One Inch of Dao, One Foot of Devil

Shaohao had an unworthy son who broke faith and abandoned loyalty, embellished evil words, flattered the mediocre and wicked, and used slander to frame the virtuous. The people of the world called him Qiongqi.

The Qiongqi is a celestial beast, residing in the northern region. It resembles a tiger, with hedgehog-like fur and wings. Its form is extremely ugly. It chases after demons and evil spirits, causing them to flee. It devours people from head to toe, and the food eaten is disheveled hair. It can sustain a person from head to toe in a single day.

The raging blue flames spread across the sky and earth, consuming the world and burning the seas, boiling the ocean in an instant and breaking through the demon-suppressing formation.

At this moment, what emerged from the bright blue flames was a colossal beast over four zhang long, with wings on its back and blue eyes like lightning! It resembled a tiger, with a body as broad as an ox, and a fierce steel mane that looked like barbs of white iron! Behind this demon god's head, a bright light like the moon shone, with blue flames swirling around its body, a blue sun reaching the sky, and a raging wind, illuminating the seabed as if it were daytime!

The moment the true god manifested, its overwhelming power ruthlessly crushed the four Nascent Soul Stage outside, and also blasted away the five Golden Core cultivators in the corner of the formation, as well as countless underwater reefs and sunken ships!

If most of the Azure Flame's intense fire hadn't been absorbed by the seawater, that single blow would probably have reduced the five of them to charred remains and ashes.

But they didn't even have time to catch their breath. The Demon Lord, who had revealed his Flying Tiger Divine Body, simply turned his blue eyes and his enormous body vanished in an instant. With a slap of his five claws, he swept away the enraged heat wave, even slamming Li Fan's body, which was still rolling and tumbling, into the ground with one claw, crushing half of his body into a bloody pulp!

"Hoo--You foul-mouthed bastard!! Don't think you can die so easily!" Ji Hao's voice was like thunder, earth-shattering, shattering even the sand and gravel.

Li Fan, who was pinned under its claws, had his muscles scorched and burned by the azure flames, turning them charred and crispy. Yet, he was still alive. He looked up and saw that his lower body had been crushed by a claw, but his abdomen was unharmed. Realizing that the other party was trying to kill him, he couldn't help but grin and laugh out loud.

"Heh, you can still laugh? Go ahead and curse! Try cursing again! See if you can anger me enough to give you a quick death!" The huge tiger head glared at the blue eyes, spewing out a foul-smelling heat wave, and lowered its head to stare directly at Li Fan, who had been blasted into a human-shaped piece of charcoal, as if a big cat was playing with a mouse under its paws.

"Hahaha! You old devil! A slap on the head would have been enough, but you had to whine and ramble on. You want revenge for your broken eagle, huh? You need to give me a good slap to ease your anger, don't you? Ha! You really are destined to die!"

Li Fan laughed so hard that the muscles in his mouth tore open, revealing a patch of blood red beneath his charred skin.

"Hmph, keep cursing, you stubborn mule, huh? Trying to be a hero, huh? Acting on behalf of Heaven, huh..." Ji Hao reveled in the thrill of revenge, his rage blazing. His pair of azure eyes, as fiery as flames, stared intently at Li Fan's charred head. "Fine, I love playing with self-proclaimed heroes like you. Let me guess how many days you can hold out before kneeling down and begging to become my servant. Li Qing of the Beichen Sword Sect... Hmm? What did you say your name was!"

"Remember, the person who killed you was your father Qingyue!"

Li Fan roared and ripped off the skin of the face with both hands, tearing away the outer layer of Dao body to reveal the face of the young Daoist hidden underneath.

A red line on the boy's forehead suddenly split open, revealing his Crimson Eyes, which were wide open in anger, radiating endless crimson light that shone straight into Ji Hao's blue pupils like a sword rainbow!

"It's you!! Ouch----!!"

It wasn't that Heaven didn't give Ji Hao a chance; he did indeed use the Soul Devouring Technique to devour Lü Daolian's hands and examine his memories. Therefore, he knew from the beginning that the three-eyed boy who suddenly appeared in the Void Abyss, claiming to be a disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain and who had killed one of his Nascent Soul Stage wine slaves, was very suspicious.

However, the reputation of the Beichen Sword Sect was too great, and the appearance of this black-clad fellow was too different from Li Fan's true form. Moreover, this guy who kept spouting nonsense was so infuriating that Ji Hao was driven crazy.

After all, he had been Divine Transformation for so many years, and the people around him were either lowly servants or pushovers. How many would dare to be so presumptuous in front of him? So by the time Ji Hao realized he had fallen into another trap, it was already too late.

"Awoooooo--! Gaho hahaha--!"

Ji Hao opened his blood-red maw, intending to spit out a mouthful of azure flames to kill the murderous beast before him, but it was too late. The giant beast's Divine Transformation body was already stiff, unable to move, and even the enormous white sun flame wheel behind its head and the mouthful of Dao fire were out of control, the azure flames overflowing and igniting its mane. Many muscles and bones were spasming and convulsing uncontrollably, churning and mutating, and every now and then, huge pustules of flesh would burst open, and its enormous body was disintegrating at a visible speed!

But Ji Hao was clearly still forcing himself to maintain his Dao form. His eyes were still flashing with blue-green lightning, revealing his ferocity. But what good was a fierce look? The body of Divine Transformation cultivator was unable to move under Li Fan's staring gaze!

"Demon! Today is your death day!"

Although Li Fan was shouting, he actually wasn't very confident about the red eyeball on the forehead. After all, two of the four True Immortals were completely unaffected, and his skill level was far inferior to this demon's, so he couldn't rely on it as a trump card.

Therefore, Li Fan's original plan was to utilize the Demon-Suppressing Formation, bring in some Xuanmen disciples, and leverage the Xuanmen Killing Tribulation and the "Fate of Those with a Connection to the Sword" to increase the success rate.

If all else fails, rely on philosophical discussions and strategic planning to salvage the situation.

After all, if it could truly trigger a bloodbath like the one at Tiantai Mountain, it would at least show that strength doesn't directly affect anything. No matter how powerful this old demon is, he could still perish, right?

However, Ji Hao's true strength far exceeded expectations. As soon as he revealed his true form, he overturned the four old masters outside!

Thankfully, the red eyeball worked its magic. It seems Li Fan is truly destined to be the protagonist! A ton of point-and-click crowd control, hard crowd control, and taunts! A natural-born main tank for the team... Seriously, this isn't the time for idle thoughts!

"DPS, get the damage output going! Damn it, all you DPS, get the damage output going! Give it your all, you idiot, you bastard, you bastard, you bastard!"

But there was silence; no one responded to Li Fan's roar.

It's unclear whether that blow was so powerful that it killed the other four instantly. Li Fan could only stare helplessly, unable to look away to check, while the others showed no reaction whatsoever.

So he yelled at the top of his lungs to activate the backup plan, "Kun--! Kun--!!"

The Kun leaped into the deadly trap!

That's right! It was all part of Li Fan's (and Ink Bamboo Mountain's group's) plan!

Kun didn't join the sword duel at first! Instead, it stayed outside with the four True Immortals to prepare. Because it was bound to the system, it could easily join the duel later, after all, they were Dao Companion...

Kun said, "The old men said it will take another quarter of an hour to set up the formation."

"Fifteen minutes more! Collect the body in fifteen minutes!"

So Kun opened its mouth and spat out a bunch of talismans into Li Fan's arms.

Kun said, "I'll hold out for fifteen minutes."

Li Fan shouted, "Take it out from the start!"

Fortunately, he had two Golden Core. So he used the Divine Court Golden Core to focus his eyesight and shine it directly on the giant beast. He used the Dao Breath Concealed Golden Core to summon Dao energy, tore open a handful of talismans, and threw them at the ferocious beast in front of him.

Instantly, a dazzling light burst forth! True energy surged forth! Wind, thunder, fire, and lightning! Sand, stones, and sword rained down! Like a torrential downpour, it blasted head-on at the ferocious beast! Amidst the thunderous explosions, the ferocious beast that Ji Hao had transformed into was torn apart by a series of earth-shattering escape techniques, its flesh torn and bloody, its entire body convulsing and disintegrating!

Excellent! Very effective! It seems that even this old demon is struggling to maintain his Dao body! While being stared at by the Crimson Eyes, the Dao body's defensive power has also decreased significantly!

"Great! This talisman works! Give me some more!"

Kun said, "Old Chen said these God-Slaying and Demon-Exterminating Talismans should last you a moment. Don't throw them all out at once; guide them carefully to unleash their maximum power..."

"Why didn't you say so earlier!"

Kun says, "Tsk."

So Kun slapped its tail and jumped away.

Li Fan was taken aback. Huh? How could it escape the killing spree?

Before he could react, Kun jumped in again and spat out a wooden leg.

How do I use this? To suffocate it?

Kun said, "Old Du said, 'With the soles of your feet facing the enemy, tap your knees three times.'"

Whatever.

So Li Fan picked up Old Man Du's wooden leg and, with the old demon watching in horror, slammed his knee three times towards Ji Hao's gaping mouth.

With a 'bang--!' a burst of fire, Old Du's leg flew off in a flash, kicking the fierce-looking man right in the throat. Then, a flash of light, and a series of explosions followed!

That kick was truly powerful; it blew half of the old monster's jaw and throat apart, with blood gushing out like a waterfall.

"Keep it up! Go and take his hands and feet!"

So the Kun jumped out again, and after a while it jumped back in.

Kun said, "Old Liu said, 'Can't you give it all at once?' Old Du replied, 'Where am I going to get so much?'"

"Then why did you jump back in the first place?!"

So the Kun jumped in front of Li Fan, opened its mouth, and revealed a section of red sword hilt.

Ah, an old acquaintance.

"Chi Qiu! Lend me a hand!"

Li Fan pulled the Crimson Sword from the Kun's mouth and unleashed the Qiankun Flying Dragon Sword from the ends of his legs, propelling himself into the sky. The three-foot-seven-inch vermilion wooden sword in his hand emitted a dazzling crimson glow!

"Mysterious Heaven Lightning Sword! Slay the Demon--!!"

With a single blow, the sword pierced the skull, its blade striking between the brows, and plunged right into the center of the beast's eyes, embedding itself in the hilt!

In an instant, the bright light vanished, and a burst of azure flames erupted. Endless true energy mixed with the blood fountain sprayed all over Li Fan's head and face! But his three eyes were wide open, staring straight at the demon's terrified azure pupils, not even blinking despite the deep pain in his eyes from the spray of blood!

"Die--!"

Then, with a whoosh, six beams of light shot out from the giant beast's spine! Six flying swords broke free of their restraints! The moment they burst forth, the ferocious beast disintegrated! And in that instant, its azure pupils turned gray, losing their luster...

Wait a minute! There's no notification yet!

Li Fan shouted loudly, decisively discarded his sword, and used one hand to unleash the Qiankun Flying Dragon Sword to dodge the wind, while the other hand threw a dog frisbee!

Luckily, he reacted quickly; the five fingers that were almost stuck behind his head actually flipped over and grabbed the plate.

Hearing the wind behind his ear, Li Fan immediately took the opportunity to turn his head to look.

Not bad! It's still that demon Ji Hao! Ji Hao actually took advantage of the opportunity when the six swords broke through his body and his body was severed into several pieces, and he shed his skin like a cicada! He regenerated from the tip of the ferocious beast's tail! Moreover, he directly abandoned his Divine Transformation body and used a human body again!

But he was no longer the tall, handsome, and domineering man he once was; instead, he was a skinny, bony old man.

His body was covered in a layer of sebum, translucent like jelly, revealing clearly the dark blue veins and internal organs beneath. He was completely hairless, except for his still frighteningly bluish pupils. Incidentally, his karmic roots had grown back; he was quite persistent indeed...

At this moment, under the watchful gaze of Li Fan's three eyes, he moved freely without any hindrance!

"As expected, even the wine slave and my physical body are unable to move when being watched, but that brat from the Lü Family can crawl out to pick up a plate while you're watching him. Your eye... is useless against a person's true form, isn't it?"

And this plate, it's quite strange too..."

It's no wonder that a demon like Ji Hao has been able to run rampant for so long. Even though Li Fan has used all sorts of cheat codes and schemed to such an extent, he seems completely unaffected, showing no fear or anger whatsoever.

It was as if all the skills the two sides had just used were within his control.

Indeed, he only sacrificed one Divine Transformation body, yet his magical power remained inexhaustible, and he had already replaced so many of Li Fan and Ink Bamboo Mountain's four Nascent Soul Stage with their trump cards and killing moves!

Now, Li Fan has been forced to abandon even the Chi Qiu, used up all his ultimate moves, lost both legs, and can no longer control his sword energy, falling to the ground. Clearly, he has no more trump cards left. Isn't this a sure thing?

"Qingyue, right? A disciple of the Beichen Sword Sect, a disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain..." Unexpectedly, the old demon not only didn't come up to kill, but instead started rambling again, still smiling as he said, "Why don't you become my disciple, and I'll spare your life?"

"Like Lü Daolian, you've taken on a master like that, haven't you?" Li Fan chuckled coldly, "You snatch all your disciples' magical treasures and opportunities for yourself! You kill anyone you see to steal their treasures! What a fine master you are!"

Ji Hao laughed heartily, "Of course, at least your Material Dao people outside, right? At least you're more powerful than those mediocre talents in the Xuanmen sect, right?"

Li Fan glared at him angrily, "Qingyang Sect is truly a disgrace. Their rules seem righteous enough, but how could a demon like you usurp the position of sect leader!"

"Hehehe, seeing all your scheming, I thought you were a clever guy, but it turns out you're just a fool." Ji Hao laughed with his hands behind his back. "The Great Dao is fifty, the Heavenly Evolution is forty-nine, and what we fight for is that sliver of hope. The path to immortality has always been a race against time, a single-plank bridge where only death matters, there's no room for tolerance or compromise."

If you can't even grasp this point, and killing someone shakes your resolve and leads to demonic possession, then you deserve to be someone else's dinner!

Those who hope to establish their own school and pass on their legacy for generations are nothing but cowardly individuals lacking ambition and courage!

Inheritance, forbearance, humph! What's there to inherit! What's there to forbear! Rather than hoping that future disciples will carry on the Dao, it's better to hold the fate of all living beings and the Great Dao firmly in one's own hands!

Celestial Venerables, Profound Maiden, God Lords—aren't they all like this? Haven't they all wiped out all their rivals on the path?

They all imitate others superficially, borrowing their names, yet they lack even the slightest spirit of forging ahead and overcoming obstacles! They only dare to huddle together for warmth, bullying the weak with numbers—what kind of great path are they seeking?

Ji Hao kicked the dog-shaped flying disc directly into his arms, his blue pupils staring intently at the eye between Li Fan's brows. "But your move is really interesting. It can suppress Transformation Stage's body. It's more useful than any flying sword. If I had it, which enemy wouldn't I be able to kill?"

Anyway, a brainless idiot like you, who spends all day thinking about doing stupid things like upholding justice and acting as a chivalrous knight, will eventually perish in the Dao. You'll either die at my hands or fall into the hands of others. You've wasted this eye, so you might as well offer it to me.

"Judging from your desire to be a hero, you're probably a fool who's not afraid of death. But if you agree, I'll let you be a hero on your deathbed, swearing to spare the other eight. How about that?"

"Fuck your mother's head!" Li Fan turned around and yelled at the six Sword Light that had just tricked him and were now trapped in the killing tribulation, spinning around like headless flies, unable to escape. "You guys are trying to escape! Do you think you can escape this demon's grasp? Your fate is sealed here! Why don't you join forces with us and use the killing tribulation's energy to get rid of him!"

But those flying swords continued to dart around in the sky, none of them coming down to help.

It's true that the kind of person forges the kind of sword. These six swords were created by Lü Daolian's essence and blood, and they are completely incompatible with Li Fan.

Ji Hao snorted mockingly, "Always relying on others to help you attack, you're nothing special. Besides, those four Nascent Soul Stage cultivators outside aren't very capable either; they're not used to fighting. What difference would another round make?"

Even if I killed you all to escape this calamity, you'd be nothing more than casualties I could easily eliminate. Consider my suggestion: would you be willing to exchange one eye for eight...?

"Die, you demon!"

Suddenly, Shi Yong, wielding the broken sword, leaped out from behind and slashed.

Then, with a flick of Ji Hao's wrist, he was instantly smashed into a bloody pulp, exploding into a bloody mess on the ground. "Seven lives lost."