Chapter 72: Forever Inseparable!
Three thousand Sword Cultivators from the Azure Spirit Sword Sect were still sweeping through the hordes of demons! These Northern Wastelands demons, having lost their Demon Emperor and Demon Kings, were outright slain through and through. No demon could withstand the aura of Azure Spirit at this moment!
Even a Sword Cultivator like Cai Maomao, in the Late Dragon Spring Realm, holding the Sword Soul and fueled by a single breath within his chest, could slay until drenched in demon blood!
The remaining thirty thousand untransformed, unintelligent lesser demons, still ferociously lingering, were met by the now blood-frenzied Sword Cultivators of the Azure Spirit Sword Sect, reducing even the most numerous of demons to severed corpses, their blood painting the green mountains!
For the common folk across the thousand nations of the mundane world, these Northern Wastelands hordes of demons were nightmarish creatures. But they were almost entirely annihilated in this battle!
"Slay all demons, exterminate them completely!" Within these resonant and gut-wrenching declarations, the Sword Cultivators, unaware of fatigue and disregarding injuries, harbored but one obsession! That was to kill! To kill one more demon was to save one more part of the populace! How many opportunities to exterminate demons does one get in a lifetime?
Without Yun Xiao, who could wield a sword in the Northern Wastelands and set down this magnificent merit that would be passed down through the ages? Kill! Kill until they were unable to kill any longer! Kill until not a single living demon remained on Dark Abyss Mountain!
"Split Body Seed, success..." Amidst the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, Yun Xiao abruptly opened his eyes! To be precise, he opened all four of his eyes! He now possessed two perspectives.
From one perspective, he saw a blood-stained, white-clothed, handsome young Sword Immortal! For the first time, Yun Xiao, at such a close distance, saw this skin of the Creator Immortal so clearly. Indeed, he was ravishingly handsome.
Through the other perspective, his main one, appeared a delicate and charming, sinisterly pinkish white figure, possessing a head of silky silver-white long hair, an exquisite face, a tender body, and a pair of eyes like vortexes, full of mystifying fog. Behind it, three pinkish white fox tails gently swayed… This was a fox demon! This was also Yun Xiao!
Looking at this demon transformed into human form from such a close distance, Yun Xiao still felt a tingling sensation on his scalp. "Is this a male fox?"Had Blue Star not pried to take a look, Yun Xiao would not have believed to his death that such a sweet, likable, and enchanting creature was concealing such a big secret...
"Try controlling this split body!" Blue Star suggested.
This feeling, Yun Xiao found somewhat familiar! It was like when he had first received the Creator Immortal's body. He was experienced, and fairly skilled. The first step in controlling the body! First of all, he reached down to feel.
"After transforming into a human shape, it's still male, and moreover, not small..." He had to admit, he was impressed! "This is also my clone!
"Henceforth, my original self will be Yun Xiao, and my clone, Moon Fairy!" Yun Xiao still needed to use this identity of Moon Fairy. "With the Creator Immortal's demon magic, the name of Moon Fairy too will echo throughout the demon world!"
Yun Xiao was quite thrilled. A life with dual perspectives. He felt a bit mentally fatigued, as toggling between views was strenuous, but there was a primary and a secondary, and he would get used to it eventually.
"Transform!" HUM! A pinkish-white demonic mist permeated the area. The enigmatic Moon Fairy, in a swift shift, morphed into a three-tailed demon fox, basking amidst the fog, its three fluffy tails loftily lifted, gazing upon Yun Xiao, the original Creator Immortal!
"The body of a beast, requiring to move on all fours, is too hard to adapt to; I’d better get accustomed to a human form first!"
Otherwise, a fox demon suddenly standing upright and walking with a straight spine would seem quite bizarre.
Moon Fairy shifted once again, reverting to human form! He was charmingly cold, his silver hair dreamlike, and compared to Yun Xiao's original form, they seemed quite compatible.
"It's a pity there isn't a demoness!" Red Moon, drooling, languished, uninspired and bland.
Yun Xiao rolled his eyes. With the body of Moon Fairy, he attempted to gently move his delicate lips, slowly stating, "I... am Moon Fairy, the Demon Emperor of the Northern Wastelands, not dead..."
Yun Xiao could only say, apart from a slightly softer and feminine voice, this clone seemed quite alright!
At this point, Red Moon extended its tongue, coiling around the fox spirit. The fox spirit, seeing its own body somehow animated, immediately burst into sorrowful wails.
"Stop your weeping, with Creator here, your name as Moon Fairy is destined to be renowned across the lands. The demons you couldn’t court before, Creator will court for you!" Blue Star cackled.
"Yes! Why didn’t I think of it? By following Creator, I can devour both humans and demons alike!" Red Moon became spirited.
"Shut up!" Yun Xiao glared at them, tucking them into his embrace. Then, he and Moon Fairy locked eyes, engaging in a profound gaze. In essence, he was looking at himself.
WHOOSH! Moon Fairy abruptly transformed into a white mist, sweeping into the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, quietly departing from the battlefield towards the Grand Wasteland!
All three thousand Azure Spirit Sword Cultivators believed that Yun Xiao would surely eradicate this Demon Emperor. So. nobody realized he hadn’t died! Not only had he not perished, but he had also been reborn.
"This secret, no one must speak of it," Yun Xiao muttered to himself. "To slay a demon, first become one! If I do not enter hell, who will?" Regardless of whether he was the Creator Immortal or a three-tailed fox demon, his essence would forever be the youthful Emperor of the Cloud Nation!
"Conduct of a demon, upright character of a man!"
From the moment Yun Xiao took down Moon Fairy, birthing a split body, the Northern Wastelands War was declared over!
In that spell of time when he gave birth to a second body, Zhao Xuanran, flanked by the three thousand Sword Cultivators of the Azure Spirit Sword Sect, had carved a path of vengeance all the way to the Bluedrop Flag, where she met with Ye Tiance and Jiang Yue, who had been discarded there!
In that instant, the Demon Kings fell to retribution! Great demons and ferocious demons were slain without mercy! The blood of a hundred thousand demons stained Dark Abyss Mountain red!
The dark clouds in the sky dispersed, and the Northern Wastelands welcomed the dawn. The blazing sun illuminated the rivers and mountains, and the corpses shone brilliantly in the gleaming light.
"We... We’ve won!" A cheer shattered the resentment that had been suppressed for three long years.
On Dark Abyss Mountain, the eyes of the three thousand blood-stained Sword Cultivators burned with fierce flames, their emotions surging like tidal waves, swords pointed to the heavens!
“Azure Spirit advances, northward we counter-attack, carving through everything in our path!"
“Such accomplishments will surely bring peace to our ancestors below..."
From then on, the Northern Wastelands were extinguished! From then on, Azure Spirit shook the heavens!
"The name of Yun Xiao shall be extolled across a thousand mortal nations, hailed as a genius Sword Immortal of his generation, meritorious for centuries, bringing honor to his ancestors!" Chen Dong declared excitedly.
Azure Spirit protected the thousand mortal nations!
"For three years, demons have wreaked havoc in the mortal world, tarnishing the once-respected name of Azure Spirit. But today, this battle will wash away our previous disgrace and elevate the prestige of the human race!" In Li Chenlong’s red eyes, too, hot tears rolled.
While they had not lent a hand in the killing of the small beings, today they had put themselves on the line, slaying thousands of demons with their swords, finally doing justice to the Sword Souls in their hands!
In that moment, all the Sword Cultivators cast their eyes toward the flag fluttering in the wind! There were also seven loyal souls!
"Welcome the Sword Pavilion Seven. Their souls will return to Azure Spirit!"
For a moment, all eyes fell upon the woman in the blood-stained black gown. The Sect Master had fallen unconscious! She was the eldest sister of the Sword Pavilion and the junior martial sister of these seven loyal souls.
Her slender figure stood beneath the Bluedrop Flag, her eyes already reddened, tears raining down like a summer storm. She slowly knelt, bowing her head three times, tears falling upon the barren soil of the Northern Wastelands. "Senior brothers, senior sisters, I've come to take you home..."
It was a simple sentence. Yet everyone knew how long they had waited to hear these words, how much effort they had invested, and how much oppression they had endured.
"Please enter the Soul Tomb!" Zhao Xuanran rose, lifting a half-foot-long wooden block in her hand, filled with inscriptions, resembling a small coffin. Above the Bluedrop Flag, the seven ethereal souls looked down, their eyes deep and filled with boundless joy.
They were liberated! They were consoled! They could enter the cycle of reincarnation and rest in peace! One by one, they detached from the Bluedrop Flag, entered the Soul Tomb, and embarked on the road home!
"Brother!" Cai MaoMao couldn’t hold back anymore, sitting on the ground and wailing.
"Daddy, it's time to go home!" Qin Tong declared, her fists clenched and tears soaking her garment.
With cautious reverence, Zhao Xuanran gently put away the Soul Tomb. At last, the hearts of the three thousand Azure Spirit Sword Cultivators could find peace!
Yet, Ye Tiance, Jiang Yue, Yao Manxue, and others, standing beneath the Bluedrop Flag, witnessed the unfolding scene, their faces already drained of color. Regardless of whether they had arms amputated or not, they squirmed and huddled together, eyes brimming with panic!
For someone like Ye Tiance, as his Dantian shattered, teetering on the brink of death, excrement mingled with his stench, his eyes bulging. He fared no better than the rest!
Jiang Yue was even more pitiable. She was filthy, her face vacant, her mind seemingly torn asunder. What would become of them?
WHOOSH! Suddenly, a figure clad in white appeared before their eyes, like a nightmare made flesh.
"Yun... Yun Xiao..." Over a hundred people, hearts quivering wildly, scrambled to their feet, bowing and kowtowing frantically, if they were able. Unfortunately, most found their tongues severed and pleas for mercy went unspoken, granting Yun Xiao a measure of peace amidst their silent despair.
"Spare us! We too are of the Azure Spirit Sword Sect!" Ye Tiance whimpered, his words barely coherent. All around, sobbing prevailed!
"Ye Tiance, only now you know fear?" Yun Xiao chuckled dryly.
"Three years ago, when you colluded with demons to scheme against your peers, where was your fear then?
"Three days ago, when you led demons into Azure Spirit, slaughtering your kin, where was your fear?"
Yun Xiao, his demeanor frigid, stepped towards him. "Now I am also afraid. I fear your deaths will not be gruesome enough to apologize to the Seven Prodigies of the Sword Pavilion! To say sorry to the ancestors of Azure Spirit! To beg pardon from the citizens of the thousand nations in the mortal world who trusted you!"
WHOOSH! He severed the chains, grasping Ye Tiance’s neck, hoisting him aloft!
"UGH UGH!!" Ye Tiance flailed wildly, his eyes dim and desperate, his body convulsing.
Step by step, Yun Xiao dragged him to the Bluedrop Flag.
"Confine the souls of those Demon Kings into the Bluedrop Flag first!" Yun Xiao commanded.
"Yes!" Li Chenlong approached, trapping all the Demon King souls within, while Yun Xiao pressed the soul of Moon Fairy inside.
The Bluedrop Flag fluttered wildly, sinister winds swirling! Countless demons suffered and wailed within.
"Ye Tiance, you enjoy the company of demons, yes? I’ll let you all have enough fun together!" Yun Xiao sneered, cold as ice.
"No! No!" Ye Tiance trembled violently, tears streaming down his face.
BUZZ! With a fierce motion, Yun Xiao flung him into the air!
Ye Tiance screamed, plummeting downward. Yun Xiao's sword thrust forward like a dragon!
THUD THUD THUD! Ye Tiance was cleaved into eight parts!
"Ah!" Witnessing the scene, the group of Ye Family prisoners shuddered in unison. Dismembered into eight pieces, how could one not perish?
HUM! Yun Xiao, employing his Sword Soul, ensnared the wailing soul of Ye Tiance, gently coaxing it into the Bluedrop Flag with a mere touch.
Human souls, demon souls, all entwined together! Demons howled; human souls wept in sorrow. This, indeed, was a bloody debt repaid in kind.
“You think this is enough?” Yun Xiao beheld the scene, yet his words plunged the remaining prisoners into deeper despair.
“My senior brothers and sisters have suffered for three years!
“You all, at least, shall suffer for thirty years, until your souls are entirely extinguished!
“And lastly…” Yun Xiao elevated his voice. “I shall take this Bluedrop Flag back to the Azure Spirit Sword Sect, plant it within the Azure Spirit Cauldron, and let the flames of the Azure Spirit Cauldron burn your souls day and night!
“Damn it, I’ll grant you this favor, let you burn together with the demons, and ensure you never part for all eternity!”
Upon these words, the soul of Ye Tiance wept to the heavens and earth in utter despair. Meanwhile, Jiang Yue, Yao Manxue, Ye Xuanying, Zhang Jian, and the entirety of the Ye Family crumpled to the ground in paralysis.
JL's Thoughts