Rat Galan dared not blink, letting the Buddha’s light cleanse his sight, scattering the worldly dust and myriad distractions. Then, he looked…

Still that face of jade, hair of deepest black, a figure of effortless grace.

Behind him, yellow leaves shattered and fell; further still, tree shadows swayed.

Everything seemed utterly unchanged.

A sudden thought surfaced in Rat Galan’s mind, a line from a scripture the Abbot had once expounded upon, now echoing in his heart: “All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows.”

“Why do you look at me like that?” Deer Seven Lang suddenly turned his head and asked.

Alive, vibrant, his breath a solid, palpable presence. Not like some phantom demon, nor any bubble or shadow.

“Haha, that forest there… it seemed a bit strange.” Rat Galan subconsciously gripped the small Subduing Demon Pestle he wore as a neck pendant.

He twirled the tiny pestle between his thumb and index finger, using the small, frequent motion to mask the tremor in his heart. “Something… it just passed in the blink of an eye.”

“Is that so?” Deer Seven Lang turned back to face forward, his voice tinged with a faint lack of emotion. “My spiritual awareness tells me this place is exceedingly strange, fraught with peril. One should not look where they shouldn’t, nor look blindly.”

He himself had indeed been focused solely on the path ahead. It was Rat Galan who had been constantly casting his gaze hither and thither.

“Just so… thank you for the reminder.” Rat Galan strove to maintain his composure.

It was like encountering a vicious beast alone in the deep mountains; the more fearful one became, the easier it was to become prey. Having spent many years alone in the mountains since childhood, he understood this principle deeply.

Both Demon Kings continued forward, neither revealing too much strangeness.

But the topic of their recent conversation, neither continued. They maintained a silence born of unspoken agreement.

The so-called curiosity about fellow travelers, the so-called burden of the task, all paled in significance before their own safety. To be alive was to possess infinite possibility.

The secret treasure left behind by a legendary figure of the Feather Clan, spanning countless tens of thousands of years to reach this place. Under normal circumstances, it was far beyond the qualification of Demon Kings like themselves to even touch. For reasons unknown, they were gathered here, a circumstance both opportune and precarious. For with opportunity came equally immeasurable danger!

Furthermore, the God Snow Land had been sealed for so many years. Even if there were no dangers initially, who could say what strange things might have been born in the long passage of time?

No danger would be fine, but if there were malevolent entities, they absolutely could not be taken lightly.

Deer Seven Lang’s face remained calm, his footsteps never faltering.

But the jade carved green leaf clutched in his palm was already covered in cracks. With the slightest relaxation, it would shatter completely.

“What do you think of Bear Three Think?”

Along another tree-lined path, a voice posed this question.

The voice belonged to the enigmatic and unfathomable Taiping Ghost Messenger. At this moment, his expression was chillingly cruel, though hidden behind his facecloth, rendering it invisible to Snake Gu Yu… Snake Gu Yu, who maintained a considerable distance, wouldn’t have looked anyway.

Snake Gu Yu didn’t even speak. Her steps were measured and calm, walking within shadows that seemed both present and absent.

In this God Xiao Land, she still couldn’t completely melt into the shadows.

Pig Da Li, secure in the presence of Taiping Dao Master’s power, cared little for other competitors. Only towards the mysterious Bear Three Think did he harbor some apprehension. This was because the Dao Master had specifically instructed him to keep his distance from Deer Seven Lang and Bear Three Think.

But if Snake Gu Yu was unwilling to chat, then she simply wouldn’t chat.

After walking for a while, Pig Da Li coolly asked again, “Do you have any aspirations?”

Snake Gu Yu was the most beautiful female demon he had ever seen in his life, or at least one of the most beautiful. In his estimation, her appearance was in no way inferior to that of Spider Lan Ruo.

It wasn’t that he was unable to walk properly upon seeing beautiful female demons; it was simply that traveling together all this way fostered a certain sense of destiny.

Just like the vast majority of male demons who saw Snake Gu Yu’s face, they generally felt… that such a beautiful, pitiable female demon, who had extinguished her entire clan, must surely have some sympathetic hidden reason behind it.

He considered himself chivalrous, possessing some inclination to uphold the strong and aid the weak, a certain inclination to draw his sword against evil.

Snake Gu Yu still didn’t speak.

“We’ve traveled together all this way, facing dangers and opportunities side by side. Mutual aid is always better than mutual guarding… chatting a few sentences casually is also good.”

Pig Da Li seriously recalled the way the drinkers in the tavern chatted. His gaze fell upon the yellow leaves, and his tone deepened as he asked, “Whose poetry do you like?”

“Stronger than me.”

Snake Gu Yu replied.

Pig Da Li was momentarily stunned. “Ah?”

“Answering your first question,” Snake Gu Yu’s voice was faint.

However unwilling she was to converse, she admitted that Pig Da Li was right: mutual aid was always better than mutual guarding… though guarding against each other was unavoidable.

If they had to chat about some nonsense during their journey, rather than discussing aspirations and poetry, perhaps it was better to discuss fighting prowess. In this world where demons devoured demons, how many proper demons would discuss aspirations in this cruel world? How naive it was to preserve a poetic sentiment!

Pig Da Li finally reacted. What Snake Gu Yu meant was that Bear Three Think was stronger than her.

As the Taiping Ghost Messenger, he lightly laughed. “Life, death, victory, and defeat are sometimes decided in an instant. How can one judge who is stronger than whom without having fought?”

To him, who was stronger than whom was actually unimportant. Because in this God Xiao Land, everyone was stronger than him, and no one could possibly be stronger than the Dao Master.

“I have seen him make a move,” Snake Gu Yu’s voice was ethereal and distant. “In Muffled Head Ditch.”

Muffled Head Ditch was not a resonant name.

The origin of this name was also long lost to time.

But as a testing ground for demonic geniuses, a place where heavenly talents frequently clashed, Muffled Head Ditch was truly famous. Pig Da Li often heard drinkers discuss it in the tavern, and he himself would even boast about it.

Hence, he said in surprise, “Bear Three Think killed Bee Festival Father in Muffled Head Ditch… his battle to become the eighth new king on the Heavenly List… you were present at that time?”

“That was three years ago…” Snake Gu Yu had no desire to elaborate, only saying, “I observed that battle the entire time. Even the Bear Three Think from that time, I still have no certainty of victory against him now.”

Pig Da Li guessed that at that time in Muffled Head Ditch, perhaps Snake Gu Yu’s master had brought her along.

“I have a question, but I don’t know if it’s appropriate to ask…”

“Then don’t ask,” Snake Gu Yu’s voice turned frigid, cutting off the exchange.

“…Oh.”

In the mirror world, Jiang Wang was unaware that even if he had completely severed ties with the Faceless Sect from the beginning, his traces would still have been captured. Now, in Mo Yun City, a vast net had already been cast, awaiting the return of this Faceless God… he could not judge for himself; the power of Heavenly Demons was not something he could imagine.

At this moment, he sat alone in the mirror, examining every detail within the God Xiao Land.

The God Xiao Land possessed its own divine strangeness. The power of the Red Makeup Mirror was fundamentally unable to leave the tree-lined path and enter the dense forest. Thus, for the most part, he could only rely on the Divine Seal, borrowing Pig Da Li’s line of sight.

Among all the competing demon clans, he most dreaded Deer Seven Lang and Bear Three Think.

The former’s spiritual awareness was terrifyingly potent, making it easy for him to detect Jiang Wang’s existence, leading to a potential group attack. The latter had the most extensive and prolonged preparation for the God Snow Land. Though at the beginning, he was revealed by the bell, seemingly standing in the open, he hadn’t exposed any of his foundations. In Jiang Wang’s view, he was unfathomable. Surrounded by enemies, it was especially crucial not to initiate a fight without preparation. The more mysterious someone was, the more he wanted to keep his distance.

Snake Gu Yu moved forward without sound or breath, while Pig Da Li’s large strides crushed dead branches and fallen leaves, quite the boisterous state.

Gugu gu, gugu gu.

At a certain moment, a strange sound suddenly echoed.

The sound seemed to come from all sides simultaneously, making it impossible to pinpoint its origin.

Like the bubbling sound of a spring, but sharper.

Like the call of some strange bird, yet devoid of any living breath.

“Did you hear something?” Pig Da Li grasped the two straight knives in his hands, vigilantly scanning left and right.

But he received no response…

“Snake Girl!”

He suddenly turned back, only to see Snake Gu Yu completely emerge from the shadows, already stiff and motionless. Her breath was gone, her eyes devoid of spirit, showing no sign of life!

Could she be dead?

This was a strong being at the level of a Heavenly List New King. How could she die so silently and without a trace?

“Snake Girl!”

Pig Da Li maintained the highest level of vigilance, exerting force throughout his body, reversing the knife handles, tentatively reaching forward—

A wisp of wind seemed to blow by, enveloping Snake Gu Yu’s black-clothed body. Along with her black clothes, it turned into gray-white powder, scattering with the wind.

This scene was too shocking.

A tremendous fear descended upon his heart.

“Dao Master!” Pig Da Li cried out in alarm in his heart.

The Taiping Divine Wind Seal immediately responded: “Relax.”

Pig Da Li directly released control of his body. Above the black facecloth, his eyes, like a calm sea giving rise to waves, leapt up with a frost-white wind seal.

The hands gripping the knives only twisted slightly, and his entire fighting posture was completely transformed.

At this moment, Taiping Dao Master descended into his body, borrowing the power of the Taiping Divine Wind Seal!

Simultaneously.

The gray-white powder in the air traced a path, vaguely forming the outline of a demonic shape. From that outline leapt out a rotten bone skeleton holding a knife and shield, striking with a single slash.

This level of power…

Taiping Dao Master, controlling Pig Da Li, felt a slight surprise, not at the power of this single slash, but at its weakness. It was inconsistent with the terrifying anomaly and the dangerous atmosphere it brought. It also absolutely could not have taken away Snake Gu Yu’s power.

Thinking continued, actions continued.

To call it a flash of lightning and flint was too slow; it was but a single thought.

The instant the straight knives crossed, the other straight knife had already pierced through the round shield, shattering the skeleton’s body. Knife energy roared like a tornado, twisting the skeleton into countless pieces.

In the sky filled with gray-white bone fragments, the stout figure retreated but a single step before stopping, his form moving from extreme motion to extreme stillness, a sculpture of fog.

And the gray-white bone fragments of the shattered skeleton, like coarse sand, quietly floated down in front of the place where the single knife had struck, making a rustling sound.

This exquisite control of power left the Pig Da Li who had released control of his body endlessly intoxicated.

Every time the Dao Master descended into his body with a billionth of his divided thought was the most fruitful moment for him. Every battle fought by the Dao Master’s descending form was enough for him to ponder repeatedly. Every detail of the fight made him greatly benefit.

To say he progressed a thousand miles a day was perhaps an exaggeration… but to say he took a step with every battle was completely accurate.

This time, Pig Da Li “saw” his own body move again. The sole of his foot twisted, shifting his body to the side. The long knife in his hand only turned slightly, and the knife momentum fiercely leapt up. He had a feeling of flowing water, as if his body were in the most appropriate environment. Every muscle block was in the right position, unleashing suitable power… furthermore, forward!

Forward!

Ahead, just from the path traced by the gray-white bone fragments, a white bone skeleton jumped out. Its bones were complete, solid, and extremely textured. In its hand was a bone spear, its point raining down cold stars everywhere.

Relying on Pig Da Li himself, he would absolutely be unable to receive such a spear move.

But at this moment, the long knife in the air merely crossed. Two curved tracks were nimble and agile, like flying rainbows or comet tails trailing across the sky, actually sweeping away all the cold stars.

Pig Da Li felt his bloated body was incomparably agile at this moment, rushing forward along with the constantly severed bone spear, penetrating the flying bone spurs, colliding with the white bone skeleton in an instant—

Knife light flashed past.

Every piece of bone of this one skeleton was clearly separated… a total of two hundred and six pieces.

Especially on these bones, there wasn’t a single extra knife mark.

Even cutting tofu would be very difficult to cut so uniformly.

Truly breathtaking to behold!

At this moment, the fear in Pig Da Li’s heart regarding Snake Gu Yu’s sudden demise largely dissipated. With the Dao Master here, gods and ghosts would retreat!

But to Taiping Dao Master, who was controlling this body… this was merely basic edge application, fundamentally not considered exquisite knife technique.

Compared to Dou Zhao’s knife technique, this was nowhere close!

What Jiang Wang truly paid attention to was the change in the skeleton ahead—where it came from, why it manifested, how it dissipated and then constantly reassembled, whether it could be interrupted, how many times it could reassemble, and each time it reassembled, how much stronger its power was than before… how much stronger?

Fighting was sometimes merely a process of verifying thoughts.

Ka! Ka! Ka!

This time, Jiang Wang didn’t completely chop the skeleton to pieces. But the completely separated bones still reassembled in a way he still couldn’t detect—among them was a piece of joint bone, which he had intentionally stepped on, covering it with Dao Yuan, yet it had disappeared without a ripple, returning to the reassembling skeleton.

This time, the skeleton, outside of the white bones, brought red blood threads, forming a strange and ferocious appearance.

In its hand, it grasped a long bow, its body made of spine, its string of blood vessels.

And there were three long arrows, three medium arrows, three short arrows… nine arrows together, all on the string.

Within the dark blood vessels, blood surged like a tide.

Hong long long!

Thus, the bone arrows left the string!

Jiang Wang controlled Pig Da Li’s body, his footsteps light, his body moving deftly, walking towards the arrows.

This was indeed ferocious arrow technique, but compared to Li Feng Yao and Li Long Chuan, it still differed by more than just a little.

The pale white bone arrows with blood threads were just right to be nailed onto the horizontal knife’s body.

Pig Da Li’s fat body retreated a step, the long knife still trembling.

Not to mention how powerful this one arrow was, but it did indeed approach the limit of a Demon General’s power. It was power that Pig Da Li himself could not reach.

The skeleton’s power was growing stronger and stronger!

Even Pig Da Li had a clear feeling of this.

But he felt himself still moving forward, strolling through the area amidst the piercingly sharp whistling sound. With a casual swing of his head, the arrows just brushed past the fat on his cheeks.

Another leap forward, frost wind sweeping over the knife edge…

Once the frost wind swept over, all things withered, even bone powder no longer existed.

Could it still reassemble?

It could!

This time, even the trajectory was gone. A demon hanging with decaying flesh and worn skin appeared out of thin air.

Its gender was indistinguishable, its face blurred, its body with few good pieces of flesh, but it had a pair of distinct bone joints, clear and textured hands.

Blood fiend qi rose around its body, rushing towards the sky and gathering clouds.

— Its double hands reached towards the sky, and as they fell, they pulled out a blood-colored, twisted black sword.

Its body turned like electricity, one sword aimed at the throat!

For a single instant, Pig Da Li thought he was about to die on the spot, with no hope of survival. But in the blink of an eye, he saw his own long knife had already cut off the opponent’s head.

The fight had evolved to this point, completely exceeding the scope of his understanding. No matter how much he pondered, he couldn’t grasp the subtlety within.

And that skeleton unexpectedly regenerated itself from death, becoming strong once again.

This time, not to mention Taiping Ghost Messenger Pig Da Li, even Taiping Dao Master, with his extensive knowledge, was surprised.

Because this time, the figure that appeared before him was a withered old demon. Its form was rotten and evil, its body hunched, and its outline could vaguely be seen to resemble… Pig Da Li’s appearance!

A thin, sick version, an old version of Pig Da Li.

And for the first time, he spoke. His old and painful voice sang in a long, drawn-out song, the lyrics speaking—

“Born as what sorrow, die as what hate. Undying and unextinguished, forever in the spring!”

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