First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1072 - The Heavenly Yao Refines the Firmament

Su Yi and company proceeded toward Firecloud Cave.

Along the way, they didn’t disguise their presences. This made Wang Zhuofu’s heart quiver.

When he and the other Wang Family old-timers first entered the Ten Directions Yao Mountains, they proceeded with the utmost caution at every step, not daring to let down their guard. They feared nothing more than being targeted by vicious beasts or otherwise inviting all kinds of trouble.

Who’d have guessed that Ye Luo and Su Yi wouldn’t be the least bit concerned about any of this?

Is that young man really the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force? Wang Zhuofu’s heart shook.

Even now, he didn’t dare believe it.

Not long ago, rumors spread throughout the Wilds. They said that Su Yi had come from the Netherworld, and that he was impersonating the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force. He’d reportedly killed Huo Yao and subdued Ye Luo.

Wang Zhuofu had naturally heard these rumors. He found them quite astonishing, even. He couldn’t even imagine what kind of brazen madman would violate a taboo by impersonating the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force.

But when Su Yi rescued him, Wang Zhuofu witnessed his abilities with his own eyes. Now, he felt more confused than ever.

He dared say with certainty that the young man in blue was twenty years old at most!

But his cultivation base was without equal, unheard of!action

Furthermore, his combat prowess was unfathomably terrifying. Just a few snaps of the fingers, and he slew that massive black serpent and a swarm of Copper Fire Ants!

All of this seemed utterly out of the ordinary. Wang Zhuofu couldn’t help but suspect that the rumors were false, and that Su Yi really was the reincarnation of the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force!

Only then could he explain all the strangeness surrounding Su Yi.

Also, when he heard that Wang Que had been captured, he obviously realized that it was almost certainly a trap, but he nonetheless risked his life to come to Wang Que’s aid. If he weren’t really the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force, why would he go to such lengths for Wang Que?

But if that’s truly the case, wouldn’t that make Pi Mo… a traitor!?

This thought made Wang Zhuofu’s heart shake once more.

Over the years, Pi Mo had used his master’s name to establish the Abstruse Force Alliance. Their power and influence was vast, and they were at the height of their power!

If people found out that Pi Mo was really a traitor to the Grotto of Abstruse Force, it would trigger an unimaginable wave of uproar.

As Wang Zhuofu was lost in thought, Ye Luo and Su Yi conversed via transmissions.

“Master, don’t you think Wang Zhuofu’s appearance was a bit too coincidental?”

“If that Solar Demon Butterfly arranged this, it isn’t a coincidence at all.”

“Master, I understand that, but… do you think there’s a problem with Wang Zhuofu?”

Su Yi glanced at Ye Luo. “Truths and lies, fact and fiction. Does any of that matter to us?”

Ye Luo was stunned.

“We’re sword cultivators. To us, there’s no greater taboo than overthinking and second-guessing ourselves. That will inevitably lead to scattered thoughts, which will in turn influence our mental states,” said Su Yi. “From a certain perspective, only the weak will rack their brains to come up with schemes and tricks to defeat a stronger opponent.

“The truly strong have enough power to crush everything in their path. When they kill their foes, all they need to do is swing their sword. Why waste energy on scheming?”

Ye Luo was instantly ashamed. “I understand, Master.”

Su Yi shook his head. “No, you don’t. What I just said isn’t true for everyone. In fact, it only applies to me. You? Whatever you do, don’t try to imitate me. As an ancient master once said, ‘Those who learn from me flourish, but those who imitate me perish.’ Your goal ought to be an unbreakable, fearless Dao heart!

“When you’re weak, retreat and advance when appropriate. When you’re strong, you can overcome anything through sheer force and follow your heart without overstepping the bounds of what’s right.

“Whatever you do, don’t think fearlessness means disregarding everything or not caring about your life. Recklessly jumping into action is no different from throwing your life away.

“Finding the right balance and putting this into practice comes down to the heart.”

Here, Su Yi patted Ye Luo on the shoulder. “I said all of that, but at the end of the day, what matters is your mentality. Later, when you’re preparing to prove your Dao and enter Profound Unity, make sure to sift through and polish your Dao Heart anew. This will influence your future pursuit of the Dao of the Sword.”

Ye Luo was deeply moved, and he silently nodded.

Su Yi said no more.

When it came to cultivation, understanding what you needed to do was easy, but putting that knowledge into practice was difficult.

Learning more principles was useless. Without taking action, it was difficult to accomplish anything.

This was what they meant when they said that book learning was shallow, and that true mastery required practice.

“Strange. We’ve almost reached the Blue Ox Yao Emperor’s territory, but no yao have appeared to block our path,” Wang Zhuofu exclaimed. “Don’t tell me the Blue Ox Yao Emperor has long since realized we were on our way, and that he’s chosen not to interfere so that we’ll deliver ourselves right to his door?”

Ye Luo suddenly laughed. “Pi Mo went to great lengths to place this trap. If we sensed the danger and fled prematurely, wouldn’t all of his effort go to waste?”

He paused, then said, “I dare say with certainty that if we tried to retreat, the Blue Ox Yao Emperor wouldn’t be able to remain seated. He’d surely send his forces to intercept us.”

Wang Zhuofu couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. He still couldn’t help but think that Su Yi and Ye Luo were being a bit too courageous. They obviously knew that danger lurked at every corner, but they were still walking into it of their own accord. They weren’t stopping to plan first, either. It truly seemed insane.

When Ye Luo saw the look on Wang Zhuofu’s face, he instantly understood. Wasn’t I full of doubts earlier too?

It’s because both me and Wang Zhuofu have doubts and anxieties about this operation! We’re afraid of falling into an inescapable trap.

But look at Master! He isn’t at all concerned about any of this. Why? Because he has the strength and ability to crush all schemes and plans in his way!

‘Follow my heart without overstepping the bounds of what’s right?’ It’s only normal that I’d be worried. If I weren’t, it would make me foolish. However, I cannot let my worries affect my mental state…

Ye Luo’s heart instantly cleared, and he felt enlightened.

After proceeding forward close to another hundred miles, the sound of a signal horn emanated from afar.

Heaven and earth shifted, and the landscape trembled.

Su Yi looked over and saw churning yao qi soar into the heavens as countless yao surged out of the wilderness in groups. It was as if a tide were converging upon them.

In the blink of an eye, a grand army of yao cultivators blanketed this entire stretch of heaven and earth. Their baleful energy rose into the firmament, affecting the surrounding area.

Meanwhile, a similarly enormous horde of yao cultivators surged out of the rising and falling wilderness behind them. The dense army blanketed the landscape.

Wang Zhuofu was long since mentally prepared for this, but he nonetheless couldn’t help but gasp and mutter, “Have all of the yao cultivators in these mountains come out at once?”

The vast, dense horde stretched as far as the eye could see. There seemed to be no end to them!

“Even if there were more of them, they’re nothing but clay chickens and porcelain dogs. No need to concern ourselves with them, “Ye Luo said softly. “But I am curious to see how many Imperial Realm yao are involved.“

Su Yi took out a sip from a jug of wine. “Pi Mo’s trap couldn’t possibly be this unimpressive. I actually rather hope he doesn’t disappoint me.”

Pi Mo had cultivated alongside him longer than any of his other disciples. If he was weak or inept, it would only make Su Yi, his master, seem incapable…

This was a strange, contradictory feeling.

Boom!

A figure shot from the peak of a distant mountain, soaring into the heavens and standing beneath the firmament.

His hair and beard were sharp, and he was tall and stalwart. The sheer force of his blood and qi collapsed the surrounding space, and his momentum was tyrannical beyond measure.

This was none other than the Blue Ox Yao Emperor!

As soon as he appeared, he became the center of attention.

“You must be that Su…. What was your name again?” The Blue Ox Yao Emperor’s eyes blazed like twin suns as he gazed at the distant Su Yi, and his voice boomed like thunder, shaking the surrounding mountains and scattering the clouds.

“That bull sure is arrogant!” Murderousness appeared in Ye Luo’s expression.

“I’d quite like to see whether or not he’s got the skills to back his arrogance up,” Su Yi said flatly.

Wang Zhuofu, meanwhile, felt a chill course through him. This lineup looked simple, and the trap didn’t seem overly intricate, but that only made it even more terrifying.

Because at this point, there was no way of telling how many methods the Blue Ox Yao Emperor had prepared!

“Then go ahead and watch!” The distant Blue Ox Yao Emperor raised his hand and pointed at the divine mountain beneath him. His voice boomed, “Those three Middle Province Wang Family old-timers are confined within that mountain. If you’re capable of rescuing them, I’ll tell you where that Wang Que guy is confined.”

Here, he grinned, then let out a heaven-shaking roar. “Get in formation!”

Boom!

The massive swarm of yao cultivators blanketing the landscape immediately got to work. In the blink of an eye, they’d created a massive combat formation.

The formation covered an eighty-thousand-foot radius. Su Yi and company were right at the center of it, trapped on all sides!

It was as if heaven and earth had transformed into a cage!

“This formation is called ‘the Heavenly Yao Refines the Firmament.’ It connects with the force of the surrounding eighty thousand feet of wilderness, and it’s divided into nine layers, each overseen by a Profound Serenity powerhouse! Each layer of the combat formation combines nine subsidiary imperial level formations and the power of eight thousand yao cultivators!” The Blue Ox Yao Emperor stood with his hands behind his back and laughed.

“A formation like that can easily refine both mountains and rivers and incinerate the dome of heaven! With it, killing Profound Serenity Emperors will be no harder than turning over my hand!

“I’ve poured an enormous amount of effort into placing this formation, so I hope you don’t die too quickly. Otherwise, you’ll let down all my ‘good intentions!’”

His words boomed like thunder. He made no attempt to conceal his long-accumulated killing intent.

Wang Zhuofu’s heart sank. He was now fully aware that this was indeed a trap, and a shocking one at that. Furthermore, it really was targeting Su Yi!

Worst of all, the Heavenly Yao Refining the Firmament combat formation had already sealed off all possible escape routes!

“Master, this formation isn’t simple.” Ye Luo furrowed his brow. He could tell that the formation had already taken shape, transforming the landscape. It was full of lethal threats, and standing in its center was like standing within a massive prison. There was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

But then, it made sense. This was a formation overseen by nine Profound Serenity Emperors, and each of its nine divisions contained nine subsidiary formations and eight thousand yao soldiers!

By the Wilds’ standards, this was a peak-level killing formation, a rare sight!

And now, it was targeting them!

“All of the world’s combat formations are a collection of cultivators. If I kill until they can no longer combine their wills and cooperate, the formation will amount to no more than a paper tiger. I’ll be able to pierce it in a single thrust,” said Su Yi.

He flipped his hand and drew Moonlit shadow, then brushed his finger against the flat of the blade. He said calmly, “I’ll surely destroy this formation within ten snaps of the fingers.”