First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 533: A Swoosh of the Sleeves, a Flick of the Finger

Chapter 533: A Swoosh of the Sleeves, a Flick of the Finger

“However…” Huan Shaoyou looked at the central jade platform, where the Xia Emperor was seated, and sighed. “I suspect that since the imperial family wishes to protect your life, they won’t agree to let you fight.”

He was deliberately spurring them into action; he worried that otherwise, the imperial family would intervene to stop Su Yi.

Numerous prominent figures couldn’t help but find this a pity. It was true; despite his young age, Su Yi was seated alongside them on the central jade platform. It was obvious how highly the imperial family valued him.

Given the circumstances, how could the emperor possibly just stand back and watch as Su Yi invited his own humiliation?

But against all expectations, the Xia Emperor laughed heartily and agreed. “So long as Fellow Daoist Su is willing to participate in the Orchid Terrace Dharma Assembly, how could the imperial family possibly stand in his way?”

The entire audience was flabbergasted. They were at a complete loss.

Xia Qingyuan couldn’t help but press her lips into a grin, her eyes narrowing into crescent moons. “Brother Su, whatever you do, don’t let him concede easily.”

“I guarantee I won’t give him the chance to admit defeat,” said Su Yi calmly.

Whoosh!

He shot forward, his blue robes fluttering around him as he drifted into the arena.

All eyes were instantly upon him.

Many found this hard to believe.

“Has this guy gone insane?”

“He’s just in the late-stage Origin Palace Realm. He’s a full realm beneath Huan Shaoyou. What, does he want to get hurt?”

“No matter what else you might say about him, he’s got guts. Were he anyone else, he wouldn’t dare try this; he’s like a moth to the flame.”

A commotion spread throughout the entire venue. Discussions rose up on all sides.

The higher-ups on the central jade platform perked up.?This Su Yi… really is gutsy, ignorant, and fearless…

However, Family Head Huo Mingyuan wasn’t the least bit excited.

In the battle of Cloudcomb Lake, Huo Tiandu, a mid-stage Spiritual Manifestation cultivator, died brutally at Su Yi’s hands.

Although Huo Mingyuan wasn’t there to see what happened, and although he didn’t know how exactly Su Yi managed to kill Huo Tiandu, he dared say with certainty that Su Yi wasn’t as weak as everyone seemed to think.

Still, it doesn’t matter who wins. So long as Su Yi has a complete falling out with the Huan Family, he’ll be in for disaster!?Huo Mingyuan laughed to himself.

Jiang Li’s phoenix eyes narrowed and glinted like stars.?We’re finally in for a spectacle.

The vast majority of those present thought poorly of Su Yi’s chances. Only those who understood his strength knew how terrifying this seemingly calm and detached young man was.

Gu Cangning, Zeng Pu, Chi Jiansu, and the other monsters of the ancient era were paying close attention.

“This…”?Daoist?Master Coldsmoke felt a bit dumbstruck. It was only last night that Su Yi said he’d find a chance to teach Huan Shaoyou a lesson.?Who’d have thought his chance would come so soon?

However, Daoist Master Coldsmoke couldn’t help but sweat on Su Yi’s behalf. She even found it difficult to understand why Su Yi would do something so insane.

Brother Su, you have to get even for Yuan Heng! Whatever you do, don’t let Huan Shaoyou off lightly…?Wen Xinzhao muttered to herself.

She’d been suppressing her rage for a long time. She wanted nothing more than for Su Yi to take action and cut Huan Shaoyou to ribbons.

Yue Shichan’s starry eyes lit up. She had a sudden premonition that Huan Shaoyou’s outcome was sure to be brutal!

“Master…” Yuan Heng’s eyes turned bloodshot, and excitement coursed through him. How could he miss that Su Yi was stepping in on his behalf?

Meanwhile, on stage.

When he saw Su Yi appear one hundred feet away from him, Huan Shaoyou narrowed his eyes, then broke into a broad grin. “This really is… unexpected…”

He then glanced warningly at Weng Jiu, who stood not far from the arena. “Old man, when the battle begins, unless Su Yi kneels, kowtows, and admits defeat, you are not to get involved. If you dare intervene, don’t blame me for my poor manners!”

Weng Jiu’s expression was a bit strange. He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Young Lord Huan, rest assured. I can swear to the heavens themselves that I shall not intervene.”

This response only made Huan Shaoyou narrow his eyes once more. For some reason, something didn’t seem right here.?However, he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Huan Shaoyou thought for a moment, then said slowly, “Su Yi, before we fight, might you tell me what your relationship is with Miss Shichan?”

Quite a few spectators were stunned.?Su Yi… is connected to Fairy Shichan too?

Su Yi said calmly, “Want to know?”

Huan Shaoyou laughed. “Of course.”

“If you can force me to take even a single step backward, I’ll tell you,” said Su Yi. As he spoke, he stepped forward, as if he were taking a leisurely stroll, and approached the nearby Huan Shaoyou.

He was dressed in blue, with a calm presence. He had no momentum or aura to speak of.

However, Huan Shaoyou’s?pupils constricted. He felt as if Su Yi’s every movement was full of openings, but at the same time, his defense seemed impeccable.

This blatantly contradictory sensation shockingly left him at a bit of a loss.

Huan Shaoyou’s eyelids twitched, and he broke into a broad smile. “Tch, I didn’t realize you were a hidden expert. But that just makes it interesting; if you were too weak, it would be boring.”

By the time he finished speaking, Su Yi was only thirty feet away.

Huan Shaoyou struck without the slightest hesitation.

Boom!

His jade robes billowed around him, and he surged with blood-red demonic energy. It soared into the clouds, and his majestic aura burst forth with its full power.

This caught numerous spectators off guard. When Huan Shaoyou faced Yuan Heng, he never once called upon this power.

Strictly speaking, over the past few days of the competition, they’d never once seen Huan Shaoyou use his full strength right off the bat.

I’m afraid… this Su Yi is no ordinary person!

Just as this thought occurred to many in the audience simultaneously, Huan Shaoyou clenched his hand into a fist, raised his right arm, and viciously slammed the sky.

Like a hammer breaking through the heavens.

The sky shook,?and terrifying?fist force shrouded in incomparably dazzling red demonic qi spread out, howling as it streaked through the air. It was like the terrifying and imposing roaring of a primordial demon god.

The Heavenly Demon Inauspicious Blood Seal!

This was an ancient demonic inheritance. When unleashed through Huan Shaoyou’s cultivation, a single attack could severely injure even an early-stage Spiritual Manifestation Realm cultivator!

As for why he unleashed such power right off the bat, his reasoning was simple. He might seem like a frenzied thug, but in truth, he wasn’t at all reckless.

Su Yi dared accept his challenge, and the emperor straightforwardly agreed to their duel. Between that and Weng Jiu’s promise not to intervene, Huan Shaoyou had already caught a whiff of something fishy.

And as Su Yi drew near, the sense of presence he revealed with every gesture made left Huan Shaoyou increasingly convinced that his opponent was a hidden expert.

Thus, as soon as he attacked, Huan Shaoyou unleashed his true strength!

Boom!

The arena shook as blood-colored demonic qi filled the air.

That terrifying majesty shook even the Spiritual Manifestation experts in attendance. All of them realized how fearsome this attack was.

Gu Cangning, Zeng Pu, Chi Jiansu, Chen Lu, Li Handeng, and the other ancient monsters and modern geniuses felt their pupils constrict.

Who could miss that Huan Shaoyou wasn’t the least bit complacent even against the Origin Palace Realm Su Yi? When he attacked, he struck with unstoppable force!

Only then could he avoid suffering an unexpected setback!

Whoosh~!

Raging winds ran rampant. Su Yi’s clothing fluttered around him.

His eyes shone with mockery, and he waved his sleeves.

A swath of clear, misty light swept through the air.

Bang!

The descending Heavenly Demon Inauspicious Blood Seal burst apart like paper mache.

Orchid Terrace fell completely silent.

It was just one casual, understated swing of the sleeves, yet it shattered Huan Shaoyou’s full-force attack!

That casual bearing left the audience wide-eyed with disbelief.

“He’s so strong!”

“Don’t tell me this Su Yi guy is a terrifying, heaven-defying existence too?”

“I just knew it! Even his servant fought his way into the top hundred. As Yuan Heng’s master, how could Su Yi possibly be ordinary?”

The entire audience was in uproar; the venue practically boiled over.

Those who’d rejoiced in Su Yi’s misfortune and those who viewed him as little more than a moth to the flame froze. Their faces stung as if they’d been slapped.

Even the Spirit Dao cultivators in attendance were stunned, and their expressions shifted. Just one attack was enough to prove how extraordinary the Origin Palace Realm Su Yi was!

“I just knew he was strong!” Zeng Pu clapped, and his eyes surged with lust for battle. “Just seeing him from a distance stimulated my body’s will to fight. How could he possibly be ordinary?”

“He really is quite something.” Chi Jiansu’s sharp, knifelike eyes glinted.

The other monsters of the ancient era and geniuses of the present day were visibly stunned.

However, Wen Xinzhao, Yue Shichan, Gu Cangning, and the others were comparatively calm.

As for the Xia Emperor and Weng Jiu, they weren’t the least bit surprised.

As expected! Father was right; Su Yi is already incomparable with other Origin Dao cultivators.?Xia Qingyuan sighed to herself.

Just one attack from Su Yi made the entire Orchid Terrace boil over.

The prominent experts seated on the central jade platform’s expressions shifted, and their eyes flashed.

Meanwhile, in the arena.

As sparks scattered like rain, Su Yi’s steps never ceased. He continued toward Huan Shaoyou.

“Haha, I knew you weren’t simple! If I hadn’t sensed the danger, you might well have pulled one over on me!” Huan Shaoyou smiled broadly, but his eyes shone with ruthlessness and bloodlust.

Before his voice finished ringing out, blood-colored demonic energy surged around him as he attacked once more.

His hands crossed, and he suddenly slashed the air.

Whoosh!

A bright red, circular blade swept through the air like a blood moon.

The Night Demon Blood Moon Slash!

When the circular blade appeared, it stirred up cold, bloody mists on stage, as if the arena had been cast into a crimson purgatory. Faint and illusory but terrifying projections floated up, like a horde of demons dancing in a mad frenzy.

Even watching from afar, numerous cultivators felt a stinging pain in their eyes and a rending pain in their souls. Their expressions changed immediately.

Even the Spirit Dao cultivators couldn’t help but gasp.

Both the sheer power and the Dao Charm infusing this slash far surpassed the limits of the Origin Dao. Even the Spirit Dao cultivators sensed a threat.

There was no doubt about it. When he sensed that something was amiss about Su Yi’s strength, Huan Shaoyou used his killer move without the slightest politeness! He had no intention of tangling with Su Yi whatsoever!

Su Yi’s eyes were as stagnant as the waters of an ancient well.

A demonic legacy like this was indeed mighty to the extreme. It was enough to make an early-stage Spiritual Manifestation Realm cultivator like Zhou Fengzhi give in to despair.

Alas, Su Yi had already stepped into the late-stage Origin Palace Realm; it wasn’t much of a threat to him at all.

He flicked his finger.

Beneath the crowd’s astonished gazes, the blade that resembled a blood moon split in two when it was just three feet away from Su Yi, as fragile as if it were made of glass.

Crack!?When it shattered, a crisp sound reverberated throughout heaven and earth and echoed through the air. A long time passed before it faded away.

He’d broken Huan Shaoyou’s killer move with a flick of his finger!

The entire audience was so stunned that they were at a loss for words.