Chapter 167: Chapter 57: The World, Taiping

It was the season of endless rain in the south. Not far away, the Nanjiang Celestial Gate burned. The fire attack by the Hundred Schools’ Righteous Army had caused the Nanjiang River to boil and set innumerable forests ablaze. A torrent of water vapor surged upward, stirring the clouds over the entire Southern Celestial Capital and even the surrounding Divine Wood, gathering them into churning, thunder-filled storm clouds.

A kite made of silver and copper wire shot up from between the branches of the Banyan Tree. Su Zhou used his Thunder Technique to draw it into his hand, then wound it around his Long Spear.

’The Hundred Schools made thorough preparations before launching their attack.’

And Su Zhou’s suggestion, of course, was part of it.

"Thanks, Brother Buyi," he said in a low voice, thanking his unseen comrade in the distance. He then turned his gaze to the Demon Emperor, who was limping and clambering up the Celestial Altar Jade Pillar, struggling to retrieve the Blade of Annihilation.

The Blade of Annihilation was set extremely high and buried deep. Even the Demon Emperor at its peak couldn’t have pulled it out in a short time. Now, with its body half-crippled, it had only managed to climb halfway up after all this time.

RUMBLE! The silver kite, soaring high into the clouds, swayed amidst the vapor and Thunder Light!

Then, the Thunderbolt fell!

"Demon Emperor!"

In that instant, Su Zhou roared and leaped high into the air, holding himself aloft with the power of Wind Aid!

With no more words, Su Zhou tossed the Spirit Iron Long Spear into the air, using his Qi-Controlling Spear technique to guide the thunder! With a deafening CRACK, he activated the Five Extremes Divine Thunder True Technique. Cyan-blue Thunderbolt gathered from the surrounding storm clouds, struck the kite, and channeled down through it to gather on the Long Spear!

In an instant, the entire Long Spear was filled with cyan-blue Thunder Light!

A dazzling radiance coalesced, the cyan-blue light as brilliant as the sea!

"How can you, who fear pain, bear immortality?"

"Compared to the National Preceptor, you’re too weak!"

Using his last ounce of strength to control the nearly-molten Long Spear, Su Zhou roared. Like a Thunder God hurling his spear, he transformed the lightning into divine speed, into Judgment, and furiously threw it!

BOOM! Empowered by the violent current, the Thunderbolt Spear broke the sound barrier. Before the sonic boom could even be heard, it had already crossed the vast distance, pierced through the wooden tendrils trying to block it, and slammed directly into the Demon Emperor climbing the Jade Pillar!

CRACK! The violent current shot through the Demon Emperor’s entire body in an instant. Though most of the electricity flowed into the burning Jade Pillar, even the tiny fraction that remained was enough to make the Demon Emperor let out a hoarse shriek, frying its vocal organs!

The half-molten Spirit Iron Long Spear pierced the Demon Emperor’s body, pinning it firmly to the Jade Pillar. The Demon Poison spread, rendering it immobile.

After throwing the spear, Su Zhou fell from the sky like a kite with a snapped string, his heavy gasps the only sound. But soon, he forced himself back to his feet and began walking silently, step by step, toward the Demon Emperor.

"No, don’t come near me! AHHHHH!"

Even now, the Demon Emperor could still regenerate. It roared, unleashing its aura, trying to crush Su Zhou with the Suppression of its Emperor’s Dragon Qi, Innate Martial Saint power, and Coiling Dragon Body... but it was completely useless.

In fact, when Su Zhou looked up, fixing it with his remaining vertical pupil that glinted with purple-blue Spiritual Light and his left eye socket, which was squirming with regenerating flesh, the Demon Emperor itself felt a deep, bone-chilling terror.

This terror hadn’t existed before. At its peak, such fear would have been as laughable as a delusion. But now, the Demon Emperor felt the premonition of a natural predator rising from the depths of its own bloodline...

"You didn’t dare to face me in close combat, so you tried to take a shortcut..."

At this moment, as he walked step by step onto the third tier of the Celestial Altar, Su Zhou repeated his words: "How can one who cannot endure pain bear immortality?"

He raised his hand. Electricity flashed, and the Thunderstruck Wood Blade Handle of the Blade of Annihilation sparked with arcs of lightning. It struggled for a moment before the entire blade fell into his grasp. Before, summoning the Divine Blade like this would have been a massive opening. But now, with the Demon Emperor pinned and immobile on the Jade Pillar, it couldn’t exploit an opening of any size.

"Stop!"

Seeing Su Zhou approach with a savage grin, blade in hand, the fear and panic in the Demon Emperor’s heart swelled. It struggled with all its might, but its weakened body could only tremble faintly.

"Get lost!"

Su Zhou didn’t hesitate; he just hacked at its leg. Instantly, the wound was cauterized to charcoal, and the Demon Emperor shrieked, "AHHH! I’ll teach you the method of Longevity!"

"So now you know about Longevity? Have you achieved Longevity? Have you ever seen anyone else achieve Longevity?"

Su Zhou sneered. "You don’t know shit about Longevity!" With that, he raised his blade and swung downward, severing both of the Demon Emperor’s hands!

"I am of the Immortal Divine Wood..." The Demon Emperor’s mind was beginning to break. It started spouting nonsense, its words a mix of threat and plea, but Su Zhou never listened to his enemies’ ramblings.

"You say you’re immortal? How many years have you been alive to make that claim? My grandpa is eighty years old, healthy and with a rosy complexion. How come he doesn’t go around claiming to be immortal, but you dare to spew that bullshit here?"

Su Zhou gave a cold laugh and swung his blade again, cutting the Demon Emperor in half at the waist. But at that exact moment, the Demon Emperor’s eyes widened in fury. Countless wooden tendrils erupted from its wounds, lunging for the seven orifices on Su Zhou’s face!

Its previous wails and confusion were all a sham. It had finally seized this last chance...

But it was useless.

Because Su Zhou had been on guard for a counterattack the entire time. Facing the lunging tendrils, he simply opened his mouth and bit down, chewing and swallowing them like strips of dried radish!

"Heh, so you really are of the Coiling Dragon Bloodline. This flesh is quite nourishing."

His white teeth ground together. Meeting the Demon Emperor’s gaze, Su Zhou flashed a grim smile. He even deliberately showed it his teeth chewing on the wooden tendrils, Wood Liquid dripping down, forcing the Demon Emperor to watch as a part of its own body was eaten alive. "How does it feel? You inhuman monster, do you like being eaten?"

"Monster, monster! You’re a madman, a monster!"

Only then did the Demon Emperor truly break down. It saw with perfect clarity that Su Zhou’s intent was simply to torture it to death, to torment it until it completely shattered!

"Wow, who am I? I’m a monster? You know that too? I’m clearly a human—is it strange for a human to eat dried radish?" Su Zhou mocked the Demon Emperor viciously, the edge of the black Divine Blade glinting.

"You’re human? You’re obviously a Dragon!" At this moment, the broken Demon Emperor became strangely hysterical. "You’re a Dragon, that’s right, you’re a Dragon! You’re not human at all, so why?! Why are you fighting me for a bunch of humans?!"

It used its last ounce of strength to roar, "All I wanted was to not die! Most people in this world would do the same thing as me if they had the chance! You’re clearly not human, so why do you insist on helping them! We can rule on opposite sides of the river... Yes, everything north of the Nanjiang River can be yours, I..."

"I’m not even from this world."

THWACK. Su Zhou headbutted it in the face, shattering the Demon Emperor’s nose and rendering it speechless.

He pulled his head back, letting blood drip from his forehead. Su Zhou exhaled and said calmly, "Perhaps it’s true that most people in this world would do the same as you. I myself am an example of human madness; I understand what it’s like to have the dark side of your heart burst forth when tempted."

"But what does that have to do with me? Judge by actions, not intentions. You committed evil, so I am your retribution! Just because I’m not human, or not from this world, means I can’t get involved? That reason might persuade others, but it won’t persuade someone as meddlesome as me."

"I will always be the dissenter standing before oppressors like you! You find that strange? Good, you should! I’m going to laugh as I inflict violence on you, just as you laughed while inflicting violence on others!"

"Ah!"

The Demon Emperor tried to roar something else, as if wanting to curse Su Zhou’s incomprehensible way of thinking, but Su Zhou was already laughing maniacally as he swung the Blade of Annihilation. He stabbed it directly into its mouth, setting its tongue and gums on fire. "What are you screaming for? Didn’t you say you weren’t human, but an eternally undying Coiling Dragon Bloodline?"

Then, Su Zhou pulled a small box of white phosphorus from his waist. It was something he had originally intended to use for starting fires in the Otherworld. It seemed it wasn’t really necessary for that purpose.

But now, it had a much better use.

"Look at this. Good stuff."

With a cruel smile, Su Zhou poured the white phosphorus into the Demon Emperor’s eye sockets and mouth, then activated his Thunder Technique to ignite it with an electric current. "Give it a try. And then tell me, tell me loud and clear, ’I want to be immortal,’ huh?!"

"AHH, AHHHHH!"

WHOOSH. The white phosphorus ignited. In an instant, the Demon Emperor’s entire head became a torch, burning fiercely. Su Zhou silently activated his Evil-Devouring Demon Fire, using its purple-blue flames to scorch its Spiritual Soul. At first, it could still shriek and wail, but soon, as its entire wooden head turned to ash, leaving only a jade skeleton, its Spiritual Soul was riddled with holes. The Demon Emperor’s body stopped trembling and squirming, and ceased to function.

Only a single Dragon Horn was left, fallen on the ground.

A dark green Evil Soul gradually materialized before the Demon Hunter.

"No matter how undying a monster is, it can still die."

Taking a step back, Su Zhou spoke softly, then closed his eyes in exhaustion.

For a moment, his body swayed. His frame, exhausted and aching to its limits, didn’t even have the strength to pull the blade from the Demon Emperor’s skull.

The Demon Emperor was beheaded—the Demon Dynasty was destroyed. Su Zhou had originally thought that when this moment came, he would be ecstatic, that he would cheer and wave a flag in excitement. These were the fantasies of a dramatic teenager. He had considered himself special, that slaying Evil People and vanquishing Demons was his innate duty. Otherwise, why would he have been granted a natural Talent and been born into the family of a Patrol officer?

But now, Su Zhou understood. He was indeed special, an individual who possessed power. However, he wasn’t the only one who loved Order and goodness. There were countless others who fought, sacrificed, and dedicated their entire lives to it. And to do all that didn’t require any Talent, only a persevering heart.

’I believe I will continue to kill Evil People, to kill until evil itself comes to an End—but can I really keep it up?’

Gazing at the Demon Emperor’s corpse, Su Zhou asked himself this question. Then, he smiled. "Without a doubt, of course I can. The National Preceptor and you are just the first and second."

"If even the Hundred Schools’ Righteous Army could resist under these conditions for nearly a hundred years, why can’t I?"

Reaching out, Su Zhou grabbed the Demon Emperor’s dark green Evil Soul and put it in his mouth, eating it without hesitation.

He chewed forcefully, savoring the extremely sharp and pungent taste, like wasabi.

After finishing it, Su Zhou silently raised the Blade of Annihilation again. The molten edge of the Divine Blade flashed with a dazzling light, and the Demon Emperor’s half-ruined skull was lopped off.

Then, step by step, he walked to the edge of the Celestial Palace. Su Zhou stood on the highest tier of the Celestial Palace as lightning roared, and cyan-blue electricity crackled and flashed all around it.

And Su Zhou, wreathed in Thunderbolt, raised the Demon Emperor’s skull high. With an unprecedented voice loud enough to shake the heavens and the earth, he proclaimed to the burning New Southern Celestial Capital, to the burning Nanjiang Celestial Gate, and to this burning world!

"The Demon Emperor—is beheaded!"

"The Demon Dynasty—is destroyed!"

"We—have restored Great Peace!"

—In the first month of winter, New Era First Year, at the New Southern Celestial Capital, the Abnormal Person from Kunlun, Su Zhou, wielding the Divine Blade, fought the Demon Emperor alone at the Eternal Peace Celestial Palace at the Top of the Undying Tree. The bitter battle lasted for a time.

The Abnormal Person used a Secret Technique to summon thunder to strike the Demon Emperor, and heaven smote it. He then dismembered it with the Divine Blade and displayed its severed head.

The Demon Emperor was beheaded, and the Demon Dynasty thus fell.

The world, at peace.