Chapter 295: Not So Perfect

Blood flowed across the desolate plain. Countless wandering spirits rose into the sky.

The clash of two Eighth-Realm Great Demons shook the very heavens and earth.

Thunderous booms crashed against their ears, forcing people back several steps.

Hu Shilan shaped her hand like an orchid blossom. It transformed into ice and snow. Amid swirling demonic qi, she threw out a palm strike.

Shu Lie summoned fierce demonic winds to block it. The two forces seemed equally matched.

Shu Lie frowned. He never expected this fox demon, expelled from the Thirty-Six Caves, could reach such heights.

“Interesting.”

Shu Lie chuckled coldly. Then his form dissolved into a black tornado, vanishing from sight.

The battle raged fiercely above.

Meanwhile, under the tree, the boy wearing the wooden carved mask trembled violently.

He found his mind growing increasingly hazy.

He was teetering on the edge of collapse.

The thick stench of blood hit his nose, agitating the demon blood within him.

“No… don’t…”

Gou’er hunched over, clutching his head.

He struggled desperately to control himself. Bloodshot veins appeared in his eyes, tendons bulged visibly. At this moment, he was in utter agony.

“Ah!!”

Gou’er’s demonic power surged out. A flood of crimson blood qi swiftly rose from behind the demonic formation, engulfing everything.

Hu Shilan and Shu Lie both froze, their gazes snapping downward.

Gou’er lifted his head. The last shred of awareness within him fixed on Hu Shilan. “You must… kill me!! Please!” he gasped out.

Hu Shilan stiffened, but in that instant, danger prickled at her side.

She dodged reflexively. Shu Lie shot past her, mere inches from landing a blow.

Hu Shilan’s brows drew tight. “The words ‘despicable and shameless’ suit none but you, Shu Lie,” she stated coldly.

Shu Lie laughed heartily. “I’ll take that as a compliment!”

“BOOM!!!”

The bloody qi shrouded the entire desolate plain. The overwhelming aura of Eighth-Realm demons filled the air.

“Blood…”

Gou’er’s consciousness vanished completely.

Now, only slaughter remained in his eyes.

“Heh he he…”

A low chuckle rasped out from beneath the wooden carved mask.

“Hmm?”

Shu Lie frowned, suddenly wary.

He saw ‘Second Peak Master’s’ figure hurtle into the horde of demon beasts.

Screams erupted almost instantly.

Mad, deranged laughter poured from Gou’er’s mouth. Sharp claws shot from his fingers. Fur sprouted behind his ears.

He wasn’t human anymore. Nor was he truly a demon.

Only bloodlust and slaughter filled his gaze.

Swipe…

His clawed fingertip sliced through a demon beast’s neck. Blood sprayed violently, drenching Gou’er. He ripped the mask off his face, revealing his gaunt and withered features.

“Blood… blood…”

Licking his lips, he grabbed the demon beast and began sucking its demon blood.

Within a blink, the beast shriveled into a dry husk, drained completely.

“Not enough… not enough…”

Ravenous greed filled his eyes. Slaughter followed.

Hu Shilan trembled at the sight.

She couldn’t help but wonder—was this truly the same young man who had never shed blood before?

Rage boiled in Shu Lie’s heart. “He fooled even me!” he roared.

“Wretched little beast!”

Shu Lie shot towards the bloodthirsty boy tearing through the demon horde.

Seeing this, Hu Shilan rushed forward to block him.

“BAM!”

The force of her palm blast sent Shu Lie stumbling back several steps.

Shu Lie steadied himself and glared at Hu Shilan. “Hu Shilan! Set our grievance aside for now! Let me deal with that boy first! Then we’ll settle our score!”

Hu Shilan stood unmoved, her gaze locked on him.

Shu Lie froze. “Have you betrayed our kind for the humans?!”

Hu Shilan shook her head. “Never. But I have some ties to that boy.”

“Traitor!”

Shu Lie flung out his hands. Countless red-eyed black rats poured from his sleeves.

A wave of rats blotted out the view, swarming towards her like a plague of locusts.

“Everlasting Frost.”

Hu Shilan’s fox tails trembled. An intense wave of cold lashed out, instantly freezing the demon power-fueled rats solid.

Neither held back any longer. Each sought nothing less than the other’s death.

“Heh heh heh…”

Confused beasts offered no resistance. Wherever Gou’er passed, dozens collapsed. Their bodies drained, sucked dry, reduced to empty husks.

The Blood Qi surrounding him grew thicker, denser. The laughter from his mouth, wilder, madder.

…

At Great Demon Peak.

Tu Hu stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gaze fixed on the bloody light shooting skywards from the borderlands.

He looked down again and a figure appeared suddenly at the foot of Great Demon Peak.

That Eighth-Realm Great Demon leaped skyward. In an instant, it cleared the peak.

Chan Yao Wang landed, a smirk lifting the corner of his mouth as he faced Tu Hu. “Took me long enough!”

Tu Hu looked back at him. “Chan Du… Why not guess why I’m still here?”

Chan Yao Wang grinned. “Waiting for me.”

Tu Hu took a step forward. “You truly believe a little help from the heavens means you can beat me?”

“We’ll only know by trying.”

Chan Yao Wang raised a hand. A dense cloud of poisonous fog began to spread.

“Rise!”

Tu Hu’s form solidified. Behind him, the towering Dharma Form of the Mountain Lord manifested.

“ROAR!!”

The tiger’s roar shook the mountains. Golden Light burst forth ahead, fully isolating the poisonous fog.

The Thirty-Six Domains trembled violently once more.

Great Demon Peak rocked incessantly, cracks appearing, threatening to collapse.

…

“Tap.”

A stone piece struck the Go board.

Chen Changsheng tapped the stone in his hand, his gaze fixed on the game.

Qing Tianyou hesitated for a long while, the stone piece hovering. Finally, he sighed and returned all the stones to their bowl.

“Another loss.”

Qing Tianyou shook his head. “Are all games from the mortal world this hard?”

Chen Changsheng smiled. “Go is like life. Each move needs special care. Think ahead, plan your moves. Only then can you reach the end.”

Qing Tianyou said, “Seems I lack the talent for this game. I grasp some principles, but mostly I’m just careless.”

Chen Changsheng chuckled. “Everyone has their strengths. For instance, I am not skilled in music.”

“Is that so…”

Qing Tianyou studied him. “Actually, I’ve always felt like… there’s nothing you can’t do. You just choose not to learn some things.”

“What makes you say that?” Chen Changsheng inquired.

“Well, take this game,” Qing Tianyou pointed at the board. “In my hands, these pieces are just dead stones. I only care about winning this single game. But you… it’s different.”

“You treat this world as your playing board. All living things are pieces. You strategize, you pit yourself against the heavenly forces. Someone like you… anything should be yours, easily obtained.”

Chen Changsheng paused. He slowly shook his head. “The Heavenly Dao stands supreme, yet it holds its own selfish desires. The Path of Immortality is the pinnacle, still countless cultivators toil desperately seeking eternal life.”

He swept his sleeve. The board vanished before them.

Chen Changsheng continued, “If everything could be effortlessly gained, nothing would hold meaning anymore. Perhaps this is why so many things… fall just a little short. Why they seem… not so perfect.”

Qing Tianyou thought for a moment. “So… you think there could still be a change, this time?”

“None at present,” Chen Changsheng answered.

“What comes later… we shall see.”