First Immortal of the Sword

“A’Ning, please stay out of my business with Su Yi.” Luo Tiandu was a bit frustrated. Of late, Xi Ning had repeatedly urged him against opposing Su Yi any further.

He’d never lost his temper over it, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit dejected.

This was A’Ning’s first time in the Immortal Realm. How long had he and Xi Ning known each other? Yet for some reason, she seemed extraordinarily concerned about Su Yi’s safety!

Xi Ning said solemnly, “It’s not that I want to meddle in your affairs, but that if you remain enemies, I’m afraid it won’t end well for you.”

Luo Tiandu couldn’t help but grin, revealing his pearly white teeth. “A’Ning, in the God Domain, who among experts of our level would dare underestimate me? You’re the only one who’s never taken me seriously.”

“Do you think I’m joking?” Xi Ning’s delicate brow furrowed, and she passed Luo Tiandu a jade slip. “See for yourself.”

“What’s this?” Luo Tiandu accepted the jade slip, then casually skimmed its contents.

It wasn’t long before his smile froze in place. His brow gradually furrowed, and his expression filled with irrepressible astonishment and confusion. It was quite a sight to behold.

In the end, he fell into a complete daze and sank into silence.

“Well?” For some inexplicable reason, Xi Ning couldn’t help but find his astonishment satisfying.

The jade slip recorded everything Su Yi had done at the Immortal Peach Assembly.

It wasn’t just Luo Tiandu. Even she was overcome with astonishment when she first read the news, and she almost suspected she’d received bad information.

“Strong!” Luo Tiandu took a deep breath, his expression uncharacteristically solemn. “No, he’s terrifying!”

Xi Ning seized the opening and said, “That’s why I urged you not to keep fighting Su Yi. Fu Tianyi and Gu Lingxiao were a bit weaker than you, sure, but don’t forget that they summoned Divine Venerate Eternal Sands’ avatar of will, and they still weren’t a match for Fellow Daoist Su!”

Luo Tiandu’s lips twitched. “A’Ning, you know me. When I’ve decided to do something, there’s no way I’ll change my mind.”

Xi Ning was instantly upset.

Luo Tiandu hurriedly tried to soothe her. “Rest assured that when Su Yi and I fight, I’ll fight him cleanly and openly. I won’t sink to despicable means like Fu Tianyi!”

Xi Ning said no more on the matter. It wouldn’t have any effect, so why bother?

Suddenly, there was a disturbance in a distant stretch of swamp. A skeleton had crawled out of the murky water.

Boom!

The lightning pouring onto the swamp came crashing down with enough force to explode a Great Profound Stage powerhouse to pieces, but when it hit the skeleton, all it did was scatter electric sparks.

It could in no way shake those dried-up bones!

“Run!” Luo Tiandu and Xi Ning couldn’t afford to give the matter any further thought. They immediately turned and fled.

Not long ago, the two of them came to this mysterious, taboo place in search of one of the secrets of the earliest days of the Immortal Realm’s Primeval Era.

But even after all this time, they hadn’t found it. Moreover, they’d faced lethal danger on numerous occasions.

This was because countless terrifying divine remnants were scattered across this forbidden zone.

“Divine remnant” referred to the bodies that dead gods left behind. They didn’t rot despite the passage of countless years, and the terrifying death qi enveloping them gradually transformed them into inhuman monsters.

These monsters had no intelligence, but they were ruthless and brutal. They could easily destroy even Great Profound Stage experts, and they were terrifying to the extreme.

Over the past few days, Luo Tiandu and Xi Ning had encountered quite a few divine remnants. The massive skeletal bird that had just soared over the swamp was one of them, too.

“We’re all dead, so why are you still alive!?” A hoarse, infuriated roar suddenly resounded throughout heaven or earth.

The divine remnant that had just crawled out of the swamp was shouting at them.

It had no flesh, and its skeleton was badly battered. Upon closer inspection, they could just barely tell that the corpse had been male in life. Its hollow eye sockets blazed with black flames tinged with dense, heavy death qi.

Terrifying, imposing murderous intent locked onto the fleeing Luo Tiandu and Xi Ning, sending chills down their spines.

“Go!” Luo Tiandu snorted coldly and summoned a Dao Sword covered in flowing, colorful light. He cleaved through the air, and the taboo divine power within the sword smoothly broke the power locking onto them.

But the divine remnant was still chasing them!

It ripped through space, practically teleporting, so quick it was unbelievable.

“Why are you still alive!!?” roared the divine remnant.

Luo Tiandu and Xi Ning dared not hesitate. They activated their trump cards and fled with all their might.

Not long ago, they’d tested it, and found that not even their Epoch Treasures could suppress the divine remnants’ power. On the contrary, trying put them in enormous danger!

Thus, neither made any attempt to fight. They simply fled with all their might.

Along the way, something suddenly occurred to Xi Ning. If Fellow Daoist Su were here, he might be able to neutralize much of the threat.

The divine remnants were the remains of dead gods, so perhaps… the power of reincarnation would counter them.

Back in the ruins of the Dragon Palace, Xi Ning saw with her own eyes how Su Yi used the power of reincarnation to counter and destroy the revenants. She naturally understood how effective the power of reincarnation was on the undead. It was wondrously useful.

But Xi Ning quickly suppressed all such thoughts. She knew that the moment Luo Tiandu laid eyes on Su Yi, a bloody conflict would erupt, and it wouldn’t stop until one of them was dead!

We’ll just have to take our time and look for an opportunity, thought Xi Ning.

This forbidden ground was known as the Place Abandoned by Heaven. According to her clan’s ancient tomes, it was a remnant of the epoch civilization that existed prior to the Immortal Realm.

The River of Epochs was home to numerous epoch civilizations. Many of them had long since been destroyed. Such was the cycle of the ages; every epoch civilization was part of a cycle of destruction and rebirth. When an epoch met with an Epoch Tribulation, it would be completely eradicated, and a new one would be born instead.

The epoch that had existed here prior to the birth of the Immortal Realm was known as the Spirit Martial Epoch.

But not even the gods knew anything about the Spirit Martial Epoch. This was because all traces of it had been completely erased from the River of Epochs.

This was unbelievable. Erasing all traces of an entire epoch civilization was far beyond even the mightiest of gods. Yet the Spirit Martial Epoch had inexplicably vanished nonetheless!

All the general populace knew was that the Spirit Martial Epoch had once existed. No one knew how long it lasted, or anything of its past glories, or how it disappeared.

Everything was a mystery. It was full of taboo, unknown flair.

Xi Ning and Luo Tiandu were currently looking for a forbidden ground connected to the Spirit Martial Epoch, a place known only as a forbidden, unknown, and mysterious ruin even in the earliest days of the Immortal Realm’s Primeval Era!

Alas, as of yet, the two of them had yet to learn much of anything.

“Fortunately, that monster isn’t giving chase,” exclaimed Luo Tiandu.

The divine remnant was far more terrifying than the others they’d seen. Although it too lacked sentience, its ferocious power was far beyond the others.

Boom!

Dark light laden with dense death qi split the sky and descended explosively.

Barely any time had passed, but the Seven-Stars Seal hovering in front of Xi Ning shook, and the aftershock practically sent her flying.

At a critical juncture, Luo Tiandu roared in fury, swung his sword, and attacked.

Clang!!!

Sword qi shot through the air. In the end, it neutralized the black beam of light laden with death qi. Even so, Luo Tiandu swayed on his feet, and his sword quivered in his grip.

But it was then that the skeletal divine remnant attacked once more.

“Why? Why are you still alive?” The divine remnant seemed frenzied. Black flames blazed in its hollowed-out sockets.

It roared in fury and attacked, its skeletal hand sweeping through the air and sending Luo Tiandu and Xi Ning flying.

Even when they used their Epoch Treasures, they struggled to fight back!

“A’Ning, run! I’ll play with this blasted creature!” Luo Tianheng snorted coldly, his entire body shining with the light of the Dao. He gripped his sword in one hand, a divine talisman in the other, and charged at the divine remnant.

Kaboom!

The entire stretch of heaven and earth collapsed. Divine flames ran rampant.

But in the blink of an eye…

Bang!

Luo Tiandu was sent ruthlessly flying back, blood spurting from his mouth.

The divine remnant was just too terrifying. It wasn’t just terrifyingly strong; it wasn’t at all afraid of death. It wasn’t at all concerned even after Luo Tiandu’s divine talisman slammed into it!

“A’Ning, hurry up and run!!” Luo Tiandu cried out frantically.

He’d discovered that Xi Ning hadn’t just not run away. On the contrary, she’d given chase of her own accord, and now, she was locked in fierce combat with the divine remnant!

Without the slightest hesitation, Luo Tiandu charged once more.

Both of them were using enough power to destroy even unparalleled Great Profound cultivators of the present day with ease.

They dealt the divine remnant a heavy blow. Many of its already damaged bones snapped and broke.

But the skeleton didn’t even seem to notice. It still attacked like mad without fear of death!

Within moments, both Xi Ning and Luo Tiandu were badly injured and forced back.

“Why… are you still alive?” The divine remnant roared and attacked once more.

Xi Ning’s pupils constricted, and her heart filled with irrepressible helplessness and despair.

This divine remnant seemed like a long-decayed corpse, but its strength was almost comparable to a living god’s!

“A’Ning, hurry up and dodge!”

When Luo Tiandu saw that Xi Ning’s life hung in the balance, his eyes bulged and his scalp went numb. He roared and charged like mad with no regard for his own safety. He was ready to risk it all.

But then, someone attacked before he got the chance.

Clang!

A sound like metal piercing stone rang out, and a long spear appeared out of nowhere, piercing the divine remnant’s skull like it was nothing.

Bang!!

The divine remnant shattered. Not even bone dust remained.

Only the spear was left hovering in the air, heart-palpitating light emanating from its tip.

Xi Ning was stunned. Luo Tiandu was stunned, too.

A single spear strike destroyed a divine remnant? Who could possibly be so powerful?

It was then that they saw a figure approach from the distant, tumultuous skies. The long spear shot through the air and landed in her hand of its own accord.

When Xi Ning and Luo Tiandu looked over, they saw that this new arrival was a woman. She was dressed in plain gray robes, and her long black hair was tied into a ponytail and held in place with a red string. She wore straw sandals on her feet.

Her face was obscured by a bronze mask, revealing only her icy, pale purple eyes.

That aside, she had no other jewelry or embellishments, but even standing there casually, she had an unsurpassed majestic air about her. It was like the descent of a ruler or a goddess of the spear, an imposing sight.

The spear retracted its aura in her grip. It was blue-gray and plain, without the slightest flourish, save for a mysterious Dao Marking reminiscent of a swastika carved on the shaft. The swastika represented an endless, self-perpetuating cycle.

Had Su Yi been there, he’d have recognized this new arrival at a glance. This was none other than the mysterious spearwoman!

Seth's Thoughts

Spoiler in the author's note. Hit me up on the novel's channel in the WW discord if you can't contain your curiosity.