Sudden Reversal

"All right, Commander Jiang. With Lord Su here, we'll give it everything we've got."

As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of figures darted after the one in front. In the blink of an eye, a new battle erupted.

The Demonic Beasts who had been swaggering just moments ago now cowered behind the Divine Blade Sect, too afraid to show their faces.

As the Demon Suppression Division's men charged toward them, the Divine Blade Sect disciples felt deeply conflicted. As a member of the human race, Su Ye's figure, as imposing as a devil god's, had left them utterly shaken.

But they had long since betrayed Great Xia. Now, faced with Su Ye's overwhelming might, they were filled with fear. Whether their sect master won or lost seemed to have nothing to do with them.

Even if he won, how many of them would survive Su Ye?

"Bang!"

Su Ye casually blasted aside a Divine Blade Sect disciple blocking his path. Without slowing, he pressed on toward the crowd behind them. The Demonic Beasts were just ahead.

The Divine Blade Sect disciples around him couldn't hold his attention for even a moment.

When the Divine Blade Sect members saw the familiar figure charging toward them, they instinctively parted to let him through. Not a single person tried to stop him; quite a few young men and women even gazed at him with admiration.

A female disciple of the Divine Martial Sect looked at him with shining eyes and couldn't help whispering in awe.

"He's the one who just showed off his power. I didn't expect him to be so handsome."

Another female disciple rolled her eyes and quietly reminded her, "What are you doing, mooning over a man at a time like this?"

That was what she said, but her own eyes shone just as brightly. As if she'd thought of something too embarrassing to say aloud, her pretty face flushed faintly.

The cries of battle and angry shouts rose and fell all around them, yet something about the scene felt strangely surreal. The fighters in the thick of battle had all been drawn to that tall, straight-backed figure.

Everyone wore a different expression. Only the Demon Suppression Division's side looked excited. Among the Divine Blade Sect, the elder gazed pensively at Su Ye, then seemed to understand the situation.

As Su Ye raced forward, his figure suddenly faltered. An aged voice sounded in his mind.

"I am Jiang Hong, an elder of the Divine Blade Sect. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Su."

"Lord Su, you're so young, yet you've already got one foot over the threshold of the Core Condensation realm. This old man can only marvel at your talent."

"I beg you, Lord Su, to spare a path of survival for those few disappointing disciples of mine and let them leave."

As Jiang Hong sent the message, he quickly glanced around and slowly set the wooden chest on his back down on the ground.

"Lord Su, this is one of the treasures left behind by the founding patriarch of my Divine Blade Sect. I hope you'll accept it."

Su Ye gave no sign of his thoughts as he subtly changed course and approached the chest. As he quickly stowed it away, he furtively opened it for a glance.

Inside lay a black long saber. It was as dark as ink from hilt to tip, very much like a Tang-style saber from his past life, only longer and broader.

Su Ye's expression remained unchanged, but he thought, I didn't expect an unexpected windfall. He gave a slight nod, then continued toward the Demonic Beasts.

Jiang Hong's expression eased. Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out in his mind.

"Jiang Hong, how dare you give away the founding patriarch's relic without permission? Besides, that man is clearly heading for the Demonic Beasts. Wouldn't that mean losing our sect's treasure for nothing?"

"Protector Wei, the young man has extraordinary talent. He's reached the half-step Core Condensation realm at such a young age, and his future is limitless. Befriending him before he comes into his own can only benefit us."

Jiang Hong added, "With this young man suddenly joining the fray, the situation has become unpredictable."

"We may not make it through this calamity unscathed. Reinforcements from the Demon Suppression Division could arrive at any moment."

"Right now, we need to play it safe. If we send out more of our best young disciples, we can keep our Divine Blade Sect's line alive."

"There's no way we can hold on to this saber today. We might as well forge a good relationship instead. Protector Wei, do you still think I'm making a needless fuss?"

Protector Wei pondered for a moment. "Elder Jiang, why be so pessimistic? The sect master and the others might finish off Ye Haichuan in no time."

"Perhaps there'll be other surprises, too. At this point, preparing in advance is the best course."

Elder Jiang smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"I'll hold them off for you. Brother Wei, hurry and go."

"Take care, Elder Jiang."

With that, Protector Wei leaped up and led several young men and women in a swift retreat.

Su Ye passed through the defensive formation formed by the Divine Blade Sect disciples. His gaze fell upon the Demonic Beasts several hundred meters away.

"These Divine Blade Sect trash all deserve to die!" Yuan Xiao roared and stamped heavily on the ground.

"Brothers, he's here. Get ready!"

At Yuan Xiao's command, the Demonic Beasts slowly formed a defensive formation. They stared fixedly at the approaching man, their throats occasionally rumbling with threatening growls.

"Kid, where did you come from? How come I've never heard of anyone like you in the Demon Suppression Division?" Yuan Xiao asked, his gaze dark as he stared at Su Ye.

Su Ye's gaze was cold. He didn't reply. The soil beneath his feet instantly flew up as he shot forward like an arrow loosed from its string.

Yuan Xiao's eye twitched. He hurriedly called out, "Kid, Ape Lord will finish off Old Ghost Wang in less than half a quarter-hour."

"Why waste your time tangling with us? Hurry up and leave before you lose your life!"

Su Ye didn't use his baleful power. Relying solely on his physical strength and true qi, he crossed several hundred meters in an instant.

He scoffed at Yuan Xiao's threat. Even if it was true, he could quickly add points to boost his strength, then transform into the Blood Fiend State and fight Ape Lord. Who knew? He might even defeat and kill him.

The Demonic Beasts before him were far too tempting. They were like beautiful women with nothing on. If he gave up such a golden opportunity just because of an Ape Demon's threat, then what was the point of practicing martial arts? He might as well go home and farm.

He had secretly boosted the Vast Sea True Intent Fist earlier for this very moment. The technique complemented the Mountain Sea True Intent Scroll he cultivated perfectly.

His fist swept out like a vast sea surging in a torrent, wave after endless wave. It was as if a monstrous tide had risen in midair, and a dark fist-shadow roared forth.

"Boom!"

The explosion cracked like thunder, shaking the ground violently. Several massive figures braced themselves against the monstrous fist-shadow with all their might.

Yuan Xiao transformed into a ten-zhang giant ape, his muscles knotted and his arms trembling as he roared with every ounce of strength.

"This kid's strength is off! He's far stronger now than before. Brothers, attack!"

The other massive figures bracing the fist-shadow alongside the giant ape roared and urged the others on.

"He must've used a Secret Technique earlier. Now, he's at most in the Aperture Opening Late Stage."

"Everyone, attack together! He'll be dead for sure!"

"Roar! Roar!"

At the words, more than a dozen Demonic Beasts roared and revealed their true forms before pouncing. The ground shook violently, clouds of dust billowed, and the sight was terrifying.

Su Ye narrowed his eyes. Demonic Beasts at the Aperture Opening realm could take human form, and seeing more than ten of them reveal their true forms at once made his heart sink.

Every one of these Demonic Beasts was in the Aperture Opening realm. His heart tightened. Without using his baleful power, there was no way his current state could let him kill so many Demonic Beasts in a single strike.

Facing the Demonic Beasts hurtling toward him, Su Ye remained fearless. His greatest strength wasn't his internal cultivation, but his body, tempered again and again.

"This will only take a little extra effort."

The Demon Suppression Division fighters battling in the distance couldn't help narrowing their eyes. They'd heard what the Demonic Beasts had said.

They still vividly remembered Su Ye's feat of slapping dozens of Demonic Beasts to death. Seeing this scene now, all at once, was difficult to accept.

If Su Ye really was this powerful only because he'd used a Secret Technique, wouldn't they be in danger tonight? Secret Techniques always came at a price. Some even demanded one's life.

A young man looked uneasily toward Jiang Qingyun. "Sir, if the Demonic Beasts are right, what should we do?"