First Immortal of the Sword

Outside the Nine Gates of Heaven, the demons of the Beyond were eager to invade.

Even the lofty and superior gods might well soon open a tunnel and enter the Immortal Realm.

Learning all these secret tidings left Su Yi rueful. It was as if the Immortal Realm had become a fatty piece of meat. The demons Beyond wanted to take a bite out of them, and the gods were slavering at the mouth too.

Even within the Immortal Realm, factions were vying for supremacy, shaking the balance of power!

Suddenly, Su Yi asked, “You say the will of the gods has permeated the Immortal Realm. Are you perhaps talking about their divine emissaries?”

Due to the restriction of the Laws, gods couldn’t enter this world, but they could send their emissaries to do their bidding.

It was much like how the Tailor had served the Goddess of Silent Darkness, or how Cloud Apparatus Immortal Manor served the Angler. The Tailor was a divine emissary, while Cloud Apparatus Immortal Manor was an ancient faction subordinate to the Angler!

Qing Wei nodded. “Exactly. Several of the newly risen factions are suspected to have gods standing behind them.”

She hesitated, then said, “Sovereign, to tell the truth, I’m due to attend an assembly soon, and it’s connected to a god.”

Qing Wei pondered briefly, then said, “This assembly was convened by the Church of All Spirits. One of their libationers will personally make an appearance and announce the decree of their god.”

She went on to explain that the Church of All Spirits was a mysterious faction that rose to prominence after the curtains fell on the Age of Fallen Immortals. Its leader was an unfathomably powerful Immortal King of the Yao Path!

In the Church of All Spirits, those qualified to become libationers were all Immortal Lords!

When they announced this assembly, the Church of All Spirits invited numerous prominent experts of the Yao Path from all over the Jing Province. Their ranks included both Void Realm True Immortals and Immortal Lords and Ladies like Qing Wei.

“The Church of All Spirits doesn’t go around proselytizing, and few know their name, but they're a mysterious faction with deep foundations, and they’re extraordinarily powerful,” said Qing Wei. “They say that their ranks include more than ten experts of the Immortal Lord level, and that their forces have spread throughout half the Immortal Realm!

“In the countless years since the curtains fell on the Age of Fallen Immortals, the Church of All Spirits has recruited countless experts of the Yao Path. No one can say for sure just how powerful they’ve become.

“All I can say with certainty is that once, about eight thousand years ago, an Immortal Lord was killed after refusing to join them!”

When Su Yi heard that, he examined Qing Wei’s exquisitely beautiful face and said thoughtfully, “Did you perhaps agree to attend their assembly under duress?”

Qing Wei shook her head. “This junior has the House of Little Joys behind her. The Church of All Spirits wouldn’t dare try anything, but… They really did have ulterior motives for inviting me.”

“What do you mean?” asked Su Yi.

Qing Wei had a strange look on her face. “A holy son of the Church of All Spirits, Zhong Qi, has always wanted to, erm… become my Dao Partner.”

A moment later, she rubbed her forehead in apparent exasperation. “Although Zhong Qi is just a Void Realm True Immortal, he occupies a transcendent position in the Church of All Spirits. Even some of the Saint Realm libationers have to treat him with respect.”

Su Yi was briefly stunned. He couldn’t help but find this amusing. A Void Realm True Immortal was using his status as holy son to try and become an Immortal Lady’s Dao Partner. If nothing else, his gall and appetite were extraordinary!

Immortal Lords were first-rate experts even by the standards of the forty-nine provinces of the Immortal Realm as a whole. They could intimidate entire regions. Lesser immortals could only gaze upon them from afar.

Su Yi mulled that over, then said, “Is he perhaps planning to use his position to force you to agree.”

Qing Wei said softly, “That’s a possibility. If all goes as I expect, Zhong Qi will bring this matter up during the Church of All Spirits’ assembly.”

She sighed. “I’ve rejected him repeatedly, but he refuses to give up his wicked desires. I don’t want a falling out with the Church of All Spirits. Otherwise, I would have killed that brazen little bastard a long time ago!”

As she spoke, the depths of her beautiful gaze glinted with cold light. There was no doubt that she detested and reviled this Holy Son Zhong Qi.

Su Yi asked in confusion, “Given the House of Little Joys’ foundations and strength, surely there’s no need to worry about offending the Church of All Spirits?”

Qing Wei shook her head and said with melancholy, “Sovereign, you don’t know this yet, but the House of Little Joys is far from what it once was. This is because Her Excellency Yao Sovereign Ruyi vanished a long time ago, and there’s been no word from her since.

“Our current leader, Immortal Queen Liu Yun, went into seclusion three thousand years ago. Although our forces are still spread across the Immortal Realm, we’re like scattered grains of sand, each operating independently.

“This junior doesn’t wish to invite trouble while Immortal Queen Liu Yun is in seclusion. I’d like to avoid creating powerful enemies for us. Thus, I’ve tolerated Zhong Qi’s advances and maintained a pretense of cordiality.”

Only then did Su Yi understand. In other words, the current House of Little Joys was like a pack of dragons without a leader!

Qing Wei might oversee their twelve branches in the Jing Province, but it was understandable that she’d have reservations when faced with the Church of All Spirits.

But even though Su Yi understood, he disapproved of how she was handling this. The moment you started enduring and making concessions, your enemies would see through your limits and start walking all over you!

Better to punch once to avoid a hundred future punches! The more domineering you were, the more fearful the other party would be, and the less likely they were to act out!

Su Yi thought for a moment, then asked, “Then do you know anything about this divine decree the Church of All Spirits plans to announce at the assembly?”

“No,” said Qing Wei. “But I did hear Zhong Qi say that the decree was about searching for someone.”

Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. “When and where are they holding the assembly?”

Qing Wei said, “Ten days from now, at the Black Dragon Market.”

The Black Dragon Market!

Su Yi couldn’t help but find this surprising. “That black market still exists?”

The Black Dragon Market was famous throughout the Immortal Realm. It was run by a true, pure-blooded Black Dragon!

They called him the Black Dragon Dao Monarch.

In the Black Dragon Market, you could buy immortal treasures rare in the outside world, as well as secret intelligence. That aside, numerous ferocious killers saw the Black Dragon Market as a safe place to sell off ill-gotten goods. Prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals, it had stood as one of the three great black markets alongside the Precious Gem Workshop and Big Dipper Immortal City.

Ordinarily speaking, the world’s yao cultivators preferred the Black Dragon Market. But of course, not just anyone was qualified to go there.

Qing Wei said, “Sovereign, the Black Dragon Market still exists, but they say it’s no longer run by the famously greedy Black Dragon Dao Monarch.”

Su Yi thought for a moment. “When the time comes, I’ll go with you.”

He’d assembled quite a collection of treasures he had no use for. He might as well seize this opportunity to sell them all off.

That aside, the Black Dragon Market was home to numerous oddities and curiosities not found in the outside world. Su Yi could also use this opportunity to gather immortal medicines and divine materials.

Most importantly, the Black Dragon Market was home to the Caves of Trials, the Forest of Steles, and the Dragon Transformation Pool. Places like these were all but unheard of in the outside world.

That was what interested Su Yi most.

Qing Wei lit up with surprise and delight. “It would be an enormous honor to have you accompany me, Sovereign!”

She gently patted her chest, as if a massive weight had lifted from her shoulders, and visibly relaxed.

But this thoughtless gesture made Su Yi’s eyes flicker. He took a moment to steady his heart, then said, “Let’s get to the Black Dragon Market early.”

“Okay.” Qing Wei agreed without hesitation. Her charming eyes sparkled with delight.

Once they’d finished their discussion, Su Yi got up and said, “I’ll rest in the House of Little Joys until it’s time to leave. Arrange a residence for me.”

“Leave such trifles to me,” said Qing Wei.

Su Yi nodded, then left the hall.

“Sovereign, where are you going?” Qing Wei couldn’t help but ask. “Do you need me to accompany you?”

“No need,” said Su Yi without so much as turning his head.

A few days ago, he entrusted Lunar Sky Tower with selling a pill recipe. The auction was due to end tonight.

Although Su Yi no longer needed the medicinal herbs he’d requested, he’d already agreed to auction the recipe off, and he naturally wouldn’t go back on his word. Su Yi had always kept his promises on principle.

It was late at night when Su Yi arrived at Lunar Sky Tower.

When Su Y arrived, the auction was already over.

“Fellow Daoist, I won’t lie to you. Tonight’s auction could only be described as ‘bleak.’” The old man in gray who’d welcomed Su Yi last time grimaced and led him to a private hall.

In Lunar Sky Tower, the old man in gray was known as Grandmaster Chu. He was one of the greatest pill refiners in Sky Tripod City.

Su Yi took a seat and asked, “Does that mean you didn’t manage to auction the recipe off?”

“That’s right.” Grandmaster Chu sighed. “It’s because of the disaster that took place at the Sky Tripod Ritual Grounds. The province’s seven top immortal factions originally all agreed to attend the auction, but they and several other higher-ups didn’t show up. The stands were practically empty tonight.”

“....” Su Yi fell silent. So, it was because of the Seven Stars Immortal Assembly!

But Su Yi wasn’t particularly disappointed. He no longer lacked immortal medicine, so he promptly bade farewell and turned to leave.

But then, a group of Lunar Sky Tower higher-ups entered the hall. One of them, a middle-aged man in purple robes, clasped his fist and said, “Fellow Daoist, Lunar Sky Tower is willing to purchase that pill recipe!”

With that, he took out a bag of holding. “This contains eighteen stalks of immortal medicinal herbs and ten thousand immortal stones. Please accept them with a smile!”

Su Yi didn’t accept the bag. Instead, he smiled faintly. “That’s all?”

Grandmaster Chu was stunned too, and he immediately looked uncomfortable. He coughed dryly, “Brother Li, that price is a bit…”

The purple-robed middle-aged man waved and interrupted him. “Business isn’t just about finding the right price. Sincerity matters too! And these medicinal herbs and immortal stones are Lunar Sky Tower’s sincerity!”

He paused, then looked at Su Yi. “Fellow Daoist, I hope you can feel our sincerity and help realize Lunar Sky Tower’s desires.”

He placed extra emphasis on the word “sincerity.”

Anyone with half a brain would have realized that his so-called sincerity was, in fact, blatant coercion!

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