First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1136 - Coming and Going

Abstruse Force Peak was shrouded in gentle mist and radiant sunlight, like an otherworldly pure land.

A banquet was underway.

Su Yi sat in the elevated, centermost seat conversing with Ancestor Peng, the Border Mountain Yao Ancestor, and the other antiques.

Jin Kui, Wang Que, and the others were there too.

When they saw the old-timers laughing and chatting with their master, they felt dazed, as if they’d returned to the past.

Back then, when their master was the sovereign of the Wilds, the man whose sword suppressed the heavens, only the greatest of older-generation experts were worthy of dining with him.

Those Emperors beneath the Profound Unity Realm weren’t qualified to participate in such banquets.

Back then...

Countless memories of the past flashed by, appearing and disappearing nigh instantaneously, filling their hearts with wistfulness.

Qing Tang sat there in silence.

She understood better than anyone that even if her master and sectmates had forgiven her... they couldn’t return to how things were back then.

During the banquet, Su Yi explained the secrets of the Path of Heaven’s Ascension, as well as the history of the Dark and Gold Star Realm and the secrets of the Dark and Gold Treasures.

His guests’ hearts swelled with emotion, and their eyes lit up. They were so excited that they actually lost their composure.

They’d been trapped in the Imperial Apex Realm for too many years to count. At first, they’d bitterly sought out a higher path. In the end, however, they had given up, resigning themselves to disappointment and melancholy. By now, their will to strive for something greater had all but frittered away.

But now, Su Yi had unquestionably illuminated an all-new path! Who wouldn’t have lost their composure?

The Heavensdeath Demon Empress took all of this in, and her heart filled with admiration

In Su Yi’s shoes, there was absolutely no way she would have revealed such secrets without the slightest reservation.

Yet Su Xuanjun had gone ahead and done just that. It was like a casual conversation between old friends; he never had any intention of hiding anything.

This was magnanimity and breadth of spirit!

“Fellow Daoist, please, accept this bow!” Ancestor Peng rose and solemnly bowed to Su Yi. “Should the day come that I step onto the Path of Heaven’s Ascension and become a World King, no matter what you ask of me, I’ll do it even if it costs me my life!”

He spoke every word with firm conviction.

When the others saw this, they too rose and bowed. The banquet’s atmosphere was instantly solemn.

Su Yi waved, indicating that they should return to their seats. “We all walk the same path, and we naturally ought to help each other out. Besides, all I’ve done is point you in the right direction. Whether or not you can break through is ultimately up to you.”

“Old Monster Su, tell us. Are the Dark and Gold Treasures really so mysterious?” the Border Mountain Yao Ancestor couldn’t help but ask.

Su Yi said casually, “Everyone, I’m sure you gathered quite a few Dark and Gold Treasures over the years. You just didn’t recognize them for what they were. If you trust me, I can help you with this.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The time that followed was delightful to both hosts and guests.

After the banquet, the antiques set times for their next visits and hurried away.

......

Within the mountaintop pavilion.

Light flickered through the sea of clouds, and the mountain wind blew past.

Su Yi reclined in his wicker chair, taking in the picturesque scenery. He couldn’t help but feel a bit dazed and distracted.

Long ago, he loved reclining here and emptying his mind completely, thinking and doing nothing at all.

Every time, it made his heart clear and tranquil.

Qing Tang stood upright to his side, her dress still stained with blood and her beautiful face still pallid.

The injuries she’d sustained earlier were grave, but it seemed she didn’t care in the slightest.

After a moment’s hesitation, she whispered, “Master, I hid so much from you... I know that even though we’ve resolved our misunderstandings, you cannot see me as you once did, and if I stay in the Grotto of Abstruse Force, I cannot interact with my sectmates as I did back then...”

Su Yi was stunned. “Do you plan to leave?”

“Mm,” Qing Tang murmured softly. “I plan to return to the stars, but before I go, I want to have a real conversation with you.”

Su Yi subtly inclined his head. “Very well.”

He took out a jug of wine and passed it to her. “Don’t drink too much. Mind your injuries.”

Qing Tang’s eyes lit up. “Mm!”

Everything was tranquil, and the landscape was as beautiful as a painting.

Within the pavilion, master and apprentice conversed, one seated, and standing. As they drank and chatted, the atmosphere was calm and harmonious.

......

A long time ago, there were only two members of the Temple of the Human Realm: the Temple Master and an elderly servant.

The servant was responsible for watching the gates and taking care of the temple.

Qing Tang had never seen that elderly servant, nor had she seen the Temple of the Human Realm.

She just knew that the so-called “Temple of the Human Realm” wasn’t a blessed ground or sacred mountain, but rather, the entire human realm.

The Temple of the Human Realm watched over the entire human realm!

In his lifetime, the Temple Master only accepted one disciple, and that was Qing Tang.

However, she joined the Temple of the Human Realm late.

At the time, the Temple Master had already gone into a seclusion of sorts. He wandered the various worlds of the starry sky, visiting places humans rarely ventured into in search of a higher path.

He accepted Qing Tang as his disciple while out wandering.

In the three thousand years that followed, Qing Tang accompanied him as he explored perilous, mysterious lands.

Qing Tang began as an ignorant little child, but her mastery of the Grand Dao grew rapidly.

After the Temple Master underwent reincarnation, she started exploring the world on her own.

......

It would have been fair to describe Qing Tang’s early childhood as “unfortunate.”

She was born into a peak ancient clan, home to experts as numerous as the clouds in the sky. The strongest of their older-generation experts were all World Kings!

As a small child, Qing Tang lived a life of luxury, but when she was seven years old, her clan met with disaster. All of them were annihilated overnight.

She was the only survivor. Everyone else—her parents and all her relatives—died during this disaster.

She survived only because of the sword-shaped pendant she’d worn ever since she was little. It was thanks to the pendant that she received the Temple Master’s aid.

After saving her, the Temple Master said that’d fulfill a single request. She could even ask him to avenge her clan for her.

But the seven-year-old Qing Tang refused.

Instead, she asked to take him as her master. Then, one day, she’d take revenge with her own two hands.

The Temple Master didn’t refuse.

Alas, just three thousand years later, the Temple Master left this world, leaving Qing Tang to wander the stars all alone.

When she went to get her revenge, she discovered that the enemy faction that destroyed her family had long since met with calamity. Not one of them had survived!

This discovery practically drove Qing Tang mad.

By the time she was strong enough to get revenge, her enemies were already dead. How tragic was that... and how unfortunate?

......

“I remember it clearly. Master said that there were secrets behind the annihilation of my clan, and that it wasn’t as simple as it looked on the surface.

“I thought that if I found his reincarnation, I could ask him about what happened then and find out just what secrets were hidden behind the deaths of my entire clan.

“But now, I finally understand. Master... really is no longer around...” Qing Tang said in low spirits. She raised her cup to her lips and took a sip, looking dazed and melancholy.

After hearing the full story, Su Yi couldn’t help but sigh. “The Temple Master wasn’t willing to tell you the full story. That proves how extraordinarily dangerous these secrets are. These problems are surely far too great for you to resolve on your own.”

Qing Tang subtly inclined her head. “I understand. When I return to the stars, I’ll take on a new identity and investigate in secret. No matter how long it takes, I’ll be sure to get to the bottom of this!”

As she said that last part, her beautiful, pallid face filled with staunch determination.

Su Yi turned to look at her. “Although I’m not the Temple Master, I am still his reincarnation, and sooner or later, I’ll gain access to the Dao imprint and memories he left behind. That means I’ll take on all of the karmic ties he accrued in his lifetime. I can help you achieve your aims.”

Qing Tang’s heart shook, and she stared at Su Yi in a daze for a while before lowering her head. “Master, I have a guilty conscience already, and I dare not trouble you any further...”

Her beautiful face was utterly bleak.

“We’ve already resolved our misunderstandings. What’s there to feel guilty about?” Su Yi shook his head. “Even though our master and apprentice bond cannot return to the past, no matter what, I was your master when I was the Temple Master, and I was your master as Su Xuanjun. Going forward... So long as you don’t object, I’ll naturally still view you as my disciple.”

Qing Tang’s starry eyes widened, and her chest heaved with obvious emotion.

A while later, she said softly, “Master, now that I’ve heard that, my heart is already satisfied. Your disciple will be waiting for you in the stars beyond the Wilds!”

A smile as radiant as the sunrise appeared on your youthful face, a dazzling sight to behold.

Ultimately, she still decided to leave.

When Su Yi saw this, he rose from his wicker chair and gazed intently at her heartfelt smile, his heart surging with indescribable pity and tenderness. “Everyone in the Wilds knows that I doted upon my ninth disciple above all others. Even if there have been misunderstandings between us, you must bear this in mind: if you encounter obstacles too great for you to overcome or problems you cannot resolve, you can come find me.”

Su Yi thought for a moment, then added, “That’s an order, and a master’s commands are not to be disobeyed.”

The rims of Qing Tang’s eyes silently reddened and misted with tears.

Some time passed before her knees thudded to the ground and she bowed in Su Yi’s direction. “Your disciple will assiduously carry out your orders, Master.”

It was faint, but her voice was choked with sobs.

Yet her demeanor was more solemn than ever before, like a pious devotee.

......

A day later.

Without disturbing a single soul, Qing Tang silently left the Grotto of Abstruse Force and proceeded to the stars beyond the Wilds.

But as she left, she discovered that her master and apprentice siblings were already outside the sect’s gates waiting for her.

She couldn’t help but freeze, stunned, as scenes of her eighteen thousand years cultivating in the Grotto of Abstruse Force flooded into her mind.

“Little Apprentice Sister, take care of yourself!” Jin Kui said gently.

Wang Que, Ye Luo, Xuan Ning, and Bai Yi smiled and waved her farewell.

Qing Tang smiled too, faced them, and bowed from afar. “Master, Senior Apprentice Brothers, Senior Apprentice Sister, you all take care of yourselves too!”

“Go on,” Su Yi said gently.

Qing Tang nodded, then took a deep look at the distant Grotto of Abstruse Force before finally turning around and leaving.

On that day, Empress Qing Tang, the sovereign of the Wilds for the past five hundred years, left the Grotto of Abstruse Force and returned to the stars.

It was on that same day that a spearwoman trekked through the stars, entered the Dark and Gold Star Realm, and arrived just outside the Wilds.

“The Temple Master of the Temple of the Human Realm... I hope you won’t disappoint me,” she muttered to herself.

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