The Sword of the Five Elements Chapter 109: The Nemesis

“Nanlian, no matter who wins or loses, do not let him leave the altar alive.”

Ouyang Zhi’s voice echoed clearly within the Sacred Maiden Nanlian’s consciousness.

Nanlian wore a mysterious smile.

She already knew Ouyang Zhi intended to refine her, to forge the perfect vessel, so that in the form of a soul-attached corporeal body, he could descend into the mortal world once more.

All seekers of the Great Way fear death.

Nanlian did not wish to die.

She had made her choice during their secret conversation in the cave dwelling.

A crisp sound rang out from the high platform altar, resonating through the cave.

Then came layers of clashing sounds, some swift, others slow.

The black soul sword swung wildly, resembling a roaring demon dragon.

Every strike targeted Su Ye’s vital points.

The black-and-white Primordial Sword moved like a graceful dragon, light as a startled swan.

Its speed was like thunderous force in rapid motion, yet as serene as deep still waters when slow.

Seeing the soul sword’s downward strike, Su Ye’s right foot stepped back half a pace, his body drifting elegantly backward.

He deftly avoided the attack laden with overwhelming corrosive power.

The soul sword weighed thousands of pounds.

Yet in Ouyang Zhi’s grasp, it felt as light as fresh grass, without the slightest resistance.

The sword’s blade twisted, shifting from vertical to horizontal.

His right arm swung outward, slashing toward Su Ye’s waist.

Su Ye’s wrist twitched lightly; the Primordial Sword intercepted the soul sword.

With a flying kick from his right foot, he forced his opponent to alter the sword’s trajectory.

He shifted from slashing to thrusting, seizing a fleeting opening to strike at Ouyang Zhi’s vulnerable side.

“Impressive swordsmanship!” A brilliant gleam flashed in Ouyang Zhi’s residual soul’s eyes as he instantly teleported to the right, evading Su Ye’s assured attack.

“Senior, that’s cheating,” Su Ye said, his attack failing.

Beneath his words, a compassionate soul-guiding technique weakened the residual soul’s strength.

“I only said no sword qi, never said I wouldn’t use teleportation,” Ouyang Zhi argued slyly, then his tone shifted abruptly, “Boy, watch this!”

He turned sideways and half-retreated, gathering strength in his arm.

A trail of afterimages lingered behind him.

The soul sword shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, stabbing several feet in an instant.

The compassionate soul guide sensed the danger, helping Su Ye narrowly escape disaster.

The instantaneous change in sword momentum left him wide-eyed.

“You dodged that strike… your aptitude for sword cultivation is truly commendable,” Ouyang Zhi abandoned notions of good and evil, returning to the essence of swordsmanship.

Inside Su Ye’s consciousness, he quietly memorized Ouyang Zhi’s recent moves.

“Your skill still lacks depth,” Ouyang Zhi straightened, smiling lightly.

“Given time, you’ll become an extraordinary sword cultivator… but unfortunately, you don’t know how to temper your sharpness, blindly challenging an opponent you can never shake.”

“Who says my opponent is unshakable?”

Su Ye stepped aside, half-retreating, arm gathering strength.

The sword’s momentum flowed like a dragon, arriving in an instant.

He returned the favor with the same method.

With a crisp clang, the Primordial Sword’s tip was blocked by the broad blade of the soul sword.

“Stealing my sword techniques in front of me… such behavior deserves the torment of soul erosion and bone decay,” Ouyang Zhi snarled.

“Learning openly isn’t stealing,” Su Ye countered, weaving a spell again.

“There’s nothing wrong with learning honestly, is there?”

“Stubborn to the end even when death approaches.”

Ouyang Zhi straightened the soul sword vertically, condensing sword intent; his long hair swayed without wind.

“I’ll show you what a true sword cultivator is.”

Su Ye focused intently, missing no detail.

The compassionate soul guide felt like a web, entwining Ouyang Zhi’s every move, transmitting it into Su Ye’s consciousness.

The sword thrust forward.

The wrist twisted, footsteps retreating while gathering a nine-layer sword qi shield.

The surging sword intent crashed like violent waves; the lightning-fast soul sword shattered the sword qi shield into fine powder in moments.

Snow-white fragments drifted atop the platform.

“This is decades of my mastery; one with a shallow foundation could never imitate it,” Ouyang Zhi gloated as he saw Su Ye escape several yards away.

His words revealed his age and latent power.

Qi Zheng’s fear vanished instantly as Ouyang Zhi’s residual soul leaked secrets.

If the Demon Ancestor Saint Master returned, Qi Zheng would be forever plunged into the abyss, never to return.

Living in terror’s shadow, uncertain when death would come.

Compared to a future with no hope, embracing freedom and sunlight felt preferable.

Su Ye was also decisive in battle.

Unlike the Sword Demon, his sword never harmed those who sincerely aided him and the world.

Always bright and radiant, as if bathed in spring sunlight.

No need to bow before him; one could cultivate freely along the chosen path.

As the saying goes, those who follow the Way gain help, those who lose it find none.

In this sealed demonic altar, such forces quietly gathered and took shape.

He turned to look at Nanlian, finding her also watching him.

They exchanged a smile.

Their smiles were not of affection but of yearning for an unseen future.

They were willing to stake everything on the future so near at hand.

On the high platform, Ouyang Zhi’s residual soul did not sense the impending danger.

Su Ye spoke softly:

“Every move of a physical cultivator comes from endless repetition.

Only by enduring the tedium and pain of breaking limits can one forge an unstoppable sword intent.

Only after walking countless miles can one reach your level today.”

“A dying man speaks well,” Ouyang Zhi saw an opportunity and smiled.

“If you had this attitude earlier, I might have spared your life.

I truly want to see whose strength among the Three Swords is greater.”

“It will inevitably be me,” Su Ye replied calmly, his smile as serene as water.

“You’ve sensed my sword intent—why such confidence?”

“Because… I am your bane.”

The moment he spoke, the spell took form.

The compassionate soul guide could command all souls.

Several conversations had imposed layers of binding.

Now the residual soul’s remaining power was less than a tenth of when it first appeared.

“You…” Ouyang Zhi felt his strength suddenly weaken; his eyes burned with madness.

“You despicable ant, how dare you use underhanded means to ambush me!”

“I only claimed to be the Sword Immortal among the Three Swords,” Su Ye said calmly, “but there’s one thing I forgot to mention.

Compared to the righteous, I am somewhat wicked; compared to the demonic, I am not so corrupted.

Neither high nor low, neither good nor bad.

That is me.

That is the Sword Immortal.”

“People like you—among the masses, what sets you apart?”

Ouyang Zhi’s residual soul condensed sword intent.

His robe billowed, snow-white hair swayed without wind.

He looked like a demon clawing out of hell.

His aura surged to its limit.

His ethereal mirror cultivation surpassed Su Ye’s by far.

“Boy, your cultivation ends here!”

The murderous aura surrounding Ouyang Zhi’s residual soul stirred the once calm pool into raging waves.

He was determined to kill Su Ye.

A black mist transformed into a towering sword qi, charging straight at Su Ye.

The Great Luo Fire Shield flew out from the jade gourd, forming a fiery round shield to block the vicious attack.

“Two seniors… if not now, then when?”

A majestic voice echoed clearly within the altar.

Two auras stronger than Ouyang Zhi’s residual soul appeared in his consciousness.

The vessel and sword slave he had personally nurtured, having traveled through the river of time, now became deadly blades.

Ouyang Zhi gave up futile resistance, reining in the black mist, and arrogantly surveyed the three adversaries around him.

“Though my body is dead, I remain the unrivaled Sword Demon!

And you will forever be despicable ants!”

His words fell.

His body exploded and died.

Water splashed onto the silent high platform,

Whispering the sorrow of their former master.