First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1261 - The Immortal Dao Sword Diagram

The Primordial Unity Daoist Sect.

Misty light fell, and auspicious radiance filled the air. The ancient mountain range was dotted with numerous towers and pavilions.

From time to time, immortal cranes flew beneath the dome of heaven, letting out sonorous cries.

As the greatest orthodoxy in the Thousand Opportunities Star Realm, as well one of the most famous powerhouses of the stars, the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect’s origins and foundations could be traced back to antiquity.

Its disciples numbered in the tens of thousands. Here, experts were as numerous as the clouds.

Their World Kings alone numbered over one hundred!

In the eyes of the stars’ cultivators, the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect was one of the modern era’s greatest holy lands for cultivation.

Clang!

The urgent ringing of a bell rang out, breaking the sect’s tranquil atmosphere.

Within the Divine Palace of the Firmament.

A group of experts arrived in rapid succession. The sect’s leader, Weng Pu, was already there and waiting for them.

By the time the bell sank back into silence, aside from those in seclusion or out wandering, every World King who held authority in the sect had arrived.

Among them were four Oneness Realm experts, and thirteen Heavenly Longevity World Kings!

The Primordial Unity Daoist Sect had more World Kings than any other peak faction, but it wasn’t that they transcended the others.

Rather, their conditions for accepting new disciples and experts were the least stringent.

Especially for World Kings. They were offered extremely generous conditions when they joined up.

Out amongst the stars, it wasn’t unusual for World King-level rogue cultivators to come here on account of the sect’s reputation and pledge themselves to its cause.

This wasn’t true of the stars’ other top factions. They might recruit a handful of World Kings, but only as worshippers or for other limited roles.

Especially the Heavenly Prayer Star Realm’s Nine Heavens Pavilion. They were the strictest when it came to accepting new disciples.

Thus, over the years, as large as their territories were, they always maintained only about a hundred members.

Still, the experts and factions subordinate to them were too numerous to count.

The World Kings currently gathered in the Divine Palace of the Firmament were all orthodox members of the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect, and all of them wielded immense authority.

“Leader, why have you gathered us here today? Don’t tell me something big is happening?” asked an old man with the air of a Daoist immortal.

All eyes turned toward Sect Leader Weng Pu.

He was a thin man clad in a warm gray feather coat.

He was the leader of the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect, and a Oneness World King in his own right.

But now, his brows were tightly furrowed, as if he’d encountered a difficult problem.

“Elder Xue, you explain,” Weng Pu said softly.

Xue Changyi took a deep breath, rose from her chair, and scanned the crowd. “The Temple Master... has returned.”

It was just five words, but they contained a terrifying power that directly affected the heart.

Everyone present was briefly dazed. Then, their expressions shifted dramatically.

The atmosphere within the Divine Palace of the Firmament silently grew stifled and oppressive.

Only Xue Changyi’s voice resounded throughout the deathly silence.

He explained everything he’d experienced at the Solar Transformation Courtyard, holding nothing back.

When he told them that the Temple Master planned to visit three days from now, the higher-ups could no longer remain seated.

“Is that young man truly the Temple Master?” someone asked in disbelief.

“There’s no way! A year ago, the Temple Master’s reincarnation was an Emperor of the Dark and Gold Star Realm. How could he have become so terrifying in so little time?” someone cried out in rage and alarm.

“That Meng Changyun really did betray us!” someone said with a sinister tone.

“A reincarnation, that’s all, yet he dares threaten us and demand we let those two go?” someone said indignantly. “Does he really think he’s the actual Temple Master?”

The Divine Palace of the Firmament was like a pot blowing off its lid. Uproar arose on all sides, and everything was in chaos.

These old-timers had long since grown accustomed to the ups and downs of worldly affairs, but all of them lost their typical calm composure.

Sect Leader Weng Pu sat in the central seat, coldly taking all of this in. He couldn’t help but sigh to himself.

This was the Temple Master’s prestige.

Even though he’d vanished for countless years, and even though he was now just a reincarnation...

His appearance was sure to shake the stars!

These old-timers typically viewed worldly affairs with calm equanimity, but now, all of them were flustered!

“How do you see this, Sect Leader?” Someone suddenly requested Weng Pu’s opinion.

Weng Pu said flatly, “The Temple Master is no longer the Temple Master, and he hasn’t been for a long time, but he wants us to let them go? We’ll just have to see whether or not he’s capable of making us.”

The crowd’s eyes flashed, and all of them calmed down.

“That’s right! This is our territory. Even if a Cosmic Enlightenment World King showed up, they’d be doomed, let alone a mere reincarnation!” someone said with seething murderous intent.

“Don’t forget that he carries the secrets of reincarnation!” someone’s eyes blazed with fervor. “And now, he’s about to deliver himself to our door. This is a rare opportunity. We absolutely cannot let him escape!”

The crowd’s spirits soared.

The secrets of reincarnation!

This taboo power involved the secrets of rebirth, as well as unbelievable mysteries. The thought alone was enough to stir the heart!

“The moment the Flying Immortal Forbidden Zone appeared, the era changed. In the past, the Temple Master might have stood alone atop the stars, but the future will belong to the Transcendents!” someone said in a low voice. “Whoever reaches the Path of Transcendence first... will become the true ruler of the new era!”

The Flying Immortal Forbidden Zone. One of the seven great forbidden grounds of the stars.

Throughout history, rumors saw it as a secret ground for achieving immortality!

But these were ultimately just rumors, and no one took them seriously.

However, twenty years ago, the Flying Immortal Forbidden Zone suddenly changed. It was then that word of the Path of Transcendence began spreading throughout the stars, drawing attention from top factions.

As one such top faction, the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect knew countless secrets.

Some were records regarding the Flying Immortal Forbidden Zone!

Thus, they dared say with certainty that the changes to the Flying Immortal Forbidden Zone really did involve the legendary Path of Transcendence!

“It’s true. Times have changed! If all goes as we expect, the ancestor will be among the first to step into the Path of Transcendence! A realm the Temple Master never reached, not even at his peak!” someone said with undisguised longing.

The “ancestor” they spoke of was the seniormost, legendary expert of the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect.

Deng Zuo!

“Alas, the ancestor isn’t here now. Otherwise, even if the Temple Master’s guts were as big as the heavens themselves, there’s no way he’d dare provoke us right in front of our gates,” someone sighed.

Here, Xue Changyi couldn’t help but interject, “The Temple Master’s reincarnation can kill Oneness World Kings in a single attack. If he blocks our gates, those of us in attendance might not fear him, but surely we can’t just hide in the sect for the rest of our lives?”

“Elder Xue, I’m afraid you’ve just been scared out of your wits,” someone snickered. “Relax. If he dares show up here, we’ll make sure he never leaves!”

The speaker wore blue armor, and his hair was whiter than snow. Were Su Yi here, he would have recognized him at a glance. This was none other than Qing Xiao, the expert who’d shot Old Ghost Coffin-Bearer before the Three of the Ten Thousand Worlds of Samsara!

Xue Changyi fell silent, his expression a bit unsightly.

‘Scared out of my wits?’ You’re just saying that because you haven’t seen the Temple Master’s reincarnation for yourself!

“Elder Xue’s worries aren’t without reason. After all, our opponent is the Temple Master. Reincarnation or not, we have to view him as a powerful foe,” Sect Leader Weng Pu said with dignity. “No matter how seriously we take him, it won’t be excessive.”

The crowd’s hearts were solemn. All of them nodded.

A man’s reputation was like a tree’s shadow; it didn’t appear out of nowhere.

Out amongst the stars, those who dared underestimate the Temple Master almost all met with grisly ends!

......

Thousandleaf City.

An ancient, prosperous place.

If you left the city and continued north for three thousand miles, you’d reach the territory of the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect, one of the greatest powerhouses of the stars.

In one of the local inns.

Kcch!

Dao Light blazed at Su Yi’s fingertips. He used the light like ink, slowly outlining a strange, perfectly round diagram on a paper talisman.

It was like a snake swallowing its tail, an eternal cycle with neither beginning nor end.

Meng Changyun watched from the side. More than anything he’d ever seen, it gave him a sense of perpetuity and undying perfection.

Hah~

Su Yi lowered his fingertip and let out a breath of turbid air.

The talisman suddenly caught ablaze, and an illusory portal was reflected in the air.

A rain of light soon surged out of the illusory portal, outlining a slender, graceful figure.

She was dressed in rainbow raiment, with picturesque features and a golden totem on her forehead.

This was none other than A’Cai!

When she saw Su Yi, she couldn’t help but look delighted. “Ee? And here I was wondering just who’d carved an Undying Divine Imprint. I would never have guessed it was you, Fellow Daoist!”

Meng Changyun gasped.

He recognized this immortal beauty of a young woman as the Undying Spirit Venerate worshiped by the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect!

Practically everyone in the Thousand Opportunities Star Realm knew the illustrious name of the Undying Spirit Venerate!

Rumor had it that she was seen as the incarnation of the undying, an all but eternal, indestructible lifeform akin to a deity.

In the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect, even World Kings treated her with the utmost respect!

Meng Changyun would never have guessed that His Excellency the Temple Master could summon her simply by drawing a talisman!

“I plan to visit the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect, so I thought I’d greet you and ask a few questions first,” Su Yi said with a smile.

A’Cai’s bright eyes blinked, and she suddenly seemed to realize something. She exclaimed, “Fellow Daoist, don’t tell me... you’re truly the reincarnation of the Temple Master?”

“I said that last time, didn’t I?” Su Yi found this rather funny. “But it seems you didn’t believe me.”

“Err....” A’Cai was dumbstruck, her beautiful face shifting erratically.

Finally, she burst into laughter. “When they say proximity makes you blind, they’re talking about me.”

In the conversation that followed, A’Cai learned why Su Yi had come, and she couldn’t help but be astonished.

Just one person, and he wants to point his sword at the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect?

Isn’t that far too domineering?

A’Cai thought for a moment, then furrowed her brow and said seriously, “Fellow Daoist, I don’t recommend directly waging war against the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect.”

Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. “Why?”

“The old charlatan, Deng Zuo, might not be in residence, but there are three Cosmic Enlightenment old-timers here to hold down the fort,” said A’Cai.

“That aside, a few years ago, Deng Zuo obtained a grand stroke of fortune, the type that can only be happened upon by chance. They suspect it’s an immortal sword formation diagram. Deng Zuo used it to place an unparalleled sword formation within the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect, expending countless divine materials in the process. They say it can slaughter even Cosmic Enlightenment experts with ease!”

Meng Changyun’s heart quivered with terror, and his expression shifted.

But Su Yi looked intrigued. “A sword formation diagram connected to immortality? Might you explain in detail?"