First Immortal of the Sword

Cloud Stream Village.

Su Yi looked at the Purple Cloud Sect higher-up. He was dressed in purple, with a jade belt. His face was kindly, and his hair and beard were silver.

Xie Changshen, the third elder of the Purple Cloud Sect.

When Su Yi arrived, Xie Changshen was conversing with Meng Qi and a group of villagers. He was friendly and personable, as mellow as a spring breeze.

Meng Qi and the others were so surprised and so flattered that it didn’t quite seem real.

There was nothing for it. Compared to the hooligan of a young man they’d dealt with three days prior, this Purple Cloud Sect higher-up was far too approachable.

When Xie Changshen saw Su Yi approach from a far, he was initially stunned, but then, he went up to greet him, smiling and clasping his fist in greeting. “This old man is Xie Changshen of the Purple Cloud Sect. Greetings, Fellow Daoist. I came uninvited, but I hope you won’t take offense.”

“You aren’t here for revenge?” Su Yi was a bit surprised. And here he’d thought the Purple Cloud Sect had rallied their forces in preparation for battle.

Now, it seemed he’d misunderstood.

Xie Changshan hurriedly smiled and explained, “Fellow Daoist, please don’t misunderstand. When we learned that an extraordinary cultivator had come to Cloud Stream Village, all of us were surprised, and none of us would dare be negligent. It was our leader who commanded me to come here to apologize to you in person.”

He seemed sincere, and he spoke with the utmost humility.

Even Meng Qi couldn’t help but speak up. “Senior Su, Elder Xie just told us that Cloud Stream Village will be exempt from paying tribute for the next hundred years, and he even gave the village a Purple Cloud Token.”

As he spoke, he took out a medallion and showed it to Su Yi. “If our village ever runs into trouble, we can use this token to receive the Purple Cloud Sect’s aid.”

Delight was written all over the villagers’ faces.

This was how you handled things! These were called people skills!

Xie Changshen was far, far beyond that ornately dressed hoodlum.

Of course, to Su Yi, all of this “generosity” was hollow.

If Xie Changshen turned on them, his promises and Purple Cloud Token would all be completely useless.

“Let’s chat over there.” Su Yi pointed into the distance and walked off.

Xie Changshen was briefly stunned, but a moment later, he smiled and followed Su Yi.

Meng Qi and the other villagers considerately refrained from disrupting them.

“Are you really here to apologize?” Su Yi stared directly at Xie Changshen, his gaze inscrutable.

The man was a Heavenly Longevity World King, nothing more. He would have been far from a top expert even in the Human Realm.

Xie Changshen felt invisible pressure bearing down on him, and he couldn’t help but feel solemn.

He said solemnly, “Fellow Daoist, I won’t hide it from you. Cloud Stream Village is within the Purple Cloud Sect’s territory, and after hearing of the little misunderstanding between you and our disciple, all of us felt that we couldn’t remain unmoved. We felt we had to show our sincerity and apologize to your face to avoid any further misunderstandings.”

Here, he laughed bitterly and sighed. “There’s no way around it. In the villagers’ eyes, the Purple Cloud Sect is as lofty as a sovereign, but we know full well that by the standards of the Jing Province, we’re a paltry, insignificant little second-rate sect.

“Any true expert could bring an unpredictable catastrophe upon us. Thus, we dare not take even the slightest threat lightly.

“That’s how a tiny sect like ours survives.” Xie Changshen sighed, helplessness and frustration all over his face, as if he were pouring out his troubles to Su Yi.

Su Yi nodded. In the Immortal Realm, it really was difficult for lesser sects to survive. They typically chose to subordinate themselves to larger factions.

It was similar to how Cloud Stream Village offered tribute to the Purple Cloud Sect in exchange for their protection.

The Purple Cloud Sect almost certainly in turn offered tribute to another, greater faction in exchange for their protection.

Big fish ate smaller fish, who ate even smaller fish. Only the greatest of immortal factions could stand at the top of the food chain.

But Su Yi wouldn’t let Xie Changshen’s pitiful demeanor fool him. He said directly, “You aren’t just here to apologize. You have another goal too.”

Xie Changshen froze. He opened his mouth to speak, but then, he caught sight of Su Yi’s eyes. They were as deep and unfathomable as an abyss. His heart inexplicably palpitated, and a chill coursed down his spine.

Su Yi continued, “I’ll give you one chance to explain. Whether you treasure it or not is up to you.”

Xie Changshen wiped the cold sweat from his brow, his expression shifting and uncertain. He sank into silence.

Su Yi stood there quietly. He was in no rush.

A while later, Xie Changshen clenched his teeth, looking ashamed. He said in a low voice, “Fellow Daoist, you’re perceptive indeed. This old man indeed came here to do more than just apologize.”

Su Yi said nothing in response. He just waited to hear the rest.

But his silence only increased the pressure on Xie Changshen!

Xie Changshen no longer dared to hesitate. He gnashed his teeth and said, “About twenty days ago, we received instructions from the Falling Cloud Immortal Sect. They said that if we discovered any suspicious characters of unknown origin, we were to investigate immediately, uncover their identities, and report to the Falling Cloud Immortal Sect!”

Su Yi’s gaze focused.

The Falling Cloud Immortal Sect!

Back in White Deer Mountain’s Ascension Ground, Liu Yunjing of the Falling Cloud Immortal Sect led a group of Universe Realm Immortals to seal the place off completely.

How could Su Yi possibly have forgotten?

Of course, the Falling Cloud Immortal Sect was acting on the orders of the Church of the Pure One.

Su Yi instantly grasped the details.

He'd smoothly broken out of the Ascension Grounds, but the Church of the Pure One wasn’t willing to just give up. Instead, they ordered their subordinate factions to search the Jing Province for him!

The Falling Cloud Sect worked for the Church of the Pure one, while the Purple Cloud Sect worked for the Falling Cloud Sect…

But everyone in the Ascension Grounds—Liu Yunjing, his subordinates, Luo Yunzhong and the other Emissaries of Welcoming, and everyone who’d ascended alongside Su Yi—had had their memories wiped away.

Thus, Su Yi’s pursuers didn’t even know his name or origins. Even if they somehow figured out what he looked like, physical appearances were the easiest to disguise of all.

Thus, their only means of seeking him out was investigating everyone even remotely suspicious.

Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh. Given his breadth of experience, how could he fail to realize that the Church of the Pure One had given these orders in a fit of shame and rage? They had no hope of finding him like this at all!

When Xie Changshen saw the thought-provoking smile on Su Yi’s face, his heart quivered, and the back of his clothes was quickly drenched in cold sweat.

Before Su Yi could say anything, he said hurriedly, “Fellow Daoist, you might not know this yet, but throughout the Jing Province, numerous other factions serve the Falling Cloud Immortal Sect as we do. Together, we’ve already investigated countless suspicious characters, but we haven’t found the person the Falling Cloud Immortal Sect is searching for.

“After all, ‘suspicious characters’ is far too vague a description. Besides, it isn’t just the world’s most wicked villains who have secrets; what cultivator doesn’t have a secret or two? If we’re to investigate all suspicious characters, we might as well investigate everyone!”

Reading between the lines, he was saying, “Whatever you do, don’t misunderstand. I’m just acting on orders. I in no way suspect that you’re the person the Falling Cloud Sect is looking for!”

But Su Yi shook his head. “It’s a pity, but you’ve already seen my true face.”

Xie Changshen’s soul practically shot out of his mouth in fright. He cried out, “Fellow Daoist, surely you aren’t…”

Su Yi smiled faintly. “That’s right. Report my name and face to the Falling Cloud Immortal Sect, and you’ll have earned extraordinary merit!”

Xie Changshen fell silent. He stared intently at Su Yi, looking dazed, flabbergasted, and on the verge of breaking down.

A moment later, he threw himself to his knees, kowtowed, and begged. “Senior, I’m no more than a small fry. I would never in a million years dare to get mixed up in matters of such importance. Please, show mercy and spare my humble life. I’ll agree to any request you have, I swear it!”

With that, he kowtowed once more.

When Meng Qi and the other villagers watching from afar saw this, they were tongue-tied. That’s a higher-up of the Purple Cloud Sect! Why on earth is he kneeling!?

“When gods and immortals fight, it’s the mortals who suffer. Isn’t that true for little sects like yours, too?” Su Yi waved. “Get up.”

But Xie Changshen remained kneeling. He vowed, “I swear on my Dao Heart not to divulge a word of what happened here today. If I break my vow, may my Dao Heart crumble, and may heaven and earth destroy me!”

Only then did he rise to his feet, quivering all the while. He stood there fearfully, like a convict awaiting sentencing.

Su Yi couldn’t help but sigh. “You’re indeed a tactful sort. I’d be ashamed to cause any further trouble for you.”

Xie Changshen wiped the sweat from his brow and said bitterly, “It’s not that I’m tactful, but that I know what it means for Falling Cloud Immortal Sect to be searching for you: you’re someone my Purple Cloud Sect can in no way afford to offend. If we get mixed up in this in vain hope of ‘extraordinary merit’, we’ll only bring about our own demise!”

Su Yi subtly inclined his head. “You can leave.”

It seemed Xie Changshen couldn’t believe it. “Senior, you… really aren’t going to silence me?”

Su Yi said plainly, “There’s no need for that. Go on.”

Xie Changshen nodded repeatedly, then turned to leave.

Beneath the light of the heavens, everyone could see that the third elder of the Purple Cloud Sect was completely drenched in cold sweat!

It was obvious how terrified he’d been just now.

But Su Yi really didn’t take this trivial interlude to heart. He dared say with certainty that the Purple Cloud Sect really wouldn’t dare to report him.

That is, unless they were willing to face the threat of annihilation.

Even if the Purple Cloud Sect really did report him, Su Yi wasn’t afraid. If he wanted to hide himself, not even gods and immortals could find him!

The Purple Cloud Sect would only bring about their doom if they tried it.

Anyone at all experienced with the world of cultivation would have figured out the advantages and disadvantages.

But this told Su Yi that if he wanted to avoid trouble, he’d need to come up with a new identity for himself. That would quell this storm outright.

After Xie Changshen left, Su Yi lay low in his cave, quietly tending to his wounds and combing through his experiences in preparation for the next steps of his cultivation.

At the same time, he taught A’Li a new cultivation technique and earnestly guided her cultivation.

Before long, half a month had passed without any further waves.

But the next day, as dawn broke, a dazzling arc of light whooshed in over the horizon. It was headed straight toward Cloud Stream Village.

The sight startled many of the villagers.

And Su Yi, who was currently guiding A’Li’s cultivation, frowned and looked outside the cave.

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