First Immortal of the Sword

The Stele of Heaven’s Will was a thousand feet tall, and its surface emanated the strange and ethereal power of the Immortal Realm’s Laws. It was extraordinarily mystical.

But Su Yi could sense a strange Dao Marking at the stele’s base.

It was red and shaped like a lotus, and it was full of taboo power, as if it were condensed out of interweaving lines of flame.

After examining it briefly, Su Yi couldn’t help but frown.

The red lotus Dao Marking was obviously the mark of a god!

In other words, a deity had set their sights on the Stele of Heaven’s Will, leaving a mark at its base!

Su Yi instantly realized the severity of the problem.

The Stele of Heaven’s Will was the divine artifact protecting the Seventh Gate of Heaven. It was likely that a god had placed the stele here during the Primeval Era.

Throughout the ages, the stele’s protection had formed a natural barrier that kept the demons of the Beyond out of the Immortal Realm.

Were they going to refine it and take it with them?

Or did they want to destroy it and leave the Seventh Gate of Heaven without the barrier’s protection?

No matter which possibility proved accurate, Su Yi couldn’t tolerate it!

Fortunately, it seems the stele’s power hasn’t been overly corroded or damaged, and it shows no signs of having been refined. The lotus marking is just a mark—for now, thought Su Yi.

With his power over reincarnation, he could have simply wiped the strange lotus-shaped mark away.

But in the end, he resisted the impulse.

He remembered the Divine Fortune Teller’s Warning. The gods had most likely set their sights on him!

Mount Taiwu’s disappearance was bait to lure him in upon his return to the Immortal Realm. It seemed entirely possible that the red lotus mark on the stele was yet another trap. Destroying it could lead to unpredictable consequences.

After all, the gods had long since anticipated his return to the Immortal Realm. They knew that his past incarnation, Wang Ye, had occupied Mount Taiwu. It followed that they knew of all the years Wang Ye had spent protecting the Seventh Gate of Heaven, too.

If the gods wanted to set another trap for him, the Stele of Heaven’s Will was unquestionably excellent bait.

Whether this is another of the gods’ traps or not, I have to destroy that mark!

After a moment’s silence, Su Yi silently turned and left.

Blue Cliff Academy had a base in the inner city too. It was a grand, ancient estate full of pavilions, and it covered a large swath of land.

Dean Pei Hongjing was currently seated in a lamplit hall, conversing with several of his fellows.

As the dean of Blue Cliff Academy, Pei Hongjing was an extraordinary talent, shrewd and valiant, with Miracle Realm cultivation.

Furthermore, he’d proven his Dao and become an Immortal King after the Age of Fallen Immortals. His cultivation base was far from ordinary.

“Tomorrow’s Immortal-Demon Deathmatch doesn’t bode well. We have little hope of victory!” A gray-robed, white-haired man let out a deep sigh. He said with obvious worry, “I asked around, and it seems the Silvermoon Demons have sent an unrivaled Demon Noble to participate this time.

“The filthy demon scum is called Yin Beiwu. He’s extraordinarily talented and famous among the Nine Great Demon Races’ younger generation. They say even older-generation Demon Nobles pale by comparison!”

The atmosphere in the hall was instantly stifled. Many of those present furrowed their brows.

There’d been eight Immortal-Demon Deathmatches over the past three thousand years, but the Immortal Realm had only won once.

This was unquestionably deeply shameful.

But the brutal reality was that the Demon Nobles who fought in these battles really were much stronger than the Immortal Lords representing the Immortal Realm!

It wasn’t that powerful Immortal Lords didn’t exist in the Immortal Realm, but that the Immortal Realm was in chaos. Its forces were like a plate of loose sand; everyone was fighting for themselves.

The Immortal Realm’s top factions were anxiously expanding their own territories. Few paid any attention to these Immortal-Demon Deathmatches.

The factions protecting the Seventh Gate of Heaven requested their help, and that they send a few of the strong Immortal Lords to represent the Immortal Realm.

But practically all of them refused.

“If only the Central Immortal Court were still around,” sighed an old man in ink-black robes.

Prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals, when the Central Immortal Court reigned, all they had to do was issue a decree and every faction beneath the heavens would send their forces into battle at the Nine Gates of Heaven! None would dare to disobey!

It wasn’t anything like the turmoil and in-fighting of the present day.

“Before we do anything else, we ought to figure out how we’ll handle tomorrow’s Immortal-Demon Deathmatch. I heard that many factions of the Immortal Realm are shrinking back,” the gray-robed, white-haired man said gravely. “If it’s as I suspect, they won’t send their strongest experts into battle for fear of losing them!”

Many of the people gathered around him frowned.

Why was this happening?

It was because the Immortal Realm had lost far too many times!

But it was also because of the unrivaled Demon Noble due to participate in tomorrow’s Immortal Demon Deathmatch, Yin Beiwu!

Over the past few days, tales of Yin Beiwu’s strength circulated throughout the City of Ten Thousand Stars. Countless immortal factions were so worried that they could barely eat or sleep in peace!

“Doesn’t that mean we have no hope of victory in tomorrow’s Immortal-Demon Deathmatch?” someone said with grief.

The atmosphere was instantly stifled.

“What did Garrison Master Shen Qingshi say?” someone couldn’t help but ask.

Each of the Immortal Realm’s Nine Gates of Heaven was led by a mighty, influential garrison master. There were also vice garrison masters, generals, and numerous other ranks.

Shen Qingshi was the garrison master of the Seventh Gate of Heaven. He was from one of the Immortal Realm’s greatest factions, Cloud Apparatus Immortal Manor. He was a high elder, as well as a Miracle Realm Immortal King.

Thirteen thousand years ago, Shen Qingshi passed the Seventh Gate of Heaven’s selection, overcoming numerous tests to stand out from the competition and become its next garrison master. He’d held the position ever since.

Someone said with a cold laugh, “The garrison master stubbornly refuses to listen to anyone, and he has more ambition than ability. He’ll just order us to send our strongest Immortal Lords into battle. That’s all he knows how to do.”

He was obviously not at all satisfied with Shen Qingshi’s performance.

Someone else shook their head. “It’s not his fault. The Immortal-Demon Deathmatch is a competition of our experts’ relative strength. It isn’t about strategy.”

Someone looked at Pei Hongjing. “Right, Brother Pei, who is Blue Cliff Academy sending into battle this time?”

Pei Hongjing was the dean of Blue Cliff Academy, and he had an excellent reputation in the Seventh Gate of Heaven. People were typically interested in what he had to say.

But he’d been silent throughout tonight’s conversation, as if he were pondering speaking. This was unusual for him, and drew many of the others’ attention.

Pei Hongjing was startled out of his reverie. He swept his gaze across the room, pondered briefly, then said, “No need to hide it. We’ve recruited someone from outside the academy this time, and with this fellow Daoist’s help, the Immortal Realm might well have hope of victory tomorrow!”

The crowd was briefly stunned. Their spirits soared.

“Brother Pei, has Blue Cliff Academy managed to invite an unrivaled Immortal Lord?” someone said eagerly.

Someone else smiled. “Allow me to guess. For Brother Pei to speak so highly of this person means they’re sure to be extraordinary. They ought to be at least strong enough to contend with the Silvermoon Demons’ Yin Beiwu.

“And people like that are almost all from the Immortal Realm’s top factions. That means the expert you’ve managed to recruit an Immortal Lord is most likely from one of the Immortal Realm’s top factions too!”

Many of the people in the crowd lit up with delight.

If a peak faction sent one of its unrivaled Immortal Lords to participate in the Immortal-Demon Deathmatch, they might really have a shot of turning things around!

But in the face of the crowd’s expectant gazes, Pei Hongjing shook his head. “You’re mistaken. The fellow Daoist Blue Cliff Academy invited to fight isn’t from a large faction, nor is he an unrivaled Immortal Lord.”

The crowd was flabbergasted. All of them exchanged glances.

Pei Hongjing paused to consider his words. “If I tell you, you won’t believe it, but I swear on my reputation that if that fellow Daoist participates in tomorrow’s Immortal-Demon Deathmatch, the tides will turn in our favor!”

This just made the crowd even more curious.

Someone urged him on. “Brother Pei, no need for all that build-up. Just tell us!”

The others nodded.

When Pei Hongjing saw this, he said solemnly, “His name is Su Yi, and he’s a twenty-something Universe Realm—”

But before he could finish, someone cried out in astonishment, “Universe Realm!?”

His voice boomed throughout the hall.

Everyone else looked caught off guard, and the crowd was instantly in uproar.

“Brother Pei, is this really the right time for jokes?” someone said with displeasure.

“Even Immortal Lords risk death by participating in the Immortal-Demon Deathmatch, let alone a Universe Realm kid! What a joke!” someone shouted in fury.

Someone else frowned. “Pei Hongjing, I’m afraid that kid is just insane. How could you let a Universe Realm Immortal participate?”

And here the crowd had been excited to see what kind of unrivaled Immortal Lord Pei Hongjing had invited to fight on their behalf.

Who’d have thought the expert they’d been looking forward to was only in the Universe Realm?

They couldn’t help but feel as if they were being toyed with, and all of them were furious.

Pei Hongjing said hurriedly, “Everyone, please let me explain.”

He’d only just said this when someone said in a huff, “There’s no need for explanations. I’ll just ask you this: has Blue Cliff Academy really chosen a Universe Realm Immortal to represent them in battle?”

Everyone looked at Pei Hongjing.

Pei Hongjing was instantly under immense pressure. He said solemnly, “Fellow Daoist Su is indeed in the Universe Realm, but he’s different from other Universe Realm Immortals.”

“No need to say anything else!” someone shouted. “No matter how heaven-defying a Universe Realm Immortal is, how could he compare to an Immortal Lord?”

Someone else got to their feet and laughed coldly. “I understand. Blue Cliff Academy has wimped out too. You’re too afraid to send an Immortal Lord into battle, so you’ve chosen to send a Universe Realm Immortal to die instead. Shameless!”

Then he left with a swoosh of his sleeves.

“Brother Pei, Blue Cliff Academy’s decision is truly disappointing. I’m leaving.”

“We all had faith in you, yet you’ve gone and done something this unseemly. You’re really sending a Universe Realm Immortal to his death? Aren’t you afraid that the demons will laugh at our lack of manpower?”

“I’m leaving!”

The other higher-ups were angry too. One after another, they got up and left in a huff.

Soon, Pei Hongjing was the only person left seated.

The dean of Blue Cliff Academy looked dazed. A moment later, he grimaced and let out a deep sigh. “Why weren’t they even willing to let me explain?”

But it was then that a calm voice resounded from outside the hall. “I am indeed in the Universe Realm. There’s no need to explain anything to anyone.”

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