Sword Aura to the Heavens
Chapter 171 - 167 Change

Chapter 171: Chapter 167 Change

Demon Saint Palace. Step by step, the Old Blind Man ascended the staircase.

With each step, his momentum grew ever stronger. Sword Intent surged like a colossal wave, devouring all within the heavens and earth.

His Divine Soul silhouette grew ever more translucent, as if becoming unreal, and yet also as if it had transformed into a sword—an indomitable blade.

The Heavenly Nine Declines; with each sword stroke, he pushed the limits. Each stroke was stronger than the last.

When the Old Blind Man moved forward with one step, it was akin to unleashing a sword stroke; however, the force of the sword remained within him. Upon his second step, the sword’s momentum compounded, and his figure reverted to purity. As he ascended step by step, the Sword Intent seemed to gather inwardly, vanishing from sight.

"Hmm?"

Many demons turned to look his way, sensing that something was amiss.

Yet, in the very next moment, the Old Blind Man stepped forward again. Sword Intent swept forth, leveling Demon Saint Palace to the ground in an instant. In that fleeting moment, the Old Blind Man reclaimed the pinnacle, entering the zenith of the Seven Realms.

At this moment, he seemed to embody Zuo Canglan, who once stormed across the world in his prime.

The demons all felt that the next sword about to be unleashed would undoubtedly be the ultimate strike—the sword that marked the Old Blind Man’s triumphant return to peak form.

Above the heavens, a fathomless apparition of a colossal Demon Fox loomed, its nine tails raised high, blotting out the sky and sun.

Within that celestial canopy, it seemed as though countless pairs of eyes materialized, fixating upon the Old Blind Man below.

"Li Mountain, Li Mountain," a voice rang out, reverberating across the heavens. "You only know how to slay demons and eradicate devils. Do you truly believe that only humans are lifeforms while demons are not? Born of the spirit of heaven and earth, why are you humans so arrogant and conceited?"

The voice from the sky was thunderous, shaking hearts and penetrating souls. The countless eyes seemed to pull the Old Blind Man into an Illusion Realm, attempting to manipulate his Divine Soul.

Although the Old Blind Man could not see, he could feel the space around him twisting, as worldly elements shifted and transformed.

The Nine-tailed Heavenly Fox—said to be the strongest among Fox Demons—possessed extraordinarily terrifying Illusion Techniques that could ensnare others effortlessly.

For an ordinary cultivator, a single glance would suffice to entangle them in an illusion, but who was the Old Blind Man if not someone exceptional? *How could he succumb to an illusionary realm so easily?*

The silhouette of the Old Blind Man didn’t continue climbing; instead, he shot upward in a straight line, heading directly toward the Demon Saint. The surging Sword Intent within him compressed to an extreme, encased entirely within his form.

In an instant, his figure tore through space and arrived before the Demon Saint. That figure itself became the ultimate sword.

As the sword was about to strike, a blast of ultimate cold swept through. The nine tails looming across the sky swayed as terrifying mana poured forth. In that instant, the heavens and the earth were encased in ice.

The entire world transformed into a snow-white realm. Demon Saint Palace froze solid in the blink of an eye.

Li Fan hovered in the void; he felt as though space and time itself had halted. Then frost spread across his body, engulfing him completely until he appeared as an ice sculpture suspended mid-air.

This freezing effect didn’t stop at him; countless demons across the city were also rendered motionless in the next moment.

Even the Old Blind Man’s advancing figure fell still, but the ferocious erupting Sword Intent persisted, bit by bit breaking through the frozen realm as it moved relentlessly toward the Demon Saint.

"Boom..."

Another tail lashed out, igniting a blaze that consumed the heavens, painting the sky a fiery red. Flames and frost intertwined, and the two opposing forces engulfed the city simultaneously.

Then came the third tail... and the fourth...

Each tail carried with it a distinct form of mana.

The Demon Saint remained standing atop the stairs, her gaze fixed intently upon the incoming sword strike. Her eyes turned unnaturally bizarre, resembling bottomless abysses.

A torrent of Sword Intent descended upon her, while behind her, Sword Aura shredded everything in its wake.

From above, the colossal silhouette of the Demon Fox dove downward, merging directly into the Old Blind Man’s Divine Soul.

"Boom..."

In an instant, the Old Blind Man seemed to be transported to another world.

Moonlight illuminated the desolate wilderness.

A group of fleeing Fox Demons sprinted across the barren expanse. In the distance, human cultivators pursued them relentlessly.

The Fox Demon Clan fled desperately. Some attempted resistance, but during their struggle, many of the foxes were slain.

A few Fox Demons scrambled into a mountain cave, hoping to hide.

But humans soon closed in on their refuge.

A bloody massacre ensued, and soon the Fox Demon Clan was nearly eradicated—only three foxes remained alive.

Two of the foxes transformed into human forms: a pair of husband and wife. They stepped forward and addressed the humans, "We have lived here peacefully, never harming humans. Why must you drive us to extinction?"

"Heavenly Fox," one of the humans exclaimed with glowing eyes. Another sneered coldly, "Demons are inherently vile and should die—no reason is needed."

"Why must demons die?" the female fox screeched in furious despair.

"Because you are weak," the human mockingly replied, charging forward.

The Fox Demon couple fought against the humans fiercely, buying time for a young Fox Demon to flee.

The young Fox Demon ran madly, tears streaming down her face as she fled across the desolate wilderness, lonely and heartbroken.

"You humans are arrogant and self-righteous—Li Mountain’s Sword Cultivators are no exception. You proclaim justice. For thousands of years, I have worked tirelessly to grow stronger, leading my people in learning from humanity. I wanted to make them as strong as you, so they could live well in this world."

The Fox Demon’s sharp voice rang in the Old Blind Man’s mind.

"So, let me see what you Li Mountain Sword Cultivators truly think."

The Demon Saint, in her true form as the Nine-tailed Heavenly Fox, was adept not only in illusions and spells but also in manipulative soul techniques that could capture and control minds.

Though the Sky Conqueror Sword seemed to have fallen upon her true body, in front of the Demon Saint lay more than just the powers of ice and fire—there was also the immeasurable vitality surging forth endlessly.

The Divine Soul of the Demon Saint advanced toward the Old Blind Man’s Divine Soul, rushing inward.

In the external world, Li Fan and the gathered demons witnessed an unyielding sword clashing with a colossal projection of the Demon Fox looming between them.

Meanwhile, the Fox Demon had infiltrated the Old Blind Man’s Divine Soul realm.

There, she saw a young man brimming with confidence and remarkable talent as he practiced Sword Dao in Li Mountain.

The youth, revered for his unparalleled gifts, was soon regarded as Li Mountain’s prodigy and brightest hope.

Upon reaching adulthood, the youth descended the mountain to slay demons.

Traversing the world, he fought tirelessly, slaying monsters and devils. His blade was soaked with blood, witnessing countless tragedies along the way. He saw untold numbers of human cultivators perish at demon hands, and yet, he realized that demons could never truly be eradicated.

Human hearts were treacherous; monsters thrived. Their harm rivaled that of even the most wicked demons.

He grew more mature, finding purpose beyond mere carnage.

He sought to enter the court of Da Li.

When the Emperor of Da Li asked him how peace could be restored amid the chaos of the world, the youth responded, "Through strengthening the court’s power, rallying the sects, enacting laws, categorizing demons, and allowing registered demons to coexist under human law. We must educate and reform demons, restoring harmony and ensuring a peaceful world for generations."

From then on, he served as the Da Li National Master.

"Humans may have a tendency for arrogance, but by and large, they merely want to survive. Humans and demons tread different paths—the Dao is irreconcilable. If I must choose, I would slay all the demons under heaven to bring peace to humankind."

The Demon Saint heard the Old Blind Man’s voice within her mind.

She paused briefly in silence before erupting into laughter.

Her laughter echoed across the heavens.

"Indeed. Humans and demons tread different paths—the Dao is irreconcilable. How can it be forced?"

From the moment of their birth, their fate had already been sealed.

"Perish."

A voice rang out across heaven and earth as the Old Blind Man’s Divine Soul quivered, growing even more ephemeral like a flickering light, teetering on the edge of collapse. Above the sky, the nine tails swayed, and boundless mana cascaded downward, hurtling toward the Old Blind Man’s form.

"Kill."

Sword Aura swept forth, severing ice and shattering flames. The Old Blind Man’s spectral figure advanced forward, cutting through the Demon Saint’s body as the two forms seemingly passed through one another. Both figures froze in place, motionless in the aftermath.

The oppressive Sword Intent gradually dissipated, and the suffocating pressure across heaven and earth vanished. Ice melted; flames faded. The demons living within the city regained their ability to move.

Li Fan broke free from his semi-frozen state, witnessing the Old Blind Man’s spectral figure dissolve into scattered points of light that returned to his physical body.

On the staircase, the Demon Saint lowered her head and coughed blood as her aura rapidly deteriorated.

The Old Blind Man’s body shifted slightly, yet in that moment, he aged decades. His once dark hair had turned entirely white, his face etched with wrinkles.

"Well, well... what a Li Mountain Sword Cultivator," the Demon Saint muttered weakly, blood trickling from the corners of her lips.

As the ruler of Yun Meng Swamp and the famed Demon Saint, she had suffered severe injuries at the hands of an elderly, near-death man.

Li Mountain, Li Mountain—even after a thousand years of grueling cultivation, it wasn’t enough?

Why did it pale before a century of human training?

"Demon Saint," a voice called out from the void, "I’ll kill these humans now."

The Demon Saint shook her head and turned toward the palace ruins, saying, "Don’t kill them. Let them remain here in Yun Meng Swamp."

"As you wish, Demon Saint," the voice responded.

The Old Blind Man lifted his head slightly, facing the direction of the Demon Saint Palace.

*He and the Demon Saint alone understood what had transpired during their battle.*

*That single strike could have taken them both down, but he had chosen to relinquish it.*

*Though humans and demons charted separate paths, and the Dao could not converge...*

*Perhaps humanity’s efforts could alter some things after all.*