Volume One: The Demon God's Young Master Chapter 4: The Way of the Sword
Deep within the remote back mountains of the Heavenly Gang Sword Sect, Qi Yu was on the verge of losing his way in the dense forest. Yet a joyous expression lingered on his face—finally, he could cultivate again. The next time he met his sister Liu Rouxue, he vowed to give her a grand surprise!
Not only had he survived, but he had also gained newfound cultivation!
His only concern now was whether the Second Elder would come seeking revenge for Su Ze’an’s death.
As he pressed on, the sound of flowing water reached his ears. Quickening his pace, Qi Yu soon came upon a cascading waterfall, beneath which lay a deep pool.
Blood stained his body, and sweat poured from his brow after the arduous trek. Without hesitation, he shed his tattered clothes and leapt into the pool.
The water was crystal clear and icy cold, its depths unfathomable, like the maw of an abyss.
Immersed beneath the waterfall, fatigue began to ebb from his body. He even noticed fish swimming past, and his stomach rumbled at the most inopportune moment.
Instinctively, Qi Yu dived underwater. As he grasped a fish and surfaced, he was startled to see Yao Yao seated on a stone beside the water, a faint, almost enigmatic smile curling her lips.
“Yao Yao, you can come out?” he asked in surprise.
Yao Yao scoffed, “My true form is the great sword within your heart.”
Qi Yu recalled the giant sword he had held beneath Qingtian Peak, and the one within the sword domain—though identical in appearance, their sizes were worlds apart.
Seeming to sense his doubt, Yao Yao explained, “Don’t ponder it. With your current cultivation, you cannot reach my true form. What you held that day was merely a shadow I cast.”
“Even as a mere shadow, I could devour your reason.”
“Only by striking my true form within the sword domain can you truly command it!”
She left unsaid the final thought—that if he fully awakened the demonic bloodline within, even she would bow before him.
Qi Yu smiled awkwardly. Yao Yao was not wrong; the giant sword’s shadow had stirred a murderous desire within him, magnifying it until it nearly consumed his sanity.
Yao Yao then glanced behind him and continued, “There is a chance waiting for you in this pool. Whether you seize it depends on you.”
“What chance?” Qi Yu asked.
With a mysterious smile, Yao Yao placed her hands behind her back. “It is something that can only be understood intuitively.”
With that, her figure vanished.
Trusting Yao Yao’s words, Qi Yu decided to make camp beneath the waterfall. Not far off, he found a spacious cave where he felled trees to craft a wooden bed, two chairs, and a table.
Seated on the bed, he once again delved his consciousness into the Demonic Sword Domain.
Yao Yao still stood atop the giant sword. Though distant, her voice carried clearly to Qi Yu’s ears.
“Qi Yu, cultivation alone does not reveal all. Only through trials of life and death can your true strength emerge.”
She pointed a finger, and suddenly, the space before Qi Yu rippled. From thin air, a massive demonic beast materialized.
The creature resembled a spider, with eight long legs embedded into the earth, gleaming with a metallic sheen.
Yao Yao spoke casually, “This is the lowest-grade monster I summoned from the Demon Realm. Your task now is to slay it.”
The demonic spider, disoriented at first, scanned its surroundings. Spotting Qi Yu, it roared instinctively and thrust a long leg toward him.
Startled, Qi Yu swiftly dodged. The metallic leg sliced through the air, striking the ground with a resounding thud, gouging a deep crater.
“Han Chan!” he called, summoning his spirit sword while evading. The spider relentlessly pursued him, any lapse threatening to pierce his flesh.
Suddenly, it spat two threads of webbing that stuck to one of Qi Yu’s legs. Caught off guard, he found himself pinned to the ground.
The enormous spider loomed closer, raising its foreleg to strike down!
Cold sweat beaded on Qi Yu’s forehead. Clutching Han Chan, he held his breath and focused. A layer of spiritual energy began to cloak the sword.
A flash of sword light streaked forth, cleaving the spider’s leg with sparks flying.
But before he could rest, the spider raised another leg, stabbing from the opposite side.
A fierce gust whipped toward his face. Without hesitation, Qi Yu leaned back, narrowly avoiding the blow and glimpsing the spider’s soft underbelly.
A sly smile tugged at his lips. He forcefully broke free from the sticky webbing, planted his foot firmly, and leapt into the air.
Yao Yao, watching from atop the demon sword, scoffed, “Fool.”
The spider’s weakness lay in its belly, yet Qi Yu had leapt into midair. Besides its sharp forelegs, it could also emit webbing. If caught midair, he would have no escape but death.
Yao Yao was about to intervene, but then paused.
Qi Yu’s dantian spirit energy surged into Han Chan, and two arcs of sword energy erupted—silver rainbows shaped like crescent moons.
In an instant, the sword energy shattered the spider’s webbing. As it raised a leg once more, Qi Yu plummeted toward the spider’s belly and thrust his sword before it could react.
The colossal spider collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Panting heavily, Qi Yu sat cross-legged, closing his eyes to restore his spiritual energy.
Yao Yao smiled faintly. “This kid…”
The twin sword energies truly surprised her. It must be Qi Yu’s own realization.
During his days in the Demon Sword Domain, Qi Yu had spent endless hours meditating and sword swinging. He tirelessly practiced the monotonous thrust over thousands, even tens of thousands, of repetitions.
Yet he had never before produced sword energy.
Yao Yao leapt down from the demon sword, walking as she said, “Hiding your talents?”
Qi Yu opened his eyes slowly once his breath steadied. “No. Back at the Sword Sect, the sect master taught me swordsmanship. Although I had no cultivation, my understanding of sword energy surpassed many senior brothers.”
He recalled a pavilion by the lake three years ago at the Heavenly Gang Sword Sect.
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