First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1768 - Announcing a Duel With Su Yi to the Entire World

The Church of the Pure One.

A blessed land shrouded in Immortal Mist.

It was late at night, and the stars sparkled overhead. A clear breeze blew past.

Sect Leader Qi Nie was dressed in long, plain robes and seated alone beneath a tall tree. His brow was tightly furrowed, and he stared intently at the jade slip in his hands.

Months after disappearing in the Abyss of Dark Fog, Su Yi reappeared in the heart of the Buzhou Mountains to crush the Church of All Spirits!

This incident had already sent an unprecedented storm sweeping across the Immortal Realm. Countless people were in uproar, and countless immortal factions were shaken.

After all, everyone knew that the Church of All Spirits was backed by a god!

Yet now, Su Yi, a mere Immortal Lord, had crushed them overnight. Nothing like this had ever happened in the long years following the Age of Fallen Immortals.

No, it was fair to say that nothing like this had happened, period!

After all, prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals, there were no god-backed factions!

The gods forbid the return of the power of reincarnation, and indeed, they have good reasons for doing so. Su Yi is a blatant blasphemer! thought Qi Nie.

He didn’t find it at all strange that Su Yi could kill Immortal Kings despite his Immortal Lord cultivation.

Although he was surprised that Su Yi had survived both the pursuit of nine factions’ Immortal Kings and the Abyss of Dark Fog, he didn’t find it strange, either.

After all, Su Yi was Wang Ye’s reincarnation! And Wang Ye was the unrivaled legend who’d dominated the entire Immortal Realm prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals!

No matter how low his cultivation, he had countless methods at his disposal. He was far more than any ordinary Immortal King could contend with.

There were, however, two things that Qi Nie really found worrying.

First, the Church of All Spirits had treasures given to them by their divine backer. Su Yi had crushed them anyway. That implied that Su Yi had hidden cards capable of contending with the power of the gods!

Perhaps this was part of why the gods forbade the power of reincarnation.

The second thing that worried him was the contents of the jade slip in his hands. It was a message from the Spherical Heavens Immortal Sovereign!

He was a Great Realm expert of the age of Fallen Immortals, an old monster who’d participated in the Battle of Eternal Night alongside Qi Nie’s master, the Blood Firmament Immortal Sovereign!

In his message, the Spherical Heavens Immortal Sovereign said that Su Yi was already strong enough to kill any Immortal King of the present day with his own strength.

If they gave Su Yi more time, it wouldn’t be long before he could kill Great Martial Stage powerhouses!

When Qi Nie saw this, he finally felt threatened! He could no longer remain uninvolved and watch coldly from the sidelines.

Prior to this, he’d planned to watch from a safe distance and let those factions with divine backers kill Su Yi for him.

For instance, when all those Immortal Kings pursued Su Yi, it was Qi Nie who’d revealed his true identity to those god-backed factions.

It was because of this intervention that the Church of the Exquisite Goddess and Church of All Spirits, two god-backed factions, participated in the pursuit.

Now that the Church of All Spirits had been annihilated, Qi Nie finally understood that relying on factions with divine backers wouldn’t be enough to get rid of Su Yi!

And the Spherical Heavens Immortal Sovereign’s message gave Qi Nie chills.

As the leader of the Church of the Pure One, he knew better than anyone that it had only been two years since Su Yi arrived in the Ascension Ground in the Jing Province’s White Deer Mountain!

Both the Church of the Pure One and Cloud Apparatus Immortal Manor tried to hunt him down then.

Qi Nie didn’t know what level Su Yi’s cultivation was at the time, but as a new ascendant, he’d at most just barely stepped into the Immortal Dao.

Yet now, just two years later, Su Yi had realized breakthrough after breakthrough, blazing past the Universe and Void Realms to reach the Saint Realm. Furthermore, he was already strong enough to kill Immortal Kings!

This level of growth was unquestionably shocking and unheard of. Throughout the ages, no one else had ever accomplished such a feat!

It was this that truly scared Qi Nie. It was just as the Spherical Heavens Immortal Sovereign said; given time, it wouldn’t be long before Su Yi could kill Great Martial Stage experts!!

Just the thought of it left Qi Nie ill at ease.

He knew that as the reincarnation of the Eternal Night Immortal Sovereign, Su Yi was sure to seek revenge against the Church of the Pure One sooner or later. There was absolutely no room to negotiate.

But he also knew that Great Realm experts, including his master, were too afraid of divine misfortune to risk their lives hunting Su Yi down, even knowing who he really was!

But if they just let Su Yi keep growing, he’d only present an increasingly enormous threat!

What made Qi Nie’s heart sink was that throughout the Immortal Realm, the strongest fighting forces available to even top factions like the Church of the Pure One consisted of “mere” Immortal Kings...

That didn’t mean that the Church of the Pure One had no hidden killer weapons, nor did it mean they didn’t have Great Realm experts to oversee things.

But it did mean that these killer weapons and top experts had to stay here to protect the sect and everyone in it.

They were like the pillars of the sect, their stabilizing force! They couldn’t leave lightly.

And the Great Realm experts also needed to guard against the effects of divine misfortune. They in no way dared to wander the world lightly.

The situation made Su Yi far, far harder to handle.

After all, if they sent their Immortal Kings after him, they’d just be sending them to their deaths!

“No, I have to do something. I absolutely cannot give Su Yi any further opportunity to rise to prominence!” Qi Nie took a deep breath and made up his mind. He knew that Su Yi was already strong enough to threaten the Church of All Spirits. Qi Nie had to get rid of him, no matter the cost!

A moment later, he called over an old servant and said, “Deliver a message to Sect Leader Xuan Zhong of the Church of Supreme Oneness, Sect Leader Nan Wujiu of the Church of Divine Flame, and...”

He went on to list the leaders of several top factions before finally getting to the message’s contents. “Please request that they visit the Church of the Pure One for a discussion within three days. It’s of the utmost importance.”

He then passed his jade seal to the old servant. “Press my seal into the message and tell them that the matter I’d like to discuss involves Su Yi!”

The old servant solemnly assented, then dashed off.

Qi Nie rubbed his forehead, but he was starting to feel calmer.

He wasn’t worried that the leaders of other top factions wouldn’t show up. On the contrary, he guessed they felt the same as he did. They surely sensed a threat from Su Yi too!

Who would refuse an alliance at a time like this?

Su Yi, oh, Su Yi. I truly wouldn’t have guessed you’d grow this much in just two short years!

Look at the state of the world! How many storms have you created of late? How many waves have you stirred up?

But it’s for this reason that your enemies cannot allow you to leave any longer!

Qi Nie’s eyes flashed with dense murderous intent.

Sure, you’re the reincarnation of the Eternal Night Immortal Sovereign, but the Immortal Realm is not what it was back then. And you, Su Yi, are not the Tyrant!

......

Three days later.

The leaders of five top factions, the Church of Supreme Oneness, the Church of Divine Flame, the Church of the Exquisite Goddess, the Profound Blue Daoist Sect, and the Qianyuan Sword House, gathered at the Church of the Pure One.

Of the invitees, only the Eastern Sea’s Jade Firmament Immortal Palace and the Wen Province’s Endless Swords Immortal Sect didn’t make it.

Qi Nie didn’t care at all.

Jade Firmament Immortal Palace was in the Eastern Sea, incomparably far away, like an otherworldly pure land. Even if disaster befell the forty-nine provinces of the Immortal Realm, it wouldn’t reach the Eastern Sea.

On the contrary, if disaster befell the Immortal Realm, many of its inhabitants would seek refuge in the Eastern Sea.

But Qi Nie was surprised that Sect Leader Lei Yunting of the Endless Swords Immortal Sect hadn’t come!

He still didn’t know that a new era had begun for the Endless Swords Immortal Sect.

Still, Lei Yunting's absence wouldn’t affect Qi Nie’s operation.

That very day, he and the other five sect leaders had a secret discussion. When they finished, the Church of the Pure One publicly announced that six prominent immortal factions were challenging Su Yi to a duel!

The appointed location was an ancient battleground of the Gold Province—Heaven-Scraping Ridge!

In days, each of the six sects would send one of their Immortal Kings into battle. If Su Yi refused, well, he’d have to bear the consequences of that choice!

The six immortal factions and their subordinate factions all worked together to disseminate this information across the Immortal Realm. The news shook the entire world!

Su Yi!

His name had been incredibly prominent of late, as dazzling as the midday sun.

At the Seventh Gate of Heaven, he slew Immortal Kings in rapid succession and disposed of the former garrison master, Shen Qingshi.

After the Divine Hunt, he challenged a group of Immortal Kings, slaughtering several of them before leaving.

Then there was that unprecedented grand chase. Nine factions’ Immortal Kings worked together to pursue him, only to fail at the last step. More than thirty Miracle Realm experts vanished in the Abyss of Dark Fog! Su Yi was the only known survivor!

Not long ago, just when everyone thought he was dead, he appeared in the Buzhou Mountains and single-handedly crushed the Church of All Spirits, shaking the world once more!

These dazzling, unprecedented accomplishments had stirred up countless waves already. Su Yi’s name resounded throughout the skies of the Immortal Realm.

Everyone was still discussing him throughout the Immortal Realm and spreading all kinds of rumors.

Now, six prominent immortal factions had issued a joint proclamation, and they wanted to duel Su Yi. It would have been hard for people not to pay attention!

Widespread uproar ensued. Throughout the forty-nine provinces of the Immortal Realm, wherever cultivators gathered, the upcoming duel was the hottest topic of conversation!

......

A lively, prosperous city in the White Reed Province.

Su Yi, Qi Fufeng, and the Zhuyou Great Peng were enjoying various delicacies in one of the city’s restaurants after a long day of traveling.

They were about to part ways, so this was, in a sense, the Zhuyou Great Peng’s farewell dinner.

The dirty bird seemed quite upset about it, too. It kept nattering on about how it wanted to stay by Su Yi’s side and serve him.

But Su Yi refused. He knew what the wicked bird really wanted: it wanted to ride his coattails! All “reluctance” and “sorrow” was no more than an act!

But out of consideration for all the bird had done for him, Su Yi still took out a jade slip and passed it to the bird.

It contained a record of his experiences and revelations from his breakthrough into the Great Realm. It was no supreme Daoist canon, but to the late-stage Miracle Realm Zhuyou Great Peng, it was far more precious than any Daoist canon could have been!

The bird went mad with delight, as if it had acquired a supreme treasure, but it didn’t forget to flatter Su Yi. Its toadyish behavior made Qi Fufeng sneer.

Suddenly, someone outside the restaurant shouted in excitement.

“Big news! There’s big news! Six of the Immortal Realm's greatest factions have issued a joint proclamation. They’ve challenged Su Yi to a duel in the Gold Province’s Heaven-Scraping Ridge!”

Sometimes, a single stone could stir up a thousand waves. Uproar ensued on all sides. A commotion erupted throughout the city, like a pot blowing off its lid.

The diners were instantly excited. All of them jumped to their feet and started asking for further information.

The Zhuyou Great Peng and Qi Fufeng were unwittingly stunned.

A duel?

All of them instinctively looked at Su Yi.

Su Yi just sat there, sipping wine and sampling delicacies, so composed that it seemed he didn’t even notice what was going on.

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