First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1195 - Refining Dark and Gold Tokens

Earlier, the spirit sparrow issued commands on behalf of an Officiant. That alone was enough to make Old Man Stargazer and Yuan Mu’s hearts jump with fright.

After watching Jin Chi get slapped around repeatedly, both of them realized that this didn’t bode well, and their hearts quivered. The initial posting of this chapter occurred via n(0))vel(b)(j)(n).

When the two of them sensed the spirit sparrow’s gaze, they panicked, their entire bodies breaking out in cold sweats.

Before the spirit sparrow even opened its beak, Old Man Stargazer bowed and said in a quavering voice, “I admit that I was wrong! I was wrong! Emissary, in light of my years of loyal service, please show mercy! I’ll be sure to turn over a new leaf and make amends for my mistakes!”

Yuan Mu was frantic too, and he hurriedly begged for mercy as well.

The Heavensdeath Demon Empress and Meng Changyun couldn’t help but laugh coldly.

Earlier, both Custodians had seemed utterly confident, as if their victory were guaranteed.

Su Yi stood there as if all of this were perfectly normal. He just watched coldly.

He wasn’t particularly happy about this. The two Custodians were terrified entirely because of the mysterious Officiant’s prestige; they weren’t truly mending their ways or admitting to their crimes.

“I’m only here to pass on the Officiant’s orders. You needn’t request mercy from me,” the spirit sparrow said indifferently. “Listen up: from this day forth, you are stripped of your positions as Custodians, and your Custodian Medallions shall be reclaimed.”

Before its voice had even finished echoing through the air, it beat its wings.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Medallions shot from both Old Man Stargazer and Yuan Mu, but when they made contact with the sparrow’s feathers, they disappeared without a trace.

Old Man Stargazer and Yuan Mu instantly paled. Both were devastated.

They sensed the difference clearly. They’d borne the mark of the Custodian for countless years. Now that it was gone, they could no longer sense the Laws of the outer ring!

It was as if they’d fallen back into mortal dust. They couldn’t accept this so easily.

“The Officiant says you’ve always longed to slough off your shackles and reclaim your freedom. Now, you have what you always wanted. Shouldn’t you be grateful?” said the spirit sparrow.

Old Man Stargazer and Yuan Mu shuddered, then bowed respectfully. “We thank the Officiant for his benevolence!”

They said they were grateful, but their voices revealed their panic and despondency.

The reason for this was simple. Now that they’d lost their status as Custodians and their control of the surrounding Laws... how could Su Yi possibly let them escape?

“Esteemed emissary, I know this might be a reasonable request, but... might you help us leave the Graveyard of Fallen Immortals alive?” begged Old Man Stargazer. The elderly dwarf was completely panicked.

“You’ll have to depend on your own abilities for that,” the sparrow said coldly.

One sentence, and Old Man Stargazer practically broke down.

Even if you’d hit him over the head, he would never have guessed that his plot against Su Yi, a mere trial-taker, would lead to so many unexpected developments!

Whoosh!

Space suddenly shook as Yuan Mu fled. He’d obviously realized that this didn’t bode well, and he wanted to seize his last chance at life by fleeing immediately!

But how could Su Yi possibly let him escape?

The heaven-shaking hum of a sword rang out, and the streak of sword qi in his hand swung through the air.

This streak of sword qi was originally intended for the Enforcer, Jin Chi. Su Yi had fused his essence, qi, and spirit into it. In addition to the Laws of Profound Ruin, it contained a trace of the Sword of the Nine Hells’ aura.

Now, he used it to kill Yuan Mu instead.

Mere moments later——

Boom!

Several thousand feet away, the skies exploded, the air currents scattering like mad.

Yuan Mu exploded, destroyed in body and soul.

This tyrannical scene left even the spirit sparrow unwittingly startled. It was a manifestation of the Laws of the Graveyard of Fallen Immortals, and it could clearly sense that Su Yi’s slash would have threatened it, too!

“Your... Your Excellency Su!” Old Man Stargazer’s face filled with terror, and he flung himself to his knees and begged. “Might you... Might you give this old man an opportunity to make amends?”

The only answer he got was a ruthless streak of sword qi.

Splurt!

Old Man Stargazer’s body split, and his soul dispersed.

Off in the distance, the Heavensdeath Demon Empress was inwardly excited. An opportunity to make amends? Nothing but dog farts! Earlier, you were insidious to the extreme, you old bastard...

“How satisfying!” Meng Changyun’s chest heaved with emotion. It was like watching someone build a tower and invite guests to a banquet, only... for the tower to crumble! His earlier arrogance only made his demise all the more miserable!

Meng Changyun looked downright exuberant, and he longed to throw back his head and shout in the sky.

The Crane Fairy stood there in a daze, silent all the while.

Both Jin Chi’s misfortune and the deaths of Yuan Mu and Old Man Stargazer came as an enormous shock, and she still couldn’t calm down.

The spirit sparrow watched as all of this happened. It made no attempt to intervene.

It looked at Su Yi. “In the outer ring of the Graveyard of Fallen Immortals, there are rules to lean on, but in the secret origin grounds, there are no rules to speak of. If you wish to undergo trial there, you must be careful.

Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. “Did the Officiant you speak of order you to say that?”

The spirit sparrow shook its head. “I give the same warning to every trial-taker qualified to enter the secret origin grounds.”

With that, it beat its wings and disappeared into thin air.

“No rules to speak of? Does that mean that Jin Chi and the other Enforcers stationed in the secret origin grounds will be able to attack me without reservation?” Su Yi sank into thought.

“Brother Su, are you okay?” The Heavensdeath Demon Empress approached. She looked excited, but more than that, concerned.

“I’m fine.” Su Yi smiled. “My cultivation base is a bit drained, that’s all.”

“Your Excellency, I just knew your swordsmanship was unparalleled, and that your fortune is as grand as the heavens themselves. I knew you’d be able to turn the tides and avert this crisis! For all their schemes and skulking, they were nothing but a pack of bungling clowns. You can destroy people like that with a snap of your fingers!” Meng Changyun dashed over in high spirits, excitement written all over his face.

The old-timer made no attempt to disguise his flattery, and he was seizing the opportunity to lay it on with a trowel.

Su Yi ignored him. He scanned the area, then said, “Before I do anything else, I need to find a quiet place to cultivate.”

“Fellow Daoist, if you don’t disdain it, this Daoist temple is the safest place around,” the Crane Fairy suddenly spoke up. When the Custodian faced Su Yi, her gaze contained newfound awe.

“Many thanks.” Su Yi nodded.

......

Dense black clouds blanketed the skies above the Black Blood Ruins once more. The surrounding area was entirely desolate.

Outside the temple, the lamp cast its mottled light.

The Crane Fairy sat casually on the stairs. She said softly, “Fellow Daoist Heavensdeath, might you tell me about Fellow Daoist Su?”

The Heavensdeath Demon Empress sat beside her and inclined her head. “Senior, if you’re interested, I’ll naturally tell you everything I know.”

Meng Changyun stood not far away, beneath a crooked, withered tree. He instantly pricked up his ears; they’d piqued his curiosity.

Although he’d submitted to Su Yi, all he knew were the Temple Master’s accomplishments. He knew little of his reincarnation beyond that he’d once been sovereign of the Wilds.

Before long, the words were flowing out of the Heavensdeath Demon Empress.

Especially when she talked about Su Yi’s past. Rather than “explaining,” it seemed as if she were reminiscing about the living legend she remembered.

Meanwhile, Su Yi sat cross-legged within the Daoist temple.

His figure suddenly swayed, and in the end, he couldn’t hold it back any longer. Fresh blood dripped from his mouth, and his qi suddenly waned.

Even his skin was noticeably dimmer, and his long hair seemed to lose its luster. He was like a candle on the verge of burning out.

The key issue was that in the earlier battle, he’d used the Laws of Profound Ruin over an extended period of time, severely draining his cultivation base!

Moreover, at the last moment, he went so far as to draw upon the Sword of the Nine Hells to counter Jin Chi. He’d long since reached the end of his rope.

Now that he’d relaxed, his spirit, qi, and essence seemed to wither.

The key issue is that my cultivation base is still too weak... A hint of self-deprecation tugged at Su Yi’s lips.

He thought back to his time as the Temple Master, when he’d traversed the countless worlds of the starry skies, his sword dominating his entire era. He’d been all but invincible; even most Cosmic Enlightenment cultivators were unworthy of his attention.

Let alone Heavenly Longevity and Oneness Realm World Kings.

But just comparing our strength in the Profound Dao, both the former Swordmaster of Abstruse Force and my eighth lifetime as the Temple Master were far from comparable to my current self. That’s enough!

Su Yi’s heart was as tranquil as the waters of an ancient well.

He’d never been fixated on increasing his cultivation boundary at top speed.

He’d reincarnated to cultivate anew, so he ought to establish firm foundations at every step. Only then could he establish an unsurpassed Dao far beyond his past selves!

Su Yi took out his Dark and Gold Tokens. There were forty-seven of them in total.

In addition to his initial token, there were the trophies he’d taken from Luo Zihong, Wang Mi, Yan Feng, Qian Chuan, and Mo Rongshan.

Six of the tokens, he’d gotten from Meng Changyun.

He thought for a moment, then took a Dark and Gold Token and started cultivating.

Dark and Gold Tokens were condensed out of Dark and Gold Essence. They were rare treasures in their own right.

Su Yi only needed eighteen of them to qualify to undergo trial in the secret origin grounds. He could naturally use the extras to further his cultivation.

Boom!

The Dark and Gold Token trembled, then melted into overflowing Dark and Gold Essence, which flooded into Su Yi’s body.

It instantly nourished and strengthened his dried-out cultivation base, which recovered at startling speeds...

Just ten minutes later...

Su Yi had fully refined a token’s worth of Dark and Gold Essence.

And his cultivation base was about seventy percent recovered!

Because he was absorbing and refining Dark and Gold Essence, when he cultivated, it tempered his cultivation base, body, and soul, producing subtle yet readily apparent transformations.

Su Yi didn’t delay. He immediately grabbed another Dark and Gold Token and started cultivating.

Two hours later, he’d refined five of them.

His cultivation base blazed like a furnace. He hadn’t just returned to peak condition; he’d even advanced a step beyond his former limit, and his cultivation base had another layer of the vigorous, boundless quality of Dark and Gold Essence.

Even his mastery of the Laws of Rebirth, Withering and Flourishing, the Far Shore, Oblivion, and the End had improved; it seemed he was nearing mastery.

This was Dark and Gold Essence. It was the power of the Dark and Gold Star Realm’s chaos source, the birthplace of the countless Daos of the stars!

This power had endless wondrous applications. It didn’t just temper his cultivation base; it affected even his body, soul, and his mastery of the Laws of the Grand Dao!

This was why prominent factions like the Studio of the Heart and the Nine Heavens Pavilion had all sent their experts to the Dark and Gold Star Realm. Dark and Gold Essence was far too wondrous to overlook, but this precious treasure could only be found in the Dark and Gold Star Realm!