Why am I only killing you and no one else?

"Hmph!"

The burly man shook his powerful frame, and the strips of cloth burst apart.

Blood-purple demonic markings abruptly lit up across his brawny body, surging like molten lava as they spread over him in an instant.

Vast blood energy soared skyward. His joints rang like clashing metal, and every inch of muscle erupted with the savage menace forged through a hundred battles.

A slight movement of his fist faintly distorted the space around it. This was no longer a body of flesh and blood, but a humanoid weapon forged in the furnace of a thousand deadly battles.

"That man is... Yuan Sha, the Hundred-Battle Demon Body of the Myriad Tribulations Demon Sect!" Someone recognized him.

"I heard Xuan Shi was an old friend of his. He must have come to avenge him. Who would have thought a Demon Cultivator could be so loyal and devoted?"

"What overwhelming baleful energy! Killing intent increases an attack's penetrating power, while baleful energy greatly strengthens the attack itself. This fight is bound to be spectacular!" Someone took out a Recording Stone to record it. Selling the recording would bring in a handsome sum, too.

Li Yang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, the thirst for slaughter in his eyes growing stronger.

Compared with spell cultivators, Demon Cultivators really did excite him more.

"I don't understand why you harbor such hostility toward Demon Cultivators, but neither Xuan Shi nor I ever harmed the innocent. Meanwhile, who knows how many people you so-called righteous cultivators have killed for your own cultivation and to refine your artifacts?

"And compared with you, we Demon Cultivators value our bonds far more. Yet each of you is more hypocritical than the last.

"Dao companions turn against each other over treasures and opportunities. Masters nearing the end of their lifespans seize their disciples' bodies. Fellow disciples slaughter one another over coveted places.

"I know you're strong, but I will kill you. Don't underestimate the bonds between us Demon Cultivators!"

Before Yuan Sha had even finished speaking, his fist was already smashing toward Li Yang.

Hundreds upon thousands of spectral battle souls appeared behind him, overlapping in dense layers. Blood energy surged, bolstered by terrifying gray baleful energy, as his punch unleashed successive sonic booms.

He was a body cultivator, pursuing the path of crushing ten thousand arts with sheer strength and tempering his flesh into a humanoid artifact.

Thus, body cultivators were the greatest counter to Sword Cultivators, with Inner Sword Cultivators being the exception.

That was also why he had the confidence to step into the arena even after Li Yang had slain two prodigies in succession.

But Li Yang showed no fear whatsoever. He raised his sword and met him head-on.

Clang!

The sword's cry drowned out the sonic booms.

Fist met sword, like a needle's point meeting the tip of a wheat awn.

Li Yang's slaughter sword intent was irresistibly sharp, piercing Yuan Sha's fist.

It drove straight into his arm, and the lingering sword intent shredded his meridians.

But Li Yang's body was inferior to Yuan Sha's. The force of the punch slammed into him, sending him flying backward.

Yuan Sha stumbled back several steps, a heart-piercing pain shooting through his right arm.

He glanced down to find his right arm dangling limply. Its bones and meridians were ruined, and cracks had opened in its skin and flesh.

His pupils contracted.

The body he took such pride in had been pierced so easily by Li Yang.

The very first clash between killing intent and baleful energy had already established which was superior.

Li Yang could break through his defenses with ease!

The threat of death instantly gripped his heart.

He had underestimated Li Yang's strength.

Or rather, Li Yang had not even used his full strength in the previous two battles to the death!

I'm going to die!

At that thought, his breathing faltered, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Meanwhile, Li Yang, whom he had punched away, steadied himself, merely spat out a mouthful of blood, and charged back with his sword.

"I'll kill you!" Yuan Sha roared, trying to bolster his own courage.

He feared death, but he would not back down before Li Yang, the man who had killed his closest friend.

Neither used any flashy Divine Abilities or secret arts. This was pure, brutal beauty.

But Yuan Sha no longer dared pit his flesh against Li Yang. He drew a second-grade, nine-pattern Baleful Bone Saber from his storage ring.

The clang and clatter of colliding weapons rang out incessantly, but anyone with discerning eyes could see that Yuan Sha was at an absolute disadvantage.

Because compared with Li Yang, he was simply too slow.

One of a Sword Cultivator's greatest advantages was speed, especially for someone with a heart as single-minded as Li Yang's. As he soared with his sword, only one thought filled his mind-kill the enemy.

Thus, nothing could interfere with his speed as he darted up and down, sweeping in every direction.

Yuan Sha, by contrast, was a body cultivator whose strength lay in his flesh, yet that had made him a living target.

Without reaching Golden Core, he could not fly through bodily strength alone. He could only remain on the arena, pushing off its surface to attack, defend, and dodge.

His explosive power was undeniably formidable.

But it depended on whom he faced.

After more than a hundred exchanges, Yuan Sha was drenched in blood.

Sword wounds covered his body. The most dangerous had nearly severed his entire head.

But his flesh was terrifyingly resilient, and even the wound that had almost beheaded him healed swiftly.

"I can't deny that you're stronger than they were. Of all the Demon Cultivators I've met, you have the most backbone." A trace of appreciation appeared in Li Yang's eyes.

But that did nothing to stop his killing intent from growing ever more terrifying.

"Still, I won't spare your life because of it. If a Demon Cultivator like you rose to power and fell into the demonic path, the destruction would be catastrophic."

Those words made Yuan Sha's heart sink.

He had indeed been clinging to the hope that Li Yang might spare him.

"I don't need your pity. If you want to kill me, then do it. As long as I'm not dead, I haven't lost!"

Those were the same words he had spoken while fighting a senior brother when he first joined the Myriad Tribulations Demon Sect.

Back then, he had been about to die, but his opponent had admired his unyielding resolve to fight to the death and spared his life.

"Then I'll grant your wish!"

But Li Yang was neither a Demon Cultivator nor his senior brother.

Several dozen more exchanges followed.

A sword pierced Yuan Sha's chest, and his heart burst.

Yet his powerful body kept him from dying immediately.

At last, he personally felt death devouring him, bit by bit.

He opened his mouth to speak, blood pouring out in gushes:

"I'm not afraid to die, but I don't want to become a trophy for your crusade to slay demons and uphold righteousness! I did nothing wrong, and neither did Xuan Shi. Acting in such an extreme fashion, how are you any different from us?!"

Li Yang's tone was indifferent:

"Earlier, because you were a Demon Cultivator, I couldn't be bothered to answer what you said. You weren't worthy of hearing it. But after fighting you, I see you're worth wasting a few words on:

"The righteous path binds people with rules. Those rules are false, but when everyone abides by them, they become real;

"Demon Cultivators treat people with sincerity. That sincerity is real, but because everyone is different, it becomes chaos.

"The righteous path is hypocritical, but beneath that hypocrisy, there is still a bottom line to follow.

"At least they know to invent an excuse when they kill someone for treasure. At least they know to conceal it when they slaughter their fellow disciples.

"Demon Cultivators are sincere, but beyond that sincerity, nothing is forbidden.

"Today, you kill me for your closest friend. Tomorrow, you massacre a city for your revered master. The day after, you destroy a nation for your Dao companion. Every time, your conscience is clear. Every time, you believe it only right.

"So the difference isn't good or evil. It's whether you have that string holding you in check.

"The righteous path has a string. Even if it loosens, it can still be tightened.

"Demon Cultivators have no string. One pluck, and all that remains is the final note."

Li Yang paused, then shook his head.

"I doubt any of that will get through to you, so let me put it more plainly:

"You wanted to kill me. When I kill you, shut your mouth and take it.

"Why am I only killing you and no one else?"

As his words fell, a sharp hiss sounded, and he shredded Yuan Sha's head.

Holding his dripping sword, he hovered in the air upon his flying sword, his icy, blood-tinged gaze sweeping over the prodigies who had come seeking revenge.

"Is there anyone else ready to come die?"

The crowd erupted.

The prodigies fell utterly silent. Barely any of them dared meet his eyes.

They had come seeking revenge, yet before they had even seen Li Yang, an unknown Sword Cultivator had slain three of them in succession.

Although Li Yang's aura was now weak and his injuries severe, they gradually began to sense something was wrong.

"This Sword Cultivator must be hiding his strength, deliberately luring us up there to die."

"Fighting on Li Yang's behalf is just a pretense. What he really wants is our cultivation resources!"

"This man and Li Yang are probably both elites from the Xuanyuan Main Sect. We can't keep fighting."

Li Yang waited in the arena for a while. Seeing that no one else dared step up, he could not help feeling a little disappointed.

Just as he was about to leave the arena, an enraged voice exploded outside the Mystic Heaven Sword Sect like divine thunder from the ninth heaven-

"What a fine Mystic Heaven Sword Sect! You've killed another of my beloved disciples!"