First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1270 - Deng Zuo’s Understanding

Deng Zuo was overcome with fury, but he wasn’t the only one.

Everyone in the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect felt—and looked—as if they’d swallowed a dead fly.

They’d watched people get ripped off before, but never this ruthlessly!

Su Yi laughed and said leisurely, “You don’t want to negotiate anymore?”

Deng Zuo glared at Su Yi for a long time before gnashing his teeth. “Speak!”

Su Yi couldn’t help but find this surprising. The old-timer’s actually just taking it?

Su Yi said thoughtfully, “From the look of things, no matter how outrageous my demands, you’ll agree to anything I ask for. Is that right?”

Deng Zuo was so furious that he laughed. “Temple Master, oh, Temple Master. If you don’t want to negotiate, just say so! Although I don’t wish to see our enmity implicate my sect’s juniors, if you insist on casting aside all pretenses of cordiality, I’ll set my reservations aside too!”

His voice was already full of unconcealable anger.

Su Yi laughed dryly. “Very well. I’ll give you face, you old charlatan. Answer one of my questions, and today’s incident is over.”

Deng Zuo was obviously surprised. Some time passed before he said, “Please ask directly.”

Su Yi said, “Why are you putting up with my demands?”

It was a simple question, but Deng Zuo’s pupils silently constricted.

In truth, everyone in the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect was confused about this too. They couldn’t wrap their heads around why Ancestor Deng Zuo was trying to use money to put out a fire.

After a moment’s silence, Deng Zuo said, “There are two reasons. My true body is exploring the Flying Immortal Forbidden Zone, and it’s hard to say whether he’ll meet with fortune or disaster, much less whether or not he’ll return alive.

“The clone standing before you is the hope of continued survival he left behind.” Here, Deng Zuo’s gaze turned a bit conflicted. “I cannot say with confidence that my clone’s power is enough to defeat you, and I cannot accept the risk of it being destroyed.”

This declaration left the entire sect shaken, and their expressions filled with uncertainty.

Only now did they realize that not even Deng Zuo’s clone was confident he could take the Temple Master’s reincarnation down!

“Ah, so you have concerns.” Su Yi nodded. “And your second reason?”

Deng Zuo said expressionlessly, “I’ve already found an opportunity that’ll truly let me suppress you! I don’t want any additional problems arising until I’ve seized it!”

Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. “Is this ‘opportunity’ perchance the Path of Transcendence?”

Deng Zuo couldn’t help but take another look at him. “That’s right. Within the Path of Heaven’s Ascension, I’m inferior to you, but do you think you’ll still be a match for me if I step onto the Path of Transcendence ahead of you?”

Su Yi thought for a moment. “You’ve sure thought this through. I’m eager for the day you step onto the Path of Transcendence.”

The crowd was baffled. What’s that supposed to mean???

Deng Zuo’s brow furrowed, but it seemed he understood. He snorted coldly, “You think I’ll be inferior to you even if I step onto the Path of Transcendence?”

Su Yi laughed. “You’re overthinking this. I just want to confirm the extent of the gap between the Paths of Heaven’s Ascension and Transcendence, and see whether or not it’s possible to knock a Transcendent to the floor while still a World King.”

“....”

He had nothing to say to that.

As if concerned that Deng Zuo hadn’t understood him, Su Yi explained with complete seriousness, “I’m not targeting you specifically, but rather, anyone who steps onto the Path of Transcendence.”

“...” Deng Zuo’s expression turned conflicted. Should I call him mad with arrogance? Or overly confident? No... it’s neither of those.

As a member of the older generation who’d once opposed the Temple Master, Deng Zuo understood his old rival far too well. He knew that the Temple Master wasn’t the type to make empty boasts or provocations.

He really does want to test the gap between a World King and a Transcendent for himself!

At least in terms of courage and breadth of spirit, Deng Zuo felt ashamed of his own inferiority.

This is the Temple Master’s way of looking at things. Even though we’re enemies, I can’t help but feel moved.

“Very well. Give me the items I requested, and this incident will end here.”

One sentence from Su Yi, and Deng Zuo no longer felt moved. Any positive thoughts Deng Zuo had about Su Yi grew wings and flew away. His mood was terrible once more.

He felt especially terrible when he personally handed over the beast bone emblazoned with the immortal sword formation. His heart practically dripped blood. That was an immortal sword formation, a legacy that had been lost since antiquity!

Then there were the three thousand Primordial Unity Divine Crystals, eight hundred Fortune Spirit Aperture pills, and other rare and precious treasures. Their combined value was inestimable.

All at once, everyone in the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect felt as if a knife were twisting in their hearts. Their expressions were incomparably unsightly.

The treasures Su Yi requested by name were rare even in the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect. All were peak treasures.

Now, Su Yi had practically extorted their entire supply!

Before long, the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect returned the hostages, Ancestor Yue Hong and Bai He.

“Temple Master, shouldn’t you leave now?” Deng Zuo said icily, the words forced through the gaps in his teeth.

Su Yi rubbed his nose. “This incident has been resolved to everyone’s satisfaction. This is cause for celebration. Shouldn’t you invite me in to reminisce over tea?”

No matter how steady Deng Zuo’s temperament, he was so angry that he inwardly launched into a series of expletives.

Resolved to everyone’s satisfaction?? Who the fuck is satisfied?! Who wants to celebrate with you? And you seriously want to reminisce over tea!? I’d love nothing more than to chop off your damn head and drink tea from your skull!

The rest of the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect members felt completely stifled. Dammit, he’s taking his bullying too far!

Only A’Cai’s expression was a bit strange. She had to fight hard to stop herself from laughing.

A glorious top powerhouse of the stars had been bullied into such a state. They could only hold their nose and endure, and they dared not give voice to their fury. They acted so aggrieved, too. Who’d ever seen such a thing?

“You really are stingy. Fine. Since you don’t welcome me, I’ll just leave.” Su Yi shook his head and turned to leave.

The corners of Deng Zuo’s lips twitched. Stingy? You killed so many of our World Kings and extorted a mountain of rare and precious treasures out of us. You even got an immortal-level sword formation out of this, and now YOU are calling ME stingy?

Deng Zuo watched Su Yi’s figure fade into the distance. He longed for nothing more than to slice him to pieces!

“Ancestor, are we really letting this end here?” Li Xunzhen felt far too bitter. His face was completely overcast.

Deng Zuo glanced coldly at him. “Lingyun was my closed-door disciple. She’s dead, but here I am, letting this go. What do you have to complain about?”

Li Xunzhen stiffened beneath the weight of Deng Zuo’s cold, terrifying gaze. He lowered his head.

Thud!

Sect Leader Weng Pu fell directly to his knees, looking utterly shame-faced. “Ancestor, it was my ineptitude that led to this disaster...”

Deng Zuo expressionlessly cut him off. “Your regret isn’t worth a fart! Tell me, just what did you do to provoke him?”

Weng Pu’s heart quivered as he realized that Ancestor Deng Zuo was utterly enraged. He dared not stall for time; he had to admit fault directly! He dared not hide anything, either. He quickly explained everything that led up to this.

“This started when, under the Tailor’s encouragement, you joined forces with the Studio of the Heart, the Nine Heavens Pavilion, and the Church of the River of Stars to attack the Dark and Gold Star Realm?” Deng Zuo frowned.

Weng Pu lowered his head and said bitterly, “That’s right. We sent a group of World Kings and peak Imperial Realm experts to the Dark and Gold Star Realm. We thought we could take the Temple Master’s reincarnation down; he was only in the Imperial Realm at the time. Who’d have thought...”

Deng Zuo interrupted him here, his face ashen. “Muddle-headed fool! That Tailor bastard was using you, and you still haven’t realized it!”

The crowd fell as silent as cicadas in winter. But it seemed Deng Zuo had yet to vent his anger.

“I said a long time ago that you are not to get mixed up in my enmity with the Temple Master. Why didn’t you listen? So what if the Temple Master was only in the Imperial Realm? Even if he’d reincarnated into a mortal with no cultivation base at all, he isn’t someone you can afford to oppose!

“Otherwise, why wouldn’t the Tailor have taken him down himself? Why rope in the stars’ top factions? Don’t you think the old-timer would love nothing more than to monopolize the secrets of reincarnation?

“He didn’t act alone because he didn’t dare to! He knows better than anyone that regardless of whether he’s reincarnated or not, the Temple Master isn’t someone you can provoke lightly!

“Look at you! Completely blinded by greed, the lot of you! You seriously thought you could seize the secrets of reincarnation? You were simply throwing your lives away!”

This series of rebukes echoed throughout the entire Primordial Unity Daoist Sect.

Weng Pu, Li Xunzhen, and the other higher-ups’ heads drooped. All of them wilted like defrosting eggplants.

Their hearts were full of unease.

None of them had predicted that Ancestor Deng Zuo would be so angry.

“Look at how stupid you’ve been! You haven’t just embarrassed yourselves; you’ve made complete fools out of the entire sect! Generations of your ancestors are rolling in their graves!”

Deng Zuo was so furious that he wanted nothing more than to slap these good-for-nothings to death.

But in the end, he finally started to calm down. He gnashed his teeth and said, “That bastard Tailor used my Primordial Unity Daoist Sect for his schemes. I’ll settle the score with him sooner or later!”

With that, he swept his gaze across Weng Pu and the others and said slowly and clearly, “No matter what, no word of today’s incident is to leak to the outside world. You hear me? None of this. Ever. Happened!”

The crowd hurriedly nodded.

Deng Zuo’s eyes flashed, and he said icily, “The Temple Master has returned. He’s sure to seek out the Tailor, the Painter, and the Fisherman to settle the score. We suffered such a massive loss. How can I rest until they’ve paid the price too?

“So long as we keep this a secret, and don’t leak the Temple Master’s whereabouts, none of the others who offended him will get off lightly either!”

Li Xunzhen couldn’t help but chime in, “Ancestor, we can make sure word of this doesn’t spread from our end, but what if the Temple Master reveals—”

Deng Zuo coldly interrupted him. “Do you think the Temple Master is the type to puff himself up like that? Given his disposition, in his eyes, today’s incident was only a little interlude, too trivial to be worth mentioning!”

The rest of the sect was completely dumbstruck. We paid such a grievous price, but to the Temple Master, this is only a ‘trivial interlude?’

“Wait until the winds calm and the waves recede. When my true body steps onto the Path of Transcendence, I’ll find the Temple Master and settle this!” Deng Zuo said softly. His eyes were utterly cold.

His closed-door disciple, Gu Lingyun, had been killed. How could he not be furious?

His sect had suffered such massive losses. How could he be unmoved?

He’d given away their immortal sword formation. How could his heart not ache?

“When the time comes, no matter whether I win or lose, at least... it won’t implicate the rest of you any further...” Deng Zuo sighed.

The crowd’s emotions churned. They were increasingly ashamed of themselves.

A’Cai watched from a distance, taking all of this in. She too couldn’t help but sigh to herself. Deng Zuo really is a legendary expert of the same generation as the Temple Master. He understands far too clearly!

After witnessing Deng Zuo’s response with her own eyes, A’Cai understood for the first time just how much weight the title of Temple Master carried!