First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1654 - The Gods’ Influence

Garrison Master Shen Qingshi was still unconscious.

Su Yi looked intently at him, then rose and left the Garrison Master’s Palace, carrying the unconscious garrison master.

He soon arrived at the Stele of Heaven’s Will, tossed the garrison master onto the ground, and tapped him, startling him awake.

When he saw Su Yi at such close quarters, Shen Qingshi’s expression filled with panic, but when he tried to struggle to his feet, he realized that his cultivation base had been sealed. He couldn’t even lift a finger.

“What do you want to do?” Shen Qingshi took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

Su Yi took a sip from a jug of wine before answering him. “I thoroughly cleansed the City of Ten Thousand Stars today. I killed thirty-nine demons who’d hidden themselves in the Seventh Gate of Heaven. Of them, Formless Demons were the most common. I slew eighteen of them in total. The other twenty-one were from the other great demon races.”

Shen Qingshi’s brow furrowed. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

Su Yi disregarded the question and continued, “The demon spies all took on different identities. Some ran gambling dens, while others ran brothels or medicine companies.

“They might have seemed entirely unrelated, but all of them had something in common: they only appeared in the City of Ten Thousand Stars after you became its garrison master!”

Shen Qingshi’s expression shifted, and he was so angry that he laughed. “Are you accusing me of deliberately bringing in demon spies? Ludicrous!”

“Let me finish.” Su Yi took another sip of wine. “After you became garrison master, you chose to open the City of Ten Thousand Stars to the public.

“It’s been a den of depravity ever since. Gambling dens and brothels have sprouted up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, and even infamous heretical cultivators and other evildoers have taken up residence here.

“Yesterday, when I entered the city, I was baffled. It would be obvious to anyone that such people don’t belong here, so why would you, the garrison master, permit this to happen?

“Now, I think I understand. Your aim is to subtly, slowly lead the Seventh Gate of Heaven into decline. All the while, you've been helping the demons’ forces slowly permeate the city. That way, when another war of immortals and demons breaks out, the Seventh Gate of Heaven will fall. The brothels and gambling dens double as places for the demon spies to hide.”

Shen Qingshi sneered. “You’ve let your imagination run away with you! As garrison master, how could I possibly be involved in any such thing? Su Yi, no need to waste any more time on this nonsense. Just tell me what you’re after!”

Su Yi disregarded this and continued, “Most of the spies had been in business in the City of Ten Thousand Stars for a long time, and their influence was growing steadily. All of them had recruited a group of traitors to the Immortal Realm.

“When I combed through their complicated interpersonal networks, I discovered that all leads pointed to you, the esteemed garrison master.

“In other words, the spies remained hidden despite the passage of countless years thanks to your protection. You were their pillar of support!” said Su Yi. He looked at Shen Qingshi. “Am I right?”

Shen Qingshi’s expression darkened, and he laughed coldly. “You have no proof of any of that. How is this any different from baseless accusations and defamation?”

Su Yi said flatly, “Proof? My word is my proof. If I say you’re a traitor, you’re a traitor.”

“You...” Shen Qingshi was stunned, then overcome with fury. “In that case, why bother saying all that? Are you just throwing your weight around? Are you just trying to show off your ability to invert black and white and right and wrong?”

“No.” Su Yi glanced at the Stele of Heaven’s Will. “I said all that for the stele to hear. Our conversation will be imprinted on the stele. In the years to come, no matter who becomes the garrison master of the Seventh Gate of Heaven, our conversation will be the first lesson they learn!”

Remembering the past could guide your future.

Shen Qingshi was the Seventh Gate of Heaven’s garrison master, yet he’d colluded with the demons of the Beyond in secret. No such thing had ever happened before!

Shen Qingshi burst into laughter. “Hahaha! All future garrison masters will see is you talking to yourself. Who will that convince?”

Su Yi said calmly, “I said it already. My words are proof. In the future, no one in the Immortal Realm will dare to question them.”

His calm voice was full of contemptuous pride, but Shen Qingshi couldn’t help but find it amusing. He couldn’t even be bothered to argue. “Do you have anything else to say?”

“I do.” Su Yi’s hands formed a seal in the air.

A curtain of light appeared, reflecting what had happened outside of the Seventh Gate of Heaven. On it, Yin Xiaotian let out a long sigh before his death. “It’s just a pity. I’m afraid that all the effort we’ve put into the Seventh Gate of Heaven over the years is about to go to waste!”

His words seemed inexplicable, but Shen Qingshi’s expression shifted dramatically, and he visibly tensed up.

Su Yi stretched out his finger and tapped the air. As the curtain of light shattered, he said, “Those old demons probably never even considered the possibility that my control over the Laws of the Immortal Realm meant I’d be able to hear every last word they said.

“Yin Xiaotian’s words made me realize that a traitor like you existed in the Seventh Gate of Heaven.”

Shen Qingshi’s expression shifted erratically. “Who’d believe a demon’s words? If they said you were a traitor, would that make it true?”

Su Yi laughed. “You needn’t explain yourself. I’m just doing all this to leave an imprint on the Stele of Heaven’s Will, not to prove that you’re a traitor.”

Shen Qingshi furrowed his brow. “Now what? Are you going to use the stele to kill me? Hah! If you do, I can say with certainty that Cloud Apparatus Immortal Manor won’t let you off!”

Su Yi ignored the threat, then gestured to the red lotus-shaped forbidden marking at the base of the Stele of Heaven’s Will. “Did you leave that divine imprint there?”

Shen Qingshi reacted as if he’d been struck by lightning. “How did you...”

A moment later, he realized he’d slipped up, and he clamped his jaw shut.

However, his shifting expression betrayed his unease!

“Are you surprised that I recognized it as the mark of a god?” Su Yi laughed and sighed, “I understand. Others in the Immortal Realm have never interacted with the gods’ power. How could they realize what this mark represents? But you see, I'm different. I don’t just know what it is. I even know that this mark belongs to the god standing behind Cloud Apparatus Immortal Manor, the geezer they call Old Man Providence.

“But I’d rather call him the Angler.”

Shen Qingshi felt as if he’d taken a sudden blow to the head. His eyes bulged, and he couldn’t help but say, “You... How did you know that? Don’t tell me you’re a divine emissary too?”

A moment later, he seemed to have fully understood. “Of course you are. Only a divine emissary could have such unbelievable power, and only a divine emissary could recognize the mark of a god! No wonder. No wonder you could seize control of the Stele of Heaven’s Will, and no wonder you’re so strong despite your Universe Realm cultivation!”

He felt as if he’d finally gotten answers to all of his questions, and he looked enlightened.

Su Yi’s gaze was a bit strange. A divine emissary? You’re an Immortal King, yet you’re still jumping to such conclusions?

In the end, Su Yi didn’t explain. Instead, he changed the subject. “I can now say with certainty that you became the garrison master of the Seventh Gate of Heaven with two goals in mind.

“First, to collude with the demons from the inside and help their forces slowly permeate the garrison in preparation for the onset of the next war of immortals and demons. That way, the city will fall on its own, and the forces of the Beyond will be able to invade the Immortal Realm.

“Second, you’re here on the Angler’s orders to use the mark he gave you to steal and refine the power of the Stele of Heaven’s Will, a supreme chaos treasure from the Primeval Era.

“In doing so, you’ll ensure that when war breaks out, the stele’s barrier won’t be able to stop the demons’ invasion.”

Here, Su Yi frowned and whispered, “Now, I’m all but certain that the gods have extended their reach into the Immortal Realm, and... they’re even involved in the grudge between the Immortal Realm and the demons of the Beyond!”

A chill coursed down Shen Qingshi’s spine. He gazed at Su Yi in disbelief. Not even a divine emissary should have been able to realize that! This inglorious business was top secret even among the experts of Cloud Apparatus Immortal Manor! Only Immortal Kings were qualified to learn some of these details.

Yet now, a young man like Su Yi had followed a few scant leads to piece together most of the details!

How could Shen Qingshi not be surprised?

But in the end, he didn’t admit it. He just laughed coldly. “As garrison master, if I wanted to help the demons of the Beyond, why go to all that trouble? I could have just opened the barrier and let them in directly!”

“Simple,” said Su Yi. “That would be too risky. If anything went wrong, your Cloud Apparatus Immortal Manor wouldn’t be able to bear the consequences. The demons wouldn’t be able to bear them either.”

Su Yi finally had answers to some of his questions. He now understood why an Immortal King like Shen Qingshi had betrayed humanity. It was simple. He was following the Angler’s orders!

It was even possible that Shen Qingshi himself had helped the demons capture the captives Yin Xiaotian had used to threaten them earlier!

“Su Yi, as a divine emissary, don’t you understand the consequences of opposing the gods?” Shen Qingshi asked suddenly. “You’ve ruined a god’s plans today. Aren’t you afraid of retribution?”

Su Yi laughed and broke into a thought-provoking grin. “I’ve fought the gods all this time, and one day, I’ll personally see them to the grave. Do you think I’m afraid of them?”

As he spoke, he stepped forward and arrived before the Stele of Heaven’s Will. He drew his fingertip across the surface.

Kcch!

The red lotus-shaped divine imprint instantly transformed into a colorful rain of light and dissipated into thin air.