First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1332 - A Sudden Change

But mere moments later, the thin old man’s expression shifted dramatically as he cried out, “Temple Master!?”

Su Yi stared at him coldly from outside the formation. He said directly, “If you don’t want to die, withdraw your formation, and I’ll give you an opportunity to explain yourself.”

He didn’t get angry, nor was he afraid just because the other party hailed from the ancient Zhou Family. And it wasn’t an interrogation—he was merely stating his orders!

That invisible yet obvious display of strength made the thin old man narrow his eyes. But after a moment’s silence, he grinned. “You defeated a few Nascent Divinity Revenants, that’s all. Has that really made you this puffed up and arrogant?”

His gaze was sinister, and his cold grin revealed his pearly white teeth. “In your past life, you were helpless against our Zhou Family, and nothing has changed!”

Here, his speech slowed as he paused for emphasis between each word. “Temple Master, times have changed. You’re now the common foe of every revenant beneath the heavens, and who knows how many factions of the present day see you as an eyesore? You’re beset on all sides. Don’t tell me you’d dare oppose the Zhou Family? Aren’t you afraid....”

Boom!

Su Yi swung his sword.

The Transcendent-level formation exploded with a bang, and the thin old man’s voice came to an abrupt halt. He retreated explosively back.

But before he’d gotten far, Su Yi’s right hand seized him by the throat, and he visibly lost his cool.

Su Yi said flatly, “In my past life, I blocked the Zhou Family’s gates for seventy-nine days, just me and my sword. In the end, the Zhou Family went crying for their mommies and daddies and begged the ancient Mu Family for help. You lost nine of your supreme treasures and three of your old fogies before I agreed to let you off. Pray tell, how was I helpless against the Zhou Family?”

This light, airy question filled the thin old man’s face with unbearable shame and anger. That incident had taken the world by storm. Everyone knew about it, so he couldn’t argue.

“Times have changed? So what? I’m surrounded by enemies on all sides? Since when was that a problem?” said Su Yi, his gaze distant and unreadable. He paused for a moment, then continued, seemingly to himself. “I’ll just cut them all down.”

Bang!

One punch, and the thin old man exploded into pieces and dissipated into ash.

Su Yi didn’t even stop to look at him. There was a path leading downward not far away, and Su Yi walked right on in.

......

The secret cellar.

A tripod furnace rumbled in a grand underground hall. Misty light rose from its opening.

The furnace was about ten feet tall, with three legs and two handles. It looked as if it were forged entirely out of divine gold, and its surface was carved with ancient totems.

A divine flame blazed beneath it. The fire burned in nine different colors, and it was bright and resplendent. The waves of heat emanating from it distorted the surrounding air.

A figure sat cross-legged not far from the furnace, his hands forming seals. He was busy refining an artifact.

Within the furnace, an indistinct, radiant silver bundle of light rose, fell, and wriggled. Countless wondrous and profound mysterious glyphs revolved within the bundle of silver light.

That man seated before it was pressed in plain, undyed cloth robes. He was thin, with a willowy beard. His gaze was solemn, and his eyes were fixed on the bundle of silver light. Despite himself, his gaze heated up.

“Within half a month at most, I’ll be able to forge a Celestial Tides Sword Embryo!” he said to himself.

Numerous corpses lay strewn all over the hall, but they’d long since started to rot. The blood pooling on the floor had already dried.

The man in plain cloth robes ignored the bodies completely.

A mountain of divine materials was piled high beside him. From time to time, he took some and tossed them into the furnace.

But most of the time, he just sat there, completely focused on the refining process.

“Who is it?” The man in undyed cloth frowned and turned to look at the entrance.

Practically simultaneously, Su Yi’s tall, upright figure walked into the grand hall. He gripped the Sword of the Human Realm and gazed at the plainly dressed man seated before the tripod furnace.

Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. “And who are you?”

The man in undyed cloth robes was none other than Wang Pu, the master of the Divine Forge!

But Su Yi could tell at a glance that something wasn’t right. Wang Pu’s aura was extremely strange and difficult to read, but it had subtle hints of flowing immortal light.

Wang Pu looked Su Yi up and down, then laughed. “The Divine Forge has always been my territory. You’ve come uninvited, yet you dare ask me who I am? Don’t you think you’re lacking in manners?”

Su Yi disregarded him, instead examining the corpses strewn across the hall. Based on their attire and lingering auras, he instantly realized that these were the bodies of Zhou Family higher-ups!

Su Yi’s eyelids rose. “Did you kill all these people?”

“You know the answer, so why ask?” Wang Pu said plainly.

“Oh? So you’ve possessed Wang Pu?” Su Yi looked at Wang Pu once more.

Wang Pu shook his head. “No, Wang Pu let me possess him of his own volition.”

“What does that mean?” Su Yi’s eyebrows rose.

Wang Pu’s gaze was playful. “Can you guess?”

Boom!

Before his voice had even finished echoing through the air, Wang Pu swung his sleeves. Immortal light surged forth, condensing into a sword that slashed forth.

Su Yi swung the Sword of the Human Realm, imbuing his strike with the power of reincarnation.

Bang!

The incoming slash exploded into pieces.

“Reincarnation!?” Wang Pu’s expression shifted abruptly, and he shot to his feet.

Su Yi shot forth like lightning, charging directly at him. He swung his sword once more.

Boom!

Amidst boundless, forceful sword intent, the illusory Six Paths of Reincarnation arose, enveloping the surrounding air.

Wang Pu drew a glittering golden ring and clashed with it head-on.

The ring shone with immortal light. Mysterious glyphs of the Grand Dao surged forth and revolved, forming a massive black hole seemingly intent on devouring Su Yi’s sword intent.

But mere moments later, a heaven-shaking impact rang out, and the black hole exploded into pieces. Even the glittering golden divine ring was sent flying.

Bang!

Wang Pu was sent flying too, and he slammed into a distant wall.

“I know who you are! You’re the Temple Master, the one who’s mastered the power of reincarnation!” Wang Pu cried out, his face full of alarm and rage.

As he spoke, countless streaks of sword qi rose around him, like stars filling the night sky. They were dazzling to behold, and immortal light flowed around them.

When he swung his sleeves, the dense streaks of sword qi shot toward Su Yi like arrows loosed from a bowstring.

Su Yi swung his sword, manifesting a sword curtain out of the power of reincarnation. It was as if the worlds of the Six Paths had formed barriers in front of him.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A dense series of impacts rang out.

To Su Yi’s surprise, the layers of sword curtain collapsed and scattered, one after another. Then, he too suffered a devastating impact, leaving him no choice but to retreat.

He was forced continuously back, all the way to the entryway! Throughout his body, his blood and qi churned, and the pain almost made him cough up blood.

Su Yi couldn’t help but look impressed. This guy’s cultivation base isn’t simple!

After all, he had strength comparable to a peak early-stage Nascent Divinity Transcendent. If he added the Laws of Reincarnation to the mix, he could slay even an unparalleled sword cultivator like Mu Yun’an with ease.

But now, his opponent’s attacks were continuously forcing him back.

Fortunately, the power of reincarnation countered his opponent, letting Su Yi neutralize his offensive in the end!

“Fellow Daoist, there’s no enmity between us. How about we let this end here?” said Wang Pu from within the palace. “As an expression of my sincerity, I’ll tell you anything you wish to know.”

“Very well,” said Su Yi. “Leave Wang Pu’s body, and I won’t mind chatting with you.”

Wang Pu fell briefly silent. “I just said that he let me possess him.”

Before Su Yi could even press for details, he launched into an explanation. “A year ago, when the experts of the ancient Zhou Family entered the Divine Forge, they killed everyone here. To protect himself, Wang Pu chose to cooperate with me. I agreed to kill the murderers. In exchange, he let me possess him.”

“Oh,” said Su Yi. “I’ll give you one more chance to explain yourself. If you don’t tell the truth this time, I promise you’ll die an unsightly death.”

Even the weakest of intelligent revenants were Transcendents in life. What need did they have to possess another’s body?

This guy was obviously lying!

Wang Pu shook his head. “That’s really what happened. Although I’m a revenant, I’m rather unusual. All these years, my soul has been sealed in the Heavenly Mysteries Replenishment Stone. I was far from ready to reawaken and emerge.

“But a year ago, when the Divine Forge met with disaster, the only way to save Wang Pu was to forcefully awaken and break free of the Heavenly Mysteries Replenishment Stone.

Here, he let out a deep sigh. “I paid a grievous price, too.”

Su Yi said thoughtfully, “The Heavenly Mysteries Replenishment Stone? Is that perhaps that strange stone that sat in front of the Divine Forge all these years?”

Wang Pu nodded. “Indeed.”

Su Yi finally understood.

A long time ago, that strange stone drew widespread attention because no one was able to move it. Who knew how many world kings came to test their strength? In the end, all of their attempts ended in failure.

In the end, it was the Temple Master who broke this record and moved the stone in a single attempt.

But he would never have guessed that this strangely shaped stone of mysterious origins contained a sealed revenant from the End of the Dharma!

Furthermore, he hadn’t just possessed Wang Pu. He’d even killed the experts of the ancient Zhou Family!

Su Yi thought for a moment. “Leave Wang Pu’s body and let me examine you. Then I can confirm whether or not you’re telling the truth.”

Wang Pu frowned. “The price of leaving would be far too great. Please don’t make things difficult for me, Fellow Daoist.”

“I’ll help you leave,” said Su Yi. He took a step forward.

Wang Pu’s eyes shone with anger. “I’ve been patient with you, and I made concessions, but you...”

Before he could finish, a streak of radiant sword qi descended. The power of The Six Paths of Reincarnation blanketed heaven and earth in a wave and swept toward Wang Pu.

“Hahaha! So, you’ve chosen to seek death! In that case... I’ll teach you the agony of being possessed!” Wang Pu threw back his head and laughed uproariously. His eyes shone with astonishing viciousness.

Boom!

He blurred into a burst of stinging green immortal light, then strangely disappeared into thin air.

A moment later, he appeared directly in front of Su Yi. A green soul origin bursting with immortal light shot out of Wang Pu’s body like a beam, then shot into Su Yi’s soul in a flash.

Wang Pu’s body toppled to the ground.

“Little fellow, you’re still too tender and inexperienced to fight me! Once I’ve possessed you, I’ll control the power of reincarnation and break my curse. Henceforth, all other revenants will have no choice but to kneel and tremble beneath my feet!

“As for you... Hahaha! You’re nothing but a stroke of good fortune delivering yourself to my door. Did you really think I was afraid of you? Please, even the heavens are looking out for me! They delivered you to me. This was surely an act of destiny! Hahaha, it's fate!”

Uproarious, unrestrained laughter echoed throughout Su Yi’s sea of consciousness.