First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1359 - Fusing With His Dao Imprint

Shen Mu.

Su Yi’s seventh incarnation, a natural-born sword cultivator.

Even the Temple Master saw him as the type of chosen son of heaven who might not appear even once in a million years.

At fifteen, he underwent ten days and ten nights of enlightenment, smoothly proving his Dao and becoming an Emperor.

At seventeen, he overcame a life-or-death trial and broke into the World King Realm.

At just twenty-three years of age, he established himself at the pinnacle of Cosmic Enlightenment and pointed his sword at the Path of Transcendence!

In just twenty-three short years, he relied on his own talent and powers of comprehension to stand proudly at the pinnacle of the Path of Heaven’s Ascension!

Even the Temple Master had once sighed with envy. He believed that, when it came to sheer aptitude, he was inferior to Shen Mu.

But at twenty-three, a woman destroyed Shen Mu’s Dao Heart, leading to his untimely death.

Now, looking at the elegantly handsome young man in robes whiter than snow, Su Yi couldn’t help but wonder what was so charming about Lady Snowjade. Why was Shen Mu so infatuated with her as to let her shatter his heart?

It truly made no sense.

Shen Mu seemed to sense Su Yi’s cold attitude, and he couldn’t help but feel apologetic. “Earlier, I didn’t understand your situation. That’s why I....”

“You don’t need to explain,” interrupted Su Yi. “We’re the same person, just separated by reincarnation.”

Shen Mu froze, stunned, then nodded. “That’s true, but... you’re different from me. There’s no way you’ll be so short-lived.’

A bleak light appeared in his gaze.

“I met that Snowjade’s woman clone,” said Su Yi.

With that, he raised his fingertip into the air, and a memory emblazoned in his sea of consciousness surged forth, reflecting the scenery of the immortal palace deep within Crow Ridge.

At the time, Lady Snowjade’s soul had taken over Heavenly Prayer. She’d even tried to exploit Shen Mu’s latent memories to destroy Su Yi.

Scenes of their confrontation replayed before Shen Mu, one after another.

“Shen Mu, I just knew you wouldn’t forget me,” Snowjade said tenderly.

“This longevity lock forged of mundane iron was your greatest treasure. When you gave it to me, you swore to protect me for the rest of your life, never forsaking me...”

Here, she sighed. “Your feelings were far, far more precious than the jewelry itself...”

“I was honest with you back then. I told you I was a disciple of the Six Desires Demonist Sect, and that I wanted to achieve the Dao through emotion, or rather, the lack thereof. The stronger my Dao Partner, the greater the power I’d obtain by severing that bond.

“I told you that when I fell in love, I could disregard everything else, but that when you fell inextricably head-over-heels for me, it would mean that the time had come for me to sever our bond, ideally by killing you with my own two hands. Only then could I reach unsurpassed heights of the Dao.

“This is my Dao. Having killed my beloved, I could advance with no fear of heart demons’ influence. Nothing external could sway me. I’d be a supreme expert, free of emotional fetters. What danger or pitfall could hinder me then?

“But you were a fool. Even after learning everything, you said you were willing to sacrifice yourself to help me realize my Grand Dao...”

Su Yi noticed that Shen Mu was quivering from head to toe. Both fists were tightly clenched. It was as if he’d become a completely different person, or as if he’d lost his soul. He was silent and dazed.

Bang!

Su Yi waved his sleeves through the air, and the light curtain of emblazoned memories dissipated.

Shen Mu reacted as if awakening from a dream. However, his gaze was still bleak.

“She said you sacrificed yourself willingly to help her realize her Grand Dao,” said Su Yi. “Was that true?”

Shen Mu nodded. “Yes, that was indeed the case.”

“....” After a moment’s silence, Su Yi asked, “Do you regret it now?”

Shen Mu shook his head without so much as pausing to think. “I made a vow. I was willing to die for her. I didn’t regret it in life, and I don’t regret it now.”

“...” For a moment, Su Yi felt the urge to pummel him. He was exploited so thoroughly, and he still doesn’t regret anything!?

Shen Mu let out a self-deprecating laugh. “I know that no one else understands. Back then, countless people laughed at me. They said I was stupid and unreasonable, but I never cared.

“But it was just like my pursuit of the Dao of the Sword. I was utterly sincere and focused. That’s what let me reach heights others could not in just twenty-three short years.

“I was just as sincere and focused in my love for her. I held nothing back.

“You might call me a worthless fool for dying for her, but in my eyes, she was the woman I loved above all others. Why shouldn’t I have died for her?”

But then, Shen Mu let out a long, apologetic sigh. “I thought it would end with my death. I would never have thought my affairs would affect you too.”

Before Su Yi could respond, Shen Mu said calmly, “But rest assured. When you fuse with my Dao Imprint, I’ll erase my emotions and memories, leaving only the essence of my experience with the Grand Dao. That way, I won’t influence you any further.”

He spoke with determination.

For the first time, Su Yi’s attitude toward Shen Mu took a slight, positive turn. “I am not qualified to judge or criticize you. But we’re ultimately the same person. The karmic ties of your life are targeting me too. How could I possibly pretend none of this ever happened?”

Here, his voice contained a hint of a chill. Lady Snowjade of the Epoch of Demonism hadn’t just colluded with the Tailor to set a trap for him in Crow Ridge. She’d even used Qing Wan as a pawn to create new karmic ties!

No matter what, Su Yi couldn’t possibly just let this go.

“What do you want to do, Fellow Daoist?” asked Shen Mu.

Su Yi said plainly, “It’s simple. You don’t need to erase your memories or emotions. Once I’ve fused with the power of your Dao Imprint, I’ll find that Snowjade woman and end things completely!

“If your presence sways my heart, leading to my utter defeat, she can have her flawless Dao Heart and achieve true heartlessness.

“But if she loses, she has to die!”

Shen Mu’s expression shifted, but in the end, he just sighed. “Must it truly come to that? I can say with certainty that if you fuse with my memories and accept my emotions, meeting her is unlikely to end well for you. Think about it. Back then, I died for her without the slightest hesitation. What if I influence you and...”

Su Yi said flatly, “This is what they call tempering the heart. If my mentality is too weak to overcome even this, how can I speak of cultivation?”

A contemptuous look appeared on his face. “She led you to doom, but I won’t run from her. Rather, I’ll end things with her once and for all!”

Shen Mu looked at him, as if seeing his reincarnation for the first time.

A long time passed before he sighed, “Sometimes, I truly wish I’d never received the Sword of the Nine Hells, and that I didn’t need to bear its karma.... That way, I wouldn’t have implicated anyone else...”

Shen Mu let out a breath of turbid air, as if he’d finally made peace with everything. “Those who love too hard are not long for this world, and too much talent will only bring you harm. I hope... you won’t follow in my footsteps.”

Without another word, Shen Mu transformed into a rain of light and fused into the seventh chain of the Sword of the Nine Hells.

Then, the chain shattered inch by inch.

Meanwhile, an enormous flood of memories surged into Su Yi’s sea of consciousness.

Shen Mu’s experiences, feelings, and memories all appeared in Su Yi’s heart in full detail, fusing completely with his soul.

A long time passed before Su Yi finally fused with Shen Mu’s Dao Imprint completely.

After learning everything Shen Mu had experienced, Su Yi’s gaze shifted. He whispered to himself, “He really was a kid who knew nothing of the cruelty of the world...”

He couldn’t help but recall his eighth disciple, Bai Yi.

Just like Bai Yi, Shen Mu had been as pure as a fresh white sheet of paper.

Shen Mu was born into one of the most illustrious, ancient clans of the Epoch of Demonism. He had an extraordinary talent for cultivation.

His parents and seniors were all top experts of the Epoch of Demonism, while his master was its greatest expert of the sword!

All of this meant that he’d received an unimaginable degree of love and care from a young age. It meant that the monstrously talented Shen Mu had everything he needed to shine in his pursuit of the Dao.

He spent his whole life as the center of attention. They called him a rare genius of the Dao of the Sword, the most dazzling chosen son of heaven of his generation.

Countless older-generation cultivators thought that one day, he’d reach unique heights of the Dao of the Sword and surpass every other sword cultivator beneath the heavens!

A glorious background and shocking talent combined to make his path of cultivation as smooth as could be. He never experienced any tempering through adversity whatsoever.

At twenty-one years of age, Shen Mu decided he’d had enough of this life free of challenges, and he sneaked away from home, leaving the bounds of his family’s influence to explore freely.

Without his seniors to watch over him, and without status and background to rely on, Shen Mu encountered numerous unexpected troubles and obstacles. Naturally, he did lots of ridiculous things.

But to Shen Mu, all of this was novel and exciting. He didn’t mind any of it. Until...

He met Lady Snowjade of the Six Desires Demonist Sect!

She really was beautiful, with innate charm, a true immortal beauty. She didn’t seem at all like an expert of the Demonist way.

She brought Shen Mu to explore the world. They visited lots of places together. In the process, she gradually won Shen Mu’s heart.

One was a thousand-year-old fox, and the other was a sheltered kid leaving home for the first time. It was inevitable: Shen Mu fell for her completely, and he couldn’t extricate himself.

And when Lady Snowjade finally revealed her fox’s tail, she shattered Shen Mu’s heart to prove her Dao!

After learning the full story, Su Yi couldn’t help but be rueful. Shen Mu had all that talent, but what good did it do him?

Those inexperienced in the ups and downs of worldly affairs were easily tricked, and that was exactly what had happened to Shen Mu.

Furthermore, after acquiring Shen Mu’s experiences, Su Yi realized that when Shen Mu first left to explore, someone had almost certainly been keeping watch over him in secret.

But all of that changed after he met Lady Snowjade.

It seemed as if she’d taken Shen Mu exploring freely, but in truth, she took care to lead him only to places outside the bounds of Shen Mu’s family’s influence, like remote wildernesses and other planes of existence.

Furthermore, Lady Snowjade had most likely eliminated the experts sent to protect Shen Mu. Otherwise, the moment they realized who she was, they would have tried to stop her!

Even before making contact with Shen Mu, she must have thoroughly planned her approach. Her plans succeeded only because he wasn’t at all on guard against her. But there’s no way she could have arranged this all on her own. Hmm.... The Six Desires Demonist Sect must have taken action. That’s how she managed to prevent Shen Mu’s family from finding them.

A moment later, he furrowed his brow.

He suddenly realized that he couldn’t work up any hatred for Lady Snowjade at all. On the contrary, he felt a hint of longing to see her again!

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