First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2529 – A Message from Lin Jinghong

Su Yi had indeed made some preparations for the onset of the Dark Days of Legend.

When a nest was overturned, no eggs remained intact. Similarly, when the world changed, none could remain uninvolved.

Especially Su Yi, since he was being targeted by numerous powerful enemies. Sunset Perch Island would inevitably become a popular target by extension, too.

Thus, Su Yi had used the past several years to make several preparations for the crisis to come.

Of course, if Sunset Perch Island was destroyed, it wouldn’t matter. What he really cared about were the people leaving here.

That was all.

“Brother Fuyou, just how high is your cultivation base now?” Wan Zitian asked suddenly.

The old-timers all turned to look at Su Yi. They were all wondering the same thing.

Over the past few years, Su Yi hadn’t once fought, but every time they saw him, they were astonished to discover that his presence seemed even plainer and more unassuming. By now, he seemed no different from an ordinary mortal.

Even the carefree charm of his movements had vanished.

These old-timers were all at the peak of the Undying Realm, but even when they used their divine senses to examine him, they couldn’t sense the fluctuations of Su Yi’s cultivation base.

He really did seem just like a mortal!

“I’m not sure either,” said Su Yi. He pondered briefly. “I’ve spent the past few years tempering my heart. It’s hard to describe changes of the heart in terms of specific levels of cultivation.”

He wasn’t hiding anything from them. No Attachment, No Form was all about tempering the Heart Soul. The Heart Soul’s transformations would, in turn, silently transform his cultivation base, soul, blood, and qi.

Furthermore, just as his allies saw, the more he tempered his Heart Soul, the more withdrawn his aura became. By now, no one could sense it.

His presence was once more as plain as an ordinary mortal’s, like a patch of grass or a rock lying by the side of the road, or a mote of dust floating between heaven and earth.

He’d blunted his sharpness, unraveled his complexities, dimmed his brightness, and become one with the dust!

Anyone who saw him would take him for a mortal without a cultivation base.

In the eyes of his old friends, his current state seemed extraordinarily mysterious and unfathomable.

“How about you and Ol’ Wan spar?” Spear Demon Zang Wushu said out of nowhere. “A few years ago, Ol’ Wan broke through the barriers in his path and finally touched the threshold of the River of Destiny. He sensed a trace of the Eternal Realm. You two are both sword cultivators, so I’m sure he’s been itching to spar with you for a long time now.”

Wan Zitian was stunned. He smiled and chastised his old friend, “Zang Wushu, don’t tell me that you aren’t interested in sparring with Brother Fuyou, too?”

When they saw that he was about to back down, the other old monsters all started egging him on.

“Ol’ Wan, a true sword cultivator never admits defeat!”

“That’s right! What are you worried about? A sparring match, that’s all. Win or lose, it’s just practice.”

“You lost to Brother Fuyou back then, but now, you’ve finally reached a higher level. Don’t you want to avenge your defeat?”

“Don’t wimp out! Hurry up and fight!”

Wan Zitian naturally understood that his old friends were trying to provoke him, but they’d indeed given voice to exactly what he was thinking!

“Brother Fuyou, do you…” Wan Zitian looked at Su Yi, the will to fight burning in the depths of his gaze.

Su Yi smiled, set down his teacup, and rose. “Let’s try it.”

The two of them flew into the heavens.

Everyone on Sunset Perch Island instantly stopped whatever they were doing and paid attention. Luo Qingdi, Luo Xuanji, Lu Qingmei, Yi Chen, and the others all gazed into the firmament.

“What is Father doing?” Yi Chen couldn’t help but ask.

“Sparring,” said Lu Qingmei. “Aren’t you curious about how strong he’s become?”

Yi Chen’s eyes flashed. “Naturally.”

It wasn’t just him. Everyone else on Sunset Perch Island was wondering the same thing.

“Want to make a bet?” The Five Desires Demon Venerate said with enthusiasm.

“What kind of bet?” said the other old monsters. All of them felt tempted.

“On the victor, of course.”

“That’s far too boring. How about we bet on how long Wan Zitian can hold out against Brother Fuyou?”

“Ee? Do you really think so little of Ol’ Wan’s chances?”

“Tch. It’s not that I look down on him, but even six years ago, Brother Fuyou was already capable of defeating those who’ve touched the threshold of destiny. Who doesn’t know that?”

“Uh…”

“Then let’s bet on how long Ol’ Wan lasts!”

“Wonderful!”

They didn’t disguise their conversation, so Wan Zitian heard every last word. His temper instantly flared. “Brother Fuyou, don’t hold back. Give it all you’ve got!”

Su Yi laughed. “I understand. Holding back would be disrespectful!”

Wan Zitian took a deep breath. His qi rumbled and boomed, coursing through the nine heavens. Overflowing, unstoppable sword force swept out in all directions, sweeping across thirty thousand miles of the Endless Ocean.

The clamor of voices instantly died down. Silence descended over the area. Even the old monsters couldn’t help but be impressed by Wan Zitian’s terrifying majesty.

A doorway to Eternity lay at the far end of the Undying Realm. Those who touched it surpassed their contemporaries, obtaining strength sufficient to crush others of the same level.

Wan Zitian was now one such expert.

If he fully crossed that threshold, he’d transcend the Undying Realm altogether and step into Eternity!

Of course, there were also special cases. Di E, for instance, had placed just one foot over the threshold, making him a Half-Step Eternal.

“I can tell that you’ve fused the Grand Dao of Divine Execution into your path,” exclaimed Su Yi.

Wan Zitian’s breakthrough was quite shocking. His sword force was starkly different from before.

Wan Zitian had nothing to say on the matter. He just said gravely, “Brother Fuyou, if you please!”

“Let’s begin.” Su Yi inclined his head.

……

The battle was over within moments.

Remnants of sword qi coursed through the skies, shredding the clouds and tearing open massive rifts. Even the radiant light of dusk had been cleaved into countless pieces.

A deathly silence fell over the area. Even the birds had ceased to sing.

Not even the wind blew.

Everyone stood there in a daze, visibly bewildered.

Wan Zitian stood beneath the dome of heaven in silence, his expression shifting erratically.

He’d attacked three times. Each of his attacks were his strongest to date. He was confident that they’d have killed the vast majority of Nine-Tribulation Master Gods.

But…

Su Yi had neutralized all three attacks simply by raising his hand. They couldn’t shake him in the slightest!

And when Su Yi raised his hand and pressed down, he completely suppressed Wan Zitian’s sword force, effectively sealing him in place. Even his cultivation base stagnated, leaving him unable to even struggle!

Just like that, Wan Zitian lost.

All of this was entirely outside of the onlookers’ expectations. They’d all figured they could borrow Wan Zitian’s hands to see just how strong Su Yi had become.

None of them had guessed that Wan Zitian, someone who’d touched the threshold of destiny, wouldn’t even be able to shake Su Yi!

Naturally, they didn’t get the chance to probe Su Yi’s true abilities.

A long time passed before Wan Zitian laughed bitterly. “I… lost…”

His heart still couldn’t remain calm. Earlier, when he fought Su Yi, he felt as if he were facing an ordinary mortal. Su Yi didn’t seem threatening at all.

But when Su Yi attacked, he suddenly seemed like a majestic divine mountain connecting heaven and earth. What unparalleled Dao of the Sword? What ultimate killer weapons? None of them could shake Su Yi in the slightest.

When he fought Su Yi, he felt like an ant trying to shake a tree, utterly paltry and ridiculous.

Su Yi warned, “Cultivating your strength without cultivating your heart is no good. Next, you ought to put more effort into tempering your Dao Heart. Only then can you advance further along your path.”

Wan Zitian nodded, then committed that to memory.

Meanwhile, the onlookers reacted as if awakening from a dream. They’d finally snapped out of their astonished stupor.

Wan Zitian had failed to probe Su Yi’s true abilities, but all of them knew that those experts who’d touched the threshold of Eternity were no longer any match for Su Yi.

“Ol’ Wan, you lost too quickly. I lost a whole bunch of treasure on you!”

“Ol’ Wan, are you satisfied now?”

“Whatever you do, don’t lose heart! You lost to Brother Fuyou, so you have your honor even in defeat!”

The old monsters all gathered around Wan Zitian to reassure him. They were worried that this defeat would deal him a painful blow.

Wan Zitian said expressionlessly, “If I couldn’t cut it, you couldn’t either. I have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“…” The crowd fell silent.

When Wan Zitian took in their furious expressions, he instantly felt much better. He burst into uproarious laughter.

Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh too.

These were the joys of a gathering of old friends. Their hearts were aligned, so they could drink and make merry, or joke around and tease each other without reservations.

“Brother Fuyou, what do you think your odds of victory would be if you ran into Di E now?” asked Zang Wushu.

Wan Zitian had failed to probe Su Yi’s limits. Zang Wushu was obviously a bit unwilling to accept this.

Su Yi pondered briefly. “I’m getting stronger, but how could Di E not be making progress too? He’s spent the past several years in seclusion, heedless of worldly affairs. No one knows just how many breakthroughs he’s made.”

He paused, then said, “There’s no way of knowing without fighting him myself.”

Everyone agreed completely.

It was true. All of the world’s old-timers had gone into seclusion to focus on preparing for the Dark Days of Legend. When they next entered the world, they’d all have transformed completely!

Disregarding everyone else, the old-timers in seclusion here had all made varying degrees of progress.

…

Later that very day, Su Yi received an entirely unexpected letter.

It was from Lin Jinghong!

The daughter of Demon God Lin had only revealed herself to him once since arriving in the God Domain. That was back at the battle of Skybright Mountain, where she’d attacked Di E and forced him and that little girl back!

It was also then that Su Yi learned that, upon reaching the God Domain, Lin Jinghong and A’Cai went straight for the Central Divine Continent, the famed place forbidden to all alive.

They were apparently searching for something.

Strange. Why would that woman contact me out of the blue?

As Su Yi pondered, he started reading the missive’s contents. By the time he’d finished, his eyes were narrowed, and he fell completely silent.