The wind died down, the clouds scattered, and the dust settled. The towering, majestic phantom of Kurikara Myōō, boundless in power, had long since vanished without a trace. All that remained was Eight Leaves standing solemnly where he had been, his monk's robe stained red, his features twisted beneath a faint halo of light.
"Amitabha. The divine blade shook the world; Eight Leaves lost his head. A fine blade."
As he spoke, a line of blood slowly emerged across Eight Leaves's neck, appearing from nothing, deepening from shallow to profound. Then it slid apart. His head fell and rolled across the ground, yet not a drop of blood came gushing out.
That strike had not only used Xiang Yang's fierce and tyrannical blade qi to shatter Kurikara Myōō's phantom outright, but had also broken through Eight Leaves's Hardening Divine Skill and beheaded him in one stroke.
Of that strike, five parts came from Xiang Yang's own strength, while the other five came from the overwhelming sharpness of the Divine Blade Que Xie. That was why Eight Leaves had spoken those words before dying.
Xiang Yang sheathed his blade, his expression calm. He could no longer remember how many masters had died by his hand, but one thing was certain: Eight Leaves would never be the last...
Outside the Great Hero Hall of Kasyapa Temple, upon the white-stone plaza, Lord of the Sea of Suffering stood waiting with the masters of the Ku Hai lineage. They formed a lotus formation, and as their prayer beads turned, chanting like demonic music spread across the summit of Cloud Coming Peak, leaving hearts and minds dazed as though they had entered a demon realm.
Opposing them were the monks of Kasyapa Temple and the masters who had come to aid them. Sitting cross-legged, the