Chapter 89: They All Must Die!

"Die!"

Ning Xiu reached out, seized the demon’s head, and, with a vicious grin, poured forth the power of the Nine Yang, crushing it in his grip until it exploded.

The last two fiends shrieked and, driven to desperation, lunged madly at Ning Xiu. Was this their final act of defiance?

Ning Xiu let out a cold laugh, raised the Divine Sword of Reminiscence, and swung it forward in a simple, unadorned arc. No technique, no flourish—just raw power.

The air howled as the blade cleaved forward, a half-moon of dust erupting before him.

Bang. Bang. Bang!

A rapid succession of muffled impacts sounded, followed by shrill, anguished screeches. One demon tried to block the sword, but the Divine Sword of Reminiscence swept through them with unstoppable force.

As the dust settled, the two demons were reduced to ash on the spot.

The young girl’s eyes widened in disbelief as she witnessed the scene; that their proud kind, these ghosts of terror, could be slain so easily by a mere human was unthinkable.

Not far away, a small boy, who had survived by cowering in the ruins, gazed at Ning Xiu as though beholding a god. In his eyes, anyone capable of slaying such monsters could only be a deity.

Ning Xiu sheathed the Divine Sword of Reminiscence and lifted his gaze to the white-clad girl ahead.

He strode toward her, each step resolute and unwavering. He was not blinded by anger; in his mind, he had already analyzed the situation thoroughly.

The girl before him was clearly not human, and by her aura, she was stronger than the faceless fiend on the riverboat, though not by much. He, on the other hand, was now far beyond his former self.

The only complication was to discover her weakness.

"System, upgrade the Iron Bell Technique."

"Command received. Calculating host’s ingot count."

"Calculation complete. Host possesses 320 ingots. Upgrading Iron Bell Technique from level five to six requires 80 ingots. Proceed?"

"Proceed."

"Upgrading Iron Bell Technique from level six to seven requires 200 ingots. Proceed?"

"Proceed."

With each step Ning Xiu took, the aura around him intensified, growing ever more formidable. By the time he faced the girl, it had reached its peak.

He looked down at the seemingly delicate and frail girl before him, clenched his fist, and brought it crashing down.

With the force of a raging bull, his fist, reinforced by the Iron Bell energy, thundered down.

The girl, stunned by the overwhelming aura he exuded, hesitated for a brief moment, forgetting to evade.

His iron fist shattered the air as it landed, a gale howling with the impact. A tremendous crash reverberated through the world.

Instantly, a deep pit appeared at their feet as the dust began to settle.

Half of the white-clad girl’s head was obliterated by Ning Xiu’s strike. The searing pain jolted her back to her senses, and she let out a piercing shriek.

Raising her right hand, she stabbed fiercely at Ning Xiu’s chest, five streaks of blood-red light piercing forth.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The Iron Bell energy formed a protective shield, instinctively guarding his body. The five blood beams collided with the shield, erupting into thunderous blasts.

The blood beams ricocheted, boring instantly through the solid earth. In that brief exchange, the girl managed to break free at last. She retreated several steps, and the half of her head that had been blown apart swiftly regenerated, leaving her looking as before.

Ning Xiu watched all this with a slight frown. Their regenerative abilities were monstrously unnatural. Yet, after the battle with the faceless fiend on the riverboat, Ning Xiu had discovered they could indeed be killed.

They, too, possessed weaknesses—like the faceless fiend whose true face was hidden within its belly.

These creatures were not immortal. It was simply that their strength was so overwhelming that even most martial masters could not harm them, let alone reach their core.

Thus, the legend of their undying nature persisted.

Ning Xiu gave her no respite. His right foot stamped the earth, shattering the ground, and he charged toward the girl like a human tyrannosaur.

The instant he reached her, he drew his sword and slashed down.

This time, the white-clad girl was prepared and did not fall for the same trick.

Her face twisted with malice as she raised her blood-red claw to seize the descending Divine Sword of Reminiscence.

Clang!

The clash of steel and iron rang out.

Her crimson ghostly claw gripped the sword tightly. She looked up at Ning Xiu, a triumphant smile on her lips.

Your weapon is in my grasp. What can you do now?

She sneered, preparing to counterattack.

Suddenly, a tremendous force surged through her hand.

Within Ning Xiu, the Nine Yang energy roiled violently. Both hands gripped the sword as he smashed it downward with relentless might.

Boom!

A thunderous roar shook the ground at the girl’s feet; the earth collapsed, stones shattered, and cracks split open beneath her feet.

Ning Xiu’s eyes blazed red as he fixed her with a deadly stare. “It’s not over yet!”

Boom!

The combined force of the Nine Yang and Iron Bell energies surged forth like a raging flood.

The girl’s white robe disintegrated to dust, her body driven deeper into the earth. She struggled briefly, then was smashed straight into the ground.

The surrounding rock could endure no more; with a deafening crash, a vast pit opened before Ning Xiu.

The lower half of the girl’s body disintegrated, yet began to regenerate rapidly.

She looked up at Ning Xiu, and at last her expression changed; she sensed a terror she had never before felt emanating from him.

“Damn it, he’s just a mere mortal! He doesn’t have the divine powers of the noble clans. Where does this terrifying strength come from?” She bared her teeth, staring at Ning Xiu.

To her shock, she realized that she was actually afraid to meet his gaze.

“We are the cattle and sheep raised by the noble families, and yet you dare resist?”

She clung to her sense of superiority, refusing to acknowledge that she could feel fear toward one she considered beneath her.

Having convinced herself, she raised her head defiantly—only to find Ning Xiu standing right before her, his face expressionless, eyes locked on hers.

“Severance of Seven!”

A soft utterance sounded in her ear.

At once, a scorching energy rampaged through her body, destroying everything in its path.

“Seven Destructions!”

Before the words had faded, her body exploded in a shower of gore.

This time, her regeneration was markedly slower.

Ning Xiu’s gaze was fixed on the scattered remains, searching for the source of her restoration.

As the girl’s head rose and her eyes met Ning Xiu’s icy stare, she finally sensed the presence of death. With a scream, she turned and fled.

A monster, fleeing a mortal? And more bizarre still, that mortal gave chase.

“I told you—none of you will escape death today!”