First Immortal of the Sword-Chapter 2108 - The Crypt Guardian

Everyone had anticipated a fierce, unpredictable conflict.

Instead, just as it reached what should have been the climax, it came to a hasty end. This was naturally both surprising and confusing.

A Primordial Ancestral God and seven Celestial Venerates had attacked, bringing with them four taboo divine swords and the Dao-Severing Bone Spear. Meanwhile, a vast army of gods eyed Su Yi hungrily from not far away. Given all that, who could have anticipated this sort of ending?

Even Su Yi was surprised.

His brow furrowed, and he got the vague sense that the Lingyu Dao Monarch’s backer, the one truly behind the scenes, recognized the old man. That was what had changed his mind.

“Are victory and defeat already clear?” asked Su Yi.

The old man shook his head. “No.”

“Indeed they are not,” said that voice like the clear ringing of a bell. “You returned with the Epoch Spark and the power of reincarnation to achieve divinity, and to create a new, unprecedented path all your own. In that case, we’ll determine victory and defeat on your path to divinity!”

Su Yi’s gaze focused. Who is this guy? He obviously knows I’m here to achieve divinity, but it seems he also already knows that I’m pursuing a starkly different path!

“That would be best,” the old man said approvingly. “If you compete in terms of the Grand Dao, you’ll know who’s truly superior!”

“Then we’ll see what happens in the Nine Great Celestial Trials,” said that clear voice. “Throughout the ages, I’ve been incredibly bored, but I did manage to train a few noteworthy good seedlings. When the time comes, I’ll have them take the trials alongside him.

“If he dies, it’ll prove that this ‘unprecedented path of divinity’ is a joke, and his death will be unworthy of pity. But if he lives, I’ll give him a chance to achieve divinity and leave!”

With that, the voice faded away completely.

The old man sighed softly. “It’s a pity that I won’t be able to witness this competition with my own eyes.”

Su Yi, meanwhile, sank into silent contemplation.

The curtains opened on this death trap as soon as he reached the Ancient God Domain. Gods of all different camps had gathered to target him, but that was only the beginning. Even the Seven Great Celestial Venerates and the Lingyu Dao Monarch had come.

This was clear proof that this encirclement had been in the works for a long time. In other words, they’d begun preparations the very day he stepped into the Path of the Ancient Gods. The fact itself was not outside of Su Yi's expectations, but certain variables were.

The first variable was the Primordial Ancestral God behind the Seven Great Celestial Venerates. He hadn’t anticipated that the Lingyu Dao Monarch would appear in person.

This was unquestionable proof that when they made these arrangements, they didn’t take him for a mere weakling yet to become a god. They’d prepared numerous backup measures just in case.

The second variable was the owner of that mysterious voice. Whoever he was, he could do more than just command a Primordial Ancestral God like the Lingyu Dao Monarch. He also seemed to recognize Demon God Lin’s master, and he knew Su Yi’s goals like the back of his hand!

The third variable was similarly connected to the owner of that mysterious voice. Whoever he was, he hadn’t revealed himself, nor had he attacked. After his staredown with the old man, he chose to back down. The trap they’d spent all this time preparing simply came to an abrupt end!

Su Yi most certainly didn’t believe that someone dead-set on acquiring the Epoch Spark and the power of reincarnation would hastily give up purely on account of that old man. There had to be a reason behind it.

That aside, Su Yi found it strange that both the Lingyu Dao Monarch and the owner of that mysterious voice thought the old man’s intervention was entirely extraneous.

Was there yet another variable hidden outside it all? One he didn’t know about?

Su Yi’s brow furrowed. He hated being kept in the dark like this, especially since he was directly involved. All he could do was ponder and analyze. He couldn’t really control the situation like this.

It was a truly... awful feeling!

“Who is the owner of that voice?” Su Yi couldn’t help but ask.

The old man pondered, then said warmly, “Let’s talk somewhere else.”

“Sure.” Su Yi nodded.

The old man promptly led him away, rising into the dome of heaven.

When Luo Xuanji saw this, her heart coursed with emotion. Today’s incident came as an enormous shock. She’d witnessed methods and abilities far beyond the Master God level, and all of this was connected to Su Yi.

Here she was, a Master God famous throughout the Ancient God Domain, but she hadn’t been able to help at all. The thought left Luo Xuanji feeling inexplicably conflicted.

Moreover, Su Yi was confused by all this, but she was too!

But no matter what, so long as Fellow Daoist Su lives, he’s sure to help me realize my goal... Luo Xuanji murmured to herself.

Meanwhile, the gods of various camps gradually dispersed.

They’d originally thought they would be the stars of this operation.

Then, after the Seven Great Celestial Venerates arrived, they realized that they’d jumped to conclusions.

Then, when the practically legendary Lingyu Dao Monarch appeared, they were embittered to discover that they hadn’t just jumped to conclusions; they were nothing more than ignorant cannon fodder.

Then, when that mysterious voice arose, they were completely befuddled. As it turned out, they weren’t cannon fodder, nor had they jumped to conclusions. They simply weren’t involved in this situation in any way. They were, at most, mere bystanders whom the actual participants ignored!

Thus, when they left, the gods felt like their hearts were tied in knots. They’d come in high spirits, but they could only slink away.

Even then, no one cared.

......

The Path of the Ancient Gods traversed the epoch civilizations lost to the past. It encompassed the City of the Beginning, the Deification Star Sea, and the Ancient God Domain.

But the Ancient God Domain wasn’t the end of the Path of the Ancient Gods.

Were someone to cross it, they’d reach an endless dark void, but that too was within the bounds of the Path of the Ancient Gods.

The true end of the Path of the Ancient Gods was an enormous abyss, the Abyssal Ruin!

The epoch civilizations of the River of Epochs ultimately withered and collapsed. As they disappeared completely, they were swept into that massive abyss, breaking into fragments of chaos that lay strewn across the ruins! free𝑤ebnovel.com

The fog-shrouded abyss was like an eternal existence. Who knew how many long-lost epoch civilizations lay in ruin there, shrouded in fog? It was a place full of mysterious, taboo flair.

It was also the place Su Yi had inadvertently caught a glimpse of when he acquired the Epoch Spark.

A copper lamp glowed deep within the fog-shrouded Abyssal Ruin. Its dull, mottled golden light was nowhere near enough to cast away the darkness.

The lamp hung from a bronze coffin. The lamplight was just enough to illuminate the coffin’s battered exterior. Even the markings carved all over it were corroded.

A chair was placed in front of the coffin. A man was seated casually there, one elbow on the armrests as he held his jaw in his hand.

His other hand gripped a beast skin scroll. As he read through it, the lamplight illuminated a single line of text.

“Crescent Moon, Three Stars, the spirit platform of Fangchun, an existence not of this spacetime, the master of Dao Venerate Lin, and the friend of Dao Venerate Chen. His title is Bodhi, but he’s neither Buddhist nor Daoist, neither Confucianist nor Demonist. He’s transcended destiny to become Eternal!”

The man sighed, then closed the scroll and said softly, “He’s someone who wasn’t supposed to appear here. How could he have come if not because of reincarnation?”

The fog-shrouded Abyssal Ruin contained the remains of countless long-buried, destroyed epoch civilizations.

But then, a rough voice resounded throughout the fog.

“Your Eminence, that blasted old man was just a remnant of will. If you’d let me, I’m sure I could have cut him down!”

Immediately afterward, a soft, feminine voice chimed in. “Your Eminence, giving up in the face of such a wonderful opportunity isn’t your style. Might I ask... what you were thinking?”

A clamor of voices arose on all sides.

“Your Eminence, let me out, and I’ll be sure to bring you the Epoch Spark and power of reincarnation!”

“We’ve been trapped here for countless epochs. Now, the River of Epochs is changing. The natural order of the past, present, and future is crumbling. Time and space are in chaos. This is the perfect opportunity for us to break free. How could His Eminence possibly give up now?”

“That’s right! All of us are just waiting for him to give the order to break free of the Abyssal Ruin and shatter the fetters of the Path of the Ancient Gods!”

The voices arose from deep within the fog, and they were utterly unsettling.

But the man seated before the bronze coffin frowned and said, “Shut up.”

It was just two words, and he spoke calmly, but they were like a magic invocation. The clamor of voices instantly died down, and the Abyssal Ruin instantly regained its former tranquility.

Even the wind stood still.

“Your Eminence, your subordinate requests an audience!”

Before long, a figure appeared out of nowhere, then approached from afar. When he was still one hundred feet away, he stopped, bowed, and clasped his fist, all the while averting his gaze with the utmost respect.

This was none other than the Lingyu Dao Monarch! A Primordial Ancestral God and a legend of the Ancient God Domain!

But when he stood before the seated man holding a beast skin scroll, his expression was full of bone-deep reverence.

“You left with high ambitions, only to return in defeat. Are you willing to accept this?” The man glanced at the Lingyu Dao Monarch.

The Lingyu Dao Monarch continued averting his gaze. “It’s not that I’m not willing to accept it, but that there’s a lot I still don’t understand.”

The man inclined his head slightly. “That’s understandable. After all, all of you know me only as the Crypt Guardian of the Abyssal Ruin, the one who’s protected this place for countless years. You have no idea who I am, where I came from, or the nature of my enmity with Su Yi.”

The Lingyu Dao Monarch froze, then rallied his courage. “Your Eminence, that swordsman consigned all of us to the darkness for countless years. Just like you, we hate his reincarnation to our very bones!”

The man who called himself the Crypt Guardian laughed, then put away his scroll and slowly rose from his chair.

In that moment, the entire Abyssal Ruin shook violently, and an indescribable, terrifying majesty spread from the man’s body.

“I’m different from you,” whispered the man. He raised the copper lamp hanging from the bronze coffin and held it aloft. His thin, clear features flickered in and out of view beneath its dim yellow light.

“And my enmity with Su Yi is different from yours, too.” The man caressed the lamp, an unreadable light in his eyes like twin starry skies.

He was tall, thin, and upright, like a solitary mountain piercing the cloudy dome of heaven. Standing there, he was like a ruler gazing down on the entirety of the Abyssal Ruin.

“Your Eminence, might I be so bold as to ask... how is it different?” the Lingyu Dao Monarch asked tentatively.

The man flipped his palm, and the copper lamp vanished. Its dim yellow glow had been the only light in the Abyssal Ruin, but now, it too was gone. Everything was shrouded in darkness once more.

Only then did the man’s clear voice ring out like a bell.

“He and I are the same, because... we’re both the reincarnations of that swordsman.”