Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon, dressed in blood-stained clothes, descended the mountain.
Lu Yang, controlling the Sword Dao Incarnation, followed closely behind, like a sword-bearing attendant servant, holding the [No-Kill Sword], which had also turned crimson red, with both hands.
In an instant, countless people sensed it.
How many years had it been?
Except for some Foundation Establishment Perfected Ones with extremely deep qualifications who had lived for a long time, many people didn't even remember when Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon last left Jiangnan.
Of course, the Southern Frontier didn't count.
After all, in the eyes of the previous Sword Pavilion, the Southern Frontier had no Perfected Lord presiding over it, and it was just south of Jiangnan, so it was equivalent to their own backyard. But other places—Jiangbei, Jiangxi, Jiangdong, and even overseas—had Perfected Lords presiding over them... Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon couldn't go to these places.
It wasn't that they feared Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon dying.
But they feared him attaining the Dao outside. After all, if the [Sword Dao Fruit] wasn't formed within the Sword Pavilion, with Perfected Lords watching, plenty of people in the world would harbor malicious intent.
Especially the Saint Sect on the opposite side.
What Sword Pavilion Ancestor? what Perfected Lord?
Saint Sect Perfected Ones wouldn't care so much. Snatch it first, talk later. You have a backer; don't I have one too?
Therefore, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon hadn't left Jiangnan for a very long time.
However, this time, he openly walked out of the Sword Pavilion's mountain gate, putting on a posture of leaving Jiangnan. How could people accept this?
Stop him!
Perfected One Warding-Evil immediately stood up, gritting his teeth: "Ungrateful wretch... The sect gave birth to him and raised him. When it comes time to use him, not only does he make all sorts of excuses, but in the end, he even disregards kindness and righteousness, wanting to leave forcibly and cause trouble for the sect. Can't he... can't he just..."
—Can't he just obediently die?"
Perfected One Warding-Evil had even found the scapegoat and planted evidence of Mo Shiyuan colluding with the Jiangbei Demonic Path into the treasury of [Jimo City].
As long as Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon died and used his life to attain the [Sword Dao Fruit]...
He would appear immediately, setting things right, cherishing the memory of this greatest Foundation Establishment Perfected One in Sword Pavilion history, and announcing irreconcilable hatred against the Demonic Path that killed him.
What a perfect script!
The Sword Pavilion benefited, he benefited, and including the Ye Family, who contributed greatly this time, he also planned to reward them well. After all, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon had no children; rewarding his family counted as rewarding him. No one suffered a loss... Yet such a good script was ruined by Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon.
He just wouldn't die!
He even wanted to leave Jiangnan now and go to other regions. If this led to the [Sword Dao Fruit] falling into the hands of other forces in the end...
Ten lives wouldn't be enough for him to compensate!
Thinking of this, Perfected One Warding-Evil could no longer restrain himself. He stood up directly, drove up an escaping light, and flew toward the outside of the Sword Pavilion's mountain gate.
At the same time.
"Amitabha!"
Accompanied by a Buddhist chant, on the path Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon and Lu Yang were advancing, they saw a beam of Buddhist light flying over and landing in front of them.
Pure Land, Venerable Vimalakirti.
This Late Stage Foundation Establishment Great Arhat looked bitter at this moment. As soon as he appeared, he lowered his head and said: "This little monk Vimalakirti, by the order of the Buddha Child, pays respects to Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon..."
Clang!
Answering him was the cry of a sword.
The next second, Venerable Vimalakirti's head was separated from his body. He hadn't even reacted to being slashed by a sword, his mouth still trying to say some polite words.
Only when the world spun before his eyes did he realize belatedly: "Ah?"
Boom!
After a muffled sound, Buddhist light shone brightly, and the Golden Body disintegrated. Venerable Vimalakirti actually didn't survive like those beheaded by Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon in the past, but died suddenly on the spot. A soul drifted out, receiving a guide of Buddhist light from the Pure Land, about to return to the Buddhist land to reincarnate and re-cultivate...
However, just then.
Crack!
A crisp cracking sound appeared on Vimalakirti's bewildered soul. The Pure Land Buddhist light fell, but it was like water passing through a bamboo basket full of holes.
As much as fell, that much was lost.
Whoosh!
The next second, the wind blew, and Vimalakirti's soul scattered with the wind, leaving only the Pure Land's guiding Buddhist light staying in place, falling into a certain dead silence.
On the other side, Lu Yang watched with fear and trepidation.
Although he could do the same thing, he relied on the wonder of [Wave of Tribulation] severing karma, making the Pure Land's guiding light unable to find the target.
Essentially, this was a trick. But Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon was different. His means were extremely cruel. The moment Vimalakirti was hit by his sword, his form and spirit were already extinguished. It was just that his consciousness hadn't reacted yet, so the Pure Land Buddhist light's guidance was completely useless!
From [No-Kill] to [Kill]... what an extreme transformation!
But why? Why could such a terrifying sword intent evolve even though the [No-Kill Sword Intent] was clearly broken, its power even reaching a higher level?
Lu Yang pondered in his heart.
Just then, within that beam of Buddhist light from the Pure Land, a majestic Dharma Aspect faintly emerged. Putting its palms together, it sighed faintly:
"Amitabha... Benefactor, why go this far?"
It was Buddha Child Guang Ming.
"Fellow Daoist, please don't walk around." Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon looked calm upon hearing this, saying lightly: "I wish to go to the Pure Land this time; please listen to the sound of my sword."
"..."
The Buddhist light extinguished suddenly.
However, before Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon could take another step, another escaping light emerged and sped over. It was Perfected One Warding-Evil, looking shocked and angry.
"Stand there!"
Perfected One Warding-Evil stood in the air, his gaze falling straight onto Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon. His [Sword Intent] cultivation was higher than Lu Yang's, so he saw more. But the more he saw, the more shocked he was: "One sword intent, yet having the appearance of inner and outer form... how did you do it!?"
"This is a sword."
Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon chuckled lightly: "A sword, either hiding its edge in the sheath or displaying it to people, inherently has a distinction between inside and outside. [Sword Intent] naturally should be so."
As his voice fell, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon's brand-new [Sword Intent] erupted with a boom.
If the sky had life, this sword could slay it!
If the earth had life, this sword could slay it!
If a Dao had life, this sword could slay it!
Extremly fierce, placed at the opposite side of [No-Kill]. This [Sword Intent] signified only to annihilation, wanting to turn everything into nothingness!
Under divine sense observation, both Lu Yang and Perfected One Warding-Evil spontaneously understood its name:
"[All-Slaying]..."
Hiding the sheath inside is [No-Kill]...
Showing the edge outside is [All-Slaying]!
"No... not right!"
Suddenly, Perfected One Warding-Evil revealed a somewhat horrified expression: "This isn't one sword intent... The sword sheath and sword edge are just your means of integrating them."
"Essentially, these are two sword intents!"
Speaking of this, Perfected One Warding-Evil doubted his own judgment.
The so-called [Sword Intent] was the culmination of obsession, intersecting with a person's life and nature. To some extent, it even had a similar effect to Golden Nature.
In that case, how could one person have two sword intents?
"Which one is yours?"
Perfected One Warding-Evil questioned Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon with piercing eyes. Seeing this, Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon shook his head, revealing an unspeakable look of doubt.
"Fellow Daoist Warding-Evil, why did you come to find me?"
"...Naturally to bring you back to the sect."
Perfected One Warding-Evil frowned slightly, saying naturally: "The Perfected Lord passed down an oral decree before— to avoid loss to the [Sword Dao], you are not allowed to leave without authorization."
"Perfected Lord's oral decree?"
Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon looked around: "Where is the Perfected Lord?"
Perfected One Warding-Evil's face turned gloomy instantly upon hearing this: "Ye Guangji, you have been willful enough this time; do not continue to act willfully!"
"Act willfully?"
Perfected One Vanquishing-Demon looked at him, his eyes profound: "I am very curious."
"The person who bewitched Shiyuan, caused his death, and secretly ruined my [Sword Intent] is you, Fellow Daoist. Now you come to find me, wanting me to go back and obediently await my death?"
"And you think it's perfectly reasonable. I've never understood the Sword Pavilion's principles."
"Aren't you afraid... I'll kill you?"