First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 810: The Primary Culprit

Cosmic Imitation was indeed a top-notch secret legacy for body refining.

But when cultivated imperfectly, its flaws were extremely easy for enemies to exploit.

Even Emperors were no exception!

In Su Yi’s eyes, Ran Tianfeng’s abilities were indeed a level above Yuan?Linning’s. He’d already started condensing a Profound Dao Law. However, he’d yet to temper it to perfection.

This meant that Ran Tianfeng’s Cosmic Imitation seemed limitlessly powerful, but in a real fight, it easily revealed its weaknesses.

“Die!” The thousand-foot-tall Ran Tianfeng raised his enormous black wings. They then swept through the air like enormous sabers, tearing rifts through the sky.

That terrifying power through the surrounding ten thousand feet into upheaval.

Whoosh!

Su Yi disappeared just as a massive rift tore through the spot he’d stood in moments prior. When that terrifying power cleaved into the earth, it created an enormous chasm.

It was a shocking sight.

It was hard to even imagine how much damage that attack would have done had it hit Su Yi.

Ran Tianfeng’s eyelids twitched, and his massive frame suddenly shifted to the side.

Whoosh!

A streak of Dao Light cleaved into his back, tearing open a ten-foot cut. Even the black scales covering his skin weren’t enough to block it!

It was only after he felt that stinging pain that Ran Tianfeng realized that Su Yi had appeared behind him, seemingly out of nowhere.

What kind of ability was that??Ran Tianfeng’s heart shook.

He was an Emperor! His divine sense blanketed heaven and earth, but just now, he couldn’t lock onto Su Yi in time!

Whoosh!

Su Yi appeared out of nowhere once more.

Ran Tianfeng had no time to give the matter any further thought. His blood and qi surged, manifesting layers of black light that increased his defensive power to shocking extremes.

At the same time, Ran Tianfeng’s divine sense swept outward.

When he located Su Yi behind his left knee, his pupils constricted, and he suddenly pressed his palm downward.

But in the end, he was just a bit too late.

Whoosh!

With a flash of sword light, another bloody gash formed through the scales covering the back of Ran Tianfeng’s left knee. The wound didn’t reach the bone, but that stinging pain left Ran Tianfeng’s expression ashen.

Su Yi’s movement technique was just too quick; he was like a flickering beam of light. One moment, he was there, the next, he was gone. Ran Tianfeng couldn’t even lock onto him with his divine sense; how was he supposed to defend himself?

Ran Tianfeng wasn’t slow, either. Even at a thousand feet tall, his reactions were shockingly quick.

However, he was one step slower than Su Yi.

Furthermore, compared to?Ran?Tianfeng’s massive frame, Su Yi looked like an insect. This actually gave Su Yi an abundance of space to maneuver in.

And Ran Tianfeng’s massive body made him an easier target.

In the time that followed, Su Yi flickered in and out of view like a ghost, appearing and attacking different parts of?Ran?Tianfeng’s massive body. His sword was as quick as lightning.

Each slash was faster and sharper than the one before.

Splurt! Splurt! Splurt!

Amidst streaks of flashing sword light, more and more bloody gashes appeared on Ran Tianfeng’s body.

None were lethal, but there were so many of them that Ran Tianfeng was bathed in blood. He cut an extremely sorry figure.

Ran Tianfeng was both alarmed and furious. He drew upon the full extent of his cultivation base and attempted numerous secret arts.

But Su Yi wouldn’t clash with him head-on. After each attack, he fled immediately.

In the blink of an eye, Ran Tianfeng was covered in numerous cuts, and too many of his scales had shattered to count. Blood trickled down him in streams, flowing all over his body.

Off in the distance, Daoist Nun Feng and the others’ eyes widened in disbelief as they watched this play out. They almost dared not believe this was real.

A Spiritual Incarnation Realm youth was actually inflicting injury after injury on an Emperor like Ran Tianfeng!

Ran Tianfeng was bleeding non-stop!

If word got out, who would believe it?

When Cui Jingyan saw this, she murmured to herself,?It seems Ran Tianfeng really is quite strong. He’s left Brother Su no choice but to draw this out; he can’t clash with him head-on…

Cui Jingyan didn’t find Su Yi’s success at all surprising. After all, she’d already witnessed him overpowering Meng Po Palace’s Third Libationer Yuan?Linning.

What actually surprised her was that this time, Su Yi had yet to clash with his opponent directly. This seemed like unquestionable proof that Su Yi wasn’t assured of his success in a head-on clash against an Imperial-level Body Refiner!

“This is a true battle! He’s making use of his strengths and covering his weaknesses to catch his opponent off-guard!” sighed the old blind man.

The strategy Su Yi adopted for this duel seemed simple, but the old blind man was well aware that anyone else who’d tried this would have already been smacked to death countless times over.

After all, his opponent was an Emperor!

Other Spirit Dao cultivators couldn’t have broken Ran Tianfeng’s defense power even if they used their full power, never mind actually injuring him.

And only Su Yi could prevent Ran Tianfeng’s divine sense from locking onto him while using his terrifying attainments in the Dao of the Sword to injure him.

Before long, Ran Tianfeng knew he wouldn’t be able to take it much longer. His thousand-foot frame swayed, and in a flash, he returned to his original appearance. However, his face was pale and translucent, and his entire body was covered in bleeding gashes.

Now, then this Emperor of the Netherworld Sky Sect looked at Su Yi, his expression contained both confusion and astonishment.

“Tell me who sent you, and I’ll let you leave. Otherwise, all of you must die.”

As his indifferent voice rang out, Su Yi approached, sword in hand. He stopped one hundred feet away, his gaze distant and profound. His tone left no room for argument.

Had he said this before they’d fought, Ran Tianfeng would definitely have sneered at him.

But now, he dared not act without thinking it over carefully first!

Off in the distance, Daoist Nun Feng and company slumped in despair.

How could they fail to realize that even if the battle continued, Ran Tianfeng had little hope of victory?

“Earlier, I said that so long as you accompanied us back to the Netherworld Sky Sect, all would naturally become clear,” said Ran Tianfeng. He took a deep breath, then said calmly, “But until then, you’ll get no answers, not even if all of us die here!”

He spoke with firm conviction.

The atmosphere was instantly incomparably tense.

“You’re working on another’s behalf, but you’re quite loyal. It seems the cultivators of the Netherworld Sky Sect have guts after all,” said Su Yi. He took a deep look at Ran Tianfeng. “Forget it. You can leave.”

This declaration left everyone stunned.

None of them would have guessed that Su Yi would relent even though he’d obviously already seized the upper hand!

“Fellow Daoist, you… really don’t plan to keep us here?” Ran Tianfeng seemed to find this difficult to believe.

“I’ve already guessed the gist of what’s going on here. The only thing I don’t understand is why the Netherworld Sky Sect would follow another’s orders,” said Su Yi. “If I get the chance, I’ll visit your sect and ask your leader myself.”

Ran Tianfeng’s expression shifted erratically, but in the end, he let out a deep sigh, lowered his head, and clasped his fist. “Many thanks for showing mercy, Fellow Daoist.”

When they saw an Emperor lower his head before a Spiritual Incarnation Realm young man, Daoist Nun Feng and the others were too shocked for words.

The Imperial Realm was like a natural, insurmountable chasm. Throughout history,?had?any Spirit Dao cultivator ever crossed it?

Yet now, someone hadn’t just crossed that “insurmountable chasm”; Su Yi had actually won!

Who wouldn’t have been surprised? And who wouldn’t have been terrified?

Clang! action

Su Yi put away Abstruse Celestial, then turned and left.

“Fellow Daoist.” Ran Tianfeng suddenly spoke up again. “Before you leave, I want to warn you that in the Netherworld, the Netherworld Sky Sect isn’t the only one keeping an eye on the Ghost Lantern Sarcophagus Bearers’ movements…”

Su Yi didn’t so much as turn to look at him. He simply waved. “I just hope members of the Netherworld Sky Sect won’t fall into hands again. If there’s a next time… I won’t be as polite as I was today.”

Before his voice had finished echoing through the air, he gradually faded into the distance.

Cui Jingyan and the old blind man hurriedly chased after him.

Ran Tianfeng watched them disappear in dazed silence, utterly dejected.

Since stepping into the Imperial Realm, he’d never even considered the possibility that he might one day lose to a Spirit Dao cultivator. Worse, his opponent was a young man, and he was only in the Spiritual Incarnation Realm…

And he most certainly wouldn’t have guessed that he’d lose so completely and utterly!

This was an enormous blow to his mental strength, and he couldn’t overcome it right away.

“Your Excellency, what should we do next?” Daoist Nun Feng approached tentatively.

After a while, Ran Tianfeng said softly, “We’re returning to the sect.”

Then, he turned and left.

……

“Brother Su, since when were you so agreeable? Or are you worried that killing them will make the Netherworld Sky Sect target you?” Cui Jingyan couldn’t help but ask.

“They were only carrying out orders,” said Su Yi, but it sounded like a perfunctory excuse. “They weren’t the primary culprits.”

In truth, he’d held back because he and the Netherworld Sky Sect’s Master of Profound Simplicity had bonded through battle. Furthermore, the Master of Profound Simplicity had accompanied him as he studied the Netherworld Sky Sect’s loftiest inheritance, the Netherworld Sky Nine Revolutions Scripture.

It was this knowledge that let him overpower Ran Tianfeng so easily.

After all, Ran Tianfeng’s power was inextricably connected to that of the Netherworld Sky Nine Revolutions Scripture. This allowed Su Yi to fight as if he had precognition; he effortlessly avoided Ran Tianfeng’s divine sense, preventing it from locking onto him. This gave him opportunities to strike back.

Without this knowledge, he would likely have had to pay a heavy price to win that battle.

“Then who is the primary culprit?” Cui Jingyan’s eyes shone with curiosity.

“Pi Mo,” Su Yi said casually.

Pi Mo!”

The pupils of Cui Jingyan’s starry eyes constricted. She was naturally well aware of what this name represented!

But when the old blind man heard this name, irrepressible pain and hatred filled his expression.?Just as I thought… Pi Mo really is involved in this!

“But why… Why would he do that?” asked Cui Jingyan.

Su Yi instantly fell silent. He knew the answer, but he couldn’t tell anyone else.

The old blind man gnashed his teeth. “One hundred years ago, he killed my master. Now, he wants to kill me too! It seems to me that Pi Mo plans to eradicate the entire Ghost Lantern Sarcophagus Bearer lineage!”

“Alas, Pi Mo isn’t currently in the Netherworld,” sighed Su Yi. He reached out and patted the old blind man on the shoulder. “Don’t be too upset. I remember my promise to you, and I naturally won’t go back on my word.”

The old blind man nodded gratefully. “Many thanks, Your Excellency Su. If not for you, I’m afraid the Netherworld Sky Sect would have already captured me today.”

But when Cui Jingyan heard Su Yi’s words, she was stunned, and waves of astonishment coursed through her heart.?Don’t tell me Su Yi agreed to help the old blind man deal with Pi Mo!?