Chapter 1944: Where the Storm Passes, Extreme Sorrow Turns to Joy

Sword Sovereign Lin Feng!

Wang Fuzhi’s heart shook. He quickly realized who this was. This was Sword Sovereign Su’s disciple!

He took a deep breath and clasped his fist in greeting. “Many thanks for your aid, Senior Lin Feng. However, I didn’t lead my sect against the forces of the Beyond in hope of a reward. I’m ashamed to accept your generosity. I dare not accept it.”

Lin Feng was stunned; he hadn’t expected Wang Fuzhi to reject his reward.

“Fellow Daoist, your nobility has moved me. Still, after everything you’ve done for the Immortal Realm, letting your heroism go unrewarded would disappoint the populace,” said Lin Feng. “Furthermore, Master promised to reward those who fought for the Immortal Realm. I hope you won’t refuse.”

He then took out a golden decree, walked up to Wang Fuzhi, and proffered it with both hands. “Please accept this, Fellow Daoist.”

Wang Fuzhi knew better than to refuse again, and when he finished reading the decree’s contents, he shook from head to toe. The rims of his eyes reddened.

Despite countless years of life and ample experience with life-and-death adversity, he felt a twinge in his nose, and he murmured, “This junior truly wouldn’t have guessed that a legendary existence like Sovereign Venerate Su would take note of someone as insignificant as me… He even remembers the brave warriors of the Spirit Stream Sword Sect who lost their lives in battle!”

Wang Fuzhi’s eyes welled with tears, and his heart filled with emotion.

The decree read:

“When the Immortal Realm was in chaos, the Spirit Stream Sword Sect went bravely into battle, even in the face of death. In doing so, you achieved enormous merit.

“In light of its accomplishments, the Spirit Stream Sword Sect shall receive nine first-rate blessed mountains suitable for cultivation, one thousand immortal treasures, and thirty-six legacies of the Immortal Dao.

“Sect Leader Wang Fuzhi shall receive a special appointment as an instructor at the Academy of Eternal Night.

“Every year, the Spirit Stream Sect shall receive three places in the Academy of Eternal Night. Any disciple of the sect is eligible to receive a spot.

“The Spirit Stream Sword Sect shall be the central orthodoxy of the Gold Province going forward, and shall be under the protection of the Academy of Eternal Night.

“Special Emissary Lin Feng of the Academy of Eternal Night shall personally erect grave markers for those warriors of the Spirit Stream Sword Sect who died in battle. Their names and accomplishments shall be carved in stone, and a funeral shall be held to comfort the souls of the fallen heroes!”

It was signed “Su Yi.”

That very day, word of Su Yi’s decree spread throughout the Gold Province, causing widespread uproar and countless conversations.

Similar scenes took place throughout the Immortal Realm.

Those who fought bathed in blood against the demon hordes received Su Yi’s recognition and generous rewards, whether they were immortal factions or nameless rogue cultivators!

……

The entire Immortal Realm was in uproar.

No matter where they hid, the double agents, traitors, and spies were heartlessly slaughtered. Those factions who’d fanned the flames or taken advantage of the chaos to loot, no matter their origins or accumulations, were pulled up by the roots!

Conversely, those who’d risked it all to fight the invaders received Su Yi’s rewards and recognition, no matter how lowly or humble their origins!

Su Yi had been silent for half a year. No one had anticipated that this storm would suddenly sweep across the Immortal Realm. The resulting commotion was unprecedented.

The populace applauded and cheered him on. They were incomparably excited.

“I just knew that Sovereign Venerate Su wouldn’t let those traitors and spies go!”

“Hahaha! Their deaths were well deserved. Satisfying! Truly satisfying!”

“I get it now! Over the past half year, Sovereign Venerate Su has been investigating and preparing to thoroughly excise the Immortal Realm’s festering tumors and reward those who fought for the Immortal Realm!”

“Don’t you think the forces at his disposal are a bit too terrifying? It’s only been half a year, but as soon as he took action, his forces appeared throughout the Immortal Realm. It practically all happened at once!”

“They say that when Sovereign Venerate Su returned from the Beyond, he brought over one million powerful warriors back with him. They were prisoners the demons brought back to the Spirit Domain during the Age of Fallen Immortals. Now, all of them serve the Sovereign Venerate!”

“Ah, that explains a lot.”

…As word spread, everyone finally understood. It turned out that Su Yi now had over one million warriors under his command, and the vast majority were experts famous during the Age of Fallen Immortals!

“Who could have imagined that the Church of the Pure One, the Church of Supreme Oneness, and other former that stood at the pinnacle of the Immortal Realm for years would fall like this?”

“Going forward, no one beneath the heavens can possibly contend with Sovereign Venerate Su!”

“How could the people of the Immortal Realm have been so fortunate?”

……People sang Su Yi’s praises throughout the Immortal Realm. Now, his prestige and influence had completely surpassed even Wang Ye’s at his peak!

……

“Su Yi sure knows how to cause a disturbance,” a divine son commented disdainfully.

“The Path of Divinity will appear within a year, yet he’s diverting his attention with these trivial matters? He’s obviously overly vain and enamored with grandiosity,” another divine son chimed in.

“Heh heh, the brighter he shines now, the greater the disparity when he inevitably comes crashing down to earth.”

“Just wait. The day our chance at divinity arrives will be the day he dies!”

….Most of the divine children watching in secret sneered at the storm Su Yi had just created. None of them took the Immortal Realm at all seriously. They were from the God Domain, and deep within their hearts, they felt far superior to the denizens of the Immortal Realm.

They looked down on the masses with cold indifference. Thus, when they saw Su Yi work on their behalf, they were sneering and dismissive.

……

“Wang Ye, I’ll sever this grudge and end things with you once and for all as soon as the Path of Divinity appears!” Jiang Tai’e was overcome with fury. His eyes blazed with loathing.

He was the founder of the Church of Supreme Oneness, but now, his sect had been ripped up by the roots. How could he not be furious? How could he not feel hatred?

Even so, he had no intention of risking it all to fight Su Yi just yet. He knew that he was no match for Su Yi. His only hope was to become a god when the Path of Divinity appeared. Only then would he be strong enough to destroy Su Yi!

Jiang Tai’e wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Blood Firmament, Nan Pingtian, Chu Shentong, and Wang Ye’s other old enemies felt similarly.

They’d endured all this time, all for the sake of achieving divinity. Now, less than a year remained until their opportunity arrived!

……

The storm Su Yi created lasted a full month before gradually dying down.

After the storm washed away the Immortal Realm’s filth, the pre-existing order was completely overturned.

In the eyes of the populace, the rebuilt Academy of Eternal Night was the loftiest and greatest sacred ground for cultivation in the Immortal Realm. There was nothing else like it. It shone like the midday sun!

Throughout the Immortal Realm, the filth had been cleansed, and the tumors had been excised. With these long overdue tasks complete, the Immortal Realm was ready to welcome a return to prosperity. Everyone could foresee it already: after this cleansing, the Immortal Realm wouldn’t just recover its former glory, it would far surpass it!

But at the same time, a few negative rumors about Su Yi circulated throughout the world. All involved the Path of Divinity.

They said that when chances to become a god arose, many of the most dazzling and unparalleled of the divine children would take the stage, and Wang Ye’s most powerful enemies would emerge to seek revenge. They also said that the gods would send their power into the Immortal Realm to stamp out Su Yi, the Heretic Reincarnator!

Dark currents flowed beneath the surface.

……

The Academy of Eternal Night.

The skies were bright, blue, and clear. A stream burbled through a lush, secluded bamboo forest. The sound only made the forest seem all the more tranquil.

Su Yi was dressed in wide-sleeved, long blue robes and sprawled out in his wicker chair. His fair hands gripped a sword carved out of bamboo.

It was only nine inches long and green as jade. The outline of the blade had already taken shape, and it had a simple, natural quality to it.

“So Feng Wuji’s family really did save your life, but they did so to use you as a hostage to carry out a transaction with me?” asked Su Yi.

“Exactly.” Ning Xiu stood to the side and nodded, looking a bit reserved.

Her figure was still a bit indistinct, as she’d yet to recover her physical body. Still, Su Yi could tell that she was a delicate, charming beauty.

Ning Xiu was Li Fuyou’s second disciple, an unparalleled lady Sword Sovereign famous in the Primeval Era.

Back then, she left the Immortal Realm to wander the River of Epochs in search of her master. In the end, she overcame endless difficulties and reached the Immortal Realm, only to meet with a lethal catastrophe.

This catastrophe was the work of one of the ruling factions of the God Domain, the Western Paradise’s Spirit Mountain!

Several Buddhist venerates of the Western Paradise proclaimed Ning Xiu a heretic and attacked together. They wanted to bring her back to Spirit Mountain as a prisoner. A fierce battle ensued, and Ning Xiu gave it everything she had. In the end, she managed to create an escape route with help from the Yin-Yang Diagram, but her physical body was badly damaged in the process, and even her soul was severely injured.

The worst part was that the experts of the Western Paradise gave chase.

In the end, members of the Divine Feng Family saved her. At least, in a sense. She survived, but they sealed her soul and seized the Yin-Yang Diagram.

The situation remained unchanged until their unparalleled divine son, Feng Wuji, descended into the Immortal Realm. He brought Ning Xiu and the Yin-Yang Diagram with him for the sake of doing business with Su Yi and acquiring Undying Materials.

Su Yi now fully understood the situation.

“The Feng Family used and exploited you, but they most likely did save your life. This good turn cancels out their crimes, so there’s no need for me to seek them out to settle the score,” whispered Su Yi.

He then looked at Ning Xiu. “You should stay in the Academy of Eternal Night and cultivate. I’ll help you recover your physical body. You needn’t wander aimlessly like a rootless ghost any longer.”

Ning Xiu lowered her pretty head. “Thank you, Master!”

It was subtle, but she sounded a bit choked up.

“You needn’t be so polite with me going forward,” Su Yi said warmly. “Go on. With me here, you can focus on your cultivation without worry.”

Ning Xiu nodded, bowed, and turned to leave.

Su Yi watched her fade from view, then flipped over his palm. A talisman rose into the air.

It contained a message from Divine Daughter Xi Ning!