CHAPTER 87: CHAPTER 86: LOTS OF DEMON CULTIVATORS? DIE BY THE SWORD, ALL IN ONE GO! (2700 WORDS)_1

The four Li brothers had left.

Before their departure, they were still reluctant to leave, especially Li Zuoyue. He firmly insisted that Wang Xiu wait for him, as he would come to fetch him tomorrow to go drinking and enjoy some music in Vermilion Bird City. All expenses would be on him, Young Master Li!

In response to this, Wang Xiu naturally agreed wholeheartedly. Free drinks and a chance to hear some tall tales were opportunities no fool would decline.

「...」

After seeing off the Li brothers, the smile on Wang Xiu’s face gradually faded, his gaze turning profound.

Vermilion Bird City was one of the largest and most prosperous principal cities of the Immortal Path in Nanzhou. The great powers of the Immortal Sects, from the Thirty-Six Heavenly Caves and the Seventy-Two Blessed Lands, all had a presence here. Even many sects of The Demonic Path had spies lurking within, waiting for an opportunity to strike. It was, one might say, a place where dragons and snakes mingled.

According to the memories of Daimon Qianmian, one of the Ghost King Sect’s branches was located just outside Vermilion Bird City, overseen by one of their Elders. This Elder was ranked seventh within the Ghost King Sect, and his Cultivation Level had already reached the Nascent Soul Stage hundreds of years ago. By now, he had to be at least at the third tier of the Nascent Soul Stage, and possibly even higher. After all, most who were involved with The Demonic Path kept a few cards up their sleeve, making it difficult for others to grasp the full extent of their power.

Notably, this Elder had a fairly deep relationship with the Red Enchanting Snake Princess. Consequently, the Protectors under the two Elders had met many times and were quite well-acquainted. Daimon Qianmian himself had, on more than one occasion, met up with that Elder’s Protectors to visit brothels and listen to music. They had even frequently exchanged notes on their "tea-drinking" experiences!

This trip to Vermilion Bird City... perhaps I can find a way to root out that branch of the Ghost King Sect. As long as I can find its exact location and report it to the Sect, destroying it shouldn’t be difficult. This could be a good move. I might just land a big fish!

With this thought in mind, Wang Xiu sent a message to Nie Linglan, instructing the girl to bring back the Mingxue Executioner Sword and the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls. After all, in a city like Vermilion Bird where dragons and snakes mingled, one could never know what accidents might occur. With the Mingxue Executioner Sword in hand, Wang Xiu’s overall combat strength would at least double. Among those at the Golden Core Stage, there should be few who could threaten him.

After issuing his instructions, Wang Xiu headed to his seclusion chamber, placing the Green Lotus Sky-covering Array flags around the courtyard. Indeed, the current array flags had been significantly upgraded. They were no longer the street-market quality goods from before, but a high-end set that Xiao Qingyu had acquired for him. Each flag was a superior-grade Magic Artifact, and a complete set was comparable in value to a Spiritual Artifact. Of course, compared to his previous Four Symbols Guardian Demon Slaying Array flags, this set’s value was slightly inferior, but only slightly. The overall difference was not significant. Wang Xiu was confident that with this array in place, no disturbance from within his seclusion chamber, no matter how great, would attract any unwanted attention.

Sitting cross-legged on the cushion, Wang Xiu silently intoned, "Integrate, Heaven and Earth Longevity Demon Slaying Slash."

SWOOSH.

Instantly, a golden card fused into Wang Xiu’s body, transforming into countless profundities of the Sword Dao. As time ticked by, Wang Xiu gradually integrated and understood these profundities, making them part of his own foundation.

「...」

The Heaven and Earth Longevity Demon Slaying Slash.

It was a ultimate sword technique, renowned for its overwhelming lethality. It emphasized "all offense, no defense, a battle with one’s back against the wall." This technique required abandoning all defenses and follow-up moves, a desperate measure that pursued nothing but the ultimate destructive power.

A single strike burned at least thirty percent of the user’s Essence Blood. Even when facing an expert several minor realms higher, there was a high probability of a one-hit kill.

However, Essence Blood was not ordinary blood; it was the very font of a Cultivator’s being. Losing even five percent of it could leave one weakened for a long time. Losing thirty percent would not only severely drain one’s vitality but also damage their Cultivation Level. In serious cases, it could harm their foundation and even impact their natural aptitude.

Moreover, a thirty percent loss of Essence Blood was just the starting cost. The greater one’s mastery of this sword technique, the more frenzied its execution became.

Minor Accomplishment Realm: One strike burns thirty percent of Essence Blood, increasing lethality by roughly threefold.

Major Accomplishment Realm: One strike burns sixty percent of Essence Blood, increasing lethality by roughly sixfold.

Perfect Realm: One strike burns all Essence Blood, increasing lethality by roughly tenfold. You could slay gods and buddhas alike!

Of course, burning sixty percent of one’s Essence Blood was already a near-certain death sentence. Even if one miraculously survived, their body would be essentially ruined. If all Essence Blood was burned, death was certain, with mutual destruction being the only possible outcome. And let’s not quibble about a Nascent Soul Venerable possessing an ordinary person to spam the ultimate move. The amplification effect of this sword technique is tied to the richness of the energy within the Essence Blood. The threefold, sixfold, and tenfold multipliers are based on a Cultivator’s own potent blood. If a Nascent Soul Venerable possessed an ordinary person, the Essence Blood in that body would be far too weak to support the Heaven and Earth Longevity Demon Slaying Slash. They would have to re-cultivate the body’s Essence Blood before it could be used again.

All in all, this was a final gambit used when cornered, designed to take formidable demons and fiends down with you.

「...」

Eight hundred years ago, during an era when demons ran rampant, the Demon Race’s army of one hundred thousand besieged the Sanqing Immortal Sect. Countless valiant disciples of the Sword Sect, when surrounded by the demonic hordes, resolutely unleashed this technique.

On that day, crimson sword qi filled the sky. Figures in white, stained with blood, stood tall and proud. Facing arrogant Demon Cultivators who outnumbered them a hundred to one, they unleashed a strike of martyrdom.

Same Life as Heaven and Earth!

To perish with a shattered sword!

Some managed one strike, some two, and some even three!

If the Thunder Sect was the bane of Evil Demons, making them desperate to see it destroyed, then the Sword Sect of that era was their absolute nightmare.

Can you believe it? Facing enemies that outnumbered them ten, even a hundred times over, those Sword Cultivators weren’t afraid in the least. Instead, they chased after the Demon Cultivators with gleeful howls.

I’ve already burned my Essence Blood, so there’s no way I’m getting out of this alive anyway. All I want is to run them through! Are there a lot of Demon Cultivators? The more, the better! One slash can take out a whole nest of them. Watch me pull off a triple-kill! A penta-kill! An eighteen-kill combo! Before I die, I’m gonna get a godlike spree! A bloody bargain! Totally worth it!

「...」

What a vicious sword! What a final sword! What a fierce sword! What a... reckless sword!

After fully absorbing and comprehending the profundities of this sword technique, Wang Xiu slowly opened his eyes. A brilliant Sword Intent flashed within his gaze before vanishing. It had to be said, this was an incredibly powerful inheritance. Putting the Heavenly Calamity Curse aside, it was the most lethal technique he had cultivated.

However, the conditions for using this ultimate move were no simpler than those for the Heavenly Calamity Curse. The latter had harsh prerequisites, while the former had a brutal aftermath.

Is it strong? Yes. Is it cool? Yes. Is it free-spirited and unrestrained? Yes. But you pay for it with your life. This technique doesn’t suit me. It’s much more suitable for that guy, Li Longhao. With his daredevil nature, if I gave this to him, he’d probably master it to the Major Accomplishment Realm in no time, and maybe even achieve perfection.

Oh! No. This sword technique can’t be taught to him. He gets carried away too easily. He’d probably start using this desperate, life-sacrificing move as his basic attack. The moment he saw a tough demon, he wouldn’t even try to escape; he’d just charge in, burning his life away. One wrong move and we’d be saying goodbye to our dear brother.

As for me, I have plenty of skills. Unless it’s a last resort, there’s no need to play a game that wounds the enemy by a thousand while I lose eight hundred. If I can’t win, I can just run away. Better to keep my head and fight another day. If I encounter an unbeatable foe, I’ll flee for now, level up, and come back later to settle the score. Heh heh...

Just as Wang Xiu was thinking this inheritance was rather useless to him, a piercing whistle cut through the air above Spirit Turtle Peak. A pink longsword shot down and embedded itself in the courtyard ground.

"Master~" came a voice thick with sword qi, "Linglan has missed you so much~"

A red-robed female ghost materialized and pounced toward Wang Xiu. However, Wang Xiu’s pupils contracted. As if struck by a realization, he immediately pressed the red-robed woman down. He grasped the Immortal Slaying Sword, his gaze becoming incredibly bright and fervent in an instant.

「...」

The Heaven and Earth Longevity Demon Slaying Slash required one to burn their own Essence Blood to unleash its power.

The Immortal Slaying Sword, forged from the celestial treasure known as Profound Nether Blood Gold, possessed a special ability. It came with the innate skill, Blood Sea, which could refine the Essence Blood of other species. While holding the Immortal Slaying Sword, the wielder could absorb the Essence Blood stored within it to replenish their own.

HISS.

So, could I, in theory, burn my own Essence Blood to use the Heaven and Earth Longevity Demon Slaying Slash, and then use a pig’s Essence Blood to recover? Wait. If I did that, wouldn’t my veins be filled with pig’s blood? Although the Essence Blood is refined by the Immortal Slaying Sword and essentially no different after replenishment... still, the idea of having pig’s blood flowing through me feels strange. There’s a perverse sense of sharing a bloodline with a pig.

Wang Xiu’s eyes gleamed.

So, is there a way to directly burn the power within the pig’s Essence Blood stored in the Immortal Slaying Sword to activate the Heaven and Earth Longevity Demon Slaying Slash? Even if the power is a little weaker, damn it, I could use it over and over again! And it just so happens the Immortal Slaying Sword has its own sword move, Immortal Execution, which can burn all the stored Essence Blood in the blade to deliver a single, ultimate strike. I should look into this... see if I can combine the two sword techniques into one. Who knows? There might be an unexpected surprise in store!