First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1963: I’ll Watch Over You as You Become a God

The man was tall and stalwart, with coppery skin and a willowy beard. His entire body was swathed in blue lightning.

It was these bolts of electricity that obscured his aura completely. He was like a wisp or shadow of refracted light. It was almost impossible to discover him.

This was none other than Immortal Sovereign Sky-Killer, Chu Shentong, the founder of Jade Firmament Immortal Palace. He was an unparalleled Immortal Sovereign of the Yao Path who’d reached the pinnacle of the Immortal Dao prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals.

His true body was a Kui Ox!

Now, Chu Shentong arrived beneath the dome of heaven. He was now less than a thousand feet away from the Epoch Fragment.

But then, he suddenly stopped in place and looked around.

A moment later, something unbelievable happened. The old-timer actually turned and fled! In the blink of an eye, he’d vanished over the horizon.

Su Yi almost intercepted him, but in the end, he held back. He just kept waiting and didn’t move a muscle.

Of his old enemies, Jiang Tai’e was the proudest and most aloof, Blood Firmament was the shrewdest, and Nan Pingtian was the craftiest.

Su Yi was certain that no one was hiding here in ambush except for him, and he dared say with certainty that Chu Shentong hadn’t found him, but he’d run anyway. There was only one explanation for that——he was trying to draw a would-be assailant out of hiding!

He was fleeing as a ruse to test for hidden enemies.

Su Yi waited patiently. Time slipped by, and just as he expected, Chu Shentong, still a blurry beam of light, stealthily returned about ten minutes later.

The old-timer is just as cowardly as I remember. Su Yi couldn’t help but find it amusing.

This time, Chu Shentong didn’t hesitate. He immediately shot over from the distant skies.

Kcch!

Firelight flowed around Chu Shentong, and a Daoist seal floated into the air, as well as treasure bottles, a halberd, a scroll, a heart-protecting mirror, and dozens of other treasures. They formed a multi-layered defense that covered Chu Shentong completely.

That wasn’t the end of it, either. Chu Shentong gripped a thick stack of talismans in one hand. In the other, he held a long black whip, and he approached slowly, ready for battle.

The corners of Su Yi’s lips twitched. There was no denying that Chu Shentong, the old codger, might not have been as strong as Jiang Tai’e and Blood Firmament, but…. There was a reason he’d survived the Battle of Eternal Night. He was extraordinary in his own way.

At the very least, in terms of sheer caution, he was far beyond other people.

Kcch!

Beneath the dome of heaven, Chu Shentong finally attacked. He raised his arm into the air, and that black whip shot forth, wrapping and binding the Epoch Fragment.

Chu Shentong’s eyes flashed with undisguisable delight, but he still didn’t let down his guard. Before he pulled the Epoch Fragment toward him, he crushed the thick stack of talismans in his left hand.

Boom!

The nearby skies suddenly collapsed, and a flood of countless flames burst forth with all-encompassing destructive power.

Chu Shentong, meanwhile, vanished into thin air.

Nine hundred thousand feet away.

Chu Shentong reappeared, then turned to look. It was faint, but he could see heaven and earth trembling where the Epoch Fragment had been. Divine radiance ran rampant.

“There really wasn’t anyone hiding there?” Chu Shentong frowned. “It seems my imagination got the best of me.”

Earlier, when he put the Epoch Fragment away, he felt inexplicably ill at ease. Thus, he suspected that unforeseen danger lurked in the surrounding area.

That was why he’d crushed the talismans he’d put so much effort into preparing without hesitation. It was equivalent to unleashing a full-force strike over a hundred-thousand-foot area. No matter who was hiding there, it was sure to reach them.

At the same time, Chu Shentong retreated without hesitation for fear that something unexpected might happen. If so, better to run away in advance.

But now, none of the dangers he’d anticipated had materialized.

Even as Chu Shentong celebrated what he’d gained, his heart ached for that pile of talismans. He’d expended an enormous amount of time and effort refining them over the years.

He would never have guessed that in the end, they’d all go to waste!

But I acquired an opportunity to achieve divinity. It’s enough. Chu Shentong stared intently at the Epoch Fragment, his gaze heated. He suddenly felt that his countless years of dormancy and endurance had all been worth it!

“If I want to leave the Epoch Battlefield, I have to either become a god or wait until the source power of the Immortal Realm that created this place vanishes into the natural order,” Chu Shentong pondered. “Now, I have an opportunity to achieve divinity, but if I attempt to prove my Dao, the resulting disturbance is sure to invite others’ covetous gazes. It’s highly likely that something will go awry…

“But if I don’t prove my Dao and become a god, I’ll be trapped in the Epoch Battlefield. It’s highly likely something will go awry that way, too….”

For a moment, Chu Shentong felt tied up in knots.

But then, a calm voice rang out of nowhere. “Seems to me that there’s no need to stress out about this, Ol’ Man Chu. I’ll watch over you as you prove your Dao.”

As soon as Chu Shentong heard this voice, he flew off like a startled bird, vanishing into thin air as he fled with all his might.

He reacted so quickly that anyone who saw it would have clucked their tongues with amazement.

Bang!

Several tens of thousands of feet away, a streak of sword qi intercepted Chu Shentong and reduced the defensive treasures surrounding him to pieces.

As the destructive power swept outward, Chu Shentong’s voice boomed like spring thunder. “Escape!”

He instantly vanished, then reappeared three hundred thousand feet away.

But he’d only just reappeared when a streak of sword qi descended from the heavens.

Boom!

The descending sword qi immediately destroyed most of Chu Shentong’s treasures, and that terrifying sword force sent him flying.

But a moment later, he vanished into thin air once more.

He was like flickering lightning, flashing in and out of view. Every time he vanished, he changed positions, shuttling through space. It was absolutely wondrous.

Were he up against any other opponent, he’d have shaken them off a long time ago.

Instead, a rumbling sword hum rang out, shaking the sky. Firelight erupted, and Chu Shentong was forced back into view.

He visibly lost his composure. Who is this? How could he have locked onto my position with such precision?

As his thoughts raced, Chu Shentong tried to flee once more. The surrounding skies rumbled and boomed, then contorted and collapsed as a sword formation blotted out the dome of heaven and obscured the sun!

The sword formation was manifested of rippling sword qi, and it sealed the area off completely.

Chu Shentong, meanwhile, was thoroughly surrounded!

“Break!” Chu Shentong roared and flung his treasures into the formation with no thought for their preciousness.

Suddenly, the entire stretch of heaven and earth was in turmoil. Lightning flashed, firelight ran rampant, and terrifying power of the Grand Dao swept outward like a hurricane.

The impact tore open a rift in the sword formation!

Chu Shentong relaxed, then shot through it. He planned to seize this opportunity to escape.

But then, a tall, upright figure appeared out of nowhere at the end of the rift. His blue robes swayed around him, and he looked as if he’d risen out of the dust of mundanity.

“Wang Ye!!” Chu Shentong’s expression darkened, and he abruptly halted his advance.

Su Yi said calmly, “If I were anyone else, you'd have escaped a long time ago. But I’m not, so you’d best not make any further attempts to flee.”

Chu Shentong’s expression shifted erratically. He finally understood why all of his escape techniques had come to no avail.

The reason was simple. He was up against Wang Ye, his old enemy! Wang Ye knew Chu Shentong’s abilities like the back of his hand.

“It’s not that simple. A long, long time has passed. You’ve changed, Wang Ye, but haven’t I changed too?” Chu Shentong said coolly. “Giving up without a fight isn’t how I do things, and there’s no way you’d let me sit around and wait to die anyway!”

Su Yi laughed, then stretched out his hand and slapped the air.

Bang!

Chu Shentong’s few remaining secret treasures exploded, and the slap sent him flying.

His expression was unsightly. Waves of shock coursed through his heart. It was only after they clashed that he realized on a visceral level how enormous the gap between him and Wang Ye’s reincarnation really was!

“Care to try me again?” Su Yi asked casually.

Chu Shentong’s face alternated white and green. Suddenly, he said, “Did you do anything to that Epoch Fragment earlier?”

A hint of admiration appeared on Su Yi’s face. “You really are more perceptive than other people.”

Chu Shentong completely understood. This whole thing had been a trap! The Epoch Fragment was bait. As soon as he touched it, Su Yi locked onto him. No matter what secret arts he used, it was all but impossible to shake him off!

“I’ll give it back to you!” Chu Shentong flung the Epoch Fragment.

At the same time, he bit through the tip of his tongue. A cloud of bloody mist erupted from his body, and an illusory Kui Ox floated into view, separating the chaos and standing atop the river of stars. It was vast beyond measure!

Boom!

Chu Shentong instantly expanded to twice his original size, then swung his fists at Su Yi.

This was a forbidden technique——the Kui Ox’s Fury!

When he used it, his power increased many times over, but it came at the grievous cost of damaging his foundations in the Grand Dao.

“Just as I expected. You might be the most meticulous, cautious old-timer around, but you’re quite ruthless to yourself when need be.”

A sigh resounded throughout heaven and earth.

Su Yi had already risen into the air, and he pressed down with his palm.

Boom!

Fist and palm collided. It was as if muffled thunder rumbled throughout the surroundings, producing a current of destructive power that swept out with enough force to destroy heaven and earth.

The illusory Kui Ox behind Chu Shentong shattered, unable to bear the impact. Chu Shentong then flew uncontrollably backwards.

The blood drained from his aged face, which was filled with terror and fury. “You… Don’t tell me you’ve already become a god!?”

Su Yi shook his head. “All I can say is that you’ve long since ceased to be my opponent.”

With that, he waved his head, and the Epoch Fragment blurred into a beam of light and reappeared in front of Chu Shentong.

“I know you placed your hopes of defeating me on achieving divinity,” Su Yi said casually. “Here. I’ll give you the opportunity.”

Chu Shentong’s hair was loose and disheveled as he glowered at Su Yi. “Is this some kind of joke?”

“No. I want to see if I can kill you after you’ve become a god. Don’t you think it’ll be more interesting that way?” said Su Yi.

Chu Shentong was dumbstruck, then indescribably frustrated.

The enemy he’d feared—and hated—the most was offering him a chance at divinity of his own accord. All of this was for the sake of cutting him down after he’d become a god.

Who… could possibly have understood how Chu Shentong felt?

“Relax. I’ll personally serve as your dharma protector. You can just focus on proving your Dao. As you know, I’m a man of my word. I absolutely won’t renege on my promise,” Su Yi said solemnly.

Chu Shentong stood there, still as a clay statue.

A moment later, his entire body quivered, and he hacked up blood. His face was instantly ashen.

Instead of attacking me, he’s attacking my heart! He doesn’t just want to kill me. This bastard wants to completely destroy my Dao Heart first!