Chapter 56: Mastery and Strategy

The Demon Blade emitted a low, resonant hum, and countless illusions were shattered by this artless yet devastating punch. A ring of white air rippled out from their clash; Su Yi felt the immense and inexhaustible power of his opponent, silently admiring the terrifying cultivation of the Palace Master of Daylight.

It seemed he would not be able to defeat him quickly.

One had just stepped into the innate realm, while the other was already a peerless figure among innate experts—the difference between them was so vast that even the Demon Blade’s blessing could not bridge it entirely.

Since that was the case, he would have to deal with the others first.

A thought stirred in Su Yi’s heart; a wild wind wrapped around his body. Borrowing the force of his own punch, he propelled himself away like a spring, his target being the former Elder of the Yuan Demon Sect, now the Vice Palace Master of Daylight, Danxia.

The distance between them was but a few yards. In a blink, Su Yi was before Danxia, thrusting the Demon Blade at her.

The former Yuan Demon Sect Elder was terrified, for she sensed wind walls from all sides trapping her in place. A force from behind pressed her forward, compelling her to face the Demon Blade head-on.

Since breaking through to the innate realm, Su Yi had perfected the skill of Sand and Stone in Flight, able to wield it at will. Though it could not kill directly, combined with his advantage of an entire cultivation stage over his opponent, he immediately drove Danxia into a desperate situation.

Danxia had no choice. She thrust her hands forward, her flowing crimson sleeves swirling like clouds, wrapping around the Demon Blade. Energy crackled; Danxia secretly exerted force, tearing her sleeves apart, and used the momentum to flee toward Zuo Qingzong.

Faced with the terrifying power Su Yi had displayed, she was not a proud peak expert like Zuo Qingzong. Fear filled her heart, and she had no desire to fight.

But no matter how fast she moved, how could she escape Su Yi, aided by the wind?

A wall of wind appeared before her, abruptly halting her flight; her speed plummeted, and the Demon Blade swept in from behind.

She struck back with her palm—a violent clash of energies. Danxia screamed; innate energy from the Demon Blade surged through her arm, its razor-sharp aura forming a ring that sliced her entire hand in two.

Zuo Qingzong, full of fury, attacked from several yards away.

Su Yi would not allow him to intervene. A surge of suction from the Demon Blade kept Danxia close, and a fierce wind erupted beneath his feet, carrying both him and Danxia skyward.

Zuo Qingzong struck empty air, while several other Daylight Palace experts also failed to land a blow.

In the blink of an eye, Su Yi wielded the Demon Blade in sweeping arcs, sending tendrils of energy relentlessly toward Danxia.

Danxia, once a Yuan Demon Sect elder whose strength nearly rivaled Feng Fei’s, fought back with everything she had, defending herself against Su Yi’s relentless assault.

Yet, with one hand severed and the supporting wind withdrawn, Danxia’s breath turned from clear to turbid after only two heartbeats. Su Yi seized the perfect moment—her old strength spent, new strength not yet gathered—and finally broke through her defense.

The Demon Blade pierced her body, blood spraying forth, staining Danxia’s face and crimson robes bright red.

She spat blood, her lips trembling as if wanting to speak, but life left her; she plunged into the lake below, swallowed by the waves.

Su Yi landed on the lake’s surface. Below, led by Zuo Qingzong, the Daylight Palace experts stood ready.

Though Danxia’s defeat and death brought a sense of sorrow to some of the Palace disciples, witnessing Su Yi’s battles with both Palace Masters had greatly diminished their fear.

Their adversary had shown incredible abilities, but his martial skills and cultivation were still within comprehension, and even against a Palace Master alone, the fight was evenly matched. If they attacked together, they might yet kill him.

The Daylight Palace crowd watched Su Yi like tigers eyeing prey. He twisted his body, head down, feet up, and struck with the Demon Blade from a distance, sending several swirling columns of energy downward.

Zuo Qingzong crossed his arms to block, white blazing light unfurling like a curtain, forcefully resisting the energy vortex descending from the Demon Blade.

Once more, two streams of innate energy collided, neither yielding. Zuo Qingzong stood unmoved, while Su Yi was flung aside like a broken kite, tumbling toward one of the Daylight Palace experts.

Those still standing on the boat were at least second-rate experts. Their energy was linked; led by Zuo Qingzong, over a dozen Palace experts attacked simultaneously, aiming at Su Yi’s back.

Even if he engaged the nearest adversary, he could not escape the thunderous combined strike of so many masters.

Such a terrifying formation—unless he retreated, even the second-ranked Sword Immortal of Pure Steel would face near-certain death.

Yet Su Yi did not abandon his chosen target. He hardened his resolve; with the wind’s aid, his figure shifted from front to side, and the Demon Blade struck like lightning.

This move caught the enemy off guard. The Daylight Palace expert, whose cultivation rivaled Danxia’s, had become Su Yi’s next target. Unprepared, he managed only a twisting palm strike, landing heavily on the Demon Blade’s edge.

The Demon Blade was knocked aside. The expert grunted, clearly wounded by the blade’s illusionary force. This inherited weapon from the Yuan Demon Sect was truly a peerless tool against those of slightly lesser skill.

Seeing blood flowing from the man’s palm, Su Yi knew the moment could not be wasted. He forcefully channeled his energy, borrowed the wind’s momentum, shifted again in a ghostly flash, closed in, and thrust the Demon Blade forward.

The opponent tried to block but was pulled toward Su Yi by an opposing force. Su Yi struck his shoulder at lightning speed.

Bones shattered at the point of contact; the Demon Blade stabbed into the man’s side, extinguishing his life. The price was a palm strike to Su Yi’s chest.

Though one life had been traded, the attackers showed joy—after all, even an innate expert could not suffer such a blow without injury.

The fierce force passed through Su Yi’s clothes, only to meet the stab-proof and bulletproof layers wrapped in his innate energy, the threefold defense completely dispersing the attack.

Since stepping into the innate realm, Su Yi could project his energy externally to harm others or form a shield around himself. Though it could not withstand a direct blow from a top master, combined with his protective armor, it produced a result greater than the sum of its parts.

The encirclement closed in. Su Yi, in the cramped space, executed subtle and mysterious evasions. With the erratic wind aiding him, even Zuo Qingzong and the others could not pin him down for a full-force strike.

Such movement was beyond human capability.

Su Yi retreated swiftly, deliberately colliding with the tip of a Daylight Palace expert’s blade. Even with wind assistance, he could not face the overwhelming onslaught from all directions at once.

In this impenetrable encirclement, since he could not evade every attack, he simply left his weakest side exposed.

The opponent assumed he had been injured by the earlier palm strike and never expected he would dare to meet the blade head-on.

When the blade touched Su Yi, those watching did not understand but believed victory was assured.

The Daylight Palace expert who stabbed him felt as if he had struck not flesh, but a wall tougher than steel. The blade could not penetrate, failing to harm Su Yi at all.

Utterly shocked, the expert suddenly lost sight of Su Yi, who sprang upright, dodging all subsequent attacks, and landed deftly atop the heads of that expert and another second-rate Palace master.

Su Yi pressed down with his feet; their skulls fractured, and they died instantly.

Zuo Qingzong’s face darkened; the others were pale as death, watching helplessly as Su Yi slaughtered three of their own without suffering a single wound.