Chapter 54: The Majestic Power of Heaven and Earth

The imposing man stood with his hands behind his back and spoke calmly, “Indeed, it is I.”

A chill swept through the crowd, their bodies seized with dread.

In this world, who could claim supremacy among both the righteous and the demonic paths? A few years ago, the title of Pure Steel Sword Immortal was undisputed. But five years prior, after the former Grandmaster of the Primordial Demon Sect challenged the Sword Immortal atop Mount Taihua and fell to his death in defeat, this peerless master also vanished without a trace. Rumors abounded: some claimed the Sword Immortal had barely eked out a victory, only to succumb to his wounds; others said he had secluded himself to heal; still others whispered he had glimpsed the pinnacle of martial arts in that fateful battle and shut himself away in pursuit of transcendence.

Whatever the truth, the fact remained—Pure Steel Sword Immortal had disappeared for five years. Thus, those with a penchant for speculation began anew their debates over the world’s greatest. No matter the version, though, the Palace Lord of Daylight, Zuo Qingzong, always held a firm grip on the second seat, ever in reach of the first.

Three centuries ago, when the Demon King Lu Sheng nearly eradicated the Primordial Demon Sect, the sect fell into decline, and Daylight Palace gradually rose to claim the title of foremost demonic sect, its successive lords consistently counted among the top ten masters of the age.

Since Zuo Qingzong had ascended to the throne of Daylight Palace, his renown had flourished over fifteen years. With the former Grandmaster of the Primordial Demon Sect fallen, Zuo was lauded as the most likely figure in a hundred years to unify the demonic path. Now, this peerless master stood before them—how could any fail to be shaken?

Zuo Qingzong’s gentle voice reached the ears of the crestfallen crowd, “For the sake of Chi Lingxiao’s lifelong honor, I am willing to give you a chance. Hand over the True Secret, join my Daylight Palace, and aid me in unifying the demonic world, and I will spare your lives.”

Danxia’s face flickered with astonishment. “Palace Lord?”

But at the sight of Zuo Qingzong’s right hand moving, Danxia seemed to recall something dreadful. Terror stilled his tongue, and he dared not speak further.

Zuo’s voice was as warm and smooth as jade, a spring breeze to the ear. The less accomplished among them felt a strange confusion, a sudden fondness welling from within, as if forgetting that the man before them was a notorious demon lord. Their will to resist was all but extinguished.

“Hmph!” Two cold snorts rang out almost simultaneously, thunderous in the ears of all, snapping them back to their senses. Fear and anger mingled in their eyes as they glared at the demon lord.

Pang Xian, regaining his composure, flew into a rage. “What nonsense of a palace lord! You’d best take your lackeys and get out while you can, or when I return and report to the Governor, the court will send an army to raze your mountain stronghold to the ground!”

Zuo Qingzong’s eyes, cold and demonic, fixed on Pang Xian, who immediately felt a chilling numbness in his limbs, as if frozen solid. With a casual wave of his left hand, a wooden block from the prow’s guardrail shattered and shot towards Pang Xian’s eyes with lightning speed, the force enough to pierce his skull and kill him instantly.

A steel whip lashed out, striking the flying block and curling around it, but the block exploded into dust. Guan Shan trembled, forced three steps back, and a fleeting pallor crossed his face.

Only now did the fear register on Pang Xian’s face. He hastily retreated, motioning for the soldiers to shield him with their heavy shields.

“What formidable Heavenly Extreme Technique!” Guan Shan exhaled heavily, his expression more grave than ever before.

Before witnessing this, he could never have imagined the vast gulf that separated himself from the true apex of the world.

A look of appreciation flashed across Zuo Qingzong’s face. “Guan Shan, peerless with the whip? Not bad. If you are willing to join my Daylight Palace, I can make you a Protector.”

Guan Shan drew a deep breath, his face uncommonly calm. “I’ve spent my life as an escort, trading on fair terms. I have no wish to be anyone’s dog.”

Zuo Qingzong sighed softly, his gaze sweeping the people at the prow, seeing not a trace of wavering. He turned away, hands clasped behind his back.

“If it’s death you seek, then so be it.”

Danxia’s face twisted in wild elation, then morphed into hysteria. “Kill them all!”

In the next instant, flaming arrows streaked through the night, and the roar of battle cries boiled over like a cauldron. Blades and swords rang as they were bared; from some unknown ship, war drums thundered. Dozens of ships unfurled their sails and manned their oars, surging forward like arrows loosed from a bowstring, bearing down on the three war junks.

Leading the assault were three fire ships, laden with combustibles that blazed with flames a man’s height, massive fireballs hurtling towards the hulls.

The officers shouted themselves hoarse, while soldiers below deck strained at the oars, trying to evade the burning vessels. Several war junks maneuvered their battering booms into position with ropes and pulleys, and the suspended stone hammers dropped, smashing the fire ships to pieces before they could close in, sending the wreckage into the lake.

But more ships, and more men, pressed ever closer.

At that moment, Su Yi moved.

He stepped forward, each footfall echoing like a muffled drumbeat in the hearts of all present. In a few strides, he reached the prow’s highest point.

A soft chant issued from his lips, growing louder and louder until it drowned out the oars and the tumult, swelling to the roar of a tiger and the call of a dragon.

Su Yi leapt forward, and even someone as formidable as Zuo Qingzong could not help but turn to look.

Then he and everyone else beheld a sight they would never forget.

A figure strode into the night sky, untethered from the earth, his robes billowing wildly in the wind. A beam of light—its source unknowable—flared behind him, making him shine like the brightest star against the full moon above.

No one could believe their eyes.

There was nothing beneath Su Yi’s feet, as if he were a god surveying mortals from the clouds. He extended his hand, as though commanding the very forces of the cosmos. The fire ships yet to reach the war junks seemed caught by a giant’s hand, their flames snuffed out, left spinning in place.

Wherever his gaze fell, sails on the enemy ships were struck as if by the fiercest sea gale, capsizing vessel after vessel into the water. Countless men screamed and flailed, struggling to avoid being sucked into the lake’s swirling currents.

An overwhelming assault, grand and mighty, was swept away by Su Yi before it could even begin.

Countless soldiers, shaken to their core, fell to their knees in that moment.

Su Yi’s eyes turned to the last remaining great ship. The wind howled, snapping its masts and shredding its sails. The vessel capsized and rolled helplessly, and Zuo Qingzong and the other elite masters leapt up in haste, landing atop the upturned hull floating on the water.

These once-arrogant lords of the demonic path could never have imagined that they would one day know such utter terror.