First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1773 - Two Secrets

The mountain fell silent. The atmosphere was so oppressive that the crowd could barely breathe, let alone talk.

They couldn’t possibly agree to a battle in the Abyss of Dark Fog, but they couldn’t possibly disregard Su Yi’s threats, either!

What were they to do?

They’d already publicly declared war against Su Yi, and all eyes were upon them. If they gave up just like that, what face would their six factions have left?

Nan Wujiu looked at Qi Nie. “Daoist Brother Qi Nie, before we issued our proclamation, you said you were completely confident that Su Yi would agree to duel us. Now look what’s happened. How do you think we should resolve this?”

Qi Nie’s gaze was shifting and uncertain. Finally, he sighed. “There are only two paths left to us.”

“Our first option is to agree to fight in the Abyss of Dark Fog and do everything in our power to settle things with Su Yi.”

The crowds’ eyelids twitched, and they exchanged glances. It hadn’t been long at all since thirty-plus Immortal Kings had disappeared in the Abyss of Dark Fog. Who’d fight Su Yi in that blasted place if there were any other choice?

Qi Nie swept his gaze across the crowd and continued, “Our section option is to announce to the world that Su Yi refused our duel at Heaven-Scraping Ridge and rescind our offer.”

The crowd’s expressions were instantly even more unsightly. If they made such an announcement, everyone would know that the six factions had made a terrible move!

“But that doesn’t mean we won’t take action,” said Qi Nie. He took a deep breath and said gravely, “If we can’t defeat him openly, we can attack him covertly!”

“Our next step is to dispatch our forces. All six of us can send the pawns we’ve placed throughout the Immortal Realm to search for Su Yi.

“At the same time, we can make contact with the other factions hostile to him and work together to capture those close to him!

“Of course, we have to do all this in secret.”

By this point, everyone was starting to calm down. Qi Nie continued, “I dare say with certainty that Su Yi still has reservations. He doesn’t dare to have a full-on falling out with us, because he isn’t strong enough for an all-out conflict. Otherwise, given his disposition, I’m afraid he would have attacked a long time ago. Su Yi needs more time to grow.

“We cannot snuff him out immediately, but we have to take pre-emptive action and make ample preparations to remove this latent threat!”

The others were completely clear-headed by now. It was just as Qi Nie said. Su Yi already represented an enormous latent threat!

“Then what kind of preparations would you have us make, Fellow Daoist?” Xuan Zhong’s eyes flashed.

The set leaders weren’t stupid. After this incident, all of them realized that removing this latent threat wasn’t going to be at all easy.

Qi Nie pondered briefly, then said, “Everyone, by this point, we might as well lay everything out in the open. There’s no further need for secrecy.”

Their gazes focused.

Qi Nie continued calmly, “I have just two things to say. Furthermore, I dare say with certainty that you’ve heard them before.

“First, the gods have already started taking action, and over the next year, they’ll employ various means to send their divine sons and daughters into the Immortal Realm.”

The others remained silent. Their expressions were all different, but none of them looked surprised.

There was no doubt about it. They knew this secret already!

“The divine children are acting on their deities’ orders, and they’re after two things. First, they’ve come to wait until an opportunity to achieve divinity arises. They hope to beat the competition to the punch, condense Godheads, and forge Divine Thrones before everyone else can.

“Second, they want to snuff out Su Yi, the heretic who controls the power of reincarnation!”

Qi Nie’s gaze was heavy, but his voice was soft. “We can cooperate with the divine children and borrow their hands to kill our enemy!”

The others nodded.

Qi Nie continued, “That’s the first matter I’d like to discuss. The second involves breaking into the Great Realm. As I’m sure you all already know, the Laws of the Immortal Realm are changing rapidly. The golden age we’re now enjoying is nearing its peak.

“All of this means that after the withering and desolation of the Age of Fallen Immortals, the Immortal Realm has gone from one extreme to another!

“To cultivators like us, proving our Daos and entering the Great Realm is no longer an impossibility!” Qi Nie’s eyes flashed as he swept his gaze across the crowd. “I’m sure you know that everything I said is true.

“And I won’t hide it from you: our Church of the Pure One began its preparations years ago! If all goes as expected, in the days ahead, several of our Immortal Kings will break into the Great Realm!”

“Of course, I suspect your orthodoxies started taking similar action years ago. You’ve already started planning your breakthroughs into the Great Realm, haven’t you?”

The crowd didn’t deny it.

Sect Leader Nan Wujiu of the Church of Divine Flame said, “Since you’ve laid all that out in the open, I won’t keep this secret any longer either. Within three months, our church will usher a divine daughter into the Immortal Realm.”

The crowd’s expressions shifted inscrutably.

The Church of Divine Flame was an ancient orthodoxy. Even prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals, it had been one of the Immortal Realm’s three great Demonist orthodoxies.

This was an ancient faction without a divine backer. Who could have imagined that they’d made contact with a deity, much less that they’d be bringing in a divine daughter within just three short months?

Sect Leader Xuan Zhong of the Church of Supreme Oneness chuckled. “Since you’ve been so forthright, I’ll naturally be open with you too. We too plan to usher in a divine son. Furthermore, we’re completely confident that nothing will go wrong.”

When people revealed their open secrets, there really was no need to maintain the facade of secrecy. On the contrary, revealing a little muscle served as a sort of deterrent, preventing others from looking down on you.

“Our sect has found an ancient hidden realm with opportunities to break into the Great Realm. We suspect that it has existed since the Primeval Era. Many of our Immortal Kings have gone into seclusion inside.”

All of the sect leaders started confessing everything they’d been hiding at once.

Were these secrets to reach the outside world, they’d be sure to shake the entire world.

Only Tu Yun, the leader of the Church of the Exquisite Goddess, felt displeased. He sat there glumly, not saying a word.

The reason was simple. His Church of the Exquisite Goddess had long since begun preparations too, but just last night, a certain someone destroyed both their goddess statue and the White Bone Divine Lamp. In doing so, he’d completely ruined their plans to usher in a divine son.

Even worse, eight of their Immortal King libationers had died brutal deaths at Su Yi’s hands. Even if chances to break into the Great Realm arose, their church had almost no one left to seize the opportunity...

When he compared their situation to the other sects’, how could Tu Yun possibly be happy?

“Simply put, the gods will all send their divine sons and daughters into the Immortal Realm, and chances to break into the Great Realm will soon reappear,” said Qi Nie. “Su Yi needs time to grow stronger, but we need time too. We need time to usher in the divine children and seize opportunities to enter the Great Realm.”

“In the end, this is a contest to see who can grow stronger in the allotted time!” Here, Qi Nie’s voice revealed contemptuous self-confidence. “I refuse to believe that Su Yi’s strength will be sufficient to contend with those divine sons and daughters!

“And I certainly don’t believe that he can contend with experts who’ve risen into the Great Realm!”

The others nodded their agreement. It was just as Qi NIe said. In this contest against Su Yi, the latent threat looming over their heads, they were racing to see who could prepare the most thoroughly and grasp the most trump cards in the allotted time.

They had to seize every available moment!

But the thought that their “declaration of war” would end in such an anti-climax still left them deeply displeased...

......

The White Reed Province.

Su Yi was on the road to the ruins of the Academy of Eternal Night. He’d already learned of the six immortal factions’ response.

They’d issued a joint proclamation that Su Yi had refused to fight at Heaven-Scraping Ridge, so they’d canceled the duel outright.

When the Zhuyou Great Peng heard the news, it couldn’t help but sigh. “Indeed, it’s just as you predicted. The bastards wimped out! There’s no way they’d dare to fight you in the Abyss of Dark Fog!”

Qi Fufeng couldn’t help but admire Su Yi. When we left the Church of the Exquisite Goddess, the Sovereign said that after being taught a lesson, the six factions would have no choice but to swallow their anger and endure in silence. Indeed, they won’t dare to kick up a fuss any longer!

And the reality of the situation proves that his prediction was right on the mark!

“All six factions are huge in scope, with their forces spread throughout the Immortal Realm. Unless they’re absolutely certain that they can destroy me, there’s no way they’d have the guts to risk a complete falling out,” Su Yi said distractedly. “In contrast, had I agreed to their terms out of concern for the hostages’ safety, I’d have been at an absolute disadvantage.”

The Zhuyou Great Peng agreed completely. “You’re absolutely right, Your Excellency. They can threaten the hostages, but you can naturally give them a taste of their own medicine. A tooth for a tooth! Ultimately, it all comes down to who’s more ruthless!”

Qi Fufeng couldn’t help but say, “But Your Excellency, what if they kill all the hostages in a fit of rage?”

“They wouldn’t dare!” Before Su Yi could respond, the Zhuyou Great Peng laughed, “His Excellency is concerned about the hostages, but they have reservations of their own. If they provoke His Excellency, he can just go around killing their subordinates!”

Su Yi pondered briefly, then said, “They might not dare to kill the hostages, but there’s no way they’ll just let this go, either. That said, none of that matters now. So long as I live, I’ll be like a sword hovering over their heads, and they won’t be able to eat or sleep in peace.”

It was true! So long as he lived, his enemies would be too afraid of collateral damage to try anything!

Ultimately, the problem is that I’m still too weak to wipe them all out at once. Otherwise, what need would I have to get tangled up in conflict with them? Su Yi murmured to himself.

He had a strong premonition that a crisis targeting him was fast approaching, and when it arrived, it would be too great to ignore!

But Su Yi wasn’t at all worried. On the contrary, he was looking forward to it!

He was a sword cultivator. How could he fear a bit of wind and rain?

Even if countless trials and tribulations lay before him, he could just cut through every obstacle in his path!

...

Meanwhile, in the Little Spirit Province, on the shore of the Eastern Sea.

A plain woman dressed like a peasant farmer led a yellow dog through the night at top speed.

“Mistress, I asked around, and it seems that Bluewater Grotto was destroyed during the Age of Fallen Immortals. Why bother visiting?” asked the dog. It was visibly confused.

“In the Human Realm’s Eastern Profound Star Domain, I agreed to do this for Fellow Daoist Su. I naturally cannot go back on my word,” the woman said calmly.

Su Yi’s tall, upright figure floated into her sea of consciousness.

It had been just three years since she’d last seen him. Who could have imagined that the former supreme sword cultivator of the Human Realm was already a legendary figure famous throughout the forty-nine provinces of the Immortal Realm?