Watching Tanjiro stand there in a daze, Lin Fan immediately grew dissatisfied and hurriedly urged him, "Keep going. I can sense a demon heading this way!"
"Okay!"
Tanjiro held his blade in one hand and, catching the scent of fear, looked in that direction.
He saw a man fleeing in terror, while a massive creature followed behind him at an unhurried pace!
It was his first time facing such an enemy, and Tanjiro's breathing became slightly rushed.
Fortunately, Lin Fan urged him on.
"Its attention isn't on us. Sneak up and cut off its head!"
"I understand!"
Tanjiro gripped his blade with both hands and pushed off the ground. His chest rose slightly as he focused completely, his breathing falling into a rhythm.
The enormous man-eating demon was covered in arms. It swallowed the corpse in one of its hands, then drew its arms together.
Like springs, it launched several arms straight at the fleeing man before it. They easily caught his ankles and dragged him back.
Lin Fan seized the opportunity and immediately said,
"Now!"
Hearing that, Tanjiro hesitated no longer. He pushed off with both feet and leaped into the air. With every breath, mist formed at the corners of his mouth, while streams of water danced along the blade!
"Water Breathing—Second Form—Water Wheel!" His body spun, and the water along his blade whirled with it like a water wheel.
The demon did not even have time to react.
Its head had already been severed, flying through the air before landing on the ground nearby.
Its body and consciousness began to rapidly fade away.
Until the very end, the only thing the demon could see was Tanjiro's back and the fox mask on his head.
"Damn it... Urokodaki's disciple..."
With that, its head faded away as well.
Tanjiro watched the corpse gradually vanish, his eyes filled with pity, though it was quickly replaced by resolve!
[ Ding! Negative emotions detected from a dying man-eating demon. Obtained 170 Emotion Points! ]
In such a short while, it was already worth two or three days of previous accumulation.
Opportunities like this did not come often. Lin Fan did not want to waste a moment. "Keep going, keep going!"
"Okay!"
Tanjiro sheathed his sword and continued deeper into the mountain without stopping.
With his sense of smell and Lin Fan's perception,
as long as a demon appeared nearby, it had no chance of escaping. In just seven days, one man and one blade carried out a frenzied slaughter across Mount Fujikasane.
There was hardly an opponent who could last a single exchange.
Perhaps demons had still dared to show themselves during the first few days, but by the later days, they had all hidden away.
After all, there was a killing star outside. They were hungry, not stupid. Going out now was simply courting death!
Yet they still could not escape the pursuit of that man and blade. They killed their way through, then killed their way back.
Their goal was simple: wipe them all out!
Accordingly,
the system notifications in Lin Fan's mind never stopped.
[ Ding! Negative emotions detected from a dying man-eating demon. Obtained 100 Emotion Points! ] [ Ding! Negative emotions detected from a dying man-eating demon. Obtained 150 Emotion Points! ] ...
In just seven short days,
Tanjiro wielded Ashura Maru to thoroughly clear out all of Mount Fujikasane. He swept through it several times without leaving behind a single survivor.
This time,
Lin Fan directly gained eighteen thousand Emotion Points, perfectly achieving overnight wealth in seven days!
His demon power also surged dramatically, rising from the original 100 points to an astonishing 400 points!
The current Lin Fan could even condense a physical avatar in the outside world!
When everyone returned to the foot of the mountain,
Tanjiro looked around and discovered that fewer than half the people who had arrived were able to return.
He felt guilty about this.
But soon, the two girls appeared before everyone once again. After a brief explanation,
each person received a Kasugai Crow specially responsible for delivering information, followed immediately by the selection of Scarlet Ore to forge their Nichirin Blades!
When everyone stepped forward and looked at the table full of Scarlet Ore, they all found themselves at a loss, since none of them had ever seen it before.
Only Tanjiro pondered briefly before choosing a piece of Scarlet Ore from the center based on his instincts.
After making their selections,
they were allowed to leave.
Tanjiro did not delay. He hurried back to Mount Sagiri with the good news.
In less than half a day, he returned to Mount Sagiri.
Before the wooden cabin, he once again faced Sakonji Urokodaki and flashed a brilliant smile.
"I'm back."
A smile also appeared on Sakonji Urokodaki's aged face beneath his mask.
"It's good that you're back."
The two entered the cabin.
Tanjiro recounted everything that had happened along the way.
After hearing him out, Sakonji Urokodaki fell silent for a moment before suddenly asking, "Tanjiro, the blade in your hand is very unusual. It is neither an ordinary sword nor a Nichirin Blade. How much do you know about it?"
Faced with that question, Tanjiro found it difficult to answer, so he asked in his mind, "Ashura Maru, can I tell Mr. Urokodaki about you?"
Lin Fan fell into thought at that question.
Based on what he knew of Sakonji Urokodaki, even if the old man learned the truth, he would not conceal it. But he also had his own considerations.
It could be said that he knew where to draw the line.
It would not be bad to use him to spread information about himself. Not only could it spare Lin Fan a great deal of trouble, but he could also exchange it for some benefits.
With that in mind, Lin Fan made up his mind.
Outside,
before their eyes, Ashura Maru slid from Tanjiro's waist. Its blade suddenly released a great deal of black mist, gradually forming a human figure.
Looking closely, the figure was a stunningly beautiful young woman. Her scarlet eyes and haughty expression only added to her charm.
"Old man, do you want to know that badly about me?"
The Legendary Blade ### The suddenly appearing beauty startled Sakonji Urokodaki.
Fortunately, Tanjiro promptly explained.
"Mr. Urokodaki, this is my friend, Ashura Maru."
After saying that,
the tense atmosphere finally eased.
Facing Ashura Maru directly, Sakonji Urokodaki's gaze behind his mask was sharp as he observed Lin Fan.
How could Lin Fan not understand what the old man meant? He immediately said unhappily, "Staring at me like that, don't you think it's rather rude?
Also, I am not one of the demons you know. I am a lifeform born from a blade, also called a blade spirit!"
This was the first time Sakonji Urokodaki had heard of such a thing, though there had indeed been similar myths and legends. Could those have been real too?
Yet he would not believe it so easily. Instead, he asked in a deep voice, "My apologies. If you are like the legendary blades, then do you possess similar abilities?"
Testing me?
Lin Fan rested one hand against his chin and replied calmly, "Naturally. However, I slept for too long and lost a great deal of power. On top of that, my blade wielder is too weak, so many of my abilities cannot be used."
Hearing that, Tanjiro looked somewhat guilty. "Sorry, Ashura Maru. I'll keep working hard."
But Sakonji Urokodaki did not accept that explanation just yet and continued questioning her.
"Then what abilities can you currently use? Could you demonstrate them?"
Still testing her. Lin Fan did not mind, since she would need his help later anyway. What was wrong with showing off a little?!
Time to show off!
"There are very few abilities I can still use. One is called Blood Cry. Enemies cut by me will find it difficult to heal and will remain in a bleeding state.
Aside from that, I can heal injuries. As long as someone is not completely dead, I can bring them back. Even regenerating a severed arm is no difficult task~
Furthermore, the stronger my wielder becomes and the more enemies he kills, the faster I recover my strength..."
Those few simple words left Sakonji Urokodaki's expression beneath his mask slightly blank, followed immediately by barely concealed shock.
If this was true, then the situation that had persisted for so long might truly be about to change.
The reason humans struggled to defeat demons
came down to only two points. First, human wounds were difficult to heal. Second, demons possessed terrifying regenerative abilities!
And now, this blade could actually reverse that!
How could he not be shocked?
Even so, he did not blindly believe it. He stepped forward and respectfully requested, "Could you demonstrate it once? Please!"
Tanjiro beside him also gave her a pleading look.
Seeing that, Lin Fan nodded helplessly. "Just this once."
The moment his words fell,
Sakonji Urokodaki stepped forward impatiently, accepted the Ashura Maru Tanjiro handed over, and gripped its hilt.
At that instant, he had the illusion that this blade was a perfect match for him!
He drew the blade.
With his experience, he could tell at a glance that the sword was extraordinarily sharp. But that was not the key point. He sliced open his own palm.
Then he observed it closely.
At first, nothing seemed unusual. But gradually, he noticed something wrong. The bleeding showed no signs of stopping, and as time passed, it only grew worse!
"So this is... Blood Cry?"
Sakonji Urokodaki sighed, then immediately made another request. "Then could you heal my wound?"
Hearing that, Lin Fan nodded slightly and raised her right hand, snapping her fingers.
The next moment,
the wound closed and healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. Aside from the bloodstain, it was as though he had never been injured at all!
"This... is practically a miracle!"
Putting aside how effective Blood Cry would be against demons, this healing ability alone was enough to change the course of battle!
If a Hashira wielded this blade, the effect it could have would absolutely be beyond imagination!
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