First Immortal of the Sword

The Jadelight Pure Lands.

Before a pagoda built between mountains, beneath the tall, verdant tree.

Immortal King Kong Ye sat on a prayer mat, a hint of lingering darkness on his brow.

Three months prior, the Church of All Spirits had issued the Jadelight Pure Lands an ultimatum.

Now, less than half a month remained until the appointed time, the Immortal King Night Banquet!

If they didn’t give the Church of All Spirits a clear answer before the Immortal King Night Banquet, they’d send their forces to flatten the Jadelight Pure Lands!

“Time takes its toll on us all. Years of wind and rain inevitably wash away all past glories. Who could have imagined that our Jadelight Pure Lands would one day face such an enormous disaster?” Kong Ye let out a deep sigh.

Suddenly, Ying Xiu dashed over. “Master, I just received word that thirteen of the immortal factions subordinate to the Jadelight Pure Lands have chosen to join the Church of All Spirits!”

She was a delicate, extraordinary beauty clad in pale purple.

As an Immortal King faction, the Jadelight Pure Lands had numerous auxiliary factions. However, of late, one auxiliary faction after another had chosen to betray them!

“They’re just going with the flow in hopes of maximizing their benefits and minimizing their risk. No need to pay them any heed.” Kong Ye shook his head slightly.

What really bothered him was that in the face of the Church of All Spirits’ threats, unrest was arising within the Jadelight Pure Lands!

Some of the higher-ups even suggested that they submit to the Church of All Spirits to ensure the lives of everyone in the sect.

This left Immortal King Kong Ye so furious that he felt as if his lungs were about to explode. He immediately rejected all such suggestions, and he even cursed those cowardly higher-ups out.

But all of this told him that problems had arisen within the sect. When the human heart wavered, internal strife was inevitable!

Ying Xiu fell briefly silent. “Master, all of the disciples are ill at ease, and they’ve all started planning their escape routes. Those outside the sect have seized the opportunity to flee, and they’ve yet to return to the sect.”

Kong Ye’s brow furrowed. “They say that when a tree topples, the monkeys scatter, but our Jadelight Pure Lands haven’t fallen yet. Why are people fleeing already?”

His voice was tinged with fury.

A moment later, he let out a long sigh. “But I cannot blame them. Disaster is imminent, and their lives are on the line. Who’d be willing to just sit around and wait to die?”

A moment later, he said with an air of self-deprecation, “Simply put, both our subordinate factions and the disciples who fled seem certain that we cannot stave off the Church of All Spirits!”

The Jadelight Pure Lands really was beset on both sides, with both external enemies and internal turmoil.

Everyone was uneasy. Anxiety loomed over them like a dark cloud!

Kong Ye murmured, “I’m not afraid to die, but I cannot bear the thought of our sect’s glorious, ancient legacy being destroyed under my charge! Thus, I cannot submit, and I cannot flee… I’ll stay here to defend this place, even if it means dying in battle.”

Ying Xiu was moved, and her grief came straight from the heart. She hurriedly tried to comfort him. “Master, the heavens never sever all paths. Our predicament isn’t so dire just yet.”

Kong Ye laughed. “Ying Xiu, they say that so long as the mountain remains, there’ll never be a shortage of firewood. Where there’s life, there’s hope. The sect leader has already arranged an escape route for our juniors. So long as you live, even if the Jadelight Pure Lands are destroyed, they can be rebuilt. As for we old-timers…”

He’d only just said this when the sound of a fierce argument emanated from a distant hall.

Kong Ye’s brow furrowed, and he rose. He couldn’t even be bothered to finish his sentence. “Come on, let’s go.”

When master and apprentice arrived, they saw that the atmosphere was extraordinarily stifled, even hostile.

Sect Leader Qi Xiaozhen’s expression was incomparably dark, and several of the higher-ups were visibly enraged. All of them were looking at the same person. R̃ἈɴȎᛒĚⱾ

He was a gaunt, dignified old man in blue robes. This was the grand elder of the Jadelight Pure Lands, Sui Fenghe.

When Kong Ye and Ying Xiu arrived, someone dashed over in a huff. “Martial Uncle Kong, you arrived just in time. Grand Elder is saying we should lower our heads before the Church of All Spirits!”

Kong Ye’s expression darkened.

Ying Xiu was flabbergasted. How could the grand elder suggest such a thing?

But before Kong Ye could respond, Grand Elder Sui Fenghe said gravely, “Martial Uncle Kong, I’m looking out for the sect’s best interest. My motivations are entirely unselfish!”

Kong Ye said expressionlessly, “Oh? Might you explain?”

Sui Fenghe took a deep breath and said solemnly, “Martial Uncle, we have no other way out! The Church of All Spirits has already sent its experts to seal off all paths to the outside world. Even if we wanted to retreat, they’d block our escape routes! In other words, there is no escape!

“And given our strength, should fighting break out between us and the Church of All Spirits, we’ll have no hope of victory! Who knows how grievous a price we’d have to pay, or how many of our sectmates would shed their blood?”

Sui Fenghe’s face was full of impassioned grief, and he said slowly and clearly, “If not for my desire to ensure the lives of everyone in the sect, how could I possibly suggest anything so humiliating?”

The hall was stifled. Everyone’s expressions were unsightly.

Immortal King Kong Ye furrowed his brow and said icily, “Is there anything else?”

Sui Fenghe took a deep breath and said, “Lowering our heads and submitting in the short term will ensure our lives, but that’s not all. It’ll also prevent everything our sect has built up over the past tens of thousands of years from being destroyed!”

He swept his gaze across the crowd before looking directly at Kong Ye. “Martial Uncle, surely you don’t wish to see the Jadelight Pure Lands destroyed?”

Kong Ye’s expression couldn’t have been any darker. “Continue.”

Sui Fenghe seemed to have thrown all reservations to the wind. He gnashed his teeth and said, “The high chief libationer of the Church of All Spirits has given me his word that so long as we submit and serve the church, they won’t mistreat us, and they won’t kill any of us!”

Ying Xiu said in a quavering voice, “Grand Elder, you… you’ve been colluding with the Church of All Spirits in secret?”

Sui Fenghe’s expression darkened, and he shouted, “Ying Xiu! I wasn’t ‘colluding.’ I was negotiating with them, all the while enduring deep humiliation! If I hadn’t done everything in my power to argue on our behalf, do you think I could possibly have received such a promise?”

“Were you acting alone?” asked Kong Ye.

“No, it was my idea too,” said a raspy voice.

Everyone looked stunned, and all of them looked at the speaker in disbelief.

He was a thin old man whose hair and beard were silver.

Wei Yun! The high elder of the Jadelight Pure Lands, and one of the sect’s three Immortal Kings!

The third Immortal King had left the sect to explore the outside world a long time ago, and he’d yet to return. Thus, Wei Yun was one of the pillars of the Jadelight Pure Lands, just like Kong Ye.

Wei Yun had stayed silent earlier, never expressing his opinion, but now, he’d spoken up in favor of the grand elder. Everyone was surprised.

Kong Ye’s expression was instantly incomparably unsightly. “No wonder Sui Fenghe dared suggest such a thing! So, you’ve been backing him up this entire time, Senior Apprentice Brother!”

Wei Yun furrowed his brow. “Junior Apprentice Brother, how can you act willfully even at a time like this? Surely you don’t plan to do nothing as our entire sect is annihilated?”

He paused, then said warmly, “You ought to understand my character. If there were any other option, I would never have chosen something so humiliating. That aside…”

Wei Yun sharply changed tacks. “The Church of All Spirits has promised that so long as we agree to serve them, they’ll cure us of the divine tribulation afflicting us!”

His gaze was suddenly heated. “We’ve endured the torment of our divine tribulations for countless years. Now, after much difficulty, the perfect opportunity to free ourselves has arrived. How could we let it slip through our fingers?”

Kong Ye’s heart sank. He finally understood. Ultimately, Wei Yun might really want to protect his sectmates by submitting to the Church of All Spirits, but…

More importantly, he wanted to seize this opportunity to be free of the power of divine tribulation!

“I agree with the high elder. Lowering ourselves and submitting is our only hope. Only then can we survive to get revenge another day. Why shouldn’t we lower our heads?” another higher-up said softly.

“That’s right. The Church of All Spirits has already sealed off every possible escape route. If war breaks out, we risk complete annihilation. If all of us are dead, who will be left to seek revenge?”

Several other higher-ups chimed in in support of Wei Yun.

Kong Ye felt deeply disappointed. He was so angry that he couldn’t help but laugh. “Do you think the Church of All Spirits is stupid? There’s no way they’ll give you the chance to get revenge!

“I can say with certainty that if we submit, they’ll take us all firmly under their control, and everything the Jadelight Pure Lands have accumulated over the years will fall under their control, too!

“We might well manage to cling to life and live in degradation, but the Jadelight Pure Lands will exist in name only!”

Kong Ye’s hair and beard bristled, and his expression was terrifying. His imposing gaze left many of the others visibly ill at ease.

Wei Yun sighed deeply and shook his head. “Junior Apprentice Brother, I’m afraid I cannot agree with your conclusions.”

He then looked to Sect Leader Qi Xiaozhen. “How do you see this matter, Sect Leader?”

Qi Xiaozhen’s face was ashen, and he responded with a question of his own. “If I object, will you refrain from submitting to the Church of All Spirits?”

Wei Yun’s brow furrowed. “I’d hate to see conflict break out within the sect. Sect Leader, if you oppose my plan, don’t blame me for acting in my capacity as your senior and stripping you of your position!”

His words were like a stone shattering the dome of heaven! Everyone looked stricken as they realized High Elder Wei Yun was completely determined to submit to the Church of All Spirits!

Kong Ye roared in fury, “Senior Apprentice Brother, do you really think I’ll just stand back and watch that happen?”

Wei Yun said expressionlessly, “Junior Apprentice Brother, you’re no match for me. Besides, the sect’s formations and core treasures are all under my control. If you dare to attack me, I guarantee I’ll suppress you immediately!”

“You…” Kong Ye was furious.

The grand hall was instantly rife with tension. The atmosphere was suffocatingly oppressive. Everyone stiffened.

Ying Xiu looked at her master in concern, her beautiful face pallid. If Master casts aside all pretenses of cordiality now, there’ll be no room to turn things around later!

What really filled her heart with despair was that she couldn’t see any hope of alleviating this situation. Even if her master refused, they’d overpower him. He couldn’t change the end result. Ultimately, the Jadelight Pure Lands would still submit to the Church of All Spirits…

“Junior Apprentice Brother, I’m doing this out of consideration for the lives of everyone in the sect, and for our tens of thousands of years of history. I am acting selflessly, and my conscience is clear!” Wei Yun said gravely. “If everyone agrees, this matter shall be settled, and I’ll send the grand elder to the Church of All Spirits to inform them of our decision!”

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