First Immortal of the Sword

Boom!

A thunderclap resounded throughout the entire stretch of ocean, shaking the sky. Fierce gales swept across the turbulent waters and raging waves as a black treasure ship whooshed toward them.

Could that be the Fuyou Boat the Sovereign spoke of?

This thought had only just arisen in the Red Dragon Dao Monarch’s head when Su Yi’s voice resounded in her ears. “Hide in the Divine Replenishment Furnace for now.”

The Red Dragon Dao Monarch was instantly solemn, but although she didn’t understand the situation, she decisively agreed. “Got it!”

A moment later, she blurred into a beam of red lot and shot into the furnace.

Su Yi put the furnace away, then stood there, unmoving. As the black treasure ship and fierce winds drew closer, his brow furrowed. That isn’t the Fuyou Boat!

He’d only just reached this conclusion when a burst of hearty laughter resounded from the ship.

“Li Xuanjun, you’re finally here!”

Before this voice had even finished echoing through the air, the ship whooshed toward Su Yi, then stopped and hovered in the air just ten thousand feet away.

Immediately afterward, a group appeared on board.

Their leader was an elegant, impressive-looking man in ink-black warrior’s robes. His skin was fair, and he had unearthly, imposing phoenix eyes as thin as the edge of a saber.

A hale and hearty old woman stood beside him. She had a string of fist-sized bone prayer beads around her neck and a gray cloth bag on her back. Her slanted eyes were sunken, cold, and sinister.

Qin Jianshu and his attendant!

When Su Yi saw them, he instantly understood. Qin Jianshu had won the jade slip with information regarding the Fuyou Boat at auction. It was only later that Xi Ning sent her servant to retrieve it for him.

Thus, it wasn’t at all strange that Qin Jianshu and his companions were here.

However, the group clustered behind Qin Jianshu was outside of Su Yi’s expectations. There were thirteen of them in total, a mix of men and women.

Judging by their clothing, all of them were from the Church of Divine Flame, the Demonist faction founded by Nan Pingtian, the Leveling Heavens Immortal Sovereign!

It seems the Church of Divine Flame was the one who brought Qin Jianshu into this world, thought Su Yi.

“Why not say anything? Are you too surprised to speak?” Qin Jianshu’s narrow, knifelike eyes locked onto the distant Su Yi, his gaze playful.

Su Yi said thoughtfully, “Have you been waiting for me here this entire time?”

“That’s right.” Qin Jianshu didn’t deny it. “I arrived here half a month ago. Alas, I’ve searched the entire region, and I saw no sign of the treasure they call the Fuyou Boat. What a pity.”

But then, he laughed. “Well, whatever. I wasn’t really looking for treasure in the first place. Rather, I was looking for you. I suppose it isn’t really much of a pity at all.”

Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. “What are you looking for me for?”

Qin Jianshu smiled, and he said warmly, “Don’t be afraid. Although your behavior at the auction house angered me, I’m not the petty sort. I’ve been waiting for you for something else entirely.”

He then shot a meaningful glance at the old woman beside him.

She stepped forth and said, “My young leader has always admired the erudite. Your proficiency with the glyphs of the Dragon Palace is unique in this world. So long as you’re willing, you can become our young leader’s most distinguished guest, and you’ll have no need to fear failing to one day soar to prominence.”

“You want to recruit me?” Su Yi’s expression was strange.

“You could call it that.” The old woman’s sunken, slanted eyes shone with pride. “This is a rare opportunity grand enough to change your destiny. The young leader admires your talent, so you’d best not disappoint him.”

Qin Jianshu smiled. “You needn’t worry about Xi Ning. If you join my camp, there’ll be nothing she can do.”

His gaze was suddenly inscrutable. “As an expression of sincerity, I’ll share a secret with you. Xi Ning’s situation has changed, and things don’t bode well for her. It seems to me that even if she makes it into the ruins of the Dragon Palace, she’s likely to meet with misfortune!”

Su Yi’s gaze focused. Is he saying that a powerful enemy has set his sights on Xi Ning?

“Don’t think I’m just being an alarmist,” said Qin Jianshu. “If you don’t believe me, you’re welcome to try requesting her aid. See if she makes it to the Blood Whirlpool Zone in time.”

Su Yi’s brow furrowed. He naturally understood what Qin Jianshu was trying to say. Xi Ning couldn’t possibly come to his aid now!

“Have you reached a decision?” asked the old woman.

“What happens if I refuse?” said Su Yi.

The old woman grinned. “You’d best grasp the situation clearly before making any decisions. All I can say is, if you refuse, you won’t be able to bear the consequences!”

The experts of the Church of Divine Flame grinned too, their glazes playful. There’s nowhere for him to run. Does he really think he has a way out of this?

Su Yi grinned too, then said calmly, “If something happens to me, you will never be able to decipher the secret glyphs of the Dragon Palace.”

“Is that a threat?” Qin Jianshu said with a strange look on his face. A moment later, he shook his head and chuckled. “We’re all sensible people. Must you speak so unpleasantly? Very well. I’ll just say this: with me here, you… cannot even commit suicide without my permission!”

He spoke with incontrovertible confidence and force.

“Oh,” said Su Yi. He was visibly confused. “I’m curious. Aren’t you worried that divine misfortune will influence your chances of becoming a god?”

He truly didn’t get it.

Ever since the Age of Fallen Immortals, divine misfortune had existed within the Immortal Realm’s Laws.

People like Jiang Tai’e and Nan Pingtian, old-timers of the Great Profound Stage, had long since gone into hiding. They in no way dared to reveal themselves in the outside world.

Not long ago, in the Kunwu Hidden Realm, Divine Son Qing Xiao descended into the Immortal Realm. He was obviously a terrifying expert of the Great Profound Stage too, but he dared not attack with his full strength, not even after his attendant, Bai Liu, was killed.

In stark contrast, Qin Jianshu and the old woman seemed almost too calm, as if they weren’t afraid of divine misfortune at all.

“Didn’t Xi Ning tell you?” Qin Jianshu looked at him pityingly. “It seems she never really saw you as one of your own. Otherwise, how could she have kept even a trivial matter like this from you?”

A moment later, he laughed. “Very well. I can share this with you to encourage you to join my camp of your own free will.

“We’re from the God Domain. We naturally have to be cautious of divine misfortune, but no more than that. Each of us has treasures capable of obscuring our auras to avoid being targeted by divine misfortune.”

“But to the best of my knowledge, if you don’t suppress your cultivation base, it won’t matter if you obscure your presence,” said Su Yi. “You’ll still be at risk.”

Qin Jianshu’s eyes narrowed, but then, he laughed. “That’s true. We need to suppress our true cultivations to deceive the power of divine misfortune. But what of it? Right now, Great Realm experts here have all gone into hiding. Who beneath the heavens is a match for us?”

A confident, contemptuous grin tugged at his lips. “In other words, we’re currently the strongest people around!”

The thirteen Immortal Kings of the Church of Divine Flame nodded, their expressions filled with longing. It’s true. Compared to the divine son, we Immortal Kings aren’t even worth looking at. Not even Great Martial Stage experts can take him down!

And who of the hidden Great Profound Stage old monsters would dare risk a falling out with the divine children? They’d be too afraid to try it! After all, what would happen if the divine children disregarded the threat of divine misfortune and went all out?

In a sense, in the Immortal Realm, the divine children really were supreme beings!

But Su Yi thought nothing of it. “You talk a big game, but you’re still afraid of divine misfortune, and you still have no choice but to suppress your cultivation base.”

“....” The crowd fell silent.

One of the Church of Divine Flame Immortal Kings said darkly, “No small number of Great Realm experts have died due to divine misfortune since the onset of the Age of Fallen Immortals. Even some Immortal Kings have perished. Surely you’re afraid of divine misfortune too?”

“Nope,” said Su Yi.

No one knew what to say to that.

Qin Jianshu couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s good to be courageous, but only if you have the abilities to back up your confidence. Ultimately, you… just haven’t witnessed the terrifying power of divine misfortune for yourself. You wouldn’t be so fearless otherwise.”

The old woman was already running out of patience. She frowned and said, “No more nonsense out of you. It’s time to make a choice! Listen up! Don’t force this old woman’s hand!”

All of a sudden, all eyes were on Su Yi. The atmosphere throughout the entire stretch of ocean was tense and hostile.

But Su Yi laughed. “Why, let me force it then! I'd like to see what happens!”

The old woman glowered.

Qin Jianshu sighed and looked at the old woman. “I treated him with respect and earnestly extended an invitation, yet it seems I’ve achieved the opposite of my intended result. Does he… perhaps think I’m a pushover?”

She harrumphed. “No, he’s just ignorant of the heights of the heavens and the depths of the earth, and he needs to be taught a lesson. Only then will he learn his place.”

“Go ahead and capture him, then,” said Qin Jianshu. He rubbed his hands together and said slowly, “If he insists on remaining stubborn, we’ll just have to make him come back to his senses and kneel before me obediently.”

“Yes, Young Leader!”

The old woman shot through the air and charged explosively at Su Yi.

A moment later, a red full moon floated beneath the dome of heaven, blazing as if on fire, and descended upon Su Yi.

Boom!

Glittering silver Laws interwove within the full moon. It illuminated the nine heavens, filling them with mysterious and strange power. The sky tore, burned, and collapsed as if it were made out of paper.

As endless explosive power swept outward, even the Immortal King experts of the Church of Divine Flame felt their hair stand on end.

This was the power of the Great Martial Stage!

This attack seemed to suppress the entire area. Everything seemed to sink in, as if unable to withstand that terrifying power!

Qin Jianshu opened his mouth to speak, then stopped himself.

He’d originally planned to tell the old woman not to use too much force, and to be careful not to kill him, but he thought better of it. She wasn’t the careless sort, and she knew what she was supposed to do. There was no need to hold her back.