Chuanxin Monk was wrapped in a sphere of Demon Light, burrowing into the ground, planning to escape along the earthly veins.

Suddenly, a spot of green appeared below him, rapidly spinning and expanding into a verdant, dripping lotus pod.

Chuanxin Monk's keen senses tingled with alarm, realizing that it was an ambush set up below ground.

He thought to himself, "There are thirty-six Pure Bamboo on the surface; I don't know how they took root or were crafted, but even the Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword Qi couldn't sever them.

Now those bamboo shoots must have been placed in formation. If I turn back, I'll fall right into the bamboo array. Even if they couldn't harm me, I would find it hard to escape in short order.

Facing such odds, I might as well go all out and focus my effort here—to split that lotus pod in half and break free from the encirclement and escape merrily!"

With that in mind, he summoned all his Essence Blood and True Yuan, merging man and sword into one, transforming into a crimson sword rainbow, as if to slice the earth and pierce the crust, and ferociously slashed towards the lotus pod below.

Naturally, that lotus pod was exactly the one Shi Feiyang had taken from the Green Spirit Bamboo of Ningcui Peak on Emei Mountain—an Innate Spirit Root that had grown in the Turquoise Pool of the Taixu Immortal Mansion, nurtured and refined by several masters, specifically designed to subdue demons.

Of course, the Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword was incredibly sharp; although it was broken twice by Shi Feiyang with Suiren's Drill as soon as it emerged, it had absorbed too many people's Essence Blood and souls.

Several Sect Leader Level figures, such as Xuanyuan Dharma King's disciple Gu Ying, as well as Elder Yuan, Heaven Mountain's Bokar, and the Four Evils of Yangjiao Ridge, had been absorbed by it, including the recent top-tier expert, Chuanxin Monk.

With each person it absorbed, it accessed their memories and learned to use their spells.

Moreover, Elder Yuan had controlled ten Taiyin Heavenly Gang Sword Qi streams, which were as powerful as the top-ranked Flying Swords in the world.

After the Demon Sword killed Elder Yuan, it absorbed the ten Sword Qi streams into itself, merging with its essence. Over decades, it painstakingly re-refined the Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword Qi!

It was exactly because of this that it became so formidable, something even Shi Feiyang hadn't fully anticipated.

Now, with Chuanxin Monk's flesh body, the Demon Sword felt invincible in the world. The only shadow in its heart was its old master Shi Feiyang, but that was merely a shadow.

It believed that even if it faced Shi Feiyang now, it would not be inferior. Even if it assumed the worst and couldn't win, it could still flee—if it wanted to leave, even Shi Feiyang would definitely not be able to retain it.

Bolstered by this audacious ambition, if its full-powered blow struck directly, the Jade Lotus pod might indeed be split cleanly in two!

After all, the lotus pod could not physically clash with the sword; this treasure wasn't meant to be used in such a way.

From afar, Shi Feiyang controlled the Jade Lotus pod, causing it to rotate and bloom, the thousand petals of dark green lotus leaves unfurling layer by layer, transforming into a Lotus Platform.

In the center of the Lotus Platform, from the nine holes, streams of azure Light Energy shot straight up, converging at the tip of the Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword, forming a column of blue light.

The Demon Sword trembled slightly, and its tip concentrated Sword Qi, slashing downwards fiercely, parting the blue light pillar and cutting straight towards the Lotus Platform.

At this moment, the Lotus Platform spun faster and faster, the thousand petals moving in unison, shooting dazzling blue beams from their tips—within these beams, spheres of spiritual light formed, rolling like dewdrops upon the petals. Each sphere of light contained a layer of illusion. As the Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword continued to descend towards the core of the lotus pod, now less than ten feet away, these beams of light suddenly all struck the sword.

This Nine Grades Green Lotus had extraordinary abilities, primarily embodying Eastern Transformation Qi, and each sphere of spiritual light it emanated materialized illusions all stemming from the inner heart of the adversary, belonging to the method of using demons to control demons.

Demons were adept at creating illusions that bewilder people's hearts, luring the Seven Emotions and Six Desires to provoke restless minds and frantic intentions. Many with boundless Mana often couldn't withstand this technique of demons, especially those in the off-paths who didn't focus on Mental Cultivation. It was common for Sect Leader Level masters to, due to a moment of ignorance, invite endless troubles, ultimately facing both Heavenly Tribulation and Human Tribulation, turning to ashes.

But to make others believe, one must first believe oneself; to deceive others by eight parts, one must deceive oneself by ten.

In reality, those who practiced demon techniques were even more severely affected themselves. Throughout their Cultivation, they used various methods to suppress and prevent themselves from becoming Demonized, but these were only temporary solutions. Fundamentally, the negativity would accumulate more and more until it could no longer be contained.

The lotus emerged from the mud untainted, cleansed without a trace of seduction, the most genuine and pure, least afraid of demon harassment, able to keep a single thought pure and not fall into the Demon Realm.

It did not fall into the Demon Realm, yet it could create the Demon Realm—the Lotus Platform, by reflecting the spiritual light back onto the adversary's heart, instantly generating countless illusory realms that strike back.

The Demon Sword was struck by three thousand illusions in an instant!

Among them were Han Ling Emperor's memories of being bullied by scholars and powerful clans, his use of Eunuchs to fight ministers for power, his defeatist selling of titles and happy rewards with Palace Maids, even establishing provincial governors to indulge in decadence...

There were Xu Wan's memories, too, of early humiliations, of being bullied almost to death, later entering the Ghost Path and exacting cruel revenge on his enemies, of doting on his beloved woman, hoping to practice Dual Cultivation with her for a thousand-year union, only to face betrayal in the end...

And the memories of Chuanxin Monk, of the Sword Demon ancestor Gu Ying, of Elder Yuan...

A barrage of illusions hammered down, trapping the Sword Demon within them, waking from one to immediately fall into another, moving from one illusion to the next without rest...

And in an instant, it could no longer tell who it truly was.

Am I Han Ling Emperor? Or Xu Wan? Or Chuanxin Monk? Who am I, really?

All the memories seem to have truly happened to me; I can empathize with each one.

Yet these people are not me, so who am I? It's as if I've never existed, no past, no present!

...

It was the Sword Demon who had studied Buddhist Law with Yichen Zen Master and Daoist Technique with Shi Feiyang, always abiding by certain rules in his heart. He was only befuddled for a moment before quickly regaining his composure.

But the flesh of Chuanxin Monk had already been firmly grasped by nine strands of green energy, with green light penetrating his body, even suppressing the sword light.

The Demon Sword exclaimed in alarm and hurriedly removed a segment of Chuanxin Monk's little finger, substituting it with a bloodied flesh body seated on the Lotus Platform. Having achieved Human Sword Unity, he transformed himself into a gigantic Demon Sword, soaring swiftly into the sky with the might to split heavens and earth, and in an instant, he flew ten thousand miles.

However, though he had flown ten thousand miles, inside the Lotus Platform, a thousand petals moved in unison, filled with green light, and with the chaotic and formless power to twist time and space.

The Demon Sword flew millions of miles, yet it remained suspended above the bloody substitute's head, having moved less than three feet away.

Just then, another figure arrived at the summit of Tiandu Peak on Yellow Mountain, the Zen Master Xiao Yue.

Nowadays, Zen Master Xiao Yue still dressed like a monk and his appearance was ever more "Buddhist."

His skin was white, and his wide, stout body was clothed in a yellow silk kasaya. Accompanying him was a child on each side, one a dragon girl.

Shi Feiyang saw clearly that the dragon girl was indeed a dragon that had become a spirit, with at least three thousand years of Dao Level. She must have been transformed by some Secret Technique from the dual teachings of Dao and Demon.

The child was also a transformed spirit, clean and white, and extremely lovely, with a pair of eyes shining with five-colored light.

The trio flew swiftly atop auspicious clouds, descending from the sky.

Seeing their descent, a reverence emerged in everyone atop the mountain, even Yu Xiao stared in a daze.

Zen Master Xiao Yue, who had good relations with the Four Friends of Kunlun, especially with Zen Master Zhifei, and whom Yu Xiao had met before, knew that after Xiao Yue left Emei, he first became a disciple under the notorious oddity Grandmaster Ha Ha, and later under the once-famed Blood God Child, Deng Yin.

Mr. Zhong had warned Yu Xiao more than once not to associate with Zen Master Xiao Yue, instructing him to flee as far as he could upon sighting him!

It had been many years since they met, and Yu Xiao barely recognized him. Zen Master Xiao Yue had changed so much that anyone unaware would highly praise him as a "Great Monk."

Those ignorant of the details clasped their hands together in salutation to the great monk, chanting, "Amitabha Buddha!"

The monks from Shaolin Temple paid even more devout respects, thinking that finally a great personage from the Buddhist community had arrived.

Zen Master Xiao Yue politely returned the greetings with Buddhist chants, then steadily approached Shi Feiyang, "Amitabha Buddha! Poor monk Xiao Yue from West Kunlun has the honor to meet Dragon Friend Shi."

Shi Feiyang asked, "What are you here for? I've heard that you founded the Rashamon Sect. I just slew some of your people, have you come to seek revenge for them?"

Zen Master Xiao Yue lightly smiled, "As per my master's command, I formed the Heavenly Dragon Eight Divisions' Dharma Protectors, of which the Rashamon Sect constitutes the Yaksha Department. I've been in seclusion on the mountain for years, neglecting their supervision and unaware of their indiscriminate recruitment to expand their scale. Fortunately, they were overconfident and provoked Dragon Friend Shi. Their deaths are their own doing."

"You don't plan to avenge them? Then what's your purpose here? Surely you don't intend to join my Huangshan Sect?"

Zen Master Xiao Yue sighed, "I'm here mainly for two things: first, to confirm your identity, Dragon Friend, and second, to take back an old friend of my master's."

Shi Feiyang looked at him with a mix of amusement and disbelief, "And how do you plan to confirm my identity?"

Zen Master Xiao Yue replied, "Having observed the Taiyin Green Spirit Bamboo used by Dragon Friend, I'm already quite certain, no special identification needed."

"And who is your master's old friend?"

"It is the Chuanxin Monk whom Dragon Friend has trapped underground."

"The Chuanxin Monk is already dead! Are you after the Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword?"

"Whether Chuanxin Monk is dead or alive, he is an old friend of my master and must be taken back. As for the Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword, it should rightfully belong to one of my master's brothers, and my master has sent me to retrieve it."

Shi Feiyang was rendered speechless.

Clearly, the master's brother that Zen Master Xiao Yue referred to was Shi Feiyang himself. Currently impersonating Elder Kuzhu, Xiao Yue was now using Shi Feiyang's true identity to claim the Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword.

It was preposterous!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.