Chapter 222: Death Butterfly: Eight-Tenths Full!

——"Death Butterfly"

Unlike the coldness and darkness felt by the body, these outwardly released Death Butterflies appeared rich and warm in vision, shimmering with violet radiance, magnificent and noble, luring one to sink into them.

Whether human, animal, or demon, anyone who touched those seemingly harmless black-purple Death Butterflies—even just brushing past—would be plunged into eternal darkness.

This was the embodiment of death; below the rank of Great Demon, contact meant instant death. Still, there were exceptions, such as the Yoki race, which itself was half-spiritual and possessed extraordinary resistance to death.

And Yun Zi, after all, was a Kuang-level Great Demon; though she had been injured due to a momentary lapse, she could still resist if properly prepared. Likewise, Jia Qi could as well…

Crunch crunch crunch~

Crunch crunch crunch~

"Hey, why are you eating it?"

Though Xiaoxiang had felt this way before, seeing Jia Qi snatch the Death Butterfly resting on his finger and swallow it whole, she genuinely couldn't comprehend his train of thought.

tmd, how did humans turn into this. pg

"This is a specialty of the Westward Temple. If you don't eat it now, you'll have to go to the Underworld to find it later."

Right now, if Jia Qi unleashed his power, his protective aura could reach ten zhang thick—blocking the Westward Demon's Soul-Returning Death Butterflies would be effortless. But that would be pointless.

Rather than merely defending, he decided to experience firsthand what the Westward Demon was truly capable of.

——【Northern Dipper Swallowing Dragon Breath Method】

Like the "Fighting Force Breath Method," it was a special breathing technique for combat, but while the "Fighting Force Breath Method" provided brief bursts of power, the "Swallowing Dragon Breath Method" enhanced defense and endurance, rendering the user immune to enemy attacks.

A chilling, icy aura surged straight into his brain, making Jia Qi's body hairs stand on end, involuntarily shuddering.

"Hmm, tastes like eating an entire Qilunuo." he commented.

As he drew closer, the massive demonic tree upon the land of death slowly writhed, emitting a silent roar toward Jia Qi.

Countless spirits emerged beneath its leafy shadows; countless mournful wraiths poured from its trunk; skeletons crawled from the earth.

Tenfold, a hundredfold more Death Butterflies surrounded them from all directions.

"You don't plan to eat all of these, do you?"

"Of course not… eight-tenths full is enough."

Soul-Returning Butterfly·Eight-Tenths Bloom—it was a perfect battle formation using Death Butterflies for defense and opportunistic attack; those trapped within could only endure constant assault without ever striking the true body.

The aura of death coiled into countless slender arms, wrapping around Jia Qi's arms, gripping his ankles, choking his neck; hundreds of thousands of spirits and skeletons surged like a tide, blocking his path.

But clearly, even with all its might, the Westward Demon—without Youyouzi's control—could never stop a Beidou Fist Master whose raw power stood above a million demons.

"Heavenly Tyrant Wind God Leg!"

A devastating slash swept through.

Countless spirits and skeletons—weaklings not even worthy of being called tree guardians—were blasted apart by the martial energy in the shockwave, dissolving entirely into black fragments of the weak.

The power of death surged forth like a tidal wave; even the deepest pits of hell held no death energy of such quality—ordinary mortals would be dragged to the Underworld with a single breath.

Yet this death energy, capable of dragging an entire city into hell, affected Jia Qi only slightly—no more than the chill of eating too much ice cream.

He brushed the dust off his right thigh, unable to help thinking: such a sturdy leg supported such an astonishing technique…

"No."

It seemed death energy shouldn't be eaten recklessly—it might cause one to spiral into irrational thoughts.

Still, the Westward Demon rooted in place had clearly run out of tricks; as a plant demon that hadn't taken form, it couldn't uproot itself like a War Ancient Tree to strike.

Only dozens of steps away, Jia Qi walked until he stood just one step from the Westward Demon—close enough to clearly see the strange vein-like patterns on its bark.

A breeze swept through the empty courtyard, carrying the haunting melody of a bamboo flute and faint traces of death energy; cherry petals, like snow, drifted down onto the long-dead, blackened, mottled earth.

The Westward Demon was no accidental demon—it was not simply a cherry tree that gained a spirit and became a demon.

Normally, plant demons possessed vigorous life force, like Fengjian Youxiang; yet this life force clashed violently with the power of death.

Yet, aside from it, Youxiang had never heard of any other demon wielding the power of death.

This Westward Demon cherry tree was clearly abnormal, extraordinary.

"Double Body."

Fengjian Youxiang concluded.

She sensed that the cherry tree on the ground was only half of the Westward Demon; the other half was firmly rooted in the Underworld.

This was a being no "living thing" could ever truly kill; even if one destroyed the Westward Demon's earthly body, it could not harm its foundation in the Underworld.

"Can it be killed?"

Jia Qi asked.

"…"

After a moment of silence, the green-haired girl finally shook her head.

As another holder of Double Body, she knew better than anyone how insidious such beings were—no matter how many times you uprooted the Westward Demon on land, it solved nothing.

The Westward Demon was number one on the Eastern World's List of Demons to Be Exterminated.

But… Youyouzi not only possessed the Westward Demon's power—she was bound to it by life itself, not merely borrowing, channeling, or sealing it.

If the earthly cherry demon were destroyed, Youyouzi might perish alongside it.

As if understanding the malicious exchange between the two, the Westward Demon, having exhausted all its strength, trembled uncontrollably, its cherry petals falling like snow.

"What a cowardly demon. Should just rename it Tremble-Tremble-Tremble-Tremble."

Jia Qi seemed unaware of his own current state.

Fengjian Youxiang, the most vicious Great Demon, who had crushed countless demons, radiated killing intent so intense it could shatter ordinary humans' courage instantly—effectively carrying a constant aura of terror.

Yet Jia Qi, who had punched through multiple worlds and slain countless demons and monsters, even when accidentally revealing his malice, was no less dangerous than Fengjian Youxiang.

If he hadn't been hanging around powerful, vicious demons these days but instead wandered through human society for a couple of rounds, he'd likely have already appeared in "The Origin of Gensokyo" as a legendary Great Demon.

"I see… I understand."

Upon hearing that Fengjian Youxiang had no solution, Jia Qi made his decision in an instant, turning to Yun Zi.

"Let's go get reinforcements."

(End of Chapter)