First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1273 - Wei Shan, Crow Ridge, Good Fortune

Auspicious clouds floated overhead, and misty light filled the air.

An ancient divine mountain.

Lu Yun was seated cross-legged, but now, he suddenly opened his eyes, his expression shifting and uncertain.

“How’d it go?” A thin man in jade-colored robes stood not far away, his face as smooth as jade and his eyes as inscrutable as an abyss.

This was none other than the Supreme Leader of the Nine Heavens Pavilion, Yan Daolin!

“It was indeed just as you suspected. The Temple Master flat-out refused our conditions and killed my clone.” Lu Yun rose and sighed.

“We can consider this preliminary confirmation that although he was in the Imperial Realm a year ago, the Temple Master is already capable of contending with Cosmic Enlightenment Realm experts....” said Yan Daolin. He looked a bit dazed. A year ago, the Temple Master's reincarnation still sought greater heights within the Profound Dao. Now, he's already a threat to top experts of the Path of Heaven’s Ascension!

The path of one who’d reincarnated to cultivate anew was truly unbelievable!

Lu Yun’s expression darkened. “Deng Zuo, the old charlatan, didn’t tell us how strong the Temple Master’s reincarnation had become.”

Yan Daolin smiled. “No need to concern ourselves with that. Let’s have A’Jiu meet with the Temple Master.”

As he spoke, he turned and walked into the distance. “I can say with certainty that the spectacle at Crow Ridge will be extraordinary.”

A rain of light flowed through the air, and Yan Daolin silently disappeared from view.

Lu Yun took a deep breath, then took out a talisman and carved a line of text.

“A’Jiu, it’s time.”

Bang!

Lu Yun shattered the talisman.

......

“Young Lord, it’s just as you predicted. Someone’s here,” Meng Changyun said gravely from the head of the flat boat.

Mists churned in the distant void, and a graceful figure appeared out of thin air.

She was dressed in long, plain robes as black as ink. Her long blue hair was casually tied up, and her skin was snowy, crystalline, smooth, and eye-catching.

Her lips were red, her bright eyes sparkled like stars, and her youthful face was exquisitely beautiful, but there was a hint of unearthly charm about her.

However, her gaze was cold, cruel, and as contemptuous as a sovereign.

This was none other than the Netherworld King who’d terrified the countless cultivators of the Netherworld in ancient times!

No one knew when, but Su Yi had already risen to his feet.

“Fellow Daoist, should I call you ‘Your Excellency the Temple Master’ or ‘the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force?’”

The Netherworld King’s beautiful eyes looked conflicted. That voice that came with a hint of unique magnetism seemed slightly downcast; she obviously had a lot on her mind.

“It doesn’t matter how you address me.” Su Yi laughed. “Did ol’ Yan Daolin send you here?”

The Netherworld King nodded, her gaze containing a hint of eagerness. “The Supreme Leader said that only you can save my father.”

Su Yi was instantly caught off guard. “Your father?”

The Netherworld King’s gaze was complicated. “My father brought me to the Nine Heavens Pavilion to cultivate when I was still little. I haven’t seen him since...

“After reaching adulthood, I thought back to my memories of my youth. I suspected that the Supreme Leader threatened my father, and that he had no choice but to give me up as a child hostage. That’s why I hated the Nine Heavens Pavilion so much. I don’t know how many times I thought about getting revenge and finding my Father...”

Here, the Netherworld King sighed. “But it was only after they brought me back to the sect that I learned the secrets behind all this.”

Su Yi’s brow furrowed. “Secrets?”

“That’s right.” The Netherworld King looked up and stared intently at him. “The Supreme Leader said that all would become clear when I met with my father, but that if I want to see my father again, there’s only one thing I can do, and that’s... ask you to help.”

Su Yi rubbed his forehead and whispered, “I wouldn’t have expected the old bastard to use you to scheme against me.”

The Netherworld King said hurriedly, “The Supreme Leader said that this is no scheme, but rather... that the Temple Master owes my father a debt.”

Su Yi’s eyes silently narrowed. “Who is your father?”

“Wei Shan,” the Netherworld King said softly.

Wei Shan!

A perfectly ordinary name.

Yet it went off in Su Yi’s heart like a thunderclap, sending waves through his mental sea.

“That guy... is actually still alive...?” Su Yi said in a daze.

Wei Shan.

Ol’ Cripple Wei’s foster son.

In their youth, he was the Temple Master’s playmate. The two of them were like brothers!

He vividly recalled their youthful high-spiritedness. Their friendship was completely sincere, and their life-and-death promise was worth more than gold.

Scenes of the past floated through Su Yi’s mind, and his heart churned with emotion.

A long time passed.

Su Yi looked at the Netherworld King. “Is your father in Crow Ridge?”

The Netherworld King nodded. “Nine years ago, he entered Crow Ridge in search of good fortune relating to immortality. Unfortunately, he found himself trapped inside.

“I’ll be sure to bring him back!”

His tone was calm, but incontrovertible.

The Netherworld King’s heart shook, and her beautiful face filled with excitement. “You... you’re really willing to help?”

Su Yi nodded, feeling conflicted.

I would never have guessed that the Netherworld King I met in the City of the Wrongfully Dead was Wei Shan’s daughter!

Is this a coincidence?

Absolutely not!

Yan Daolin must have been behind all of this!

“Your Excellency the Temple Master, this is a secret map to Crow Ridge the Supreme Leader gave to me. Please accept it.” The Netherworld King took out a golden jade slip and passed it to Su Yi.

Su Yi’s gaze was inscrutable. Indeed, Yan Daolin realized a long time ago that I wouldn’t be able to refuse this trip to Crow Ridge.

He accepted the jade slip and asked, “What else did Yan Daolin say?”

“The Supreme Leader said that you’d understand the secrets behind all this once you met with my father,” said the Netherworld King. “He also said that the grudge between you and him wouldn’t implicate anyone else, and he asked you to rest assured.”

After a moment’s silence, Su Yi said, “Very well. Go back and tell Yan Daolin that since I’m here, I plan to settle the score completely. If he dares run, the Heavenly Prayer Star Realm will no longer have a Nine Heavens Pavilion.”

With that, he directed his boat away, carrying himself and Meng Changyun through the void.

The Netherworld King’s heart shook, her gaze shifting and uncertain.

“And here I thought you were the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force’s reincarnation. Who’d have thought you were the Temple Master’s reincarnation too...” The Netherworld King sighed to herself. “Fate sure plays tricks on people.”

But why was the Supreme Leader so convinced that the Temple Master would save my father? Could it be that the two of them are old acquaintances?

A bewildered look appeared on the Netherworld King’s face.

She really didn’t understand. She just felt that since leaving the Netherworld and returning to the sect, everything had changed. It was as if she were dreaming.

A while later, she cast aside her scattered thoughts and returned to the sect. She had to tell their Supreme Leader everything the Temple Master had said, word for word.

......

“Young Lord, I truly wouldn’t have thought a faction as lofty as the Nine Heavens Pavilion would resort to such underhanded means. Please... don’t let your anger affect you.”

Along the way, Meng Changyun noticed that Su Yi’s mental state seemed a bit off, and he couldn’t help but voice his indignation.

“Why should I be angry? This is cause for celebration!” Su Yi took out a jug of wine and drank with relish.

Wei Shan was still alive!

To Su Yi, who had the Temple Master’s lifetime of experiences, this was unquestionably wonderful news.

He knew full well that he was most likely falling in line with Yan Daolin’s schemes by going to Crow Ridge, but Su Yi didn’t care.

Since he didn’t care, there was nothing to get hung up on. When you cared, you were no longer in control.

Su Yi dared say with certainty that Yan Daolin wouldn’t dare lie to him about this. If he did, his schemes would come to no avail; the drawbacks of deception outweighed the advantages.

“Celebration?” Meng Changyun was a bit stunned. He couldn’t help but find this confusing.

Su Yi didn’t explain. Instead, he sat cross-legged at the tail end of the boat, took out the golden jade slip, and started examining it seriously.

Crow Ridge was a long-abandoned ruin. Rumor had it that a long, long time ago, it was a battlefield for a war of demons and gods.

Of course, the vast majority of rumors were false.

But just a few years ago, something changed deep in Crow Ridge!

Dark tribulation clouds blotted out its skies like a curtain of eternal night. They’d lingered there ever since, never dispersing.

A blood-red river of lightning ran through the depths of the tribulation clouds, boundless and grand, stretching on seemingly without end.

Every so often, resplendent, dazzling immortal light surged from the ridge’s depths, like arcs of divine light surging into the firmament.

From time to time, the sound of immortals locked in bitter conflict—warhorns and the sounds of slaughter—echoed throughout heaven and earth.

Every prominent faction in the Heavenly Prayer Star Realm was paying attention to these changes.

But after the Nine Heavens Pavilion’s forces sealed the place off, all word relating to Crow Ridge was top secret. Outside of top factions, no one knew about it.

These secrets were all recorded in the golden jade slip!

It was just as Lu Yun said. Good fortune relating to immortality had appeared deep within Crow Ridge.

That place was covered in terrifying, taboo power. Immortal light rose, demonic flames blazed, and all manner of strange and inauspicious scenes unfolded.

Never mind ordinary cultivators, even ordinary World Kings couldn’t draw near!

Those who forced their way in inevitably perished.

The forces of the Nine Heavens Pavilion had investigated. A moment’s negligence, and even peak World Kings could find themselves trapped.

That’s what had happened to Wei Shan. He’d entered Crow Ridge nine years ago, but he’d yet to return.

Some time passed before Su Yi put away the jade slip.

“Immortal fortune, but Yan Daolin hasn’t gone to seek it out himself. Why is that? Could the old bastard be after something else entirely?” Su Yi sank into thought.

Three days later.

A withered, all but desolate plane.

Crow Ridge was located here.

A flat boat carried Su Yi and Meng Changyun. They followed the map on the golden jade slip, and before long, they found Crow Ridge.

Boom!

Thunder rumbled and boomed. Heaven and earth were overcast.

The mountains of Crow Ridge stretched out into the distance. There was no end in sight.

The skies above the ridge were full of black clouds as dark as an eternal night, blotting out the dome of heaven. A blood-red river of lightning traversed the clouds, boundlessly vast and churning.

Even from an extreme distance, an oppressive atmosphere assailed them, practically smacking them right in the face.

Meng Changyun’s heart quivered, and he said solemnly, “Young Lord, why does this place seem even stranger than the Graveyard of Fallen Immortals...?”

“It really is strange.” Su Yi’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Crow Ridge was completely enveloped in terrifying destructive power. It was strange and inscrutable.

Even with all his knowledge and experience, Su Yi couldn’t help but be solemn. He realized that here, he was highly likely to encounter unpredictable peril.

Suddenly, gentle laughter emanated from afar.

“I have been waiting for you for quite some time, Your Excellency.”

A white-haired elder in plain cloth robes flew toward them from afar, his face nothing but smiles.

Meng Changyun was stunned, and his expression was a bit strange. Just three days ago, the Temple Master crushed this old-timer’s Dao Clone beneath his feet. But now he’s come back!