First Immortal of the Sword

Lingmang Peak, the territories of the Endless Clouds Yao Sect.

This was the second of the Church of All Spirits’ bases. It was home to a mid-stage MIracle Realm Immortal King and nineteen Immortal Lords, as well as roughly six thousand lesser yao cultivators.

Su Yi and his companions had only just appeared in the distance when…

Boom!

Monstrous, blood-red light shot from the peak. The power of countless formations surged throughout the surrounding three thousand miles, rising from the surface of the earth.

A killing formation blanketed heaven and earth, and Su Yi was right in the thick of it, thoroughly surrounded on all sides.

A deep voice rang out. “Immortal King Kong Ye? Were you the one who led the attack on Calabash Valley?”

A ten-thousand-foot figure appeared atop Lingmang Peak, like an ancient, primordial demon. His entire body was shrouded in blood-red yao qi, and his eyes shone like celestial bodies.

The Bloodbathed Yao King! He was an old fogey of the Endless Clouds Yao Sect, and his true body was a Purple Thunder Blood Ox. He was a true, natural-born variant species.

When the Bloodbathed Yao King appeared, hundreds of thousands of yao cultivators shouted and clustered around him. All of them seethed with murderous intent.

“Look! It seems they already know what happened in Calabash Valley,” Su Yi said thoughtfully.

This was to be expected. Both Calabash Valley and Lingmang Peak were among the Church of Endless Spirits’ bases. They had secret methods of staying in touch. No matter what happened to one base, the others would find out immediately.

But judging by the Bloodbathed Yao King’s questions, he had no idea that the Skyfire Yao Sect had already been crushed. Furthermore, he had no idea that the three of them were behind this attack.

The reason for this gap in his knowledge was easy to guess. The attack was over far too quickly. They’d arrived at Lingmang Peak less than an hour after crushing the Skyfire Yao Sect.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Kong Ye, who gave you the gall to trespass in the Church of All Spirits’ territory?” bellowed the Bloodbathed Yao King with monstrous fury.

But the only answer he got was a swing of Su Yi’s sleeves. Sword qi extended for thirty thousand feet and fell like the river of stars pouring onto the world below. Boundless sword intent filled heaven and earth.

Boom!

Three thousand feet of mountains and rivers shook. The killing formations covering the area broke like paper window paneling beneath that terrifying sword force, scattering with a bang. And when this strike landed, it was like the river of stars pouring onto the world below. The ten-thousand-foot Bloodbathed Yao King was unwittingly astonished, to the point that his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

What kind of attack is this!?

But there was no time for him to give the matter any further thought. That terrifying sword intent filled his heart with panic, and he reacted practically on instinct, striking with all his might.

“Break!” The Bloodbathed Yao King roared, his voice booming like thunder.

He swung his mountainous white bone spear into the descending sword qi with enormous force and momentum. Unearthly light swept outward.

But what happened next shocked and terrified every yao cultivator present.

Beneath that strike like the falling river of stars, the Bloodbathed Yao King’s full-force attack was as futile as a mantis trying to block a chariot. A deafening impact rang out, and the mountainous white bone spear snapped. The ten-thousand-foot-tall Bloodbathed Yao King died explosively on the spot! R̃á𝐍Օ𝖇ƐS

“NO—!”

“How is this possible?”

“Is that an Immortal King of the Dao of the Sword?”

…All of the yao cultivators were astonished, and their faces filled with despair.

They didn’t even have time to flee. When that boundlessly grand sword strike descended, Lingmang Peak collapsed with a bang, and the thousands of yao cultivators on its slopes were reduced to ash.

The slash even opened a chasm several tens of thousands of feet long on the ground. It was so deep that it almost seemed bottomless!

Kong Ye and Ying Xiu exchanged glances. He just eradicated one of the Church of All Spirits’ bases! Even an Immortal King failed to block a single attack!

“Let’s go,” said Su Yi. He turned and left without a single wasted word.

But his overbearing strength was on full display!

……

Celestial Palace Mountain, the site of the Church of All Spirits.

High Chief Libationer Wei Xun sat in a hall carved entirely out of black jade. He was flipping through an ancient text carved on bone slips.

He looked young, and he was dressed in long purple robes. When his eyes moved, they brought with them wisps of blood-red radiance. Even just seated casually, his imposing aura seemed capable of swallowing both mountains and seas.

“Right, is there any word from the Jadelight Pure Lands?” Wei Xun looked up and asked.

Last night, he made contact with High Elder Wei Yun of the Jadelight Pure Lands, who promised to represent his sect in submitting to the Church of All Spirits today!

Yet night was fast approaching, and there was still no word from him. Wei Xun couldn’t help but find this a bit strange. Don’t tell me something unexpected happened in the Jadelight Pure Lands?

“High Chief Libationer, we’ve yet to receive any news,” an elderly servant said respectfully.

Wei Xun furrowed his brow. “Very well. Let’s wait a while longer.”

He’d only just said this when a voice boomed from beyond the hall.

“Reporting to the High Chief Libationer! The Skyflame Yao Sect stationed in Calabash Valley has been destroyed. There were no survivors!”

A tall, stalwart man stood outside the hall, his head low. “Our forces are investigating for further details. We’ll know who the culprit was soon!”

Wei Xun put away the bone slips, his gaze icy. “There are still people in the Buzhou Mountains who dare to attack our Church of All Spirits?”

The stalwart man said in a low voice, “High Chief Libationer, Calabash Valley is just eight thousand miles from the Jadelight Pure Lands. I suspect… that they might have been behind this.”

Wei Xun’s expression grew strange. “If this was really their work, what are they thinking? How could they be so bold as to attack us with their paltry forces?”

He really didn’t get it.

After a moment’s thought, he said, “Keep investigating for further information.”

“Yes, sir!” The stalwart man dashed off, only to return just fifteen minutes later.

“Well?” asked Wei Xun. “Did you discover the culprit?”

The stalwart man said, “Your Excellency, we just received word that the Endless Clouds Yao Sect of Lingmang Peak has been destroyed!”

Wei Xun was dumbstruck. Barely any time has passed, but now, the Endless Clouds Yao Sect has been destroyed too?

Who did this? How could they be so frenzied?

“The Endless Clouds Yao Sect had the Bloodbathed Yao King to oversee things, yet now, it’s been destroyed. It seems the culprit had to at least be an Immortal King.” Wei Xun’s eyes flashed.

Wei Xun’s eyes flashed. “They started with Calabash Valley, then moved onto Lingmang Peak… Don’t tell me the culprits plan to kill their way to Celestial Palace Mountain?”

He burst into cold laughter.

The elderly servant beside him said softly, “No one would dare act wantonly on our territories! Not even top factions! No one would dare!”

Wei Xun subtly inclined his head. “No one with a functioning brain would seek out their own destruction like that, yet now, someone has really dared to attack the Church of All Spirits. Whoever they are, we cannot let them off lightly!”

His eyes flashed with murderous intent.

In the Buzhou Mountains, the Church of All Spirits was supreme. Try as he might, Wei Xun couldn’t think of anybody bold enough to attack them on their home turf.

“Your Excellency, should I report this to the other chief libationers?” asked the elderly servant.

“No need,” Wei Xun said flatly. “All we lost are a few of our auxiliary factions. They don’t amount to much.”

But then, yet another report arrived.

“Esteemed High Chief Libationer, the Hundred Stars Immortal Sect’s base at Redflame River has been crushed!”

Wei Xun’s expression instantly darkened. Someone crushed yet another of our bases? Don’t tell me they seriously plan to kill their way to Celestial Palace Mountain?

Wei Xun frowned. At first, he hadn't taken this at all seriously, but now, three of their bases had been destroyed in barely any time at all. Even Wei Xun had to admit that something wasn’t right here!

After all, although those three bases were run by the church’s auxiliary factions, all of them had an Immortal King to oversee things! Yet they’d still been crushed, one after another. This was clear proof of the killers' strength. It seemed entirely possible that multiple Immortal Kings were working together!

“Don’t tell me the three pure lands have joined forces?” Wei Xun sank into thought.

In the time that followed, he received one ill tiding after another.

“Esteemed High Chief Libationer, the Thousand Caves Five Colors Yao Sect has been crushed.”

“Esteemed High Chief Libationer, the Church of the Hovering Valley has been destroyed.”

“Esteemed High Chief Libationer….”

One messenger after another came to deliver bad news. For all Wei Xun’s shrewdness, he couldn’t help but feel stricken. Visions rose unbidden to his mind—a group of Immortal Kings charging into the territories under their jurisdiction, crushing their bases with unstoppable force as they made their way to Celestial Palace Mountain!

Even Wei Xun could no longer sit still. He shot to his feet and said, “Summon the other Chief Libationers, and command everyone in the sect to prepare for battle!”

If a group of Immortal Kings was really headed their way… there’d be no escaping a bloody struggle tonight!

But Wei Xun still doesn’t understand. What are those Immortal Kings thinking? Are they fools, or are they simply unafraid of death? How dare they attack the Church of All Spirits? Don’t they know that our church is backed by a deity?

Before long, the remaining Chief Libationers arrived and learned the news from Wei Xun. All of them realized how serious the problem was!

“They're obviously set on destruction, and they seem to be powerful. We have to make ample preparations before they get here,” someone said gravely.

“How dare they throw their weight around in our territory! No matter who they are, they must pay for their transgressions in blood!” someone said with seething murderous intent.

“Should we send word to the sect leader?”

“No need!” High Chief Libationer firmly rejected the idea. “The sect leader has been working on something big, and we cannot disrupt him. Besides, Celestial Palace Mountain is our territory! With the treasures the Divine Venerate gave us, we could send a Great Realm expert packing, never mind a pack of Immortal Kings!”

The others nodded.

“Let’s go. Let’s see just what Immortal Kings dare to kill their way to our doors!” said Wei Xun as he led the way outside.

The other chief libationers followed him. By now, all of them were aware that their attackers were too strong for their remaining bases to stop them.

Their best option was to crush these unknown enemies when they reached Celestial Palace Mountain!

As the last of the fiery light of dusk disappeared from the sky, the darkness of night descended over the peaks.

Only the hundred-thousand-foot Celestial Palace Mountain remained thoroughly lamplit. Its radiance illuminated everything on all sides!

Su Yi and his companions appeared in the distance.

The thirteen auxiliary bases they’d passed along the way had all been crushed. Not one had escaped intact.

Less than six hours had passed between leaving the Jadelight Pure Lands and arriving at Celestial Palace Mountain.

They’d crossed thirty thousand miles in a flash, with unstoppable momentum!

All that remained was the Church of All Spirits’ headquarters, and it was already in sight.

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