First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2405 – Please Wait Up, Fellow Daoist

Eternal power!?

The Angler’s gaze instantly shifted. How could Ol’ Dipankara be using the power of Eternity? No, that can’t be right. He’s yet to prove his Dao and become Eternal. I’m sure it’s just external power of the Eternal level!

But the handsome young man’s next sentence completely dispelled him of that notion.

“Strange. You obviously have yet to become Eternal, yet you can use powers of the Grand Dao with the aura of Eternity. It’s truly hard to understand.”

The Angler’s mind practically went blank. It isn’t external power? This is a power that the Dipankara Buddha actually mastered?

How… How is that possible!?

His expression instantly shifted dramatically.

“A few petty tricks, that’s all. They aren’t even worth mentioning,” the Dipankara Buddha said calmly. “Your abilities, however, are truly impressive. You managed to send a mere wisp of your soul across endless time and space.”

The handsome young man laughed. “No matter what you say, you’ve hidden yourself quite deeply, monk. Should the opportunity arise, I’d just love to visit you and enjoy your hospitality.”

“You’re welcome anytime,” said the Dipankara Buddha, inclining his head.

The handsome young man gestured to the Angler. “Then do you think I should finish off that prey or not?”

The Angler instantly tensed. He knew that his life was now in the Dipankara Buddha’s hands.

The Dipankara Buddha fell briefly silent, then clasped his fists and said solemnly, “Earlier, I shared information with you. It was, albeit barely, of value to you, so please, show mercy and spare my old friend’s life.”

The handsome young man laughed. “I dislike people like you, but there’s no denying that you’re far cleverer than your friend. You know how to handle things. Very well. I’ll spare him just this once.”

The Angler instantly felt a massive weight lift from his shoulders. He knew he’d just had a close brush with death.

“Many thanks,” said the Dipankara Buddha. “I’ll remember this benevolence.”

The handsome young man waved dismissively. “Please, don’t. I don’t want even the slightest hint of a karmic connection with you.”

His gaze was hard to read as he smiled inscrutably at the Dipankara Buddha reflected on the curtain. “On the contrary, should the opportunity arise, I’d make you into a book soul without the slightest hesitation!”

Bang!

He stretched out and flicked his fingers. The curtain of light instantly shattered.

Then, he turned to look at the Angler. “Let’s go. Take me to the entrance to the Boundless Battlefield. Once we get there, I’ll naturally let you leave.”

How could the Angler possibly refuse? In truth, he was in no position to do anything but agree.

If his body hadn’t been destroyed, he might well have tried to fight with all his might.

Unfortunately, his body had been destroyed, and on top of all that, his soul had been badly damaged. In the face of this mysterious existence from the River of Destiny, he had no choice but to cooperate.

But when he realized that the handsome young man was headed for the Boundless Battlefield, the Angler couldn’t help but sigh. The Dipankara…. Sure is impressive!

No matter what happens, he manages to turn it toward his advantage. He can turn every disaster into good fortune!

……

Seven days later.

Sunset Perch Island.

It was late at night, and the sky was flecked with stars. Ocean winds blew past.

Su Yi, Yan Chizhen, Zang Wushu, the Treasure Leaf Demon Ancestor, and the Five Desires Demon Venerate had all gathered to drink and feast together.

The Lord of Sleepless Nights, Yi Chen, Mu Bai, Madam Mei, and the other ancient divine wraiths were there too. The atmosphere was lively and harmonious.

Yi Chen remained silent the entire time.

More and more people were gathering on Sunset Perch Island.

Pick any one of his father’s dinner guests at random, and you’d have a prominent expert capable of dazzling the heavens. All of them were like legends.

This was something that once, Yi Chen wouldn’t have dared to imagine.

But Yi Chen noticed that someone else at the banquet was just as silent as him: Mu Bai, a saber cultivator.

He was withdrawn, and a man of few words.

It was from the higher-ups’ conversation that Yi Chen learned that his father highly admired Mu Bai, and that even the Butcher, the “Saber Ancestor”, had entrusted the young man with his mantle.

Later, I’ve got to find a chance to duel him and see just how impressive his Dao of the Saber is, to have won the approval of multiple such prominent experts, thought Yi Chen.

He was a sword cultivator, and his pride was bone-deep. When he met someone like Mu Bai, he naturally felt the urge to fight and defeat him.

Even though he knew Mu Bai was just an immortal, if they sparred, Yi Chen could just suppress his cultivation base down to Mu Bai’s level.

Hm? Yi Chen suddenly heard his father talking… about him!

“If anything happens to me in the Boundless Battlefield, you needn’t avenge me. Just look after Yi Chen, Mu Bai, and the other juniors on my behalf,” said Su Yi, raising and draining his cup of wine. “Of course, this isn’t my ‘last request’ or anything. I’ll do everything in my power to make it back, and to bring Luo Yao and the others back with me.”

He spoke casually, but the atmosphere at the banquet was instantly heavier.

Zang Wushu, Demon Master Treasure Leaf, and the other old-timers all knew that Su Yi’s trip to the Boundless Battlefield would be extremely dangerous.

But they also knew that Su Yi had made up his mind, and that no one could dissuade him.

As a result, their hearts felt heavy after hearing Su Yi’s request.

Yi Chen’s heart clenched inexplicably. He couldn’t have said why, but… perhaps he was worried about his father?

He silently drank a cup of wine.

Suddenly, Mu Bai, who’d been silent this entire time too, spoke up. “Senior Su, forgive me for my inauspicious words, but if anything really happens to you, I swear to avenge you one day!”

Everyone was stunned. They couldn’t help but take another look at Mu Bai.

Su Yi, however, chuckled. “What’s inauspicious about that? But this is my business. You needn’t worry yourself.”

With that, his gaze shifted to Yi Chen, who pursed his lips and lowered his head in silence.

In the end, Su Yi just looked away and started talking about something else.

Yi Chen felt inexplicably disconsolate. Is my father… really not willing to say even a single word to me?

It was only after the banquet ended that Yi Chen couldn’t take it anymore. He gnashed his teeth, walked over to Su Yi, and said, “I’ve been living on Sunset Perch Island for three years now!”

Su Yi was stunned. This seemed to have come out of nowhere, and they were tinged with anger. He thought for a moment, then said, “Do you feel like staying here with me… has wronged you?”

Yi Chen opened his mouth to speak, then hesitated. In the end, he said, “You cannot die until you’ve settled things with my mother!”

With that, he turned to leave.

Su Yi was flabbergasted.

A moment later, he realized something. Once Yi Chen had faded from view, he chuckled to himself and whispered, “That kid… actually does have a bit of a conscience.”

Yi Chen’s angry words might have been grating to the ears, but how could Su Yi have missed that his son was worried about something happening to him in the Boundless Battlefield?

Su Yi put his hands behind his back and gazed into the night sky. The stars are even prettier than usual today.

The stars were the same stars as they’d been before, but the mood of the man looking at them had changed.

……

Three days later, Su Yi left Sunset Perch Island alone. This time, he didn’t even bring the River Child.

Half a month later, the Spirit Firmament Divine Continent’s Hazy Sea Forbidden Zone.

This was one of the most prominent forbidden zones in the entire continent. They said it was an ancient battlefield that had existed since the earliest days of the God Domain’s history.

But only those Master Gods in the know knew that the Hazy Sea Forbidden Zone had a tunnel to the Boundless Battlefield!

It was just that Di E had sealed the tunnel not long ago, severing the connection between the Boundless Battlefield and the God Domain.

Now, Su Yi had arrived.

The Hazy Sea Forbidden Zone was windy, with fierce gales of baleful qi. The atmosphere was extraordinarily dangerous and harsh.

When Su Yi arrived, he saw a group of gods exploring in search of good fortune, but he paid them no heed and continued on his way, traversing the turbulent waves and proceeding further in.

About an hour later, he silently stopped in place and gazed into the dome of heaven.

The dome of heaven was shattered, covered in dense spatial rifts. They spread across its surface like a spiderweb, and it seemed like the skies might well break into countless pieces.

Previously, the entrance to the Boundless Battlefield lay here, up in the sky.

Yet now, there was no longer any sign of it. All Su Yi saw were countless fragments of space

Su Yi gazed at it for a while before flipping his palm. A crystalline, translucent hook barely the size of a copper coin floated into the air. This was the Sky-Stealing Hook!

“Fourth Brother Hook, let’s see what you’ve got,” whispered Su Yi, tossing the treasure into the air.

The Sky-Stealing Hook flew into the air, then expanded until it was one hundred thousand feet long. It looked like a radiant crescent moon.

A rain of chaos light fell in waves, flowing along the Sky-Stealing Hook. Mysterious radiance billowed into the air.

This treasure’s uniqueness lay in its ability to sense the secrets of heaven hidden in its surroundings, then seize upon them to glean insights into the mysteries behind them.

Unlike the Blade of Heaven’s Loathing and the Sword of Proximity, which were weapons, the Sky-Stealing Hook was used for averting calamity and finding paths to life in the face of otherwise certain doom.

Weng!

The Sky-Stealing Hook buzzed and shook. Countless ripples of chaos light swept outward. It seemed it was trying to detect something.

Within moments, the hook quivered, and the droplets of light reacted like sharks in a feeding frenzy. All of them flew toward the rifts covering the dome of heaven.

Su Yi’s eyes lit up. They found it!

There’s no doubt about it. Even though Di E sealed the entrance to the Boundless Battlefield, the hook found the hidden opportunity that still remains. With it, I can bypass Di E’s seal and get inside!

But then, that makes sense. Neither the Angler nor the Ol’ Dipankara would lie about something like this.

He didn’t hesitate to shoot into the air, but just as he was about to take action, he sensed something and whipped around to gaze into the distance.

Practically simultaneously, he saw that a figure had appeared in the distance, seemingly out of nowhere.

“Please wait up, Fellow Daoist.”

He was a handsome young man, smiling and waving to Su Yi in friendly greeting.

Su Yi looked him up and down, then asked, “Do you have business with me?”

“I’ve been waiting here for days just to meet with you. I have a warning for you, Fellow Daoist.” The handsome young man said earnestly. “The Boundless Battlefield is full of grave peril. Go in, and you risk falling into a meticulously prepared death trap. I hope you’ll stop here and refrain from seeking out your own demise.”

Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. “From the sound of things, you don’t just know who I am. You also know what I’m here to do?”

The handsome young man nodded. “Indeed.”

Su Yi said thoughtfully, “Then what are you here for? Surely you didn’t just wait here to warn me of the danger?”