Chapter Seventy-Three: The Blade of Maha

In the history of the Demon Might Unrivaled realm, there have been several eras that could be called grand ages. In these times, the ranks of the powerful and the talented swelled, legendary skills and manuals emerged in abundance, and the philosophies of martial arts advanced by leaps and bounds.

The most recent grand age occurred eight hundred years ago, when a great number of martial artists reached the Minor Three Perfections, and among them arose terrifying figures whose names would echo through history for centuries—like the founder of the Seven Three Sect, Master Seven Three.

All of today’s renowned sects—the Demon Sect, the Seven Three Sect, and Pine Emerald Mountain—trace their origins back to that illustrious era eight centuries past and have continued their legacies ever since.

Yet, in that splendid age, though several attained the peak of martial arts as Master Seven Three did, there was one who shone above all others, like a blazing sun suspended at the summit of the era. He firmly occupied the position of the greatest under heaven, holding it until the end of the grand age, unchallenged.

Countless challengers rose against him, including even the likes of Master Seven Three. Yet these paragons were all defeated. Throughout that era, generation after generation of martial artists banded together, but not one managed to wrest the title of the greatest from his grasp.

This peerless figure, who swept through the world with no rival, was the founder of the Demon Sect—Demon Blade.

It can be said that the Demon Sect’s centuries-long dominance over the martial world owes much to Demon Blade’s invincibility during the grand age.

After all, when a founder reaches such heights of power, his successors are unlikely to fall too far from greatness.

“To have obtained and modified the sacrificial artifact of the ancient Pasa people—the Demon Sect, or rather Demon Blade, truly has ties to the ancient Pasa Kingdom,” Li Ju mused, his resolve to journey to the Pasa Kingdom growing firmer.

“Moreover, if even Master Seven Three is still alive, then Demon Blade might not be beyond the realm of possibility either,” Li Ju thought, his scalp tingling at the prospect that Demon Blade might still walk the earth.

As an invincible being, Demon Blade was terrifying beyond measure—he was the first to make the word ‘invincible’ a tangible reality in the martial world, rather than a mere fantasy.

The feats attributed to Demon Blade in history were things Li Ju could only look up to. Even if Li Ju’s Bat Demon Skill broke through to the Minor Three Perfections and he developed the new Hundred Poisons Vajra Body, he doubted he could achieve half of Demon Blade’s accomplishments.

“The more I learn, the more I realize the great terrors hidden beneath the surface of this realm’s martial world,” Li Ju sighed in awe.

For him, when he first entered, a Demon Sect disciple at the External School level was a figure he could only look up to.

After he mastered the Hundred Poisons Vajra Body and underwent a qualitative transformation in strength, he believed himself to be one of the notable experts in the martial world—apart from the three Minor Three Perfections masters, he could walk the realm without fear. Even the Seven Three Sect, which claimed to be the leading righteous faction, seemed only to carry an empty reputation.

But as his strength grew and his knowledge deepened, he found that those three Minor Three Perfections masters were indeed only the ones in plain sight. The Seven Three Sect’s reputation as the foremost righteous sect was well deserved, and the Demon Sect, as the truly dominant force, possessed a terrifying foundation.

“That’s why I must go to the Pasa Kingdom,” he thought.

After a while, Li Ju carefully placed the Bat Soul back into the bronze box.

His purpose in traveling to the Pasa Kingdom was not simply to seek greater strength. More importantly, he wished to avoid the swirling vortex of Chen Country’s martial world.

With his sudden emergence as a Minor Three Perfections-level fighter, the long-still waters of Chen Country’s martial world had been stirred as if a bomb had been dropped, sending waves rippling through the realm.

All these waves pointed to Li Ju himself. Both the Demon Sect and the Seven Three Sect had their own plans for him, even Hai Yuanyi of Pine Emerald Mountain—though now Hai Yuanyi dared not scheme against Li Ju anymore, as Pine Emerald Mountain, being a small sect with only one Minor Three Perfections martial artist, would court disaster if it became further entangled with him.

Yet, even without Pine Emerald Mountain, the Demon Sect and the Seven Three Sect remained titanic forces Li Ju could not hope to contend with. If he became deeply involved in their machinations, he would likely be utterly destroyed.

Thus, Li Ju decided to seek refuge in another land, to temporarily escape the strife of Chen Country’s martial world. He would wait for the storm surrounding him to subside, and as an outsider looking in, gain a clearer understanding of the situation before making further decisions.

“Once the men I sent out have clarified the situation in the Western Wu Kingdom, I can depart from Chen Country,” he mused. “I’ll take advantage of this time before leaving to tie up a few loose ends.”

A flash of red glinted in Li Ju’s eyes as he recalled something.

…

Crocodile Sect.

Recently, thanks to his spectacular display at Hai Yuanyi’s daughter’s wedding, Sect Leader Chen Shifeng’s reputation had soared. Especially after he firmly aligned himself with the Seven Three Sect, and word spread that the Seven Three Sect intended to designate Crocodile Sect as a subordinate branch, more and more martial artists flocked to his side, showering the sect with flattery and currying favor with its disciples in hopes of using Crocodile Sect as a stepping stone to grasp the Seven Three Sect’s powerful support—and thus secure greater resources for cultivation.

“Sect Leader Chen, this is a five-hundred-year-old White Mountain Ginseng my disciples recently harvested in the wild. I brought it especially for you today,” said a minor sect leader, his face full of obsequiousness, as he offered a thick-rooted ginseng.

Chen Shifeng glanced at the man and his offering, nodded indifferently, and took a sip of tea.

“Just leave it there.”

The minor sect leader hurriedly placed the ginseng on a table already piled high with gifts, then withdrew with a beaming face.

He had reason to be pleased—since Crocodile Sect’s rise, Chen Shifeng no longer accepted just any gift. Ordinary offerings that failed to catch his interest wouldn’t even warrant a glance.

The fact that Chen Shifeng accepted his gift meant the sect leader had taken notice of him—a cause for joy for a master of an obscure sect.

“Are there more visitors today?” Chen Shifeng asked, raising his eyelids to look at the elder tallying the gifts at his side.

“Replying to Sect Leader, there are still seven sect leaders waiting to be received today,” the elder answered respectfully.

“Forget it, I’m tired. Let the deputy sect leader handle the guests,” Chen Shifeng said, his face showing impatience.