Chapter 107: Nowhere to Hide

A manic and powerful aura weighed heavily upon the entire altar cavern. Su Ye averted his gaze, refusing to meet the eyes of the Sword Demon, who had manifested through an incarnated soul-binding technique.

The Saintess descended from her throne, bowing her head in service to the Sword Demon. The Demon Ancestor—the Holy Master incarnated in the body of Zhu Zanhua—was supported by Nan Lian as he sat upon a high-backed chair made of flame-patterned stone. Hundreds of cult members and the舵 master, Qi Zheng, prostrated themselves completely.

The new recruits, recently inducted into the Demon Cult, stood rooted to the spot, the confusion and fear in their eyes manifesting as tremors in their bodies. Those who had yet to grasp the true nature of the Demon Cult felt a bone-chilling coldness take hold. The man lurking behind that icy facade now sat upon the throne on the high platform, watching them with cold indifference.

The Sword Demon was a legend. A legend of absolute terror. An entire generation of cultivators from the Yuntian Sect—the most gifted among the human race—had been buried by his hand. His terror, forged in blood and brutality, had become an indelible mark carved into the annals of the Three Thousand Worlds.

Su Ye was born with immense courage, and even in the face of the Sword Demon's soul-bound incarnation, his heart remained unruffled. The three peerless sword cultivators mentioned by Master Ouyang were certainly no mere rumors. A rising star living in the present had no reason to fear a flame rising from the past.

"Nan Lian, how old are you this year?" The Sword Demon’s voice was not as raspy as one might imagine; it sounded like that of an elegant youth.

"In reply to the Demon Ancestor, this servant has just turned one thousand years old."

"Oh." A strange glint flickered in the Sword Demon's scarlet eyes, but he said no more.

舵 Master Qi Zheng lifted his head slightly, swept a glance at Nan Lian’s back, and quickly looked away. The Sword Demon noticed Qi Zheng’s movement and said softly, "You wear the black and gold embroidered robes, so I presume you are the舵 master of this division... Raise your head and let me see your face."

Qi Zheng obeyed, standing tall and respectful before the Sword Demon.

"I remember you. You served as my sword slave for two years." The Sword Demon’s clear voice carried a hint of nostalgia for years gone by. "It seems you have mastered the skills I taught you."

Qi Zheng bowed his head: "It is my greatest honor to have received personal instruction from the Demon Ancestor and Holy Master."

"Your aptitude is mediocre, and your ability to manage your subordinates hardly puts my mind at ease." The nostalgia in the Sword Demon’s tone suddenly shifted to disappointment.

The fear of the Sword Demon had been etched into Qi Zheng’s marrow during his time as a sword slave. Even having cultivated to the Yuxu Realm, his subconscious reactions remained unchanged. He bowed his head in silence, trembling, unable to utter a word.

The Sword Demon looked at Ma Hu, whose eyes were mismatched, and shook his head: "Once upon a time, the Demon Cult only recruited true elites... To join, one’s aptitude had to be higher than that of an inner-sect disciple of the Yuntian Sect. Nowadays, it is truly a great disappointment to me."

A few moments passed before Ma Hu realized that the Sword Demon sitting on the stone chair was speaking to him. The color drained from his face instantly.

He bowed his head in terror, his heart feeling as if it were about to leap from his throat. Zhou An shuddered in tandem. The other recruits remained kneeling like statues.

Any movement in the silence could not escape the Sword Demon’s spiritual sense.

"Are you very afraid of me?" Ouyang Zhi, in his handsome form, turned toward Zhou An, who had inadvertently shown his fear.

Zhou An hurriedly replied, "I... I am not afraid."

"If you are not afraid, why do you stutter?"

Large beads of sweat broke out on Zhou An’s forehead and the bridge of his nose. The embodiment of the legendary terror nearly crushed his sea of consciousness. He could not speak.

"For a mortal to see a legend with their own eyes, it is difficult to keep one's heart as calm as a lake," Su Ye interjected. "Under the prestige of the Demon Ancestor and Holy Master, it would be more abnormal not to react."

"Are you speaking of yourself?" The Sword Demon’s scarlet eyes turned toward the white figure amidst the sea of dark red and black. The Demon Cult favored red and black; to attend the Awakening Assembly in white attire was an act of disrespect.

From the moment the Sword Demon’s soul-bound incarnation appeared, he had harbored the intent to kill Su Ye. A murderous aura rose within the cavern, feeling like the chill of late spring.

Su Ye had seen through not just the Sword Demon, but also Nan Lian. She was exactly as her name implied. The true form of the Saintess Nan Lian was a lotus flower that had gained sentience and entered the path of cultivation, using gu-insects as her technique to reach her current Miaozhen Realm. She had risen through the Sword Demon’s appreciation but was no longer content to be his vassal.

Su Ye cupped his hands and bowed: "You just scolded the舵 master for his poor management, which is truly biased. Since you appeared, the seniors have knelt in silence like statues. Relaxing the recruitment criteria to allow more people to contribute to building a new world and to practice the will of the Demon Ancestor—how can this be considered incompetence?"

The Sword Demon looked at Su Ye, his scarlet eyes narrowing: "...From you, I sense a vague familiarity... Who exactly are you?"

Su Ye smiled: "This junior has been to Weilan City and had the pleasure of meeting Ouyang Yu."

Upon hearing the name Ouyang Yu, a look of desolation appeared on the Sword Demon’s face. Born into a family of generals, he had been invincible his entire life. Yet, at the critical juncture of his tribulation, he had developed a weakness he could not escape. He had killed countless people, his hands stained with blood, but he could never convince himself to kill Ouyang Yu.

Extreme confusion caused the eyes of the Sword Demon sitting on the stone chair to waver.

Su Ye was a master of soul-related arts and knew that the Sword Demon, manifested through techniques, was merely a remnant soul. The heavier the obsession, the stronger the spiritual power; the deeper the confusion, the weaker the strength.

"What are you to her?" The Sword Demon looked at Su Ye, observing his handsome face. "A dao companion?"

"I could be considered half her student," Su Ye replied truthfully. "The Confucian classics I have learned were all inherited from her."

"Confucianism?" The confusion in the Sword Demon’s scarlet eyes deepened, then suddenly turned sharp.

"Impossible!" The Sword Demon’s voice was laced with madness. "I have killed countless Confucian scholars... She could not possibly study Confucianism! You must be a spy who has infiltrated the Demon Cult!"

"This junior has sincerely defected to the Demon Cult, intending to carry out your will, Demon Ancestor, and build a brand-new world."

"Who exactly are you?" The Sword Demon turned to look at Qi Zheng. "Sword slave, who exactly is he?"

Qi Zheng bowed his head and replied, "His name is Su Wuming, an alchemist I recruited into the Demon Cult. Though he is somewhat arrogant, he does possess genuine talent."

"An alchemist?" The Sword Demon turned back. "You are an alchemist?"

"Indeed."

"No wonder you are so arrogant," the Sword Demon said with a wicked smile. "People like you are annoying, but you are indispensable talents. Being able to abandon darkness for light and join my Demon Cult army, you can be considered a man of vision who knows the times!"

"The new world this junior wishes to build... may differ slightly from what you expect, Demon Ancestor."

The Sword Demon’s smile vanished: "What do you mean by that?"

"An unprecedented calamity of demons and evil is about to descend upon the world. This junior wishes to do his meager best to resolve the lingering grudges between various factions... and gather all our strength to resist this unimaginable crisis."

"A mere alchemist... You cannot even change the Alchemy Bureau, yet you harbor delusions of changing the entire world? It is truly laughable." The Sword Demon burst into frantic laughter. "To tell you the truth, when demons and evil are rampant everywhere, that will be the best opportunity for the Demon Cult to establish a new world. But in that world, there will be no place for you!"

"This junior is dull and does not understand what you mean, Demon Ancestor."

"It is a pity that today... you will not be able to leave this sacred altar alive."

The three subordinates cast worried glances at Su Ye before quickly looking away.

A calm and powerful voice rang out stubbornly from beside them, sounding like a clap of thunder:

"That is exactly what I wished to say to you. In the Great Qian of today, there is no longer any room for you."