First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1309 - Another Meeting with the Fisherman

Su Yi couldn’t help but sink into silence.

Li Beishan’s heart thudded in his chest, and he took the initiative to break the silence. “My strength might be inferior to the Daoist Master’s, but in life, I was a peak Dao Integration Transcendent. My strength has declined since then, but I’m still comparable to a late-stage Nascent Divinity expert...”

He patiently explained his abilities in hopes of winning Su Yi’s approval.

When Wei Shan and the others heard that, they couldn’t help but gasp. By now, all of them understood that the Path of Transcendence was divided into three realms: Nascent Divinity, Dao Integration, and Cloud Soaring.

None of them would have guessed that this intelligent revenant, Li Beishan, was a peak Dao Integration expert in life!

They couldn’t even imagine how powerful Daoist Master Red Cloud, a descendant of immortals, was by comparison.

After all, the Ghost Scholar and Buddhist Master Blood Lantern were obviously much stronger than Li Beishan, yet Daoist Master Red Cloud had suppressed and killed them both in a flash!

“Fellow Daoist, Li Beishan’s strength might not be the greatest, but it’s because of this that he has an opportunity to leave and explore the outside world without fear of backlash from the Laws,” said Daoist Master Red Cloud. “In other words, at least for now, Li Beishan is as strong as it gets out there. Later, if you encounter enemies of comparable strength, you can have Li Beishan fight for you.”

Li Beishan nodded repeatedly. “Please rest assured, Your Excellency. If you permit me to follow you, I’ll work tirelessly on your behalf with no regard for my own life or death!”

He’d even changed how he addressed Su Yi. It was obvious how eager he was to seize this opportunity.

Su Yi thought for a moment, then said, “First, agree to two conditions.”

Li Beishan’s spirits soared. “Please, speak directly.”

“First, don’t act without permission. Second, don’t deliberately draw attention to us.”

And here Li Beishan thought Su Yi’s requests would be extremely strict. Despite himself, his heart had clenched with nervousness. When he heard Su Yi’s two simple requests, he instantly sighed in relief and agreed without hesitation.

“This is a little trinket I refined earlier. I call it the Moon Palace Branch. Please accept it, Fellow Daoist.” Daoist Master Red Cloud flipped her hand, and a nine-inch blue-green flying sword hovered above her palm. “You can use it three times at most. With it, killing revenants of Li Beishan’s level is entirely within the bounds of possibility.”

She made no effort to disguise the implied threat. Li Beishan instantly broke out in cold sweats; he understood that she was warning him.

“Is this an immortal-level talisman sword?” Su Yi asked with great interest.

Daoist Master Red Cloud explained, “It’s at most a Transcendent-level talisman sword emblazoned with a hint of the wondrous truths of the Immortal Dao.”

Later that day, the Netherworld King and Meng Changyun remained behind, while Su Yi, Wei Shan, Zhuang Bifan, and Li Beishan left the Impermeable Demon Ocean.

......

Along the way.

Su Yi sat in the flat boat, evaluating the spoils Li Beishan had gathered in the Ghost Scholar and Buddhist Master Blood Lantern’s lairs.

There was practically a mountain of treasure, including divine materials, pills, magic treasures, and secret legacies.

Practically all of them were Transcendent-level treasures. Their combined value was inestimable.

“Wasn’t the Ghost Scholar’s Spirit-Slaughtering Sword Formation comprised of twenty-four flying swords? So why do only twelve remain?” asked Su Yi.

When he and the Fisherman last fought, the Fisherman used the Grain Rain Flying Sword. It had glittered with immortal light and cleaved open the Southern Mountain Seal in a single strike.

Its shocking power had left a deep impression on Su Yi.

By now, he already knew that the Grain Rain Flying Sword was just one of a set of twenty-four.

“Your Excellency, I suspect that the other flying swords have been lost, damaged, or destroyed,” explained Li Beishan.

The revenants faced the catastrophe of the End of the Dharma. This didn’t just destroy their physical bodies; even most of their treasures were damaged, and that’s assuming they weren’t destroyed outright.

The Ghost Scholar and Buddhist Master Blood Lantern were historically among the most terrifying revenants of the Impermeable Demon Ocean, but most of their ancient treasures were damaged and incomplete.

“So that’s it,” murmured Su Yi. By comparison, this only made Daoist Master Red Cloud’s foundations and wealth all the more shocking.

She didn’t just have the time and energy to grow all manner of rare and precious fruits and vegetables. She even used them to cook and brew wine. Her wealth was simply extravagant.

Su Yi proceeded to sort the spoils. Unfortunately, only a small portion were medicines suitable for his cultivation. Furthermore, they were far from comparable to Daoist Master Red Cloud’s wine, the Years to Come.

But these Transcendent-level divine materials are useful. I can use them to reforge the Sword of the Human Realm. I could even... fuse the Dark and Gold Fortune Vine into it.

Su Yi sank into thought.

Back in the day, the Sword of the Human Realm was the weapon the Temple Master took the greatest pride in. It was forged out of Profound Magnetic Chaos Gold, a divine chaos material, and it contained a natural profound magnetic source.

Its quality wasn’t one whit inferior to the Dark and Gold Fortune Vine.

If he fused the two divine chaos treasures together, they would naturally transform completely!

It seems I’ll have to take a trip to the Divine Capital Star Realm, thought Su Yi.

The Divine Capital Star Realm was home to a place called the Divine Forge. It was famous throughout the Eastern Profound Star Domain, and it was seen as the greatest workshop around, a sacred ground for artificers.

The owner of the Divine Forge owned two divine treasures.

The first was a divine chaos treasure, the Thousand Wonders Furnace.

The second was the divine fire chaos seed of Nine Purities Dao Flame.

With these two treasures, the Divine Forge had produced too many dazzling, astonishing weapons to count.

When the Temple Master had forged the Sword of the Human Realm, he had gone to the Divine Forge to borrow the Thousand Wonders Furnace and Nine Purities Dao Flame. That aside, Su Yi also had to visit the Divine Capital Star Realm for numerous other reasons: investigating the Wei Family’s misfortune, reuniting with Qing Tang, and seeking out leads at Universal Emptiness Temple.

But before I do any of that, I have to take a trip to the Church of the River of Stars. Su Yi suspected that the Fisherman wasn’t really dead.

He understood the old bastard. He wouldn’t have set a trap on Black Turtle Mountain or tried to borrow the revenants’ power to kill his enemy without leaving himself an escape route!

......

Two days later, the Divine Origin Star Realm.

Red Bronze Divine Mountain.

This was the ancestral garden of the Church of the River of Stars. It was known as the greatest divine mountain in the entire star realm.

Whoosh!

The air rippled as Su Yi and Wei Shan appeared out of nowhere.

After leaving the Impermeable Demon Ocean, Zhuang Bifan bade them farewell and returned home.

Li Beishan had hidden himself in that fragment of bronze, which now hung from Wei Shan’s waist. Without Su Yi’s orders, this mighty revenant wouldn’t reveal himself recklessly.

“Temple Master, might I ask why you’ve graced us with your presence?”

A massive formation rumbled and boomed before the gates of the Church of the River of Stars. A figure emerged, then bowed to Su Yi and Wei Shan from afar.

He was a white-haired old man in wide-sleeved, elegant gray robes.

Su Yi’s eyebrows rose, and he muttered to himself, “Indeed, the Fisherman yet lives.”

“Did the Fisherman order you to wait here?” Wei Shan said gravely.

The old man in gray subtly inclined his head. “Our founder ordered us to show His Excellency the Temple Master this talisman were he to visit.”

As he spoke, he took out a talisman and held it aloft with both hands.

Bang!

The talisman shattered, transforming into a cloaked man in a conical hat.

The Fisherman’s avatar of will!

The avatar looked at the distant Su Yi and chuckled. “I knew I wouldn’t be able to trick you, Temple Master. Thus, I left this avatar of will here for you.”

Su Yi rubbed his forehead. “Does that mean the one who ‘died’ in the Impermeable Demon Ocean was just your clone?”

The Fisherman didn’t hide it. “That’s right. Although I worked with the Ghost Scholar and Buddhist Master Blood Lantern, I never trusted either of those inhuman revenants. Thus, I arranged an escape route a long time ago.”

Here, his gaze grew conflicted. “Still, I wouldn’t have thought you’d make it out of the Impermeable Demon Ocean alive. You’re truly... impressive!”

Su Yi’s gaze didn’t so much as waver. “You didn’t just leave your avatar here to make idle conversation, did you?”

The Fisherman wiped the smile off his face and subtly clasped his fist. “My true body is preparing to face tribulation in the Flying Immortal Forbidden Zone. He’s sure to step onto the Path of Transcendence before long. Before then, I hope you can show mercy and refrain from venting your fury on the disciples of the Church of the River of Stars.”

He paused, then said, “In exchange, even if I continue to target you, I promise never to implicate those around you again.”

But Su Yi just laughed derisively. “You’re dreaming.”

The Fisherman’s brow furrowed. “To the best of my knowledge, you reached similar agreements with Deng Zuo and Yan Daolin. Why refuse me?”

Su Yi said plainly, "Simple. I trust their character, but I don’t trust yours.”

After a moment’s silence, the Fisherman burst into laughter. “Indeed, you’ve never taken me seriously at all, Temple Master.”

His smile was extraordinarily icy. “In that case, when my true body returns, don’t blame me for using every means at my disposal!”

Su Yi couldn’t be bothered to waste any more time talking. He waved his sleeves, and...

Bang!

The Fisherman’s avatar of will shattered into a rain of light.

Over by the distant mountain gates, the white-haired, gray-robed elder looked stricken. “Your Excellency the Temple Master, I am the only member of the Church of the River of Stars here to defend this place. Even if you’re angry, surely... you won’t vent your wrath on someone so insignificant?”

Kccch!

A streak of sword qi exploded into being, cutting the old man down on the spot.

“What, am I supposed to refrain from swatting a fly so that it can continue to disgust other people?” Su Yi shook his head.

Wei Shan furrowed his brow. “Young Master, the Fisherman is truly crafty. He pretended to discuss terms with you, but he obviously sent his experts away in advance. He’s simply shameless!”

“Yes. That’s why I’ve never trusted a word the Fisherman says,” said Su Yi.

With that, he approached the mountain.

Clang!

The Sword of the Human Realm took to the skies.

When Su Yi exerted his will, it soared into the nine heavens.

Rumble! Boom!

Terrifying sword intent blotted out the sun. The surrounding mountains and rivers trembled, and the skies buzzed and wailed.

“You can run from the monk, but you can’t escape the temple. If I can’t find the Fisherman, I can just destroy the ancestral garden of the Church of the River of Stars,” murmured Su Yi. His clothing fluttered around him.

With that, he raised his fingertip and slashed the air.

Boom!

The Sword of the Human Realm descended, like the galaxy falling down to earth.

It was as if heaven and earth were caving in. Explosive, dazzling sword light stung the eyes, completely enveloping the distant Red Bronze Divine Mountain.

Light spread in all directions.

By the time the smoke and misty light dispersed, the greatest divine mountain of the Divine Origin Star Realm, the ancestral garden of the Church of the River of Stars, had been reduced to rubble.

A massive chasm lay where the mountain once stood, stretching seemingly endlessly into the distance.

The sight startled both the eyes and the heart.