First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1315 - Enemies on All Sides

Late at night.

Within the Red Province, a hidden realm separate from the outside world.

Lightning interwove, and arcs of lightning flashed.

A snow-white bone appeared out of nowhere before an ancient Daoist altar, bringing the young woman in the pomegranate skirt with it.

The bone circled in midair and hovered above the altar, while the young woman sat atop it, her expression bleak.

A gentle male voice rang out. “Yuluo, don’t be upset. The Temple Master bears the power of reincarnation, and he’s our natural enemy. How could he possibly be so easily defeated?”

A young male figure appeared in the air above the altar and took the white bone in hand. His whole body was swathed in black immortal light, and as his eyes moved, they were full of majesty.

However, when he saw the young woman, pity arose on his face.

“Sect Leader, no matter what, I want Su Yi dead!!” The girl’s eyes were bloodshot, and her voice was full of hatred.

“Very well.” The man inclined his head. “I can agree to that.”

He was dressed in long black robes with broad sleeves, and he wore a tall golden crown. He sat upright atop the altar, the immortal light surrounding him manifesting an illusory three-thousand-foot demonic domain. Altogether, he was terrifying and imposing.

Lie Nanye!

In ancient times, he was the supreme leader of the Hidden Skies Immortal Sect, an unparalleled demon monarch who’d once reached the Cloud Soaring Realm of the Path of Transcendence!

Even though he was now just a revenant, his strength was nonetheless terrifying and unfathomable.

And the young woman in the pomegranate skirt, Ning Yuluo, was his junior apprentice sister.

“Senior Apprentice Brother, after what happened last time, I dare say with certainty that typical Cosmic Enlightenment World Kings of the modern era are already no match for him.” Ning Yuluo took a deep breath. “And revenants like me are restricted by the power of reincarnation. We’re helpless against him too. Given the circumstances, taking him down truly won’t be easy.”

Lie Nanye laughed. “No, if we want to deal with the boy, we have plenty of means at our disposal.”

Ning Yuluo was stunned.

She then watched as Lie Yanye raised and tapped the air.

Weng!

A curtain of light exploded into being, reflecting the image of an old man in black clothes and a tall hat.

“What are your orders, Sect Leader?” the old man said with a respectful bow.

Li Nanye said coolly, “Tell the Tailor that I agree to his conditions. Have him select a group of Cosmic Enlightenment World Kings and send them to the ruins of our ancestral court. Within half a year at most, I am certain I can provide him with a group of Nascent Divinity Transcendents!

“And in exchange, I only have a single request.”

Here, startling, blood-colored light shone in Lie Nanye’s gaze. “Bring that Su Yi person to me!”

“Understood!” The old man in black solemnly nodded his assent.

As the curtain of light silently dissipated, the old man’s figure disappeared without a trace.

Ning Yuluo couldn’t help but murmur, “Senior Apprentice Brother, the Tailor is cunning, shrewd, and incomparably insidious. You did him such a huge favor. What if he—”

But Lie Nanye laughed and interrupted her. “Within two years at most, the Path of Transcendence will reappear within the Laws. When the time comes, I’ll be able to walk this world once more!”

The bloody light in his eyes intensified, and his gaze was cold, indifferent, and dignified. “If he doesn’t give it everything he’s got, I’ll make sure he suffers the consequences!”

As a peak Demonist expert of the ancient era, he feared nothing of the modern day but the power of reincarnation.

As for modern cultivators? Even if they had enough dogshit good luck to step onto the Path of Transcendence, they’d still be entirely unworthy of his attention!

“That Su Yi person controls the power of reincarnation. This makes him our bane, so we’ll just have to cooperate with the top factions of the modern day and raise up a group of new Transcendents. Then, we can use them to kill him in our stead while we sit back and reap the benefits.”

As he said this, Lie Nanye’s eyes shone with eagerness. “Over the next few years, unprecedented changes are in store. Junior Apprentice Sister, once we’ve broken our curses, what need will we have to fear failing to return to our former peaks and fully transcending into immortality?”

Ning Yuluo pursed her lips. “I’m not thinking about all that right now. All I want is to obliterate Su Yi as soon as possible!”

Lie Nanye was briefly stunned, but then, he couldn’t help but laugh. He said softly, “In my eyes, our only real opponents are the other top experts who survived the End of the Dharma as we did. As for Su Yi....? He’s just prey.”

........

A dark, overcast world.

The Tailor stood there, his thin figure clad in undyed cloth robes and a round cap. He was currently examining a legacy of the Path of Transcendence.

“My lord, the Hidden Skies Immortal Sect’s operation failed.”

A black butterfly flew over, then transformed into a teenage girl the size of a fist.

The Tailor laughed. “I anticipated this. The Temple Master and I have fought for too many years to count. How could I not know how difficult it is to take him down?”

He seemed delighted; he was practically beaming.

“My lord, why are you so pleased?” the girl manifested of the black butterfly couldn’t help but ask.

“It’s only after they lose that they realize how important my offer is to them, and only then can I reap more benefits!” the Tailor said leisurely. “In other words, even before this operation began, I never thought they could win!”

The girl batted her eyes, a bit stunned. “My lord, aren’t you afraid they’ll blame you?”

“Would they dare to do so?” The Tailor laughed. “The Temple Master is like a sword hovering over their heads. With their methods alone, those revenants dare not touch it. Only I... can help them!

“Just wait. It won’t be long before they come to express their good intentions.”

The Tailor had only just said this when misty light flashed through the air, and the image of an elderly servant appeared before him.

“Sir,” the old man said respectfully, “The leader of the Hidden Skies Immortal Sect sent me to deliver a message. He said he agrees to your conditions, and that he can help you train a group of Nascent Divinity Transcendents within half a year.”

A radiant smile spread across the Tailor’s wrinkled face, like a flower in bloom. “See? That’s what you call a scheme. There was no need for me to do anything at all. Just like that, I used the Temple Master to squeeze the greatest possible benefits out of the revenants.”

His heart thoroughly relaxed. He took out a jug of wine, threw back his head, and took a big gulp. “Tell the Hidden Skies Immortal Sect that I’ll send thirty Cosmic Enlightenment World Kings to them. All of them bear a deep grudge against the Temple Master. As soon as they step onto the Path of Transcendence, they’ll become sharp weapons to use against him!”

“Understood!” The elderly servant went off to carry out his orders.

“My lord, your subordinate understands. You’re using the Temple Master as a pawn. The revenants long for nothing more than his power over reincarnation, but they also fear it more than anything. Given the circumstances, they can only choose to work with you.” The girl’s face filled with reverence. “And you’re using this to reap endless benefits from the revenants! Wondrous! Truly wondrous!”

The Tailor smiled. “Don’t underestimate the revenants. They’re top experts who survived the End of the Dharma. Each is mightier than the one before. I’m just taking advantage of the situation.

“As time passes, more and more experts of the Path of Transcendence will arise, and one revenant after another will re-enter this world. When the time comes... my schemes won’t even be worth looking at.”

Here, the Tailor couldn’t help but sigh. “Alas. Given a bit more time to plan, both the Temple Master and the revenants of the end of the Dharma would all lower their heads and submit to me.”

“Why do you say that, my lord?” The girl couldn’t help but be confused.

The Tailor’s eyes flashed, and he said softly, “The revenants can choose to work with me, but they can also choose to work with other modern cultivation factions. For instance, the Six Ancient Guardian Clans of the Dao have each joined forces with a different top faction of the End of the Dharma.

“Take the Blue Luan Spirit Race. Allspirit Immortal Mountain stands behind them. During the End of the Dharma, they were a top yao orthodoxy with foundations not one whit weaker than the Hidden Skies Immortal Sect’s. And the Zhong Family is backed by Illusory Sword Immortal Tower. During the End of the Dharma, they were one of the four great sects of sword cultivators.

“Those are just two of the six. Them aside, most of the other top sects have made contact with revenants of the End of the Dharma and attempted to establish a cooperative relationship. All of this is for the sake of achieving dominance and establishing themselves on the Path of Transcendence during the new age to come.”

“Rumor has it that some ancient revenants with mysterious origins and terrifying foundations have long since occupied modern factions, ousting their former leadership.” Here, the Tailor suddenly laughed. “I can see it already. In the days to come, the stars will enter an age of unprecedented turmoil and upheaval!

“The former order will crumble as we establish a new balance of power! Who will rule this new era and establish themselves at the top? That depends on who achieves supremacy on the Path of Transcendence first!”

Despite himself, the Tailor’s eyes shone with longing. “To me, this is the best possible era to be in!”

The young woman’s heart swelled with emotion just hearing that. “My Lord, then, do you think the Temple Master has an opportunity to stand at the pinnacle of the world and suppress the stars beneath his sword as he did before?”

The Tailor fell into silence.

He and the Temple Master had fought for countless years. He’d never dared to underestimate his foe.

A long time passed before he finally said, “In the days to come, he’ll be surrounded by enemies on all sides! Revenants will see him as prey, and they’re certain to coordinate with top modern factions to take him down.

“And there’s absolutely no way I’ll give him the opportunity to step onto the Path of Transcendence!”

Here, he spoke slowly and clearly, with firm conviction.

The girl couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m looking forward to that day too!”

“Butterfly Girl, the next steps are up to you. Announce to the world that the Temple Master has returned to the Divine Capital Star Realm. Spread word of the Hidden Skies Immortal Sect’s miserable defeat, too.”

The girl asked in confusion, “My Lord, won’t doing so just puff the Temple Master off? Who will dare attack him recklessly after hearing all that?”

The Tailor laughed. “Silly. The stronger the Temple Master seems, the more we can squeeze out of the revenants. Besides, the Hidden Skies Immortal Sect isn’t the only faction we’re cooperating with. After learning what happened, how could the other factions of seekers of immortality possibly remain seated?

“And when they can no longer afford to remain seated, they’re sure to view our cooperation with much greater importance. And if they want us to work hard on their behalf, surely they have to give us sufficient benefits first!”

Only then did the young woman understand.

At the end of the day, her lord was using the Temple Master as a pawn to squeeze benefits out of the revenants!

“Then I’ll go carry out your orders.” The young woman swayed on her feet and transformed into a black butterfly.

But just as she was about to leave, the Tailor suddenly recalled something. “Did you ever find the old bald donkey of Universal Emptiness Temple?”

“I didn’t,” said the butterfly. “Several years ago, the entire temple disappeared. Our forces have been investigating all this time, but we’ve yet to uncover anything.”

The Tailor frowned and muttered, “Just where... did the old bald donkey go?”