First Immortal of the Sword

Seven days later, the youthful Red Dragon Dao Monarch came calling.

She was still dressed in plain cloth, and she had a quiet, reserved bearing. She’d come to request Su Yi’s guidance.

Su Yi reclined comfortably in a wicker chair, eyes closed, basking in the sunlight. The young woman sat on a little bench beside him, solemnly explaining everything that confused her. Each time, Su Yi gave her answers.

The two made no attempt to disguise their conversation. Fang Han couldn’t help but be curious, and he eavesdropped from a distance. But the more he listened, the more bewildered he felt, to the point that his heart palpitated, and he fell into a daze. When Qing Wei saw this, she hurriedly pulled him away and blocked off his senses to reawaken his spirit.

By the time Fang Han regained his senses, he was drenched in sweat, and his expression was full of lingering terror.

“These mysteries of the Grand Dao touch upon the secrets of Immortal Kings,” warned Qing Wei. “Never mind you, even I couldn’t process their conversation. Falling into obsession would be getting off lightly; at worst, your heart could shatter, and your cultivation could flow away.”

Fang Han gasped, but a moment later, he couldn’t help but ask, “Senior, didn’t you say that he’s yet to step into the Immortal Dao? How can he possibly instruct an Immortal King’s cultivation?”

Although the youth had witnessed Su Yi’s unbelievable abilities, his heart was still on guard. He wasn’t even willing to call Su Yi senior!

Not even Qing Wei could cure him of this behavior, but since Su Yi didn’t seem to mind, Qing Wei let it go.

“You keep saying I wouldn’t get it.” Fang Han pursed his lips.

Qing Wei smiled. “You’re a descendant of the Bi’an Spirit Race. By now, I’m sure you’re aware that the Eight Methods for Refining the Body the young lord transmitted to you are the real thing.”

Fang Han nodded. “It really is the real thing, but I still don’t understand… why he has my clan’s lost ancestral legacy…”

Bewilderment was written all over his face. It was far too unbelievable!

“There’s a lot you don’t understand,” said Qing Wei. “Going forward, be a bit more respectful. It’s not like you think; he has no ill intentions towards you.”

Fang Han snorted coldly, stubbornly pursed his lips, and said nothing. There was no doubt about it; Qing Wei’s words had had no impact at all.

Off in the distance, Su Yi rose from his wicker chair and said, “That’s enough for now. When you return, just cultivate as I told you.”

“Got it!” The young woman rose and bowed. Her youthful face was full of awe and understanding.

Sometimes, a single conversation with a master was better than ten years of reading. Su Yi’s answers made her feel as if he’d parted the clouds, letting her see the sun once more. All of her doubts and confusion had been swept away, and everything seemed clear and bright.

Her attitude toward Su Yi silently shifted throughout this process. She was no longer just awed; she was reverent.

Su Yi then casually asked about what had happened a few days prior at the Palace of Trials.

“The truth has already become clear, but because of this, Madam Yunning and Li Songfu almost came to blows. Xing Yu stopped them, but I can already say with certainty that they’ll clash after they leave the Black Dragon Market,” the girl responded solemnly. “Although Li Songfu didn’t say anything about Pu Heng’s death, Xing Yu suspects he hates you for it. He… might well be a latent threat.”

She paused, then said softly, “If you’d like, I can go kill him right now and nip this latent threat in the bud.”

Her casual tone gave Qing Wei chills. Li Songfu was an Immortal Lord!

But to the Red Dragon Dao Monarch, he was no different from a clay chicken or porcelain dog. She could kill him as she pleased!

“No need for that.” Su Yi shook his head. “He hates me, but he hasn’t taken any action against me. Killing him for nothing would make me seem petty.”

The young woman nodded and quickly bade farewell.

Once she’d left, Su Yi beckoned Qing Wei over. “Come with me to the Forest of Steles.”

Qing Wei’s eyes lit up, and she was all too happy to agree.

……

A churning sea of clouds bathed in glittering golden light.

An ancient formation of the Immortal Dao blanketed a region at the heart of the sea of clouds.

When you opened a corner of the formation, you’d discover an altogether different world within the clouds. It contained a vast number of stone steles!

They all stood against the chaotic clouds, stretching as far as the eye could see.

This was the Forest of Steles!

Every stele was covered in ancient and mysterious naturally formed Dao Markings.

Like the vestiges of all manner of Grand Daos!

And deeper in the Forest of Steles, an air of chaos billowed, and the mist and light of the Grand Dao churned. It was like a grand and ancient vision.

Nine Dao Steles stood there, towering into the heavens. From a distance, they were like nine steep mountains, based in the ground and holding up the sky!

The Nine Steles of the Primeval Era.

Rumor had it that these nine steles had existed since the Immortal Realm’s Primeval Era, and that all of them were naturally formed miraculous chaos stones. They each gave rise to the most fundamental source markings of the Grand Dao!

Most unbelievable of all, the source Dao Markings floating on the stele’s surface were in constant motion, like flowing water, blazing flames, or dancing gales.

Throughout the long years following the creation of the Black Dragon Market, countless legendary powerhouses of the Immortal Dao had visited the Nine Steles of the Primeval Era in an attempt to discern their mysteries of the Grand Dao.

Some of them achieved enlightenment overnight, their powers of the Grand Dao soaring to new heights as they underwent complete and utter breakthroughs.

But the vast majority left having gained nothing at all.

This was because the source Dao Markings on the steles were far too mysterious and inscrutable. Even those of extraordinary talent struggled to see through them.

A spacious cloud platform stood before the steles, like a ritual ground. A group of old-timers had gathered there, and they were attempting to divine and comprehend the markings on the seventh stele.

One of the old-timers, a white-haired, white-bearded elder, sat alone in a corner, holding a bronze plate. His eyes were tightly shut, and he sat there, entirely unmoving.

This was High Elder Mo Canqiu of the Lu Province’s Divine Talisman Immortal Sect. He was an older-generation Immortal Lord with wondrous attainments in the Dao of Talismans and Formations!

He was completely focused on trying to derive the source Dao markings of the seventh stele.

The other old-timers were clustered together and conversing amongst themselves. They too were trying to figure out the stele’s secrets.

“That won’t work.” A white-eyebrowed monk said with a bitter, frustrated laugh.

This was Chief Elder Silent Truths of Lotus Temple’s Discipline Hall, an expert of the Elephant Province.

Of the dozen-or-so gathered old-timers, he had the highest rank and cultivation. Only Mo Canqiu could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

The others looked and felt dejected.

“We figured out the first six steles in just nineteen years, but the seventh stele alone has already taken us twenty-nine years, and we’ve yet to succeed. It’s truly frustrating,” someone said with a deep sigh.

“Once every forty-nine years, the source Dao Markings of the Nine Steles of the Primeval Era will undergo a complete transformation, becoming starkly different from before,” someone said gravely. “That means we have less than a year left.”

They’d yet to see through the seventh stele. Who among them would dare say that they could grasp the seventh, eighth, and ninth steles completely in the time remaining?

The old-timers’ hearts were increasingly heavy.

They’d decided to join forces in hope that combining their wisdom would be enough to let them grasp the steles’ secrets.

But reality was unquestionably cruel.

They’d come here full of confidence, only to repeatedly bump into walls. They’d severely underestimated how difficult the steles were to grasp!

“Old Mo has sat there for thirteen years trying to grasp the seventh stele’s mysteries. He’s yet to reawaken even now,” someone said with concern. “I’m worried about what will happen to him if anything goes awry with his divinations. The consequences would be unimaginable.”

The crowd instinctively turned to look at him. Mo Canqiu just sat there like a mud statue, not moving in the slightest.

Of those present, Mo Canqiu had the greatest skill in divination!

He was a famous grandmaster of talismans and formations, even by the standards of the Immortal Realm as a whole. His grasp of formations and Dao Markings had long since reached supreme heights.

But…

Mo Canqiu had sat there, unmoving, for thirteen years already, yet he still couldn’t discern the mysteries of the seventh stele!

“Only one year remains. If we can’t see through the mysteries of the seventh stele even after we join forces, it’ll be useless no matter who shows up. Even those unrivaled powerhouses at the pinnacle of the Grand Dao would be helpless,” sighed a man in brocade robes.

The crowd fell silent.

Suddenly, a voice rang out. “Says who?”

The crowd was stunned, and they instinctively looked over.

They then watched as two figures, a man and a woman, approached through the dense forest of Dao steles.

The man was dressed in blue, and the woman was an extraordinary charmer.

These were none other than Su Yi and Qing Wei.

However, the old monsters didn’t recognize Su Yi. They only knew Qing Wei. It was only natural; Qing Wei was both an enchanting beauty and an Immortal Lady of the Yao Path, and it would have been hard for her not to be recognizable.

“So, it’s Fellow Daoist Qing Wei.” Several of the old monsters called out and greeted her politely.

But one of them, a man in brocade robes, instead looked at Su Yi and teased, “Is this young fellow your junior? He said something quite interesting just now.”

“No,” Qing Wei corrected him. “He’s my young lord.”

The crowd was stunned, then thoughtful.

All of them were old monsters who’d lived too many years to count. Qing Wei’s words made them realize that this young man with no sign of a cultivation base had to have extraordinary origins!

The man in brocade flashed Su Yi a charming smile and clasped his fist. “My apologies. I spoke too abruptly, and I humbly request your understanding.”

Su Yi waved the apology away. “What do you mean, abruptly? You were right. I truly cannot agree with what you said earlier.”

The man in brocade robes frowned. It seemed he hadn’t expected that a junior like Su Yi would refuse to relent even after he apologized.

He glanced at Qing Wei, then chuckled. “Is that so? Then might I ask for your lofty and esteemed opinion, young lord?”

The other old monsters looked at Su Yi too. All of them were surprised. Where does a junior like him get the confidence to correct an Immortal Lord to his face?

But what really confused them was that Immortal Lady Qing Wei wasn’t stopping him!

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