Chapter 2: With My Broken Body, I Devour the Supreme Demon Sword

After Ye Xiao’s words fell, within an ancient ancestral hall, a pitch-black broken sword began to tremble.

Moments later, the broken sword transformed into a streak of black light, bursting through the roof and flying swiftly in a certain direction.

The sudden commotion jolted an elderly man who had been dozing in front of the hall. He stared at the fleeting black light in the sky, his eyes filled with shock and excitement.

“Eight hundred years... Have you finally waited long enough?”

Meanwhile, in Ye Xiao’s consciousness, he sensed something hurtling toward him at incredible speed.

Within mere breaths, the ground trembled violently as a black radiance burst through the surface, materializing directly before Ye Xiao.

Though he could not see it clearly, he distinctly felt that before him lay a sword—a pitch-black broken sword emanating an eerie aura.

At that instant, he realized this was the very sword Xu Xiao had just spoken of—an heirloom passed down through the Ye family for centuries.

Yet he was puzzled: hadn’t that sword always been kept in the ancestral hall on Ye family grounds? How could it have appeared here?

Could it be that his internal cultivation method had suddenly reversed, awakening some sensation in the broken sword?

The black broken sword trembled continuously before Ye Xiao, and a strange energy surged into his mind.

In that moment, Ye Xiao, whose eyes were once blood-red but mind clear, seemed to plunge into an endless hell.

Instantly, black flames enveloped his entire body, and a formidable aura soared toward the heavens.

“What is happening?!”

The dungeon guards, alerted by the noise, hurried over, only to be met with a terrifying sight.

A figure engulfed in black flames slowly rose to his feet. Behind him, a pair of wings forged from flames gently flapped.

The face beneath the flames was indistinct, only a pair of pupils glowed with a deep crimson.

“What... what is that?”

Two guards looked on in horror. With a single step forward, the creature melted the iron bars of the dungeon gate like wax, instilling a strong urge to retreat.

But as they turned to flee, the creature suddenly appeared before them in the blink of an eye.

“Die!”

A low roar erupted from the creature’s mouth. Before the two guards could react, tendrils of black flame, like venomous snakes, coiled around their bodies.

In an instant, the black flames blazed fiercely, engulfing them entirely.

Within a breath, the flames dissipated, leaving behind two skeletons.

They died without even a scream.

After slaying the two guards, the creature glanced toward the dungeon exit, then reached out. A wisp of flame gently lifted a woman lying on the ground—Ye Yanran.

With a furious roar, the creature turned into a fiery blaze, bursting open the dungeon door and charging outward.

Not far from the dungeon, Xu Xiao lay on a recliner, a maid fanning him gently from behind.

Suddenly, the ground shook violently, followed by a loud crash from the dungeon’s direction.

Xu Xiao sprang to his feet, staring toward the dungeon.

“What’s going on?”

Soon, a disciple from the Xu family came running in panic, his face pale with terror.

“B-Big trouble! A monster broke out of the dungeon!”

Xu Xiao’s expression darkened. He grabbed the disciple by the collar.

“What? Explain clearly!”

“It’s... it’s a—”

Before the disciple could finish, a furious roar echoed. Xu Xiao looked in that direction and saw a humanoid figure ablaze in black flames charging toward them.

The ink-black flames radiated an unsettling aura, and black, snake-like flames writhed chaotically around the creature.

Along its path, Xu family disciples and servants were ensnared by these black flame snakes, each one turning to white bones without exception.

Xu Xiao’s face paled.

“This aura... belongs to a half-step Spiritual Realm master!”

He watched the fiery figure approach, his expression grim.

Previously, he had secretly mocked Ye Xiao as a worthless cultivator stuck at the Profound Realm for so many years.

But now, in the blink of an eye, a half-step Spiritual Realm master—stronger even than Xu Xiao himself, who was at the Established Mansion Realm—had appeared.

Cultivation is divided into three tiers—lower, middle, and upper—with nine total realms.

The lower three are the Profound Realm, Established Mansion Realm, and Spiritual Realm.

In their Southern Territories, Spiritual Realm masters are the pinnacle of power in ordinary families, except for those in sects.

The middle and upper tiers of the Spiritual Realm are nearly nonexistent in families like theirs.

“Damn it! Why aren’t the family head and heir here right now?”

In the Xu family, only the family head and heir possess Spiritual Realm strength.

Suddenly, Xu Xiao’s eyes narrowed. Behind the black creature lay a woman dressed in white, resting quietly atop the black flames.

“That’s... Ye Yanran?! Then this creature—”

A chilling possibility dawned on Xu Xiao, and his face turned pale with shock.

“Impossible! He was just a worthless Profound Realm cultivator before! How could he become so powerful now?”

As the commotion grew, a group rushed over, led by several elders of the Xu family.

“Xu Xiao, what’s happening? Who is this guy?”

The eldest elder's face was grave as he faced the approaching monster.

“Eldest elder, this might be... Ye Xiao.”

“Ye Xiao?” The eldest elder was momentarily stunned.

“No way. He’s only Profound Realm,” said the second elder, who personally captured Ye Xiao and knew his real strength.

“No, it’s possible!”

The eldest elder said in a low voice, “I saw him kill his way out of the dungeon. Only Ye Xiao was inside.”

“But...” The second elder tried to argue but was cut off.

“Though the Ye family has fallen, it is still a centuries-old lineage. They might have some hidden tricks!”

“What shall we do?”

The eldest elder paused, then said, “Stop him at all costs! Otherwise, the Xu family’s great legacy will be destroyed! His current strength is only half-step Spiritual Realm. With our numbers, we can hold him off.”

“As long as we wait for his secret technique’s duration to end, he will be ours!”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“All Established Mansion Realm cultivators above level five, follow me!”

The eldest elder leapt forward, followed closely by nearly ten others.

Surrounded, the creature ceased its movements.

Its crimson pupils scanned the crowd through the black flames, finally settling on one person—Xu Xiao.

“Aren’t you here for my Ye family’s sword?” came a deep, familiar voice. Xu Xiao’s heart trembled. It was indeed Ye Xiao!

“Ye Xiao! You think forcing your cultivation up through secret arts will avenge your sister?” Xu Xiao sneered. “Stop dreaming! You’ll always be a waste!”

Xu Xiao had hoped to unsettle Ye Xiao’s mind with words, making the fight easier.

But to his surprise, Ye Xiao was unfazed.

“You want the sword? Come and take it yourself!”

At those words, a pitch-black broken sword emitting black flames floated before Ye Xiao.

Seeing the sword, everyone was startled.

“Could this sword be the cause of his sudden power?”

The eldest elder muttered.

“Enough talk, attack! We’ll hold him, Xu Xiao, you take the sword!”

The second elder roared and charged like a cannonball.

The others exchanged glances and encircled Ye Xiao.

Ye Xiao’s eyes locked onto Xu Xiao, ignoring the elders’ assault.

Just as their attacks were about to land, a strange smile appeared on the flame-wrapped face.

Then a low voice filled with killing intent sounded:

“With my broken body, I consume the Supreme Demon Sword!”

As the words fell, the broken sword trembled violently, spinning rapidly.

Then, with a sword’s shrill cry echoing through the heavens, the broken sword soared upward and plunged directly into Ye Xiao’s body from above.

At that moment, Ye Xiao’s aura surged wildly.

The eldest elder’s face changed drastically.

“Not good! Retreat quickly!!!”