First Immortal of the Sword

Three to five years might seem a little tight, but it’s… enough, Su Yi thought to himself.

He was currently in the mid-stage Miracle Realm. If he wholeheartedly focused on his cultivation and breaking through, three to five years was enough to reach the Great Profound Stage.

If he wanted, he could reach the peak of the Great Profound Stage whenever he pleased, but… Su Yi wouldn’t do any such thing.

After fusing with the imprints of several of his past lives, Su Yi had never been focused on how quickly he broke through. Rather, he’d always focused on surpassing his past selves at every step of the way.

In other words, he sought stable foundations and steady progress!

Advancing from the mid-stage Miracle Realm to the peak of the Great Profound Stage and maintaining stable foundations at every step of the way seemed almost impossible in so little time.

But it wasn’t impossible for Su Yi.

After all, he’d gone from an Immortal Lord to an Immortal King in just a month, and moreover, he was already in the middle stage of the Miracle Realm!

Next, I’ll go explore some of the Eastern Sea’s forbidden zones, thought Su Yi.

If he wanted to reach the Great Profound Stage in just three to five years, there was only one way to do it: seeking out rare strokes of good fortune amidst grave peril!

Much as he’d done when he proved his Dao and became an Immortal King on the Corpse-Strewn Ruin’s Lifeless Mountain, or when he broke into the mid-stage Miracle Realm on the Dragon Palace’s Dragon Ascension Platform.

The key to breaking through lay in fortuitous encounters.

If he relied simply on assiduous cultivation, he could forget about breaking into the Great Realm in three years, let alone reaching the Great Profound Stage.  

To even attempt such a thing would be insane.

Every time I break through, I need to spend time and effort steadying my foundations, but I can just go into seclusion in the Spring and Autumn Space, thought Su Yi. That’ll be enough to make sure I’ve tempered my foundations to unprecedented heights within each and every realm.

But there’s only three to five years left… How should I go about this…?

Suddenly, Fan Zhui let out a deep sigh. Concern was written all over his face.

He was in the Great Unity Stage, but trying to reach the Great Profound Stage in so little time would be foolish.

Yet if he didn’t, he’d miss his opportunity to become a god. How could he possibly accept that?

“Everything comes down to effort,” said Su Yi. “If you go all out, who says we don’t have a chance?”

Fan Zhui was stunned. He suddenly recalled that Su Yi was still just an Immortal King. There was an enormous distance separating him from the Great Profound Stage.

Fan Zhui’s situation was already enviable by comparison.

Fan Zhui’s agitation faded considerably, and he said gently, “Fellow Daoist Su, you ought to work hard to seize this rare opportunity at divinity too! Of course, you shouldn’t rush and blindly pursue rapid breakthroughs, either. If you damage your foundations in the Grand Dao, your losses will outweigh your gains.”

The way he saw it, Su Yi had almost no hope of seizing a chance at divinity within just three to five years, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for him.

Su Yi might be heaven-defying, but what of it? This was a once-in-a-million-year opportunity to become a god. If Su Yi missed it, who knew how long he’d have to wait for a similar opportunity?

Xi Ning couldn’t help but interject, “Fan Zhui, Fellow Daoist Su has the Book of Karma and the Sword of Proximity. Do you really think he needs to worry about achieving divinity?”

“....” Fan Zhui fell silent. He suddenly felt stifled, as if someone had punched him in the gut. She’s right! Su Yi has two of the Nine Mysteries of Chaos. How could he possibly worry about finding an opportunity to become a god?

But Su Yi laughed. “When the path of divinity appears, I’ll naturally want in on the available good fortune. I’ll compare the Epoch Laws available with those of the Book of Karma and Sword of Proximity, then choose the one best suited for me and use it to become a god.”

“???” Fan Zhui was stunned.

In others’ eyes, this was a rare and precious opportunity to become a god, yet here Su Yi was, weighing which of his numerous means to achieve divinity would be best for him!

Fan Zhui couldn’t help but say, “Fellow Daoist, it seems you’re confident that you can reach the Great Profound Stage within three to five years?”

Su Yi nodded. “No need to lie to you. That won’t be overly difficult for me.”

“!!!” Fan Zhui felt stifled and completely out of sorts. In the end, aren’t I just the most useless one here?

Suddenly, Xi Ning seemed to sense something, and she gazed into the distance.

The dome of heaven was dark and overcast, and the ocean churned. Three figures suddenly appeared over the distant seas: Qing Xiao, Jin Zhuliu, and Gongyang Yu!

“Seriously? Didn’t you learn your lesson earlier? Do you seriously want to fight us again?” said Xi Ning, her eyes flashing with cold light as murderous intent billowed around her.

Su Yi’s gaze was playful. He teased, “Now that you mention it, I really wouldn’t have guessed that the three of you would still be working together. After all, I vividly recall that Gongyang Yu was the first to flee from the Ancestral Worship Hall and that Jin Zhuliu fled shortly after you. Each of you is less loyal than the one before.”

His words were rife with mockery. Gongyang Yu and Jin Zhuliu’s expressions darkened.

Qing Xiao’s brow furrowed too. Their crushing defeat had been an extraordinary humiliation, and now, Su Yi was rubbing salt in their wounds. Grudges both old and new rose to the forefront of their minds, and they were incomparably furious and ashamed.

Su Yi continued, “The most ridiculous part is how Qing Wu, one of your allies, stabbed you in the back! It’s thanks to her that all of you suffered a backlash of karmic power. I’m afraid it’ll be difficult for you to become gods now.”

His eyes shone with pity.

“Enough!” Qing Xiao roared. His eyes surged with murderous intent. “Do you really think we’ve been waiting here simply to argue with you?”

Su Yi laughed. “Are you saying you’re here to fight me?”

Qing Xiao disregarded Su Yi, looked at Xi Ning, and said suddenly, “Better to reconcile than to perpetuate a feud. We lost earlier, and we have nothing to say. We are waiting here because we want to talk terms.”

This caught Xi Ning off guard. “Terms?”

“That’s right.” Qing Xiao nodded. “Have that Su guy remove the power of karma from our bodies, and we can take a step back and set aside all of our past enmities.”

Su Yi and Xi Ning exchanged glances. They instantly understood. There was no doubt about it. Relying purely on their own abilities, Qing Xiao and the others wouldn’t be able to neutralize the karmic power that had invaded their bodies anytime soon. 

And the longer this situation continued, the more damage it would do to their foundations in the Grand Dao and their hopes of one day becoming gods.

Thus, they’d chosen to swallow their anger and seek reconciliation!

From this, it was obvious how terrifying the power of karma was. It had forced even these divine children to make concessions!

“And if I refuse?” Su Yi asked with a laugh.

Qing Xiao laughed coldly. “Then don’t blame us if we use every means at our disposal to retaliate. You and Xi Ning might not fear us, but surely there are people you care about in the Immortal Realm?”

Su Yi’s eyes narrowed, and he sighed. “I wouldn’t have thought divine children would be so despicable.”

“Despicable?” Qing Xiao couldn’t help but snicker. “We’ve already cast aside our reservations. How could we concern ourselves with that?”

“We’re willing to endure, make concessions, and bury the hatchet,” said Jin Zhuliu. “So please, think this over carefully. If we can set aside our grudges, it will naturally be cause for mutual celebration.”

Xi Ning looked at Su Yi. There was no doubt about it; she’d follow his lead on this one.

Su Yi said thoughtfully, “I see that you too have realized that the path of divinity will reappear within three to five years. That’s why you’re in such a rush that you’d swallow your pride and seek reconciliation. You want to remove the karmic power from your bodies as soon as possible, right?”n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Qing Xiao and the others exchanged glances, but they didn’t deny it.

Su Yi smiled. “Unfortunately for you, I’ve never been afraid of any kind of threat. If you attack those I care about in retaliation, I’ll kill everyone you care about. We’ll just have to see who’s the most ruthless.”

Qing Xiao and the others’ expressions instantly darkened.

Gongyang Yu said with resentment, “You plan to fight your way into the God Domain? Do you really think you’ll live that long, you heretic? That’s nothing but the ravings of a madman!”

“The gods forbid reincarnation. Your threats are simply ridiculous!” Qing Xiao said slowly and clearly. “Xi Ning, I’m sure you’re aware of how dire the consequences of a falling out would be! Seems to me you’d best talk some sense into our Fellow Daoist Su!”

Xi Ning didn’t even pause to think. “No.”

“....” Qing Xiao fell silent.

Gongyang Yu couldn’t help but interject, “Xi Ning, if the other divine children find out you’re working with Su Yi, will you really be able to bear the consequences?”

Xi Ning’s delicate brow furrowed, but before she could respond, a calm voice rang out. “With me here, no such ‘consequences’ will befall A’Ning!”

This voice boomed through the sky like a morning bell or evening drum. It was full of a power that reached their hearts directly, and it resounded throughout the entire stretch of ocean.

Shockingly, it produced a rhythmic resonance of the grand Dao!

The crowd was startled. All of them looked over and saw a figure shooting toward them from the distant seas.

He looked young, with skin as clear and smooth as jade. He wore long, wide-sleeved robes, and he wore his hair in a lotus crown. He was tall and upright, with eyes that shone like twin stars.

An ocean wind blew past, and his clothes billowed around him. With every step he took, the seawater condensed into a lotus beneath his feet.

He strolled over the ocean, his gait seemingly unhurried, yet it was somehow preternaturally quick.

Before his voice had even finished echoing through the air, he landed airily before them.

His contemptuous, majestic bearing swept throughout the surrounding skies, making him instantly the center of attention!

“Luo Tiandu! When… when did you get here!?” Qing Xiao’s expression shifted.

Jin Zhuliu and Gongyang Yu looked startled too. When they gazed at the long-robed man, their eyes were full of undisguisable trepidation.

Luo Tiandu! 

An unparalleled figure among divine children, and a Great Profound Stage expert! An Immortal Sovereign whose name shook even the God Domain!

That’s Luo Tiandu? Su Yi couldn’t help but be surprised, too. He’d only just heard about Luo Tiandu from Xi Ning, yet now, here he was.

When Su Yi examined him more closely, he found that although Luo Tiandu’s cultivation base had been restricted to the Great Martial Stage, his imposing majesty was apparent in every gesture. It really was startling!

Qing Xiao and the other divine children really did pale by comparison!

Luo Tiandu disregarded Qing Xiao and the others’ bewildered gazes, then walked right up to Xi Ning, his face nothing but smiles.

“A’Ning, I’ve come to get you.”