First Immortal of the Sword

“I’ll naturally have to try it for myself!”

As these soft, gentle words rang out, the Netherworld King’s beautiful yet maddened eyes blazed with dazzling blood-colored radiance. 

It seemed the Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow instantly realized what was about to happen, and it closed its eyes in advance.

Old Yao White Eyebrows, however, cried out in agony, clutched his skull, and collapsed on the ground.

Just now, all he’d done was gaze upon that blood-colored radiance from afar, but he felt as if the knife of heaven’s punishment had twisted in his primordial spirit. Heart-rending pain coursed through his entire body, and even when he circulated his entire cultivation base, he found it difficult to neutralize. 

Meanwhile, Su Yi’s distant gaze shifted, and his eyes narrowed.

Dazzling, blood-colored divine radiance transformed into a blade within his sea of consciousness. It brought with it destructive power, and it descended with a bang.

Its momentum was forceful and explosive, and it threw Su Yi’s sea of consciousness into upheaval.

Based on the experience of his past life, he could tell how absolutely terrifying this attack was. It was like a supreme secret art of the soul.

Most terrifying of all was that the blood-colored radiance brought with it the power of the Laws of Heavenly Prayer.

Against just about any Emperor, this calamity of the Grand Dao would have presented an utterly lethal threat.

Yet this attack was wasted on Su Yi.

Boom!

Just as his life and death hung in the balance, the Sword of the Nine Hells presiding over his sea of consciousness produced a strange hum.

The humming spread out like ripples. Wherever it passed, his turbulent sea of consciousness calmed.

And when the ripple-like humming of the sword clashed with the blood-red divine radiance—

Bang!!

The blood-colored radiance shattered into a rain of light, which the sword hum devoured.

The process seemed slow, but in truth, it was over in the blink of an eye, so fast it was unbelievable.

And the Netherworld King’s delicate, graceful figure stiffened atop her skeletal throne. Her red lips parted, and she let out a low grunt as her smile froze in place.

The madness in her eyes receded, replaced with disbelief.

“You… You can actually neutralize the Laws of Heavenly Prayer!?” The Netherworld King’s eyes widened, and much of her majestic, sovereign-like aura faded. She’d obviously forgotten herself.

“Have a taste of my abilities too,” Su Yi said coldly.

Within his sea of consciousness, he circulated a wisp of the Sword of the Nine Hells’ aura, unleashing the profundities of the One Strike Divine Slaughter Incantation.

Whoosh!

A slender, almost invisible Divine Slaughter Sword appeared out of nowhere, flashed, and vanished.

Practically simultaneously, the Netherworld King trembled violently. Her beautiful eyes were vacant, and her exquisite, youthful face paled. Beads of cold sweat formed on her forehead.

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A moment later, her fair, slender fingers clenched the armrests of her skeletal throne, and her ample chest heaved. Agony was written all over her face.

The Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow’s eyes widened with alarm.

The scene reflected above the Great Chaos Ruins was just that—a reflection. The true Netherworld King was still confined deep within the ruins.

Yet Su Yi, despite standing outside the Great Chaos Ruins, had struck from a distance, dealing a massive shock to the Netherworld King’s soul!

Some time passed before the Netherworld King came back to her senses.

However, her beautiful face was now sickly and pallid, and although she remained upright on her skeletal throne, she looked haggard.

Especially her fingers. She’d gripped the armrest with so much force that her joints were bruised, and her hands quivered.

“How’d that feel?” Su Yi asked leisurely.

In truth, he was quite surprised. With the current strength of his soul and a wisp of the Sword of the Nine Hells’ aura, he could effortlessly destroy the primordial spirit of even a Profound Illumination Emperor.

More importantly, the Sword of the Nine Hells countered the Netherworld King’s Laws of Heavenly Prayer.

Despite this, the Netherworld King had endured. Furthermore, although she cut a sorry figure, her injuries weren’t particularly severe.

The Netherworld King sat there in silence, her expression shifting and uncertain.

A while later, she threw back her head and burst into uproarious laughter. Her beautiful face filled with madness and excitement, but this did nothing to detract from her beauty. On the contrary, it gave her an additional unbridled, breathtaking charm.

The Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow had no idea what to make of this. What’s going on with Her Majesty the Netherworld King?

She’s normally so contemptuous and proud, like a goddess from on high. She makes you want to worship her. When has she ever lost control like this?

Don’t tell me… Did Old Monster Su’s attack deal so much damage to her soul that something happened to her brain?

The crow couldn’t help but be deeply concerned.

Old Yao White Eyebrows, meanwhile, retreated far away for fear that the aftermath of their clash would reach him again.

However, he inwardly found it rather strange. The Netherworld King’s response seemed unquestionably insane. It was far too strange.

He could even tell that the Netherworld King’s laughter was full of joy.

Don’t tell me… that in her heart of hearts, the Netherworld King is a masochist? Old Yao White Eyebrows couldn’t help but wonder.

Su Yi, however, furrowed his brow. He could guess the reason for her laughter.

Indeed, mere moments later, she suppressed her laughter and stretched contentedly. Then, she looked up, and her beautiful eyes stared directly at him.

Her red lips parted and she said, “So, Su Xuanjun… It turns out that you’re the person our leader has been searching bitterly for all this time!”

Old Yao White Eyebrows’ heart shook.

Earlier, he heard the Executioner say that throughout the ages, the mysterious supreme leader of the Nine Heavens Pavilion had continuously searched for someone capable of resisting the Laws of Heavenly Prayer.

There was no doubt about it: the Netherworld King, a fellow expert of the Nine Heavens Pavilion, could tell that Su Yi was the very person they’d been looking for!

Su Yi’s expression was as calm as ever. “Since you’ve realized it, why not tell me why your leader is searching for me?”

“That’s a secret," said the Netherworld King. "Only the leader knows the answer. Not even the Heavenly Libationers know anything about it.”

Although his attack had left her looking quite undignified, she now seemed delighted. An irrepressible smile spread across her face, and her stunning features practically glowed.

Su Yi examined her expression, then asked, “Why haven’t you suffered a backlash from your Grand Dao Oath?”

The Netherworld King supported her snowy, exquisite jawline in one hand, then flashed him a charming smile. “Su Xuanjun, don’t compare me to the Executioner. A Grand Dao Oath can suppress me temporarily, but it can’t hold me back forever.”

Her eyes shone with reminiscence. “When I first arrived in the Netherworld, I searched bitterly for fifteen hundred years before finally acquiring a blade of Heaven-Deceiving Grass from the Deva Division of the Bureaus of the Six Paths. This divine medicine contained the power of karma, and with it, I rid myself of the ‘seed’ of the Grand Dao Oath that had planted itself in my Dao Heart.

“I haven’t been subject to the shackles placed upon me by the Dao Sword of the Nine Heavens Pavilion ever since.”

Here, she let out a long sigh, and her eyes shone with madness once more. “Alas, it’s just as the Deva Division said: those who cheat the heavens are sure to meet with calamity. Although I used the Heaven-Deceiving Grass to free myself from my Grand Dao Oath, taking it led to the old fogeys of the Infernal Palace surrounding me. Ultimately, it led to my confinement…”

Her voice was rife with bone-deep hatred, and her eyes blazed with blood-red firelight. 

“Alas, to the best of my knowledge, the Infernal Palace fell apart a long time ago, and it’s been lost to the long river of history. Even if I wanted to get revenge, there’s no one left to get revenge on.”

Her expression revealed her melancholy.

But a moment later, she smiled once more, revealing her pearly white teeth. It was a charming, moving sight.

“But I’m still alive, and those old fogeys have long since perished. No matter what, in the end… I won!”

Here, Su Yi asked thoughtfully, “Does that mean you intended to betray the Nine Heavens Pavilion from the moment you arrived in the Netherworld?”

“‘Betray?’”

The word seemed to provoke the Netherworld King. Her beautiful face filled with undisguisable hatred, and her eyes shone with explosive viciousness.

But her expression quickly returned to normal, and she pressed her lips into a smile. “There are reasons for all of this. Should the opportunity arise, I wouldn’t mind telling you later.”

Here, she looked at Su Yi, her slender finger twirling a lock of her long blue hair.

“Su Xuanjun,” she whispered, “If you help me escape confinement, I’ll do anything you want.”

Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. “Anything?”

The Netherworld King’s beautiful eyes darted about with unearthly charm as she laughed, “That’s right, anything. Even dual cultivation isn’t out of the question.”

She languished on her skeletal throne, her fair, slender legs crossed. Hers was the type of beauty that brought ruin to the populace and bewitched the masses.

Even Old Yao White Eyebrows couldn’t help but gasp.

The Nine Serenities Netherworld Crow felt as if it had been struck by lightning. Its mind buzzed.

In its heart, the Netherworld King was as proud and contemptuous as a goddess. How could it have imagined that she’d agree to anything just to escape confinement?

Su Yi, however, laughed. “If you’re willing to swear a Grand Dao oath to take me as your master for the rest of your life, I wouldn’t mind playing with you.”

The Netherworld King’s expression froze, and sullen anger flashed across her face.

How could she fail to realize the humiliation implicit in Su Yi’s words?

After a moment’s silence, her smile faded, and she said solemnly, “Fellow Daoist Su, it seems to me that we could work together. You’re the person the Nine Heavens Pavilion is after, and you’re unlikely to escape those karmic ties in this lifetime. And I’m from the Nine Heavens Pavilion, so I can tell you everything I know about them.”

Here, her voice slowed, and she emphasized each and every word. “Even if you want to take the Nine Heavens Pavilion down, I can help you! If you don’t believe me, I wouldn’t mind making a Grand Dao Oath!”

Her expression was utterly solemn and dignified.

Anyone would have been able to tell that she wasn’t kidding!

However, Su Yi didn’t even pause to think. “If I want to take down the Nine Heavens Pavilion, I wouldn’t need your help!”

His voice was calm, yet full of pride.

The Netherworld King was instantly surprised, and it seemed she found this difficult to believe. She looked at Su Yi once more, as if re-evaluating him, then whispered, “Su Xuanjun, you really are the most unusual person I’ve ever met.”

Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh dryly. “That’s because you’ve seen too little and lack experience. 

“....” The corners of the Netherworld King’s lips twitched involuntarily, and she felt stifled.

Were he anyone else, she wouldn’t have wasted time with words. She would have simply suppressed him and forced him to submit or die.

But this method obviously didn’t work on Su Xuanjun.

The Laws of Heavenly Prayer were incapable of suppressing him!

After a little while, the Netherworld King uncrossed her legs and sat upright, her expression cold, cruel, and indifferent. “Does that mean you and I can only be enemies?”