Ever since Yan Chixia unleashed his ultimate move, the enormous Demon God Phantom had lasted only a short while before the barrage of swords shattered it into countless fragments of Zhenyuan that vanished into the air.
To summon that gigantic Demon God Phantom, the three Demonic Path cultivators had already exhausted themselves. They had sacrificed ninety percent of their blood, and their lives were now like candles flickering in the wind.
Faced with two powerful enemies, the three cultivators gave up their final struggle. Xiao Han rushed over to claim the kills and lopped off their heads with a single sword stroke.
Then Xiao Han expertly searched the three headless corpses.
He had expected to find nothing, but his habitual rummaging actually turned up something.
Xiao Han pulled open the leader's robes and fished out a manual with a blue cover and black lettering.
He took a closer look. Three ancient characters were written on it.
"Heavenly Demon Manual? Good grief, why not call it the Eternal Life Technique while you're at it?"
Seeing the familiar title, Xiao Han could only shake his head.
Though the name was exactly the same, its contents were definitely not the martial arts manual he remembered, the one that recorded the Dao Heart Seed Demon Technique.
He flipped through it, skimming the contents, and quickly understood. For all its grand name, the Heavenly Demon Manual contained little more than unorthodox tricks. Apart from basic Demonic Path techniques, it described how to craft wicked artifacts like Sex Puppets. The passages made Xiao Han's stomach turn.
Still, the manual did have some redeeming qualities. Its lessons on training Spiritual Sense, at least, were fresh and enlightening to Xiao Han.
Just then, Yan Chixia walked over, took the manual from Xiao Han, and flipped through it. Then he tossed it back. "Garbage! Only those Demonic Path cultivators would treasure something like this. But if you're interested, A Han, keep it safe. Don't let this harmful manual circulate.
"And don't touch the wicked techniques in it. They're all extreme shortcuts. They'll never amount to anything."
"Hero Yan, the world isn't simply divided into black and white. Though this is a Demonic Path text, there are some points of insight in it that even the orthodox Mysterious Sect techniques can't match." Xiao Han put away the Heavenly Demon Manual with a smile.
"You're not wrong, but I still hate this thing. It's bad luck. Just look at how many innocent girls died because of this damned Demonic Path manual." Yan Chixia was referring to the Sex Puppets Xiao Han had blasted to pieces.
"Ah..."
Xiao Han looked at the vengeful spirits of the girls, along with the souls of the customers who had come to seek prostitutes and had been sacrificed by the three cultivators. He let out a soft sigh. "Hero Yan, do you know the Rebirth Mantra? Could you teach it to me?"
"Kid, you've got a kind heart."
Yan Chixia smiled and tapped Xiao Han's forehead. The scripture for the Rebirth Mantra immediately entered Xiao Han's mind, and he learned it in an instant.
The old and young Daoists chanted the Rebirth Mantra and performed the rites, guiding the vengeful spirits up to heaven.
One could only imagine the cruel torment the three cultivators had inflicted on the girls. Even with the profound cultivation of Xiao Han and Yan Chixia, it took them more than an hour to send every spirit on its way and into the cycle of reincarnation.
When the ruins had once again become a peaceful place, Xiao Han nodded to Yan Chixia. "Let's go. Ning Caichen's probably tired of waiting."
"Ah, let's go. I'm getting old. I hate doing this sort of thing." Yan Chixia stretched his aching back, picked up the Xuanyuan Sword, and led Xiao Han away. Behind them, a crowd of terrified onlookers remained, along with a few customers who had narrowly escaped death after witnessing the battle against the demons.
Many years later, the tale of a peerless Sword Immortal battling the Blood Demon God would still be told in these parts. And because of that legend, the local brothels never managed to thrive...
And so the two men continued on toward Guobei County, accompanied by a poor, frail scholar.
During this time, Xiao Han and Yan Chixia never tried to hide their demon-slaying from Ning Caichen. The magical arts they displayed left him astonished, but also made him feel much safer.
With two companions this outrageously powerful, why would he need to fear bandits?
After seeing Xiao Han kill dozens of fierce ghosts with his sword, Ning Caichen went from being afraid, to astonished, to getting used to it. Eventually, he could watch monsters charge in to eat people without so much as blinking, knowing Xiao Han would kill them with a single stroke. He was no longer afraid of anything.
After all, anyone would grow numb over time with two tough men by their side who could swat demons and monsters away like cloves of garlic.
Since Xiao Han was determined to hunt demons and exorcise evil spirits, he deliberately took remote routes along the way, stretching the trip by at least a week.
Ning Caichen wasn't in a hurry, though. He had set out early, and the deadline for collecting the money was still some way off.
So the trio made for a rather odd sight.
A teenager charged ahead, wildly hunting demons and exorcising evil spirits. His Daoist magic and sword techniques were unprecedented, and he slaughtered the monsters until they wailed for their mothers.
Behind the boy walked a scholar, reading as he went.
No matter how terrifyingly the monsters howled, the scholar remained unruffled, studying his lessons intently. His body was covered in talismans that repelled demons, so even though he was weak and couldn't fight, none of the monsters dared approach him.
At the very back of the group ambled an old drunkard, swigging from his Wine Gourd. Whenever a monster mistook him for someone left behind and attacked, a flash of sword light would appear, and the monster would be slain in an instant.
"Myriad Swords! Wind, rain, thunder, and lightning! By the authority of the law, obey! Let thunder become ten thousand swords!"
With each resounding shout, countless bolts of lightning transformed into swords of thunder in the sky, shooting out from the storm clouds!
Over the past few days, Xiao Han had combined the Summoning Thunder Technique with his own Sword Intent, then blended in the Sword Control Technique to create an entirely new art. He sent his Sword Intent into the storm clouds, then chanted a Lightning Technique incantation to absorb it and turn it into blades of lightning!
Heavenly Thunder was the most Yang and unyielding force in the world, the bane of every evil spirit!
The already terrifying power of the thunder crashed down with the world-shattering might of Xiao Han's Sword Intent, cutting down every last monster!
Xiao Han had once again created a technique inspired by cartoons.
Lightning Release: Kirin Σ(????)?
The only difference was that the lightning Kirin had turned into swords of thunder~
BOOM! CRASH!!!
A burnt stench filled the air. The culprit behind the child disappearances that had plagued this area for years—a Century-old Giant Spider Demon—was blasted into oblivion by the Heavenly Thunder swords, along with all its descendants.
By the time Xiao Han and the others led their horses out of the forest, night had fallen, and it was no longer a good time to travel.
Xiao Han made camp and began discussing the Sword Dao with Yan Chixia.
After spending all this time with them, Ning Caichen had picked up some knowledge of martial skills and Daoist magic. Whenever Xiao Han and Yan Chixia discussed their arts, he couldn't resist listening in out of curiosity.
With Xiao Han's powerful Soul Power, how could he not notice Ning Caichen's little attempts to eavesdrop? Yan Chixia noticed them too, but simply didn't think them worth mentioning.
After dinner, Xiao Han called Ning Caichen aside and came right out with it. "Ning, you seem quite interested in the Martial Path and Daoist magic that Hero Yan and I have been discussing lately?"
"Ah, I'm terribly sorry!
"...All this time, I haven't been able to restrain my curiosity. You two never kept your discussions private, so I couldn't help eavesdropping. It was terribly rude of me. I'm sorry. I won't listen in again."
Ning Caichen's face turned painfully awkward. In ancient times, eavesdropping on someone else's teachings without becoming their disciple was a serious taboo.
Xiao Han shook his head and smiled. "Neither Hero Yan nor I are particular about the teacher-student relationship. After spending these days with you, I can tell you're not a wicked man.
"If you truly want to learn, I can teach you. You won't have to become my disciple~"
"I... how could I accept?"
Ning Caichen lowered his head, embarrassed, and blushed. "Besides, I'm already this old. Is it really not too late for me to start cultivating?"
"That won't be a problem."
Xiao Han smiled. "If you're willing, I have a pill that can begin the process of Washing Marrow and Cutting Bone. Once you take it, your natural constitution won't hold you back."
Ning Caichen's eyes lit up. "Is that really true?"
Xiao Han rolled his eyes, flicked a finger, and shot the so-called "Marrow Cleansing Pill"—which he had somehow produced—straight into Ning Caichen's mouth.
Then Xiao Han struck Ning Caichen's body, helping the medicinal power take effect. Zhenyuan flowed from his hand in fine threads and entered through Ning Caichen's pulse point, forcing the impurities out of his body.
As for the so-called "Marrow Cleansing Pill" he had just swallowed, it was merely a pill that stimulated the body. The actual Washing Marrow and Cutting Bone came from a technique Xiao Han had learned from the Danyuan Technique.
Besides, he wanted a real pill capable of Washing Marrow and Cutting Bone for himself!
The process lasted a full ten minutes. Countless impurities seeped from Ning Caichen's pores, coating his body black and leaving him reeking.
Pinching his nose in disgust, Xiao Han took a bucket of water from his Storage Ring. He used Fire Attribute Zhenyuan to heat it to just the right temperature, then dumped it over Ning Caichen's head.
At the same time, Xiao Han pressed his right hand against Ning Caichen's head. Zhenyuan swiftly flowed through his meridians and spread throughout his body. Xiao Han narrowed his eyes and pulsed the Zhenyuan in his hand, shaking Ning Caichen's clothes off along with all the filthy impurities.
After one rinse, the foul, filthy Ning Caichen looked like a different person, cleansed of all impurities.
He was fair and clean, with a perky butt and a handsome face almost like Leslie Cheung's. He'd definitely be in trouble in prison.
Ning Caichen opened his eyes and was overcome with delight at the changes to his body. Before he could react, Xiao Han tapped his forehead.
A vast amount of information poured into Ning Caichen's mind.
The Danyuan Technique, Sword Flying Technique, Myriad Swords Technique, Cloud Crushing Swordplay, and several Yellow Tier Low Grade Dou Techniques were all implanted in Ning Caichen's mind by Xiao Han.
Watching Ning Caichen pass out, unable to handle so much information at once, Xiao Han gave a lascivious chuckle.
A Chinese Ghost Story was about a scholar and a female ghost. But now, when they met, would Nie Xiaoqian be cut down by Ning Caichen at first sight?
What fun~ Heh heh heh~
Before you continue