Chapter 62: Fierce Battle

Akaza's right arm was completely twisted and melted; that strike of 【Immortal Path: Rakshasa Palm】 had caused terrible damage to his arm.

However, Akaza seemed to feel no pain at this moment. Under the sunlight, his back began to burn, yet his eyes still radiated a scorching Fighting Spirit.

Want to fight!

Want to fight with the strong! Want to slaughter the powerful enemy before him!

This will made Akaza completely forget the pain, his Spirit transcending the limit. He raised his left arm, looked at Bai Cangshu's Taoist Palm, which was as sharp as a great spear, and threw a punch.

Bai Cangshu was equally focused, his face filled with scorching battle intent. In this instant, Akaza drew all of Bai Cangshu's attention, surpassing Nakime, surpassing Kokushibo, and even surpassing Muzan.

【Immortal Path: Demon Spear!】

Pfft! Bai Cangshu's pupils constricted. Before Akaza's left fist could fully strike, his head shattered with a boom. Countless tentacles from behind smashed Akaza's upper body and instantly pierced toward Bai Cangshu.

Behind that cruel attack was the twisted face of Kibutsuji Muzan.

"Die together with me!"

Having cast aside all reason and wisdom, Kibutsuji Muzan had turned back into that 【Human Scum】 who would stop at nothing just to survive.

Even though it was the subordinate who had blocked an attack for it just a moment ago, it now used that subordinate's body as a shield to launch an attack, wanting to kill both the subordinate and the enemy together.

Bai Cangshu changed his stance, his left foot suddenly stomping to the right side of his body, his form twisting to change direction. At the same time, his hand, which was radiating ripples like a great spear, slashed horizontally as he twisted his body.

Pfft! Kibutsuji Muzan let out a cry of pain. Those tentacles of its, which were harder than swords and blades, were instantly severed under the opponent's hand.

That is the power of sunlight; this guy possesses the power of sunlight! As Bai Cangshu twisted his body, the sharp tentacle still grazed his cheek, plowing a bloody wound along his cheekbone.

Ring! At the same time, the sound of a sword ringing out rose from behind.

【Moon Breathing: Eighth Form: Moon-Dragon Ringtail】! The air was sliced open by the blade's edge, the terrifying whistling sound like the wailing of an evil ghost.

Bai Cangshu's waist bent as if it had snapped; he fell backward, supporting himself on the ground with both hands, and watched the dark-moon-like sword light sweep across above him.

Boom! The wooden floor was sliced clean through.

Boom!

As he suddenly sank, Bai Cangshu reacted instantly: this wooden house had a basement!

Kibutsuji Muzan had been in despair, but at this moment, it suddenly regained hope.

The moment Bai Cangshu landed in the basement, he exerted force with his hands and his waist sprang up; the black sword light had already fallen onto the spot where he had just been standing.

Kokushibo was bathed in blood, his upper body burned beyond recognition, and even the six eyes on his face were now reduced to only three intact ones.

But this strongest Upper Rank did not have the slightest tremor in the hand holding the sword.

Taking a step forward, the sword momentum rose again.

【Moon Breathing: Third Form: Loathsome Moon: Chains】! Kokushibo twisted his body significantly, his sword momentum extremely resolute. With one slash, a massive sword light cut out, the air was torn to shreds, and countless fine, crescent-shaped sword winds shot through the air.

Bai Cangshu's physique swelled slightly at this moment; whether it was strength, speed, or tolerance for pain, everything was greatly increased.

He suddenly roared, stepped forward with one foot, and the moment the ground shook with a boom, his form lunged toward the side away from Kokushibo.

Pfft! The sword light sank into the ground. Kokushibo's strike did not exhaust its momentum; after the wide-range slash, his body naturally twisted, and a second slash followed instantly. This form was, by nature, a double slash.

Its three eyes watched Bai Cangshu, who had stepped onto the wall.

The opponent's intense Fighting Spirit, and even the movements of his muscles, were all laid bare before his eyes.

【Transparent World】! A realm that users of Breathing Styles in this world could only master after reaching the ultimate domain.

When thousand-times-tempered movements and Breathing Styles are fully integrated, the user can even feel the flow of every blood vessel in their own body, capable of exerting maximum power with minimal movement.

When the user overcomes the pain of being disturbed by the massive amount of internal information gained after crossing this stage, the transcendent control allows Breathing Style swordsmen to discard the redundant parts of their movements.

By controlling their own blood flow, breathing, and lungs to redefine their movements, they become faster, more precise, and stronger.

Ultimately, the user will see a completely transparent world; the enemy's breathing, blood flow, and muscle movements are also completely perceived.

Any movement will be discerned due to the contraction of muscles and blood vessels, allowing the user to directly find the opponent's weakness. This is what is called the 【Transparent World】.

Kokushibo's form paused slightly, the sword momentum "pinched" in his hand for half an instant.

It was this difference of a hair's breadth that caused Bai Cangshu's strike—launched by exploding off the wall—to miss its timing, instead appearing as if he were crashing into 【Kokushibo's Sword】 himself.

Thump, thump, thump! Bai Cangshu's heartbeat suddenly accelerated.

He truly felt the chill of death approaching.

Creak.

Bai Cangshu's abdominal muscles made a terrifying sound as if they were tearing; he suddenly flipped in mid-air, his forward momentum turning into a battle-axe-style downward chop.

Even for Kokushibo, a swordsman who had opened the 【Transparent World】, his pupils shrank at this moment.

He slashed out with his sword, but the opponent flipped in mid-air, avoiding a strike that would have been impossible to avoid under normal circumstances.

Bang! Kokushibo raised his hand and was struck by a kick of terrifying, immense force.

Kokushibo instantly sank to one knee, the ground shattering with a boom.

Bai Cangshu himself, aided by the force of this downward kick, leaped up once more.

While jumping into the air, he was once again exposed to the sunlight.

【You have killed Upper Rank Three: Akaza, gaining 1500 Dimension Points】

【Your damage contribution to Akaza is less than 50%; this kill cannot be counted as a solo kill】

Bai Cangshu was stunned. As he stepped onto the ground, he also noticed that Akaza's body, which had fallen into the basement, had completely burned away.

The damage he caused was less than half, which meant that his strike of 【Immortal Path: Rakshasa Palm】 was not the cause of death.

Bai Cangshu looked into the darkness at Kibutsuji Muzan, which was patting its body as the flesh and skin burned away by the sunlight began to regenerate once more.

Heh, so this guy killed Akaza.

Bai Cangshu frowned; he liked fighting, he liked slaughter, but he just... didn't like this feeling.

Tsk, truly hopeless.

At this time, the few remaining Upper Ranks in the underground world were in various states.

Hantengu's normal old man body, because his reaction was not fast, was ignited by the sunlight at the first moment and had already burned away by now.

But his main body, that tiny Qie no Oni, is likely still hiding in the shadows; relatively speaking, in this environment, it is indeed the Upper Rank best suited for avoiding the sun.

However, because it was scorched by the sunlight and failed to split into more combat-capable clones, Hantengu does not pose much of a threat for the time being.

Kokushibo was heavily wounded by the sunlight but still has the strength to fight; the flames on the body of Upper Rank Two, Doma, have already extinguished, and due to his injuries, he has even begun to use his Blood Demon Art of Ice Poison.

Nakime's biwa is essentially similar to Kokushibo's blade, as both are already part of their bodies and are likewise recovering rapidly.

Everything is developing in a direction where, apart from Akaza dying, all the man-eating Ghosts will be able to leave unscathed.

Kibutsuji Muzan looks at Bai Cangshu, who is standing on the ground and enveloped by sunlight, the corners of his mouth curling up into a cold, indifferent smile.

"To be able to kill an Upper Rank, you still..."

"Shut up!"

A loud shout suddenly rings out; Bai Cangshu's mouth twitches, revealing a terrifying smile as he pulls the pin on the high-explosive grenade in his hand and takes a deep breath, drawing a massive amount of air into his lungs like white mist.

His breathing frequency changes abnormally, and as the agitation within his body intensifies, circles of Ripple radiate outward.

Click.

Bai Cangshu releases his hand, and the high-explosive grenade falls.

Boom! The massive explosion engulfs Nakime, and amidst the high-temperature smoke, Bai Cangshu jumps down directly once more.

(End of chapter)