First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1301 - A Trap!

The sound reverberated within the grave.

Then, the ground silently split, and a figure rose into the air.

He was a man in a conical hat, plain cloth robes, and straw sandals. The shadow of his hat obscured half of his face.

He looked like he was in his thirties or forties, with a thin face, a willowy beard, and graying temples.

His eyes were as clear and bright as an infant’s, but when they moved, they shone with the vicissitudes of countless years, inadvertently revealing the mark of the ages.

The Fisherman!

The leader of the Church of the River of Stars, one of the strongest factions of the stars.

Wei Shan, Zhuang Bifan, and the others were instantly solemn.

“If you were already capable of escaping, why linger here?” Su Yi could tell at a glance that the Fisherman had broken free of the power he’d placed to seal him.

“I was waiting for you, naturally. I have to avenge this humiliation,” said the Fisherman, a bit rueful. “Two years ago, we met on the banks of the Reincarnation Pool. You were only an Emperor, yet now, you’ve already achieved Oneness. Reincarnation is the greatest of forbidden Daos for a reason.”

Su Yi said thoughtfully, “I can tell you’re quite confident.”

The Fisherman was as steady as iron, and he killed decisively. He wasn’t any weaker than Yan Daolin of the Nine Heavens Pavilion or Deng Zuo of the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect.

The Fisherman laughed. “If I weren’t confident, why would I have waited for your return?”

He gestured at the grave beneath his feet. “You sealed me in here. Today, I plan to return this grave to its rightful owner!”

“Go ahead and try it,” said Su Yi.

The Fisherman laughed. “Don’t be in such a rush. First, I’d like to introduce you to a few experts of the ancient era. They’d like to chat with you too, Temple Master.”

As he spoke, his expression filled with solemnity, and he clasped his fist at the skies above a nearby peak. “Please reveal yourselves, Seniors.”

There really is something amiss here, Su Yi thought to himself.

Zhuang Bifan and his companions instantly realized this didn’t bode well. How could they fail to realize that they’d stepped into an expertly prepared trap?

A rain of immortal light suddenly surged beneath the dome of heaven.

Immediately after, three figures appeared one after another, seemingly out of thin air. All of them were like gods or immortals, their bodies swathed in an extraordinary aura.

Shockingly, all three were intelligent revenants!

And each had a more terrifying presence than the one before!

Zhuang Bifan and the others’ hearts sank. This really is a trap! And they placed it here just for the Temple Master!

Su Yi’s eyes narrowed. “No wonder you’re so fearless. So, you’ve sought refuge with revenants.”

His voice was dripping with unconcealed mockery.

But the Fisherman laughed, not at all concerned. “I’ve received these three seniors’ guidance and teachings on numerous occasions over the past few years. To me, they’re like teachers, and friends, too.”

His gaze was rife with meaning. “This is what they mean when they say that fortune and disaster go hand-in-hand.”

“Then you ought to thank me,” said Su Yi. “After all, how could you have obtained this good fortune had I not suppressed you here?”

An effeminate voice suddenly rang out. “If you wish to receive similar good fortune, your opportunity has arrived.”

A monk with greenish eyes and pale blue robes approached from beneath the dome of heaven. His face was unearthly and beautifully handsome. His smooth cranium was emblazoned with a blood-red lotus.

The Fisherman introduced him. “Temple Master, this is Senior Lin He from an ancient faction of seekers of immortality, Orchid Temple. He was once a prominent expert of the Path of Transcendence.”

Su Yi responded with a perfunctory “Oh.”

“I couldn’t possibly be worthy of such good fortune,” he said. “I’ll have to pass on this opportunity.”

The monk, Lin He, had a very strange aura about him. Between his eerie green eyes and the blood-red lotus on his head, it was obvious that he was no holy man.

“It seems our young friend is biased against but, but rest assured. We just want to talk. I trust that once you’ve learned of our good intentions, you’ll change your view of us,” said a tall man with a short bronze spear across his back.

His mustache was long and pointed, and he had a hearty grin on his face, but his presence was as terrifying and oppressive as a mountain in motion.

“This is Senior Hua Jing,” said the Fisherman before introducing him too. He was from a top faction of seekers of immortality. In life, he too had been an expert of the Path of Transcendence.

“What do you wish to discuss?”

Hua Jing said with a sincere look on his face, “We wish to comprehend the mysteries of reincarnation, and we request your assistance, Fellow Daoist.”

Complete silence greeted this declaration.

Zhuang Bifan and the others finally understood. These three intelligent revenants had set their sights on the mysteries of reincarnation!

“If you agree to aid us, we’ll naturally reward you generously,” said Hua Jing.

Su Yi said plainly, “And if I refuse?”

Hua Jing fell briefly silent. “In that case, we’ll just have to take your secrets ourselves.”

‘Take them ourselves?’ They make it sound good, but really, they’re just planning to steal them. Su Yi laughed. “In that case, we’ll have to see whether or not you’re capable of that.”

“I said it a long time ago, didn’t I? ‘We should just attack! No need to waste time talking!’ But you insisted on conversing with him. Don’t you realize that words alone have always been the most powerless of all?”

A woman shot over. She was dressed in black, with a fiery red whip wrapped around her slender waist.

Her bearing was cold and forceful, and her eyes were as sharp as sabers. As soon as she arrived, monstrous murderous intent permeated the surrounding air.

“This is Senior Liu Ying,” introduced the Fisherman. Just like Hua Jing and Lin He, she was from a sect of seekers of immortality, and she too hailed from the End of the Dharma.

“Temple Master, I know you aren’t afraid to die, but surely you can’t bear to see your companions fall here too,” sighed the Fisherman. “Why not cooperate just this once? Wouldn’t that be best for everyone?”

Su Yi glanced at the Fisherman and smiled faintly. “Want to guess what will happen if I tell them that the secrets of reincarnation are theirs so long as they kill you? What do you think your ‘fellow Daoists you see as friends and teachers’ will do then?”

The Fisherman’s eyelids twitched, and he instantly fell silent.

But the unearthly effeminate monk shook his head. “We can obtain the secrets of reincarnation by killing you, too. Why attack one of our own?”

Hua Jing said in complete agreement, “That’s right. A man can’t establish himself if others can’t trust him. We naturally wouldn’t do anything so disgraceful.”

Liu Ying nodded too, and the Fisherman’s expression immediately relaxed.

But Su Yi laughed. “That so? I’m actually quite eager to test that for myself. How about this? If one of you brings me the Fisherman’s head, I’ll be happy to give you the secrets of reincarnation in exchange.”

The three revenants looked at each other, seemingly a bit hesitant.

The Fisherman sensed this subtle shift, and his heart thudded in his chest. His expression was instantly unsightly. He gnashed his teeth and said, “Since when was the Temple Master so despicable!?”

“Don’t be afraid,” laughed Su Yi. “I’m just teasing you.”

"..." The three revenants’ expressions were instantly unsightly.

“Were you toying with us just now?” Liu Ying’s gaze was instantly murderous.

“Does that mean you were really considering offering me his head just now?” exclaimed Su Yi.

“....” The Fisherman glared at him.

“There really is no need to waste time talking. Let’s just attack,” Lin He said coldly. The depths of his eerie green eyes glinted with viciousness.

But it was then that a clear, hearty voice rang out.

“This person is under my protection!”

The voice spread throughout the surrounding area.

Everyone looked over and saw a handsome Daoist in a hibiscus crown walking through the air. He was headed right toward them.

Lin He, Hua Jing, and Liu Ying’s brows furrowed.

Su Yi was a bit surprised too. Who is this guy? Why pop out of nowhere to ‘protect’ me?

“Li Beishan, Black Turtle Mountain is no place for you to act wantonly,” said Hua Jing, his eyes flashing like lightning and his tone sinister.

“Sticking out your neck on another’s behalf? Seems to me you just want a piece of the pie,” laughed Lin He.

“You’re here alone. If you dare interfere, you’ll die beyond a doubt,” said Liu Ying slowly and emphatically, her murderous intent filling her surroundings.

It was obvious that the three intelligent revenants weren’t at all pleased by this handsome Daoist’s sudden arrival.

Meanwhile, Li Beishan smiled and clasped his fists. “Please, rest assured. I’ve come here to establish a positive karmic tie and take you to see someone extraordinary.”

Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. It seems... this is getting more and more interesting. It seems all of these intelligent revenants have set their sights on me.

“Hahaha, you want to take him away? Are you worthy of that, Li Beishan?” Hua Jing threw back his head and laughed.

Li Beishan said plainly, “I’m here on Daoist Master Red Cloud’s orders. Now do you think I’m worthy?”

Daoist Master Red Cloud!

A title, that’s all, but silence immediately descended upon the entire area.

Hua Jing’s laughter came to an abrupt halt. His companions, Lin He and Liu Ying, both looked flabbergasted.

Even the Fisherman couldn’t help but gasp.

He’d spent all these years trapped in the Impermeable Demon Ocean. How could he not realize that Daoist Master Red Cloud was among the three most terrifying of the ocean’s revenants?

Su Yi, meanwhile, quickly understood that some of the intelligent revenants were more terrifying than the rest.

Like this Daoist Master Red Cloud!

“You have no proof,” sorted Hua Jing. “For all we know, you’re just trying to scare us.”

Li Beishan fired right back, “Do you think I’d be so brazen as to use her name without her permission?”

Hua Jing’s expression filled with uncertainty. It was true; no one in the Impermeable Demon Ocean would dare impersonate her emissary!

“Any other time, we’d naturally give Daoist Master Red Cloud face, but this is different. We’re acting on behalf of the Blood Lantern Buddhist Master of the Endless Caverns!” Lin He said coldly. “If Daoist Master Red Cloud wants him, she can go find Buddhist Master Blood Lantern herself!”

Buddhist Master Blood Lantern of the Endless Caverns, Daoist Master Red Cloud of the Blood Lightning Ruins, and the Ghost Scholar of the Isle of Profound Darkness were the three strongest existences in the Impermeable Demon Ocean!

When Lin He reported Buddhist Master Blood Lantern’s name, Li Beishan couldn’t help but frown. The atmosphere was instantly stifled.

Just watching made Wei Shan and the others’ hearts quiver with fright.

But Su Yi was running out of patience. He turned to Li Beishan and said, “I don’t know what you’re after, but don’t intervene any further. If you do, I’ll consider you my enemy too.”

“????” Li Beishan didn’t know what to make of that. Does he think I’ve come with ill intentions?

He was just about to explain himself when Su Yi spoke once more. “And you. If you’re not going to attack, get out of here already.”

He swept his gaze across Lin He, Hua Jing, and Liu Ying. “Otherwise, you can forget about living any longer!”

The three of them were stunned. “???”

None of them could have imagined that someone they saw as prey and surrounded would dare be so aggressive!