First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1675: Another Encounter with Chu Batian

Only Su Yi was entirely unharmed, without so much as a hair out of place. He stood on the shoreline, watching the endless crimson current.

Waves lapped the shore, splashing the air. The sound was like the rumbling of thunder, resounding without end.

The river waters were stingingly bright, like a gathering of fresh blood. They emanated a dense, baleful air, and the entire area was shrouded in dense, bloody fog. As a result, nothing grew here, not even an inch of grass.

Su Yi stood with his hands behind his back, his Daoist robes fluttering in the wind. He looked extraordinary and detached.

But when the other Immortal Lords saw this, all of them had complicated looks in their eyes. Some were angry, others contemptuous, others frustrated.

In the weeks after they left Meteor Ridge, Tang Yuyan led the group deeper into the Divine Hunt Demon Mountains. Along the way, they’d overcome dozens of battles both great and small.

Most of the time, their enemies were fierce and powerful demonic creatures. A few times, they came into conflict with other Immortal Lords over good fortune.

With an unrivaled Immortal Lord like Tang Yuyan to oversee things, they always managed to avert the crisis despite the danger. None of them had even been eliminated yet.

But what nonetheless infuriated the Immortal Lords was that no matter what kind of danger they encountered, the suspected silkpants, Shen Mu, never once lent a hand! Every time they fought, he acted like none of his had anything to do with him. He just stood at a distance, like someone watching a fire burn on the far shore of a river.

He didn’t just not help. He didn’t even comment on their struggles!

If that were all, they could have let it go. After all, they’d long since concluded that he was an extremely well-connected weakling. In their heart of hearts, they didn’t expect Shen Mu to help. It was enough that he didn’t cause additional trouble.

What really infuriated them was that every time they received spoils, Tang Yuyan insisted on giving Shen Mu a share!

He was doing nothing to earn his keep, yet he was reaping their hard-earned benefits. Who could have tolerated that?

They risked their lives, fighting and killing to acquire those trophies. What right did a useless silkpants have to enjoy them?

By now, all of them had bellies full of pent-up fury, and they longed for nothing more than to kick Shen Mu out!

Before long, Su Yi returned from the shore, took out his wicker chair, and sprawled out comfortably.

When Tang Hanfeng saw this, he couldn’t help but say coldly, “You watched the Baleful Demon River from the shoreline for so long that I almost thought you were after that Demonblood Flood Dragon!

His voice dripped with mockery.

The surging Baleful Demon River was named after its ferocious inhabitants. Ruins lay hidden in the riverbed, as well as a precious treasure known as Nine Yin Profound Jade, a top-notch divine material used to forge Immortal King-level weapons. It was extremely rare in the outside world.

Even Immortal Kings drooled at the sight of it.

The trouble was that the submerged ruins were home to an extraordinarily terrifying Demonblood Flood Dragon. It was enormously powerful, violent, and fierce.

Ordinary Immortal Lords were no match for it.

Tang Yuyan had led them in battle against it three times already, but each attempt ended in failure.

On their last attempt, the flood dragon attacked Tang Yuyan in a frenzy, injuring her badly. They’d had no choice but to retreat and regroup.

Su Yi sprawled out comfortably in his chair, ignoring their jeers. He just lay there, occasionally taking a sip of wine.

His languid bearing made the other Immortal Lords gnash their teeth with fury.

“Get ready. Soon, we’ll face the Demonblood Flood Dragon once more!” said Tang Yuyan. Her eyes opened once more. Her wounds had already mostly recovered.

“Miss Yuyan, how about we… just give up?” one of the Immortal Lords said hesitantly. He whispered, “The Demonblood Flood Dragon is cruel, crafty, and terrifyingly strong. If we risk it all, we might well manage to kill the wicked creature, but we’ll surely pay an enormous price for our victory. It’s even possible… that some of us might get disqualified.”

The other Immortal Lords nodded. If they fought the Demonblood Dragon, even if they won, none of them could endure its death throes!

Tang Yuyan’s brow furrowed in displeasure. “What are you afraid of? The Demonblood Flood Dragon is injured too. This is an ideal opportunity to kill it. If we shrink back now, won’t all of our effort go to waste?”

She paused, suddenly solemn. “We joined the Divine Hunt, first to accumulate merit, second to seek out good fortune, and third—and most importantly—to temper our cultivations!”

Tang Yuyan rose and looked around, her gaze full of contemptuous pride. “If this paltry little bit of danger is enough to make you shrink back in terror, how can you speak of proving your Dao and becoming Immortal Kings?”

She spoke with firm conviction. The Immortal Lords couldn’t help but lower their heads, their expressions full of uncertainty.

Su Yi nodded to himself. Tang Yuyan was prideful and aloof, to the point that it affected her judgment. She looked down on him, the person who’d relied on his connections to enter the Divine Hunt.

But there was no denying that she really was the most dazzling Saint Realm expert in the Tang Family. Her talent was extraordinary, and her strength was heaven-defying. Most importantly, her mentality and spirit were far beyond ordinary Immortal Lords.

“Very well. Let’s try once more!” someone gnashed their teeth and agreed. The others soon followed suit.

They were all in this together, and Tang Yuyan was their pillar of support. If anything happened to her, with their strength, they’d soon find themselves disqualified.

Before the group got to work, they glanced at Su Yi. When they saw that he was still just sitting there, and that he showed no sign of joining the battle, one of the Immortal Lords couldn’t take it anymore.

“Miss Yuyan, if we kill the Demonblood Flood Dragon this time, we cannot share the good fortune within the ruins with someone who didn’t help!”

“That’s right!”

“We’re risking our lives here. No matter what, no one can just sit back and reap the benefits!”

Tang Yuyan frowned, but she knew that sharing the spoils with Shen Mu had displeased her allies. They’d been suppressing their frustration for a long time; it simply hadn’t erupted until now.

Tang Yuyan glanced at Su Yi and said, “Shen Mu, the Demonblood Flood Dragon is badly injured. This is a rare opportunity. Will you join us in battle?”

Reading between the lines, she was saying, “So long as you come with us, you’ll get your share of the spoils.”

But Su Yi shook his head. “I’ll just bring up the rear.”

“....” Silence followed this declaration.

Tang Hanfeng couldn’t help but chastise Su Yi. “If you’re too lazy, just say so. What’s all that garbage about bringing up the rear? No wonder you had to pull strings to get into the Divine Hunt. You’ve got no guts or sense of righteousness whatsoever.”

The others were unhappy too.

Tang Yuyan sighed. “Let’s go.”

With that, she led the group into the Baleful Demon River. The others followed immediately afterward.

Boom!

The surface of the river churned, then burst. Turbulent currents rose into the sky.

A thousand-foot blood-red flood dragon shot out of the river’s depths, its ferocious aura filling the air. Soon, it was locked in fierce combat with Tang Yuyan and her allies.

The wicked creature’s finished, thought Su Yi. He determined the outcome at a glance, raised his jug of wine, and was just about to take a sip when he sensed something and gazed into the distance.

A figure was headed their way, silently passing through the bloody mist covering the landscape. He was tall and thin, with a halberd-like mustache and a spear on his back. His imposing eyes shone like golden lamps.

He shifted through the air without a trace, and he never emanated even the slightest of energy fluctuations. He was like a shadow, there, then gone in a flash.

If Su Yi’s soul weren’t so extraordinarily powerful, he’d never have noticed him.

The corners of his lips rose into a nigh imperceptible grin.

Chu Batian’s finally shown himself!

Furthermore, Su Yi recognized the movement technique Chu Batian was using. It was a supreme secret legacy of the Kui Ox Spirit Race, the Big Dipper Thousand Opportunities Incantation!

It could withdraw the aura, all while enabling almost instantaneous movement. Just like the movements of the stars or shifting light and shadow, it left no trace.

Even gods and ghosts would be caught off guard!

Su Yi retracted his gaze, and remained sprawled out in his chair. He didn’t move. It’s a pity, but Tang Yuyan and the others are still nearby. Otherwise, I’d capture him alive right now!

He planned to capture Chu Batian alive, but he didn’t want anyone to find out about it. If anyone saw him, even just leaving the Divine Hunt Demon Mountains would be a struggle; the Immortal Kings were sure to get in his way.

After all, Chu Batian was the unrivaled Immortal Lord of the Jade Firmament Immortal Palace and a descendant of Immortal Sovereign Sky Killer.

There was absolutely no way the Immortal Kings outside the mountains would be able to remain seated after he disappeared inexplicably during the Divine Hunt!

Su Yi still planned to capture him alive, but first, to avoid unnecessary trouble, he had to make sure no one found out about it!

For now, I’ll just wait and see what he’s up to. It won’t be too late to intercept and suppress him after he leaves.

Su Yi inwardly made up his mind.

Meanwhile, Chu Batian silently reached the shore of the Baleful Demon River, slipped his spear from his back, and gripped it.

Su Yi’s eyes shone with a strange light. Don’t tell me he plans to robe Tang Yuyan and the others just like he did last time?

Tang Yuyan and her allies were fighting, bathed in blood. They’d already suppressed the Demonblood Flood Dragon, and it was obvious that as terrifying as it was, it wouldn’t escape death this time.

The flood dragon’s roars shook the heavens as it lashed out one last time. It struggled to break out of its encirclement, opened its mouth, and lunged at Tang Yuyan.

Her beautiful eyes were solemn, and she swung her short saber. She was just about to use her killer attack and take the beast’s head clean off.

Suddenly, a spear shot out of nowhere, slicing through the air and piercing the flood dragon’s skull.

At the same time, Chu Batian appeared without warning and swung his sleeves, collecting the entire thousand-foot corpse.

It happened so suddenly that Tang Yuyan and her allies were completely caught off guard. All of them readied themselves to meet a new foe, but when they realized who they were up against, their expressions were instantly unsightly. All of them were enraged, and the flames of an old grudge reignited in their hearts.

Chu Batian! That shameless, despicable bastard again!