Roaming the Four Seas Chapter 134: The More It Is Slain, The More It Rages

Within the pear-wood daybed, a new world unfolded.

There stood the white-haired soul demon, its forehead crowned with two bovine horns. Its face was sallow and its fangs ghastly, while a maddened brilliance flickered within its scarlet eyes.

"So, the words from before were merely a ploy to deceive me," the soul demon said, its tone laced with irrepressible fury. "Humans truly are the most despicable species—prone to lying, sanctimonious..."

"A demon is a demon; you cannot expect pearls of wisdom from a swine's mouth." Su Ye extended his right hand, and the Taichu Sword took shape between his fingers in its near-true form.

Compared to its previous state as a sword soul, it was now more perfectly attuned to him than ever before. The moment he grasped the blade, his spirit and the steel became one.

The white-haired soul demon crossed its forearms and let out a roar, its elbow joints protruding outward. In the blink of an eye, a pair of chilling, bone-white blades sprouted forth. It detached them effortlessly from its elbows and caught them with ease. The wounds where the blades had emerged healed instantly. This trivial act of drawing its weapons revealed the full extent of the soul demon's capabilities: near-monstrous regenerative power, dual-wielding, and mastery of martial arts. It was the most formidable demon on Lingxi Island, and its reputation was well-earned.

"I can sense the presence of those wretched formations and talismans," the soul demon said, lifting its right hand and pointing a bone blade directly at Su Ye. "You despicable cur, you are no match for me."

"Whether or not I am a match is something only a fight can decide." Su Ye remained calm, entirely unswayed by the demon's taunts. "Besides, if the immortal masters who created those formations and talismans knew their descendants were ashamed to use them, wouldn't they cough up blood in indignation? Using external tools rationally is much like being blessed with good fortune—it is an inherent part of one's strength. A crude creature such as yourself could never grasp such subtleties."

The soul demon’s eyes shifted abruptly, its voice turning sharp: "You despicable wretch, you dare to weave soul-binding restrictions into your speech!"

Su Ye smiled faintly. "It seems you are not as foolish as you look; you can perceive my arts."

Gritting its iron-hard teeth, the soul demon transformed into a plume of mist and lunged at Su Ye. Each of the two bone blades carried one aspect of the Yin-Yang escape. In the air, afterimages flickered; in a trance, it seemed as if there were thousands of blades striking at once. Reality and illusion were indistinguishable!

A lotus flower formed of sword energy flew from the tip of Su Ye's blade—part probe, part defense. The Yin-escape blade generated a suction force, absorbing the sword energy entirely before the lotus could bloom.

"Little ghost, you dare to challenge me with these amateur tricks?" the soul demon roared. "When I hack off your head, I shall drink every drop of your blood and tear your corpse into ten thousand pieces!"

"Big words for such a small creature." Su Ye sidestepped the attack, his tone remaining effortless and composed.

"You won't be so arrogant when you die beneath my blades." The soul demon’s eyes suddenly turned fierce. Energy surged around its body, and its dual blades, infused with Yin-Yang power, shifted in color. In an instant, it vanished from sight.

***

Su Ye mused to himself, "If the Human Emperor Xiao Qian were here, he would surely want to test his mettle against this demon's blade work. Yet, powerful as it is, it cannot escape the perception of the mind."

*Clang.*

With a soft chime, Su Ye swung his sword gracefully, parrying the strike of the first bone blade. The second blade swung directly toward his waist; had it connected, he would have been cleaved in two. The soul demon, seemingly seeing the blood about to spray, flashed with a crazed joy. "Little ghost, it is your honor to die by my blade and become the source of my power!"

*Clang.*

Shadows of the sword danced, instantly neutralizing the second strike. The soul demon did not hesitate; its blades became a torrential storm, raining down upon Su Ye, who stood rooted to the spot. Afterimages swirled, and the force of the blows rent the air.

The Taichu Sword in Su Ye's hand moved with twice the speed of the bone blades. Without shifting his feet a single inch, he caught every one of the demon’s frenzied strikes. Amidst the relentless clashing of steel, a momentary opening appeared. A streak of sword energy lashed out, striking the unsuspecting demon. A wound several inches deep opened up, instantly coated in viscous blood. With a howl, the soul demon vanished once more.

The air was thick with the scent of blood. Su Ye ran two fingers of his left hand along the length of his blade, his eyes alight with the excitement of battle. "After this fight, how much will you grow?" he whispered.

Within his sea of consciousness, a sound like a joyous resonance echoed. The Taichu Sword, reforged for a second time by Lady Mo, was more ravenous for battle and slaughter than ever before. The harmony between man and blade had reached an unprecedented peak.

The wound on the soul demon’s chest knit shut as it reappeared in mid-air, looking down at Su Ye. "I was merely careless for a moment, which is how you, a despicable wretch, managed that sneak attack. You arrogant brat, daring to compete in speed with a dual-wielder—in this next round, I shall have your head!"

"Bring whatever skills you have to bear."

The first ancient seal on the Yin-Yang Mirror quietly lit up. A faint glow shimmered at his fingertips, and flame instantly engulfed the sword.

***

"It seems you are no nameless nobody," the soul demon's voice suddenly rang in his ear. "Killing an enemy such as you is all the more exhilarating. Die, and become the trophy I shall cherish!"

"Noisy." Su Ye’s eyes grew sharp, his sword dancing like a silver serpent.

The flames shifted and flickered with every collision against the dual blades. The sound of clashing steel became even more rapid than the previous exchange. His right hand wove a web of afterimages, catching every one of the demon's attacks without a single flaw.

"Ah!"

Unable to break through, the soul demon let out a cry and pushed its blade technique to a new level. In an instant, it struck a hundred times. The whistling of flames cutting through the air acted like silent mockery, grating on the demon's senses.

"Is that all you have?" The soft, indifferent whisper was like an invisible blade, piercing straight into the demon’s consciousness.

"Ah!" The soul demon erupted again, pushing its speed to two hundred strikes per instant. The flame-wreathed longsword and the frenzied blade-work intensified simultaneously. Sparks scattered in every direction, and the ground was soon covered in flickering fire-snakes.

Su Ye’s left hand, hidden behind his back, hooked his index and middle fingers upward. The flames scattered on the ground transformed into crimson chains, instantly binding the demon’s neck and arms.

The blade-work came to an abrupt halt. The dense, rain-like clashing of steel vanished in a heartbeat. Extreme motion gave way to absolute stillness.

The soul demon did not panic; it severed its own arms and head, vanishing from sight once more. "You despicable wretch," its voice sounded, now laced with madness. "You dare to defy me so! I shall no longer drink your blood; I will simply mince you into pulp right here!"

As the words faded, the soul demon reappeared in mid-air. It now possessed six thick arms, each brandishing a Yin-Yang bone blade. Within its scarlet pupils, the Taiji pattern flashed before turning into a misty white.

"The Six-Blade Style—can you still hold your ground?" The soul demon’s voice carried a new, overbearing pressure.

"My sword momentum only grows with every strike," Su Ye said, gripping the hilt tight. "Even if you had a Hundred-Blade Style, I would still catch them all."

"First, try surviving the Six-Blade Style."

Before the words were finished, the soul demon lunged through the air.