First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1054 - Dark and Gold Essence

There was no doubt about it: the scorched ancient treasures he’d gathered in his past life were covered in mysterious seals similar to that on the Dark and Gold Profound Ruler.

And the Laws of the End could undo the seals!

As Su Yi pondered, the strange phenomena originating from the Dark and Gold Ruler disappeared. Everything returned to its former stillness.

Su Yi gazed at the Dark and Gold Ruler once more.

It was now as glittering and resplendent as divine jade. Its surface emanated wisps of gray, chaotic luster. Its presence was boundless and surging, dense beyond measure!

Su Yi’s heart shook; he was stunned. This Dark and Gold Ruler actually contains a mysterious chaos source! It’s not at all inferior to the Netherworld’s source. If anything, it’s even denser and grander!

It was on the Path of Samsara that Su Yi discovered the source of the Netherworld, and it was there that he’d grasped some of the secrets of reincarnation.

But now, the aura of the chaos source within the Dark and Gold Ruler was even stronger than the source of the Netherworld. How could Su Yi not be surprised?

“What… kind of power was that?” Yu Changming asked in a quavering voice. He was obviously stunned too.

Su Yi thought for a moment, then said, “If I’m not mistaken, this is a portion of the Dark and Gold Star Realm’s chaotic source power. You could call it Dark and Gold Essence!”

His thoughts raced.

The Netherworld King told him that the Dark and Gold Star Realm was once utterly glorious and resplendent. It was seen as the ancestral origin of the countless Daos dispersed throughout the stars!

There was no doubt about it: back in the day, the chaotic source energy of the Dark and Gold Star Realm had to be incomparably powerful! Otherwise, there was no way anyone would have called it the ancestral origin of all Daos!

And the Dark and Gold Ruler contained a portion of this source energy!

A mysterious catastrophe had erased that period of history completely, severing the legacies of its cultivation factions. Later generations had no idea that the Dark and Gold Star Realm was once this grand and resplendent.

It was to the point that almost no one even knew the name “Dark and Gold Star Realm.”

That the Dark and Gold Ruler had survived the ages to the present day was undoubtedly due to the “scorch marks” sealing it!

In other words, it was only because the Dark and Gold Ruler’s power had been sealed that it managed to survive that mysterious catastrophe!

“The chaos source of the Dark and Gold Star Realm… Dark and Gold Essence…” Yu Changming couldn’t help but feel bewildered.

He was the dean of Profound Sky Academy, and he had a vast breadth of knowledge. He’d perused countless ancient tomes, but this was still his first time hearing of any of this.

His heart was instantly full of questions!

Su Yi concisely explained everything he knew about the Dark and Gold Star Realm. Then, he sighed, “I finally understand why that ‘Elder Feng’ of the Studio of the Heart attacked Profound Sky Academy.”

There was no doubt about it: Elder Feng must have known that Profound Sky Academy’s Dark and Gold Ruler had survived since antiquity, and that it contained Dark and Gold Essence!

The Studio of the Heart was a faction from the stars beyond the Wilds. Perhaps… they’d come here to seek out treasures like the Dark and Gold Ruler!

After all, even the Supreme Leader of the Nine Heavens Pavilion knew that the Dark and Gold Star Realm was once seen as the ancestral origin of the countless Daos of the stars. That was why he’d sent the Netherworld King here to investigate all those years ago.

A faction like the Studio of the Heart almost certainly knew about the Dark and Gold Star Realm’s history too. That was why they’d sent their experts over!

Meanwhile, Yu Changming was repeatedly astonished as his perception of reality was completely overturned. His brain was full of new phrases: “the Dark and Gold Star Realm,” “the ancestral origin of the Daos of the starry skies,” “legendary experts,” “a mysterious catastrophe,” and “the Celestial Ruin”...among others.

Because no records of any of this existed, not even in ancient tomes!

He was shaken because he’d just uncovered long-buried history, the secrets of that lost era before ancient times!

A long time passed before Yu Changming murmured, “Your Excellency Su, does that mean the chaotic power within the Dark and Gold Ruler is the source of the Daos of the starry skies?”

Su Yi shook his head. “In a sense, yes, but the chaos source within the ruler is far from complete. It’s only a portion of it. If the original chaos source of the Dark and Gold Star Realm were the full moon, the ruler’s stored power would be but a firefly.”

He paused, then said, “But this is still the source power of the Dark and Gold Star Realm. The power of the Grand Dao hidden inside surely transcends the world’s other Daos. Otherwise, how could it possibly have drawn the Studio of the Heart all the way here from the depths of outer space?”

Yu Changming gradually calmed down. He agreed with this conclusion completely.

The power within the ruler might not be complete, but it was still the source energy of the Dark and Gold Star Realm, and it contained its mightiest, most supreme Laws. It was naturally extraordinary!

“Might you let me contemplate this treasure for a while?” Su Yi asked.

Yu Changming didn’t even pause to think. “Please, go right ahead!”

Even disregarding Su Yi’s bond with their founder, if he hadn’t rushed to their aid in the nick of time, Profound Sky Academy would have already been destroyed!

How could they not repay this benevolence?

Besides, Profound Sky Academy had never attached much importance to this particular treasure, and it only revealed its true nature in Su Yi’s hands.

Su Yi nodded. “I’ll stay in Profound Sky Academy for the time being. I would like to contemplate the mysteries of Dark and Gold Essence. Also, I'd like to see how the Levitating Sword Hall and Abstruse Force Alliance respond to this abject defeat.”

Yu Changming felt a massive weight lift from his shoulders, and he was visibly delighted. “Your Excellency Su, with you taking up residence on Phoenix Perch Mountain, Profound Sky Academy has no need to fear our enemies’ return!”

Earlier, he’d been considering leading all of the academy’s disciples away from Phoenix Perch Mountain.

After all, there was no way the Levitating Sword Hall or Abstruse Force Alliance would just let this defeat go.

Now that he’d heard Su Yi’s decision, all of Yu Changming’s fears disappeared. He felt completely reassured!

Su Yi pointed at himself. “I’m currently only in the Profound Illumination Realm. I’m far from comparable to my best self, so don’t think too highly of me.”

Yu Changming was briefly stunned, but then, he said solemnly, “Your Excellency Su, please rest assured. No matter what happens, Profound Sky Academy will retreat and advance alongside you!”

Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh. “Relax. Even if a Profound Unity cultivator shows up, I guarantee Profound Sky Academy’s safety.”

A moment later, he ordered, “Don’t divulge my identity.”

“Understood!” Yu Changming solemnly assented.

That very day, Yu Changming arranged for Su Yi to take up temporary residence within one of the academy’s blessed grottos.

…

Within the grotto.

Su Yi sat cross-legged, using the Laws of the End to control the Dark and Gold Ruler. That way, he just barely managed to suppress the energy of the chaos source therein.

Otherwise, the treasure's power would shatter this entire space!

Su Yi examined the ruler and whispered, “I wouldn’t have thought I’d find an opportunity to cultivate back to the Profound Unity Realm so soon after arriving in the Profound Sky Realm!”

Back on the banks of the Reincarnation Pool, the Temple Master issued three warnings.

One of his warnings was about this cultivation!

It was then that Su Yi learned how illustrious and dazzling the Temple Master’s accomplishments were. This was the man who’d effortlessly suppressed the Fisherman of the Church of the River of Stars, and the man who terrified the Painter of the Studio of the Heart so badly that he dared not show his face in public.

They called him the mortal world’s Slayer of Immortals. He’d once proclaimed that “even if gods and immortals really exist, they too must avert their gazes before me!”

But the Temple Master chose to reincarnate anyway. His greatest regret was that he’d failed to achieve perfection in the Profound Unity Realm, leaving flaws in his Dao!

He told Su Yi that in the Profound Unity Realm, incorporating countless Daos into oneself was far from enough. He had to achieve unity with the source of a star realm and master its mysteries. Only then could he achieve a true, perfect metamorphosis.

At the time, Su Yi felt enlightened, as if all had become clear.

In truth, he’d roughly inferred this back in his past life! Despite this, he couldn’t reach a higher path. The reason for this was that the Dark and Gold Star realm was damaged. It had been reduced to a Celestial Ruin a long, long time ago!

It was impossible for him to comprehend and master the complete mysteries of its source. How could he possibly break through?

But the Temple Master told Su Yi that if he could find the source of the ruined Dark and Gold Star Realm, he could divine the complete Laws of this Star Realm!

The appearance of the Dark and Gold Ruler was an opportunity for Su Yi to investigate the source energy of the Dark and Gold Star Realm!

How could Su Yi not be excited? After all, he’d reincarnated precisely to seek out a higher path!

Now, he didn’t just have a concrete goal; he’d just gotten one step closer to realizing it!

“Fate is truly too wondrous for words!” Su Yi sighed. “I came to Profound Sky Academy to ask about Jing Xing’s whereabouts. Who’d have guessed I’d happen upon this Dark and Gold Ruler?”

Of course, the Dark and Gold Ruler only contained a portion of the Dark and Gold Star Realm’s source.

But in his past life, he’d gathered numerous similar treasures!

Suddenly, Su Yi sank into silence.

Five hundred years ago, after he reincarnated, the situation changed abruptly in the Grotto of Abstruse Force. Pi Mo colluded with outsiders, who killed their way into the sect and seized its treasures…

And his youngest disciple, Qing Tang, went so far as to occupy the entire Grotto of Abstruse Force!

Given the circumstances, he feared his treasury had long since been cleared out!

For instance, the Profound Lightning Golden Bamboo Staff had wound up in the hands of a high elder of the Levitating Sword Hall, Wang Tingyun.

Su Yi couldn’t help but feel a bit dejected.

“They don’t belong to you. Even if you run off with them, they don’t really belong to you,” Su Yi said softly, his gaze cold and indifferent.

He wasn’t actually all that worried. Even if someone had stolen the scorched treasures he’d gathered in his past life, they’d do them no good.

Because there was no way they’d mastered the Mysterious Truths of the End, and without them, there was no way they could unseal those ancient treasures.

But there was one possibility he had to watch out for: what if Pi Mo had other disciples of the Studio of the Heart working with him beside the hemp-clad elder he’d killed earlier today?

Before long, Su Yi set those thoughts aside. He cleared his mind, split off a portion of his divine sense, and quietly sensed the source energy within the Dark and Gold Ruler.

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