Shared Heavens from Douluo Continent

Not long after the Phantom Clone stepped into the Cave Spider's territory, a mass of yellow mucus suddenly burst beneath its feet, transforming into a huge yellow spiderweb that completely enveloped it.

The previously sticky yellow web instantly hardened like steel the moment it came into contact with the air, trapping the Phantom Clone tightly within it.

Sensing that prey had taken the bait, the Cave Spider hidden underground immediately burrowed out and pounced at the Phantom Clone.

The Cave Spider before them had a main body only around two meters in diameter. Its entire body was grayish-black, and unlike the Man Faced Demon Spider's long legs, its spider legs were especially thick and sturdy, clearly better suited for digging.

"Now, kill!"

At Dai Changsheng's command, the remaining three Phantom Clones pushed off fiercely, leaving three large pits where they stood as they charged at the Cave Spider like lightning.

Faced with the suddenly appearing enemies, the Cave Spider was startled as well. It hurriedly activated its innate ability, trapping another Phantom Clone.

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft..."

Before the Cave Spider could activate Web Cage again, the remaining two Phantom Clones had already reached it. Waving sharp tiger claws like daggers, they tore it to pieces.

Chapter 55: Timid Zenitsu Agatsuma

Watching from the shadows, Dai Changsheng could not help nodding in satisfaction.

For clones with a limited lifespan like Phantom Clones, they really were best used as bait to scout the way or to trade their lives for an enemy's.

With the Cave Spider's death, flecks of starlight drifted out from its remains, eventually condensing into a pitch-black ten-thousand-year spirit ring.

Aid and Abet, activate!

The tiger tail behind Dai Changsheng glowed faintly and shot out a ray of white light that enveloped the black spirit ring.

The pitch-black spirit ring rapidly expanded, transforming back into a somewhat translucent Cave Spider. It moved its thick legs and quickly crawled before Dai Changsheng, waiting for his orders like a loyal guard.

Looking at the entirely gray Cave Spider, Dai Changsheng thought for a moment and said, "From now on, your name is Little Gray!"

"Hiss, hiss~"

Seemingly understanding, the Cave Spider nodded and let out a series of low hisses.

"Alright, everything's done. Let's go!"

After speaking, Dai Changsheng raised his right hand and waved, putting away the Cave Spider and Benson. He then rode the Light Swan toward Heaven Dou City.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba World

Mt. Fujikasane

"We're finally here!"

Gazing at the mountain before him, covered in wisteria blossoms, Dai Changsheng, dressed in black with a slender figure, had a glint flash through his eyes.

More than two months had passed since he last entered the Gray Mist Space.

After over two months of arduous cultivation, Dai Changsheng had accumulated quite a bit of Nine Yang True Qi. Combined with the greatly amplified power of Thunder Breathing, it was now time to test the results.

"Th-this is Mt. Fujikasane? It... it feels so scary! I-I'm done for. I'll definitely die here..."

Following behind Dai Changsheng, Zenitsu Agatsuma stared at Mt. Fujikasane, the site of the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen's Final Selection, his face filled with terror and despair.

The Demon Slayer Corps held its Final Selection once every year, and it took place on Mt. Fujikasane, which was covered in wisteria flowers.

The Final Selection was extremely cruel. Participants had to engage in actual combat on Mt. Fujikasane against demons captured by the Demon Slayer Corps over the years, and they had to survive on the mountain for seven full days.

Although those demons were the weakest kind and had not even awakened Blood Demon Arts, they could trigger the participants' psychological fears, making real combat more difficult.

The purpose of the Final Selection was to cultivate warriors who faced death head-on, using this method to select swordsmen with true strength.

Seeing that Zenitsu Agatsuma was practically scaring himself to death before even encountering a demon, Dai Changsheng said somewhat speechlessly, "Zenitsu, don't be nervous. You're very strong. Ordinary demons are no match for you. Just approach it with the same attitude you have during training."

As the second male lead of the original story, Zenitsu Agatsuma actually possessed exceptional talent for cultivation.

If Dai Changsheng had not received his cheat and shared the strength and talents of his other selves from different worlds, he would have been no match for Zenitsu Agatsuma at all.

However, Zenitsu Agatsuma had been abandoned by his parents from birth and lived alone in the city for fifteen years, developing a cowardly and pessimistic personality.

"C-Changsheng, I-I'm not as strong as you say. I-I'm really weak. Otherwise, I wouldn't have only learned the First Form of Thunder Breathing."

Zenitsu Agatsuma could hardly be blamed for wanting to back out. Unlike Dai Changsheng, he had not joined the Demon Slayer Corps carrying a blood feud. He had been talked into it by Jigoro Kuwajima.

When Zenitsu Agatsuma was fifteen, the girl he had a crush on tricked him out of a great deal of money so she could elope with another man, leaving him deeply in debt.

Just when Zenitsu Agatsuma had reached the end of his rope and was almost forced to sell his ass to repay his debts, Jigoro Kuwajima appeared in time. Recognizing his talent at a glance, he paid off all his debts, brought him to Peach Mountain, and talked him into learning Thunder Breathing.

Therefore, unlike Dai Changsheng, Zenitsu Agatsuma did not possess the conviction to kill Muzan Kibutsuji and avenge his family. He simply could not bring out his true talent.

In the original story, Zenitsu Agatsuma only activated the power hidden within him whenever he was frightened unconscious by a demon, allowing him to kill the demon before him in a single strike.

It was not until Zenitsu's fellow disciple Kaigaku encountered Upper Rank One, the strongest of the Twelve Kizuki, during a mission and chose to become a demon in order to survive.

As his master, Jigoro had to take responsibility for it. In the end, without anyone to serve as his second, Jigoro committed seppuku and died.

Only after learning of Jigoro's death did Zenitsu finally awaken. He swore to personally kill the fallen Kaigaku and avenge his dead master, finally becoming able to display his full strength while conscious.

Dai Changsheng patted Zenitsu Agatsuma on the shoulder. "Zenitsu, pull yourself together! Have some confidence in yourself. You're a man even lightning couldn't kill!"

Originally, Zenitsu Agatsuma had short black hair like Dai Changsheng. But during one evasion training session, Zenitsu hid in a tree and was accidentally struck by lightning, turning his hair from black to gold.

"..."

Zenitsu Agatsuma's mouth twitched. "If I'd known I was going to be eaten by demons, I might as well have died from that lightning strike!"

"Since that's the case, I'll just chop you to death with one swing, so you won't have to suffer the pain of being torn apart by a hundred demons."

Seeing that verbal comfort was no longer of any use, Dai Changsheng could not be bothered to console this foolish junior brother any further. He slowly drew the Nichirin Blade at his waist and said with an exceedingly kind smile, "Don't worry. Your senior brother's blade is fast. It won't hurt at all!"

!!!∑(Дノ)ノ

Zenitsu Agatsuma's expression changed drastically at the sight. His golden hair stood on end in fright as he hurriedly used Thunder Breathing and sprinted toward the summit of Mt. Fujikasane.

A wicked grin curled Dai Changsheng's lips. He waved the Nichirin Blade in his hand as he closely pursued Zenitsu Agatsuma, calling in an utterly chilling tone, "Zenitsu, don't run!"

"Senior Brother, put the sword down first. We can talk this out. Please, stop..."

With Dai Changsheng chasing after him, Zenitsu Agatsuma had completely forgotten his fear of demons. Dai Changsheng seemed even more terrifying than a demon right now.

As the saying went: if you cannot understand human speech, then I happen to know a little martial arts!

When dealing with a coward like Zenitsu Agatsuma, it was better to use fists than to keep talking.

The two chased one another and soon arrived at a platform halfway up Mt. Fujikasane.

Several dozen examinees like Dai Changsheng and the others had already gathered on the platform.

"I... I can't go on... My lungs... my lungs are about to burst..."

Seeing other people present, Zenitsu Agatsuma immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Without caring about his image, he collapsed onto the ground and panted heavily, his chest heaving violently.

Faced with the puzzled looks cast his way by the other examinees, Dai Changsheng calmly sheathed his Nichirin Blade and began sizing up the people present.

Slaying Demons

Aside from those examinees in identical uniforms, who looked like nothing more than background characters, Dai Changsheng quickly spotted four familiar figures.

One of them was a red-haired youth wearing a green-and-black checkered haori. He had a ferocious scar on the left side of his forehead and wore the distinctive Hanafuda earrings. He looked about the same age as Zenitsu Agatsuma, so he was obviously the original story's male protagonist—Tanjiro Kamado!

Another was a wild man wearing a boar's head and bare from the waist up. Other than Inosuke Hashibira, who had been raised by boars since childhood, who else could it be?

There was also a youth with a pompadour hairstyle and a scar running from his right cheek to the tip of his nose. He should be Genya Shinazugawa.

Because Genya Shinazugawa's physical abilities were rather poor, he could not master a Breathing Technique, much less become a Pillar-class powerhouse like his older brother.

However, Genya Shinazugawa possessed powerful jaws and special digestive organs, granting him the ability to temporarily turn his body into that of a demon after eating one. The stronger the demon he consumed, the more his regeneration and strength increased. He was an extremely rare demon eater.

As for the final figure, she was the only female among the four—a petite, cute-looking girl.

Judging by the butterfly hair ornament she wore, she should be the adopted younger sister of the Butterfly sisters, as well as the tsuguko of the Insect Pillar, Shinobu Kocho—Kanao Tsuyuri!

A tsuguko was a special title within the Demon Slayer Corps, referring to a successor of a Pillar-class warrior.

Those chosen by Pillars to be raised as tsuguko usually possessed exceptional training talent and the potential to become Pillar-class powerhouses.

"Esteemed swordsmen, we sincerely thank you for making the arduous journey here tonight to participate in the Final Selection."

Just as Dai Changsheng was observing Tanjiro and the others, a pleasant voice suddenly rang out. Two little girls in purple kimono emerged from a wooden house nearby, each carrying a lantern.

The two little girls looked alike and wore identical clothing. Only their hair colors differed, one black and one white. They were both children of Kagaya Ubuyashiki, the current head of the Demon Slayer Corps.

The "little girl" with short black hair was named Kiriya Ubuyashiki. He was the eldest son of the Ubuyashiki family and had two older sisters and two younger sisters.

Because the boys of the Ubuyashiki family were usually frail and sickly, they were raised as girls until the age of thirteen.

"Many demons captured by Demon Slayer swordsmen are imprisoned on this Mt. Fujikasane, but they are unable to leave."

After drawing everyone's attention, Kiriya Ubuyashiki explained expressionlessly, "That is because wisteria flowers, which demons greatly detest, bloom all year round from the foothills to the mountainside of Mt. Fujikasane. However, once you proceed upward from here, there will no longer be any wisteria flowers, and demons will appear. Therefore, please proceed with the utmost caution.

"Those who survive on Mt. Fujikasane for seven days will be considered to have passed the Final Selection."

"Um..."

Just as everyone's faces turned grave, Dai Changsheng suddenly raised his hand and asked, "May I ask a question?"

"This swordsman, what is your question?"

Facing Kiriya Ubuyashiki's curious gaze, Dai Changsheng grinned. "I'd like to ask how many demons each person is allowed to kill at most. If there's no limit, can I kill all those disgusting things?"

"..."

The moment Dai Changsheng finished speaking, the entire platform fell silent. Everyone turned to look at him.

Kiriya Ubuyashiki was the first to recover from his shock. With a faint smile, he said, "This swordsman, there is no limit to the number of demons each person may kill. If you truly have the ability to kill every demon on Mt. Fujikasane, then go ahead and kill them."

"Then I won't hold back!"

Dai Changsheng suddenly pushed off with his feet, leaving behind two footprints several inches deep. He turned into a black afterimage and shot toward the mountaintop.

Before long, Dai Changsheng encountered the first demon blocking his path. It was a male demon nearly two meters tall, with two sharp horns on its head and a blue face filled with fangs.

"Pfft, pfft, pfft..."

Before the male demon could react, Dai Changsheng had already swung his Nichirin Blade, instantly severing all four of its limbs.

The two-horned demon, reduced to a limbless stump on the spot, had a drastic change of expression. It had not expected Dai Changsheng to be so strong.

Yet the two-horned demon could not help feeling fortunate. Luckily, Dai Changsheng was a rookie who had not directly severed its neck, leaving it a chance to turn things around.

"Huh? Why? Why aren't my wounds regenerating?"

Just as the two-horned demon prepared to rapidly regrow its limbs and ambush Dai Changsheng while he was off guard, it discovered that its severed limbs could not regenerate.

Only then did the Two-Horned Demon realize in horror that some kind of special energy seemed to be covering its wounds, clinging to them like bone-eating maggots and preventing them from healing.

Just as I expected, the supremely forceful and blazing Nine Yang True Qi had a powerful restraining effect on demons.

Seeing that the Two-Horned Demon's severed limbs still refused to regenerate, Dai Changsheng could not help grumbling inwardly.

To a certain extent, the Nine Yang Divine Skill was like the Xuanming Divine Palm—the true qi cultivated by both belonged to the category of exotic true qi.

Since the frigid, yin-laden Xuanming True Qi could torment Zhang Wuji until he wished he were dead, then the supremely forceful and blazing Nine Yang True Qi should also be able to restrain demons who feared sunlight.

"What the hell did you do to me? Damn demon slayer..."

"Shut up!"

Having confirmed his suspicions, Dai Changsheng could not be bothered to listen to the Two-Horned Demon curse anymore. He swung his blade and severed its head, turning it into a pile of ashes.

"Then next, I'll slaughter to my heart's content!"

A cold gleam flashed through Dai Changsheng's eyes. He revealed a somewhat crazed smile and began searching for the traces of other demons.

With senses far beyond those of an ordinary person, Dai Changsheng quickly discovered the demons hiding in the shadows and watching him, mercilessly severing their heads.

Because Dai Changsheng's entire family had been killed by demons, he loathed such creatures deeply and wished he could wipe every last one of them out.

Had Dai Changsheng not regained the memories of his past life, even if he encountered a good demon like Nezuko, he likely would not have been able to stop himself from killing her!

Besides his hatred for demons, Dai Changsheng had another objective: by killing all the demons on Mt. Fujikasane, he hoped to draw Kagaya Ubuyashiki's attention sooner and inherit the new title of "Sound Hashira."

Compared to ordinary Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen, Hashira-level experts were the true pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps. Only they could kill the Twelve Kizuki and even threaten Muzan Kibutsuji!

Therefore, Hashira-level experts possessed considerable authority. Not only were they freer than ordinary Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen, but they could also customize their own exclusive Nichirin Blades.