Yes, Han Zhiqi had already begun planning his escape. The trainer's continued absence made him realize that this probably was not a test at all—he had truly encountered a demon.
Han Zhiqi shook his head, swept his gaze around, and picked several sharp wooden sticks up from the ground, gripping them tightly in his palm.
This would be his final attack. After this strike, he would begin his escape.
Demons possessed limitless stamina and endless vitality. Without a Nichirin Blade, he simply could not kill this thing, so he had to run.
Han Zhiqi calmed himself, took a deep breath, and his gaze sharpened.
Snowflakes began drifting down from the sky once more. The wooden sticks in his hand were covered in ice in an instant, turning into slender ice spikes.
"Phantom: Falling Snow."
This was a new move that fused two forms together, combining Phantom's nimble footwork with Falling Snow's freezing properties.
Before Han Zhiqi had even finished speaking, his figure flickered and vanished from where he stood. Countless afterimages filled the clearing as they charged toward the demon together.
The demon twisted its body frantically, trying to stop Han Zhiqi from approaching, but it was completely ineffective.
Seven or eight translucent figures circled the demon, driving the ice spikes in their hands into joints all over its body at nearly the same time—especially its lower body, ankles, and knees—to seal its movements.
Having done all that, Han Zhiqi used his last remaining strength to flee up the mountain path, the demon's agonized screams ringing out behind him.
Why flee uphill instead of downhill? Wouldn't going downhill save more effort?
It would save effort, but it was also more dangerous.
Han Zhiqi knew his physical condition well. Even if he ran, he would not get far. Once the demon broke free of the wooden sticks and ice spikes, it would catch up with him sooner or later.
He did not know what lay at the foot of the mountain, how far away it was, or whether he could even make it down there. Even if he did, would anyone help him? And if someone did help, could that person defeat the demon before him?
All those uncertainties meant he could not flee downhill.
Running uphill would be more exhausting, but there were far fewer unknowns. At the very least, the trainer should be able to defeat this demon.
Besides, he had prepared for this. The demon's repeated cries should have reached the mountaintop by now. Perhaps the trainer was already on his way to rescue him.
All he had to do was hold on until the trainer arrived. If no one came, then perhaps he was simply fated to die here.
Han Zhiqi dragged his utterly exhausted body toward the mountaintop, staggering with every step.
At first, he could still walk normally. But as he climbed higher, his legs began to ache and tremble, his vision gradually blurring until he could only brace himself against the rocks beside the path and inch forward.
He prayed that the injured demon would know better than to continue pursuing him.
But not long after, the demon's furious shriek came from behind him. He seemed to hear it leaping through the trees, snapping branches beneath its feet.
Han Zhiqi despaired. Knowing he could not escape, he stopped and slowly sat down against a round boulder beside him.
Forget it. This is as far as I go.
Han Zhiqi gave a bitter smile as he looked ahead. He did not know whether night had fallen or his eyes had failed him, but everything before him was pitch-black.
That stingy woman really got me killed! Sigh, what a shame. I won't get to settle the score with her.
Thinking of Shinobu Kocho's pretty face, warmth flowed through Han Zhiqi's heart. Aside from his sister, she was the only woman who had ever made him feel warm—someone he wanted to get close to, someone he wanted to understand.
Han Zhiqi pulled the pendant from the bandages around his chest and held it before his eyes. The azure pendant swayed from side to side, giving off a faint glow.
"Xiao Qi, don't come looking for me, and don't think about revenge. Live well."
Those were the words his sister had left behind when she departed.
He had not been fully conscious then and had only barely heard that much. All he had wanted was to find his sister, kill Qi An, and avenge the villagers and his sister. Yet before his new journey had even begun, it was already about to end.
Han Zhiqi was unwilling to accept it.
A foul wind swept past him. A pitch-black figure dropped from above and landed before Han Zhiqi, radiating boundless fury.
It still came!
Is it finally over?
Han Zhiqi revealed a cold smile and unhurriedly tucked the pendant back into his bandages. He stared straight at the demon, but his blurred vision could no longer make out its appearance.
The demon shrieked and swung its sharp claws at Han Zhiqi's throat.
Suddenly, Han Zhiqi's eyes flew wide open. Veins bulged on his forehead as he faced the demon, opened his mouth, and let out a piercing roar.
"Qi... An!"
The two words burst from Han Zhiqi's throat, carrying endless fury and unwillingness.
Han Zhiqi's roar, unleashed with every last shred of his strength, frightened the demon into leaping onto a nearby tree branch. It thought he had some deadly technique left, since it had already suffered greatly at the hands of this prey.
Han Zhiqi's voice echoed through the mountain forest.
The demon crouched on the branch and waited for a moment, only to discover that it had merely been an ordinary roar. It realized that it had been fooled again.
Humiliated and enraged, it let out a string of demonic shrieks, waved its claws, and pounced on Han Zhiqi. This time, it was determined to tear the prey before it into pieces.
"Stone Breathing: Second Form: Heavenward Smash." An aged voice rang out from nowhere.
Han Zhiqi opened his eyes. Through the haze, he saw a burly figure appear before him. Then came a dull thud, like a watermelon bursting apart.
In midair, the demon that had been pouncing at him had its entire head blasted into pulp by a single punch.
He finally came!
Looks like I bet right!
The newcomer grabbed Han Zhiqi by the arm, slung him over his back like a chick, and walked toward the mountaintop with steady strides.
Lying on the trainer's back, Han Zhiqi turned to look at the demon on the stone steps. Without its head, it fumbled wildly across the ground like a headless fly. Soon afterward, it turned into a cloud of ash and vanished.
He really is powerful! No wonder he is the teacher of the strongest Stone Hashira!
He had no idea how the man had done it. Hadn't they said a demon could only be killed by having its head severed with a Nichirin Blade? Or could smashing a demon's head apart kill it as well?
"Still alive?" the aged voice sounded again.
"If I'd been any later, you wouldn't be."
"For a greenhorn carrying old injuries, holding on until now wasn't bad. You caused those wounds on that thing, didn't you?"
"Too bad you didn't have a blade. Otherwise, you wouldn't have ended up in such a sorry state."
"Hmph. You've got some skill, at least."
"How did you kill it just now? Didn't they say only a Nichirin Blade could kill a demon?"
"Who told you that only a Nichirin Blade could kill a demon?"
"The books."
"The books merely tell you the simplest and most practical method. What truly kills a demon is a mineral that absorbs sunlight, one of the materials used to forge Nichirin Blades. This mineral can destroy a demon's blood regeneration system. To kill a demon completely, two conditions are necessary. First, sever the brain's control system. Second, destroy the blood regeneration system. Therefore, a Nichirin Blade is not an absolute requirement. Any weapon containing that mineral can kill a demon, so long as it fulfills those two conditions."
Han Zhiqi finally understood. The old man must have been wearing some kind of weapon on his hand. But being able to shatter a demon's head through sheer physical strength alone was already extraordinary.
"Besides killing demons through brute force like that, there is another way: poison. Wisteria poison can destroy a demon's blood regeneration system from within. But the dosage is difficult to control. It works against weaker demons, but it is not very effective against powerful ones. It is also inconvenient to carry, so not many people use it."
That woman uses poison.
That woman naturally referred to Shinobu Kocho.
Before you continue