First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1951: The Demon God Calls Me His Daoist Brother

Deep within the dome of heaven, layers of chaos clouds churned and flashed with intermittent, colorful light.

This was the nascent outline of the Epoch Battlefield, and it represented a change in the Immortal Realm’s chaos source!

“Who could possibly stop the trend of heaven and earth?” sighed Su Yi.

The world inevitably changed. Those who adapted thrived. Those who couldn’t perished.

The Path of Divinity was due to appear within the year. None could stop it, and none could interfere. All they could do was prepare to vie for the rare opportunities to achieve godhood that would accompany these changes.

The group continued. By now, there were already seventeen dead gods leading the procession. The man in Confucian robes was obviously a leader among them, and the others looked to him for orders.

Ten minutes later, dazzling, sacred firelight lit up the dome of heaven, as radiant as the sun.

The man in Confucian robes and the other dead gods stopped in their tracks. Looks of dread appeared on their faces.

“That’s the Spacetime Boundary Marker,” the spearwoman said softly, pointing into the sky.

A boundless flood of spacetime power, like an endless ocean, churned within the spacetime portal without end.

And a roughly one-foot-tall stone stele hovered at its center. It looked utterly minuscule in comparison, and it wasn’t the least bit eye-catching.

But at the same time, it was like the sun illuminating the dome of heaven, bursting with endless, immeasurable light. It had a sacred, undying quality.

There was no doubt about it. This was the Spacetime Boundary Marker!

“Let’s go.” The spearwoman led Su Yi and the others toward it.

When the dead gods up ahead saw them approach, their expressions shifted. Some of them even looked eager.

The atmosphere was instantly stifled and oppressive.

Xi Ning pursed her lips. She didn’t even need to think to know that, were violence to break out, she and Luo Tiandu wouldn’t even be able to fight back. The latter also looked more solemn than ever before; he was no coward, but the dead gods were far too terrifying.

Meanwhile, in Su Yi’s sea of consciousness, the Sword of the Nine Hells readied itself for battle.

“What, do you want to fight?” The spearwoman’s eyes glinted.

The man in Confucian robes laughed and waved the others away. “Step aside, all of you. Let them pass.”

He then was the first to step back. When the other dead gods saw this, they could only clear a path as directed. But it would have been obvious to anyone that they hadn’t done so willingly.

When the spearwoman saw this, she grunted coldly and led Su Yi and his companions ahead. When they passed the dead gods, the elderly dwarf said coldly, “You’d best take care of yourself, my young friend.”

He then flashed Su Yi a grin.

He was smiling, but it was extraordinarily unsettling.

Su Yi glanced at the old dwarf. “You’d best take care too.”

The old dwarf was stunned, but before he could come to his senses, the spearwoman led Su Yi and the divine children past him.

It was only when they reached the spacetime portal that the spearwoman relaxed. “The dead gods dare not approach this place. If they do, the power of the Spacetime Boundary Marker will suppress them.”

Su Yi nodded, then turned to look. The dead gods hadn’t left. Rather, they stood at a distance and watched intently.

The elderly dwarf was still smiling warmly, and when he noticed Su Yi’s gaze, he nodded.

Deep within his heart, Su Yi felt displeased. From beginning to end, the man in Confucian robes acted like he had this in the bag, as if they were prey soon to be devoured. He hadn’t attacked, but that was simply because he wanted a spectacle first.

Su Yi understood the feeling. When he saw bungling clowns jump around, he sometimes stood back and watched them make fools of themselves too. There was no doubt about it: in the dead gods’ eyes, they were a pack of bungling clowns.

“Pay those dead things no heed. Saving Miss A’Cai comes first,” said the spearwoman. She felt much the same way as Su Yi.

Su Yi nodded, then looked over at the Spacetime Boundary Marker. A perfectly round golden ring was floating beneath it.

Upon closer inspection, it was a golden silkworm, except that its body was curled into the shape of a snake eating its own tail. A circle represented undying, eternal perfection. It was like the supreme ultimate, a self-perpetuating cycle.

A’Cai had a similar mark on her forehead.

“How do I save her?” asked Su Yi.

The Spacetime Boundary Marker’s aura was far too vast and holy. It floated at the center of the spacetime portal amidst a surging river of spacetime power.

A’Cai, now in silkworm form, was alive and unharmed, but her situation still didn’t look good. It was as if she’d been somehow sealed.

The spearwoman’s gaze was inscrutable. “Try the power of reincarnation.”

Su Yi was stunned, but after a moment’s thought, he raised his hand, and a wisp of the inscrutable gray power of reincarnation gathered at his fingertip.

He used this power to form a hand seal and tap the air.

Boom!

The reincarnation hand seal transformed into an enormous net and flew toward the Spacetime Boundary Marker.

“Reincarnation…” When the man in Confucian robes, the elderly dwarf, and the other dead gods saw this, their eyes blazed with irrepressible heat and greed.

Weng!

An unbelievable scene followed.

The net was still flying through the air when the Spacetime Boundary Marker seemed to sense it. Countless strange and intricate Dao Markings suddenly appeared on its golden surface. At the same time, the power of reincarnation surged forth yet again—this time, from the stele!

This power of reincarnation was incomparably terrifying. As soon as it appeared, it manifested a complete world of reincarnation. It didn’t just contain the Netherworld. It included the Human World, the heavens, and other planes, too!

The ages rose and fell, worldly affairs alternated, and living creatures arose and died amidst it all… It seemed to encompass both the heavens and all worlds. It connected the past, the present, and the future; worldly affairs in all their facets and the cycle of life, death, and rebirth!

The world of reincarnation was far too enormous, lofty, and perfect. It was self-contained and self-sustaining!

Su Yi suddenly had a strange sensation, as if he’d gotten a clear glimpse of the goal he was striving for in his pursuit of the Grand Dao. The power of reincarnation before him was truly supreme, flawless, and all-encompassing. It had the charm and majesty of the ruler of all Daos. Reincarnation stabilized the world, and the world contained reincarnation!

Who could possibly have left this power here? Was it perhaps the Esteemed Demon God of the Spirit Martial Epoch? The one they say controlled the power of reincarnation? If so, that’s unquestionably further proof that the spearwoman was right. The Demon God really left the Spacetime Boundary Marker here!

As Su Yi’s thoughts raced, he controlled the power of reincarnation and drew closer, bit by bit. When he made contact with the power of reincarnation surging from the Spacetime Boundary Marker…

Boom!

Su Yi’s sea of consciousness suddenly shook.

The Sword of the Nine Hells had been ready and raring to go this entire time. Now, it changed once more. The divine chain representing Su Yi’s fifth incarnation clattered.

“How fortunate I am to have encountered your reincarnation here, Daoist Brother!” Hearty laughter rang out, booming throughout Su Yi’s sea of consciousness.

But Su Yi couldn’t see the speaker, nor could he locate them.

“You know me, sir?” He couldn’t help but ask.

“I was once fortunate enough to hear Brother Chen Xi speak of you, but I can tell you’ve yet to fully regain your memories,” said that hearty voice. The speaker sounded a bit disappointed. “Alas, I’m merely an imprint left within the Spacetime Boundary Marker, and before long, I’ll dissipate. Forgive me for being unable to meet with you in the flesh, Daoist Brother.”

Su Yi was dumbstruck. Who is Chen Xi? And why did he bring up my past lives? The powerful existence who left the Spacetime Boundary Marker here obviously knows about my striving amidst reincarnation! Could this be the Esteemed Demon God of the Spirit Martial Epoch?

Su Yi’s thoughts raced.

Back in the Human Realm, he once returned to the Dark and Gold Star Realm. There, he encountered a mysterious young man who called him “uncle.” The young man called himself Chen Pu.

Chen Pu helped Su Yi fight off the five divine emissaries attempting to break into the Dark and Gold Star Realm, and he shared several secrets with him. Of them, the most important was this: “Reincarnation has appeared, so the Dark and Gold must go into hiding."

According to Chen Pu, now that he’d grasped the power of reincarnation, chaos power of the natural order would cover the Dark and Gold Star Realm and obscure it completely.

Chen Pu also said that the chaos laws covering the Dark and Gold Star Realm were, in a sense, his doing. He’d left them there in one of his past lives to stave off future problems and prevent external enemies from ruining his plans to reincarnate and re-cultivate.

He also told Su Yi that once he’d transcended the River of Epochs, all would become clear. And when he’d grasped the Blade of Samsara and adjudicated the gods, he’d be able to sense the chaos laws enveloping the Dark and Gold Star Realm. Only then would he be able to return.

Su Yi recalled it vividly. Thus, when that mysterious voice spoke of Chen Xi, Su Yi immediately recalled the young man who’d called him “uncle.” There was no doubt about it. Chen Xi and Chen Pu were family!

It seemed that during his first lifetime, before he entered the cycle of reincarnation to cultivate anew, he’d known the mysterious Chen Xi. And the person he now spoke with had learned of his first incarnation through Chen Xi. Thus, he recognized Su Yi at a glance!

After realizing all this, Su Yi couldn’t help but ask, “Are you perhaps the Demon God of the Spirit Martial Epoch?”

That hearty voice fell silent, then laughed bitterly. “Oh, my. That’s an unpleasant title I received during my cultivation; my enemies gave it to me. I wouldn’t have thought you’d heard it before, Daoist Brother.”

“Then might I ask your honorable name?” asked Su Yi. He was truly curious.

After all, back in the Cave of Divine Tears, that lady divine wraith said that the Esteemed Demon God was as nameless as the Grand Dao itself; his name had been completely hidden from existence. No one knew it anymore. Now that he’d encountered the Esteemed Demon God’s imprint, Su Yi naturally wanted to know what his name was!

That hearty voice rang out once more, but this time, he sounded apologetic. “The Dao is not to be spoken of lightly. Similarly, my true name has been erased from this world. If I speak it, it will invite unpredictable disaster. Please don’t take offense, Daoist Brother. Once you’ve transcended the gods and found the secrets of eternity, all will become clear.”

Seth's Thoughts

penguin: well, well, well, if this isn't a throwback 😌