Clang!
Tiger’s Fang spiralled away, planting into the ground near Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan had heavily injured the Kings of Yin and Yang numerous times through his mirror clone, but Demon Kings all possessed great vitality, and they were standing in the Twelve Citadel Demon Formation of the Ominous, so they could rapidly recover no matter what wounds they suffered.
Meanwhile, the power of the mirror clone was rapidly diminishing. Given the unfavourable circumstances, the Kings of Yin and Yang finally gained the upper hand and sent the blade flying.
In a short while, the mirror clone collapsed within the echoes of the demonic sound.
His final sliver of hope had been snuffed out, like the final glow of the setting sun sinking completely beneath the deep ocean and leaving behind eternal darkness.
Li Qingshan remained as calm and composed as before. The patches and brown discolouration spread freely, reaching all the way into his bones.
With a great thump, the Kings of Yin and Yang landed in the distance, gazing at him like a victor. The horrific slashes on their body healed at a visible rate as they sniggered. “Li Qingshan, you’ve suffered a defeat at our hand once again. How’s that? You must feel very unconvinced and find this very difficult to accept, right?”
“You’re wrong.” Li Qingshan shook his head gently. “Victory is victory. Defeat is defeat. There’s nothing difficult to accept.”
“Stop posing around. I’ll give you a quick one!”
“Sure!” Li Qingshan smiled.
The Kings of Yin and Yang took a step forward before stopping again. “Do you really think we’re that foolish? We’ll stand right here and watch as you die!”
Even when Li Qingshan seemed so feeble already as if he could be pushed over with a single finger, the Kings of Yin and Yang still refused to approach him.
Li Qingshan smiled. His gaze swept past the Kings of Yin and Yang, cast off in the direction of the Myriad Poison cult. He thought, I’m sorry. You’re going to be all alone!
Practising the mightiest abilities, fighting the strongest foes, sleeping with the most beautiful women, all the way to beyond the Nine Heavens, where he would stand beside brother ox! These lofty ambitions of his were all reduced to nothing now. However, from the moment he stepped out of that tiny village and swore to never return, he was already prepared for all of this. The only regret he felt was that he could not see her once more.
It fell silent on the Silver Dragon King. Apart from the Great Banyan Tree King, the three others were not exactly close with Li Qingshan. Conflicts and disputes had even arisen among them in the past, but at this moment, they all lost interest in talking.
The Great Banyan Tree King clenched his fist tightly. There were several times when he wanted to strike, but it all resulted in a long sigh. His main body was thousands of kilometers away. With this mere clone, it was useless even if he tried to do something. The three others would never risk their lives with him either.
The demonic clouds obscured the moon. The stars dimmed, but white light suddenly illuminated the pitch-black horizon as if it was the break of dawn. In the next moment, white flames burned past half of the sky.
The King of Southern Yue raised an eyebrow and said in surprise, “Something is approaching here! So fast!”
With a thought, the scenery on the porthole locked onto a figure within the blazing flames several hundred kilometers away—a shiny, bone sword in hand and seaweed-like hair dancing about in the flames. Her eyebrows were firmly furrowed, filled with worry. Only when she saw his figure did she reveal a smile. “Qingshan!”
Li Qingshan began to smile as well. Even if he died now, he no longer had any regrets.
The Kings of Yin and Yang were alarmed, but they sneered soon afterwards. “Don’t celebrate too early. Who do you think is bold enough to enter here and save you?”
Given the might of the Twelve Citadel Demon Formation of the Ominous, anyone who entered it would be facing death. Even the King of Southern Yue who piloted the Silver Dragon King refused to approach it, let alone anyone else.
Li Qingshan did not even look at the Kings of Yin and Yang. He smiled at the distant horizon. He was not excited or touched, nor would he persuade her to turn around. Going through thick and thin together was just common sense for them.
He hoped they could spend another moment together, until death did them part!
The firelight in the distance drew in, merging with Xiao An’s body. She turned into a streak of white light and covered the distance in the blink of an eye, flying over the Silver Dragon King. Under the gazes of the twelve Demon Gods, she dove into the Twelve Citadel Demon Formation of the Ominous without the slightest hesitation, throwing herself into his arms!
Li Qingshan had to stagger to catch her. “You seem to have grown bigger yet again. I almost can’t carry you anymore.”
“Yeah.” Xiao An nodded as she stared straight at him. She touched his face with her hand, which glowed with a faint, buddhist light. Wherever it reached, the patches and discolouration was removed, allowing his complexion to return to normal.
“You’ve undergone the third heavenly tribulation too.”
“Yeah.”
“Very good.”
“Li Qingshan, congratulations on having another person to die with you!” the Kings of Yin and Yang said sinisterly.
“This guy just jabbers away. He pissess my off. Hurry up and butcher him for me,” Li Qingshan grumbled to Xiao An with a grin.
“Alright.” Xiao An looked back indifferently, and the Kings of Yin and Yang’s heart lurched. They could not feel any danger or killing intent, just emptiness. It was like she did not exist before them. They could not help themselves as an indescribable fear flooded them.
They retreated almost instinctively when their chest suddenly ached. They looked down in disbelief, only to see that the shiny, bone sword had already pierced their body. The skull engraved on the hilt was only inches away, staring at them with its empty eye sockets. It was as if it was filled with benevolence. However, the wielder of the sword was emotionless, overlooking everything that happened before her.
There were no dazzling flashes or sharp sword qi. It was only a plain and simple stroke, but it seemed to have pierced space and time, travelling along an ungraspable trajectory. Even at that moment, the Kings of Yin and Yang had not realised they had been pierced.
“What is this path of the sword?” Ye Duanhai’s eyes narrowed. As a great sword cultivator, he could clearly sense the terror involved.
The sword was drawn out with just a stab. It did not even pierce the Kings of Yin and Yang’s body all the way through. Xiao An returned to Li Qingshan’s side again, standing with her sword in hand.
After undergoing the third heavenly tribulation, the Buddha Slaying sword had not only gone from being a sword embryo to a true sword. Her path of the sword had finally broken out of the Three Absolutes Calligraphy’s shadow as well, forming her own path of the sword.
The path of the buddha slaying sword!
This path of the sword had always been present in the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty, except her cultivation had been far too low, preventing her from comprehending it, let alone practising it.
The Kings of Yin and Yang retreated another five kilometers, staring at Xiao An in fright. That was not an opponent they could handle. Just what kind of monster had Qiongqi’s trap lured and caught? They also wondered why she did not go after them.
They were about to speak, but the only sound from their mouths was a meaningless slur. Suddenly, they split into two, turning back into a male and female Demon King and recovering their usual appearance. They knelt on the ground together, desperately covering the same wound on their chests. There was no poison, nor did it get any larger, but it did not heal—as if it would never heal.
“This… what… is going on…”
The two Demon Kings looked at one another. Their faces were filled with fear and confusion. The blade had hacked them up so many times, yet it had still failed to claim their lives, so let alone a gentle thrust like that.
The feeling was so familiar. It was as if they had returned to a long, long time ago. Back then, they still had not become powerful Demon Kings. Instead, they were the weakest demonfolk, desperately trying to survive in the Demon domain. They came close to death many times.
“Birth, growth, decline, then destruction; Formation, existence, disintegration, then emptiness. White bone and great beauty, a cycle of life and death,” Xiao An stroked her sword and said gently.
“You don’t understand that, do you? Anyway, you’re already dead!” Li Qingshan laughed aloud before asking Xiao An, “Is my explanation right?”
“It’s right.” Xiao An smiled.
With two thumps, the two Demon Kings collapsed on the ground, dying like mortals.
By buddha slaying, it was only referring to a single sword!
