First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2619 – Slapping Himself

The River of Destiny’s boundless waters flowed through the seemingly endless void. No one knew where it began, and no one knew where it ended.

The man in the feather coat and Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran appeared near the river, but turbulent spacetime separated them from the water. A single step might have carried them all the way to the river, but it might also land them in the endless void, completely lost.

“Young Mistress, make sure you’re seated securely,” the old man in the feather coat said gravely. His sleeves billowed around him as he raised his hand and tapped the void.

Clang!

The sword hanging from the white deer’s antlers suddenly shot forth, arcing through the void of time and space. It flew all the way to the River of Destiny.

Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran was surprised to discover that its sword qi seemed incomparably vast, unafraid of time and space, like a bridge traversing the turbulent void, stable and unmoving.

But at the same time, Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran noticed that the old man in the feather coat looked exhausted!

She sighed to herself. Given Uncle Qiongqi’s cultivation base, he’s long since been capable of disregarding the vast majority of Limitless Dao Lords, but now, merely activating that sword has taken such a heavy toll on him. It’s obvious how difficult it is to reach the River of Destiny…

Suddenly, a streak of black mist shot out of the distant River of Destiny, expanding until it blanketed the area like dense, leaden clouds. It was full of explosive, calamitous power, like a swarm of writhing serpents.

Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran stiffened, her hair standing on end.

The white deer wailed, quivering from head to toe as its eyes filled with dread.

But then, Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran bellowed, her voice booming like spring thunder. “Go!”

The bag hanging from the deer’s other antler shot forth, expanding as it flew until it resembled a vast abyss. It seemed capable of engulfing ten thousand worlds.

The Bag of the Tusita Heavens!

The bag was a supreme Eternal Treasure of limitless power. It was similar to a “world in the sleeves”, but it was even more unbelievable, as it could sever the power of the natural order, preventing a backlash from Eternal Laws!

When the treasure appeared, the black mist rising from the River of Destiny was instantly obscured.

“Let’s go!” The old man in the feather coat shouted, then led the deer onto the bridge of sword qi traversing the turbulent spacetime void.

Kaboom!

A terrifying impact rang out, as if the Grand Dao were collapsing. Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran’s soul trembled and her awareness grew muddied, to the point that she couldn’t see anything else at all.

It was as if she’d been plunged into the endless darkness of chaos.

Most terrifying of all, there was no fighting back. That terrifying power relentlessly assailed her heart and soul, leaving her on the verge of unconsciousness.

Fortunately, the deer carried her forward. Others, she’d have long since lost her capacity for movement.

It was only then that she realized why the Qiongqi Mountain Lord had brought the white deer with him.

The sword could pierce time and space, creating a bridge, while the bag could contain the backlash of the River of Destiny’s calamitous power.

And the white deer could carry her through it all!

It was immediately obvious that the Qiongqi Mountain Lord had prepared thoroughly for bringing her to the River of Destiny.

As her thoughts raced, she lost track of time until suddenly, everyone cleared up in front of her. She now found herself surrounded by endless water on all sides.

“Young Mistress Ling Ran, we’ve passed through the backlash of the Laws and made it to the River of Destiny,” said the old man in the feather coat, visibly relieved.

Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran noticed that his face was deathly pale, as if he’d just overcome an enormous tribulation. His eyes were noticeably dimmer.

“Thank you, Uncle Qiongqi,” Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran said solemnly.

The old man in the feather coat burst into laughter. “Haha, why thank me? Escorting you to the River of Destiny is this old man’s honor, Young Mistress.”

He made it sound like nothing, but Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran naturally could tell how heavy a price he’d paid for this.

The old man put away the sword and bag, then said, “Young Mistress, we’re going to Eight Views Mountain next. Master is there discussing the Dao with their founder.”

Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran subtly inclined her head, her heart full of eagerness. It had been a long time since she’d heard from that senior.

Just as they were about to leave, the old man said with feigned indifference, “Young Mistress, you’ll cultivate on the River of Destiny going forward. Given your status, you’re sure to rise to prominence. You… needn’t concern yourself with the God Domain’s affairs going forward.”

Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran was stunned. “Uncle Qiongqi, it seems you’re trying to tell me something.”

The old man inclined his head. “Earlier, I spoke with that friend of yours, and it seemed he had no strength of character in the face of good fortune.”

Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran’s gaze was strange. “Uncle Qiongqi, I think you’ve misjudged the situation. You could search the entire God Domain without finding another calmer in the face of good fortune. In that regard, he’s absolutely unparalleled.”

The old man was stunned. “Truly? Now I’m curious. Might I ask your young friend’s honorable name and surname?”

“Su Yi,” Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran said casually.

Su Yi! The old man suddenly froze, stunned. His aged face shifted erratically, as if something utterly unbelievable had occurred.

Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran didn’t notice; she was gazing into the River of Destiny, seemingly recalling something. “Fellow Daoist Su is absolutely one of a kind. He has numerous past lives, he controls the Epoch Spark and reincarnation, and…”

The man in the feather coat listened in silence.

A long time passed before he raised his hand and slapped himself across the face.

Whap!

The sound was crisp and clear.

This unusual scene startled Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran, who cried out, “Uncle Qiongqi, what are you doing?”

“I… I suddenly realized that I was the bungling clown all along!” The old man’s expression soured. His expression was full of bitterness, shame, and frustration.

Su Yi!

The Qiongqi Mountain Lord had naturally heard of him. Who hadn’t?

The thought that he’d spoken to Su Yi with such an air of superiority filled him with shame. He couldn’t bear to show his face.

Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran was stunned. Given Uncle Qiongqi’s status, how could he lose his composure like this?

He even slapped himself across the face!

“Uncle Qiongqi, given Fellow Daoist Su’s breadth of spirit, I’m sure he won’t take it to heart,” Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran said comfortingly.

“But I can’t just disregard it…” The Qiongqi Mountain Lord stopped in place and beat his chest. “It’s just a pity that I realized the truth too late. Now that we’ve reached the River of Destiny, we cannot return. Otherwise, I’d be sure to go back and apologize!”

“…” Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran got the sense that the situation wasn’t as simple as she imagined. Given Uncle Qiongqi’s status and strength, he shouldn’t have lost his composure like this over a cultivator of the God Domain. That suggests that Uncle Qiongqi knows about Su Yi, including secrets I’m not yet privy to!

“Just who is Su Yi, for you to care so much about this?” asked Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran. Her curiosity had been piqued.

But against all expectations, the old man in the feather coat maintained his silence; he was unwilling to discuss it any further. He just said that information regarding Su Yi was taboo, so he couldn’t share it.

He even told her that he’d been warned not to discuss it!

The whole thing left her unwittingly stunned. Even his identity is a taboo? Uncle Qiongqi was even specifically warned not to talk about him?

This… This is far too unbelievable!

“Young Mistress, if you want to know, you can ask Master after we reach Eight Views Mountain,” said the Qiongqi Mountain Lord, head slumped. “In any event… This old man dares not discuss it any further.”

Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran didn’t push him any further.

…

Meanwhile, back in the God Domain, Su Yi stood in midair and opened the jade box the Qiongqi Mountain Lord had given him.

It contained a thumb-sized jade bottle sealed with a restriction. It didn’t look at all special.

But Su Yi knew that the bottle contained Thousand Autumns Powder, and that it would come in handy when it came time to break into Eternity.

Su Yi examined it briefly, but in the end, he didn’t open the bottle. He just put it back in the jade box and put it away.

“To think that an old-timer of the River of Destiny would ‘warn’ me like that. It’s really quite interesting,” laughed Su Yi. Then, he set the matter aside and walked off.

Over the past few days, he’d parted the clouds obscuring his path, condensed the Light of the Heart, and found his way forward.

After leaving Cloudlight Village, he ran into Huang Yun and Huang Yanleng, siblings from the River of Destiny.

Huang Yanleng was an icy woman with hair as red as fire. Unlike her brother, she’d left an extremely deep impression on him.

Then, he’d participated in the meeting on Returning Dragon Mountain, killing all of the gathered Eternals’ clones and avatars. He bade Sovereign Venerate Ling Ran farewell almost immediately afterward. This, too, moved Su Yi and filled his heart with many thoughts.

Not long ago, he cast aside his scattered thoughts and decided to end his journey. He’d return to Sunset Perch Island, then do something big!

……

These were dark, turbulent times. The skies were bright with beacon fires.

But the turmoil had mellowed considerably since the establishment of the Myriad Daos and New World Alliance.

Still, everyone knew that sooner or later, these two alliances would fight for supremacy! Whoever one would preside over the entire God Domain, becoming the sole, uncontested hegemon of the Dark Days of Legend!

Given the circumstances, when word spread of the battle at Returning Dragon Mountain, it caused an unprecedented uproar.

Su Yi had single-handedly crushed Returning Dragon Mountain, cutting down the avatars and clones of dozens of Eternals!

When they heard the news, the world’s experts’ very perception of reality shook. It seemed like an absurd rumor.

After all, to the experts of the God Domain, those Eternal avatars were practically incarnations of the Will of Heaven. No cultivator of this world could shake them. Even Nine-Tribulation Master Gods were far from capable of that!

Who could have imagined that a whole group of terrifying experts of the River of Destiny would meet with disaster at Su Yi’s hands?

Heaven and earth shook. Everyone practically went insane. They couldn’t even imagine how something so unbelievable could have happened.

Word spread rapidly, and soon, everyone was discussing it. However, both the Myriad Daos and the New World Alliance remained silent. None stepped forth to refute the rumors.

It was their silence that finally convinced the masses that the battle at Returning Dragon Mountain had really happened!

Su Yi really had single-handedly slain the avatars of dozens of Eternals!

This development took the whole God Domain by storm, shaking the heart and everyone in it.

At the same time, dark currents flowed beneath the surface. A storm was gathering—and it was directed at Su Yi!