First Immortal of the Sword

Su Yi hadn’t just crossed paths with the Nine Heavens Pavilion once; much of what Su Yi had seen and experienced in the Azure Continent was connected to them.

The Prohibition of Ancient Darkness that had enveloped the Azure Continent for thirty thousand years.

The irreparably damaged Origins of the Azure in the Ninth Star Ruin.

The Jailer who’d almost killed Ye Xun in the Glittering Ghost Domain.

And the Divine Monarch of Tragedy still confined in the Den of Caterpillars…

Even the owner of the Pawnshop of the Heavens had apparently ventured into the stars because of something to do with “Jailers.”

It was then that Su Yi understood that the Ninth Great Star Ruins were located in the stars bordering the Wilds, and that the Nine Great Star Ruins were each like a prison overseen by the “Jailers” of the Nine Heavens Pavilion. 

However, at the time, Su Yi still didn’t understand just what kind of cultivation faction the Nine Heavens Pavilion was.

Even now, his understanding was extremely one-dimensional.

But now, this Executioner of the Nine Heavens Pavilion lay on the ground before him, suppressed. His life and death were in Su Yi’s hands. He naturally wanted to seize this opportunity to get the inside scoop on the Nine Heavens Pavilion.

After a moment’s silence, the man in black said gravely, “I already said it: everything about the Nine Heavens Pavilion is top secret. The day someone qualified to join us enters the Nine Heavens Pavilion to cultivate, they must swear a Grand Dao Oath in front of the sect’s supreme divine artifact. They must swear on their Dao Heart never to divulge anything related to the Nine Heavens Pavilion. If they violate this oath, their mental state will crumble, their Dao Heart will break, and their soul will dissipate.”

Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. “And what is the supreme divine artifact of the Nine Heavens Pavilion?”

An uncharacteristic expression of deep-seated dread arose on the Executioner’s face. “A Dao Sword. I’m afraid that no one but our sect leader knows its name, origins, or even its exact appearance.

“When I joined the Nine Heavens Pavilion, I was still just a muddle-headed youth. I had no idea just how terrifying that Dao Sword was.

“But now that I’ve accumulated experience and increased my cultivation, just thinking back to the time I faced the sword and swore a Grand Dao Oath fills my heart with irrepressible dread. That’s true even now that I’ve reached the peak of the Profound Serenity Realm.”

Here, the man in black took a deep breath. “All I can say with certainty is that if I break the oath I made in my youth, I’m sure to meet with disaster!”

His expression was a complicated mix of dread, dejection, and frustration.

How glorious and lofty was a peak Profound Serenity Emperor?

Yet he knew better than anyone that, even now, the oath he swore in his youth was like invisible shackles restricting his path.

And he had no way of breaking free!

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“A Dao Sword…” Su Yi couldn’t help but find this surprising. 

Just what kind of miraculous sword was it, that a vow sworn before it could firmly restrict even a peak Profound Serenity Emperor?

“I’d actually quite like to have a look at that sword for myself,” Su Yi said softly.

As a sword cultivator, he had a bone-deep, persistent love for swords.

Splurt!

The man in black suddenly coughed up blood and trembled violently from head to toe. His face was now even paler.

Su Yi’s eyes narrowed. “You barely said anything at all just now, but you’re already suffering a mental backlash?”

The man in black nodded. “Fellow Daoist Su, as you can see, I’m dead if I tell you, and I’m dead if I don’t tell you. It makes no difference at all.”

Old Yao White Eyebrows watched from a distance, his heart quivering with terror. 

How terrifying was the Executioner’s cultivation base? Yet just the brief explanation he’d given earlier had resulted in a mental backlash. This was unquestionably terrifying!

Su Yi found this rather troublesome.

And here he’d thought he had countless methods to force the Executioner to cooperate with him.

Now, it seemed obvious that with the Grand Dao Oath restricting him, even if the man in black died, he wouldn’t spit up anything related to the Nine Heavens Pavilion.

But then, the man in black suddenly raised his head, met Su Yi’s gaze, and gnashed his teeth. “Fellow Daoist Su, if you can agree to do something for me, I wouldn’t mind sacrificing my life to tell you as much as I can about the Nine Heavens Pavilion!”

It seemed he was willing to risk it all; he even looked a bit eager.

Su Yi couldn’t help but find this surprising. “What do you want me to do?”

The man in black took a deep breath, and his eyes shone with grief. “I carry a bronze lock called the Cloud Apparatus. It seals the damaged remnants of my little sister’s soul, preventing them from dissipating. I’ve spent countless years searching for a way to bring her back to life, but without exception, all of them ended in failure.”

“With your abilities, finding heavenly materials and earthly treasures capable of healing the soul shouldn’t have been difficult,” said Su Yi. “Unless there’s another problem with the remnants of your little sister’s soul?”

The man in black couldn’t help but sigh with admiration. “Fellow Daoist Su, you really live up to your reputation as the man who once dominated the heavens and everything beneath them. You’re right on the mark.”

Not far away, Old Yao White Eyebrows snorted coldly. “That’s only natural. His Excellency Su isn’t just a master of the Dao of the Sword mighty enough to dazzle both the past and present; his wisdom is as boundlessly vast as the starry sky, and…”

The old monster seized the opportunity to flatter Su Yi. Alas, Su Yi wasn’t in the mood for such talk, so he waved for silence. “Shut your mouth.”

And indeed, Old Yao White Eyebrows clamped his jaws shut and didn’t dare utter so much as another word.

“It’s just as you say, Fellow Daoist Su. There’s another issue with my little sister’s soul.” The man in black looked pained, and some time passed before he got his emotions under control. “There’s no need to go into the past, but in short, I’ve searched bitterly for a long, long time. In the end, I reached the conclusion that no heavenly material or earthly treasure would be able to save my sister. Perhaps, her only hope is… reincarnation!”

Here, his taupe eyes blazed with intensity. “Only reincarnation has a chance of saving a soul so close to dissipation. If she can realize rebirth, she might well have a chance to live in this world once more!”

Su Yi mulled this over, then said, “So you came to the Netherworld in search of the secrets of reincarnation, in part to save your little sister?”

The man in black nodded. “That’s right.”

“And you want me to agree to give your sister a chance to reincarnate?”

“That’s right,” said the man in black, his eyes shining with determination and eagerness. “So long as you agree, I’ll disregard my life and answer as many of your questions as I can!”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll use your little sister’s life to threaten you?” asked Su Yi.

The man in black shook his head. “I understand your character. You’ve always disdained such despicable acts, and there’s no grudge between you and my little sister. There’s no way you’d hurt her.”

Su Yi shook his head. “You’re wrong. If I kill you, she’s sure to hate me to the core. They call that a blood debt, you know.”

The Executioner’s eyes blazed, and he said with conviction, “That’s why I’m willing to die beneath my Grand Dao Oath in exchange for hope of my little sister’s rebirth. That way, even if she reincarnates and recovers the memories of her past life, there’s no way she’ll view you with enmity!”

However, Su Yi’s tone remained cold and indifferent. “Then there’s no harm in telling you that I can’t even say with certainty that I’d be able to reincarnate a second time. I cannot possibly agree to your request.”

The man in black froze, his expression shifting and uncertain. Finally, he gnashed his teeth. “No matter the end result, it’s enough if you agree to try! I won’t lie to you, Fellow Daoist: although my sister isn’t a disciple of the Nine Heavens Pavilion, we’re from the same plane as the sect, and she knows a bit about it. If you save her, it won’t be impossible for you to locate the Nine Heavens Pavilion.”

Here, he knelt before Su Yi, kowtowed, and said in a quavering voice, “Please… do this for me, Fellow Daoist!”

Old Yao White Eyebrows was instantly moved.

A peak Profound Serenity Emperor of mysterious origins went so far as to touch his head to the ground and beg another for help, all for a mere chance of saving his little sister’s life!!

It was obvious how much the Executioner loved his little sister.

But then, this didn’t make him worth sympathizing with. After all, they were on different sides, and an enemy was an enemy.

After a moment’s thought, Su Yi said, “Very well. I agree to try, but I cannot guarantee your little sister’s rebirth.”

He really was quite interested in the Nine Heavens Pavilion. 

In truth, because of the Seed of the Azure, and for several other reasons as well, he’d long since established an enmity with the Nine Heavens Pavilion.

Back on the Azure Continent, he even killed the Jailer who’d almost killed Ye Xun, the one who’d lain dormant within Meteor Abyss. 

Furthermore, the man in black’s operation was destined to end in failure. His sect would surely want to settle the score sooner or later.

He actually didn’t mind helping the Executioner out in exchange for worthwhile intelligence.

When Su Yi agreed, the man in black instantly went mad with delight. “That’s enough!”

“If I put my questions on a jade slip, and had you answer them that way, could you avoid the backlash of your Grand Dao Oath?” asked Su Yi.

The man in black shook his head. “It doesn’t matter what method I use. If I divulge anything about the sect, a backlash will inevitably follow, and I’ll surely perish.”

Su Yi no longer hesitated. “Then say it yourself.”

As he spoke, he removed the power suppressing the man in black, who struggled back up and sat cross-legged on the ground. “The Nine Heavens Pavilion is located in the Heavenly Prayer Star Realm…”

He’d only just said this when he trembled, as if he’d just taken a terrifying blow. Blood gushed from his lips, and his thin face contorted in agony.

However, he seemed determined to go all out. Disregarding his injuries, he said, “Aside from our leader, we have Heavenly Libationers, Wardens, Executioners, Jailers, and Chosen Apostles.”

“The sect leader is like the sovereign of the nine heavens; his cultivation is deep and unfathomable, but it’s very rare for him to appear in public. It’s the three Heavenly Libationers and seven Wardens who are responsible for managing the sects affairs.

“Executioners and Jailers are responsible for carrying out missions. Each Executioner has their own unique duties, and we report directly to the three Heavenly Libationers. The Jailers are responsible for capturing and guarding escaped prisoners, and they report to the Wardens.

“And the Chosen Apostles are the sect’s disciples…”

Splurt!

He coughed violently, and blood gushed from his mouth as he fell over backward. Throughout his body, his qi was in disarray, and it looked as if he’d aged countless years in the blink of an eye.

The sight made Old Yao White Eyebrows’ hair stand on end. The backlash of his Grand Dao Oath is a bit too terrifying, isn’t it?

But Su Yi couldn’t help but furrow his brow. “First, tell me why the Nine Great Star Ruins are seen as prisons.”