First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 1787 - The Secret Glyphs of the Dragon Palace

Even prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals, Great Realm treasures were extremely rare. Practically all of them were under the control of Great Realm experts and their factions.

Every time a Great Realm treasure appeared in the world, factions would fight over it, stirring up a storm of bloodshed.

In the present-day Immortal Realm, Great Realm treasures were even rarer. Tens of thousands of years might pass without one appearing.

Given the circumstances, it seemed incredibly strange that the Giant Whale Spirit Race would put a Great Realm relic of the Dragon Palace up for auction.

Su Yi wasn’t the only one who found it strange. Numerous others felt the same.

“Is there perhaps a problem with this treasure? If there was nothing wrong with it, who’d sell it?” asked an old-timer.

The commotion instantly died down.

The auctioneer admitted it. “I won’t deceive you. These battle clothes can only be worn by immortals with a Flood Dragon bloodline.”

The crowd instantly understood. There was no doubt about it. The clothes were extraordinary, but those without a Flood Dragon bloodline had no hope of using them.

That in turn meant that though the clothes had fallen into the Giant Whale Spirit Race’s hands, they were effectively useless. In that case, it was no wonder they were willing to sell them.

“How is the bidding going to work?” someone couldn’t help but ask.

The auctioneer said, “Instead of a typical auction, the Giant Whale Spirit Race has a request. One of their Great Martial Stage old-timers has been afflicted by divine misfortune, and its power plagues his body. Anyone who can treat him has an opportunity to acquire the battle clothes.”

Most of those present instantly gave up. This requirement was far too strict.

If it were possible to neutralize divine misfortune, how could so many unparalleled experts have died of it over the years?

However, Su Yi’s heart stirred when he heard their terms!

He naturally could resolve this problem!

But now, someone said, “And here I thought they’d demand something extravagant. So, all they want is help resolving that paltry little problem? Very well! Tell the Giant Whale Spirit Race that this lofty one can assist them!”

The speaker was Qin Jianshu. His casual tone instantly stirred up widespread uproar.

Suddenly, a firm voice rang out. “Qin Jianshu, what you can do, surely I can do as well?”

Qin Jianshu snorted coldly. “You want to fight me for it, Jin Zhuliu? Very well! I’ll play with you!”

The atmosphere was instantly stifled and tense.

Jin Zhuliu? Is he perhaps another divine son? Su Yi pondered.

There was no doubt about it. No small number of divine sons and daughters were in attendance!

Xi Ning’s melodious voice rang out. “I’m curious. If numerous attendees can fulfill your request, how do you plan to decide who receives the treasure?”

The auctioneer said hurriedly, “So long as you can fulfill the Giant Whale Spirit Race’s request, you can bid on the battle clothes. Bidding starts at eight hundred thousand immortal jades.”

It was obvious to everyone that the bidding was just a bonus; the Giant Whale Spirit Race had effectively already realized their goal in selling off this treasure.

“Then letting the bidding begin!” Qin Jianshu said calmly.

Su Yi thought for a moment, then gave up on this treasure. It was just a set of Great Unity Stage battle clothes, and only flood dragons could use it. Even if Su Yi acquired it, it would be useless to him.

But he knew that it was most likely useless to the divine children, too. What they really wanted was to find the ruins of the Dragon Palace!

Su Yi wasn’t overly interested in that. He’d decided to participate in the auction simply because he wanted to see these “relics of the Dragon Palace” for himself.

The auction soon began, and it was extraordinarily fierce. The bids quickly reached a shocking figure. Countless hearts shook.

All the while, Su Yi watched from the sidelines. He couldn’t see the bidders, but he heard what they said between bids, and he knew that there were five competitors. Presumably, all of them were divine children.

Qin Jianshu and Xi Ning aside, there were three others: two divine sons and one divine daughter.

The divine sons were called Jin Zhuliu and Gongyang Yu. The divine daughter was called Qing Wu.

Su Yi couldn’t help but feel solemn following this realization.

Although he’d long since predicted that more and more divine children would enter the Immortal Realm, he hadn’t realized that so many of them had arrived already. News of their arrival hadn’t spread, perhaps because the Immortal Realm’s top factions had sealed off all information regarding the divine children!

In the end, Gongyang Yu acquired the battle clothes for thirty-nine million immortal jades!

That was an astronomical figure, a sum large enough to shake even Great Realm experts’ hearts.

Even Su Yi couldn’t help but sigh over the divine sons’ lavish display of wealth.

The box containing the battle clothes was quickly delivered to Gongyang Yu’s private room, and the bidding began for the second relic of the Dragon Palace.

The battle clothes had been kept sealed, so no one saw what they really looked like. This time, however, the auctioneer opened the bronze box to reveal the treasure inside.

All eyes were instantly upon the treasure in the box, the second relic of the Dragon Palace.

It was a patinated bronze plate, one foot long and damaged around the ages. The patination and corrosion was severe, so the mysterious glyphs covering its surface were only dimly discernible.

But they were strange and contorted. No one could make heads or tails of them.

Su Yi furrowed his brow too. What kind of writing is that? The unique glyphs of the Dragon Palace of the Eastern Sea?

The auctioneer explained, “This treasure was acquired in the ruins of the Dragon Palace. It’s carved with unknown, mysterious glyphs. An older-generation expert of the Giant Whale Spirit Race believes that they’re the secret glyphs of the Dragon Palace and that they record an enormous secret. Alas, all knowledge of the Dragon Palace’s secret writing was lost during the Primeval Era.”

He paused, then continued, “Anyone capable of deciphering these glyphs can participate in the auction.”

Deathly silence followed. None answered the call.

Even Qin Jianshu, Xi Ning, Jin Zhuliu, and the other divine children fell silent. There was no doubt about it. They couldn’t read the glyphs either!

Suddenly, something occurred to Su Yi, and he summoned Lei Ze, the Combat Soul Puppet. “Lei Ze, can you read that writing?”

The sword-bearing ape told him that Lei Ze had attended to Li Fuyou throughout the Immortal Realm during the distant Primeval Era. In the present day, few knew more about the Primeval Era than Lei Ze.

After all, Li Fuyou had taught four Great Realm disciples, and Lei Ze was always beside him. Sheer proximity had given him a breadth of knowledge far beyond most others.

Alas, Lei Ze’s soul was badly damaged, and his awareness was muddled.

Otherwise, Su Yi would have learned all about Li Fuyou and the Primeval Era by now.

Lei Ze’s cold, indifferent eyes locked onto the distant bronze plate. A moment later, he said, “Master, those are the unique secret glyphs of the Grand Dao used by the main lineage of the Dragon Palace of the Eastern Sea. The writing says, ‘The Will of Heaven cannot be deceived... the source of fortune and disaster... the lineage of the Dragon Palace... a pity....”

Su Yi was starting to get eager. After all, Lei Ze really did recognize those strange glyphs!

But as Lei Ze struggled to read the writing, Su Yi’s brow furrowed. The bronze plate was badly corroded, patinated, and incomplete. The writing was fragmented.

Lei Ze’s voice continued, “Those who delight in wealth will surely die because of it... Greed... is the source of countless tribulations...

“The price was far too heavy.

“No! That’s not right!”

“The true source of the disaster was...”

Lei Ze’s voice trailed off.

Su Yi was stunned. Irrepressible dejection arose within his heart. That’s... all?

Su Yi felt much like a mundane schoolboy might if, every time he reached the most exciting part of a story, the chapter ended with, “If you want to know what happens next, tune in next time!”

It was enough to anger someone to death! Those with bad tempers might well be driven to violence!

But this wasn’t Lei Ze’s fault. The bronze plate was badly damaged, and the writing was fragmented. It was already impressive that he could read the long-lost writing system of the Dragon Palace.

“No one can read the glyphs on the bronze plate?” asked the auctioneer, breaking the silence.

Time slipped by, but no one answered.

The auctioneer sighed. “I can’t say I’m surprised. The Dragon Palace disappeared long ago, during the Primeval Era. Their legacies have long since been lost to history. Very well. Next, I’ll auction off the third relic of the Dragon Palace...”

But then, a voice rang out. “Wait.”

The entire auction hall was shaken. Someone actually recognizes the glyphs of the Dragon Palace!?

“It’s Xi Ning’s servant!” Qin Jianshu immediately recognized Su Yi’s voice, and his expression darkened.

Jin Zhuliu, Gongyang Yu, Qing Wu, and the others recognized Su Yi’s voice too. After all, Qin Jianshu had waged a bidding war against him not long ago, and afterward, he “revealed” Su Yi’s identity as Xi Ning’s servant. The others instinctively accepted Qin Jianshu’s conclusion and took Su Yi for Xi Ning’s subordinate too.

“Fellow Daoist, don’t tell me you can read the secret glyphs of the Dragon Palace?” exclaimed Xi Ning.

She and Su Yi had crossed paths, but she’d always taken him for a junior from the Immortal Realm. She’d treated him with kindness and generally warned him and agreed to exchange treasures with him, sure. But they still didn’t have any bond to speak of.

Moreover, Su Yi had been targeted by Qin Jianshu on her account. Xi Ning couldn’t help but feel a bit apologetic about this. That was why she chose not to remain a bystander earlier; she didn’t want Su Yi to become a scapegoat on her account.

But she did all of this purely out of a glimmer of goodwill. Xi Ning would never have guessed that the young man she’d coincidentally gotten acquainted with would be nowhere near as simple as she’d imagined!

Even she had merely heard of the secret glyphs of the Dragon Palace. She couldn’t read them!

“Can you really read the secret glyphs of the Dragon Palace, sir?” The auctioneer’s spirits soared.

“I can discern a little, albeit with difficulty,” said Su Yi. “Tell me, how do you plan to auction off this treasure?”

He’d originally had little interest in the ruins of the Dragon Palace, but since no one else could fulfill the auction’s conditions, Su Yi naturally didn’t mind taking advantage of the situation!

More importantly, he was confident that after revealing his ability to read the glyphs, members of the Giant Whale Spirit Race were sure to come looking for him of their own accord. When the time came, he could seize the opportunity to learn the ruins’ whereabouts!