If One Sword Isn't Enough, How About Ten? A Hundred?

"Slay the Archdemon!" "Restore clarity to the mortal realm!" "When the Archdemon falls, inner demons will perish—we shall be heroes remembered for ten thousand generations!" Many Sovereigns of the Purple Sky Alliance advanced together toward the Ends of the Earth. Shang Yanran, Bai Ze, Daoist Yu, and the others had also arrived at the Ends of the Earth, taking their places beside Qi Yuan. Looking toward the colossal war barge in the distance, a fierce fighting intent rose in their eyes, tinged with worry. Aboard the war barge stood a total of one hundred and twenty-three Sovereigns. Over ninety of them hailed from the Purple Sky Alliance. The remaining Sovereigns came from the realm's other major powers. Standing atop the vessel, intense battle intent surged from them all. The war barge came to a halt in midair, five li away from the Ends of the Earth. The people of the Blood Palace at the Ends of the Earth felt the suffocating threat. They had a premonition that if the hundred-plus Sovereigns on that war barge attacked in unison, their side would not even withstand a single strike. Yet seeing that blood-robed figure remain calm and composed, their hearts settled slightly. Just then, an ethereal female voice drifted over: "Hand over the Archdemon, and the people of the Blood Palace may keep their lives." The owner of that ethereal voice was none other than the legendary Mystic Maiden of the Purple Sky. The expressions of the crowd at the Ends of the Earth remained unchanged. Shang Yanran scoffed with open mockery, "Hand over the Mystic Maiden of the Purple Sky, and we may spare your lives!" At her words, fury erupted among the Sovereigns on the war barge. The Mystic Maiden of the Purple Sky did not anger, however. Her gaze fell upon Qi Yuan, turning chilly. "In your past life, you were originally a benevolent, compassionate Buddha, yet for the sake of a demoness, you stepped into wickedness, spawning boundless inner demons and causing over a hundred million living beings of my Liufeng Realm to perish. Your crimes deserve death. "Archdemon, you would do best to end your own life. This Sovereign will not make things difficult for the rest of the Blood Palace." Qi Yuan chuckled. "If you're coveting the Demon Imprisoning Art, just come out and say it. Why go pinning labels on me? What a repulsive woman!" "Hmph!" an enraged man on the war barge shouted. "Archdemon, the Slate of Fate has already recorded that you are the Archdemon! Do you still think you can distort the truth? Surrender now!" Qi Yuan's face remained placid. "Usually before a big battle, I can't be bothered with trash talk. "But today..." His tone shifted. "When I wiped out the headquarters of the Purple Sky Alliance, Mystic Maiden of the Purple Sky, that boy toy of yours told me a shocking secret!" Qi Yuan's words immediately struck a chord with everyone present. All eyes turned toward him, curious about the Mystic Maiden's secrets. Even in such a tense moment, curiosity got the better of them. "Your boy toy told me that the Mystic Maiden of the Purple Sky is his mother!" Qi Yuan announced loudly. His voice reverberated across more than twenty li. Everyone who heard it was stunned. The Blood Palace crowd stared in bewilderment before breaking into laughter. Aboard the war barge, some experts grew furious, while others cast strange, questioning looks at the Mystic Maiden. The Mystic Maiden's face turned as dark as stagnant water, the murderous intent in her eyes almost solidifying. Then Qi Yuan spoke again. "Who doesn't know how to write a smear piece?" "I can make up rumors too!" "Still, I can't be bothered to prove to anyone whether I'm an Archdemon or not." "So what if you frame me? So what if you slander me?" "You say I'm an Archdemon, that I bring disaster to all living things. In that case, what if I play the Archdemon today and bring disaster upon you all?" "With one sword, I shall slaughter you all!" To Qi Yuan, defending oneself with words was the most pointless thing in the world. Dying to prove one's innocence would only draw mockery from enemies. The best solution was simply to kill, kill, kill! He wasn't good at verbal mudslinging, nor was he good at explaining himself. What he excelled at most was taking heads off shoulders. Following his words, the ocean behind him boiled in an instant. Across dozens of li, the vast sea turned blood-red. This crimson water swiftly condensed, coalescing into a blood-red greatsword. A longsword materialized in Qi Yuan's left hand. A sky-engulfing aura rolled out; at this moment, he truly looked like an Archdemon. A wave of inexplicable terror washed over everyone who looked upon him. Only Canary looked at him with stars dancing in her eyes. This was her childhood friend! Even so, she murmured meekly, "Blood Bead, I'll go over to Sister Yanran." After all, a massive battle was about to erupt, and clinging to his hand would only make her a burden. Amusement flickered in Qi Yuan's eyes. "Why would you need to leave just so I can kill them? Leaving your protection to anyone else wouldn't set my mind at ease; protecting you myself puts me more at ease." He glanced at Shang Yanran, then turned his gaze back to the war barge. A grim look settled onto the Mystic Maiden's face as well. "As expected of the Archdemon—your demonic flames rage to the heavens. But pitting yourself against the world is nothing more than seeking your own death!" Possessing the Slate of Fate had inflated her confidence beyond measure. For the Slate of Fate was even more formidable than imagined, and she had uncovered its true, deepest secret—something not even the Buddha had discovered. With the Slate of Fate in hand, she would not fear even the Buddha reborn! "The ones seeking death are you!" Qi Yuan raised the longsword high. Heaven-Cleaving Sword-Drawing Technique! He did not budge. The blood-red sword soared into the firmament, expanding as it climbed until it stretched a full li in length! With a fierce roar from Qi Yuan, the colossal crimson blade plunged straight down. The Blood Palace crowd was visibly shaken by the sight. Shang Yanran in particular was stunned. She had thought the gap between her revered master and herself was not so vast, never imagining it would be this immense. This single sword strike was enough to obliterate her—and could even wipe out everyone in the Blood Palace. The Sovereigns atop the war barge were similarly moved, several trembling in sheer terror. Only the Mystic Maiden remained unhurried. The Slate of Fate swallowed into her abdomen glowed brightly, filling her with boundless pride. "In this era, I am invincible!" She extended her hand. A towering presence erupted from her palm, shaping into a colossal hand that reached to the heavens. The power of the Slate of Fate surged into her grasp. Her hand caught the blood-red greatsword dead in its tracks. Crack. Exerting her strength, the crimson sword shuddered and began to dissolve slowly under her immense force. A smirk touched her lips. "Justice will ultimately vanquish darkness. I have already blocked your strongest blow. What other tricks do you have?" A chilly look lingered on Shang Yanran's face as she watched the battle unfold. If the tide turned against them, they would execute their backup plan and flee the Ends of the Earth! The others felt the same. The Blood Lord's might had shocked them, but the Mystic Maiden was evidently far more terrifying. Qi Yuan looked at the Mystic Maiden with an odd expression. Until now, no one of equal rank had ever blocked his Heaven-Cleaving Sword-Drawing Technique with such ease. Ordinarily, once that sword fell, even someone several tiers above him would die. His special vision went to work. [Mystic Maiden of the Purple Sky: An ordinary cultivator, currently under a special state.] A special state? Unfortunately, his eyes weren't all-knowing. He didn't know what this special state entailed. Not that it mattered. "You've certainly surprised me, but that's all." Heaven-Cleaving Sword-Drawing Technique! ×10. Qi Yuan's mana bar was exceptionally thick. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to cut down all those old killer geezers in Dijue. In an instant, the sea behind him turned blood-red once more. Ten terrifying crimson greatswords converged in the sky. All those clad in blood-red robes turned with Qi Yuan's gaze, fixing their eyes firmly on the war barge. The Mystic Maiden's expression shifted drastically, yet she gritted her teeth and declared, "You've exceeded my expectations, but that is all!" Gritting her teeth, she poured a third of her bodily blood into the Slate of Fate. Extending her hands once more, she blocked the ten greatswords. Her face was deathly pale, yet filled with boundless murderous savagery. This sight left every Sovereign aboard the war barge astounded. Overjoyed, the Sovereigns roared, "Alliance Master is invincible!" "Unleashing such a formidable divine ability, his reserves must be completely drained!" "He's at one HP!" "Slay the demon today!" "Alliance Master is invincible!" Had it not been for the Mystic Maiden, this Archdemon truly might have run rampant across the mortal realm unopposed. Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes. Looking at the thoroughly drained Mystic Maiden, he said slowly, "It seems the Slate of Fate really is a supreme treasure to elevate you to such a degree. But... will that save you?" Qi Yuan didn't even move. With just a single glance, the sea behind him overturned once more. And this time, the expanse of dyed water was a hundred times greater than before! Heaven-Cleaving Sword-Drawing Technique! ×100. Dying Radiance! This time, Qi Yuan cast Dying Radiance as well. He needed to regenerate some mana. Executing a hundred casts of the Heaven-Cleaving Sword-Drawing Technique simultaneously was a bit much even for him. So he cast Dying Radiance alongside it to siphon some mana back from these Sovereigns! Kill! Over a hundred swords, each a li long, hung suspended in midair. How magnificent, how awe-inspiring a sight it was! The entire world seemed bathed in a sea of blood. With his right hand holding Canary's and his left pointing toward the war barge, Qi Yuan slowly lowered his hand. Aboard the vessel, everyone shuddered! Their earlier joy vanished without a trace. Was this even human? Over a hundred colossal swords! For the first time, panic crept onto the Mystic Maiden's face. Even so, she held on stubbornly and roared, "Slate of Fate!" She had uncovered the deepest secret of the Slate of Fate; she was its rightful master. The power it granted her should have been enough to sweep across the world. Yet despite her roar, the Slate of Fate bound to her played dead at this crucial moment, offering no response whatsoever. As the hundred greatswords descended from the heavens, the hands the Mystic Maiden thrust upward—deprived of the Slate of Fate's power—were instantly shattered by the swords. In that instant, the entire war barge overturned. An expression of utter disbelief broke across the Mystic Maiden's face. "No!" She could not comprehend it. She could not believe it. Why had the Slate of Fate—the very artifact that granted her immense power, allowing her to traverse the river of spacetime at will and obliterate an entire kingdom in a single blow—fallen completely silent right now? Could everything have been an illusion? Crack! The hundred colossal swords of the Heaven-Cleaving Sword-Drawing Technique demonstrated to the world that bigger was stronger and more was superior! With maximum firepower unleashed, the war barge disintegrated. Not a single Sovereign had time to flee. When the clash ended, nothing remained save for the Mystic Maiden's mangled corpse and an ordinary-looking stone slate. An endless rain of blood began falling over the Ends of the Earth. A sneer crossed Qi Yuan's face. "I'm no bullshit Archdemon. I am the Fourth Calamity, something a thousand, ten thousand times more terrifying than any Archdemon!" An Archdemon wasn't even fit to carry his shoes. Watching this unfold, the Blood Palace disciples were stunned beyond belief. Over a hundred Sovereigns, along with the Mystic Maiden who wielded the Slate of Fate, had all been wiped out by the Blood Lord in a single strike? What monumental strength was this? They had thought this battle would be brutally hard and that more than half of them would perish. Instead, they hadn't even had the chance to lift a finger. The Blood Lord had merely moved his lips, never once shifting from his spot. And just like that, the hundred-plus Sovereigns on the war barge were... gone? While everyone marveled, Canary grew even more thrilled. Standing on tiptoe, she planted a light peck on Qi Yuan's cheek like a dragonfly skimming the water. "Blood Bead, you're amazing!" Having been kissed by Canary, Qi Yuan froze for a second. It seemed this was the very first time someone in the game had kissed him. Yet he did not let down his guard. Suddenly, before anyone could react, the Mystic Maiden's corpse transformed into a beam of light and plunged into the Gate of Myriad Manifestations. Her corpse seemed to bring about a massive change in the terrifying inner demon within the gate. Right then, heavy thumps of a heartbeat resounded abruptly. Qi Yuan snapped his head toward the Gate of Myriad Manifestations. Inside the gate, a horrifying monstrosity seemed to be walking outward. This brought about an ominous reaction in everyone present. "Blood Bead... my head hurts!" Canary looked at Qi Yuan, her prior vigor vanishing completely. Her small face turned pale as paper, as if enduring immense agony. "My... inner demon!" Shang Yanran's face also turned stark white. "The inner demon in the Gate of Myriad Manifestations... is coming out!" Daoist Yu gasped in pain, struggling to suppress the evil within his heart. For the first time, Qi Yuan's expression turned grave. He understood their condition better than anyone. The Demon Imprisoning Art trapped everyone's inner demons. Only when someone reached the end of their natural lifespan would the inner demon manifest as a demonic monstrosity and emerge. Yet right now, that horrifying inner demon within the Gate of Myriad Manifestations was stepping outward, stirring the inner demons deep within everyone's hearts. If this continued, the inner demons within everyone present would burst through their bodies, killing them on the spot. And if that inner demon was allowed to step out of the Gate of Myriad Manifestations, every living soul in this world would likely perish. Qi Yuan held Canary close, a trace of reluctance in his eyes. "Canary, I have to enter the Gate of Myriad Manifestations. Remember... I will find you at the end of time." Many things had happened during this session of contemplating the origin. Yet it was also the shortest, lasting less than two months. He had only just reunited with Canary, and now they had to part again. Though Canary's little face was pale, she squeezed out a radiant smile. "This young lady... will wait for you." Qi Yuan swept his gaze over the crowd, then glanced toward where the Slate of Fate had been. Unfortunately, the slate seemed to have vanished from his sight. He knew he could wait no longer. Turning his eyes to the Gate of Myriad Manifestations, he plunged straight inside without looking back. As the blood-robed figure disappeared, the Gate of Myriad Manifestations swung shut once more. The terrifying heartbeat grew faint as well. The pallor on Canary's face receded. Looking at the Gate of Myriad Manifestations, her eyes were filled with longing. "Blood Bead... will he be all right?" She looked toward the others. The crowd gradually recovered, worry etched across Shang Yanran's face. "Within the Gate of Myriad Manifestations lie boundless inner demons. Entering it, the Blood Lord will endure the agony of a thousand tears and ten thousand bites!" Hearing this, the rest felt grief-stricken and solemn. "The Blood Lord willingly fed himself to the demon for our sake, for the sake of the world! Yet this world still brands him an Archdemon—truly utterly ridiculous!" Bai Ze lamented. Canary stared blankly at the Gate of Myriad Manifestations. "Blood Bead... when can he come out?" She did not care what the world thought of him; she only cared that he came out alive. Shang Yanran shook her head, despondent. "Of all who have entered the Gate of Myriad Manifestations, not a single one has ever returned. And he... will ultimately be assimilated into an inner demon." Inner demon... Blood Demon. "No, there must be a way!" Refusing to accept this, Canary ran toward the gate. Yet she could not get close at all. Though the Gate of Myriad Manifestations seemed right before her eyes, it felt separated by the very ends of the earth. Everyone present fell silent. A strange light flashed in Shang Yanran's eyes. "The Slate of Fate! If we obtain the Slate of Fate, we might find a way to save the Blood Lord!" They turned to look where the Slate of Fate had been, only to find the spot completely empty. ... Inside the Gate of Myriad Manifestations. Countless pangs of agony gnawed at Qi Yuan's divine soul. Even he felt intense pain. This pain was a hundred, a thousand times fiercer than anything he had felt when facing those old monsters in Dijue. He stood within the Gate of Myriad Manifestations, a gate behind him—the one he had entered through. He looked upward. A flight of stairs descended from above, unfathomably high. High in the heavens above stood another gate. Upon the stairs stood a withered corpse. The corpse was clad in a neat Buddhist kasaya, appearing immensely serene. Its skin was like dried tree bark, as though it had not known moisture in tens of millions of years. Its sunken eyes resembled those of dead fish, shriveled and foul, glaring venomously at Qi Yuan. This corpse was walking down the steps, seemingly heading toward Qi Yuan to push open the gate behind him. "Are you the Archdemon's inner demon?" Qi Yuan asked, enduring the pain. The withered corpse spoke, its voice raspy yet tinged with compassion. "Thank you, Benefactor, for entering the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons and closing it for this humble monk. Otherwise, had this humble monk stepped out, this world would have sunk entirely into ruin." The voice was gentle, but the eyes were filled with malice, as though the two were locked in combat. "The Gate of Ten Thousand Demons?" Qi Yuan recalled that the Gate of Myriad Manifestations was the gate of ten thousand gates; it could be any gate. In the eyes of this Buddha, it was the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons, but in Qi Yuan's eyes, it might be something else entirely. "Benefactor entering this gate was likely not merely to shut the Gate of Myriad Manifestations and keep this humble monk from stepping out," the withered corpse spoke once more. "Mm," Qi Yuan nodded. He had come here for another vital purpose: to comprehend the origin. Right now, inside the Gate of Myriad Manifestations, his comprehension was progressing by the second at an astounding pace. "This poor monk does not know Benefactor's purpose. But if Benefactor wishes to achieve it, you will likely need to send this humble monk into reincarnation before ascending this Stairway of Ten Thousand Demons," said the withered corpse. To "send into reincarnation" simply meant to slay it. Qi Yuan nodded and asked, "You seem... completely out of place with this Liufeng Realm." His eyes studied the dried corpse, gleaning some useful information. From the corpse's venomous eyes, a faint trace of gentleness was finally squeezed out, as though recalling the past. "This humble monk came from the Buddha Realm. "Inauspiciousness plagues this realm; it is a God-Forsaken Land where living beings cannot enter reincarnation, nor ascend to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. This humble monk, believing his cultivation profound, brought three thousand volumes of Buddhist teachings and pushed open the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons to enter this realm, wishing to deliver it from suffering. Little did I know that my mental resolve was shallow. Instead, it bred an inner demon, bringing immense catastrophe upon this realm. "I implore Benefactor to grant me release—and to grant this realm release! "Otherwise, should the Gate of Myriad Manifestations open and the inauspiciousness spread to the Buddha Realm, the Buddha Realm may sink into ruin!" As the dried corpse spoke, its resentful gaze fixed onto Qi Yuan once again. It leaped abruptly, lunging at Qi Yuan as though to tear him to shreds. Qi Yuan's gaze turned cold. "I can grant you release. As for granting the world release? Can't do that." This world hadn't offended him, so why would he help deliver it?