First Immortal of the Sword

action

Chapter 772: I am the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force

The old blind man!

The white-robed young man froze briefly, then thought it over. “It’s true. Throughout the long history of the Netherworld, inheritors of the Ghost Lantern Sarcophagus Bearers have never lowered their heads to anyone, but that old man… called a young man like Su Yi ‘His Excellency.’ Both his words and his movements were full of respect. This really is out of the ordinary.”

The old man in?Daoist?robes said, “You’re only half right. The Master of the Blood Coffin, Five Burials of the Ghost Lantern Sarcophagus Bearers, died several hundred years ago. Do you remember how he died?”

The white-robed young man was briefly stunned. “Rumor has it that the Master of the Blood Coffin died at the hands of an Imperial expert of the Wilds, but even now, no one knows just who it was.”

A strange light shone in his master’s eyes. “There are indeed numerous theories as to who killed Five Burials and why, but to the best of my knowledge, the killer was most likely the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force’s?eldest?disciple, the renowned leader of the Abstruse Force Alliance… Pi Mo!”

Pi Mo!

The name seemed to have magical power; the sound alone shook the heart. The young man in white felt a chill course through him, and his heart shook. This revelation stunned him completely.

“If word of this gets out, it’ll shake the entire Netherworld,” said the young man.

Pi Mo was a legendary Emperor of war whose name had long since shaken the Wilds.

His combat prowess and talent were shocking. Over the years, he’d achieved countless dazzling feats.

Even in the Netherworld, every faction around was familiar with his name!

Because he was the disciple of the Swordmaster?of Abstruse?Force!

The Swordmaster?of Abstruse?Force was a legendary figure, a sovereign among Imperial experts. The world’s cultivators saw him as the Master of Ten Thousand Daos and the number one expert of the Dao of the Sword!

He and his sword had dominated the heavens for 108,000 years!

Given the circumstances, it was easy to imagine how great a commotion would result if the great factions of the Netherworld learned that it was Pi Mo who’d killed the Master of the Blood Coffin.

“Those who need to know this learned it a long time ago. Those who don’t need to know will never find out,” sighed the old man in?Daoist?robes.

“But Master, what does this have to do with Su Yi?” asked the young man in white. Both Pi Mo and the Swordmaster of Abstruse seemed far, far away from him, as distant and ethereal as legends.

The old man in?Daoist?robes smiled. “Don’t be in such a rush. This incident is rather complex, and all of it is in the distant past. I’m afraid that throughout the Netherworld, only old-timers like me remember it…”

“Then I’ll just have to listen patiently,” said the young man attentively.

After a moment’s silence, the old man in?Daoist?robes said, “The old-timers of the Netherworld all?know?that long ago… Hm, roughly thirty thousand years ago, the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force and the founder of the Ghost Lantern Sarcophagus Bearer lineage, Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer, once made a bet with each other.?Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer lost the Coffin of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, but in return, he won the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force’s friendship.

“Yet Pi Mo, Su Xuanjun’s?eldest?disciple, suddenly barged into the Netherworld not long after his master’s passing, killing Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer’s direct disciple, Five Burials. That’s naturally quite unusual.?After all, their masters were great friends.”

The young man in white furrowed his brow. “That really is strange. Could it be… that Pi Mo suspects the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force’s death was somehow connected to the Ghost Lantern Sarcophagus Bearers.”

The old man nodded. “That is indeed a possibility, but there’s another possibility too.”

His eyes shone with a strange light. “Very few in the Netherworld know this, but when the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force explored the Netherworld, he was searching for the legendary ‘secrets of reincarnation.’

“And in the Netherworld, only a tiny handful of experts could possibly have had any leads. However, Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer was one of the few.

“Five hundred years ago, the Swordmaster?of Abstruse?Force passed away suddenly, shaking the heavens. There were rumors that, while striving for a higher path, his mental state deviated, and he passed away.

“But in the Netherworld, there was yet another rumor. They saw that the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force… is highly likely to have entered the cycle of samsara, and that he chose to reincarnate and cultivate anew!”

The old man’s expression was increasingly strange, and his voice contained a hint of an emotion difficult to put into words. It seemed a bit like dread, but also like longing.

Waves of shock coursed through the young man’s heart, and he couldn’t help but say, “Master, are you saying that Pi Mo also suspects that his master reincarnated to cultivate?anew? And that that’s why he went in search of the Master of the Blood Coffin?”

The old man nodded. “That’s the other possibility I was referring to.”

The white-robed young man’s expression shifted erratically. “But… Why would Pi Mo kill the Master of the Blood Coffin?”

His master shook his head. “That’s difficult to guess.”

He paused, then said, “These rumors and grudges are all in the past. If we want clear answers, I’m afraid only the old blind man knows the truth.”

Only then did the young man in white understand why his master had asked directly about the Master of the Blood Coffin’s death upon realizing the old blind man’s identity.

It turned out there was a shocking secret behind it!

The old man in?Daoist?robes continued, “If it’s as I suspect, the old blind man was the Master of the Blood Coffin’s direct disciple. He ought to know better than anyone who killed his master, and I’m sure he’s trying to think of a way to get revenge.

“But surprisingly, he’s appeared here, on the Azure Continent, and he’s accompanying a young man named Su Yi. He even calls him ‘Your Excellency’, as if he were a junior addressing a senior. Don’t you think that’s far too strange?”

The young man’s expression changed dramatically; it seemed he’d realized something. He couldn’t help but blurt, “The Swordmaster of Abstruse Force is surnamed Su, and so is Su Yi. The Swordmaster of Abstruse Force once visited the Netherworld in search of the secrets of samsara. Master, don’t tell me Su Yi is…”

But before he could finish, the old man in?Daoist?robes shook his head and interrupted him. “That most likely isn’t possible.”

“It isn’t?” exclaimed the young man.

His master sighed deeply. “I’m quite confused too. If the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force passed away five hundred years ago, his reincarnation ought to be five hundred years old.

“But I scrutinized Su Yi’s aura and appearance, and he’s roughly eighteen. There’s no way to fake someone like that, nor can any secret art disguise it.?That alone proves that Su Yi couldn’t possibly be Su Xuanjun’s reincarnation.”

The young man in white sighed in relief. “I’m glad he isn’t. That would be terrifying…”

The reality was the situation really was unbelievable. If word got out, almost no one would believe it.

After all, the issue wasn’t just whether or not Su Xuanjun had reincarnated. It also involved the legendary secrets of samsara.

Who’d dare believe such a fleeting, insubstantial rumor could actually be realized?

And who would dare believe that a young man of the Azure Continent was in any way connected to the legendary Swordmaster of Abstruse Force or the secrets of reincarnation?

The old man in?Daoist?robes smiled, but he looked a bit conflicted. “Even if it’s not true, Su Yi’s origins are extremely strange and suspicious. I can’t see through them; the more I think about it, the more mysterious he seems…”

But then, he shook his head. “However, this has little to do with us, and we needn’t spend our energy thinking about it.”

The young man in white agreed completely. “You’re absolutely right, master. Who cares how many secrets Su Yi has? None of them have anything to do with us.”

The old man sighed. “You’re wrong. He’s already discerned our origins, and most likely, our intentions. We cannot remain unmoved.”

The young man seemed stunned. “Then… Master, what do you plan to do?”

The old man pondered briefly, then made a decision. “When we see him tomorrow, I’ll have a little chat with him.”

……

Elsewhere, that same night.

“Your Excellency, I have something I’d like to discuss with you,” whispered the old blind man.

“Speak,” said Su Yi. He was already slumped in his wicker chair, and he planned to fall asleep.

“Now, it isn’t just the disciples of Meng Po Palace who’ve realized who I am. Even that master and apprentice know. I’m worried that if word leaks, we’ll run into trouble in the Netherworld.”

Su Yi laughed and said, “Actually, I don’t think this is a bad thing.”

The old blind man was stunned.

Su Yi continued, “Pi Mo killed your master, Five Burials. It might have happened hundreds of years ago, but that doesn’t mean no one is paying attention to that incident.

“If they find out that a disciple of the Ghost Lantern Sarcophagus Bearers like yourself has appeared, they might… come looking for us of their own volition.

“Should that happen, we can learn their backgrounds and identities, as well as their intentions. We might learn quite a bit.”

Only then did the old blind man understand. There was no doubt about it: Su Yi was using him as bait to go fishing!

It was somewhat similar to what the Adjudicator of the Netherworld had done with Su Yi and Cui Jingyan’s jade pendant.

A moment later, the old blind man tensed. “But what if Pi Mo comes looking for us? That would be terrible!”

Years ago, he’d fled the Netherworld for the express purpose of escaping Pi Mo!

Su Yi’s gaze was distant and profound as he whispered, “Should he truly dare show up in the Netherworld, I’ll naturally deal with him myself. That will count as revenge for your master, too.”

He spoke casually, without the slightest ripple of emotion.

However, his words gave the old blind man goosebumps.

What kind of existence was Pi Mo?

He wasn’t just famous in the Nine Provinces of the Wilds. Even in the Netherworld, everyone knew about him. He was so strong that even most Emperors could only lower their heads in submission before him!

Yet it seemed Su Yi wasn’t the least bit concerned about him!

He sounded so casual, as if dealing with the legendary war Emperor whose name intimidated the Wilds was a trivial matter barely even worth mentioning.

Of course the old blind man was surprised! How could he not be?

After a while, the old blind man sighed with emotion. “Sometimes, I almost suspect that you and the Swordmaster of Abstruse?Force our?founder lost?a bet to?are?one and the same.”

Of course, the way he said this indicated that he?didn’t?believe Su Yi was the Swordmaster?of Abstruse?Force.

Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh. He took out a jug of wine, then took a sip. “Perhaps… I really am?”

The old blind man was briefly stunned, but a moment later, his expression grew uncharacteristically solemn. He said gravely, “Your Excellency Su, when we get to the Netherworld, whatever you do, you mustn’t joke around like that! If you do, I’m afraid you’ll?invite?fatal disaster!”

“.....”