First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1307 - Secrets of the Immortal Realm

Su Yi couldn’t help but be impressed.

Three cups of wine, and his cultivation base broke through!

The wine she called “the Years to Come” was absolutely a wondrous and rare treasure.

After all, since he’d stepped into the Oneness Realm, Su Yi had faced a real headache. This was because ordinary World-King-level cultivation resources could no longer satisfy his needs.

In other words, if he wanted to advance any further, he had to gather cultivation resources of an even higher level. For instance, Transcendent divine medicine!

Yet now, just three cups of wine and a portion of dumplings had let him reach a new level. Its wondrous effects were truly surprising.

Furthermore, Su Yi could sense clearly that although his cultivation base had only just broken through, his foundations were still firm and steady, with no sign of any issues.

“Good wine,” Su Yi praised.

The dog was drooling with jealousy. When it heard that, it snapped, “Duh! It was brewed with true immortal spirit liquid and imbued with the essence of over a hundred types of Transcendent herbs. How could it be anything but wonderful?”

Su Yi froze, stunned, then looked at Daoist Master Red Cloud. “Is there more?”

The dog’s expression darkened. He wants more!? How could he be so shameless?

Daoist Master Red Cloud said, “‘The Years to Come’ is extraordinary. The first cup represents the past, the second the present, and the third the future. No matter who drinks it, its miraculous effects will only occur once. If you don’t believe me, you can try another jug.”

With that, she took out another and passed it over.

The dog’s heart practically dripped blood. What’s going on with the mistress? She’s actually willing to waste such a divine brew on that kid?

“Never mind,” said Su Yi. He trusted that she was telling the truth.

“Go ahead and take it. You can give it to someone else later,” said Daoist Master Red Cloud, placing it right in front of him. She left no room for argument.

“Let’s hear it, then. Why have you welcomed me with such hospitality?” said Su Yi, getting straight to the point.

The yellow dog instantly pricked up its ears. It too was incomparably confused; it couldn’t imagine why someone of the mistress’s status would treat some kid with such favor.

Alas, Daoist Master Red Cloud obviously didn’t want anyone eavesdropping. With a casual wave of her hand, a rain of light surged forth, transforming into a barrier and sealing her and Su Yi off from the outside world.

The yellow dog was dumbstruck. A moment later, it practically wilted, then toppled over in a heap.

.......

“I’m from the Immortal Realm. A long, long time ago, my ancestors left behind an ancestral precept,” said Daoist Master Red Cloud, her eyes shining with reminiscence.

These were the first words out of her mouth, but Su Yi’s heart was already shaking.

Is this woman an immortal? Even if she isn’t, she’s definitely descended from them!

“That ancestral precept is quite special, and in our clan, it’s top secret. Only scions of the main line of descent can learn it, and even then, only if the elders approve,” said Daoist Master Red Cloud. “I cannot share this precept with you, but I can tell you that this precept we’ve protected and passed on for generations is connected to reincarnation.”

Su Yi’s eyebrows rose. An ancient clan of the Immortal Realm has passed on a precept relating to reincarnation for generations?

No wonder this woman welcomed me with such hospitality. Ultimately, everything is connected to reincarnation.

Su Yi thought for a moment, then said, “Might you tell me about the Immortal Realm?”

But Daoist Master Red Cloud just sighed. “The so-called ‘Immortal Realm’ is nothing but a boundlessly vast territory.”

She went on to say that a long time ago, the Immortal Realm and the Human Realm coexisted, with the Path of Transcendence serving as the bridge between them. Cultivators of the Human Realm could walk the Path of Transcendence and enter the Immortal Realm to cultivate.”

Similarly, immortals could descend into the Human Realm and wander amidst the red dust of mortality.

But when that mysterious catastrophe descended, severing the Path of Transcendence, the bridge between realms was severed. Ever since, the Immortal Realm was the Immortal Realm, and the Human Realm was the Human Realm.

Immortals no longer walked the Human Realm.

Su Yi had heard all of this before. But what Daoist Master Red Cloud said next surprised and even unsettled him.

It turned out that before the Path of Transcendence was severed, great changes had already befallen the Immortal Realm. The natural order of the Immortal Dao showed signs of crumbling, and a catastrophe swept across the world!

Countless supreme orthodoxies and sacred grounds with roots in the Immortal Realm failed to escape disaster.

Those were dark, tumultuous times. Even lofty immortals perished, like stars plummeting from the heavens.

Even legendary experts and orthodoxies that had stood since antiquity fell into the abyss and perished in the face of this catastrophe.

In the Immortal Realm, they called that dark age “the Age of Fallen Immortals!”

“The ordinary people of the Immortal Realm were alright. They weren’t affected that deeply. It was the top factions of the Immortal Realm that suffered the greatest impact,” said Daoist Master Red Cloud, her gaze conflicted. “When the heavens fall, they strike those standing at the top of the world first and hardest. Numerous orthodoxies crumbled. Even the mighty Central Immortal Court met with devastating destruction...”

Here, she shook her head. “All of that happened an extremely long time ago. Who knows how many years have passed? I only have a rough understanding of what happened because I heard about it from my seniors.”

“You heard about it from your seniors?” Su Yi was stunned.

“That’s right. When that catastrophe swept across the Immortal Realm, our clan decided to leave and seek refuge elsewhere,” said Daoist Mast Red Cloud. “At the time, we split into three groups. The elders with the deepest cultivation bases chose to proceed to an unknown place in the Immortal Realm in search of a path to life. A group of main-line descendants left to seek refuge in the Human Realm under my father’s leadership. Finally, a group of our eldest chose to remain behind to defend the Immortal Realm.”

Here, Daoist Master Red Cloud’s eyes shone with a hint of melancholy. “Who’d have thought that not long after we arrived in the Human Realm, catastrophe would strike here too? The Path of Transcendence was severed, and...”

Su Yi couldn’t help but sink into silence.

He roughly understood. Catastrophe struck the Immortal Realm first, bringing about an Age of Fallen Immortals. Catastrophe befell the Human Realm next, severing the Path of Transcendence and bringing about the End of the Dharma.

“The Human Realm’s End of the Dharma specifically targeted seekers of immortality. My clansmen who came here from the Immortal Realm were struck particularly hard. In the end, they couldn’t withstand the catastrophe, and they fell, one after another...” whispered Daoist Master Red Cloud. “Even I was severely injured. My physical body was reduced to ash. All that remained of my soul, and I’ve lived on ever since, neither human nor ghost.”

Her voice was calm, but her words made Su Yi’s heart quiver.

As mighty as experts of the Immortal Dao were, they failed to survive the End of the Dharma. It was obvious how catastrophic and terrifying it was!

“Countless years have passed since then. Not even I know what the Immortal Realm has become,” said Daoist Master Red Cloud. “But since the long-lost Path of Transcendence has re-entered this world, that’s unquestionable proof that the gateway to immortality will soon re-open.”

Here, her eyes shone with a hint of longing.

Su Yi nodded. “If that’s truly the case, aren’t modern cultivators blessed to have been born in this era?”

Had they been born way back when, it wouldn’t have mattered how shockingly talented and capable someone was. With the Path of Transcendence severed, all their efforts would come to nothing!

It was because he wasn’t fated to step onto the Path of Transcendence that the Temple Master chose to reincarnate!

Su Yi and Daoist Master Red Cloud then proceeded to discuss numerous other matters. Su Yi finally got answers to many of his lingering doubts.

For instance, Transcendent cultivators of the End of the Dharma really were reawakening in several of the stars’ forbidden grounds, then re-entering the world as revenants.

There were even others like Daoist Master Red Cloud—suspected descendants of immortals!

Especially in the Flying Immortal Forbidden Zone. In the age of the End of the Dharma, it was a peak otherworldly pure land. Many sects of seekers of immortality, including numerous experts of the Path of Transcendence, had chosen to seek refuge there.

Although all of them were annihilated in the end, numerous ruins and legacies remained.

Furthermore, now that the Path of Transcendence was due to re-enter the world, the remnant souls of the fallen Transcendent experts were sure to reawaken as revenants!

“Revenants have effectively stolen a thread of vitality from the heavens. Although they’ve survived all this time, less than one in a thousand are truly intelligent,” said Daoist Master Red Cloud. “Furthermore, those who’ve retained their intelligence were all extremely powerful experts of the Path of Transcendence in life. Even as revenants, their strength is far beyond the World King level.

“But although they might well manage to return to their former peak strength, they can forget about making any further progress in this lifetime. If they do, they’ll inevitably suffer heaven’s wrath, and their souls will be destroyed.

“This is because of the cursed power filling their bodies. Even if they possess another’s body, they cannot possibly expel this cursed power.

“Their only hope is reincarnation!

“Reincarnation can bring a true end to the past and counter revenants, but it can also shatter their curse and return their freedom.”

Here, Daoist Master Red Cloud’s beautiful eyes shone with meaningful light. “And in this world, you and you alone have mastered reincarnation. To revenants, you are like a sovereign. You can help them achieve a true return to life, or you can destroy them completely.”

Su Yi rubbed his forehead and sighed. “A sovereign? But why am I not the least bit happy to hear that?”

A rare hint of a smile appeared on Daoist Master Red Cloud’s face. “This is the nature of worldly affairs. Fortune and disaster go hand in hand. You control the secrets of reincarnation, so the world’s revenants are sure to target you. They’ll do whatever it takes to break their curse.”

“But of course, numerous revenants will seek you out and choose to cooperate with you. Still, it seems to me that helping them will likely only hurt you.

“After all, once you’ve rid them of their curse, the power of reincarnation will no longer counter them. When the time comes, it’s inevitable that some of them will harbor ill intentions.”

Here, Daoist Master Red Cloud sighed. “That’s the power of reincarnation. It’s like a sword that presides over life and death. Who could possibly be willing to let it hover over their head? And... who wouldn’t long to obtain it?”

Su Yi laughed. “This truly is an unpredictable source of disaster, but... aren’t you at all tempted by the power of reincarnation?”

He stared intently at her. This woman’s origins were mysterious and unfathomable. Even now, Su Yi couldn’t figure out what she was after.

Now, he’d already revealed his hand. It was time to see what kind of answer she’d give him!