Nine steps back, blood at his lips—this was no minor injury. It was a stark contrast to his earlier retreat of a single step, which had been a mere halfmeasure of defeat. The crowd’s hearts raced, their eyes wide with shock. The scene before them was too surreal.
The mighty Sword Demon, brought low by an elevenyearold boy?
What kind of terrifying reality was this?
Moreover, the Five Elements Sword Formation still hovered in the sky, its light undiminished. It was clear that it could unleash another devastating fivecolored sword energy at any moment.
This meant the Little Immortal still had energy to spare!
For the first time, the crowd glimpsed the limits of Ning Changge’s power. For original chapters go to novel⸺fire.net
But the revelation was almost too much to bear.
Dugu Qiubai stood frozen, his hand trembling as it touched the blood at the corner of his mouth. His expression was one of disbelief.
How many years had it been?
How many years since he last tasted defeat?
Not since his early days of learning the sword had he been injured in combat. Once his swordsmanship reached its peak, he had never been harmed again—not even in draws.
But now, he was injured.
The Sword Demon slowly raised his head, his gaze locking onto the whiterobed youth before him. His eyes filled with shock, and then, gradually, admiration.
“Now I see… You’re one of them.”
“No, you’re even more extraordinary. They only became truly powerful after ascending to the Land Immortal realm…”
His voice carried a note of awe, leaving the crowd puzzled.
The Old Celestial Master, however, froze. His eyes widened in realization, a look of shock overtaking his face.
He thought he understood what the Sword Demon meant by “one of them.”
Ning Changge understood as well.
A thought crossed his mind.
“It seems the Sword Demon has crossed paths with Land Immortals possessing innate spiritual constitutions,” he mused.
The Sword Demon was likely referring to individuals like the Green Lotus Sword Immortal.
Those with spiritual constitutions could resonate with the forces of heaven and earth far beyond ordinary Land Immortals. For a regular Land Immortal to match them was nearly impossible—unless they possessed extraordinary talent, like the Sword Demon himself.
Ning Changge replied calmly:
If anything, Ning Changge was the endpoint of their aspirations, the culmination of their goals. The heavenly energy they could only dream of was something he held in the palm of his hand, something that danced at his fingertips.
The Sword Demon was momentarily stunned, his face filled with doubt.
“I could clearly sense…”
He trailed off, a thought forming in his mind that even he found hard to believe.
His pupils contracted, and for the first time, his eyes filled with genuine fear.
He stared at Ning Changge, who met his gaze with calm indifference.
“You’ve already surpassed them!”
Ning Changge nodded faintly.
The Sword Demon’s shock deepened.
At last, he understood the nature of the opponent he had challenged.
Throwing his head back, he laughed, his body trembling with mirth.
“Good! In a million years, someone has finally broken the shackles. Excellent! And to think I, Dugu Qiubai, am the first to know of it. What an honor! Too bad… I won’t live to see that day.”
His laughter carried a sense of relief and acceptance.
The crowd of swordsmen was alarmed.
From his words, they sensed an undercurrent of resignation.
Ning Changge spoke softly:
“If you wish, you can live to see it.”
He appreciated talent.
The Sword Demon’s brilliance was undeniable. If he could step onto the path of the Immortal Dao, he would undoubtedly become a peerless Sword Immortal, even with a mortal body.
But Dugu Qiubai shook his head slowly.
“To witness such a path today is already the greatest honor of my life. My time has come; there’s no need to cling to life.”
At his core, the Sword Demon was a man of pride.
He longed to see new horizons, but not at the cost of his dignity.
His eyes burned with fervor.
“I have one last sword, incomplete. It’s called Nothingness. Will you show me your strongest strike?”
The crowd watched in awe as the Sword Demon’s towering sword intent began to dissipate.
Spreading his arms wide, he seemed to embrace the heavens. A formless aura radiated from him, leaving the onlookers breathless.
Only now did they realize—Dugu Qiubai had never drawn a sword.
His hands were empty, yet his heart was full of swords.
Everything was a sword.
The crowd began to grasp the magnitude of his final technique. Even Ning Changge’s eyes glimmered with anticipation.
“Very well,” he said.
Above, the Five Elements Spirit Swords began to tremble violently.
The Sword Demon closed his eyes, a serene smile on his face.
Immersed in the moment, he felt nothing but the resonance of the sword.
There was no soaring sword intent, no overwhelming aura.
Yet everyone felt it—a sharpness being born, as if the Sword Demon himself had become a sword.
Even his vitality began to fade.
The Old Celestial Master’s expression turned solemn.
He understood now why the Sword Demon had come to Tianzhu Peak.
This was his final act, his swan song.
But he hadn’t expected Ning Changge to be so powerful, forcing the Sword Demon to unleash his incomplete ultimate technique.
Dugu Qiubai’s face was serene, his body seemingly transforming into a sword.
This was the pinnacle of swordsmanship—man and sword as one.
The crowd watched in reverence.
In the void, there was no visible sword energy.
Yet the air was filled with the sound of swords humming.
The Sword Demon was pouring the last of his life force into this strike.
Ning Changge stepped forward, his voice calm as he addressed his opponent:
“This sword is called the Five Elements Sword Lotus, a technique I derived from the Green Lotus Sword Immortal. Please, judge it.”
He would hold nothing back.