First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2547 – The Hidden Realm in the Pit

Su Yi pondered briefly, then reached a few conclusions.

The Dark Days of Legend had arrived just a few months ago. They were still in the first stage as described by the heart devil—the initial chaos and upheaval.

During this stage, Half-Step Eternals could wander beneath the heavens, but if they went all out, they’d have to face a backlash from the God Domain’s chaos source.

As for False Eternals like Lu Daoyuan of Ravening Wolf Daoist Court? They still dared not leave their spacetime forbidden zones.

In other words, the higher your cultivation, the less likely you were to risk entering the God Domain.

Yet here Xiao Jian was. He’d been spotted in the Southern Flame Divine Continent, and he’d even visited Sunset Perch Island!

That meant that Xiao Jian was either here as an avatar of will, or he was using some sort of treasure to disguise his presence and avoid a backlash from the God Domain’s chaos source.

That was the first of Su Yi’s conclusions. Su Yi also could tell that Xiao Jian had his own principles. He wouldn’t drag the innocent into his affairs. This was clear from how he’d rescued Tie Wenjing, as well as from his behavior on Sunset Perch Island.

Su Yi found this deeply reassuring, and gratifying. After all, Xiao Jian was his third incarnation. Had it turned out that Xiao Jian had no scruples, and that he was the type to wantonly massacre the incident, Su Yi would have been repulsed.

“That Xiao Jian isn’t me,” said Su Yi. He looked at Elder Mo. “But the Qilin Trading Company doesn’t need to worry. I’m his only enemy.”

Elder Mo was briefly stunned, but he quickly understood, and the two moved on to other topics.

Su Yi had come to the Qilin Trading Company, first to learn of recent developments in the God Domain, and second to use the eyes and ears the Qilin had all over the world to see if they had any leads on first-tier Fragments of Heaven’s Will.

They didn’t disappoint him. Before long, Elder Mo had shared a worthwhile lead——

They suspected that there was a first-tier fragment somewhere in the Barren Mountains of Divine Calamity, one of the Southern Flame Divine Continent’s greatest forbidden zones.

Of late, numerous powerful factions and experts had set course for the Barren Mountains of Divine Calamity.

“Ah, so it’s there.” Su Yi was a bit surprised.

Back then, he infiltrated Qingwu Divine Court, and he’d accompanied several of their experts on a mission in the Barren Mountains of Divine Calamity. He’d discovered three spacetime forbidden zones there, too

One of them was a run-down, ancient Daoist temple. It was there that he met an expert of another spacetime, Hong Taiyu.

Su Yi and Hong Taiyu had even conversed.

Elder Mo said suddenly, “Right, yesterday, the Qilin Trading Company received word that the Heaven-Swallowing Toad Ancestor was likely on his way to the Barren Mountains of Divine Calamity.”

The Heaven-Swallowing Toad Ancestor? Su Yi was stunned. He hadn’t expected that.

It wasn’t just the Heaven-Swallowing Toad Ancestor. Not long ago, several of his old friends had left Sunset Perch Island to fight for Fragments of Heaven’s Will in the outside world.

“Fellow Daoist Su, if you go to the mountains, you must be careful,” said Elder Mo. “The Dark Days of Legend have arrived, and three powerful factions have crossed over through the three spacetime forbidden zones in the Barren Mountains of Divine Calamity. They’ve long since taken over the mountains. Ordinary people no longer dare to venture near.”

He took out a jade slip and passed it to Su Yi. “This contains all of the information the Qilin Trading Company has gathered regarding the three spacetime forbidden zones in the Barren Mountains of Divine Calamity. Please have a look.”

Su Yi accepted the jade slip and read through its contents.

The three spacetime forbidden zones based in the Barren Mountains of Divine Calamity were Five Lightning Temple, Heavenly Yao Tower, and the Everlasting Palace.

All three had terrifying foundations. They were even stronger than the top factions of the present day!

Su Yi quickly realized that the Hong Taiyu he’d met back then was from Five Lightning Temple.

After reading the slip’s contents, Su Yi asked, “If, as you suspect, a first-tier fragment has fallen in the mountains, hasn’t one of the three factions from other spacetimes seized it?”

“They haven’t,” Elder Mo said with staunch assurance. “Yesterday, we received word that the suspected first-tier fragment fell in a hidden realm at the bottom of a massive pit in the Barren Mountains of Divine Calamity.

“The pit is an extremely strange, sinister place. The entrance is covered in five-colored divine radiance. Only Undying Realm Master Gods can pass through it. Others who attempt to draw near perish without exception.

“Over the past few days, no small number of Master Gods have entered the world at the bottom of the pit, but none have returned.

“Five Lightning Temple, Heavenly Yao Tower, and the Everlasting Palace have all tried to monopolize the pit, but none have succeeded.”

Su Yi couldn’t help but feel intrigued. It was just a hidden realm in a pit, yet none of the three mighty factions of other spacetimes could claim it. Moreover, it had drawn numerous Master Gods!

Just what kind of dangers and secrets were hidden inside? Was there really a first-tier Fragment of Heaven’s Will in there?

Su Yi already knew that the fragments didn’t fall at random, and that there were traceable patterns.

It was much like how a fallen leaf returned to its roots, or all rivers returned to the sea.

When the Fragments of Heaven’s Will rained down from the heavens, they were drawn toward the God Domain’s chaos source.

There was no doubt about it. The hidden realm in the pit deep within the Barren Mountains of Divine Calamity hid a portion of the God Domain’s chaos source incomparable to that found outside the mountains!

That was why a first-tier fragment had fallen there. As of yet, no one had fully excavated this good fortune.

Su Yi immediately made up his mind. He was going to explore the pit!

……

Half a day later, Su Yi appeared out of nowhere outside the Barren Mountains of Divine Calamity.

To avoid drawing attention, he’d disguised himself, taking on the appearance of the Temple Master. He wore Daoist robes, and he had a carefree, unfettered air about him, like an immortal wandering the clouds.

This place has changed a lot since I was here just a few years ago. It’s completely different… Su Yi gazed into the distance. He couldn’t help but feel the passage of time.

The skies over the numerous peaks of the Barren Mountains of Divine Calamity were overcast. Silver lightning flashed through the dark clouds.

The mountains were blanketed in fog, and an ancient, primeval atmosphere hung in the air.

A dense aura of the Grand Dao coursed through the mountains as if maddened, stimulating the plants’ growth and nourishing the creatures living in the mountains.

After the Fragments of Heaven’s Will scattered, the power emanating them created a rejuvenation of spiritual energy.

That was the cause of the changes in the Barren Mountains of Divine Calamity.

But everyone knew that this sort of rejuvenation was temporary. Once all of the Fragments of Heaven’s Will had been claimed, that temporary flourishing would end, and all would wither!

“Hm?” Much to Su Yi’s surprise, he discovered that by the time he arrived, numerous cultivators had gathered here from all over the place. All of them were shooting into the Barren Mountains of Divine Calamity.

It was quite the lively, boisterous scene

“Are you here in search of good fortune too, my young friend? Why not join us?” A benevolent-looking old man in gray approached with a smile and greeted Su Yi. “After all, traveling alone is far too dangerous.”

But before Su Yi could respond, someone laughed, “Little brother, whatever you do, don’t fall for it. That old man’s a black-hearted devil. He most certainly hasn’t come to these mountains in search of good fortune. Don’t let him deceive you.”

The speaker was a silver-robed dandy with a bamboo flute.

The old man’s expression darkened. “Lies and slander! When have I, Hu Taizhong, ever done anything of the sort?”

Although he said this, he seemed to have given up on approaching Su Yi. He turned to leave.

“Wait.” Su Yi called him back. “I’ll go with you.”

The old man was stunned. He looked Su Yi up and down once more, but in the end, he smiled and shook his head. “Forget it. Let’s just travel on our own.”

Even as he spoke, he slipped off, vanishing into the crowd.

“You’re the one who invited me to join you in the first place. How can you take the offer back after I’ve accepted it?” Su Yi raised his hand, then pressed down on the old man. He smiled. “Don’t you think?”

The old man’s expression shifted dramatically. He struggled with all his might, but it was to no avail. He realized that he’d really kicked an iron board this time, and his whole body broke out in cold sweats.

“Please show mercy, Your Excellency!” the old man hurriedly begged. “This junior understands his mistakes!”

Su Yi said slowly, “Come with me, and I’ll leave you a path to life. Refuse, and I’ll kill you on the spot.”

The old man’s expression shifted erratically, but in the end, he nonetheless said bitterly, “This junior… understands!”

The silver-robed man who’d warned Su Yi earlier couldn’t help but take another look at Su Yi. He seemed surprised.

Su Yi looked at him. “Do you want to come with us, too?”

The silver-robed man laughed. “I’m different from that old-timer, and I’m not as foolish as him. If you’re capable of entering the hidden realm in the pit, I wouldn’t mind giving you an opportunity to cooperate with me.”

With that, he took one last look at Su Yi, then turned to leave. One step, and he vanished deep into the mountains.

“That guy… isn’t simple,” whispered Su Yi.

The moment he first laid eyes on the silver-robed man, Su Yi discovered that he was in disguise too!

If that were the extent of it, Su Yi wouldn’t have cared. What really drew Su Yi’s attention was that even with his current cultivation base, he couldn’t see through the silver-robed man’s disguise or determine his true appearance.

“He isn’t simple? He doesn’t look special to me,” said the old man in gray.

Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh. “If you were capable of seeing that, how could we ever have gotten the chance to travel together?”

The old man was instantly embarrassed, ashamed, and frustrated. He really had erred in judgment this time. He’d thought he’d found easy prey traveling all alone. Who could have imagined that this young man was actually a deeply hidden expert?

“Come on, then. Lead the way,” said Su Yi. “Do well, and I’ll spare you. Play any tricks, and…”

Before he could finish the threat, the old man hurriedly pounded his chest and said, “Rest assured, Your Excellency. This junior knows what to do!”

With that, he started leading the way. Su Yi smiled and followed him.

This world had never lacked for crooks eager to profit from a disaster.

This gray-haired old man, Hu Taizhong, was obviously one such villain. When others risked their lives in search of good fortune, he instead targeted those who’d succeeded, stealing their spoils.

Unfortunately for Hu Taizhong, this time, he’d bumped into Su Yi.