First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2546 – Xiao Jian’s Strength

A voice rang out from beyond Sunset Perch Island. “Is anyone there?”

“Hm?” Yan Chizhen was drinking tea with the Lord of Sleepless nights when he froze. His expression shifted.

The whole island was covered in incomparably wondrous formations. Under ordinary circumstances, they’d detect anyone who appeared within a thousand miles of the island, no matter who they were.

Yet now, someone was just outside the island, and the formations weren’t reacting in the slightest. How could the Lord of Sleepless Nights and Yan Chizhen not be surprised?

They turned to look. Only then did they see that a tall, upright figure had appeared near Sunset Perch Island. He had thin, distinctive features, long robes, the bookish air of a scholar, and a gentle smile.

This was none other than Xiao Jian!

When the Lord of Sleepless Nights and Yan Chizhen saw Xiao Jian, Xiao Jian sensed their gazes. He peered through the formations covering the island to look at them.

Both experts were shocked once more. What terrifying powers of perception! Who is this guy?

“No need to panic, you two. I’m here to see Su Yi. I have no other intentions.” Xiao Jian smiled and clasped his fist, as polite as could be.

Yan Chizhen took a deep breath, then said gravely, “My apologies, but Fellow Daoist Su isn’t currently on Sunset Perch Island. Please go back.”

“He isn’t here?” Xiao Jian looked briefly stunned. “Might you invite me onto the island for a look?”

“No way!” Yan Chizhen directly refused. “If you try to force your way in, you’ll make enemies out of everyone on the island!”

By now, all of the old monsters in seclusion on Sunset Perch Island had been alerted. One by one, they came over to see what was going on.

“Enemies, huh?” Xiao Jian smiled. “Rest assured. Even if you see me as an enemy, I won’t harm a hair on your heads.”

As he spoke, he leisurely approached the island. “I know I came out of the blue. I humbly request your forgiveness for any offense.”

Boom!

Formations rumbled and boomed throughout Sunset Perch Island. Divine radiance swept outward as one formation after another activated at all full strength.

Their power was enough to threaten even Half-Step Eternals.

Unbelievably, Xiao Jian just kept walking toward them. He didn’t seem affected in the slightest. With every step he took, he accurately avoided the terrifying power of the formations.

The power of the formations looked like an insurmountable barrier in his bath, but Xiao Jian passed through it effortlessly, as if it weren’t even there.

This strange scene was enough to make the old monsters shudder. All of them looked stricken. Who exactly is this guy?

“Die!” When the River Child saw that this would-be trespasser was about to step onto the shore, he appeared out of nowhere and swung his palm at Xiao Jian.

Xiao Jian just smiled and raised his hand. The River Child instantly froze in midair, seemingly sealed in place. He could no longer move a muscle.

“A spirit of the natural order, huh? That’s somewhat interesting.” Xiao Jian walked over and pinched the River Child’s adorable little cheek. “Don’t glower at me like that. Smile for me.”

The River Child glared.

Boom!

Suddenly, several of the other old monsters drew their treasures and attacked, working together to surround Xiao Jian.

But then, someone roared, “Stop! Don’t attack him!”

Luo Qingdi appeared accompanying this voice, not to attack Xiao Jian, but to stop the old monsters from fighting him.

When the old monsters saw this, they lowered their weapons and looked at Luo Qingdi in bewilderment.

“Brother Luo, don’t tell me you know our uninvited guest?” asked Yan Chizhen.

Luo Qingdi nodded. “Please, everyone, calm down and let me talk to him.”

Then, he clasped his fist and turned to face Xiao Jian. “Greetings, Dao Lord!”

Dao Lord? Everyone was bewildered.

But all of them realized the implications. Luo Qingdi was the ruler of a lost epoch civilization, yet he faced this uninvited guest with extraordinary solemnity!

There was no hiding his trepidation.

Xiao Jian smiled. “I didn’t expect this. Su Yi is nowhere to be found, yet here’s an old acquaintance.”

Luo Qingdi maintained his respectful posture. “Dao Lord, Fellow Daoist Su really isn’t on Sunset Perch Island. Please, show mercy and don’t harm the innocent.”

“I have a rough sense of Su Yi’s character,” said Xiao Jian. “I’m certain that if he were here, he’d have come out to see me immediately. There’s no way he’d hide like this.”

He paused, then examined the group and smiled. “You can relax. Even if they act up, I don’t.”

Luo Qingdi visibly relaxed. “Dao Lord, if you’re here as our guest, we can relax. Please, come in. Let me pour you some tea and help you unwind after your journey.”

As he spoke, he beckoned to Xiao Jian.

But Xiao Jian waved the offer away. “No need to go to all that trouble. I just want a quick look around, and then I’ll be on my way.”

Then, disregarding both Luo Qingdi and the other gathered experts, he walked over from afar.

Everyone looked at Luo Qingdi, who shook his head, indicating that they shouldn’t try to interfere.

Everyone was bewildered, but in the end, none of them tried anything. They just watched as their uninvited guest paused amidst the seemingly endless peachblossoms, picked a flower, and took a big sniff.

Next, he climbed a mountain and steep before the Dao Enlightened Tea Tree and the Osmanthus Tree of the Toad Palace.

From beginning to end, he acted as if no one else were even there, and he was entirely unhurried, as if he took Sunset Perch Island for a vacation spot.

In the end, he climbed down the mountain and onto the shore, then sat on a seaside boulder and sank into silent contemplation.

The onlookers’ expressions shifted inscrutably, as over the past few years, Su Yi had frequently sat on that very boulder, drinking, watching the waves, and letting his mind wander.

Time slipped by. Soon, Xiao Jian had been sitting there all afternoon.

It was only when night drew near that he suddenly got up and said, “I know you can contact Su Yi, so do me a favor and pass on a message for me.”

“Of course, Dao Lord,” said Luo Qingdi.

“Tell him to cultivate properly and keep pushing himself. With his current cultivation, he’s nowhere near strong enough for us to determine who lives and who dies,” said Xiao Jian. As he spoke, he rode away on the waves, vanishing over the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Everyone was stunned.

“How can that guy be so sure that His Excellency is no match for him? What a braggart!” said the enraged River Child.

Luo Qingdi had a complicated look on his face. “Fellow Daoist Su cultivated on Sunset Perch Island for years, leaving numerous vestiges and traces of his aura. If I’m not mistaken, the Dao Lord picked up on them and used them to gauge Fellow Daoist Su’s true abilities.”

Everyone was astonished. You can really use something so fleeting and insubstantial to determine someone’s strength?

It seemed unquestionably unbelievable.

“Brother Luo, just who was that guy?” Yan Chizhen couldn’t help but ask. .

“The Uncrowned King of the Path of the Ancient Gods.” Luo Qingdi took a deep breath. “Even the rulers of lost epoch civilizations pale in comparison to him. He’s an unparalleled legend we can only look up to.

“The Path of the Ancient Gods was home to countless lost epoch civilizations, but he was always there, presiding over the Abyssal Ruins. He bore witness to it all!”

A subtle hint of reverence appeared on Luo Qingdi’s face. “No one, no matter who they are, can deny his strength. Someone like me can only look upon him with awe.”

Everyone was visibly astonished. Just what kind of person is he, for Luo Qingdi to treat him with such reverence?

“As for his name…” Luo Qingdi shook his head. “Almost no one knows it. In the Path of the Ancient Gods, everyone called him ‘Dao Lord.’”

Luo Qingdi was from the Path of the Ancient Gods, and he’d naturally heard numerous rumors surrounding Xiao Jian.

That was why he immediately showed up to stop the others from attacking him.

“Are he and Fellow Daoist Su irreconcilable enemies?” the Lord of Sleepless Nights couldn’t help but ask.

“Most likely,” said Luo Qingdi. “But I know almost nothing about this situation. I have no idea what kind kind of grudge exists between them. I’m afraid only Fellow Daoist Su himself has answers.”

“Then we’d best inform Fellow Daoist Su immediately!” said the Lord of Sleepless Nights.

The others nodded. If that powerful expert was here for revenge, it’d be a big problem.

Even just based on the strength he’d displayed earlier, it wasn’t hard to guess how terrifying he was.

Combined with everything Luo Qingdi had just told them, how could any of them dare to be negligent?

Word of this incident reached Su Yi that very day.

……

The Southern Flame Divine Continent. The Spring and Autumn City branch of the Qilin Trading Company.

“There are rumors that I was spotted two days ago? And I rescued Ninth Elder Tie Wenjing of Qingwu Divine Court?” exclaimed Su Yi.

He was currently seated in a meeting hall and conversing with Elder Mo, the one in charge of the whole branch.

“Indeed,” said Elder Mo. “Lots of people saw it. You appeared under the guise of Xiao Jian. There’s no mistaking it.”

Su Yi’s eyelids twitched. Xiao Jian! Was that really him?

He’d only just thought this when he took out a talisman and saw the message that had just arrived from Sunset Perch Island.

After reading its contents, he couldn’t help but frown and sink into silence.

In truth, he found it hard to stay calm.

Xiao Jian really has left the Path of the Ancient Gods and entered the present! And now he’s even shown up on Sunset Perch Island. He’s obviously targeting me!

After hearing Xiao Jian’s message for him, Su Yi struggled to grasp Xiao Jian’s intentions.

Don’t tell me that it’s really as Luo Qingdi said, and that he figured out my cultivation base and determined that I’d be no match for him?

In that case, just how strong is Xiao Jian?