Slaying the Upper Ranks

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Bai Cangshu was utterly absorbed, having cast everything aside. His face seemed stretched by his excessive speed, while his thrusting right hand, amid the surging ripple, truly appeared to transform into a golden spear.

At that moment, Kokushibo understood what his opponent had done.

This man had also opened the Transparent World!

Faced with this devastating strike, Kokushibo knew that once Muzan died, every demon whose existence stemmed from Muzan would perish as well. He could not dodge.

The rhythm of his breathing through his mouth and nose changed. In an instant, Kokushibo’s Blade, the demon sword fused with his body, sprouted a tangled mass of blades.

The flame-like markings on Kokushibo’s left cheek seemed to come alive. His markings had always been active, but beneath the glow of blood and fire, they became even more pronounced.

Moon Breathing: Sixth Form: Perpetual Night, Lonely Moon – Incessant

His sword-wielding right hand seemed to vanish as he unleashed countless vertical slashes in an instant. Sword light tore through the air. This strike was not meant to kill anyone; rather, it was meant to force Bai Cangshu to retreat.

But Bai Cangshu, wreathed in white steam, charged ahead without a care, smashing Immortal Path: Grand Demonic Spear into the sword force.

Both were experts who had opened the Transparent World. Feints were meaningless; they both knew that this strike… was utterly real!

Kokushibo’s pupils contracted. In the next instant, he felt as if all the air in the surrounding space had been hurled at him at once, like a violent shockwave.

Boom!

The sword force shattered, and several crescent-like beams of sword light shot in every direction.

His right hand, radiating golden ripple, abruptly pierced through the sword force and slammed into Kokushibo’s Blade. The demon sword failed to hold for even an instant before snapping beneath the power of sunlight.

The moment shock arose in Kokushibo’s heart, the golden Great Demon Spear pierced through his body.

Pfft!

At the same time, Bai Cangshu felt the bones and flesh in his right hand shatter inch by inch from his fingertips. Great chunks of flesh were even sliced away by the sword wind.

The overwhelming force also made his right arm unable to bear the cost of that strike.

Boom!

Kokushibo was smashed apart midair by Immortal Path: Grand Demonic Spear, and Bai Cangshu’s right arm shattered with him.

Blood sprayed everywhere, dyeing Bai Cangshu’s entire face red. It was impossible to tell whether it was his blood or Kokushibo’s.

Yet he did not notice at all. His left hand formed a blade as well, sweeping violently sideways.

The ripple in his palm rapidly weakened as the blood vessels in his right arm were destroyed.

If Hamon had any major weaknesses, they were the need to maintain constant breathing and the fact that massive blood loss would render Hamon unusable. Those two points were Hamon’s fatal flaws.

That was why the ninja’s smoke grenade containing irritant gas had, by sheer coincidence, effectively stopped Bai Cangshu for a moment.

Doma’s Blood Demon Art also countered Bai Cangshu.

However, Bai Cangshu and Kibutsuji Muzan had completely different personalities. He was a "madman" very willing to put himself on the gambling table.

He knew that Doma could restrain him, yet he was confident that his Hamon was likewise a deadly counter to Doma. He believed he could instantly kill Doma before Doma managed to restrain him.

Golden ripple spread through the air like ripples left by a hand blade. Doma, spinning in midair, only had time to extend a hand. The enormous Bodhisattva of the Lotus had only just formed its Buddha head when the hand blade cut through its body.

Bai Cangshu’s left hand was also dripping with blood, but Doma’s head was split apart outright.

Bai Cangshu did not slow down, slashing toward Kibutsuji Muzan, who was still desperately trying to absorb Nakime into his body.

Pfft!

The sensation was as smooth as a hot knife through butter. Golden ripple was the purest force of restraint against a Man-eating Demon’s body. Kibutsuji Muzan watched as defenses that even ordinary Hashira-level Swordsmen could not break were sliced open by a single palm strike.

Its courage completely failed. In that instant, it felt a terror even greater than when it had encountered Tsugikuni Yoriichi centuries ago.

Half of Kibutsuji Muzan’s body, along with the partially absorbed Nakime, was severed cleanly apart.

And whether intentionally or not, Bai Cangshu had directly cut off the portion absorbing Nakime. Nakime immediately began to melt.

"Argh!"

Amid Kibutsuji Muzan’s agonized howl, its body exploded in an instant.

Bang!

Countless chunks of flesh splattered in every direction.

Only then did Kokushibo’s shattered body slowly fall to the ground. His head still retained consciousness, and he spoke for the first time, roaring in fury.

"Muzan, kill him!"

"Both his hands are ruined. He can’t use that Breathing Style anymore!"

"Kill him!"

The light in Kokushibo’s three eyes was fading. His life was irreversibly approaching its end, yet even at this moment, his instinct as a swordsman made him use the Transparent World to see Bai Cangshu’s condition.

Muzan’s flesh and blood fell like a rain of blood in utter silence, giving no response.

Bai Cangshu walked before Kokushibo’s head, crouched down, and lifted it in his hands.

"Kokushibo, for someone with so many eyes, you still failed to see through Kibutsuji Muzan’s true nature."

"Weak, cowardly, hypocritical, incompetent, always blaming others…"

"Kibutsuji Muzan is nothing but human scum. How could it dare risk its life against me? Heh…"

The light in Kokushibo’s eyes gradually dimmed. In the end, he merely gave a self-mocking smile before dying completely.

You have killed Upper Rank One: Kokushibo. You have obtained 1800 Dimensional Points.

Advanced Quest: Flesh of the Enemy, My Sustenance. Progress updated. Kokushibo's strength has been detected as: Bing-level Upper. Complete the quest with this target?

You have killed Upper Rank Two: Doma. You have obtained 1600 Dimensional Points.

Advanced Quest: Flesh of the Enemy, My Sustenance. Progress updated. Doma's strength has been detected as: Bing-level Middle. Complete the quest with this target?

"Yes."

Bai Cangshu stood up. Only then did the scalding white steam begin to disperse. Footsteps sounded outside, and Liu Qi rushed over with his sword, followed closely by the Professor and Elizabeth.

All three shuddered when they saw Bai Cangshu’s condition.

At that moment, Bai Cangshu stood amid the white mist like an asura demon.

The muscles all over his body were swollen, his height exceeding two meters, every muscle bulging explosively.

Both hands were completely covered in blood, and almost no part of his body remained uninjured.

As Hamon became unusable due to too many ruptured blood vessels and damage to his lungs from the Blood Demon Art, Bai Cangshu’s injuries could no longer be suppressed.

Yet despite looking so miserable, Bai Cangshu held the heads of this world’s Upper Rank One, Kokushibo, and Upper Rank Two, Doma, in one hand, exuding an utterly terrifying presence.

This guy had actually taken on the Upper Ranks, including Kibutsuji Muzan, all by himself, and even killed the two highest-ranking ones in the end?!

For a moment, even Liu Qi shifted his gaze away awkwardly, unable to meet Bai Cangshu’s eyes.

Liu Qi had a feeling that Bai Cangshu might be even more dangerous now than when he was in perfect condition.

The sensation of having the hairs on his back stand on end merely from meeting the other man’s gaze was something Liu Qi had only experienced once before, when he had gotten lost in the deep mountains of the northeast as a youth and encountered a Siberian tiger.

It was a terrifying pressure, as though they stood at opposite ends of the food chain.

"Cough. Where’s Kibutsuji Muzan? Did it escape?"

"I’ll find it!"

Liu Qi jumped into the basement and began searching for Kibutsuji Muzan’s trail.

Elizabeth also looked away and leaped into the pit, activating her optical equipment to search for Kibutsuji Muzan. However, all she saw was a pile of shredded flesh on the ground.

In the end, beneath that mass of flesh, they found a narrow passage like a rat hole. It seemed that something extremely small had dug a tunnel and escaped.