First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1299 - Daoist Master Red Cloud

The revenant proclaimed that he was already an expert of the Path of Transcendence during the End of the Dharma, and furthermore, that he presided over his own faction.

When he spoke with Su Yi and his companions, he was prideful and domineering.

Yet now, he prostrated himself before a hovering fragment of bronze, looking both awed and uneasy!

“It’s not your fault.” A gentle male voice emanated from within the fragment.

A rain of light followed immediately afterward, and a figure appeared out of thin air.

He was dressed like a Daoist, with a hibiscus crown. He gripped a fly whisk, and he had handsome features. When his eyes moved, they shone with wisps of immortal light.

Like a god or immortal!

“That man controlled the power of reincarnation. His cultivation might be trivial, but his power of the Grand Dao alone is enough to threaten our lives,” said the handsome, seemingly youthful Daoist. His voice boomed like a morning bell or evening drum. “That’s why I warned you to leave as soon as possible.”

Reincarnation!

The prostrating revenant trembled from head to toe and said in disbelief, “My lord, hasn’t the Contract of the Gods long since eradicated that forbidden power? Isn’t it no longer permitted to exist in this world?”

“That’s what confuses me,” whispered the Daoist. “Rumor has it that the natural order of the past, the present, and the future are all under the control of the gods. The only exception is reincarnation!

“Yet now, someone has actually achieved reincarnation, but he hasn’t met with catastrophe. This is unquestionably an unprecedented development.”

Here, the Daoist’s eyes shone with immortal light. “But at the same time, it’s a rare, unprecedented opportunity!”

The revenant said in a daze, “What do you mean, my lord?”

“Song He, although we were fortunate to have survived the End of the Dharma, that strange, cursed energy has haunted us ever since. We can only gasp for breath and cling to survival, neither human nor ghost.”

The Daoist’s eyes glinted with cold light. “All of this is the work of that catastrophe that severed the Path of Transcendence!

“The Laws of have shifted in the years that followed, letting us rebuild our bodies and granting us an opportunity to cultivate once more. Still, if we can’t free ourselves of the curse’s power, it’ll be all but impossible to return to our former cultivations, let alone transcend into immortality. But...” Here, the Daoist’s eyes shone like twin suns. “This is an opportunity! The power of reincarnation can end the fetters and curses of the past and grant revenants like us true freedom!”

The kneeling revenant quivered with excitement. As a revenant, how could he fail to understand how rare and precious such an opportunity was?

“A long, long time ago, during the End of the Dharma, the Path of Transcendence was severed, and we seekers of immortality faced insurmountable disaster. Even those who survived were afflicted with a curse. Now, even modern cultivators dare view us as prey to hunt as they please.” The Daoist looked a bit melancholy, and he said with deep emotion, “Fortunately, even when doom is all but certain, hope remains. This is perhaps what they mean when they say the heavens never sever all paths.”

The prostrating revenant said, “My lord, if that person truly controls the power of reincarnation, he is an enormous threat to us. Capturing him won’t be easy.”

The Daoist laughed. “Why must we resort to violence? Why not find an opportunity to establish a positive karmic bond and ask him to help us? Wouldn’t that be better?”

The revenant froze. “But... what if he refuses?”

The Daoist smiled, then said with confidence, “I’ve always believed that man can conquer the heavens. When there’s a will, there’s a way!”

Here, something occurred to him. “Song He, let’s go pay Daoist Master Red Cloud a visit.”

Daoist Master Red Cloud!

The revenant stiffened at the thought of this terrifying existence.

......

Stinging, blood-red electricity formed crimson lotus clouds enveloping a chunk of land floating atop the Impermeable Demon Ocean.

The entire landmass was about the size of a city, and it lay in ruin. Collapsed buildings, broken walls, and fragments of rubble lay strewn all over the ground.

Except for the island’s center, where a crude stone hut stood.

There was a vegetable garden in front of it.

All manner of mundane vegetables grew there, the types ordinary mortals ate: lettuce, chives, cucumbers, and eggplants, among others. All of them looked fresh.

The garden wasn’t big, and it was fenced in. Outside the fence, a yellow dog sprawled out languidly, its eyes closed in contentment.

A woman sat before a stone table holding a short knife. She was slicing a bundle of chives.

Her garb was as simple as a peasant's, and her black hair was tied up.

Her features were unexceptional and slightly sallow, but her eyes were as bright and clear as autumn waters.

Most extraordinary of all was her disposition: quiet and tranquil, with deep-rooted composure.

The entire scene seemed out of place.

After all, these were the far reaches of the Impermeable Demon Ocean, and the surrounding waters were fierce and turbulent. Baleful mists churned in the air, and unsettling red thunderclouds hovered beneath the dome of heaven.

Even the landmass the hut was built on lay in ruin.

Even a Cosmic Enlightenment World King’s heart would have quivered in terror just standing here.

Yet here was a stone hut, a run-of-the-mill yellow dog, a vegetable garden, and a woman who looked like a peasant.

They didn’t match at all.

When the revenant Song He saw this, he shuddered from head to toe and instinctively averted his gaze, not daring to look at them any further.

It was then that a gentle voice emanated from the hovering fragment of bronze. “You can just wait here.”

The speaker, the handsome young Daoist in a hibiscus crown, floated into the air.

When he saw the woman seated outside the stone hut, he too looked solemn.

He straightened up his clothes and approached.

When he was still three hundred feet away, he drifted to the ground and continued his approach on foot. His gaze was increasingly solemn, as if he were preparing to face a powerful foe.

At one hundred feet away, he stopped in his tracks and inclined his head. “Li Beishan of Thousand Autumns Demon Mountain greets you, Daoist Master Red Cloud.”

The dog languishing outside the fence cracked open an eye and glanced at the woman seated at the stone table.

She’d already cut the chives into fine, even strips, each two inches long exactly.

It was as if she didn’t even notice their guest. She just took out a bag of flour and a pot of water, rolled up her sleeves, and started mixing, completely ignoring the visiting Daoist.

But the man who called himself Li Beishan wasn’t just not upset. On the contrary, he was increasingly solemn. “I understand your rules, but I have ample reason for coming here. I trust that you’ll be interested after learning why I’ve come.”

There were three existences that the intelligent revenants of the Impermeable Demon Ocean dared not offend.

The yao monk of the Endless Caverns, Buddhist Master Blood Lantern.

The Ghost Scholar of the Isle of Profound Darkness.

And Daoist Master Red Cloud of the Blood Lightning Ruins!

Of them, Daoist Master Red Cloud kept the lowest profile, but she was also the most terrifying.

Her rules were simple. No matter who visited, if their reasons for coming didn’t pique her interest, she’d kill them without mercy!

The woman was already rolling dough into balls, and she seemed focused on her work. She never so much glanced at Li Beishan.

The dog, however, had now opened its eerie green eyes, which flashed with inscrutable luster as it stared at the distant Li Beishan.

Li Beishan’s entire body tensed, and he dared not delay. He said directly, “I found a way to neutralize our curse.”

The dog silently rose, and the woman finally seemed interested. “Tell me.”

It was just two words, but her voice was like a clear spring burbling in a secluded valley. It echoed through the air like the natural music of the heavens.

Li Beishan took a deep breath. “A young cultivator who’s mastered the mysteries of reincarnation has appeared in the Impermeable Demon Ocean!”

Reincarnation!

The woman abruptly stopped what she was doing.

Meanwhile, the yellow dog seemed excited. It repeatedly wagged its tail.

When Li Beishan saw this, he inwardly sighed in relief. He dared say with certainty that Daoist Master Red Cloud was interested!

Were that not the case, he would never leave this place alive.

“I came here to invite you to seek out this opportunity with you,” Li Beishan said at top speed. “I won’t lie to you. I’m doing this in part because I know that with my abilities, this opportunity is too great for me to seize alone, and in part because I hope to leave a favorable impression on you.”

He seemed forthright, but in truth, he dared not hide his intentions.

That was Daoist Master Red Cloud’s prestige!

From beginning to end, she never said a word. She just let the words spill out of Li Beishan like beans pouring out of a bamboo tube.

At this point, instead of speaking, she took out a rolling pin and started rolling dumpling skins.

It was the dog who spoke up. “Why not seek that malevolent, inhuman old monk? Or that hypocritical scholar who’s always on about compassion despite a bellyful of wicked thoughts?”

Li Beishan fell briefly silent. “Neither would look out for my well-being. They might even kill me after they finished with me, effectively burning the bridge after crossing the river. The Daoist Master... won’t do that.”

The dog laughed. “You’re actually not stupid, you old devil.”

“Bring that person back. If it’s truly as you say, I’ll naturally owe you a favor,” said the woman. She was focused on making dumplings, and from beginning to end, she never so much as glanced at Li Beishan.

Li Beishan’s spirits soared. “Got it!”

He rose, bowed once more, then turned and left.

When Song He saw Li Beishan return alive, he let out a long sigh of relief, and his tensed heart finally relaxed.

Before long, he and Li Beishan left.

The dog wagged its tail excitedly. “Young Mistress, reincarnation has re-entered the world. This is an unprecedented development. This time... we’ll finally be able to leave this blasted place!”

The woman’s gaze was tranquil. “Do you remember what day this is back home?”

The dog froze, then shook its head.

“The mid-autumn festival.” She looked up at the sky. “The moon is the same as it was back then, but.... Can I still return home?”

Her eyes shone with a hint of melancholy.

After a moment’s silence, the yellow dog said, “Young Mistress, the power prohibited by the Contract of the Gods, reincarnation, has returned. Why can’t we return home?”

The woman froze, stunned, a faint hint of a smile on her lips. “Well-reasoned. As a reward, it’s dumplings for dinner tonight.”

With that, she got to work folding dumplings.

The yellow dog grinned. The young mistress’s...spirits have finally improved!