First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1063 - When Lies Become the Truth

The Grotto of Abstruse Force.

The most famous blessed ground for cultivation in the Wilds.

Auspicious mists hovered around the mountains, and the lingering, radiant light made it seem like an otherworldly pure land.

Abstruse Peak.

A graceful figure leaned against the railing of a jade pavilion.

It was getting late, and dreamlike light passed through the misty clouds. It couldn’t have been any more beautiful.

That graceful figure leaned there quietly, her clear eyes fixed on the clouds hovering over the distant horizon. Beneath the light of the heavens, her face shone with a pure, holy glow.

Her flowing black hair was tied casually up, and her skin was as soft and snowy as lamb suet. She looked young, with a picturesque, exquisite beauty, but she had the bearing of a goddess or immortal!

She wore no jewelry or other ornaments, but her simple, elegant black dress offset her serene, prideful bearing. Even just standing there casually, she was like the monarch of heaven, dignified and majestic.

Qing Tang!

She was once the ninth legacy disciple of the Grotto of Abstruse eForce, but now, she was Empress Qing Tang, the woman who proclaimed herself sovereign of the Wilds!

Her attainments in the Dao of the Sword were such that even the Wilds’ old-timers paled by comparison.

In the Wilds, they even honored her as the most glorious expert of the sword since her master. She’d have been a rare expert in any era, and her brilliance dazzled the heavens and the world below.

Suddenly——

A snow-white spirit sparrow shot through the air and landed on the railing beside Qing Tang.

“My lady, there’s news from the outside world! Someone called Su Yi has come from the Netherworld, and he claims to be the founder. He’s spreading this deception throughout the Wilds!” the spirit sparrow chirped.

Qing Tang was stunned, and she retracted her gaze and looked at the snow-white bird. Her red lips parted. “Go on.”

The spirit sparrow dared not be negligent. It launched into a rapid-fire explanation of the rumors circulating outside.

After hearing the full story, Qing Tang fell silent. Her heart was like a still, icy lake, but now, ripples coursed through its waters.

She raised a jade-like finger and gently rubbed the sparrow’s head. “This is my first time hearing of someone brazen enough to impersonate my master. Tell me, do you think Su Yi is unafraid to die? Or does he have other intentions?”

The sparrow didn’t even pause to think. “I’m sure he’s plotting something!”

“Is that so…?” Qing Tang’s starry eyes rippled with an inscrutable emotion as she said softly, “By killing Huo Yao and controlling Ye Luo, he’s made enemies of Pi Mo and the entire Abstruse Force Alliance. Tell me… what could he possibly be after?”

“Err…” The sparrow was at a loss for words. For a moment, it felt completely lost.

No matter how sick and depraved someone was, they had to realize how dire the consequences of impersonating the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force were.

Yet for some reason, this Su Yi person seemed entirely unafraid of death. He wasn’t just impersonating their master; he’d even gone and killed Huo Yao and mind-controlled Ye Luo!

This was far too brazen!

Qing Tang seemed to guess what the bird was thinking. She gently tapped its head. “Huo Yao deserved to die, don’t you think?”

The sparrow repeatedly nodded. “You’re absolutely right, my lady. It was that traitor who stole the Abstruse Primordial God Mirror, giving Pi Mo the opportunity to lead external foes into the Grotto of Abstruse Force. His death is unworthy of pity!”

Qing Tang looked a bit conflicted, and she sighed. “He… really did deserve to die. But were Master alive, and were he to learn of Huo Yao’s betrayal, I’m afraid he couldn’t bear to kill him.”

The sparrow was stunned, and it asked in confusion, “But doesn’t a traitor like Huo Yao deserve to die?”

“You don’t understand. Huo Yao was like a son to Master, and he had high hopes for him. Even if Huo Yao betrayed him, Master would at most cripple his cultivation and expel him from the sect, severing their bond. But killing him…? Master couldn’t bring himself to do it.”

Here, Qing Tang stopped and shook her head. “No need to discuss all that.”

The spirit sparrow asked, “My lady, how do you see this Su Yi person?”

Qing Tang didn’t answer. Instead, she flipped her palm, took out a wicker chair, and slowly reclined in it. Then, she took out a jug of wine and started drinking.

The spirit sparrow looked a bit dazed.

The founder himself had left that wicker chair behind, and when Qing Tang sprawled out in it and drank languidly, she bore an uncanny resemblance to her master!

“Pi Mo is in too much of a hurry. He shouldn’t have declared Su Yi the common foe of everyone in the Abstruse Force Alliance as soon as he shared this news. It makes it seem as if he’s already champing at the bit.”

QIng Tang’s smooth voice carried a hint of a chill, like the burbling of a cold water spring in a secluded valley.

She sprawled out languidly in her wicker chair, her gaze distant and inscrutable. “Pi Mo has always been steady and meticulous, so this is highly out of character. Directly taking a stance like this isn’t like him.”

She paused, then said casually, “If I’m not mistaken, he’s likely long since known Su Yi’s origins. It’s because he’s already made ample preparations that he immediately declared his stance. Only then would this be in line with his character.”

The spirit sparrow exclaimed, “My lady, you’re saying that Pi Mo has long since been prepared for this Su Yi person to arrive?”

“That’s right.” Qing Tang subtly inclined her head, a strange expression on her pure, matchlessly beautiful face. “Ten years ago, Pi Mo sent Huo Yao and Ye Luo to the Netherworld to uncover the secrets of reincarnation.

“Yet now, he’s spread word that Huo Yao has been killed and that Ye Luo has capitulated. Even Pi Mo has immediately proclaimed his intention to oppose Su Yi. Don’t you think there’s a connection?”

The spirit sparrow was flabbergasted. “My lady, don’t tell me you think Huo Yao and Ye Luo both lost to that Su Yi person in the Netherworld?”

The white sparrow was obviously shaken. It muttered, “If I didn’t know Su Yi was impersonating the founder, I’d suspect he really was his reincarnation. After all, not many in this world would dare target Huo Yao and Ye Luo. He’s really set himself against the entire Abstruse Force Alliance!

“Furthermore, rumor has it that he knows some of the founder’s secret arts and Daoist magics, and that he even knows the founder’s past like the back of his hand!” The more the sparrow spoke, the more bewildered it felt, as if it were lost in clouds of confusion. “Even more unbelievable is that he dares come to the Wilds while impersonating the founder! Isn’t that… a bit too gutsy?”

“Truth becomes fiction when fiction is accepted as truth. Since when does Pi Mo get to decide what is and isn’t true?” Before Qing Tang’s utterly dignified, aloof voice had finished echoing through the hall, she threw back her long, snowy neck and drank with relish, draining her jug of wine.

Those good looks reminiscent of a lady immortal shone with ever greater radiance, and her eyes twinkled like stars.

Then, she got up. The self-proclaimed sovereign of the Wilds’ formerly indolent bearing disappeared without a trace.

She gently pressed her slender, jade-like fingers on the railing, and her slender, impressive figure emanated an aloof, majestic, contemptuous air.

The white sparrow was stunned. It keenly sensed the changes to her mental state, as if she’d realized something important, or resolved one of her doubts. Now that she’d seen the light, she seemed even more shockingly wondrous than before!

“Little sparrow, please leave me for now. I’d like to be alone for a while,” said Qing Tang. As she spoke, she waved her sleeves.

Whoosh!

Before the white sparrow could react, power wrapped around it, carrying it into the distance. Soon, it had disappeared from view.

Now, only Qing Tang remained by the railing of the pagoda atop Abstruse Peak.

It seemed as if she’d sloughed off the weight of her responsibilities, and she seemed to relax completely. She whispered, “Pi Mo, you stirred up these massive waves for no other purpose than to tell me you suspect that Su Yi is our master’s reincarnation. You just want to borrow my power to test him. That’s what they call ‘borrowing another’s blade to kill your enemy.’ It’s quite a clever move.action

“Unfortunately for you, you would never have guessed that I’d long since anticipated that this day would one day come!” A cold smile tugged at her full, red lips. “But I still ought to thank you for the warning. Now I know what I should do next.”

Suddenly, she heard someone whooshing over from the distant skies.

An arc of light unfurled like a river of stars, starting from the distant skies. A man in jade-colored robes and a broad belt stood atop the arc of light.

In the blink of an eye, he reached the pavilion and gently landed beside Qing Tang.

Then, the man in jade-colored robes smiled. “Miss Qing Tang, have you heard the rumors?”

Qing Tang glanced at him, then gazed back into the sea of clouds. She said coolly, “I heard.”

Her cold, distant attitude made his smile stiffen, but a moment later, he laughed. “So, there’s actually someone out there foolish enough to impersonate your honorable master. They really don’t know how to treasure their life.”

He paused, then continued, “But according to the rumors, this Su Yi person actually defeated Huo Yao and Ye Luo. He’s quite capable.”

Qing Tang said coolly, “If there’s nothing else, please leave.”

Both her mannerisms and her words revealed her distaste. The man in jade-colored robes frowned.

Then, he said earnestly, “Over the years, the ignorant masses of this world have seen you as a traitor to your sect, the one who seized everything your honorable master left behind. Such rumors circulate even now. A perfect opportunity to change their minds has delivered itself to your doorstep!”

Qing Tang’s delicate brow furrowed. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

The man in jade-colored robes stared intently at her beautiful profile. “We can take this opportunity to kill this brazen imposter. If we do, we’ll be able to convince the masses that you never betrayed your sect.”

His expression filled with confidence. “Miss Qing Tang, if you don’t object, I’d be willing to do it myself. I’ll personally claim Su Yi’s head in the name of the Grotto of Abstruse Force!”

Qing Tang was stunned, and she finally took a second look at the man in jade-colored robes. A faint, almost imperceptible hint of a jeer tugged at her lips. “Why should I concern myself with the opinion of the masses? And how could I need to take another’s life to prove I’m not a traitor?”

With that, she walked outside of the pavilion, her clothes swaying around her.

“You’re the emissary of the Church of the River of Stars’s Solar Palace, not a disciple of the Grotto of Abstruse Force. There’s no need to concern yourself with our internal affairs. If you overstep, you’ll only make things unpleasant for both of us. Please know your bounds!”

Before her cold, indifferent voice had even finished echoing through the air, Qing Tang’s figure disappeared from view.

The man in jade-colored robes now stood there alone and dazed, his expression shifting erratically.