Sesshomaru's Whetstone; Transformation and Growth

At the Eastern Country's border, dark clouds pressed down over the land.

Sesshomaru hovered high in the sky less than a hundred li from the Border Line, his silver hair standing out like moonlight amid the surging evil aura.

His golden-purple eyes swept over the land below.

Forests had withered in swaths, rivers had been dyed an eerie dark red, and the air was thick with the mingled stench of rotting flesh and sulfur.

"This is worse than Black Wind Canyon..."

He murmured to himself, curling his fingers slightly as Moonlight Blades gathered at his fingertips.

Just then, a shrill demonic howl came from the valley ahead, accompanied by the piercing sound of metal tearing through the air.

Sesshomaru's gaze sharpened, and he turned into a streak of silver light as he dove down.

Deep within the valley, the sight was horrific.

Dozens of Dog Demon soldiers lay scattered across the ground. Most had already lost consciousness, while the few still struggling were all wrapped in strange black mist.

The mist seemed alive, slowly eroding their Demonic Power and life force.

At the center stood a figure clad in a tattered black robe, his back facing Sesshomaru.

The demon held a strangely shaped weapon in his hand.

A metal staff nearly a zhang long.

Its head was shaped like a crescent moon, its edges flowing with an eerie dark-purple gleam.

The staff was covered in cracks, and faint crimson veins could be seen pulsing within them.

"The Nether Moon Staff..."

Sesshomaru recognized the weapon.

He had seen records of it in ancient texts of the Western Country.

In ancient times, a powerful demon had studied life and death, stolen materials from the Underworld, and fused all of his Demonic Power into a weapon.

But because its power was too difficult