Eternal Sacred King Chapter 1 - Immortal Fate
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Located within the borders of the Country of Da Qi, Ping Yang Town sat as one of the numerous settlements under Cang Lang City's rule.
A troop of riders slowly made their way into the town. Leading them was a man in armor with a stern, unwavering gaze. This was Cao Gang, a member of the renowned Five Wolf Guards of Cang Lang City.
Riding alongside him was a youth possessing bright, intelligent eyes and refined features. Dressed in a green robe, he carried the unmistakable air of a scholar.
The young man was Su Zimo, the second young master of Ping Yang Town’s Su Family. He was a local celebrity of sorts, having successfully passed the provincial examinations at the tender age of seventeen.
“Second Young Master Su, you truly stand apart from the scholars I’ve encountered. Despite your scholarly appearance, your talent for riding is exceptional. You could easily rival my own guards,” Cao Gang remarked.
“You flatter me, Lord Cao,” Su Zimo replied with a subtle smile. “My older brother has dealt in the horse trade for many years, so I’ve grown up around them. I have some basic skill. Besides, Zhui Feng is an exceptionally perceptive creature.”
As he spoke, Su Zimo gave a gentle pat to the magnificent steed beneath him.
The horse, named Zhui Feng, seemed to grasp the compliment. It tossed its head and let out a snort, its eyes gleaming with an uncanny intelligence.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted nearby. A voice cried out, “Huge news! I’ve heard that the daughter of the Shen family was picked by the immortals! She’s going to join an immortal Sect!”
“The Shen family girl? Which one?”
“It’s Shen Mengqi! The one who was supposed to marry Second Young Master Su!”
The gossip traveled like wildfire. People in the vicinity began whispering fervently, many casting strange, pitying glances toward Su Zimo.
“An immortal?” Su Zimo whispered to himself. To him, the concept of immortals belonged solely to the realm of ancient myths and legends.
Could a human truly possess the strength to command the winds, summon the rain, or boil the very oceans?
Without witnessing it personally, Su Zimo remained skeptical that such beings actually walked the earth.
However, at the mention of the word ‘immortal,’ Cao Gang visibly flinched. A complex look of dread and anxiety crossed his face, though Su Zimo, lost in his own contemplations, failed to notice.
In that instant, a streak of light tore across the sky with blinding speed. It surged over Su Zimo’s head before abruptly banking and coming to a halt in mid-air.
The townspeople looked up in unison. They saw three figures standing high above the ground without any visible support, seemingly held aloft by an unseen power.
Su Zimo’s face paled slightly.
An immortal!
Such a feat was far beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.
“The immortals have descended!”
“O great immortals, please grant us your favor!”
The packed crowd fell to their knees simultaneously, kowtowing with fervor. Their prayers were mumbled through faces etched with absolute terror and awe.
Cao Gang moved with practiced haste. He dismounted immediately and knelt upon the earth, shouting, “Cao Gang, a commoner of Cang Lang City, pays his respects to the immortal!”
Su Zimo was stunned by Cao Gang’s reaction.
As a Wolf Guard, Cao Gang held immense authority throughout the region. Yet, in the presence of this immortal, he did not hesitate for a second to prostrate himself.
Within heartbeats, Su Zimo became a glaring anomaly. Remaining atop his horse, he stood out sharply against the sea of kneeling people.
An overwhelming pressure seemed to weigh down from every direction.
After a brief silence, Su Zimo dismounted Zhui Feng and turned his gaze upward.
In the sky, the man positioned in the center wore a long robe of turquoise. He appeared distant and cold, his narrow eyes looking down at the masses with a profound sense of arrogance etched between his brows.
Flanking the turquoise-robed man were two individuals from Ping Yang Town. One was Zhou Dingyun, a notorious local thug known for his cruelty and crimes. Two years prior, Su Zimo had seen him imprisoned. Now, it appeared this immortal had freed him.
Su Zimo’s brow furrowed. Could someone of Zhou Dingyun’s vile character actually be welcomed into an immortal Sect? If such a man gained the powers of an immortal, the suffering he would cause would be immeasurable.
Su Zimo then shifted his attention to the young girl in the air.
She was Shen Mengqi. Only sixteen, she possessed skin as pale as snow and a naturally graceful air.
Looking into her eyes, Su Zimo understood her thoughts immediately.
The vows they once shared had crumbled instantly when faced with the legendary path of Cultivation. He had never imagined their reunion would look like this.
One stood high in the heavens, while the other remained bound to the dusty earth.
Shen Mengqi looked down at Su Zimo, the man she had once held in high regard.
In her memories, Su Zimo was a peerless genius. He was literate at three, mastered the classics by seven, and was a scholar of high standing by seventeen. Such brilliance was unheard of in the Country of Da Qi. He was destined for greatness in the mortal realm.
Because of his older brother’s wishes, Su Zimo had never practiced martial arts. Even so, Shen Mengqi had always believed he would have risen to the top of the military ranks if he had tried.
But now, she realized how limited her perspective had been.
Su Zimo’s triumphs were merely human achievements. To an immortal, they were utterly insignificant.
A single stroke of luck had given her the right to look down upon him from above.
“Mortal, why do you not kneel?!”
The question thundered in Su Zimo’s ears, vibrating through his skull. The force of the voice made him dizzy, and he nearly collapsed.
He wouldn't have minded showing respect to a true immortal, but the turquoise-robed man’s overbearing hostility sparked a flame of defiance in Su Zimo’s heart.
This resentment grew from the coldness in Shen Mengqi’s eyes, the questionable judgment of the immortal, and his own innate dignity.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Su Zimo called out, “I have earned scholarly honors through my studies. By law, I need not even kneel before the Ruler of Da Qi. Why should I kneel to you?”
The more he was pressured, the more he resisted.
The mention of his scholarly status was merely a convenient excuse.
Under the crushing aura of the turquoise-robed man, the townspeople were paralyzed by fear, unable to even lift their heads. Yet Su Zimo, a mere mortal, stood his ground against the immortal’s presence.
“Truly a dim-witted mortal.”
A thin smile played on the turquoise-robed man’s lips. His eyes remained icy as he spoke coolly, “If that is your stance, then from this moment forth... your scholarly honors are revoked.”
His voice was flat, yet it carried the weight of an absolute decree.
He continued, “Any province that dares to employ this man as an official shall be marked as an enemy of the Iridescent Clouds Palace and myself, Perfected Cang Lang!”
Hearing those names, the kneeling Cao Gang trembled violently. He stammered, “Perfected One, please be at ease. Within Da Qi, Su Zimo shall remain a low-born commoner for the rest of his days!”
A low-born commoner for life!
With a few casual words, Su Zimo’s future was dismantled.
A flicker of hesitation crossed Shen Mengqi’s face, while Zhou Dingyun, the rogue, looked on with visible delight.
Su Zimo remained eerily calm, seemingly unbothered by the pronouncement.
After a moment, he let out a self-deprecating laugh. “If such honors can be taken so easily, what value did they ever have?”
“Hmm?”
Perfected Cang Lang’s eyes narrowed into slits, flashing with a lethal coldness.
Su Zimo’s defiance had finally provoked his intent to kill.
Suddenly, Zhui Feng, standing by Su Zimo's side, grew frantic. The horse stamped its hooves and let out a series of distressed whinnies.
Though his face remained still, Su Zimo’s heart raced. Zhui Feng only acted this way when mortal danger was imminent.
“It is actually a spiritual beast. Hmph, how dare a beast cause such a ruckus before me!”
Perfected Cang Lang gave a cold shout and flicked a finger toward the horse.
Before anyone could react, a streak of red light struck Zhui Feng.
To the horror of the onlookers, a torrent of intense flames erupted from inside the horse, consuming it instantly.
Swoosh!
The fire was so fierce it threatened to take Su Zimo with it!
Su Zimo was physically capable, but he had no experience with such supernatural phenomena. He stood paralyzed as the heat closed in.
Just as the flames were about to claim him, Zhui Feng let out a final, agonizing cry and bolted away with all its strength.
The terrified crowd scattered. After only a few strides, Zhui Feng collapsed. In an instant, the horse was reduced to a pile of ash. Not a single bone remained.
The entire event lasted only a few seconds. This was no ordinary fire; it was a power from beyond the mortal realm.
It was clear that if Zhui Feng hadn't run away, Su Zimo would have been incinerated as well.
“A loyal horse that saved its master even in death. What a shame,” Cao Gang whispered, feeling a pang of regret.
A soft wind blew, scattering Zhui Feng’s ashes into the air. They lingered for a moment, as if the animal were whispering a final farewell to its owner.
Su Zimo stared at the spot where his companion had vanished, his eyes filling with tears. His shattered expression was enough to move anyone to pity.
Perfected Cang Lang, annoyed that Su Zimo survived, felt his killing intent rise once more.
“Master, let it go. He is merely a mortal. There is no need to degrade yourself by dealing with him further,” Shen Mengqi said softly, unable to watch any more harm come to him.
Perfected Cang Lang paused.
Indeed, repeatedly attacking a commoner would only damage his own reputation.
Zhou Dingyun, however, wanted Su Zimo dead. He interjected, “Master, one must pull a weed by its roots, lest it causes trouble in the future!”
The remark backfired. Perfected Cang Lang’s ego flared, and he sneered, “He is a lowly commoner without a single spirit root. He can never step onto the path of Cultivation. His potential is less than that of the beast I just killed!”
“Why should I fear sparing his miserable life? Is he even worthy of being a problem for me? Perhaps in another lifetime!”
Zhou Dingyun cursed inwardly, realizing his attempt to incite the immortal had failed.
Su Zimo said nothing. He gathered a handful of the horse's ashes, turned, and began to walk away.
A sarcastic glint appeared in Perfected Cang Lang’s eyes. He remarked casually, “Though a lowly ant may gaze at the heavens, it can never hope to touch the wings of an eagle.”
Seeing Su Zimo walk away alive, Zhou Dingyun’s face twisted with malice. He had suffered greatly in prison because of Su Zimo, and his eyes burned with a vengeful, scheming light.
Watching Su Zimo’s retreating, solitary figure, Shen Mengqi sighed.
In less than an hour, the man had lost his status and his future. All he had left was his pride.
But in this world, pride was useless.
“What a tragedy. Second Young Master Su has lost everything. He’s no better than a beggar now.”
“The Su brothers were so promising—one a martial expert, the other a scholar. Now this happens. At least the eldest is a Connate Expert.”
“A Connate Expert? What does that matter? Even Lord Cao is a Connate Expert, and he knelt like a dog before the immortal.”
“The immortal said Su Zimo can’t even cultivate. He’ll likely die of a broken heart.”
Su Zimo kept his head down, walking silently through the crowd, ignoring the whispers of the townspeople.
“Zimo, wait.”
The voice was familiar, but the way she addressed him had changed. Until today, she had always called him 'Brother Zimo.'
He didn't stop.
Shen Mengqi hurried to catch up, her brow furrowed with frustration. “Zimo, has your head been buried in books for too long? Is kneeling really such a high price to pay?”
“It isn't. I simply chose not to,” Su Zimo replied evenly.
His indifference fueled her anger. She stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
“Su Zimo, look at reality!”
She glared into his eyes and shouted, “Forget about revenge. You're seventeen—you've missed the chance to start martial arts. You lack a spirit root, so the Dao is closed to you. Even if you reached the Postnatal or Connate realms, those are just mortal tricks. They mean nothing to an immortal!”
Su Zimo remained silent, looking at her with a steady gaze.
Uncomfortable under his stare, Shen Mengqi looked away. “I know we had a promise, and I am grateful for everything you did for my family. But... that’s over. We belong to two different worlds now.”
Su Zimo let out a short laugh, arching an eyebrow. “Is your world really so superior?”
Shen Mengqi replied, “Zhou Dingyun and I are leaving with the Perfected tomorrow. I only came to say goodbye. I don't want to waste time arguing over things that don't matter anymore.”
“Then go. I won't be there to see you off. If fate allows, we may meet again.”
With a heavy heart, Su Zimo stepped around her and continued on his way.
As they passed each other, he heard her whisper, “Our fate is finished. One of us is mortal, the other immortal. I doubt... we will ever cross paths again.”
Su Zimo’s step faltered for a fraction of a second, but he kept walking and never looked back.