First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1287 - Yan Daolin

Outside of Crow Ridge.

When Meng Changyun saw Su Yi approach, he couldn’t help but sigh in relief and rush up to greet him.

In stark contrast, Heavenly Libationer Lu Yun gasped.

Su Yi looked at him and ordered flatly, “Send a message to Yan Daolin. Tell him I’m on my way to the Nine Heavens Pavilion, and that if he dares to hide, I’ll flatten it.”

Lu Yun stiffened. Beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, and he hurriedly took out a talisman and passed on the message.

......

The Nine Heavens Pavilion.

Ethereal mists hung around the mountain. A bamboo building stood halfway up the slopes.

Yan Daolin sat in a bamboo chair, holding a jade record, which he was studying quietly.

He was dressed in simple but elegant, undyed robes. He had a thin face, with a gaze as deep as the ocean. Every inch of him emanated a tranquil, calm, and detached air.

A clear breeze blew past, rustling the nearby bamboo forest.

An elderly servant rushed over from afar and whispered, “Supreme Leader, the Temple Master has brought Wei Shan out of Crow Ridge.”

Yan Daolin paused, a bit stunned. “That portion of Lady Snowjade’s soul actually failed? In that case, I’m certain the Temple Master has yet to awaken Shen Mu’s memories.”

He put away the jade record and laughed. “He surely hates me for scheming against him. I expect he’s already on his way to the Nine Heavens Pavilion to settle the score.”

The elderly servant pondered that, then said, “Supreme Leader, should we prepare for his arrival?”

Yan Daolin subtly shook his head. “No need. You can strategize all you want, but it’s ultimately a lesser Dao. I never assumed the Temple Master would fall in Crow Ridge.”

He picked up the teacup resting on the table and took a dip. “Besides, I understand the Temple Master. Against him, all petty schemes and tricks are a waste of effort. What matters is our own strength.

“And I’ve been waiting for this day for far too long...”

He couldn’t help but sound a bit rueful.

The elderly servant instantly fell silent.

Yan Daolin set down his teacup and rose from his chair. “Come on. Let’s go welcome the Temple Master.”

......

Outside the Nine Heavens Pavilion’s mountain gates.

It had recently rained, cleansing the landscape.

“A’Jiu, your father will come to take you away soon,” Yan Daolin said softly. He stood there, his tall figure as vigorous as an ancient pine.

The Netherworld King stood silently to his side. She felt inexplicably nervous and stifled, and her whole body tensed.

She’d cultivated in the Nine Heavens Pavilion from a young age, but she’d never understood their leader.

In her eyes, he was mysterious, but also terrifying, like an unfathomable abyss. The greater her cultivation, the more terrified she felt around him.

Take now, for instance. Although Yan Daolin’s presence was tranquil and calm, just standing beside him made her feel as if she were sitting on a bed of needles.

“You needn’t be afraid. I had you cultivate in the Nine Heavens Pavilion simply because your father and I conducted a transaction.” Yan Daolin said softly, “From this day forth, both you and your father can have your freedom back. You’ll be subject to no further restrictions.”

The Netherworld King seemed to rally her courage. “Supreme Leader, is that... because the Temple Master is on his way?”

Yan Daolin nodded. “Yes.”

He didn’t explain any further.

The Netherworld King was incomparably baffled. She couldn’t wrap her head around any of this.

Time slipped by.

Yan Daolin suddenly asked, “Tell me, what kind of person is the Temple Master’s reincarnation?”

The Netherworld King fell into a daze as she recalled her past meetings with Su Yi. After a while, she said, “He’s strong!”

“How strong?” Yan Daolin asked with great interest.

The Netherworld King mulled it over. “Every time I see him, he gives me the impression that there’s nothing in this world he cannot do.”

Yan Daolin couldn’t help but sigh. “He really is that kind of person.”

The Netherworld King asked, “Supreme Leader, are you perhaps waiting here because you want to fight the Temple Master yourself?”

Instead of answering, Yan Daolin asked right back, “Do you think anyone in this world is truly invincible?”

The Netherworld King froze. “Most likely... not?”

Yan Daolin laughed. “I feel the same way.”

His voice was calm, but it revealed his absolute confidence.

It was then that they heard someone shooting through the air from afar.

“Your father is here,” Yan Daolin said softly.

The Netherworld King’s delicate frame quivered, and she looked over.

A group was shooting toward them from beneath the distant dome of heaven.

The leader’s blue robes swayed around his tall, upright figure. This was none other than Su Yi.

Meng Changyun and Wei Shan followed to his sides, while Heavenly Libationer Lu Yun trailed behind them.

“Father!”

When she saw Wei Shan, the rims of the Netherworld King’s eyes. She was so excited that she couldn’t help but cry out.

Wei Shan froze, stunned, but a moment later, he went mad with delight. He broke into a broad grin. “My little A’Jiu is already a grown-up!”

He was so excited that his hands and feet trembled.

After disaster befell them, his wife died, and his foster father remained behind to find their enemies to the bitter end.

He did this so that Wei Shan and his daughter, the then three-year-old A’Jiu, could escape to live another day.

A long, long time had passed since then, but now, father and daughter were finally reunited. Their appearances had changed, but blood was thicker than water, and no amount of time could dilute their love for one another.

The Netherworld King rushed over and hugged Wei Shan, her tears falling like rain and her voice choked with sobs. She wept until even her nose was red.

Wei Shan was overcome with emotion, with a tinge of sourness in his nose.

Yan Daolin made no attempt to interfere.

Rather, from the moment he laid eyes on Su Yi, he was in no mood to pay attention to anything else.

“Old-timer, have you washed your neck and come out to die?” Su Yi said thoughtfully.

Yan Daolin was waiting for him outside the sect gates. That was a sign in its own right.

Yan Daolin laughed, not at all concerned. “It’s been years since we last saw each other, but you haven’t changed a bit. Your sharp edge is on full display.”

The atmosphere silently grew stifled and oppressive.

Wei Shan brought his daughter to the sidelines while Meng Changyun’s heart clenched. He felt intense pressure assailing him.

Yan Daolin of the Nine Heavens Pavilion!

One of a tiny handful of top experts of the stars!

The rumors regarding him were fleeting and mysterious, as Yan Daolin almost never ventured into the world or acted directly.

However, the stars’ peak factions all spoke of the leader of the Nine Heavens Pavilion with dread!

It was no exaggeration to say that throughout the star realms, Yan Daolin, the Supreme Leader of the Nine Heavens Pavilion, was one of the mightiest experts around.

Over the years, those who could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him could be counted on the fingers of a single hand!

This far-reaching, powerful expert could affect an entire star realm with a single sentence, changing the destinies of its factions and cultivators!

Meng Changyun knew his place. He understood that in the past, he wouldn’t even have been worthy of laying eyes on the Supreme Leader of the Nine Heavens Pavilion...

“Temple Master, I’m sure you have numerous questions, as well as a bellyful of fire,” said Yan Daolin, his expression calm. “I am waiting here because I’m worried that a moment’s carelessness might lead to you destroying my Nine Heavens Pavilion.”

As he spoke, he took out a jade slip. “The answers you want are recorded in this jade slip. It’s yours so long as you can defeat me.”

A suffocating atmosphere permeated the air. Heaven and earth were instantly stifled.

“Defeat you?” Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. “Do you think I came all this way just to determine victory and defeat, then resolve my doubts?”

Yan Daolin’s expression was inscrutable. “If I win, you die, but I won’t die even if I lose.”

Su Yi laughed dryly. “What makes you say that?”

Yan Daolin said forthrightly, “Ten years ago, my true body left for the Flying Immortal Forbidden Zone. The ‘me’ standing before you is just a clone.”

A clone!?

Wei Shan, Meng Changyun, and the others looked at each other.

Su Yi sneered. “What? All these years of bitter plotting, but in the end, you don’t even dare to meet me in the flesh?”

Yan Daolin shook his head. “It’s because you arrived too late. We old-timers started vying for good fortune relating to the Path of Transcendence decades ago. That’s true for Deng Zuo, and it’s true for me too.”

Here, he sighed. “The Path of Transcendence disappeared a long, long time ago, but it’s about to re-enter the world. Who wouldn’t long to be the first to step onto that higher path? Compared to that, all grudges and enmities seem trivial.”

Su Yi took out a jug of wine and drank.

It was indeed just as Yan Daolin said. The stars’ peak old-timers longed for nothing more than to one day step onto a higher path.

Even the former Temple Master had poured inestimable time and effort into seeking out the Path of Transcendence.

Now, countless years after it disappeared, the Path of Transcendence was due to re-enter this world. What old-timer wouldn’t have gone mad over it?

Not long ago, at the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect, Su Yi met with “Old Charlatan” Deng Zuo. His true body was exploring the Flying Immortal Forbidden Zone in search of an opportunity to step onto the Path of Transcendence too!

Su Yi also picked up on another implication of Yan Daolin’s words.

He thinks I arrived too late. That must mean that if I seek out an opportunity to step onto the Path of Transcendence, I’ll be behind everyone else!

Su Yi put away his jug of wine, not at all considered. “No harm in arriving late. In the years to come, I’ll have ample opportunities to see just how strong Transcendents are while still a World King.”

Lu Yun’s gaze was complicated. Only the Temple Master could say something like that. Anyone else, and everyone would take it for a joke.

“That’ll depend on whether or not you live that long, don’t you think?” Yan Daolin’s gaze was rife with meaning.

Su Yi’s heart stirred. “You obtained the immortal fortune hidden within Crow Ridge. Don’t tell me...”

Before he could finish his question, Yan Daolin shook his head. “The immortal fortune hidden within Crow Ridge was just legacies and a cultivation method for the Path of Transcendence, not an opportunity to transcend. Otherwise, there’d be no need for my true body to risk annihilation exploring the Flying Immortal Forbidden Zone.”

Here, Yan Daolin laughed. “But I have indeed uncovered some of the secrets of the Path of Transcendence. You could say I’ve taken half a step onto the Path of Transcendence. All I need is an opportunity to break through completely.”

He seemed forthright, revealing everything he knew.

But his words left everyone present stunned.

Half a step onto the Path of Transcendence!

If word got out, it was sure to throw the stars into uproar! But Su Yi’s gaze was as calm as ever. He said casually, “Half a step, that’s all. Ultimately, you’re not really a Transcendent.”

He wasn’t impressed. After all, hadn’t he accomplished the same thing in his past life as the Temple Master?