Chapter 54: Journey in the Mountains and Rivers (VIII)

The sword light of the Demon-Slaying Sword suddenly went towards Gui Ba with an imposing and awe-inspiring momentum, carrying a resolute determination to cut through anything, and it tore through the thick demonic energy in front of Gui Ba.

“Master!”

Gui Luan was anxious to step forward and block the attack for him, but Gui Ba stopped him and held him behind him. The nails on his slender, cold, and pale hands suddenly became long and sharp, and his five fingers turned into claws that tore open the sword light that came straight towards him.

He looked down at Sui Ning in front of him, his red eyes fierce and cold, and his demonic aura spread out from him.

“Heh.”

Gui Ba hooked his lips and laughed lightly, his gaze slowly sweeping over Sui Ning. The icy and sticky look in her eyes made Sui Ning grip the Demon-Slaying Sword tightly, wishing to cut off her head and throw it into the Eternal Water Abyss.

“Really similar, but it’s a pity.” Gui Ba sighed and shook her head slowly, pointing at Sui Ning. “You are far from Yan Heng. How much power can you unleash with the Demon-Slaying Sword?”

Sui Ning’s eyebrows and eyes were cold and plain, and the sword light of the Demon-Slaying Sword was resolute and decisive. The sword aura that stirred around her blew her clothes away, and her black hair flew behind her. Her whole body was filled with murderous intent.

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As soon as the thought entered her mind, the sword intent of the Demon-slaying Sword surged. She trembled slightly as she gripped the handle of the sword, and a tremor quietly flowed through her meridians, causing a tingling sensation wherever it passed.

It wasn’t until her spiritual energy churned all the way to her dantian that Sui Ning’s heart trembled with heat and excitement, and the attraction from the depths of her soul made her heart beat faster.

Her whole body was filled with spiritual energy, and her legs were a little unsteady as she stood there, her thin back trembling slightly.

Ji Hu, behind her, keenly sensed her abnormality.

Ji Hu’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, and his clear voice transmitted to her: “What’s wrong with you?”

Sui Ning’s face was calm, and she didn’t even turn her head as she replied, “It’s nothing.”

This matter was too strange. She could perceive every strand of sword intent from the Demon-slaying Sword, and she could also sense that the Demon-slaying Sword had no ill intentions towards her.

But if she were to tell Ji Hu, he would inevitably worry more.

Ji Hu looked at her back, his gaze deep and profound, and after a long time, he transmitted his voice: “If you don’t want to say, I can also not ask.”

“But,” he paused, his voice suddenly solemn and cold, “You are now a goddess. These tens of thousands of immortals are all waiting for you to lead them. If you flee in the face of the enemy…”

“Sui Ning, the immortal world will be finished.”

Sui Ning’s heart trembled, and the Demon-slaying Sword sensed her emotions, buzzing and wanting to get closer to her.

Her fingertips stroked the sword’s body, and the cold and sharp sword energy suddenly converged, rubbing against her fingers affectionately.

Ji Hu continued: “Sui Ning, now only you can use the Demon-slaying Sword. In a critical moment, you must take action.”

Sui Ning sneered: “War God, when you brought me here, you only said that I would be sitting in the rear. You never said that I would also have to take action.”

Ji Hu remained silent, looked at the looming evil spirits above the void, and finally spoke softly: “I did not intentionally deceive you.”

“If the demons really break through our defense line, the immortal realm will no longer exist, and no one can stop them in the mortal realm. The whole world will be in chaos.”

“At that time, many people will die.”

Sui Ning looked at him from the corner of her eye, and Ji Hu’s face tensed with a slight frown between his eyebrows. The worries in his eyes gradually became heavier, and the vicissitudes of life were hard to hide in his shallow pupils.

Her lips twitched slightly, but she ultimately swallowed the words in her mouth.

She wanted to say that no, the demons would not break through their defense line.

Today is the day the demons will die, and it is also the day that he and Yanheng will die.

They will both die in this war between gods and demons.

Sui Ning sighed inwardly and turned her head to no longer look at him.

“Okay, I will help you,” she said, transmitting her voice to him.

On the day of the war between gods and demons, Yanheng and Gui Ba will perish together. Now that it is the war between gods and demons, if they calculate the time, Yanheng should also be waking up soon.

But where did Xie Changzhou go?

Sui Ning’s heart sank as she felt worried about him.

The demons stood with their hands behind their backs in the emptiness, looking down at Sui Ning and Ji Hu, who were standing in front of the Eternal Water Abyss.

Their icy gaze was full of aggression as they scrutinized Sui Ning’s eyes, eyebrows, and the face under her veil, and then slowly lowered their gaze.

Sui Ning’s eyebrows suddenly frowned. She raised her sword, ready to strike, but a tall figure stood in front of her.

Ji Hu’s face was iron-blue and cold, with cold light shining in his eyes. His divine energy froze, and the tip of his sword slowly lifted to face the demons in the void.

“Old fool, if your eyes are of no use to you, then gouge them out and feed them to the spirit hounds.”

Ji Hu’s voice was deep and indifferent, as sharp as ice and jade, without a hint of fluctuation. His cold gaze was as frosty as his tone.

Gui Ba remained unmoved. Suddenly, the eerie figure standing behind him turned ominously dark, and a torrent of demonic energy howled towards Ji Hu.

“What are you, to dare to insult our master like this?” Gui Luan’s eyes were chilly, and his voice was as low and cold as a hellish demon.

Ji Hu’s divine energy surged as he slashed through the oncoming demonic energy, his expression still calm and composed.

His sword light swept forward, causing the ground to collapse and leaving a deep chasm.

Ji Hu spoke softly, “Anyone who crosses this line today will be eliminated.”

The eerie figure’s eyes grew icy, and his dark red irises fixed sharply on Ji Hu. The malevolent aura around him remained unchanged.

“Is that so?”

A chilling and stern voice sounded from behind him.

The eerie figure’s expression changed, and he respectfully lowered his head to make way, revealing Gui Ba standing behind him, gazing disdainfully at Ji Hu.

Gui Ba’s smile didn’t reach his eyes; he tugged at the corners of his mouth. Though his whole body emitted a bone-chilling, bloodthirsty aura, his eyes burned with a hidden bloodlust beneath their deep red hue.

“Then let’s watch.” Gui Ba wickedly smiled, his black robe billowing in the void. His crimson eyes emitted layers of dark light.

“Watch how my demon clan will conquer your immortal realm today.”

As Gui Ba’s words fell, a roar echoed from beneath him, the sound reverberating like thunder throughout the entire Eternal Water Abyss. With resolute momentum, his mount charged toward Ji Hu.

Ji Hu’s brows furrowed, and he leaped into the air, meeting Gui Ba in midair with his sword at the ready. A monumental clash was about to commence.

Immortal soldiers wielded their divine weapons, clashing fiercely with the demonic generals. In the distance, several dark green ghostly flames appeared at the edge of the void, drifting towards the battlefield.

Sui Ning soared into the sky, her gaze fixed on the scene below. Her dark pupils constricted.

The system urgently exclaimed: “[Host, those are evil spirits! You must not let them get close!]”

The evil spirits from the Wanmo Cavern were relentless; once they latched onto someone, it was extremely difficult to deal with them. They would gradually infiltrate the body, devouring the person’s divine soul until it was utterly destroyed.

And these things are countless and extremely difficult to kill. Only the divine power that specializes in combating malevolent spirits can eliminate them. Therefore, throughout the years, the revered deities have all chosen to sacrifice their divine souls to seal the Wanmo Cavern, preventing them from escaping and wreaking havoc.

Sharp roars echoed from a distance, occasionally intertwined with laughter, creating a piercing and terrifying sound.

The dark green, ghostly flames grew larger and larger, howling as they approached the battlefield, accompanied by an overwhelming stench of blood.

An immortal soldier engaged in a standoff with a demonic general found himself bound by the latter. As he saw the evil spirits rushing toward him with ferocious screams, he helplessly witnessed the grotesque and terrifying face within the ghostly flames, mouth wide open and ready to bite.

Though unable to break free, he lowered his brows and focused his sword’s intent on the demonic general before him.

Even if he were to die, he was determined to eliminate the demonic threat before him!

The demon’s head was severed by his sword’s intent, its eyes wide open and unyielding, but the evil spirits behind it had already reached the immortal soldier.

The immortal soldier’s senses were overwhelmed by the nauseating smell of blood emanating from the evil spirits. Filled with reluctance, he realized that he was about to die at the hands of the evil spirits of the Wanmo cavern before being able to slay more demons.

In the moment just before his impending death, a radiant sword light intercepted him right in front of him. Then a force pulled him forcefully backward.

A refreshing sweetness spread through the air, and a soft strand of hair brushed against the immortal soldier’s face, carrying a warm fragrance.

The immortal soldier uttered in astonishment, “Goddess?”

Not far from him, a slender figure stood gracefully, the jade pendant on her phoenix crown gently swaying.

She held the Demon-Slaying Sword in her hand, and her resolute sword intent suddenly split the sky as she fiercely struck at the evil spirits before her.

Upon collision with the sword’s intent, the immortal soldier could clearly see the contorted face of the evil spirit within the ghostly flames. It howled unwillingly, yet its form gradually dissipated and turned into a wisp of smoke, dispersing with the wind.

Sui Ning’s sword intent had slain thousands of evil spirits.

This was their goddess.

The immortal soldiers’ eyes filled with tears as they lowered their heads in reverence. A clear, cold voice sounded angry.

“Leave now; don’t get in the way here!”

Sui Ning turned his face towards him, and his eyes under the veil were solemn and cold.

The immortal soldiers suddenly regained their senses and said, “Yes!”

The immortal soldier looked deeply at her, who single-handedly held back countless evil spirits, and his eyes gradually became red.

“Goddess, take care!”

He turned around and joined the fight against the demon clan, with his sword harvesting the heads of each demon general.

Sui Ning held the demon-slaying sword firmly in front of the Eternal Water Abyss, and in front of her was a thick, dark green ghost fire. Within the ghost fire, eerie red bloody eyes looked at her with terrifying twisted faces, and their bloody scent flew her clothes.

The intent of the demon-slaying sword struck out, and the sword, which was naturally restrained against evil spirits, clashed with the light of the sword. The evil spirit instantly turned into smoke and scattered into the void, scattering into the Eternal Water Abyss.

Her back suddenly tingled, and her hair stood up. She quickly dodged to the side.

A demonic energy brushed past her shoulder, sinister and cold, incredibly familiar.

With a sinister and evil smile, he looked at her, his pale hands churning with demonic energy.

“Even if you really are Yanheng, it doesn’t matter. You will undoubtedly die today.”

His black robe fluttered, and he charged straight towards her from the void.

In front of her was a sinister and evil demon that wanted to take her life. Behind her were evil spirits screaming and charging towards her. Sui Ning’s heart sank. The demon-slaying sword hummed as she wanted to kill the evil spirits.

She was about to rush forward regardless, but several immortal soldiers wearing battle armor suddenly appeared in front of the sinister and evil demon.

Sui Ning took a closer look, and among the few immortal soldiers, she recognized some of them. They were people she had seen outside the palace before.

The immortal soldiers firmly blocked the sinister and evil demon, and one of them turned his head to Sui Ning and said, “Goddess, don’t worry about killing the evil spirits. We won’t let this sinister and evil demon touch a hair on you today.”

Sui Ning nodded and said, “Thank you.”

She suddenly turned around and confronted the evil spirits that were about to touch her clothes. With the decisive swing of the Demon-slaying Sword, she killed these evil spirits that had been sealed for thousands of years.

The evil spirits had been sealed for thousands of years, and now, at the sight of fresh flesh and blood, they rushed at her without fear.

Sui Ning’s hand wielding the sword was already sore, but her thin and weak figure stood firmly in front of the Eternal Water Abyss, not allowing a single evil spirit to cross over.

The immortal soldiers could not escape the fate of being entangled to death by the evil spirits. Only the Demon-slaying Sword could kill them, so she couldn’t let a single evil spirit go.

However, she was not a god, and the spiritual energy inside her body was almost unable to support the use of the Demon-slaying Sword.

The evil spirits were endless, and she could not kill them all. She would also be worn out if this went on.

Sui Ning’s heart sank as she looked towards the void, where Ji Hu, dressed in silver armor, was fighting the demons in front of him with determination and a fierce gaze.

Sensing Sui Ning’s gaze, he looked at her, and their eyes met across the void. Ji Hu turned his eyes away.

Ji Hu’s voice came to her mind: “Sui Ning, stop the evil spirits.”

His voice was firm and resolute, giving her no room to retreat.

Sui Ning kept slashing at the evil spirits in front of her, and her eyes narrowed at his words.

Ji Hu seemed to have some plan that he was keeping from her.

She couldn’t help but think of Yanheng again. Why hadn’t she woken up yet?

According to Xie Changzhou’s original explanation, although the war between gods and demons caused heavy casualties, it was the demons who suffered the most.

In other words, Yanheng had appeared early in the war between gods and demons and had not been delayed for such a long time.

Given the current situation, if it weren’t for Sui Ning delaying the evil spirits with the Demon-Slaying Sword, once these evil spirits entangled the immortal soldiers on the battlefield, the immortal realm would immediately fall behind the demon realm.

What’s more, looking at Ji Hu’s appearance,he kept pushing her like putting a duck on a shelf to rush to the front and replace Yanheng, who was pretending to be the goddess, to sit and guard the four directions…

No, that’s not right.

Replace Yanheng!

Sui Ning’s phoenix eyes shrank slightly, her heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and she squeezed the Demon-Slaying Sword in her hand. An evil spirit took the opportunity to pounce on her from behind, screaming and biting her.

[Host!]

“Goddess!”

Sui Ning quickly moved backward. The Demon-Slaying Sword had a sense that was very human, and it flew straight out of her hand to kill the evil spirit that pounced on her, blocking it in front of her.

After killing the evil spirit, the Demon-Slaying Sword returned to her side. Sui Ning gently held it, and the sword intent of the Demon-Slaying Sword rubbed intimately against the back of her hand.

Sui Ning continued to fight against the endless stream of evil spirits in front of her, feeling desolate in her heart.

She looked at Ji Hu in disbelief, and at this moment, she finally understood what Ji Hu wanted to do!

The so-called replacement of the goddess to sit and guard was all fake!

Ji Hu wanted her to become the goddess, take on Yanheng’s responsibility, and fulfill Yanheng’s destiny as a god.

He knows a lot about Yanheng. Dealing with a single Gui Ba is difficult enough, let alone the Wanmo Cavern.

Only divine power can seal the Wanmo Cavern. There are not many records about it from the great war between gods and demons; only Yanheng and Gui Ba perished together.

However, Sui Ning can guess the complete ending of that year.

Yanheng sacrificed her divine soul and dissipated her millennia of cultivation to kill Gui Ba and seal the Wanmo Cavern.

Ji Hu didn’t want Yanheng to die, so he had to find someone to replace her.

Sui Ning is undoubtedly the best candidate.

Only she can use the demon-slaying sword, and she looks exactly like Yanheng. Could it be that…she also has divine power in her body?

The bloody smell in front of her became stronger and stronger, and the piercing screams seemed to reverberate in her ears, making her eardrums ache.

Evil spirits kept coming towards her, surrounding her, and a beam of light rose behind her, enveloping the entire Eternal Water Abyss and isolating those evil spirits that crawled out of the Wamo Cavern from Suining.

“Goddess!”

The fighting soldiers saw this and despairingly screamed with tears in their eyes.

Their Goddess actually blocked herself with those evil spirits outside the barrier, facing them alone.

Sui Ning was surrounded by the evil spirits in front of her, and she couldn’t turn around. Her white robe was particularly eye-catching in the towering ghostly fire, but her thin figure brought endless security to people.

The soldiers shouted, “The Great Love of the Goddess!”

“Slaughter the demon clan, slaughter the demon clan!”

Her departure gave them encouragement, and the immortal soldiers roared and charged towards the demon generals in front of them. Their morale soared, and the battle situation suddenly turned around.

Sui Ning’s mouth twitched, her brow furrowed, and anger rarely appeared in her dark eyes.

Ji Hu actually planned this kind of scheme against her.

When did he start planning this, even being able to calculate that she would come alone to block the evil spirits in front of the Eternal Water Abyss and setting up a barrier in advance to keep her and the evil spirits outside the barrier.

Not only did it inspire morale, but it also allowed her to sacrifice those evil spirits in vain.

If she really had divine power in her body, when she died, the divine power would disperse and mercilessly kill these evil spirits.

In that case, Yan Heng only needed to deal with Gui Ba and demons, and there might still be a glimmer of hope.

“[Host, hold on a little longer; don’t let the evil spirits take advantage!]” 

But Sui Ning was already about to collapse.

She could feel the spiritual energy in her body churning; her dantian was hot, and an inexplicably strong force was fiercely rushing through her meridians, the Demon Slaying Sword buzzing in agreement with her.

The evil spirits in front of her kept coming towards her; Sui Ning’s hand holding the sword was already too weak to even hold it; the strong smell of blood rushed into her nose; her whole body was dizzy; countless pairs of ferocious and cold eyes were staring at her, waiting for the opportunity to tear her apart and swallow her whole.

Sui Ning couldn’t see the scene in front of her clearly; her mind was muddled, and her consciousness was gradually becoming blurred. She relied solely on instinct to kill the evil spirits in front of her.

“[Host, stay awake; suppress the spiritual energy in your body.]”

The system called out to her consciousness, its mechanical voice revealing its urgency.

“[Host, don’t lose consciousness, or you will be torn apart by the evil spirits!]”

Sui Ning could barely hear the call amidst the evil spirits’ eerie aura. Her veil was lifted by their wickedness, leaving small cuts on her face that oozed fresh blood. The stench of blood made the evil spirits, who hadn’t tasted blood in a long time, even more frenzied.

The sword of demon slaying shone brightly, and Sui Ning was engulfed by the dim green ghost fire.

The immortal soldiers within the protective barrier wore pained expressions as they fought with even greater ferocity to slay the demon clan.

In the midst of a fierce battle between Gui Ba and Ji Hu,Ji Hu turned his gaze towards Sui Ning, standing at the edge of the eternal water’s abyss. She was almost invisible amidst the flickering ghost fire, and he had to rely on the sword’s light to locate her.

Gui Ba sneered, his narrow eyes filled with mockery. “Ji Hu, you really are willing to sacrifice a mortal for the sake of Yanheng.”

Ji Hu met his gaze with a calm and composed expression, his lustrous eyes serene and profound. One hand rested behind his back, and the other held the sword in a standoff against the Gui Ba.

His voice was cold and clear. “The goddess should not die because of your actions.”

Gui Ba sneered, his lips curling with a mocking smile. “If the goddess cannot die, then a mere mortal can take her place.”

“You immortals look down on us demons, yet your actions are no less despicable than ours.”

Ji Hu remained silent, maintaining his gaze on Gui Ba across the void. His eyes flashed with a cold light.

Gui Ba was unfazed, his dark red eyes coldly glancing at her. “Do you know what fate awaits her?”

His gaze fell upon Sui Ning standing at the edge of the eternal water’s abyss, and Ji Hu followed his line of sight.

Sui Ning was no longer visible, and the sword’s light was gradually fading. However, the evil spirits continued to swarm toward her.

Ji Hu pursed his lips tightly, and his forehead creased with a frown. His hand, which was resting behind his back, clenched tightly, and the veins on the back of his cold white hand were visible.

Gui Ba watched him with amusement and spoke slowly, word by word. “The evil spirits devour her.”

“Her divine power is depleted.”

“Her soul is scattered.”

Ji Hu’s sword light suddenly cleaved towards him, and Gui Ba hastily evaded. A pale and delicate smile still graced his face, but the smile did not reach his eyes.

He coldly stared at Ji Hu before him and provocatively taunted, “Are you angry?” Regretful? Or perhaps…”

“Can’t bear it?”

As Gui Ba’s words fell, Ji Hu’s expression turned completely frosty. His eyes brimmed with hostility; their gaze was complex and obscure.

His thin lips parted slightly, and his icy voice resounded.

“She won’t suffer a scattered soul.”

“Suffering the scattering of souls will be me, and also—”

Ji Hu slowly gripped his sword, pointing its tip directly at Gui Ba.

“You.”

Suddenly, Gui Ba’s expression darkened, and the smile at the corners of his mouth froze. His black robe billowed as he lunged towards Ji Hu, and the two engaged in a fiery battle once more.

At the edge of the Eternal Water Abyss, Sui Ning was on the brink of exhaustion.

[Host, hold on a little longer. Xie Changzhou will definitely come!]

Her hazy eyes cleared slightly, her mind echoing the three words, “Xie Changzhou.”

Yes, Xie Changzhou would surely come.

She didn’t know where he had gone, but as long as she was in danger, Xie Changzhou would come.

The Demon-Slaying Sword’s blade radiated with ferocity as it ruthlessly slew everything before her.

Time passed, its measure uncertain. Her spiritual energy had completely dried up, and the hand that held the sword could barely lift it.

As the evil spirits lunged towards her, a sense of tranquility settled within Sui Ning’s heart.

Had she exerted herself for so long, only to await Xie Changzhou in vain?

The heavy scent of blood rushed towards her, and the grotesque and terrifying visage opened its mouth wide as it lunged towards her. Sui Ning no longer had the strength to raise her sword.

[Host!]

The system’s mechanical voice sounded panicked.

Sui Ning could only watch as the evil spirit got closer and closer to her.

Suddenly, she felt a tug at her waist and was pulled behind someone. The scent of cold pine filled her nose.

A pair of hands held hers tightly as the person confidently swung the Demon-Slaying Sword in front of them.

“Thank you for your hard work, Ningning.” A gentle and soothing voice came from above her head as she was pulled into a familiar and cool embrace.

Tears fell from Sui Ning’s eyes.

Xie Changzhou had arrived.

She had finally waited for him.