Chapter 560: Demon Heart Crossing

Inside a magnificent manor.

"Father, your child is obsessed with martial arts and has been waiting for you to create the perfect, flawless blade technique. Please, you must let me be the first person to test the blade."

A man dressed in yellow knelt down with a "thud," actually shattering the ground beneath him. The blade in his hand was pressed against his own neck: "If you do not agree, your child would rather commit suicide right here."

Di Yi Xie Huang stood before the man in yellow, though his hair and beard were still ink-black, and he had far fewer wrinkles.

He stroked his beard lightly, and seeing his son's resolute expression, he hesitated for a moment and said: "Fine, I promise you, we shall stop at the first sign of injury."

A moment later.

Di Yi Xie Huang and his son, Di Yi Qiu Sheng, engaged in combat.

Di Yi Xie Huang's Demonic Blade was newly formed, and his blade technique was wielded with abandon, like Wang Xizhi splashing ink or Gongsun dancing with a sword... However, as the two fought with growing fervor, the blade in Xie Huang's hand gradually began to affect his temperament, causing him to become as if crazed and possessed by a demon. Malice surged in his eyes, and the Demonic Blade became increasingly impossible to restrain. Even though his son, Di Yi Qiu Sheng, had already fallen into a disadvantageous position and was in imminent danger, and even spoke up to beg for mercy, there was not the slightest intention to stop.

"Ah!"

A shrill, miserable scream rang out.

It was Di Yi Xie Huang who had used a move called "Demonic Blade Severing Emotion" to slay his son.

Di Yi Xie Huang finally snapped back to his senses, the blade in his hand falling to the ground with a "clatter," and he looked in shock at his son lying in a pool of blood.

"I, I have killed Qiu Sheng again."

Di Yi Xie Huang looked at his own hands, his whole body trembling, as if he had fallen into the deepest of nightmares.

"That's right, you killed him again."

A mass of demonic energy, black as ink, suddenly swirled up and then formed another Xie Huang.

Only this Xie Huang had blood-red eyes, and his entire body radiated monstrous demonic energy, malice, and killing intent.

Indeed, this was the collective embodiment of the demonic thoughts within Di Yi Xie Huang's heart; he was also Xie Huang, yet two sides of the same body. Perhaps he could be called—Mo Nian Xie Huang.

Mo Nian Xie Huang sneered: "You cannot control the Demonic Blade at all. Ever since the Demonic Blade was first formed, you have only been able to keep fleeing, never daring to face me. In front of me, no matter how high your strength is, you are nothing but trash."

Di Yi Xie Huang was silent for a long while, then suddenly exhaled a long breath of white air. The long blade that had fallen to the ground was drawn back into his palm, and his gaze gradually became firm and sharp.

Just like the long blade in his hand.

"That person's cultivation is truly unfathomable, to have actually drawn out this mass of demonic thoughts within you. I have spent the latter half of my life cowed by demonic thoughts, but today, I shall—slaughter the demon to verify the Dao."

As the words fell, the long blade in Di Yi Xie Huang's hand swung out, the blade light like a waterfall of silk, yet it was not the Demonic Blade, but the family-inherited "Di Yi Blade Technique."

Black energy churned in Mo Nian Xie Huang's palm, likewise condensing into a demonic blade, and with a wave, he blocked Di Yi Xie Huang's long blade.

Di Yi Xie Huang's long blade pierced the air, the momentum of the blade pressing forward without retreat, drawing forth the sound of deep wind and thunder. Even without using the Demonic Blade, he was still a rare master of blade techniques in the world.

However, this Mo Nian Xie Huang before him not only had strength not inferior to his own, but could also wantonly wield the Demonic Blade, every strike heartless, instead forcing Di Yi Xie Huang to retreat step by step.

"Slaughter the demon to verify the Dao, bah." Mo Nian Xie Huang shouted while swinging his blade like a madman: "Your so-called family-inherited 'Di Yi Blade Technique' is complete dogshit. You don't dare to use the Demonic Blade, cowering and shrinking back; you are absolutely no match for me. That Di Er Dao Huang is always looking for you to spar; you should have used the Demonic Blade to chop off his hands and feet to see if he would still dare to be arrogant."

"Hehe, didn't you just hear the story of Yun Dingtian? Good people don't get rewarded. It would be better to hand this nearly withered body over to me; I want this Edo to revere it like a god or a demon. And you, you lowly fellow, will also be firmly remembered by the people of the world because of me, for thousands of autumns and ten thousand generations, never to be extinguished."

Mo Nian Xie Huang's skill with his tongue was not a whit weaker than his skill with the blade. Furthermore, as he was the demonic thought of Di Yi Xie Huang, he was also his inner demon and understood Xie Huang the best. Thus, every sentence could achieve the effect of breaking his defenses.

Consequently, under the combined pressure of the Demonic Blade and his verbal skills, Di Yi Xie Huang retreated steadily.

Meanwhile, in the real world, inside the Life and Death Gate, Di Yi Xie Huang's face was almost entirely covered by black demonic energy, with only a small patch of white remaining in stubborn resistance.

On the Chessboard before Xie Huang, the black and white pieces were jumping on their own, as if an invisible hand were manipulating this game of chess. And this game was just like Xie Huang's current situation: the black pieces held the upper hand, about to strangle the white pieces to extinction.

And it was at this critical moment that Yu Liancheng calmed the tyrannical, masculine blade energy within Di Er Meng's body, then pointed a finger at the center of Di Yi Xie Huang's brow.

"Let this seat help you complete the Demon Heart Crossing."

In the illusory realm, several crisscrossing wounds had already appeared on Di Yi Xie Huang's body; he was, after all, no match for this Mo Nian Xie Huang before him. Never mind slaughtering the demon to verify the Dao, his remaining humanity was even more likely to be extinguished by the demon.

"Heh, two pieces of trash."

Just then, a disdainful chuckle rang out.

Both Xie Huangs turned their heads at the same time to see Yu Liancheng standing with his hands behind his back on the roof, his expression carrying mockery and disdain.

"Pretty boy, what did you say!?" Mo Nian Xie Huang was instantly enraged.

The mocking sneer on the corner of Yu Liancheng's mouth grew even more pronounced as he said: "I said you are both trash; the 'Di Yi Blade Technique' is trash, and the 'Demonic Blade' is also trash. Talking about a perfect, flawless blade technique—you are nothing but frogs at the bottom of a well, arrogant and conceited. Only by hiding in this place where the sun never shines do you dare to falsely claim to be the first, hehe."

Upon hearing this, Mo Nian Xie Huang was even more enraged.

The reason he existed, and the meaning of his existence, were both based on the Demonic Blade.

Yet now, to be belittled like this, how could he endure it?

"Brat, you say my Demonic Blade is weak? Today I will use the nine styles of the Demonic Blade to kill you."

Immediately, Mo Nian Xie Huang abandoned Di Yi Xie Huang and swung his blade to kill Yu Liancheng.

The eight-character mantra of the Demonic Blade: Abandon God, Forsake Buddha, Depart from Scriptures, Rebel against the Dao.

First style of the Demonic Blade: Demonic Energy Raging.

Second style of the Demonic Blade: Demonic Dao Raging.

Third style of the Demonic Blade: Demonic Extremity Slaughtering Emotion.

Ninth style of the Demonic Blade: Blood Blade Demonic Art.

Mo Nian Xie Huang unleashed all nine styles of the Demonic Blade, whipping up a sky full of demonic energy.

This Mo Nian Xie Huang was originally a collective of negative energy triggered by the Demonic Blade and was clearly better able to exert the power of the Demonic Blade. Especially the ninth style, 'Blood Blade Demonic Art', which was one hell per blade.

Every blade strike seemed to carry the Eighteen Levels of Hell rushing toward him. Moreover, each blade was stronger than the last; every strike was building momentum for the next, and every strike was an eruption.

But unfortunately, no matter how strong Mo Nian Xie Huang was, he could never harm a single hair on Yu Liancheng. Not to mention that this place was originally an illusory space constructed by Yu Liancheng with his vast divine sense, even in the real world, Yu Liancheng had already seen through the reality and depth of the Demonic Blade technique during his previous bout with the possessed Di Yi Xie Huang, and it was likewise unable to harm him.

"Heh, is this the Demonic Blade? Truly as weak as can be."

The Demonic Blade was like madness itself; the sky above and below was filled with blade shadows, with layer upon layer of blade energy covering him. But Yu Liancheng's body transformed into a wisp of unfathomable breeze, weaving through the gaps in the blade energy from impossible angles, and he did not forget to mock Mo Nian Xie Huang from time to time.

"If I were as weak as you, I might as well find a piece of tofu and bash my head in."

Under Yu Liancheng's mockery, that Mo Nian Xie Huang became increasingly like a madman, yet he could do absolutely nothing to his opponent.

Furthermore, under the influence of Yu Liancheng's omnipresent God-thought, even Mo Nian Xie Huang began to doubt himself; could the Demon Blade truly be this weak?

And when Mo Nian Xie Huang glanced at Di Yi Xie Huang to the side, the red light in his eyes surged violently, and the doubts in his heart were instantly resolved.

Currently, his heart-thought is split in two, and this place is not the real world, but one dominated by heart-thought and spirit; his strength is nearly halved, so how could he be the opponent of the person before him?

Thus, Mo Nian Xie Huang let out an angry roar, abruptly transformed into a black shadow, and threw himself toward Di Yi Xie Huang.

Di Yi Xie Huang's eyes instantly turned blood-red, controlled by the demonic thought; demonic Qi gathered into a Demon Blade, slashing toward Yu Liancheng with peerless momentum. Man and blade had now both become the strongest weapon.

This time, the Demon Blade was like mercury pouring onto the ground, without a single flaw, and absolutely no one could dodge such a brilliant blade technique.

It was as if one were standing on a vast plain, with the scorching sun shining down from above. All things in heaven and earth were shrouded under the light-like blade momentum. There was nowhere to hide, nowhere to evade.

This is the true Demon Blade after the union of man and demon.

Yu Liancheng could not either.

But he had no need to dodge at all.

He kept one hand behind his back, while the other held a palm upright like a blade, yet he did not clash with the Demon Blade, but instead used guiding movements to dissipate the opponent's power into nothingness.

No matter how wild the blade, it found no purchase under Yu Liancheng's vast and continuous palm momentum. This made Di Yi Xie Huang feel increasingly stifled, as if he were exerting force against cotton.

While neutralizing the blade momentum, Yu Liancheng spoke eloquently: "Di Yi Xie Huang, to slash the demon is not as good as saving the demon, making the demon heart serve one's own use. All life, death, love, and hate can make a person wish they were dead; this is the root of the Demon Blade. One thought forms a demon, and the power of the Demon Blade is precisely to pour all seven emotions and six desires into the blade, while oneself retains only the killing intent."

As Yu Liancheng's heart-thought shifted, the original "Di Yi Fu Di" transformed into a world of ice and snow, the cold air piercing straight to the marrow; that demonic thought, as intense as a raging fire, also tended to be suppressed along with the cold, and a trace of clarity faintly returned to Di Yi Xie Huang's eyes.

"The so-called saving of the demon is to save all the dead knots of your life that caused pain for the sake of emotion. When your state of mind is perfect and harmonious, not obsessed by the demon, not harmed by the self, you can control the demon heart."

Under the guidance of the icy intent and Yu Liancheng's words, which were like swords, although Di Yi Xie Huang's blade intent was wild, he could not help but recall the past; his surname was Di Yi, he was the eldest son in his family, and whether it was zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, or blade, spear, staff, and club, he was always the first. He seemed to have transcendent talent, but for the sake of this "first," he did not know how much effort he had expended.

Later, in order to create the perfect blade, it became his obsession, and for this, he did not hesitate to sacrifice himself to become a demon. Although the Demon Blade was completed, the first person he killed was his own only heir.

To subdue the demon heart, he lived in seclusion in the Zheng Xie Dao, ignoring worldly affairs.

However, was he truly content with this?

In an instant, all kinds of sorrow, all kinds of loneliness, and all kinds of karmic debts surged into his heart. For a time, the blade became wilder, and the man became more desperate.

"Di Yi Xie Huang, obsession leads to demon, letting go leads to God. One thought is heaven, one thought is hell. Only by letting go can you save the demon heart and make all karma serve you."

Yu Liancheng used one palm to unload the insane and wild blade momentum, his lips parted slightly, and he continuously recited the Nie Family's Heart-Freezing Art to help Di Yi Xie Huang subdue the demonic thought and save the demon heart.

Although Di Yi Xie Huang's blade momentum was wild, he himself seemed to be caught in a battle between Heavenly Human, and the demonic Qi on his body twisted and changed constantly, black and white fighting in a chaotic mess.

And within the Life and Death Gate, on that Chessboard, it was as if an invisible giant hand was rapidly moving the pieces, appearing to be in a chaotic mess, black and white slaughtering each other, you within me, me within you, indistinguishable from one another.

Boom!

Amidst a huge roaring sound, it was Di Er Dao Huang who had slashed out another blade. The intensity of the demonic Qi and the wildness of the blade Qi in this strike were unprecedented.

Under this blade, Yu Liancheng was actually forced back several dozen zhang.

Di Yi Xie Huang launched an offensive against Yu Liancheng again, his whole body soaring into the sky, leaping ten zhang, and then the Demon Blade in his hand slashed out a blade Qi of more than ten zhang, directly hacking and pressing down toward Yu Liancheng.

"If you do not save him now, when will you?" Yu Liancheng stood with his hands behind his back, invisible ripples spreading from between his brows, and a wave of divine sense surged toward the latter like a tide.

In an instant, countless figures appeared before Di Yi Xie Huang's eyes.

There were his parents, Di Yi Qiu Sheng, Di San Zhu Huang, Di Er Dao Huang... The blade momentum grew wilder and wilder, yet Yu Liancheng remained as motionless as a mountain, as if letting Di Yi Xie Huang slaughter him.

And just as the wild Demon Blade was about to split Yu Liancheng in two, the red light in Di Yi Xie Huang's eyes retracted, turning to quickly recover clarity, and finally, with his other hand, he forcibly stopped this move of the Demon Blade. Although sweat poured down like rain, his whole body radiated an aura that transcended the mundane.

"Congratulations, Di Yi Xie Huang."

A smile appeared on the corner of Yu Liancheng's mouth: "All karma turns according to the heart, the demon heart serves one's own use. You have finally let go of the demonic thought and saved the demon heart. From now on, you can be the demon among demons, and also Di Yi Xie Huang."

On the Chessboard at the Life and Death Gate, the white pieces had already surrounded the black pieces, separating them; whether one wanted to completely annihilate the black pieces or make them serve one's own use, it could be easily achieved.

PS: There is a second update today.