desperate, agonized shouts!

The crowd exchanged glances. They couldn’t help but look at the woman in the centermost seat.

Lady Snowjade’s expression had already iced over. Bad enough that they dared provoke her. Now, they’d even dared to attack?

They were simply courting death!!

“Fellow Daoist, how about we all go have a look?” someone suggested.

“I’ve embarrassed myself in front of you all.” Lady Snowjade rose. “Then... let’s go have a look and see just who could be so brazen and reckless.”

With that, she proceeded outside. The gathered Cloud Soaring powerhouses followed shortly after.

......

Outside the Thousand Eddies Divine Mountains.

Su Yi leisurely in the distance, his hands behind his back.

Wu Meng had just slapped the air, practically toppling the Six Desires Demonist Sect’s gates. The experts guarding the gateway had already been crushed to death!

The power of the sect’s formations circulated, rumbling and booming throughout the Thousand Eddies Divine Mountains. Firelight interwove, and a densely packed group shot toward them.

There was no doubt about it. The experts of the Six Desires Demonist Sect had been startled into action!

“Your Eminence, please allow your subordinate to clear your path ahead!” Wu Meng arrived beside Su Yi and said respectfully.

This was the founder of the Demonic Court of Ten Thousand Domains, yet in front of Su Yi, he was humble and servile. At the same time, he obviously didn’t take the Six Desires Demonist Sect at all seriously.

Su Yi shook his head slightly. “No need to rush. Wait until I’ve freed myself of my heart devil first.”

“Understood!” Wu Meng nodded.

Before long, Lady Snowjade appeared outside the gate leading a group of experts. Their grand procession consisted of several hundred experts.

Aside from the sixty-three Cloud Soaring experts of the other seven great Demonist factions, there was a group of Six Desire Demonist Sect experts.

Their lineup was terrifying. Just about any cultivation faction would have given in to despair at the sight of them.

When the group saw Su Yi and Wu Meng standing outside the gates, most of them were gobsmacked.

“Just two people!?” someone exclaimed. “Have they... gone insane?”

The others found this absurd too. It didn’t seem real.

Who could have imagined that just two people would try to make trouble for the Six Desires Demonist Sect?

But when Lady Snowjade saw Su Yi, her icy eyes focused. She realized that something wasn’t right here.

“High Elder, is there any word from Star Origin Mountain?” Lady Snowjade transmitted at top speed.

The red-robed elder beside her shook his head. “None! I dare say with certainty that if anything had happened at Star Origin Mountain, I’d find out about it immediately!”

Lady Snowjade immediately reached a decision. “Tell them to return to the sect immediately!”

“Understood!” The old man in red nodded his assent.

Lady Snowjade then stepped into the sky and said, “Su Yi, did you use another spatial node to come to the Epoch of Demonism?”

Su Yi!! So, it really was him!

When they heard his name, the others understood. But at the same time, they were increasingly confused. Why would he march right in to throw his life away like this?

Meanwhile, outside the sect gates.

Su Yi gazed up at the floating Lady Snowjade and said coolly, “No one with half a brain would throw themselves into an obvious trap like that.”

Lady Snowjade couldn’t help but grin, her smile as moving and beautiful as flowers blooming after spring rains.

She said with a laugh, “But how is this any different from casting yourself into the net? This isn’t something someone with ‘half a brain’ would do.”

Uproarious laughter filled the hall.

Wu Meng furrowed his brow and instinctively glanced at Su Yi.

Su Yi just stood there, tranquil as ever. His eyes were as calm as the waters of an ancient well.

It was as if everyone laughing was already dead.