Sword Awakens the Five Elements Chapter 111: Paying Homage to the Sect Leader

The demonic sect was nearing its end. The previous leader had been slain by Li Qingqiu, the Grand General of the Imperial Guards. Under the pretense of secluded cultivation breakthroughs, no word was spoken. All internal affairs were managed by the Sacred Maiden, Nan Lian. She once personally traveled to Weilan City to invite Ouyang Yu, the daughter of the Sword Demon, to emerge from seclusion and take over the turbulent sect. Master Ouyang, who had devoted herself to teaching Confucian classics, wished to sever ties with the Sword Demon and firmly declined Nan Lian’s request. Yet, at Nan Lian’s insistence, she revealed a path to follow. The original plan to overturn the world also presented a perfect opportunity for the sect’s rebirth.

“Preserve the soul-bound corporeal form. When someone comes to destroy it, the turning point will arrive,” Master Ouyang had said, words that soon materialized during the Jingzhe sacrificial rites.

Guided by these words, Nan Lian saw the way forward clearly once the fog veiling reality lifted.

Su Ye took a few steps forward, approaching a stone brick to confirm the inscription. He had carved eight characters in the order: "The Sword Immortal shall rise, the demonic sect shall be overturned." But through the careless handiwork of the so-called “genius,” the meaning was utterly distorted.

Qi Zheng exclaimed, “This must be a divine sign from Heaven... the demonic sect can still be saved!”

The helmsman’s voice echoed loudly within the altar chamber. The extinguished flames were reborn from silence.

Nan Lian stepped beside the stone brick and proclaimed aloud: “‘The Sword Overturns, the Immortal Topples, the Demonic Sect Shall Rise.’ This is Heaven’s mercy bestowed upon us.”

Full of pride, the careless one turned to Zhou An and asked, “Brother Zhou, did I do a fine job?”

Zhou An, having read the original inscription Su Ye carved, dared not utter a word.

Su Ye’s composed expression remained unchanged, even when minor errors appeared during the crucial moment of persuasion. His resolve was unshaken.

Facing the congregation whose eyes blazed with hope, Nan Lian declared loudly, “The Demonic Ancestor and Sacred Master burned his own portrait... When doing so, he explicitly told me: Su Ye is the one who inherits the Demonic Ancestor’s will...”

Su Ye’s calm eyes suddenly stirred a tempest. Turning to look at Nan Lian as if seeing her for the first time, the situation slipped beyond his control.

All eyes fell upon Su Ye. To challenge the Demonic Ancestor’s authority and survive was an unspoken validation of the Sacred Maiden’s words.

Zhang Qiang, standing at the edge of the altar cave, gaped and looked at Zhou An, whose expression mirrored his own: “Did I hear that correctly?”

“No, you definitely heard right,” Zhou An replied, still unable to close his mouth.

The careless one looked between Zhang Qiang and his fellow townsman Zhou An, questioning, “Wasn’t it just a few words from that wild woman? What meaning did you find in them?”

Zhou An raised his index finger to his lips, signaling the careless one to keep silent.

Sudden events like this would shock anyone.

Su Ye swiftly regained his composure. After weighing his options, he decided to go along with the current.

“Indeed,” Su Ye stepped forward with a calm smile, “I am precisely the one favored by the Demonic Ancestor Sacred Master, the heir to Heaven’s decree.”

Nan Lian seized the opportunity to ask, “Mr. Su, what hidden meaning lies within the eight ancient characters appearing on the sacred altar?”

“A sage in Weilan City once spoke of the ‘Three Swords Theory,’” Su Ye’s voice was clear, “the Sword Saint, the Sword Demon, and the Sword Immortal. The first two have withdrawn from worldly matters, so Heaven’s mandate naturally falls upon me...”

“How should we interpret ‘The Sword Overturns, the Immortal Topples’?” Nan Lian voiced the crowd’s unease. Those four characters carried ominous implications, unsettling the congregation.

Su Ye responded calmly, “The demonic sect was established through the sword, yet it has slowly declined since the Demonic Ancestor Sacred Master’s demise... In this critical moment of survival, the Sword Immortal emerges suddenly...”

Those aware of the stone brick’s subtlety exchanged glances, both admiring Su Ye’s skillful manipulation.

“Looks like... the Sacred Maiden and Su Ye had reached some sort of agreement inside the cave,” Zhang Qiang whispered, “otherwise, she wouldn’t be so earnest in helping him.”

“Have those two... already crossed the line? Su Ye claims to shun women, but he’s actually more eager than anyone,” the careless one grumbled dissatisfied, “The Sacred Maiden has no taste. By looks alone, I’m better than Su Ye!”

“...”
“...”

At that moment, Chai Du, having received the helmsman’s transmission, asked loudly, “Mr. Su, are you truly the Sword Immortal favored by fate?”

At this critical juncture, even if not the Sword Immortal, one could not deny it outright.

Drawing the Primordial Sword into his grasp, Su Ye elegantly performed a sword flourish. He stepped sideways, gathering strength in his arm. A fierce sword aura shot forth like a rainbow, piercing through a distant mountainside with a smooth cut several feet deep.

“The Demonic Ancestor Sacred Master imparted his entire sword technique to me,” Su Ye revealed a move he had secretly learned during battles, “entrusting me with both the sword skills and the hope for the sect’s revival.”

Chai Du pressed on, “Where do you intend to lead the demonic sect?”

“Before and after the New Year, the demonic energy across the Three Thousand Realms grows thicker... Civilians suffer from demon invasions, and chaos begins to emerge...”

The congregation rejoiced. Su Ye would surely lead them to establish the new world the Demonic Ancestor had failed to realize.

Unexpectedly, he shifted tone.

“After deep reflection, I know that building a new world is impossible... I have decided to change the sect’s name completely, severing all ties to the past. Without the demonic sect, we need not defy Heaven or lay down our lives for this so-called new world. You may also cast off your burdens and pursue your desires.”

The crowd was stunned.

Nan Lian then summoned from her jade gourd the leader’s token forged from Heavenly Profound Jade. Holding the jade plaque with both hands, she approached Su Ye and bowed, “Please accept the token, Master.”

Su Ye took the warm jade plaque, engraved with the ancient characters for “Heaven’s Mandate.” In the mysterious forces at work, this leader’s token, crafted by Sword Demon Ouyang Zhi himself, seemed destined for him.

Holding the jade token, Su Ye strode directly to the stone chair beside the altar where Nan Lian had descended.

“The world the Demonic Ancestor sought to build disregarded countless lives... His demise by the heavenly tribulation was both fate and a warning,” Su Ye sat in the high-backed stone chair, staring at the congregation across the dark pool, his tone suddenly sharp, “Those who forget their roots will not be tolerated by Heaven and Earth!”

A shudder ran through the crowd.

Playing with the leader’s token, Su Ye said in a low voice, “The Demonic Ancestor is history now; the decayed old shell must be shed... From this day forward, the demonic sect shall be renamed the Holy Fire Sect. Our ideal is no longer to build a new world...”

Nan Lian and Qi Zheng remained silent.

The congregation eagerly awaited.

“This cycle’s purge of demons will see the entire sect mobilized. Through achievements in slaying demons, we will atone for past sins. Shedding the weight of sin, our souls will see the light of day.”

Silence fell.

“Having spoken, does anyone dissent?” Su Ye placed his right foot on the chair, his posture and tone brimming with boldness.

Chai Du glanced at Qi Zheng and declared loudly, “We obey the Master’s sacred command!”

One voice called out, a thousand answered.

Seated on the high platform, Su Ye’s heart swelled with myriad emotions. The new world the Sword Demon had long dreamed of was ultimately buried by his own hands.

The old king’s shell shattered, and from it emerged a new sovereign.

As eras change, heroes don new masks.

Now, it was his turn to command thunder and lightning.

...

Assuming a new identity to resolve the hidden crisis within the Demon Suppression Division, he entered You Ruo City. Ultimately, as the leader of the demonic sect, he brought an end to the darkness that had lingered in the shadows for years.

Even in Su Ye’s wildest dreams, none of this had appeared.

Fate is truly unpredictable.