First Immortal of the Sword

Immortal Lord Xing Yu mulled things over, then listed a few names.

“Chief Elder Silent Truths of Lotus Temple’s Discipline Hall, High Elder Mo Canqiu of the Divine Talisman Immortal Sect…”

The list included about a dozen people.

After hearing the full list, Qing Wei’s charming face was full of unconcealed shock.

But these names were unfamiliar to Su Yi. He at most recognized some of the sects; he had no impression of any of the specific individuals whatsoever.

There was no doubt about it. These so-called “old-timers” weren’t of the same generation as Wang Ye.

Qing Wei couldn’t help but ask, “What kind of secrets do the Nine Steles of the Primeval Era hide, to have drawn so many of the Immortal Realm’s experts?

Before Xing Yu could respond, Su Yi laughed, “It’d take more than just two or three sentences to explain. When we find some spare time, let’s go visit them together. You’ll understand then.”

Qing Wei’s beautiful eyes lit up, and she nodded without so much as pausing to think.

“No,” said Su Yi. “You’re too weak.”

“....”

Before long, the group reached the peak of the Dragon’s Retreat under Xing Yu’s leadership.

From here, they could see far into the distance. The view encompassed half of the Black Dragon Market. When they looked up, they saw the blood-red Suspended Dragon Orb that served as this place’s sole source of light.

An ancient palace stood on the peak, the only building in sight. It was forged entirely out of what looked like immortal gold, and it was bathed in dreamlike immortal light.

A girl who looked about fifteen or sixteen was already waiting for them outside.

“Our guests have arrived, Monarch!” Xing Yu hurriedly greeted her.

“Leave us for now.”

“Understood!” Xing Yu bowed once more, then turned to leave.

Meanwhile, Su Yi ordered Qing Wei, “Take that little fellow for a stroll.”

Qing Wei instantly understood that he wanted to talk with the Red Dragon Dao Monarch in private, so she promptly led Fang Han away.

“If you please, Your Excellency.” The Red Dragon Dao Monarch guided Su Yi into the ancient palace. It was entirely empty, with little furniture or decoration beyond a few chairs, jade bangles, and lamps hanging from the walls.

“Please, have a seat.” The Red Dragon Dao Monarch tried to invite Su Yi to sit on the central throne, but Su Yi refused.

“No need for that. Let’s keep this casual,” said Su Yi. He walked over, picked a chair at random, and sat down.

The Red Dragon Dao Monarch froze, stunned, then took out a jug of wine and placed it on the jade table beside Su Yi.

“Your Excellency, this is a jug of the immortal brew my foster father left me, Roaring Into the Western Wind. I’m just not sure if it’ll be to your tastes.”

The Red Dragon Dao Monarch spoke softly, and she filled his cup personally. It was obvious how reserved and nervous she was.

She looked like a teenager, and her clothes were plain, while her long hair hung loose. She showed no sign of the majesty of the owner of the Black Dragon Market.

She was reserved and quiet, and when it came to showing her hospitality, she was a bit wooden and clumsy.

Su Yi’s gaze was inscrutable. He raised the jug to his nostrils and sniffed. Its intense fragrance was as sharp as a knife assailing his senses. Even his blood seemed to boil.

“I remember the past. As the wine enters my stomach, I pluck the stars and capture the moon. Who beneath the heavens is my opponent? With a heart full of loneliness, I shake my sleeves. Even my sword roars into the west wind!”

Su Yi sighed, raised the jug of wine, and drank with relish.

Wang Ye’s memories played out right before his eyes.

A long time ago, Wang Ye visited the Black Dragon Market and drank in this very palace with a group of his fellows.

Their host was the Black Dragon Dao Monarch. He brought out fine wine he’d brewed himself, and the guests drank with relish and endless delight.

Back then, Wang Ye had sighed and spoken those very words.

The Black Dragon Dao Monarch laughed and said, “This wine doesn’t yet have a name. How about we call it ‘Roaring Into the West Wind?’”

Wang Ye burst into laughter. “Excellent!”

But the guests who’d been here then were no longer around, and the hall seemed vast and empty.

Su Yi, the reincarnation of Wang Ye, sat here, drinking the same wine Wang Ye had drunk by then, but it felt like they were worlds apart.

The long Age of Fallen Immortals had transformed the Immortal Realm. His past glories had long since gone up in smoke.

Time changed everything it touched. The world remained, but the people had changed.

A young woman stood not far away, her dark golden eyes watching in a daze as Su Yi drank potent liquor. Her heart churned.

Her foster father frequently brought up the accomplishment he took the most pride in: hosting the Eternal Night Immortal Sovereign at a banquet.

There was nothing he was more nostalgic for than the time he selected a name for his newly brewed wine from the Eternal Night Immortal Sovereign’s lamentations!

After draining the jug of wine, Su Yi said, “You should sit down too.”

The young woman hesitated, then sat across from Su Yi. Even though she owned this place, she was so reserved that she seemed like a guest.

It was as if she and Su Yi had switched roles.

Su Yi found this quite interesting, and he laughed. “I can roughly guess what you’re after, but before we get to that, I have a question for you.”

The girl subtly inclined his head. “So long as I have answers, I’ll hold nothing back.”

Su Yi’s gaze was distant and profound as he whispered, “How did your foster father die?”

He pointed at her ankles. “The Dragon-Marked Blood Chains were your foster father’s supreme natal treasure. They were connected to his life force. That he left them to you means he’s no longer in this world. Am I right?”

The girl’s eyes dimmed, but she nodded. “Jiang Tai’e killed my foster father!”

Her voice was rife with hatred.

Jiang Tai’e!

A figure rose unbidden to Su Yi’s mind. He was dressed in wind and flame-patterned Daoist robes, and his tall hat had nine stars. He looked withered, and he carried a four-foot-long golden jade ruler on his back.

His aura seemed to connect heaven and earth, shaking the heavens until the stars were on the verge of plummeting from the heavens!

Jiang Tai’e!

He was the founder of the Church of Supreme Oneness, and prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals, he’d already reached the pinnacle of the Immortal Dao. He was one of the Immortal Realm’s Six Ancestors of Daoism!

He was also one of Wang Ye’s greatest enemies. During the Battle of the Eternal Night, Jiang Tai’e had ambushed him alongside the Blood Firmament Immortal Sovereign and the others.

“Is Jiang Tai’e still alive?” asked Su Yi.

The young woman said staunchly, “He’s alive! The Divine Fortune Teller said that he hid himself away prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals, and although he took a massive blow to his vitality, he held onto his life. After the Age of Fallen Immortals ended, he and the other top experts of the Immortal Dao went into hiding to avoid that divine misfortune related to the five signs of decay.”

The Divine Fortune Teller was that disheveled old man. Su Yi called him ‘the old scoundrel,’ while the Immortal Realm’s old-timers referred to him as the Bearer of Bad News.

Su Yi said thoughtfully, “So your foster father died prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals?”

The young woman nodded. “He left the Black Dragon Market to prepare to prove his Dao and enter the Great Realm. He went to the Dark Northern Sea in search of good fortune, only for Jiang Tai’e to intercept him.”

Here, the girl’s dark golden eyes shone with hatred. She said gravely, ‘Back then, Jiang Tai’e said that his daughter needed a pair of boots, and that there was no better material than my foster father’s hide!

“Foster Father knew he was no match for Jiang Tai’e. He offered a portion of his hide to placate him.”

“Who’d have thought that Jiang Tai’e would go on to say that his daughter also needed a sword, and that he needed Foster Father’s spine to forge it?”

Su Yi’s brow furrowed.

That was indeed something Jiang Tai’e might do. The founder of the Church of Supreme Oneness was cold and cruel; he killed people like it was nothing.

The rims of the girl’s eyes reddened with obvious anger. “It was then that Foster Father realized that Jiang Tai’e was just making excuses, and that no matter how many concessions he made, Jiang Tai’e wouldn’t let him go. Thus, he attempted to flee to preserve his life.

“In the end, he couldn’t escape disaster. Even after giving it everything he had, only a wisp of his soul made it back.

“Later, I learned that Jiang Tai’e shattered my foster father’s body. He plucked his horns, skin, tendons, bones, scales, and claws, then refined them all into treasures.

“They say… that Foster Father’s flesh, eyes, and organs were all refined into pills…”

Here, the girl’s delicate frame shook. She’d obviously lost control of her emotions.

Su Yi rubbed his forehead. “Did your Foster Father say why Jiang Tai’e targeted him?”

Jiang Tai’e was ruthless, but he wouldn’t attack unless he was after something. There was no way he’d target the Black Dragon Dao Monarch for no reason.

The girl bitterly shook her head, her gaze bleak. “Foster Father was worried I’d seek revenge, so he never told me why Jiang Tai’e attacked him. He just told me to forget about it, and never, ever to seek revenge…”

Su Yi let out a long sigh. He understood how the Red Dragon Dao Monarch must feel.

But it was true that if the young woman before him attempted revenge against Jiang Tai’e, she’d be no different from a moth to the flame.

Su Yi thought for a while, then said, “So in the last moments before his death, your foster father used the Dragon-Marked Blood Chains to confine you here, trapping you in the Black Dragon Market for the rest of your life. Am I right?”

“Mm,” grunted the girl. “Before he passed, he said he didn’t want me to follow in his footsteps, which was why he went so far as to use the Dragon-Marked Blood Chains to seal my bloodline power. It’s just as you said; he did this because he didn’t want me to leave the Black Dragon Market. He was worried I’d get revenge, yes, but he also wanted to stop me from entering the Dragon Transformation Pool.”

Su Yi was stunned. “Does that mean that even after all this time, you’ve yet to become a true dragon?”

The girl nodded. “He said that the moment I became a true dragon, I’d bring disaster upon myself. The Divine Fortune Teller said much the same thing, that given my disposition and destiny, I had to wait for the right opportunity, or else…”

Here, she said with a melancholy look on her face, “Otherwise, I’d meet with a brutal end, just like my foster father….”

Su Yi instantly understood. “They really were looking out for you.”

Dragons were Xiantian life forms, the strongest living things in the world. Everything, from their talent to their bloodlines and spirit roots, was far beyond the overwhelming majority of living things!

In life, the Black Dragon Dao Monarch had yet to step into the three stages of the Great Realm, yet a battered remnant of his soul managed to escape from Jiang Tai’e’s clutches. Jiang Tai’e stood at the very pinnacle of the Immortal Dao, so that was already an impressive feat.

There was no need to even question it. Had the Black Dragon Dao Monarch successfully stepped into the Great Realm, his strength would have been enough to threaten top experts like Jiang Tai’e and the Blood Firmament Immortal Sovereign!

This was what made true dragons so terrifying.

But it was for this reason that those unrivaled powerhouses at the pinnacle of the Immortal Dao saw dragons as precious treasures. Whenever a dragon appeared, they were sure to scramble to acquire it.

Either they’d subdue it and force it to protect their territory, or they’d hunt it and refine it into treasure.

Of course, hunting dragons was something only the top powerhouses of the Immortal Dao could attempt!

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