First Immortal of the Sword

dir= ”ltr ”>“What else do you want?” Pi Mo couldn’t help but ask.

Qing Tang glanced outside the hall of mourning and watched the devils’ and divinities’ brutal slaughter.
When she spoke, it was without the slightest ripple of surprise.
“What Master left behind…

“I want it all!”

Every word was calm and casual, but as she made this final declaration, Qing Tang’s slender, beautiful figure gained an imposing, majestic air.

“You want it all……?” Pi Mo froze at first, but soon, he couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
He jeered, “I never would have guessed that of Master’s nine inheritors, the one with the biggest appetite would be you, the youngest! Junior Apprentice Sister, if Master were alive to see this, I’m afraid he’d be shocked too.
He never would have guessed his most beloved, trusted Qing Tang was actually so greedy!”

In truth, Su Yi had been a detached observer this entire time.

He didn’t care about the Golden-Winged Great Peng or the Levitating Sword Hall’s betrayal.

He didn’t care even when his greatest enemies fought their way to his door.

But when he learned that his most highly-regarded inheritor, Pi Mo, and most treasured, beloved Qing Tang were each conspiring and scheming against him…

He was silent.

It was just a bit of treasure, yet it was enough to turn the two apprentices against each other.
Alas!

Clang!

Suddenly, Qing Tang attacked.
With a single swing of her sword, she left Pi Mo gravely wounded. 

His injuries left him a hair’s breadth from dying.
He seized his last chance at survival and fled the hall of mourning, but as he did, he cried out in a mix of shock, fury, and panic.
“Who’d have thought?! You witch, you sure hid your true self awfully deep!” 

He never would have guessed that his junior apprentice sister’s cultivation was far more terrifying than he’d imagined.

Su Yi was surprised too. So, that girl actually broke through a long time ago.

Pi Mo didn’t linger.
He fled as quickly as he could.

Qing Tang didn’t pursue him.
She stood alone before the bronze coffin, a hint of a sneer at her lips, muttering, “How much would Master’s heart ache if he knew that his eldest disciple was the first to collude with the Six Great Daoist Sects?”

“Then there’s Third Apprentice Brother, Huo Yao.
Although he never got mixed up in this, when he left, he stole the Abstruse Primordial God Mirror.
This treasure alone is enough to boost him to the ‘Imperial Realm’……”

“Unfortunately, Master has already passed on.
He will never know any of this.” Qing Tang sighed lightly.

But Su Yi’s expression gradually darkened.

Only now did he learn that his most trusted eldest disciple had initiated this betrayal, effectively inviting wolves into his home!

Only now did he learn that his third disciple, Huo Yao, had pilfered the treasure that controlled this entire hidden realm, the Abstruse Primordial God Mirror!

No wonder those traitors and his enemies had slaughtered their way into his territory with such ease….

When this thought occurred to him, Su Yi was both furious and melancholy. 

It was then that Qing Tang suddenly walked out of the hall of mourning. 

Her silhouette was slender and graceful, and she seemed detached from worldly affairs.
A pair of beautiful yet cold eyes swept across heaven and earth.
Her icy voice rang out, “From this day forth, I, Qing Tang, shall reign supreme over the Wilds!”

Whoosh!

A vast whirlwind of sword intent swept forth, covering heaven and earth.
The misty green sword intent swept out like a divine executioner’s blade, easily slaughtering one terrifying figure after another.

In but an instant—

Heaven and earth were like a canvas painted entirely in divine blood!

The remaining terrifying existences were, without exception, astonished.
They felt a chill course through them, as if they’d plunged into an icy abyss.

“Submit, or die.” 

Her tone was indifferent, but in this bloodsoaked land, her every word spread far and wide.

“We’re willing to serve!”

“Empress, we hereby proclaim you our sovereign!”

Beneath Qing Tang’s intimidating grandeur, the surviving experts and divinities all lowered their heads!

“That girl….” Su Yi’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He couldn’t stay calm; he never would have guessed that Qing Tang’s cultivation had already reached such a level.

As her master, he ought to have been gratified.

But now, all he felt was an unspeakable loneliness and desolation. 

At a time like this, there was no way he’d misunderstand what was happening.
His youngest and most beloved disciple had been keeping secrets from him all these years!

Shortly after, Qing Tang turned and walked back into the hall of mourning. 

Her gaze returned to the bronze coffin.
She bowed and offered her respects, then said calmly, “Venerable Master, your disciple, Qing Tang, has kept vigil beside your coffin for seven days, and I helped you suppress your enemies and those traitors.
In doing so, I have completed our bond as master and disciple.”

“From this day forth, I shall be the sole inheritor of all you have left behind.” As she spoke, she strode forward.
Her hands pressed against the bronze coffin, and she whispered, “The Sword of the Nine Hells cannot simply accompany you to the grave.
Once I’ve grasped its mysteries, I shall naturally return it to you.
Venerable Master, don’t blame me for disrupting your rest….”

Bang!

The coffin’s lid opened. 

However, the moment it did, Qing Tang lost her ever-present calm composure.
Her expression changed in a rare display of emotion. 

“How is this….?”

The bronze coffin was completely empty.

Never mind the Sword of the Nine Hells; even her master’s remains were missing!

Su Yi watched this entire scene play out, and his fury seemed to set his pupils ablaze.

Yes, he’d prepared for this possibility from the moment he decided to reincarnate and cultivate anew.

His inner fury was nevertheless difficult to repress.

But gradually, the fiery rage in Su Yi’s eyes abated.
In the end, nothing remained but endless indifference and icy cold.

“I hope you wretches are still alive and well when I return….” 

Then, Su Yi’s imperceptible, ethereal figure disappeared into the void, vanishing completely.

……

In the 108,000th calendar year of the Wild’s history, the supreme ruler of the Wilds’ Nine Provinces, the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force, Su Xuanjun, passed away.
His death shook the entire Wilds. 

Seven days later.

The disciple of the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force, Empress Qing Tang, swept across all four directions, heaven, and earth.
She suppressed all the deities of the divine continent, and declared herself supreme ruler of the world.

……

Five hundred years later.

The Great Zhou Empire, Cloudriver Prefecture, Guangling City.

It was evening, and the sunset was like fire. 

Outside of Pinecloud Sword Manor.

Su Yi stood alone, far away from everyone else, waiting for his little sister-in-law, Wen Lingxue, to get out of class. 

Seth's Thoughts

Hi! I’m Seth, the translator of this novel.
This is my second project, but my first project on Wuxiaworld’s main site.
I’m really excited to be here, and if you’ve read this far, thank you! 

Here are just a few notes for this first chapter.
Minor spoilers for this first chapter, so please read the chapter first if you haven’t already.
No spoilers for anything beyond that, I promise. 

First, Su Yi and Su Xuanjun are the same person.
You’ve likely picked up on that already, especially if you’ve read lots of Chinese fiction and are familiar with the concept of courtesy names.
For those unfamiliar with the concept, a courtesy name is bestowed upon a man upon reaching adulthood, and it’s used as a show of respect.
Using his given name is either affectionate or rude, depending on context.
At this point in the text, it is uncertain whether the post-hundred-year-timeskip Su Yi has a courtesy name or not. 

It’s also worth noting that “Xuanjun”, Su Yi’s courtesy name, is written with the same characters as “Abstruse Force.” I chose to leave the name in pinyin, but since the second is more of a title, I translated it.
Going forward, I will translate the character as “abstruse” in reference to Su Yi and his abilities, but use the more common synonyms “profound” or “mysterious” in other contexts.