First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1391 - Only if You Beg

Chapter 1391 - Only if You Beg

When the yellow dog, Xing Que, saw that Daoist Master Red Cloud was ignoring this topic of conversation completely, it considerately said no more on the matter.

Meng Changyun and the Netherworld King, however, were still worried. On several occasions, they started to speak, then trailed off. The atmosphere grew strange and stifled.

When the dog saw this, it couldn’t help but comfort them. “Rest assured and cultivate. It’ll be fine. That guy controls the power of reincarnation. Even if they kill him, he’ll just have to reincarnate again.”

“???” The Netherworld King didn’t know what to make of that. Is that supposed to comfort me?

Meng Changyun thought for a moment, then tried to comfort himself instead. “Seems to me that His Excellency wouldn’t have agreed to this duel unless he was certain he could emerge victorious!”

The dog snapped, “If you knew that, what the hell were you so worried about?

A moment later, it recalled something and blurted, “Last time, my mistress gave him the Nebula Talisman. Surely he doesn’t think that carrying this treasure means he can do whatever he wants without fear?”

“Given Fellow Daoist Su’s disposition, how could he possibly trust his life and death to an external treasure like that?” Daoist Master Red Cloud’s voice emanated from the vegetable garden. She’d finally broken her silence. “Besides, he most likely still has no idea what mysteries lie hidden within the talisman.”

The dog was stunned. “Does that mean that kid has other tricks up his sleeves?”

Daoist Master Red Cloud ignored it. Instead, she just casually issued orders. “Go find a sheep. We’re having hot pot for dinner tonight.”

......

Time passed, one day after another.

Word of Su Yi’s duel with Hong Feiguan at Mount Luowu had already spread throughout the stars.

Dark currents flowed throughout the Flying Immortal Forbidden Zone. A storm was brewing.

Given the circumstances, Hong Feiguan directly issued a proclamation. “Anyone who dares to interfere with this duel will become the enemy of the entire Hong Family!”

Not long after Hong Feiguan issued this proclamation, Mo Qingchou and her clansmen issued a proclamation of their own in Ancestor Mo Xinglin’s name.

They said that the Mo Family would serve as guarantors of this duel’s fairness!

Both proclamations caused enormous waves of uproar in the Flying Immortal Forbidden Zone.

The Hong Family was descended from the Immortal Realm’s heavenly demons. They were ancient, with terrifying foundations. They were among the greatest Immortal Dao-level factions in the entire Flying Immortal Forbidden Zone.

But the Mo Family wasn’t anything to sneeze at either. They were an Immortal Lord clan.

Two such major factions had made their positions clear. Who would dare to disregard them?

But there were also numerous peak factions unwilling to just give up here.

“The Hong Family wishes to monopolize the secrets of reincarnation? There’s no way!” someone laughed coldly.

“The Mo Family intends to ensure fairness? So what? I suspect they’re colluding with the Hong Family to monopolize the secrets of reincarnation! There’s absolutely no way I’ll agree to that!” someone said with staunch determination.

It didn’t matter whether the Hong Family monopolized the secrets of reincarnation or the Mo Family. Either way, there was absolutely no way the other factions of the Flying Immortal Forbidden Zone could tolerate it.

The moment that happened, their mastery of reincarnation would let them control all other revenants!

“We can refrain from getting involved in the duel itself, but we must get our share of Su Yi’s secrets!”

“That Su Yi person sure is a blockhead. I would never have guessed he’d insist on coming here to throw his life away.”

“It doesn’t matter whether he lives or dies. What matters is who acquires the secrets of reincarnation in the end!”

...In the eyes of the factions of the Flying Immortal Forbidden Zone, Su Yi’s duel with Hong Feiguan was no longer just a duel to the death. It would determine who left with the secrets of reincarnation!

Practically everyone seemed certain that if Su Yi showed up, there was no way he’d leave alive.

......

Seven days later.

Su Yi’s room in Universal Emptiness Temple.

The clear, impassioned hum of a sword rang out, startling Su Yi out of his meditative state.

When he looked over, he saw the Sword of the Nine Hells undergoing metamorphosis!

A waterfall of resplendent immortal light poured from the deep blue blade. Wisps of a divine air rose, like a dream or illusion. The entire sword shone as radiantly as the sun.

Su Yi could clearly sense that its quality and strength were in the middle of a shocking transformation!

It was much like when a cultivator broke into a new major realm. Their breakthrough started from within. It was akin to a rebirth, like a phoenix rising from the ashes!

When Su Yi glanced at the pile of divine materials, he saw that the Divine Replenishment Furnace had already refined them all.

And after absorbing all of their essences, the Sword of the Human Realm was completely different from before!

A long time passed before the impassioned humming and resplendent, misty light faded away.

The Sword of the Human Realm returned to stillness.

Its appearance hadn’t changed much at all, but its aura was even simpler and more reserved. It was as if all unnecessary details had been washed away, or as if it had been naturally formed.

When Su Yi took hold of his sword, it felt connected to him, like an extension of his flesh.

Clang!

When Su Yi exerted his will, the Sword of the Human Realm lit up. Its power was as deep as unfathomable as an abyss, and as steady as a mountain. The skies offered no more resistance than paper, shattering inch by inch. Countless fine spatial rifts formed and spread like ripples.

“Its sheer power is no weaker than the greatest of Transcendent-level treasures! And its spirituality and foundations are far beyond even top Transcendent treasures.”

“Not bad. Truly not bad.” Su Yi’s heart stirred, and he broke into a satisfied grin.

Of late, he’d killed too many powerful foes to count, accumulating countless Transcendent treasures. He could naturally tell at a glance how wondrous and extraordinary the new and improved Sword of the Human Realm was.

Quite some time passed before Su Yi put away the Sword of the Human Realm.

He then glanced at the Divine Replenishment Furnace, only to discover that even after devouring all those divine materials and medicinal ingredients, it hadn’t changed much.

At most, some of the patination on its surface had faded a little.

Su Yi couldn’t even imagine how many heavenly and earthly treasures he’d need to gather to restore the Divine Replenishment Furnace to its former peak.

But then, he wasn’t at all worried about it. As his cultivation base increased, he’d naturally gather even rarer and more precious spiritual materials and divine medicinal herbs. That wouldn’t just benefit the furnace, either. He’d benefit enormously too.

This was a true win-win.

Su Yi put the Divine Replenishment Furnace away and let out a long breath of turbid air before resuming his cultivation.

His cultivation base had already reached the very pinnacle of the Cosmic Enlightenment Realm. All he had to do now was consolidate it, comb through his experiences, and prepare to prove his Dao and enter Nascent Divinity.

The Nascent Divinity Realm was the first of the Three Realms of the Path of Transcendence.

Upon reaching the threshold of the Path of Transcendence, a Cosmic Enlightenment cultivator’s World of the Grand Dao would give rise to a Natal Spirit. This gave him an additional true vital energy of the Grand Dao!

With this vital energy, the World of the Grand Dao would manifest all manner of transformations, like the rise and fall of entire landscapes, the cycling of celestial bodies, and the shifting of the seasons with all their alternations of new life and decay...

This Natal Spirit was called the “Nascent Divinity!”

“Divinity” referred to the origin of the soul. It was only when this Natal Spirit fully formed that one could begin the process of transcending mortality.

This was the origin of the term “the Path of Transcendence” and the title “Transcendent.”

It was the quality of the Nascent Divinity formed within one’s World of the Grand Dao that determined the strength of a cultivator’s foundations!

Although Su Yi had never stepped onto the Path of Transcendence before, he’d read a vast number of tomes describing the Nascent Divinity Realm. The Universal Emptiness Sword Buddha and Sword Immortal Qingshi had shared its secrets with him too.

When Su Yi proved his Dao and broke through, he naturally had to condense a Nascent Divinity incomparable to others of the same cultivation boundary!

But just as Su Yi sat down to meditate, a dignified voice echoed throughout his sea of consciousness. “Allow this lofty one to give you a word of advice. Don’t rush to step onto the Path of Transcendence!”

It was like the divine decree of a heavenly sovereign, so tyrannical and contemptuous as to shake the soul.

“Oh?” But Su Yi was already accustomed to such things.

That wisp of his sixth incarnation’s awareness was restricted by the Sword of the Nine Hells, unable to escape, but he was still awake, and he had been for a while.

“Over the course of my life, I saw all manner of unparalleled figures. Holy sons born with innate knowledge and wisdom, miraculous geniuses, etcetera. They’ve long since ceased to be novel.

“I can say with certainty that if you rush to break through, you might still condense an extraordinary Nascent Divinity, but you’ll at most be invincible here in the Human Realm. You cannot attain unprecedented, unsurpassable heights!”

His sixth incarnation continued with cold indifference, “And if that’s all you can manage, how can you speak of becoming an unparalleled sword immortal when you step into immortality?”

“One wrong step, and every additional step you take leads you further down the wrong path. I’m sure you understand that too.”

Su Yi fell briefly silent, then asked with great interest, “Then how do you think I ought to break through?”

His sixth incarnation’s voice suddenly turned a bit strange. “All you have to do is beg, and I’ll tell you.”

Su Yi laughed dryly. “You’re dreaming.”

During the battle at Mount Clearmoon several days ago, his sixth incarnation offered to help him out of the blue.

At the time, Su Yi refused him without hesitation.

Now, his sixth lifetime was offering to “help” him once more. Su Yi could already guess what he was after.

This was an attack on his heart! If he “helped” Su Yi, Su Yi would owe him a favor.

Then, when the time came to fuse with his sixth lifetime’s Dao Imprint, this favor would likely become emotional fetters and a lethal heart devil!

“I’m dreaming?” His sixth incarnation was obviously displeased. He said coldly, “Remember this: you and I are ultimately the same person. I am saying all this because I don’t wish to see you take the wrong path and leave flaws in your cultivation!”

Su Yi laughed. “Seems to me you’re just looking out for your own well-being. After all, if my cultivation base is flawed, so what if your Dao Imprint replaces my awareness? You still won’t be able to fix the flaws I’ve left behind.”

His sixth incarnation fell silent.

A little while later, he sighed deeply. “You’re right. My greatest regret was my inability to achieve unparalleled and unprecedented sovereignty within the Immortal Dao. As a result...”

His voice trailed off. Instead of continuing, he abruptly changed the subject. “But I can say with certainty that if you follow my guidance, you’ll be able to establish unprecedented foundations in the Path of Transcendence and forge an unparalleled path that would dazzle any era it appeared in!”

Here, his sixth incarnation’s voice filled with fervor, revealing a hint of longing. “I discovered this path before I reincarnated, and I paid for it with my life. It happened while I was fighting unparalleled and powerful foes from throughout the heavens!

“It even triggered a resonance with the Sword of the Nine Hells! I dare say with certainty that so long as you step onto this path, you’ll achieve unprecedented and unparalleled heights within the Immortal Dao, and your sword will be able to suppress the entire Immortal Realm!

“Do you... want to obtain them?”

This last sentence contained a power that touched the heart directly.

But Su Yi’s heart was as calm as the waters of an ancient well, and he said as if all of this were perfectly normal, “I’ll only agree if you beg me.”

“????