First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1756 - Play a Tune

It was late at night, with a pale moon and sparse stars. All was still save for the gentle breeze.

Lu Yang sat cross-legged atop a cliff, an ancient zither placed in front of him. His fingers danced on its strings, and the music was low and somber, as if the zither were weeping. The sound was heavy and tinged with loneliness.

As the ninth inner sect elder of the Endless Swords Immortal Sect, Lu Yang was famous for his mastery of the Daos of the Sword and Zither. He was among the greatest Immortal Lords in the entire Wen Province.

He was thin, and gave off the impression of an ancient pine. His eyes were shut as he immersed himself completely in his music.

Bang!

Suddenly, a bloody figure descended from the heavens and slammed into the ground not far from the cliff. His entire body was battered and covered in startling gashes. His flesh was practically pulped, and his long hair was caked with blood and dirt.

Upon closer inspection, this was none other than Qi Fufeng!

He was battered almost beyond recognition. His injuries were brutal, and it was obvious that they were the result of torture, not just combat. You could have searched his entire body without finding a single inch of intact skin, and his life force was weak and chaotic.

He lay on the ground, gasping for breath and convulsing. Try as he might, he couldn’t get up.

Moments later, a woman in a fiery red dress drifted to the ground beside him. She was an extraordinary beauty with a cold, aloof disposition and a sword case on her back.

As soon as he landed, she placed her foot atop Qi Fufeng’s bloody head and pressed it into the ground. Blood poured from the seven apertures of his face.

It was an extraordinarily grisly sight, but the woman in red remained perfectly calm and entirely unperturbed.

“Senior Apprentice Brother, this one’s a tough nut to crack. I used every torture technique at my disposal, and I still couldn’t pry his mouth open.” The woman in red rubbed her cheek in frustration. This was her first time encountering someone so unafraid to die.

Off in the distance, Lu Yang was still playing the zither. Some time passed before he rested his fingers on the strings and sighed. “How many times have I said it? Don’t bother me when I’m playing the zither.”

As he spoke, he opened his eyes and looked at the woman in red. “Did you damage his soul?”

The woman in red shook her head. “I didn’t.”

Lu Yang subtly inclined his head. “Good. When you get back to the sect, give him to the punishment division’s elder. Have him search his soul.”

The woman in red murmured, “Senior Apprentice Brother, I still don’t understand why we had to hunt this man down. He’s just some Immortal Lord, and he’s investigating the Bi’an Spirit Race’s destruction. What does that have to do with the Endless Swords Immortal Sect?”

Lu Yang shrugged. “I don’t know either, but what I can say with certainty is that the sect leader wouldn’t have commanded this without a good reason. Anyway, if you want to keep torturing him, do it somewhere else. Don’t disturb me any longer. Once I’ve finished my next song, I’ll return to the sect. I should return before daybreak.”

With that, Lu Yang closed his eyes, and his fingers started moving once more.

The woman in red frowned, then looked down at the captive sprawled out on the ground like a dead dog. Her eyes glinted with irrepressible ruthlessness.

“I refuse to believe I can’t make you talk!” With that, she grabbed Qi Fufeng by the hair and dragged him off as if she were hauling away a corpse.

The uneven terrain tore into Qi Fufeng’s already ravaged body, leaving a long trail of blood behind him.

“I’m not afraid to die. How could I fear a little torture? Go ahead and try it,” Qi Fufeng said hoarsely.

She had him by the hair, and he felt a piercing pain in his scalp. His face was pulped, and his jaw and nose were broken. He was a startling sight.

His unyielding stubbornness made her eyes glint with cruelty. She stopped in place and stomped on his back.

Crunch! Crack!

Qi Fufeng’s spine snapped, and his face contorted with agony, but he nonetheless laughed. “That all you got?”

The woman in red felt as if this were an affront to her dignity. Rage coursed through her. You’re just a prisoner. Who are you to make fun of me?

She suddenly ripped Qi Fufeng’s left arm clean off with a spray of blood.

Qi Fufeng writhed in agony, and everything almost went black. He clamped his jaw shut and resisted the impulse to cry out. The pain was overwhelming, but he endured.

The woman in red laughed coldly and pressed her lips into a grin. “Relax. Tonight, I’ll take my time and play with you to my heart’s content. After all, all we need is your soul. Of course, if you’re willing to admit defeat, I can stop now.”

As she spoke, she stretched out her fingers and reached for Qi Fufeng’s face. She was going to gouge out his eyes!

But a moment later, her hand froze in place. She whipped around and gazed into the distance.

At the same time, Lu Yang opened his eyes. His fingers rested upon the strings of his zither, and he gazed into the distance in shock.

Boom!

A ten-thousand-foot Great Peng whooshed toward them, its massive wings like clouds blotting out the sun. The terrifying energy fluctuations of an Immortal King rippled around it.

“That’s... a Yao Immortal King!!” The woman in red cried out in astonishment. “It looks like it’s coming for us!”

“Don’t panic. We’re only a little distance away from the sect, and these territories are under our control. Not even an Immortal King would dare attack us lightly,” Lu Yang said gravely.

Before his voice had even finished echoing through the air, the terrifying bird stopped in midair not far from them.

“We’re from the Endless Swords Immortal Sect. Might I ask why you’ve come?” asked the woman in red.

The Great Peng ignored her, instead folding its wings and lowering its head.

A tall, upright figure leaped from its back and drifted gently onto the cliffside. His blue robes rustled in the night breeze.

This was, of course, Su Yi.

Lu Yang and the woman in red were unwittingly stunned. That Immortal King-level Great Peng is serving as a young man’s mount!?

When Su Yi arrived, he instantly fixed his gaze on Qi Fufeng.

His body was covered with blood, his spine was snapped, and his left arm had been ripped off. He lay on the ground in a puddle of his own blood, his features pulped almost beyond recognition...

He was so wretched that it hurt just looking at him.

When he sensed Su Yi’s gaze, Qi Fufeng was still sprawled out on the ground, convulsing in agony. He wanted to raise his head, but he had no strength.

Su Yi’s brow furrowed, and his gaze frosted over.

But the woman in red had no idea why Su Yi was staring at Qi Fufeng. She hurriedly explained, “We’ve embarrassed ourselves, sir. This is one of the Endless Sword Immortal Sect’s prisoners.”

Su Yi ignored her. He walked over to Qi Fufeng, crouched beside him, and said, “I arrived one step too late. You suffered because of me.”

The woman in red looked stricken. He... Don’t tell me he’s here to help Qi Fufeng?

Qi Fufeng trembled and said in a hoarse, excited voice, “Your Excellency! So, it really is you! Forgive me, but I am feeling a little ill and I cannot rise to greet you.”

Lu Yang shot to his feet, his expression shifting dramatically. He too realized that this wasn’t looking good for them.

Su Yi ignored all of this. He helped Qi Fufeng up. The excitement and delight on Qi Fufeng’s face made his heart ache.

“Rest up for now. Leave everything else to me,” said Su Yi. He extended his hands, and Qi Fufeng floated into the air and onto the Zhuyou Great Peng’s back.

The woman in red and Lu Yang already knew this didn’t bode well. Both of them fled.

But before they got far, terrifying power surged toward them, sealing them in place.

“A misunderstanding! This was a misunderstanding!” Lu Yang shrieked in panic. “We’re from the Endless Swords Immortal Sect. Please, stay your hand and let us explain!”

Su Yi stretched and flicked his finger.

Bang!

Lu Yang knelt, his entire body sealed. He couldn’t even move his mouth to speak. Terror and uncertainty were written all over his face.

The ninth inner sect elder of the Endless Swords Immortal Sect had just gone out to play the zither beneath the stars. He could never have imagined that he’d meet with such an enormous catastrophe!

Had he known, he would have returned to the sect a long time ago. How could he possibly have indulged in leisurely music-making? But it was already too late for regret.

The woman in red was deathly pale with fright, and her teeth clattered. This young man was just too terrifying! He’d captured them as if he were picking up a pair of ants off the ground!

When Su Yi fixed his distant, cold gaze on her, she shrieked with terror. “Aren’t you afraid of the Endless Sword Immortal Sect’s reprisal?!”

Su Yi snapped his fingers.

Bang!!

She slammed to the ground so hard that her kneecaps shattered, and she shrieked in agony.

“Qi Fufeng, what do you think we should do with her?” Su Yi asked flatly.

Qi Fufeng looked at her with loathing. “I feel like death would be most appropriate.”

The woman’s beautiful face paled. She shrieked, “You can’t kill me! My father is...”

Before she finished her sentence, Su Yi said calmly, “Of course she has to die, but... a simple death is too good for her.”

With that, he waved his sleeves through the air. Countless streaks of sword qi fell with flawless accuracy and sharpness, each shearing off a thin layer of flesh.

Death by a thousand cuts!

The woman in red was instantly covered in blood and shrieking in agony and despair!

In the end, even her bones were shattered, one inch at a time. Her entire body was destroyed.

Lu Yang quivered just watching it. Chills coursed through his entire body.

But it wasn’t over yet.

Su Yi stretched out his hand and grabbed the woman’s soul. He said calmly, “Physical pain is ultimately an inferior form of torture. Agony of the soul is what truly makes you long for death.”

A bronze lantern appeared above his palm, and he sealed the woman’s soul inside. This was one of the spoils he’d recently acquired, an Immortal King treasure. A soul imprisoned inside would suffer unbearable, burning agony day and night, leaving them desperate to die yet unable to do so!

“No! Let me out! If my father finds out about this, he’ll destroy your entire family!!!”

The woman in red shrieked as blood-red flames enveloped her soul. The agony was unbearable, but there was nowhere to run.

Su Yi drew his fingertip across the lantern, sealing off the woman’s cries. He then tossed the lantern to Qi Fufeng and said, “Once you’re satisfied with her punishment, you can kill her whenever you see fit.”

The rims of Qi Fufeng’s eyes reddened, and he felt a twinge in his nose. He was too choked up to speak.

Waves of emotion coursed through him. He suddenly felt that the torture he’d suffered amounted to nothing at all. Even if he dropped dead here and now, it all would have been worth it!

Meanwhile, Su Yi fixed his gaze on Lu Yang.

Lu Yang shuddered and struggled to his feet. To him, Su Yi’s gaze seemed as cold and cruel as a devil’s. He couldn’t have been any more terrifying.

Su Yi stretched out his finger and undid the power sealing Lu Yang. He said calmly, “You like playing the zither, don’t you? Go ahead and play a tune for me.”