Chapter 637: Chapter 568: Thirty Million Sword Qi_2

The Netherworld Wolf lay amidst the snowstorm, its life force like a broken river, trapped within that body. It howled in pain, its reddened eyes emitting a hateful glare as its jaws were pried open by an invisible force.

Its mouth was forcibly torn open to the back of its head, and it rolled painfully on the ground, struggling in vain to resist the Sword Qi that kept piercing out of its body.

Just then, a cold, desolate hand passed through the snowfall and gently rested on Baili An’s head, “If you say your confidence in challenging me comes from this little wolf cub, that would be an extremely foolish thing.”

The cool hand that rested on his head exerted no pressure, yet it still felt as heavy as an immovable mountain pressing down.

Shu Ci, who should have been devoured by the wolf, appeared out of thin air, hovering behind Baili An.

Her pair of lifeless black eyes now seemed to fade, the color turning into a very light silver-grey, devoid of any emotion, like a breeze lightly rippling over a lake, empty and silent to an extreme degree of void.

If Baili An could turn around now, he would meet a pair of calm and terrifying eyes, looking down upon him as if overseeing all life.

The world, already enshrouded in twilight, was mournful and desolate.

Baili An watched the miserable state of the Netherworld Wolf, but his heart was far from calm.

Shu Ci, what kind of monster was she?

Sensing Baili An’s confusion and shock, Shu Ci’s empty voice slowly came from behind once again.

Perhaps because of the sword in Baili An’s hand, she did not rush to kill him.

“I am the blade of the Demon Soldiers, with thirty million strands of Sword Qi, each one capable of becoming my avatar.”

The wind swept across the plains and the snow stirred Sword Intent.

As Shu Ci’s voice gradually rose, countless figures of Shu Ci emerged from the snow-covered plains, wind, snowdrifts, boulders, pastures, and mountain peaks.

Thirty million breaths long, an inch of snow, an inch of chill.

In this microcosmic world, she was omnipresent, and yet absent everywhere.

What Baili An was facing was far more than just Shu Ci herself.

The Netherworld Wolf, which wreaked havoc during the Bronze Turmoil, had once had its jaws pierced open by a Divine Weapon, forever subjected to the torment of the sword’s edge cutting through flesh.

And Shu Ci, born a Demon Soldier, just happened to be the bane of the Netherworld Wolf’s existence. If the wolf had listened to Baili An’s advice earlier and not devoured Shu Ci’s avatar, how could it have drawn the blade into its body, having its bones and soul severed by the sword’s edge!

The Sword Qi of the Demon Soldiers, ever-enduring. Shu Ci alone was not just thousands of troops and horses, but an army of countless worlds and golden armor.

It was a power beyond the understanding of the common folk, surpassing worldly boundaries.

Observers like Mi Lu, Zangxin, and even Ning Feiyan wore expressions of disbelief.

Baili An looked at the scene before him, which reeked of despair, his Heavenly Strategy Jun Mountain sword becoming incredibly heavy in his hands.

The cold little hand on top of his head did not leave, and another Shu Ci approached him through the snowfall, looking intently at him with her cursed silver-grey eyes.

Her unhealthy pale grey lips curved into an indifferent arc as she confirmed mockingly, “You’re scared.”

Baili An lifted his gaze to meet her eyes and, under such dire circumstances, honestly admitted, “Yes, right now, I am very scared.”

The arc of Shu Ci’s lips remained indifferent, but a laughing semblance spread a bit, making those empty silver-grey eyes seem somewhat more lively.

“You are the first to dare to look into these eyes of mine and admit fear.”

Thousands of Shu Ci emerged from the storm, encircling Baili An in the center.

In a sense, Shu Ci had ceased her attack on Baili An.

Yet, merely being observed by her, Baili An’s body, which had lost its warmth, began to feel the cold.

As if the vitality within him was fleeing from his entire body through its pores into this world.

Even doing nothing, she could make you see true death.

At this moment, Baili An finally understood why, at the instant Ning Feiyan realized her Token was lost, she had such a look of unrivaled panic.

Because Shu Ci from the Demon World truly was an existence that incited despair.

A monster… capable of instilling fear of death again in someone who had personally experienced it.

The young man, who admitted he was terrified, slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his pupils were as clear and vast as a cloudless sky.

Facing each other, Baili An’s now open and vast eyes seemed at first glance to be very similar to Shu Ci’s lifeless silver-grey eyes.

But similarity was not sameness.

He finally moved, lifting his hand to push away the cold little hand on his head, taking a step forward.

Shu Ci clearly sensed the subtle change in Baili An’s aura, her expression still indifferent.

Against his foolish approach, she did not retreat but pushed out with her hand, her youthful pale hand forcefully unleashing a terrifying power that invaded heaven and earth.

Baili An blocked with his sword horizontally; his Heavenly Strategy Jun Mountain stood firm like an unmelting ancient mountain in the face of that palm force, unaffected by any intrusion.

But Baili An’s body behind the sword struggled to withstand the invasion of that force, and although his wrist, heart, and shoulder burst open with numerous red spider lilies like blood, fresh blood still desperately seeped out from his skin, wetting his clothes in an instant.

One step forward, one instant halt.

Heavenly Strategy Jun Mountain clashed against the wind, hitting Shu Ci’s hand hard.

Like a heavy stone crushing a mosquito, that hand continued to push forward without any stoppage.

At times like this, Baili An’s corpse demon physique played a crucial role; if it were someone else, they would have been shattered to pieces by her palm by now.

He timed his reaction perfectly, leaping backward using the force of Shu Ci’s strike before his bones could break, with Heavenly Strategy Jun Mountain in hand, crashing heavily behind himself.

The flying snow that touched his back was instantly crushed into numerous dust particles.

But behind him was not only the snow.

The Shu Ci who had previously placed her hand on his head could not avoid him; the sword of Heavenly Strategy Jun Mountain, with an unparalleled palm force, buried itself deep into her abdomen.

The young girl behind him turned cold suddenly, yet before she could extend her palm to push him away, Baili An’s body had already crashed into her.

The Shu Ci who was pierced by the sword’s edge exploded into a mist of blood, tragically scattering amongst the huge patches of blood on the ground.

The red spider lilies that bloomed in the snow reached an extreme state, devouring and absorbing most of the blood mist scattered in midair, then quickly withering away.

A vast amount of Blood Energy instantly filled Baili An’s body, with the Corpse Pearl in his abdomen nearly bursting.

The power of the Blood Energy quickly circulated throughout his body, rapidly healing his shattered bones and internal injuries.

Baili An’s retreating figure did not stop, gliding backward for thirty feet before coming to a steady halt.

Such a gamble on life’s edge, a strategy testing the brink of life and death, not only astonished the observing Demon Generals but also left Shu Ci momentarily speechless.

This young man, with only the power of the Sea Expansion Realm, had successively destroyed two of her Sword Qi avatars.

If the destruction of the first Sword Qi avatar was reliant on the Netherworld Wolf, then the second one’s demise was indeed far beyond her expectations.

Ning Feiyan, who had observed for a long time, contemplated deeply before she finally spoke out to the figure on the Time Platform, “Demon Lord, the rules of the Monarch’s Return Banquet state that to challenge Shu Ci, one must survive — the outcome is not tallied; survival is enough. I dare to ask out of boldness, how long must the battle last to fulfill this ‘survival’ condition?”

After all, no one had ever dared to challenge Shu Ci before. The rule is simple: survive and you may pass.

But the limit for survival was not defined; no one knew exactly how long one had to endure to be considered truly over.

Ning Feiyan seemed to casually point out a loophole in the rules of the battle.

Most of the Demon Generals present found it very reasonable.

But who would have thought, the Demon Lord atop the platform glanced down lightly, his gaze sharp as a knife, “Since Shu Ci, the River Lord, set these rules, naturally she will decide them herself.”

The Demon Hearts thought the Demon Lord was determined to have the new Six Rivers Lord slain by Shu Ci.

If it were the usual, Ning Feiyan would surely have stopped here, closed her mouth, but for some reason, she lacked her usual intelligence and vision today, “Your Majesty, swords may break, people may die.”

The Demon Lord’s gaze turned ice cold, his voice deep, “If River Lord Ning is concerned, she may choose to fight in his stead. I shall certainly grant that wish.”

Ning Feiyan was startled, her smile soon returning bit by bit, “You jest, Your Majesty.”

The Demon Lord’s gaze was unfathomable, “I never jest with anyone.”