First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2511 – The Greatest of the Unthroned

Typically, only your closest friends clapped you on the shoulder mid-conversation.

Yet now, Su Yi, his enemy, had clapped him on the shoulder. Huo Yunhu, a Limitless Dao Lord of the River of Destiny, found this deeply insulting.

His expression darkened, and he glared at Su Yi. “Rest assured that I’ll recount everything that happened here to the Heavenly Sovereign!”

His voice was utterly cold, but Su Yi just laughed. “That’s perfect. You can leave now.”

Huo Yunhu took a deep breath, snorted coldly, took Lu Qiu’s head, and left.

The moment he vanished, all of the onlookers silently sighed in relief. Su Yi might not have been afraid of Limitless Dao Lords of the Path of Eternity, but to them, Huo Yunhu’s aura was far too oppressive. They felt intense pressure bearing down on them just standing there.

“All of you can leave,” the Qilin Ancient said gravely. “Remember, you are not to spread word of what happened here today.”

“Understood!” Qi Jingxiao, Qi Wei, and the others nodded their assent and left. They knew that after everything that had happened here, the Ancient wanted to talk to Su Yi alone.

“Fellow Daoist, might you accompany this old man to the Ancient Eternity Secret Realm?” asked the Qilin Ancient.

“Alright.” Su Yi inclined his head. He really did have lots of questions for the Ancient.

For example, he wanted to know more about the Limitless Palace, Heavenly Sovereign Wen, and Eternal Thrones.

An hour later, in the Ancient Eternity Secret Realm.

Su Yi sat in silence, deep in thought.

The Qilin Ancient sat across from him. He didn’t interrupt.

“Ultimately, in the Eternal Heavens Domain, Eternal Thrones come with power, authority, and a secret chaos land. Heavenly Sovereigns are much like the emperors of the mundane world. Am I right?” Su Yi said softly.

“Exactly.” The Qilin Ancient inclined his head. “Secret chaos lands are like the leylines of mundane kingdoms. They’re the foundations of Eternal Thrones. Without one’s own secret chaos land, even if you were somehow strong enough to compare to Heavenly Sovereigns, you still wouldn’t be worthy of using the title yourself.”

In the Eternal Heavens Domain, chaos lands and the like weren’t rare at all, but the secret chaos lands the Qilin Ancient spoke of referred specifically to those imbued with a portion of natural mysteries of Eternity.

Only thirteen such secret chaos lands existed in the Eternal Heavens Domain. Anyone who owned one was effectively immune to tribulations and cataclysms, and they were worthy of the title of Heavenly Sovereign!

Heavenly Sovereign Wen controlled a secret chaos land known as Huangting Grotto. Huangting Grotto also doubled as the Limitless Palace’s ancestral ground.

Any Eternal who cultivated inside had no need to fear Karmic Tribulations!

According to the Qilin Ancient, Su Yi’s second incarnation had tried his entire life, but he never managed to acquire a secret chaos land of his own.

This wasn’t because of his non-competitive nature, but because eleven of the thirteen secret chaos lands had owners, while the other two were inaccessible. One was hidden deep within the Sea of Fate, while the other was sealed in the Abyss of Endless Tribulations.

Throughout the ages, countless battles had erupted as people vied for available Eternal Thrones.

Unfortunately, Su Yi’s second incarnation had missed those shocking, grand battles. He proved his Dao too late. By then, the old-timers in possession of Eternal Thrones were all already like living fossils. Not one was easily dealt with.

For example, no one knew how long Heavenly Sovereign had been alive.

Still, no one could discount Su Yi’s second incarnation’s strength. His Dao of the Sword was mighty enough to contend with true Heavenly Sovereigns! All he lacked was an Eternal Throne of his own.

Thus, in the Eternal Heavens Domain, they called him “the Greatest of the Unthroned.”

Su Yi asked with great interest, “So you’re saying that, at the peak of his strength, my second incarnation could have fought Heavenly Sovereign Wen?”

“Yes,” said the Qilin Ancient. He didn’t even pause to think. “But although fighting Heavenly Sovereign Wen off wouldn’t have been difficult for him, he’d have had practically no hope of actually defeating him.”

Su Yi raised an eyebrow. “Why is that?”

“Because of the Eternal Throne,” said the Qilin Ancient, a complicated look on his face. “In a true clash of individual strength, the authority and prestige of an Eternal Throne means nothing. However, Heavenly Sovereign Wen’s control of a secret chaos land makes him all but undefeatable!

“In Huangting Grotto, Heavenly Sovereign Wen represents the will of the heavens. No one can shake him in the slightest.”

Su Yi’s brow furrowed. “And in the outside world?”

“Master wouldn’t have been able to beat him there, either,” said the Qilin Ancient. “When one possesses an Eternal Throne, their cultivation base fuses with the fundamental Laws of its secret chaos land. No matter where they go, they can call upon this power as they see fit.”

Su Yi couldn’t help but be stunned. Only now did he understand how extraordinary controlling an Eternal Throne was. “So if I wanted to beat a Heavenly Sovereign, I’d need to seize his Eternal Throne first?”

“That’s right,” said the Qilin Ancient. He smiled bitterly. “But that’s practically impossible. After all, what Heavenly Sovereign would offer his Eternal Throne freely?”

He paused, then shared some ancient history with Su Yi.

There had indeed been attempts to seize Eternal Thrones, but all of these grand battles were between Heavenly Sovereigns and allies of the same level!

No one else was qualified to participate. Only Heavenly Sovereigns could defeat Heavenly Sovereigns and seize their Eternal Thrones!

This finally explained Heavenly Sovereign Wen’s promise, and why he was so confident that he could help Su Yi acquire an Eternal Throne of his very own.

Heavenly Sovereign Wen was capable of doing just that! No one else would have been qualified to make such a promise.

“Basically, those in possession of Eternal Thrones are the true rulers of the Eternal Heavens Domain, like incarnations of heaven’s will. They’re lofty and superior, and they rule over all others,” said the Qilin Ancient.

“Even our master could, at most, duke it out with Heavenly Sovereigns. Ultimately, he could never have defeated one because he lacked an Eternal Throne of his own.”

His voice filled with lamentation. “Were that not the case, how could Master have suffered a Karmic Tribulation? How could the Malevolent Sword Venerate ever have entered this world and replaced him?”

His questions were yet further proof of the wonders of Eternal Thrones, and how precious the accompanying immunity to tribulations was.

Su Yi raised a jug of wine and had a sip. He said softly, “Heavenly Sovereign Wen is unquestionably a prominent expert of the River of Destiny, yet now, he’s set his sights on reincarnation and the Epoch Spark. I’m afraid… there’s more to this than meets the eye.”

Something suddenly occurred to him. I should find an opportunity to discuss this with the heart devil in the rusted sword sheath!

“Now that you mention it, there was never any grudge or enmity between Master and Heavenly Sovereign Wen back in the day. The two just kept a respectful distance,” said the Qilin Ancient. “That aside, the Master was averse to worldly conflict. He and Heavenly Sovereign Wen met, but their interactions were superficial. I can’t for the life of me imagine why Heavenly Sovereign Wen would arrange for emissaries to come looking for you before the Dark Days of Legend have even begun.”

He sounded a bit confused. “Broadly speaking, there are only two possible explanations. I’ve been away from the Eternal Heavens Domain for far too long, and I’m sure it’s undergone numerous changes in my absence. Perhaps one of them explains it.

“The only other explanation I can think of is that your power of reincarnation and Epoch Spark are of critical importance to Heavenly Sovereign Wen’s cultivation!”

Su Y inclined his head. The Qilin Ancient’s analysis lined up perfectly with his own.

Su Yi and the Qilin Ancient went on to chat a while longer. The Ancient told Su Yi about the Eternal Heavens Domain and his second incarnation.

He didn’t learn all that much, but he now had a preliminary understanding of the Eternal Heavens Domain and a clearer picture of his second incarnation.

“Now that you’ve had a falling out with Heavenly Sovereign Wen, Limitless Palace is sure to view you with enmity,” said the Qilin Ancient, clearly a bit worried. “It seems to me that they’re sure to seek revenge during the Dark Days of Legend. When the time comes…”

But before he could finish, Su Yi laughed and interrupted him. “No need for concern. If Heavenly Sovereign Wen was really all-powerful, why would he have bothered sending people to negotiate with me?”

A contemptuous look appeared on his face. “I’ve spent my life fighting in pursuit of the Dao, and I’ve made countless enemies. Adding Heavenly Sovereign Wen to the list won’t make a lick of difference!”

The Qilin Ancient was stunned, then moved. He thought back to everything Su Yi had accomplished in the God Domain over the years, and he couldn’t help but nod. He really does have reason to say that with confidence!

……

The River of Destiny.

The Eternal Heavens Domain, Huangting Grotto.

Halfway up a picturesque mountain decorated with verdant pines, flowing waters, and gushing geysers, there stood a little thatched hut built on a flat clearing. It was clean, but plain.

A figure sat casually on a boulder in front of the hut, gazing into the distant sea of clouds. As the clouds churned, their turbulent waves gaze rise to all manner of wondrous phenomena.

Huo Yunhu stood not far away, back bowed and head lowered as he recounted his meeting with Su Yi. He quivered as he spoke; he knew he was on thin ice. He dared not hide anything that had happened, so he laid everything out in full detail.

The figure seated on the boulder faced away from Huo Yunhu, gazing at the clouds in silence. Even after Huo Yunhu finished his report, that seated figure did nothing.

This filled Huo Yunhu’s heart with anxiety. He maintained his bow, not daring to do anything reckless. His reverence was bone deep.

Time slipped by.

A golden crow appeared in the distant clouds. When it beat its wings, it was like a golden sun in motion, its searing radiance dazzling the nine heavens and dyeing the entire sea of clouds a striking, glittering gold.

It was then that the seated figure suddenly spoke. “Elder Huo, how many years has it been since you began your cultivation in the Limitless Palace?”

Huo Yunhu was briefly stunned. His face shifted as if trying to recall something.

But before he could respond, that figure sighed and rose from the boulder.

Invisible, terrifying pressure swept outward. The distant sea of clouds silently froze in place, and the soaring golden crow lowered its wings and prostrated itself in the sky. It dared not move without permission.

That formless pressure enveloped the entire mountain!

Huo Yunhu was a Limitless Dao Lord of the Path of Eternity, but even his heart clenched. His body stiffened, and the pressure on him increased rapidly.

He forced his terror back down, lowered his voice, and said, “Your Excellency, your subordinate has been serving the Limitless Palace for…”

“It no longer matters.” That figure shook his head. “In the face of Eternity, how could any amount of time mean anything at all?”

Then, he turned around, his appearance now visible beneath the light of the heavens.