Li Zilai left the Peach Blossom Town early after asking about Ke Erqin last time.
He was now walking alone on the verdant grassland, sword at his waist and wine in hand, feeling quite joyful.
The news of the Ten Thousand Demon King conquering the Western Purple Kingdom spread like wildfire across the land. He had long anticipated this outcome.
He was a wandering swordsman, living a life of freedom. If he hadn't heard of the Ten Thousand Demon King's strength, he wouldn't have bothered her.
Now, with the Ten Thousand Demon King fiercely engaged with the Four Cities, he had witnessed how ruthless one could be for victory.
Neither the Ten Thousand Demon King's victory nor the Four Cities' defeat was what he wished to see. He felt he shouldn't be a pawn used by others. This current carefree wandering was the best outcome.
He took a sip from his wine gourd, gazing at the fiercely burning sun on the horizon, and laughed heartily. He wondered where he would head next.
Just then, a strange gust of wind blew from behind him. He became highly alert, drew his sword, and quickly turned to strike.
His sword seemed to hit something, and with two sharp sounds, it was repelled. A figure in red then landed behind him and said softly,
"Great Hero Li, long time no see."
The strong wind stopped, and he guessed who it was. However, he had no intention of acknowledging her and simply walked forward.
Liu Xiang, seeing that he was being ignored, did not get angry. He merely asked,
"Li Zilai, are you willing to join my ranks and become my right-hand man?"
Li Zilai had decided not to be used by anyone again, so he naturally refused Liu Xiang. He sneered and waved his hand, saying,
"Not interested."
Liu Xiang, seeing his indifference, felt this person was too self-important. His eyes gradually sharpened, and he said coldly, "You don't know what's good for you."
With his hands in front, fingers intertwined in an Egyptian gesture, he pushed forward. A five-star formation was emitted from his hands and struck Li Zilai.
Li Zilai felt his body tremble and then plunged into boundless darkness. He looked around at the pitch-black surroundings, unable to see his hand, and a trace of fear suddenly arose in his heart.
Looking around, he asked with confusion, "Where am I?"
At this moment, Liu Xiang waved his hand and pulled him back to reality.
Li Zilai was greatly astonished. He turned back and looked at him in terror, asking, "What was that just now?"
Liu Xiang smiled wickedly and generously told him, "This is the legendary forbidden art, the Yin-Yang Life-Death Art."
"That was the Yin-Yang Life-Death Art?"
Li Zilai couldn't believe it. What he had just experienced was the legendary forbidden art, the Yin-Yang Life-Death Art.
Liu Xiang did not forget to meticulously explain the function of the Yin-Yang Life-Death Art to him.
"The Yin-Yang Life-Death Art confines a person's soul in boundless darkness, never to see the light of day.
Those who fall victim to this art can only live in solitude and fear forever, unable to escape or go anywhere.
What do you think? That one move should have made you feel that long-lost fear, shouldn't it?"
Li Zilai honestly nodded. The fear of being in that void of darkness had indeed deeply shaken him.
Although he didn't particularly like Liu Xiang, he had to admit Liu Xiang's strength was formidable.
He then asked seriously,
"Why do you want me to join your ranks? I've heard you have countless experts under your command, all of them peerless masters.
I probably haven't reached the level you require yet."
Liu Xiang merely said, "We have a connection, so I want to take you under my wing."
Li Zilai knew it couldn't be that simple. There must be another reason, or perhaps it was because of the war between the Ten Thousand Demon King and the Four Cities.
He spoke frankly, "You want to use me to fight the Ghost Clan. You think too highly of my strength."
Liu Xiang smiled slightly and flashed to his side.
"With the great war approaching, my disciple deserted me at the critical moment. Although I am heartbroken, I can do nothing but let him have his way.
And today, the only expert suitable for me in the world is you."
"What if I refuse?"
Liu Xiang gave a cold smile, utterly ruthless, "Then you can go stay in hell."
"You!" Li Zilai had no choice. His plan to remain uninvolved was now impossible.
Under Liu Xiang's oppressive might, he had no choice but to bow and join Liu Xiang's sect. He helplessly cupped his hands, turned his face away, and stammered,
"I... I pay my respects, my lord."
Liu Xiang, seeing this man who was once proud and defiant, now kneeling before him, couldn't help but laugh heartily, "Hahaha."
After his laughter subsided, he said with satisfaction,
"Since you have joined my ranks and become my right-hand man, I must give you a gift. I think your sword is still lacking."
With a casual wave of his hand, the sword in Li Zilai's hand flew into the air. He reached out and flicked the sword.
The sword body immediately ignited with a fierce fire. After the fire subsided, the sword gleamed and became incredibly sharp.
"Try it," he gestured for Li Zilai to pick up the sword.
Li Zilai straightened his back, gripped the hilt with one hand, and then swung the sword sideways. A torrent of sword energy rolled out.
It cut a deep gash across the grassland.
He himself couldn't help but exclaim, "A good sword, a good sword! It's even more powerful than what I used before."
Liu Xiang laughed heartily and looked at the sword again.
"Since this sword is no longer the ordinary sword it once was, it deserves a new name. Let it be called the Flame Sword."
"Flame Sword," Li Zilai murmured, thinking it was a good name. "Indeed, it is a good name."
"Since you have joined my ranks, come with me."
"Yes."
Liu Xiang then waved a fan, stirring up a strong wind that enveloped them both and whisked them away.
Meanwhile, in the Western Purple Kingdom, Xue Gucheng and Yan Wushuang, concerned about Liu Shinian's injuries, personally came to his bedside to apply medicine.
As Liu Shinian was about to undress, he suddenly saw two figures enter and quickly put his clothes back on.
Yan Wushuang, upon entering, saw his action and smiled helplessly.
"We've known each other for so long, are you afraid of being seen?"
Liu Shinian, seeing that the visitors were Xue Gucheng and Yan Wushuang, chuckled and replied,
"No, no, it's just not good for others to see."
Yan Wushuang placed the tray on the table in front of him and casually reached for his clothes to unfasten them.
Liu Shinian looked shy and panicked, "Hey, what are you doing? Your husband Gucheng is still here. If you really want to, you should pick a time when no one else is around."
Yan Wushuang, seeing that he was still so cheeky despite being injured, smiled.
"Why are you so cheeky? I want to see your wound and apply medicine. What are you thinking about?"
Liu Shinian looked at Xue Gucheng with a hint of grievance, "Let Gucheng do it. I'm afraid he'll beat me up later."
Yan Wushuang couldn't help but burst into laughter and let go, sitting to the side. She said to Xue Gucheng, "Brother Xue, you do it. He's afraid I'll take advantage of him."
"I didn't," Liu Shinian retorted.
Xue Gucheng also smiled helplessly, then stood up and slowly walked to Liu Shinian's side.
With a rather rough movement, he tore open Liu Shinian's clothes.
"Hey, you, why are you so rough?"
Xue Gucheng said somewhat embarrassed, "I'm used to it. I don't know my own strength when I act. Hey, you're a grown man, what are you afraid of?"
Liu Shinian thought about his words, "I'm used to it." Did he mean he was used to doing unspeakable things to Yan Wushuang? No wonder their relationship was so good; they must have practiced a lot.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but chuckle foolishly.
Xue Gucheng asked him in confusion, "What's wrong with you?"
Liu Shinian laughed at him, "I didn't expect you to be more skilled than me."
"Skilled at what?"
"Don't pretend. You said you often tear clothes. It seems you and Wushuang are passionate people, hahaha."
The two of them were confused by his words, not understanding what he meant. Yan Wushuang was the first to react. She pinched the back of his hand, causing him to cry out in pain.
"What are you thinking? You little brat, you only think of bad things. Brother Xue means that when we were fighting evil together in the past, he treated others' injuries just as simply and roughly."
Liu Shinian then realized and gave an embarrassed laugh, "Hahaha, I thought it was something else. So that's what it was."
Xue Gucheng didn't blame him; instead, he felt relieved.
"You were always moody before. After going to Penglai Island, you seem much happier now. Seeing you happy puts my mind at ease."
Liu Shinian was also very grateful to these two rare and dear friends.
"I should thank Muye. Without her, how would I have met such good friends like you two?"
"We should thank her. But you should still honestly let us apply the medicine."
Saying this, Yan Wushuang handed him a bottle of red liquid. Xue Gucheng took the medicine bottle and began to wipe it on him.
"Speaking of Muye, she went to sleep as soon as she got back. She should be awake by now," Yan Wushuang suddenly said.
"She should be awake," Xue Gucheng chimed in.
However, the truth was that I slept until dusk and woke up late at night. As soon as I woke up, I saw Helian sleeping by the bedside.
Seeing her sleeping soundly, I didn't wake her. Instead, I got a piece of clothing and covered her with it, then gently left the room.
As I wandered alone in the courtyard, I suddenly heard someone call out, "Demon King, care for a drink?"
I recognized the voice seemed to come from the rooftop, so I looked up and saw the Four Evils and Yue Jiucao drinking on the rooftop.
"Why are you all here?" I asked in confusion.
Ye Changfeng replied, "Nothing to do tonight, come up and sit for a while."
With a light leap, I joined them. The group tacitly left a space in the middle for me.
Yue Jiucao handed me a bottle of wine, "Muye, have some."
I took the wine and drank it in large gulps. Fu Zimo, curious about what Penglai Island was like, asked me,
"Demon King, what is Penglai Island like?"
"It's a rather large island. On the island, there is a palace called Penglai Immortal Palace, which is the dwelling place of the Merfolk tribe. But it's filled with so much gold and silver, it's incredibly rich."
Upon hearing this, Fu Zimo's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Really?"
"Really."
"Let me tell you, the beauties there are all incredibly beautiful, each one like Biyao, charming and delicate, like a lotus emerging from water."
This made Zhu Yan somewhat tempted, but to maintain his second brother's image, he pretended to be serious and asked,
"I guess those women are all married."
"No, no, they particularly admire the men of our Black Mountain.
Look at Liu Shinian; after going there, he became Penglai Island's heartthrob, with everyone vying to marry him.
If you went there, you'd probably be chased by a swarm of girls."
"Really? Really?"
These few words made Zhu Yan's heart flutter, and he wished he could fly to Penglai Island right away.
"Of course, it's true. If you have time someday, you can ask Liu Shinian. He enjoyed the services of many beautiful women for a long time."
Zhu Yan stopped pretending and revealed his true feelings.
"Ah, I'm so tempted. I wish I had gone with the Demon King that day. No one could have stopped me."
Seeing his infatuated expression, everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter. Ye Changfeng even teased him,
"Second brother, I didn't realize you craved beauties so much."
Zhu Yan said helplessly,
"Big brother, we've been bachelors for thousands of years.
Look, Jiucao has someone he likes, Xue Gucheng is already married.
Even Liu Shinian is pursued by girls all day long. Oh, it makes me so tempted. I want a sweet romance too."
As he spoke, he began to envision his own beautiful future: a patch of green land, a few cute children, and a beautiful wife. The thought alone was captivating.
Then, he pulled Gui Ye over and said,
"I guess third brother isn't interested in anything, including beauties, right?"
Gui Ye proudly stated, "You are correct."
Ye Changfeng defended him, "Gui Ye, like me, is only interested in combat and doesn't care about love and romance."
Hearing him speak so earnestly, without any apparent thought, I wanted to test if he was as he claimed.
So, I suddenly leaned close to his face, flicked his hair, and said passionately, "Really?"
He was startled by this sudden closeness, his heart pounding, and his face suddenly flushed red.
I pointed at him and laughed, "Hahaha, look, you said you were so serious, but a little scare revealed your true colors."
Ye Changfeng shyly lowered his head and took a drink. After a while, he retorted, "Not at all, it was just too sudden." As he spoke, his face turned red again.
Zhu Yan advised me, "Demon King, stop teasing my big brother. He can't handle it."
"Is that so? Hahaha."
Saying this, everyone burst into laughter again. Ye Changfeng, shy and blushing, could only endure their teasing.
At this moment, Shui Fang and Ying Lu, who were walking around the palace, also heard the commotion and followed the sound. They came to the eaves and asked,
"What are you doing on the rooftop?"
Yue Jiucao looked down and saw Shui Fang and Ying Lu, so he asked them,
"We're drinking and chatting. Do you want to come up?"
Shui Fang happily replied, "If there's such good news, why didn't you call us? We're here."
Saying this, he pulled Ying Lu along and leaped onto the rooftop. Seeing Muye among the crowd, he teased, "Oh, isn't this Muye? Come for a drink too."
I pulled them over, "Come, come, let's all drink together."
Saying this, I handed them the wine I was holding. They didn't mind. After Shui Fang drank, he passed it to Ying Lu. Within a few sips, the bottle was empty.
Ying Lu shook the empty bottle and said with some regret, "Oh, it's empty."
Yue Jiucao then took out three bottles of wine from his embrace and tossed them to us, "I have more."
Ying Lu smiled, "Brother Yue is still thoughtful. Muye, let's go sit next to Brother Yue."
"Okay."
Saying this, they crouched down and walked to Yue Jiucao's side.
Afterward, Fu Zimo also took out wine from his embrace and distributed it to everyone, saying,
"I brought a lot of wine when I came up. Let's drink it all tonight. We won't go home until we're drunk tonight!"
Everyone responded, "We won't go home until we're drunk!"
Then, they removed the stoppers, clinked their bottles, and drank heartily. I couldn't hold my liquor and after a few bottles, my head became dizzy. Then, I don't know whose shoulder I leaned on and fell asleep.
Later, when everyone had drunk their fill, they sent me back first before returning to their respective residences.
Yin-Yang Life-Death Art:
An ancient forbidden art, rumored to be a secret technique used by the divine race to punish great villains.
However, later, because this secret technique was too inhumane, it was forbidden to learn, thus becoming a forbidden art.
Legend has it that anyone who falls victim to the Yin-Yang Life-Death Art will have their soul locked in endless void and darkness.
They will endure eternal solitude and darkness without release, only to be freed from the endless darkness and obtain release when the caster undoes it.
Later, this secret technique was passed down to Liu Xiang by his parents, originally intended for him to be the last inheritor of this forbidden art.
However, the interdimensional war broke out. This battle not only destroyed the divine race but also killed Liu Shinian's parents, making him the true last inheritor of this supreme skill.
The Yin-Yang Life-Death Art, due to its inhumane restraints and its unbridled imprisonment of criminals' souls, is detested by the world.
It is also feared for its power and the inexplicable sense of dread it evokes.
Therefore, it ranks first on the Top Ten Demon Artifacts list, with a terror index of ★★★★★.
Thus, the Top Ten Demon Artifacts list:
The Yin-Yang Life-Death Art, the Tongtian Xiaodi Divine Demonic Tome, the Blood Blade Dragon's Roar Sword, the Ten Thousand Ghosts Token, the Bone Fan, the Crimson Blood Sword, the Demonic Sound, the Soul-Snatching Star-Absorbing Great Method, the Winged Robe, and the Heaven and Earth Net have all been introduced.