First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2430 – The Meaning of Seeking the Dao

Had there been even the slightest hope of anything else working, Su Yi would never have sent his friends into the cycle of reincarnation with his own two hands.

And the situation was urgent and perilous enough that he couldn’t afford to wait in hope of finding another way. He had to make a decision immediately.

It was just… the price was unquestionably far too heavy.

After the power of reincarnation receded and his old friends’ figures vanished, Su Yi stood there in silence for a long time, not saying a word.

When you were really hurt, you wouldn’t necessarily cry your lungs out, lose control, or curse heaven and earth. Sometimes, you just fell silent.

Sometimes, you didn’t want to say anything at all. Even your emotions were suppressed to the limit. To the point that it seemed as if nothing had happened at all.

In the mundane world, when adults lost their parents, they often had no tears. It was only when they returned home and inadvertently picked up something their parents had once used, or when they thoughtlessly called their parents down for dinner… that their parents’ deaths really sank in.

That momentary shock could shatter the dam deep within their heart, leaving them bawling like a child unable to find their parents. Memories of their decades of life together would flood their memories.

Su Yi was calm, and silent, but no one else could possibly have understood how painful it had been to send his old friends on their way with his own hands.

“Daoist Brother, you said it yourself. The moment they were taken captive, their lives ceased to be their own.” Luo Yao walked over and said gently, “From their perspective, they’ve finally found release. Whatever you do… Don’t have a guilty conscience over this.”

Su Yi shook his head slightly.

Release? No. This was an agonizing choice made under duress!

And it was the Outsider Celestial Demons who were behind it all!

In the end, Su Yi said nothing more on the matter. He just whispered, “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

With that, he turned to leave Dao-Seeking City.

From beginning to end, he remained perfectly composed, but his old friends could sense the tidal waves of hatred and murderous intent raging beneath his calm exterior.

“Let’s go.” Luo Yao pursed her lips and followed him. The others quickly did the same.

Not long after they’d left Dao-Seeking City, Su Yi stopped in place, then turned back to look at the ancient city he’d once helped build.

After a lengthy silence, he turned to leave.

Dao-Seeking City was home to far too many memories, but people could only live in the present.

When pursuing the Dao, deaths and partings were unavoidable. The dead were already gone. The living naturally had to keep moving forward!

That was the meaning of seeking the Dao, and the reason Li Fuyou had named their base “Dao-Seeking City.”

……

War horns echoed throughout heaven and earth.

A vast army of Outsider Celestial Demons had gathered, spreading like waters at high tide and blanketing both heaven and earth. There was no end to them in sight.

Old Man Heart Demon stood atop a mountain, gazing into the gathering demon horde in silence.

Their grievous defeat in Dao-Seeking City had already turned the situation on its head.

Old Man Heart Demon knew that trapping an opponent like Su Yi in Dao-Seeking City wouldn’t be easy. Or, in other words, he knew that he’d have to pay a price if he wanted to achieve his goal!

Even if the worst comes to pass, so long as I destroy Su Yi and save at least some of the Outsider Celestial Demon lineage, I’ll be satisfied, he thought to himself.

Suddenly, someone rushed toward him.

Demon Emperor Chi Nie!

Before he’d even arrived, he said hurriedly, “Your Excellency Ling Mi, something’s happened!”

Old Man Heart Demon frowned. “Tell me.”

Demon Emperor Chi Nie lowered his head. “The prisoners Su Yi rescued, the ones we had under control, are all dead!”

Old Man Heart Demon’s gaze focused. “Did you… kill them?”

Demon Emperor Chi Nie hurriedly shook his head. “How could I dare to do such a thing without your express permission, Your Excellency?”

“So you’re saying that Su Yi killed them?”

“That’s most likely the case,” said Demon Emperor Chi Nie, his face full of disbelief. “I can’t believe he was so heartless as to kill his own allies. In that case, why go to such great lengths to save them from us?”

It was obvious that Chi Nie was surprised, and that he found this difficult to understand.

But Old Man Heart Demon seemed to understand. He sighed, “Impressive, Su Yi! You saved them out of duty, then killed them to remove a latent threat. Your breadth of spirit and perception are terrifying indeed!

Next, he turned and addressed Chi Nie. “I’d originally planned to use the former captives to catch Su Yi off guard. Even if they failed to hurt him, they could have at least helped keep him in Dao-Seeking City a while longer.

“But now, it seems he realized what we were planning and stepped in to prevent it!”

Demon Emperor Chi Nie pondered briefly. He felt like he understood. “Su Yi is going to flee?”

“Flee? No, that’s not it,” said Old Man Heart Demon, his gaze heavy and deep. “This time, he personally slew a group of his old friends, and so his heart is surely full of accumulated murderous intent and hatred. There’s no way he’ll run without first settling things with us.”

Here, he immediately made a decision. “Pass on my orders. Attack immediately! Block every possible path leading away from Dao-Seeking City!

“The moment you discover signs of Su Yi, send word immediately!”

“Understood!” Demon Emperor Chi Nie solemnly assented.

Old Man Heart Demon said softly, “I don’t want to see any ‘trapped dragons rising into the heavens.’ Go on. Be quick about it.”

Demon Emperor Chi Nie dashed off.

Meanwhile, Old Man Heart Demon stood alone on the mountaintop. After a while, he said suddenly, “This is the Outsider Celestial Demons’ last chance. Fellow Daoist, I swear a Heart Demon’s Secret Vow that if you don’t fulfil your promise, I’ll do everything in my power to seek retribution!”

His voice was calm and gentle, yet it revealed incontrovertible determination.

Before his voice had even finished echoing through the air, Old Man Heart Demon’s figure silently vanished into thin air.

Meanwhile, beneath the dome of heaven, in a place no one could see, the rim of an ancient well appeared.

An ethereal, abstruse voice emanated from within the well. “He swore an oath? And he’s threatening me? It seems he lacks absolute confidence. But then, that makes sense. Who’d dare to underestimate that swordsman now? Only those willing to risk their lives have hope of achieving victory in the end.”

With that, the ancient well silently vanished.

……

Deep within untamed wilderness lined with deep chasms, the wind howled.

A handsome young man crouched halfway up the mountain, his expression shifting and uncertain as he mentally replayed his standoff with the rusted sword sheath.

Just where did that sheath come from? And just who is hidden inside it?

How did he recognize the Book of Legends, and how did he suppress my Eternal Power?

He said I’m merely from the River of Destiny… Does that mean that he’s from the River of Destiny too?

The young man furrowed his brow. That’s most likely the case. Otherwise, who else in the God Domain would dare to look down at me?

Even in the River of Destiny, not even Di E and the old-timers backing him would dare to underestimate him in the slightest!

After racking his brains, he ultimately reached two conclusions.

First, that rusted sheath was an utterly terrifying taboo treasure, one far mightier than the Book of Legends.

Second, the mysterious existence within the sheath was no mere artifact spirit. He was likely a fellow expert of the River of Destiny!

Otherwise, he could never have seen through him or recognized the Book of Legends at a glance!

Hatred flashed through the depths of the young man’s gaze. But… I cannot possibly let this end here.

The Book of Legends had circulated the River of Destiny for a long time, passing from owner to owner. By the time it landed in his hands, it had only nine pages left.

Yet now, the entity within the sword sheath had seized two of them! This was an enormous loss, and it left the young man feeling as if his heart were dripping blood. He was completely enraged.

Since we’ve cast aside all pretenses of cordiality, I’ll just have to show you what I’m really made of!

The handsome young man turned, took a step forward, and vanished from the uncultivated wilderness.

The current him was no more than a soul body. Even if he were destroyed, it wouldn’t be much of a loss to his true body.

……

After leaving Dao-Seeking City and seeing that Su Yi seemed to have a destination in mind, Luo Yao couldn’t help but ask, “Daoist Brother, where are we going?”

“Do you still remember the Thousand Deaths Mountains?” asked Su Yi.

Luo Yao’s gaze focused.

The Thousand Deaths Mountains!

She naturally knew of them. The Boundless Battlefield was home to countless dangers. The most dangerous of them were so perilous that not even seasoned Nine-Tribulation Master Gods long accustomed to fighting in the Boundless Battlefield dared not draw near.

The Thousand Deaths Mountains was one such place!

The mountains were shrouded in a downpour of blood year-round. There, anything Undying would inevitably wither, corroded and destroyed completely!

Long ago, there had been Master Gods bold enough to explore the mountains, but in the end, none had returned!

That made it obvious how terrifying the Thousand Deaths Mountains were.

“Are we seeking refuge there?” Luo Yao asked uncertainly.

“I wouldn’t call it that,” said Su Yi. “The Thousand Deaths Mountains are dangerous, but so long as we can use their dangers to our advantage, we can shake off our enemies. That’ll be plenty.”

He paused, then said, “On my way to Dao-Seeking City, I learned from an Outsider Celestial Demon that in the years since the Tribulation of the Five Witherings arrived in the Boundless Battlefield, numerous danger zones have been destroyed.

“Fortunately, it seems the Thousand Deaths Mountains remain.”

“Furthermore, you needn’t worry about running into danger there. If we face a true life-or-death threat, I can just invite the Tribulation of the Five Witherings and flatten the place.”

Despite herself, Luo Yao’s eyes shone with a strange light. So that’s where he gets the confidence to go to the Thousand Deaths Mountains!

But before they’d finished their conversation, a heaven-shaking commotion emanated from afar. The ground shook, and the sky trembled.

Su Yi, Luo Yao, Wen Qingfeng, and the others all turned to look toward the source of the disturbance.