Chapter 87: Turning Into A Demon
Bang!
The crimson blade and the swift sword clashed, with no physical collision, just their released True Qi touching and rippling outward, tearing apart surrounding objects into a mess.
Crimson glow flashed as Pan Zhengyang swung his blade with wide, sweeping motions, each casual slash whipping up blade glow that tore open the vast room.
Whatever exquisite ornaments or valuable antiques were shattered by a single slash, walls ripped open with huge gashes.
Ren Changtian was no pushover either; his staff-sword’s Sword Qi surged endlessly, but his attacks were exceptionally devious, targeting vital points and deadly acupoints, and he dodged timely, making him very tricky to deal with.
Clang clang clang!
Bang bang bang!
In that instant, the staff-sword struck Pan Zhengyang’s Qi Shield with crisp sounds; the Ghost Head Saber slashed down the next moment, dodged by Ren Changtian, who then continued attacking.
Truly, True Qi surged and shattered the four wilds, the house torn like paper scraps, great saber sweeping against chain sword, battle fierce with unending cries.
“We should’ve fought long ago! After enduring these years, aren’t you fed up with me too! Too bad, you’re no match for me! Iron Garment Demon-Vanquishing!”
Pan Zhengyang twisted his blade, crimson blade glow merging into his body, erupting a stronger Qi Shield that actually stalled the thrusting sword blade.
He charged fiercely with the Qi Shield, directly slamming Ren Changtian back a step.
“Die for me!”
Seizing the chance, Pan Zhengyang slashed down fiercely, crimson glow flashing straight for Ren Changtian’s head.
Ren Changtian’s pupils shrank; he tried to shift away but was ultimately a step slow. With a sizzle, the arm holding the sword was severed by the Ghost Head Saber.
Pan Zhengyang shouldered his Ghost Head Saber, provocatively raising his brow at Ren Changtian. “I’ve heard the Ren Family’s three martial arts, Cicada Song Shattering River Sword Scripture, Great River Whale Swallowing Technique, Nine Bends Listening to Waves Art are all quite good. Now it seems, just average.”
“What endless momentum striking vital points—it’s all soft and weak. You dodged this time, but next time you won’t be so lucky.”
“Is that so?”
Ren Changtian slightly lowered his head, looking at the severed spot. “Not necessarily.”
For some reason, alarm bells rang loudly in Pan Zhengyang’s heart; instinctively, he thickened his full-body Qi Shield and shifted outward.
Pfft!
Even so, a sword carrying bloody Qi pierced out from his waist and abdomen. Pan Zhengyang swung his blade to chop from behind, but the bloody Qi burst out from his waist, letting him only shatter an arm amid splattering blood.
It was exactly Ren Changtian’s arm.
The emerging bloody Qi was that staff-sword, but where was its former wooden handle joined to blade? Now it was thick and dripping like blood, emanating bloody Qi.
Even the arm he shattered turned to bloody Qi, reconverging on his severed arm into an identical blood-like arm, perfectly gripping the blood sword.
Instantly, bloody Qi surged through his body. His formerly wrinkled old face smoothed out, his graying hair and brows turned blood-red, the whole person both youthful and eerie.
It wasn’t just vital with life force—it overflowed with excessive vitality, like bleeding.
“Ah.”
He let out a soft moan. “This form is still more comfortable. Do you know how suffocating it is for a cautious man like me to pretend to be old? It’s like wearing thick, stuffy Clothes, wanting to break free every moment.”
Pan Zhengyang stared dazedly at Ren Changtian, his eyes bloodshot, voice hoarse with thick disbelief.
“Do you know what you’re doing?”
“Cultivating.”
Ren Changtian laughed. “For better Cultivation, to keep living.”
“You’ve turned demonic!”
Pan Zhengyang roared. “You’re fucking colluding with Demonic Creatures!”
“Well said.”
Ren Changtian chuckled lightly. “Since ancient times, Demonic Creatures have been with us—humans eat Demonic Creatures, Demonic Creatures eat humans, just like the dead return to the earth, earth absorbs Nutrients and nourishes humans in turn. Who isn’t with Demonic Creatures?”
“Spare me that crap!”
Pan Zhengyang raged. “I fucking thought you were coveting Essence Blood for cultivation, but you actually regained youth. You’re fucking just Three Realms, you’re turning demonic—this is betrayal!!”
He suddenly charged forward and leaped up; the crimson glow of his Ghost Head Saber grew fiercer, and as he smashed down, it whipped up eight blade glows that split then converged into a crimson pillar.
“Scorching Plains Calamity Force!!”
The light pillar dispersed, revealing Ren Changtian merely raising his bloody Qi arm, the gripped blood sword effortlessly blocking the two-handed Ghost Head Saber, as if the great saber were made of flimsy paper.
“This is our difference.”
Ren Changtian looked up. “I don’t think I’ve betrayed anything. Martial Artists cultivate themselves; survival is what matters for a future, otherwise it’s all empty talk.”
Bang!
As the blood sword surged, countless blood-red tassels splashed out, their tips turning to needles that all stabbed toward Pan Zhengyang.
The latter swung fiercely; his blade tore through the tassels, but the shredded tassels reformed, endlessly assaulting and piercing his surrounding Qi Shield.
Pan Zhengyang instantly landed and stood firm, planting the Ghost Head Saber into the ground, channeling blade Qi into himself, a flush appearing on his face.
He could feel these blood-red tassels like blood-drawing needles, madly draining his Qi and Blood. If he hadn’t keenly noticed and sealed with blade force, it would’ve drained even more.
“What the hell are you!” Pan Zhengyang gritted out.
Skin-Peeling Demons didn’t have such power, nor did higher-level Bone-Peeling Demons.
Moreover, this was a Martial Artist actively mutating into a demon, even more unique.
“Don’t call me a ‘thing’—I’m just like before, borrowing Demonic Creatures’ power to break through myself.”
Ren Changtian chuckled a few times. “Skin-Peeling Demons drain human Essence Blood to enhance themselves; even at Bone-Peeling Demon level able to create more Skin-Peeling Demons and Human Skin Slaves, they won’t give Essence Blood to others.”
“Speaking of which, it was an opportunity.”
A trace of reminiscence in his eyes. “The Skin-Peeling Demon I met was clever—it wore the skin of my late wife’s age. I took pity and inexplicably let it go.”
“Later, a Demon Realm was born; I got the Taishan Prefecture Lord’s Sacrificial Wine, so I gave it to it, and it gained new abilities: creating Skin-Peeling Demons, commanding them, gaining more Essence Blood, and…”
Ren Changtian pointed at himself. “Turning me into this new form.”
“Three Flowers Crowning, Five Qi Connecting to the Divine—reviving the dead, restoring flesh and white bones, reshaping youth at Four Realms. Now I have similar power. Even higher, like ‘divine abilities’ of headless regeneration, I can do too. That’s Demonic Creatures’ power!”
Ren Changtian said smugly. “Give up—you can’t beat me, and you won’t last long. That body of premium Qi and Blood will become my Nutrients, just like them.”
Pan Zhengyang tsked. “You killed my subordinates?!”
“Not really—they demanded too much, especially after you came, they got bolder.”
Ren Changtian said. “Money and such, I don’t care about; even wanting my family Industry is fine.”
“But a thousand times wrong, they shouldn’t have wanted my Essence Blood Pearls—those, even my heirs need contributions to earn.”
“So I turned them into Skin-Peeling Demons. They were useless anyway; wearing this layer of skin actually makes them more dutiful.”
Ren Changtian laughed, sending more blood threads flying at Pan Zhengyang. “Killing a Bureau Chief isn’t a big deal, but higher-ups will investigate—being noticed by higher gazes isn’t good.”
“I’ll die, attacked by a Skin-Peeling Demon; dying to protect the family, that youth you brought should do nicely. I’ll turn him into a new Skin-Peeling Demon, have him attack when higher-ups come, confirming Demonic Creatures infiltrated the Disinfection Bureau.”
“Then I’ll lie low peacefully, patiently another century or two—I’m not in a hurry, not in a hurry at all! Hahaha, hahahaha… ah!”
Mid-laughter, his expression froze; the first blood thread piercing Pan Zhengyang’s body dispersed, the bloody Qi-formed arm and sword melting into blood water that spilled to the ground as filth.
His body instantly aged, hair graying again, even older than before.
“Impossible!”
Ren Changtian turned and fled madly. “Absolutely impossible! No, this can’t be right!”
Pfft!
The blade pierced his chest; Pan Zhengyang appeared behind Ren Changtian, grinning ferociously.
“I fucking knew it—no free gifts without reason. You’re linked to something, right? It’s gone, so you’re done. Don’t be so overconfident—your whole family dies today!”
“No!!”
Ren Changtian wrenched his chest free from the great saber, but stuck to the blade was only a Human Skin; the flesh-and-blood monster thing distorted and dissipated while fleeing, becoming a blood mist that burrowed into the ground.
“Damn it!”
Pan Zhengyang panicked; he slashed the floor, making only a dent, forcing him to use greater force, madly hacking dozens of times to break through, chopping a hole.
He jumped down and, in the pitch-black underground, saw light ahead. Rushing over, he saw white bones proliferating everywhere; Li Ye stood at the center, looking at Pan Zhengyang with a smile.
Also, later.
