First Immortal of the Sword

Boom!

A heaven-shaking impact rang out, and black fog swept out of the entrance of the abyss, like waters at high tide.

Heaven and earth were plunged into darkness reminiscent of an eternal night.

The cultivators outside had been waiting for over a month. All of them were instantly in uproar, and all of them moved further back as the darkness fell.

Fortunately, they’d been startled for nothing. After this sudden, terrifying development died down, the fog blanketing heaven and earth receded and disappeared.

The crowd was instantly excited, as once their vision cleared, they saw that the entrance to the Abyss of Dark Fog had reappeared!

“The entrance is back!”

“Does that mean the grand chase is finally over?”

“Don’t panic! Let’s just watch for now!”

…The crowd was in uproar as they nervously watched the entrance to the Abyss of Dark Fog.

Although no one noticed, a stranger had appeared in their ranks. He stood in the distance, his clothing plain and his hair in a Daoist topknot. A green-skinned wine gourd hung from his waist, and his features were casually handsome.

This was none other than Su Yi!

But he’d changed his appearance yet again.

When he saw the crowd fixated on the entrance and heard the commotion, Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh.

He turned to leave. It was already obvious to him that the incident at the Abyss of Dark Fog was to become a mystery. Try as they might, no one would be able to get to the bottom of it!

Just as Su Yi anticipated, numerous experts of the Immortal Dao joined forces to investigate the Abyss of Dark Fog. Alas, most of them could forget about finding any worthwhile leads. Attempting to investigate was little different from suicide.

That same day, word that the entrance to the Abyss of Dark Fog had reappeared spread as if it had grown wings, causing an enormous uproar.

No one could have imagined that both Shen Mu and the Immortal Kings of nine different factions would disappear inexplicably within the Abyss of Dark Fog.

They didn’t leave so much as a single trace behind!

This incident went on to become a mystery. Throughout the Immortal Realm, countless people debated the situation.

Was Shen Mu alive or dead? And what about all those Immortal Kings?

No one had answers.

……

A day later.

The shore of a grand and surging river.

It was dusk, and the fiery orange light of the setting sun reflected on the surface of the water like flecks of molten gold.

A little boat flowed downstream. Su Yi sprawled out onboard, using his arms as a pillow. His eyes were closed in contentment, and he gnawed on a blade of foxtail grass.

The wind blew past, stirring the billowing water. The sound seemed to flow right through him, cleansing his heart and mind.

With the ol’ ape there, there’s no way Gong Yuxun can leave the Abyss of Dark Fog. Furthermore, even if Great Realm experts enter the abyss to investigate, they’re doomed to leave empty-handed. 𝘙ἈƝóꞖЁȿ

Two days prior, he bade farewell to the sword-bearing ape and left the Abyss of Dark Fog. He’d withdrawn his aura completely, and no one had found any trace of him yet.

Next I have to figure out how I’m going to break into the Saint Realm.

This grand pursuit had increased his cultivation by leaps and bounds. He was already at the pinnacle of the Void Realm, just one step away from proving his Dao and entering the Saint Realm!

The Saint Realm was the third major realm of the Immortal Dao.

Those who reached this level condensed Saint Realm Laws within their Immortal Origin Spaces, and their souls underwent an additional transformation. They could now use their cultivation bases to realize all sorts of wondrous abilities, like manifesting objects out of thin air and “Transforming Stone into Gold.” They could even use a skill called “Soul Wandering.”

Manifesting objects involved using one’s power of the Grand Dao to create tangible items. These included mountains and rivers, trees and grasses, buildings, and elemental powers like wind and lightning.

Particularly powerful Immortal Lords could use their power of the Grand Dao to create stable hidden realms out of nothing!

Ordinarily speaking, Immortal Lords used this ability to manifest objects to condense Saint Realm treasures used in battle!

“Transforming Stone into Gold,” as the name implied, referred to transforming the very nature of an object! If bequeathed with the power of an Immortal Lord, even an ordinary blade of grass could undergo all manner of transformations and acquire new and wondrous applications.

“Soul Wandering” was, in truth, a way of gleaning enlightenment into the Immortal Laws of heaven and earth. When cultivating, the soul seemed to leave the body and wander amidst the ambient power of the Laws. This let Immortal Lords take their grasp of Immortal Laws once sense further. They could then use this understanding to temper and refine their own powers of the Grand Dao.

Ultimately, all of these abilities were connected to a cultivator’s Saint Realm Laws.

The stronger one’s Saint Realm Laws, the more unbelievably wondrous an Immortal Lord’s abilities were, whether they used them for Soul Wandering or Transforming Stone into Gold.

An old saying went, “Entering the Saint Realm is like becoming the lord of heaven and earth.” Thus, Saint Realm experts were also known as Immortal Lords.

Once I step into the Saint Realm, I’ll be able to crush any Immortal King beneath the heavens! thought Su Yi. But then, he shook his head. It was too early to think about all that.

However, he had a clear grasp of his own strength.

Taking down a mid-stage Miracle King with a Dao Domain, someone like Yu Wenqi, was entirely within his abilities.

Taking someone like Tai Zheng, a similarly equipped late-stage Immortal King, wasn’t all that hard either.

However, that was built on the assumption that he was fighting his enemies one-on-one with nothing but his own strength.

Against a group of top late-stage Miracle Realm Immortal Kings, he’d have to pay a heavy price to emerge victorious. It was even possible that he’d have to put his life on the line!

This was the limit of Su Yi’s abilities, the greatest power he could access within the Void Realm.

When I go to the Buzhou Mountains, I might well encounter similarly powerful foes. It would naturally be best to break into the Saint Realm before I arrive, but if I can’t… Well, I won’t force it.

As Su Yi pondered, he suddenly sensed something and looked into the distance.

The curtain of night descended upon the world, gentle as a layer of silk.

A massive tower ship had appeared on the distant surface of the lake. It was thoroughly lamplit, and a clamor of voices emanated from onboard, with intermittent peals of laughter. The commotion was particularly jarring amidst the stillness and tranquility.

A group of young people were feasting on board. Most were in their twenties, but a few were in their late teens. They were all talking and clinking glasses, and the atmosphere seemed joyful and harmonious.

The radiant lamplight illuminated the river’s surface, the billowing water glowing gold with dancing starlight, casting away the darkness. It was a dreamlike, ethereal sight.

Stars adorned the night sky, and the galaxy flowed like a silver river.

Watching from afar, Su Yi felt subtly, inexplicably moved. They were young, spirited, and full of vitality. They had none of the sophistication that came with overcoming the wind and frost of the ages. Instead, they had sharp, unbridled boldness.

Perhaps because he was no longer young, or perhaps because he recalled the days of his youth, his emotions stirred despite himself.

“Friend, crossing paths like this was a stroke of fate. If you’re not opposed, you’re welcome to drink with us.” A young man in jade-colored robes leaned against the tower ship’s railing and laughed when he saw Su Yi sprawled out on his little flat boat.

Su Yi was briefly stunned, but then, he couldn’t laugh too. Why? Perhaps because the young man had extended an invitation without asking any questions; he didn't even ask his name. They’d crossed paths here in this enormous world, so their meeting was a stroke of fate.

“I apologize in advance for the disturbance," said Su Yi. He got up, then leaped off his boat and onto the tower ship in a single bound.

The young man’s eyes lit up. “I see you’re a cultivator too, friend. Right this way.”

He then led Su Yi to a banquet hall and filled his cup.

The other diners seemed accustomed to such things. None found his inclusion strange.

Su Yi chatted with the young man in jade-colored robes between cups of wine. He felt thoroughly relaxed, and the atmosphere was quite enjoyable.

Some of the drinkers clustered into groups to discuss cultivation. Others recited poetry or showed off their own literary talents, while still others competed to see who could hold the most liquor. It was delightful and harmonious.

Occasionally, beautiful young women smiled and offered a toast as they curiously evaluated Su Yi, their unfamiliar guest. A few particularly bold young women even took the initiative to strike up a conversation with him.

Before long, even Su Yi had forgotten how much he’d drank.

“Friend, we’re playing a themed poetry game. Care to join us?” The young man in jade-colored robes held his cup aloft and walked over to Su Yi. He was obviously on the verge of complete inebriation,

Su Yi asked with great interest, “How do I play?”

The young man in jade-colored robes laughed. “Just recite a line of poetry with the word ‘drunk’ in it.”

Su Yi nodded. That was simple enough.

He swept his gaze across the guests, then gazed at the starlit surface of the river before dipping his finger in a cup of wine and writing a line of poetry on the tabletop.

The young man in jade-colored robes craned his neck to read it, but before he got the chance…

Boom——!

Off in the distance, the broad surface of the river exploded, and a mountain-sized vicious beast emerged from the water. It was fully ten thousand feet tall and shrouded in dark, baleful energy.

Two figures stood atop it, a man and a woman. Both wore masks to obscure their features.

“Shit! Those are experts of the Thousandblood Demonist Sect!” someone shrieked.

The lively atmosphere instantly fell apart. It was as if a cold wind had swept across the banquet. All of the young men and women looked stricken. The blood drained from the men’s faces, and the women looked deathly pale beneath their colorful makeup.

The Thousandblood Demonist Sect was a faction of heretical cultivators. People paled at the mere mention of their name!

Worse, the two people atop the massive beast were clearly here for them!

“How could this have happened? We never offended the Thousandblood Demonist Sect!” The young man in jade-colored robes said glumly.

But it was then that Su Yi got up. “Many thanks for your hospitality, everyone. It’s time I got going.”

The crowd was stunned. You’re leaving? How could you possibly leave now?

Off in the distance, the two people standing on the beast’s head burst into jeering laughter. They’d obviously heard Su Yi too.

“Little wretch, if you manage to escape, I’ll…” the man said darkly, but before he could finish…

Sword qi flashed into being, like the river of stars pouring into the world below. Everyone felt a piercing pain in their eyes.

By the time their field of view cleared back up, the massive beast and the two heretical cultivators atop it were nowhere to be seen.

All that remained of them was the thick blood staining the river red.

“This…”

Everyone was stunned, and for a moment, they almost thought they were seeing things.

A moment later, they came to their senses and realized that their new drinking companion had vanished without a trace.

“This time, it seems me… encountered a mighty expert straight out of a legend…” murmured a young woman.

Waves of emotion coursed through the others’ hearts. One slash and the catastrophe targeting them simply split and fell apart!

Such abilities really did befit a legendary, otherworldly expert!

The young man in jade-colored robes walked over to where Su Yi had been seated and read the poem written in wine on the tabletop.

“Drunk, I forget that the sky I see in the water is just a reflection. A boat laden with dreams forges through a river of stars.”

Outside the tower, stars decorated the night sky, like a flowing celestial river.

Reflected lamps and starlight danced on the surface of the churning current below, but there was no longer any trace of that mysterious, otherworldly expert.

Looking back on everything they’d just experienced, it really did seem like a dream...

Seth's Thoughts

“醉后不知天在水，满船清梦压星河。”

“Drunk, I forget that the sky I see in the water is just a reflection. A boat laden with dreams forges through a river of stars.”

This is a line of poetry by Yuan Dynasty poet Tang Gong. He is not famous; a cursory google search yielded no useful English language results. The only English translations of this poem I found are on Quora.

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