First Immortal of the Sword

The first jade slip contained the secret method for removing the Spirit-Confining Chains. After contemplating it briefly, Su Yi grasped it completely.

Yun Changhong hadn’t deceived him. The moment someone attempted to use external force to break the Spirit-Confining Chains, Old Wei’s fleshly body and soul would both take lethal damage.

Fortunately, with this method, there was no need for concern.

The second jade slip contained three leads regarding the Tailor’s whereabouts.

The first lead matched what Illuminating Emptiness had told him. It suggested that he find the man behind the Four Seas Tower, their hidden boss, the Bookkeeper!

But the other two leads came as a surprise.

The first pointed to an expert of one of the Ancient Guardian Clans of the Dao, a veritable living fossil, Wen Yong!

According to Yun Changhong, when the Tailor passed his orders on to the outside world, he always used Wen Yong as his herald. It was Wen Yong who issued his orders to the factions and forces under the Tailor’s command.

In short, Wen Yong was the Tailor’s mouthpiece in the outside world!

In recent months, Su Yi’s accomplishments and travels had drawn widespread attention, throwing the stars into uproar. It was the Tailor who’d stirred up these waves from the shadows, but it was Wen Yong who’d passed on the commands necessary to make it all happen!

After learning all this, Su Yi couldn’t help but frown.

During the battle at Crow Ridge, the Tailor and Lady Snowjade plotted against him. Experts of the Blue Luan Spirit Race had been involved too.

During the battle of the Violet Heavens Platform, the Tailor personally made arrangements. The participating major factions included the Skyfire Spirit Race Xu Family, the Zhou Family, and the Zhong Family, three of the Ancient Guardian Clans of the Dao.

As for today’s massacre on Goldendawn Divine Mountain? It all started when the Yun Family and the Tailor established an alliance, destroyed the Glittering Jewel Hidden Realm, and captured Old Wei.

Add the Wen Family to the mix, and all six of Ancient Guardian Clans of the Dao were colluding with the Tailor, either openly or covertly!

Of course, it was also possible that the Tailor’s forces had long since infiltrated the Six Ancient Guardian Clans of the Dao!

After taking a moment to process this, Su Yi examined the third lead. He couldn’t help but sink into silent contemplation.

The third lead regarded an organization of assassins known as the Blissful Heavens. The Tailor had founded the organization personally, and over the past thirty thousand years, they’d accomplished numerous astonishing feats, slaying no small number of World Kings.

The leader of the Blissful Heavens was known as the Hired Blade. Their origins were mysterious, and their abilities were far-reaching.

According to Yun Changhong, the so-called Hired Blade had an extraordinary connection to the Tailor. It was highly likely that they were his legacy disciple!

That aside, Yun Changhong told Su Yi that the Blissful Heavens’ base was in the Divine Capital’s Bright Province.

For anyone else, finding it would have been harder than ascending the heavens.

However, Yun Changhong left a Dao Mark in the jade slip and said that it was the unique seal of the Blissful Heavens. The moment Su Yi arrived in the Bright Province, he could cover himself with the seal’s aura. Before long, the Blissful Heavens would come looking for him.

Learning all of this didn’t particularly delight Su Yi. Given the Tailor’s shrewdness and methods, after his grievous defeat at the Violet Heavens Platform, he was surely on guard.

When the Tailor learned of the Yun Family’s misfortune, he was sure to take additional precautions. He might well sever all connections he had to the outside world and flee somewhere no one else knew about.

But Su Yi was well aware that that the Tailor's schemes were so effective precisely because he had “eyes” and “arms” throughout the stars.

By blinding the Tailor’s “eyes” and severing his “arms”, Su Yi could strip him of both his knowledge of worldly affairs and his ability to influence them.

He could hide in the darkness all he wanted, but if he wanted to understand and influence what was happening outside, he had no choice but to communicate with others!

This meant that if Su Yi wanted to find the Tailor, he could start by finding the Tailor’s links to the outside world!

“Fellow Daoist Su.”

A flash of light streaked over, and Li Zhong appeared out of nowhere, his face nothing but smiles.

Before Su Yi could ask, he silently transmitted, “Earlier, this old man was indignant, and I took it upon myself to take Ruan Caizhi’s head. Please, don’t take offense.”

He was obviously here to establish a positive karmic tie, yet here he was, acting all apologetic.

Su Yi took this in. He couldn’t help but admit that Li Zhong was extraordinarily good at getting others to owe him a favor. At the very least, Su Yi didn’t feel at all averse to him.

“Many thanks.” Su Yi subtly inclined his head.

Li Zhong was inwardly delighted, and he smiled as if a massive weight had lifted from his shoulders. “I’m just relieved to know that I haven’t inconvenienced you, Fellow Daoist.”

It was then that the Yun clansmen returned with a full sixteen storage treasures.

“These are the spoils you requested, Your Excellency the Temple Master. Please, have a look,” said an old man, his head lowered and his expression bitter.

Li Zhong instantly realized what was going on, and he immediately recommended himself for what came next. “Fellow Daoist Su, if you’re not opposed, how about I take inventory of the spoils for you?”

Su Yi said distractedly, “I’ll just have to trouble you, then.”

He knew that if he refused, Li Zhong’s imagination would get the best of him. Better to let Li Zhong take care of this trivial matter. That would also communicate that Su Yi wasn’t opposed to his “positive karma.”

Just as Su Yi expected, Li Zhong instantly lit up and said with a hearty laugh, “Haha, a trivial matter. It’s no trouble at all.”

With that, he got to work.

However, by the time he’d finished taking inventory, even Li Zhong couldn’t help but gasp. “The Yun Family sure has assembled quite a few treasures over the years!”

All sixteen of the spatial treasures contained a storage space the size of a grand hall, and all of them were filled to the brim!

Even if Li Zhong only factored in the World King-level goods, there were an astronomical number of them, from spirit medicines and divine materials to magic treasures.

Furthermore, every last one of them was top-notch!

As the greatest of the Ancient Guardian Clans of the Dao, it was only natural that ordinary goods couldn’t make it into the Yun Family’s treasuries.

Pick any of these treasures at random, and it’d be enough to make any World King red-eyed with greed!

Li Zhong was a peak Cloud Soaring Transcendent of the ancient era. This naturally wasn’t enough to shock him.

What shocked him was that the spoils included a large stash of Transcendent treasures, some of which were incredibly rare and unusual!

Some of the divine materials and medicines were enticing even for Cloud Soaring experts. Even Li Zhong was interested.

It seems the Yun Family’s forces have excavated many ancient ruins over the past twenty years, thought Li Zhong.

The world’s changes started about twenty years ago.

There was no doubt about it. As the greatest of the Ancient Guardian Clans of the Dao, the Yun Family had spent the past twenty years excavating ancient ruins. They couldn’t possibly have acquired all these Transcendent treasures otherwise!

It was no exaggeration to say that even in ancient times, the combined value of these treasures would have been enough to trigger a storm of bloodshed. Even Cloud Soaring experts would have fought over them!

Li Zhong shook his head, cast aside his scattered thoughts, then, without any prior warning, grabbed that old man of the Yun Family and searched his soul.

A few moments later, Li Zhong withdrew his divine sense and smiled at Su Yi. “Fellow Daoist, the Yun Family hasn’t played any tricks. The goods within these sixteen treasures really are the full extent of their treasury.”

With that, he handed the storage treasures over. Su Yi accepted them and said, “Thank you.”

Li Zhong waved his gratitude away with a smile. “You’re too polite, Fellow Daoist. A trivial matter, that’s all. Why even mention it?”

The Yun Family felt increasingly bitter and grief-stricken just witnessing this exchange.

“Don’t resist,” Su Yi said out of nowhere. The mysteries of reincarnation flowed between his fingers as he pressed his hand on Li Zhong’s shoulder.

Li Zhong practically jumped out of his skin. His whole body stiffened, and his hair stood on end. He only just barely resisted the urge to lash out.

However, a moment later, he sensed Su Yi pulling the power of his curse directly out of his body!

Bang!

The strange, calamitous gray power of the curse was about seven inches long, and it wriggled in Su Yi’s grip like a worm as he slowly crushed it.

Li Zhong watched in a daze. A moment later, his astonishment gave way to mad delight, and he bowed excitedly. “Fellow Daoist, thank you for granting me rebirth!”

Li Zhong was one of the Nine Great Yao Monarchs of the ancient era, an old monster, yet now, he was so excited that he trembled from head to toe.

It was no wonder he’d lose his comportment like this.

Breaking a revenant’s curse was like giving him a chance at rebirth. Now, Li Zhong could rebuild his physical body and resume his cultivation, unfettered by the curse, like a phoenix reborn from the ashes!

“No need for thanks,” said Su Yi. “If possible, I hope you can pass on a message to the world’s ancient orthodoxies for me.”

Li Zhong’s heart shook, and he forced himself to calm down. “Please go right ahead, Fellow Daoist.”

Su Yi said casually, “I want to take the Tailor down, but I still can’t figure out where the old schemer is hiding. If anyone can provide me with worthwhile leads, I’ll remove their curse.”

When Li Zhong heard that, he didn’t so much as pause to think before agreeing. “Very well! Fellow Daoist, please rest assured. I guarantee that within a day, every ancient orthodoxy will have learned of this!”

To the revenants who’d survived the End of the Dharma, what could possibly be more important than breaking their curse?

Nothing!

It didn’t matter whether they were leaders of influential sects or descendants of immortals. If they couldn’t break their curse, they would never truly live again!

Much less resume their cultivation and point their swords at immortality.

Li Zhong dared say with certainty that when the ancient orthodoxies heard Su Yi’s offer, they’d surely be tempted. They’d do everything in their power to seek out the old Tailor, heedless of the price!

Of course, that didn’t imply that the ancient factions wouldn’t view Su Yi with enmity. This was just a business transaction.

But then, Li Zhong trusted that both Su Yi and the ancient orthodoxies were fully aware of that.

After all, so long as their curses remained, Su Yi’s mere existence was like a sword hovering over the revenants’ heads!

Without any further delays, Su Yi turned and left. Li Zhong wasn’t willing to delay any further either, so he immediately got to work.

“That devil... has finally left...”

The surviving members of the Yun Family all had conflicted looks on their faces, and they felt a complicated mixture of emotions.

When they looked around, they saw that the once towering Goldendawn Divine Mountain now lay in ruin. The ground was covered in scars, a vision of utter desolation.

The ground was still littered with the corpses of their clansmen and pools of blood.

The survivors went from aggrieved to despondent.

That very day, word of the battle on Goldendawn Divine Mountain spread, taking the world by storm and causing widespread astonishment!

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