A funerary hall.

A bronze coffin lay in the center of the room, its surface engraved with all manner of birds, beasts, insects, and fish, as well as the boundless and ancient patterns of the sun, moon, and stars. 

A young woman clad in pristine white silk, too beautiful for this world, knelt before the coffin.

Outside the hall of mourning was a world like a hidden realm, reminiscent of the pure lands of the Western Paradise. 

Terrifying figures, like heavenly gods and buddhas, were engaged in vicious slaughter.

Furious howls filled the air.

Divine blood fell like rain.

Yet, the interior of the hall of mourning was utterly silent.

From beginning to end, the young woman knelt with her head to the ground, her expression neither sorrowful nor joyful. She was utterly calm, without the slightest ripple of emotion. 

“Hah…. So this is what it's like after you ‘die’.....” Su Yi smiled, but his eyes were utterly cold. 

Only when his gaze landed on the young woman did his eyes reveal a nigh-indiscernible hint of gentleness.

In life, he’d once roamed the surrounding void, visiting its various divinities. His sword had suppressed the starry sky, and he'd arbitrated an entire great realm.

He’d once conquered the world, becoming the absolute hegemon of his era.

He’d once been honored as the Nine Provinces of Wilds’ one and only “Master of Ten Thousand Daos.”

In the eyes of the Nine Provinces’ expert swordmasters, he was a peerless expert in the way of the blade, the “Swordmaster of Abstruse Force.”

But when word of his death spread, everything changed!

“Ha ha ha, ‘smelting fate and refining the grand dao’? From now on, Su Xuanjun’s ‘Heaven-Smelting Furnace’ belongs to me!” A burst of laughter rang out from the hidden world beyond the hall of mourning. The sound carried both delight and pleasure. 

Su Yi glanced over.

It was a Golden-Winged Great Peng, its wings so massive, they were like clouds blotting out the skies. Its feathers had a dazzling sheen, as if they were drenched in golden sap. Its unmatched radiance spread through the skies, the sheer majesty flattening the mountains and rivers on one side.

It clutched a bright, fiery red cauldron in its enormous, heaven-rending claws.

“Even that little sparrow’s betrayed me now….” Su Yi sighed in lament.

He vividly remembered that, eighty thousand years ago, the Golden-Winged Great Peng had knelt outside his mountain gate, kowtowing for ten days and ten nights, all for the sake of serving beneath him and hearing his insights into the Dao.

Out of consideration for its sincerity, he’d allowed the bird to cultivate by his side.

Yet now, here it was, calling him directly by name and stealing his Heaven-Smelting Furnace.

A blatant traitor!

“Su Xuanjun owes my Levitating Sword Hall eight hundred and ninety-three lives. Moreover, he stole our sect’s highest inheritance, the ‘Ten Directions Sword Sutra.’ Today, we’re here to reclaim what’s rightfully ours, and we’ll kill anyone who stands in our way!”

Thunder rumbled beneath the dome of heaven. A daoist clad in red robes howled with harrowing murderous intent.

Su Yi was stunned.

The Levitating Sword Hall had once been a small, unknown sect. Its patriarch was but one of his thirty-six disciples-in-name.

And it was precisely because he’d relied upon Su Xuanjun’s prestige and protection that the Levitating Sword Hall gradually rose to prominence and became one of the Wilds’ Nine Provinces’ Six Great Daoist Sects, shaking the entire world.

Yet now, the Levitating Sword Hall was here too.

What “owing them eight hundred and ninety-three lives”? That was pure, unadulterated nonsense.

And don’t even mention the “Ten Directions Sword Sutra.” He’d bequeathed it upon the Levitating Sword Hall’s patriarch personally!

Clearly, upon hearing word of his death, the Levitating Sword Hall had casually come up with an excuse to raid his possessions. All that talk of “debts” was nothing but a pretense.

“Public morality has degenerated. That’s all there is to it.” Su Yi couldn’t help but shake his head. Despite himself, his heart sank.

In all his years of life, he’d never once mistreated those close to him!

Amidst the bloody rain, a grand procession of divinities shouted, “Listen up! All of us once revered Su Xuanjun as ‘the Master of Ten Thousand Daos’. Today, so long as there is breath in our bodies, we won’t allow you to exploit his misfortune and seize his possessions!”

“Nonsense! You make it sound so righteous, but aren’t you here to fight for Old Thief Su’s treasures too?

“How frickin’ hypocritical!” 

Some people laughed coldly. Others responded with mockery.

“What’s that you’ve got in your hands? Immortal Ivy, the Illustrious Scepter, the Nine Lanterns of the Dragon God, the Glazed Jade Flask…. Which of them isn’t one of the ‘peerless magic treasures’ Su Xuanjun left behind?”

“If you’re so sincere, why not place them into his coffin to accompany him to the grave?”

…..Numerous terrifying figures burst into cold laughter.

Heaven and earth were in turmoil, and the battle raged on.

The combatants were all peak-level experts, major powers of the Wilds’ Nine Provinces. The sight of them fighting and killing each other was too terrifying for words.

But in Su Yi’s eyes, it was ludicrous, even comical!

These scoundrels! During his life, they'd been blindly subservient, reverent, and respectful.

Yet they turned around and acted like this the moment they found out he was “dead”!

“Everything really is different after you die.” Su Yi looked away, then fixed his gaze on the girl kneeling before his coffin. His expression softened. “At least Qing Tang is still here….”

Qing Tang had cultivated by his side since she was thirteen years old. Eighteen thousand, nine hundred years had passed since then. Within the Wilds’ Nine Provinces, she was known as “Empress Qing Tang.”

In the eyes of outsiders, she was a lofty figure, an empress who reigned over all nations. Her prestige and authority suppressed the Nine Provinces, and even others of her cultivation held her in awe.

But to Su Yi, she’d always been like a little girl. When she wasn’t cultivating, she served at his side, her demeanor gentle and humble.

“Junior Apprentice Sister, you’ve already stood vigil over Master’s coffin for seven days. If we don’t leave now, we won’t be able to hold out much longer!”

Suddenly, a stalwart figure entered the hall of mourning. His white warrior robes were tattered and stained with blood. He’d just emerged from fierce, brutal combat, and every inch of him emanated terrifying power.

Pi Mo!

The head of Su Yi’s nine legacy disciples. His title was “War Emperor Pi Mo”, and he’d cultivated alongside Su Yi for thirty-nine thousand years.

Qing Tang, who’d been kneeling before the coffin this entire time, gradually rose.

“Senior Apprentice Brother,” she said, her tone cold and aloof, “Before he passed, Master told us, his nine inheritors, to set out on our own. So tell me…. Why have you returned?”

Pi Mo’s brow furrowed slightly, and he said with an air of awe-inspiring righteousness, “How could I just stand back and watch our enemies and those traitors destroy everything Master left behind? Besides, Junior Apprentice Sister, you’ve yet to leave. You’re still here standing vigil. As your Senior Brother, how could I possibly leave you?”

Qing Tang turned around. Her beautiful eyes were as cold and sharp as a knife as she stared Pi Mo down. “Things have already progressed this far, but you still aren’t willing to tell the truth?”

Pi Mo’s pupils constricted. “Junior Apprentice Sister, what do you mean by that?”

“What do I mean?” A mocking smile tugged at Qing Tang’s lips. “Others might not know, but to me, it’s clear as day: you’ve always been fixated on Master’s ‘Sword of the Nine Hells.’”

Pi Mo’s expression shifted slightly. After a brief silence, he grinned, his expression cold and dark. “Junior Apprentice Sister, are you telling me you aren’t standing vigil over Master’s coffin for the sake of that blade?”

Qing Tang didn’t deny it. Her fair, untainted features and peerlessly beautiful face were as tranquil as ever. “Senior Apprentice Brother, you’re wrong. I’m not just staying here on account of the Sword of the Nine Hells.”

“What else do you want?” Pi Mo couldn’t help but ask.

Qing Tang glanced outside the hall of mourning and watched the devils’ and divinities’ brutal slaughter. When she spoke, it was without the slightest ripple of surprise. “What Master left behind…

“I want it all!”

Every word was calm and casual, but as she made this final declaration, Qing Tang’s slender, beautiful figure gained an imposing, majestic air.

“You want it all……?” Pi Mo froze at first, but soon, he couldn’t help but burst into laughter. He jeered, “I never would have guessed that of Master’s nine inheritors, the one with the biggest appetite would be you, the youngest! Junior Apprentice Sister, if Master were alive to see this, I’m afraid he’d be shocked too. He never would have guessed his most beloved, trusted Qing Tang was actually so greedy!”

In truth, Su Yi had been a detached observer this entire time.

He didn’t care about the Golden-Winged Great Peng or the Levitating Sword Hall’s betrayal.

He didn’t care even when his greatest enemies fought their way to his door.

But when he learned that his most highly-regarded inheritor, Pi Mo, and most treasured, beloved Qing Tang were each conspiring and scheming against him…

He was silent.

It was just a bit of treasure, yet it was enough to turn the two apprentices against each other. Alas!

Clang!

Suddenly, Qing Tang attacked. With a single swing of her sword, she left Pi Mo gravely wounded. 

His injuries left him a hair’s breadth from dying. He seized his last chance at survival and fled the hall of mourning, but as he did, he cried out in a mix of shock, fury, and panic. “Who’d have thought?! You witch, you sure hid your true self awfully deep!” 

He never would have guessed that his junior apprentice sister’s cultivation was far more terrifying than he’d imagined.

Su Yi was surprised too. So, that girl actually broke through a long time ago.

Pi Mo didn’t linger. He fled as quickly as he could.

Qing Tang didn’t pursue him. She stood alone before the bronze coffin, a hint of a sneer at her lips, muttering, “How much would Master’s heart ache if he knew that his eldest disciple was the first to collude with the Six Great Daoist Sects?”

“Then there’s Third Apprentice Brother, Huo Yao. Although he never got mixed up in this, when he left, he stole the Abstruse Primordial God Mirror. This treasure alone is enough to boost him to the ‘Imperial Realm’......”

“Unfortunately, Master has already passed on. He will never know any of this.” Qing Tang sighed lightly.

But Su Yi’s expression gradually darkened.

Only now did he learn that his most trusted eldest disciple had initiated this betrayal, effectively inviting wolves into his home!

Only now did he learn that his third disciple, Huo Yao, had pilfered the treasure that controlled this entire hidden realm, the Abstruse Primordial God Mirror!

No wonder those traitors and his enemies had slaughtered their way into his territory with such ease….

When this thought occurred to him, Su Yi was both furious and melancholy. 

It was then that Qing Tang suddenly walked out of the hall of mourning. 

Her silhouette was slender and graceful, and she seemed detached from worldly affairs. A pair of beautiful yet cold eyes swept across heaven and earth. Her icy voice rang out, “From this day forth, I, Qing Tang, shall reign supreme over the Wilds!”

Whoosh!

A vast whirlwind of sword intent swept forth, covering heaven and earth. The misty green sword intent swept out like a divine executioner’s blade, easily slaughtering one terrifying figure after another.

In but an instant—

Heaven and earth were like a canvas painted entirely in divine blood!

The remaining terrifying existences were, without exception, astonished. They felt a chill course through them, as if they’d plunged into an icy abyss.

“Submit, or die.” 

Her tone was indifferent, but in this bloodsoaked land, her every word spread far and wide.

“We’re willing to serve!”

“Empress, we hereby proclaim you our sovereign!”

Beneath Qing Tang’s intimidating grandeur, the surviving experts and divinities all lowered their heads!

“That girl….” Su Yi’s eyes narrowed slightly. He couldn’t stay calm; he never would have guessed that Qing Tang’s cultivation had already reached such a level.

As her master, he ought to have been gratified.

But now, all he felt was an unspeakable loneliness and desolation. 

At a time like this, there was no way he’d misunderstand what was happening. His youngest and most beloved disciple had been keeping secrets from him all these years!

Shortly after, Qing Tang turned and walked back into the hall of mourning. 

Her gaze returned to the bronze coffin. She bowed and offered her respects, then said calmly, “Venerable Master, your disciple, Qing Tang, has kept vigil beside your coffin for seven days, and I helped you suppress your enemies and those traitors. In doing so, I have completed our bond as master and disciple.”

“From this day forth, I shall be the sole inheritor of all you have left behind.” As she spoke, she strode forward. Her hands pressed against the bronze coffin, and she whispered, “The Sword of the Nine Hells cannot simply accompany you to the grave. Once I’ve grasped its mysteries, I shall naturally return it to you. Venerable Master, don’t blame me for disrupting your rest….”

Bang!

The coffin’s lid opened. 

However, the moment it did, Qing Tang lost her ever-present calm composure. Her expression changed in a rare display of emotion. 

“How is this….?”

The bronze coffin was completely empty.

Never mind the Sword of the Nine Hells; even her master’s remains were missing!

Su Yi watched this entire scene play out, and his fury seemed to set his pupils ablaze.

Yes, he’d prepared for this possibility from the moment he decided to reincarnate and cultivate anew.

His inner fury was nevertheless difficult to repress.

But gradually, the fiery rage in Su Yi’s eyes abated. In the end, nothing remained but endless indifference and icy cold.

“I hope you wretches are still alive and well when I return….” 

Then, Su Yi’s imperceptible, ethereal figure disappeared into the void, vanishing completely.

……

In the 108,000th calendar year of the Wild’s history, the supreme ruler of the Wilds’ Nine Provinces, the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force, Su Xuanjun, passed away. His death shook the entire Wilds. 

Seven days later.

The disciple of the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force, Empress Qing Tang, swept across all four directions, heaven, and earth. She suppressed all the deities of the divine continent, and declared herself supreme ruler of the world.

……

Five hundred years later.

The Great Zhou Empire, Cloudriver Prefecture, Guangling City.

It was evening, and the sunset was like fire. 

Outside of Pinecloud Sword Manor.

Su Yi stood alone, far away from everyone else, waiting for his little sister-in-law, Wen Lingxue, to get out of class.