Chapter 723: Why Must There Be Fierceness

Chapter 723: Why Must There Be Lie?

"Boom!"

In Zhao Changhe's sea of consciousness, Lie reached out and caught his full-force punch.

Zhao Changhe was already quite tall, but Lie was a full circle taller, his palm gripping Zhao's fist in a way that almost looked like he was catching a child—yet Lie was far from relaxed.

Though they were in soul form, Lie instinctively dropped into a lunge, lowering his center of gravity to better exert force. Even so, his palm was visibly blurred by the punch, the soul force weakened by the impact.

Of course, Zhao Changhe was no better off. His physical body was being torn apart by a thousand cuts, the bloodfiend energy refusing to obey.

Just moments ago, he had been musing how pathetic it was to still worry about bloodfiend backlash in this day and age. Now it turned out that when facing a stronger bloodfiend master, it simply wouldn't listen.

Thankfully, he had never planned to follow Lie's path and had learned many other martial arts... Otherwise, if he had fought Lie with the Bloodfiend Blade Technique, he would have been at a disadvantage from the start. No matter how well you mastered it, could you match the creator's understanding?

Fortunately, his own bloodfiend intent wasn't that strong, so Lie's awakening from deep slumber was only half-baked... In fact, if it had been triggered from Xue Canghai's body, it might have been even stronger. It just showed that Zhao Changhe, whom the world saw as the representative of the Bloodfiend Blade Technique, was actually a second-rate practitioner—the true blood god legacy belonged to Old Xue.

As the two clashed palms, Lie spoke: "For Yin Kui, that old turtle, to see you as the most suitable vessel to awaken me, you must be the strongest in bloodfiend intent in this world. Your strength is indeed impressive, and the Bloodfiend Art is your main cultivation. In theory, you should be qualified. But why does it not match the expected level?"

Old Xue and Old Sun both said my bloodfiend skill was lacking. You don't agree?

Zhao Changhe endured the searing pain in his body and bared his teeth in a grin: "Of course, because I knew this day would come. I'd rather let my martial path be lost in confusion for a long time than continue down your road."

Lie paused, then nodded: "I underestimated the wisdom of later generations."

"And you, Lie? Aren't you ashamed?" Zhao Changhe said coldly. "You once fought against the gods, pointing your finger at them in defiance, inspiring countless hearts! And now, you've become the very thing you despised? When you rekindled creation, I thought it was the boldness of a new era, and I admired you... But is this what your rekindled creation is?"

Lie laughed: "I am a demon. Didn't you know that? Did you think I was a Buddha?"

Zhao Changhe: "..."

Lie chuckled: "Those who learn my techniques—how many do it for that burning indignation, to defy gods and shatter shackles? How many for the pursuit of power and the wild ambition of slaughter? And how many to become the Blood God themselves? Do you know?"

Zhao Changhe knew that the Blood God Sect crowd were the latter two, but was he himself the former? It had started out of necessity—there was no other technique to choose. He had wanted to switch many times because of the unbearable pain of bloodfiend backlash, but many seniors insisted the technique was too powerful to abandon, so he kept at it. Of course, his own liking was a major factor—the aura of shattering gods and drenching mountains and rivers in blood really suited his taste. Otherwise, no one's advice would have mattered.

Zhao Changhe said slowly: "So when you rekindled creation, did you have a choice?"

"Originally, no. When someone reached the intent to slaughter all life, even to shatter the cosmos, I would naturally awaken. No matter why that person learned it, they had already become a murderous demon. What's wrong with me taking their place?"

"..."

"Being awakened early by Yin Kui actually gave me an unexpected choice." Lie studied Zhao Changhe for a long moment, his eyes full of surprise: "Interesting, interesting... I never thought my inheritor would be someone like you... With a heart full of chivalry and a body full of pride, wielding my techniques... and yet it fits so unexpectedly well..."

During their conversation, Zhao Changhe had been secretly struggling to regain control of his body's bloodfiend energy, or at least calm it. But he found it futile—Lie barely paid attention to that part, yet Zhao couldn't wrest it away.

If everything in the world had a corresponding god and master, then the master of bloodfiend was Lie. As long as he existed, no one else could take it.

Zhao Changhe wasn't discouraged. This was a soul battle now. His soul power came mainly from dual cultivation with Gui Gui, with little connection to bloodfiend. He had just proven that Lie feared his fists too. He just needed another chance to throw another punch...

"Such a defiant look..." Lie laughed: "Hey, let me ask you—have you never been bullied much?"

Zhao Changhe was taken aback: "Not much. A little at the start, when my bloodthirst was strongest. Later... I guess I was lucky. Those who had the right to bully me chose not to."

Cui Wenjing, Tang Wanzhuang... all the 'seniors' he met along the way treated him oddly because of his borderline prince status. The villains like Maitreya and Wang Dao were the ones he caused trouble for. The only one who could be said to have 'bullied' him was Zhuque, but she bullied him while also letting him bully her in another identity. How to explain that...

Lie nodded, sighing: "With your backbone, if you had been in a long-term oppressive environment, you would have been a second me. But fate led you down a different path. Your pride remains, your contempt for gods and demons stays, yet you protect the weak and guard the land."

Zhao Changhe grew uneasy. Are you going to fight or not?

Lie suddenly said: "You're fighting me for control of the bloodfiend... I can see your study is shallow. You haven't realized that blood energy and fiend energy are actually separate."

Zhao Changhe: "..."

"Killing nurtures fiend, and of course blood is involved, but that's just the surface. It's not that blood is necessary for fiend. Blood is an objective thing, neither good nor evil. Your blood energy is strong—you should use blood to nourish yourself and fiend to sharpen your blade. I do the opposite." Lie smiled: "Again?"

Blood and fiend separate?

For a martial artist steeped in this path for so long, it was a single word of enlightenment. Zhao Changhe roared and threw another punch!

On the surface, it was still his soul body swinging, but his physical body moved!

After an incredibly difficult and unshakable struggle, Zhao Changhe regained familiarity and perception of his body. Even the pain of being flayed alive—what did it matter?

Before him, Yin Kui, holding a white staff and wielding a broadsword in his spellcasting, was stunned: "???"

The sudden punch caught him off guard, nearly bursting his guts.

Inside the sea of consciousness, Lie also caught the punch, grunted, then laughed heartily and turned to stride away.

Zhao Changhe gasped: "You..."

"You spoke well. I once vowed to scatter gods and buddhas—why should I become one myself? If Zhao Changhe can reach the pinnacle of bloodfiend and cut down all injustice in this world, then why must there be a Lie!" Lie's image gradually faded: "Yin Kui is not easy to deal with. Summoning my soul also has a special purpose. Don't die, my inheritor... When the Blood God Array awakens, we will meet again. Then we'll see..."

See what? He didn't hear. Zhao Changhe opened his eyes to find Yin Kui raising his staff to strike.

The fiend energy still wouldn't obey, and his whole body ached. Yin Kui's technique also stimulated fiend energy, slowing Zhao Changhe's movements. He couldn't raise his blade in time to block.

Zhao Changhe's left finger twitched.

From the soil behind Yin Kui, a pitch-black divine sword silently burst forth, aimed straight at Yin Kui's rear.

Earlier, when testing Yin Kui with the Bloodfiend Blade Technique, Zhao Changhe had secretly hidden the Star River Sword behind him. Poor Star River, a noble celestial sword, was reduced to sneaky ambushes day after day.

It didn't matter what kind of trick—what mattered was that it worked!

Caught off guard from behind, Yin Kui's staff strike faltered in shock. Zhao Changhe barely blocked with his left hand, enduring the pain of a fractured bone, and with his right hand, the Dragon Sparrow finally had time to slash sideways at Yin Kui's waist.

Yin Kui flickered and vanished, both sword and blade striking empty air.

That movement... like a ghost.

Zhao Changhe's rear eye had already seen a phantom-like attack rushing toward the back of his head. He twisted swiftly and swung his blade. The blade and staff collided, unleashing a violent burst of energy that churned the grave soil into a brown haze, the ground beneath them sinking.

Zhao Changhe was in bad shape. Though Lie had withdrawn and even offered guidance, the pain of the bloodfiend backlash and his own desperate struggle were real. Yin Kui's strength was formidable; if not for that sudden punch earlier, he would definitely be losing now.

Even so, the clash was grueling. The white staff suppressed him while gusts of yin wind invaded his soul sea. With his soul power already heavily damaged, Zhao Changhe could barely hold on.

If only someone could sneak attack him...

The thought crossed Zhao Changhe's mind again, and then he saw a sword coming from the west, the setting sun reflecting on rivers, casting a brilliant glow over the spirit clan's burial mountain.

Yue Hongling had arrived, unleashing her ultimate technique straight at Yin Kui's heavenly soul fire!

Zhao Changhe was overjoyed. Yin Kui's heart was truly cursing. Just a moment's distraction from controlling the Black Miao King, and that side was already gone? A heaven-ranked corpse puppet, with damage immunity and super strength rivaling a pseudo-Imperial realm—gone without a trace?

And it struck at the most critical, most intense moment, when any straw could tip the balance!

Forget it. Lie's presence was no small matter. When he was summoned, combined with the bloodshed at both the burial mountain and the temple, certain things had already begun...

Yin Kui swiftly dodged Yue Hongling's sword, twisted, and turned into a gray light, heading straight for the sacred mountain.

Zhao Changhe's Dragon Sparrow slashed empty air, but his mind moved. The female sparrow, attuned to her master, immediately sent a crescent blade beam of Thousand Army Break after him. Yin Kui twisted in midair again, the blade beam grazing his shoulder, drawing a spray of blood.

Yue Hongling said weakly: "A pity. I'm out of strength. I couldn't land another strike on him..."

Zhao Changhe propped himself up with his blade and looked at Yue Hongling with a smile. She was drenched in blood, but to him, she had never looked more beautiful.

He had always been eager to help her, to prove himself. But now, he truly felt that having someone to help was wonderful...

No words of thanks were needed. Zhao Changhe quickly handed her a pill: "There will be other chances. Let's go. He's heading for the sacred mountain. If you still have strength, we chase."

Without another word, they both took the pill and shot forward like lightning, giving chase.

Below, at the foot of the mountain, the spirit clan was still locked in battle with the resurrected skeletons. Casualties were mounting. Some of the skeletons and mummies were quite strong, and worse, they kept crawling out endlessly. Who knew how many corpses were buried here back then? What alarmed Zhao Changhe most was that the earthquake-like tremors hadn't stopped, as if countless more powerful beings were still climbing out from below. He had no idea how to stop it—maybe killing Yin Kui was the only way.

Yue Hongling added: "The Black Miao King left a message. He said Yin Kui's ultimate goal is to resurrect the earth. I don't understand what that means."

Zhao Changhe shuddered: "I understand!"

At this point, the chaos on the Sacred Mountain was nearing its end; the assassins from the Listening Snow Tower and the rebel forces combined could do nothing against Sisi. The rebels were either dead or surrendered, and the Listening Snow Tower assassins had begun to flee.

As Sisi drove off the last assassin, with no heart for further battle, she was about to lead her people to aid Zhao Changhe when Yin Kui arrived.

Fortunately, Sisi was outside the hall, and Yin Kui, being hotly pursued by Zhao Changhe and his wife, had no desire to stir up extra trouble. His first move was to press toward... the coffin containing Ye Wuzong.

Why bother subduing the axe? Just control the axe's master directly. A corpse puppet could help deal with Zhao and Yue, and also control the axe—such was the luxury of one who could command the dead.

Just as the yin corpse qi seeped into the coffin, Yin Kui's heart suddenly leaped. Before he could even utter a silent curse, the coffin burst apart, and a pair of withered hands slammed viciously into his chest!

This Ye Wuzong was no corpse at all! He had actually feigned death, lying motionless in the coffin for so long, letting the Sacred Hall descend into chaos, the divine axe nearly change hands, and his disciple struggle helplessly—all while holding his breath and playing dead! Who could have imagined that?

And this was a Heaven List contender renowned for speed. Such a close-range ambush was no joke. Even with Yin Kui's speed, he could only barely dodge the heart's vital point, taking the blow squarely on his ribs. Meanwhile, Zhao Changhe's blade and Yue Hongling's sword were already slashing at his back.

Yin Kui had no more will to fight. He fled in a flash toward the exit of the Sacred Hall.

This battle—how could one even describe it? Tricked by Lie, ambushed by Yue Hongling, duped by Ye Wuzong... Such a luxurious lineup had rarely been endured by anyone through the ages. If he could survive, that would be something to speak of later...

Behind him, Zhao Changhe drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and aimed at Yin Kui's back. His eyes were icy cold.

Though you are stronger than the ones before you... with such a lineup, if I let you escape like the others, would I not shame my predecessors, shame Hongling, shame the Thief Saint?

This arrow was not one of the ordinary ones he used casually. It was the one that had slain the Sea Emperor, carrying the nature of god-slaying. Just resting it on the bow made Ye Wuzong's scalp tingle: "What is that?!"

Sisi turned to glance, then suddenly snapped her fingers.

In the direction of Yin Kui's escape, a bug suddenly burst open, and the space froze into icy solidity.

Ice Silkworm Gu!

The moment the frost restricted him, the Dragon Soul Arrow shot like a meteor, reaching the back of Yin Kui's head.

He sensed the danger and instinctively tried to dodge, but with his severe injuries and the momentary ice binding, he could not fully evade.

The Dragon Soul Arrow grazed past his scalp—a scratch.

A scratch was enough!

Yin Kui let out a scream and plummeted from midair, also asking: "What is that?!"

Zhao Changhe's arrow had drained the last of his spirit and energy. With great difficulty, he spoke: "I don't know if you're worthy of the title Nether Emperor. If you are, this arrow has great honor—first slaying the Sea Emperor, then the Nether Emperor."

Before Yin Kui could reply, Zhao Changhe turned his head toward the direction of the Burial Mountain. The sensation of an earthquake still persisted.

He grew anxious: "His soul fire is extinguished—why hasn't the sorcery stopped?"

Yin Khe chuckled: "A spell already set in motion does not cease with the caster's death. You... will all be buried with me."

"Is that so?" Zhao Changhe suddenly turned to ask Ye Wuzong: "Thief Saint, can you still wield the divine axe?"

Ye Wuzong was in terrible shape himself. Already weak from injury, he had taken a direct blow from Yin Kui and been knocked back, leaving him with barely a breath left. Hearing Zhao Changhe's question, he could only shake his head: "I can't control it. If you're willing, I'll remove my imprint and let you take over."

Zhao Changhe took a deep breath and grasped the Eternal Heaven Divine Axe: "Then let me do it..."

Yue Hongling and Sisi cried out: "You're badly injured too!"

Ye Wuzong also said: "Do you even understand lightning?!"

But it was too late. Zhao Changhe pulled out the divine axe, and electricity surged through his body. He let out a pained grunt, then raised it again: "Thank you, Thief Saint, for removing the imprint... Controlling it isn't that hard."

Ye Wuzong: "?"

Not that hard? Then why have I been bedridden until now? And why were those fools electrocuted to death just now?

What he didn't know was that Ye Wuzong had been forcing his way through with no understanding of lightning, while Zhao Changhe, though seemingly never having touched lightning-related matters, had long since gained insight from the Nature Page of the Heavenly Book—he just hadn't used it with a corresponding technique. Moreover, lightning belongs to wood, which was present in the Eastern Extreme Dao Fruit that Xia Chichi had fully absorbed. Having dual-cultivated with Xia Chichi many times, he naturally had wood affinity.

Affinity was one thing, but mastery was still difficult.

Zhao Changhe didn't master it immediately, nor did he need to... He only needed to ensure that this strike would unleash the divine axe's own power!

On the other side, Yin Kui's soul fire had already extinguished; he was truly dead. The last image he saw before death was Zhao Changhe leaping into the air, the divine axe slashing furiously at the void, like a god or demon.

"Boom!"

Thunder suddenly roared from the heavens, divine lightning blazing, scattering across the entire spirit race's space.

The yin corpse qi was instantly wiped out by the might of the divine thunder, not even a breath remaining.

Most crucially... the faint tremor deep in the earth, which held a more terrifying implication, was completely severed by this strike.

If the earth was someone transformed... if the divine axe could cleave the heavens.

Then when the axe fell, heaven and earth would be split apart, and the earth would naturally remain unmoved as before!

Yin Kui watched the figure wielding the axe in the void, the hope in his eyes turning to despair, slowly fading into darkness.

All the spirit race people knelt in prayer, whether at the Burial Mountain or the Sacred Hall, prostrating in a dark mass, not daring to raise their heads.

Yue Hongling and Sisi looked up, stars in their eyes, too shy to express it.

"Thud!" The awe-inspiring Zhao Changhe fell from the sky. Yue Hongling flew up and caught him, then turned to instruct: "Sisi, help—huh?"

At the same moment Zhao Changhe fainted, Sisi also collapsed.

Turning to look, Ye Wuzong had fainted too.

Yue Hongling gazed at the spirit race people covering the mountains, realizing she, as the female holy envoy, was the only one left in charge.

"This stronghold grows larger by the day..."