Tanjiro, though he could sever the heads of these emotion demons, found it utterly useless as they weren't their true bodies and couldn't be permanently killed.
Tanjiro sniffed the air, detecting the scent of a fifth demon. He instantly understood these were mere clones and their true bodies needed to be slain.
"Zenitsu, Inosuke, Genya! Hold on for now. I'm going to find the demon's main body. Without finding the main body, they can never be killed! This is likely an Upper Moon demon, so be extremely careful!" With that, Tanjiro followed the scent to find Hantengu's true form.
"Upper Moon? Oh no, I'm doomed! I haven't even gotten married yet! Where did Big Brother go?" Zenitsu panicked upon hearing "Upper Moon," almost fumbling his sword.
"Ooooh, leave it to me, this great me!" Inosuke's fighting spirit remained undiminished. He charged forward, wielding his swords, unfazed by fighting two at once.
Meanwhile, Mitsuri also received orders from her Kasugai Crow to return to the Swordsmith Village for support.
"I really should have spent more time with the Star Lord in the village! I hope everyone is alright."
Rengoku was also on his way back. Since Rengoku managed a more distant region, he received the Kasugai Crow's message a bit later.
Over here, Tanjiro found Hantengu's true body and drew his sword to strike. In his moment of crisis, another demon emerged from Hantengu's body: the Hatred Demon, a physical manifestation of Hantengu's emotions.
The Hatred Demon had a ferocious appearance, with the character "Hate" carved onto its tongue. It could wield all the blood demon arts of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure. With a raise of its hand, a powerful gust of wind blew towards Tanjiro.
...
In Lixing's realm, Priestess Fei, though unaware of how Lixing had transported her to a desert, instantly drew her longbow into a full moon. A colossal arrow of light shot forth, and the very space around it seemed to distort. Its speed was astonishing.
"Blood Demon Art: Sure-Hit Arrow!"
Lixing didn't wish to linger, but leaving Priestess Fei here was also not an option, especially with Kotsumi sleeping. Lixing knew Priestess Fei possessed a third eye, possibly the legendary Clairvoyance.
"Snow Breathing, Third Form: Collapsing Snow!"
Lixing swung his blade with all his might, holding nothing back, infusing it with the power of the Heavenly Dao.
BOOM!
The clash between his blade's energy and the arrow of light created a violent explosion, immediately kicking up a sandstorm in the desert. Priestess Fei activated her third eye instantly to prevent the sandstorm from obstructing her vision.
However, Lixing was faster. Before the explosion even occurred, Lixing had already moved, appearing behind Priestess Fei in an instant and slashing at her neck with his Nichirin blade.
"What? How so fast!" Priestess Fei barely had time to react, and before she could dodge, Lixing severed her neck.
"I'm sorry, your wish can no longer be granted!" Lixing said coldly and turned to leave the Infinity Castle.
However, the decapitated Priestess Fei did not vanish immediately. Her body could still move. She lowered her longbow and grabbed the hem of Lixing's clothing with one hand.
Her severed head spoke, "Lord Lixing, my true wish was simply to have someone who genuinely loved me. I believe I have achieved that wish. I never envied Amane; it should have been me who married into the Ubuyashiki family, but I chose to betray the priestess clan because I disliked Ubuyashiki Kagaya."
"The name 'envy' was merely my heart envying those humans in loving relationships. Why couldn't I find someone to love? When I returned from Tajima last time, I developed a special feeling for you. I suspect that is what humans call 'love'! So, it seems I have achieved my wish. Lord Lixing, I... love... you... oh~"
As Priestess Fei's final words faded, her body gradually turned to ash. Lixing was somewhat bewildered, finding it strange that she had fallen for him so inexplicably.
"How peculiar. I wish you a life where you find someone who loves you. My apologies for this life!" With that, Lixing left the Infinity Castle.
Upon returning to the ground, he saw a man with a katana admiring the moon. Lixing recognized him immediately: the Arrogance Demon, Yagyu Jubei.
"Fei, were you killed by him? Lixing, I didn't misjudge you, but you still disappoint me. You didn't listen to my words and still cling to those useless bonds. Then I must kill you here." httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
"Are the Seven Deadly Sins demons a group? They keep appearing one after another. Don't you find it bothersome?" Lixing wanted to return to the village quickly, fearing that any further delay might lead to trouble.
Yagyu Jubei planted his sword into the ground. "Fei and I came here solely for you. We only knew you were here because of Fei's guess. You cannot be absent from tonight's grand event, so I have come. Come, fight me. If you don't defeat me, you won't be able to return to the village."
"Then, you shall die!" Lixing drew his Nebula, giving Yagyu Jubei full respect.
"Tengen's Draw!"
"This move again? Hmph!" Yagyu Jubei lightly swung his katana, Meiya, and the air suddenly grew cold.
"Snowfall Upon the World!"
After one strike, Yagyu Jubei's Meiya was cleaved in two, and his body was also bisected.
"Such a fast sword. What is this move called?"
"The gorgeous... Flower of the Celestial Origin!"
Lixing still told Yagyu Jubei the name. This move was inspired by his God-Slaying One-Cut, making Yagyu Jubei something of a half-disciple to Lixing. What he had seen in the Butterfly Mansion while examining blood demon arts was the God-Slaying One-Cut.
"Indeed, it is beautiful. Lixing, I acknowledge you. Let's decide this in one final blow. Let's see if your bonds make you stronger, or if my path of ruthlessness prevails!"
This suited Lixing's intentions perfectly. It seemed this Yagyu Jubei was also an actor, like the top three Upper Moons, the stronger they were, the more they enjoyed theatrics.
"God-Slaying One-Cut, Hundred Consecutive Strikes!"
"Tengen's Draw!"
Yagyu Jubei's limit for consecutive sword swings in an instant was a hundred. The difference from Tsugikuni Yoriichi's fifteen hundred strikes was vast.
Lixing's strike, infused with the Heavenly Dao, showed no mercy. The moment they collided, space warped. Yagyu Jubei's katana shattered, and likewise, his neck was severed, though his head did not fall off.
"I lost! Even if my weapon hadn't broken, I couldn't have matched you. One of your strikes is equal to my hundred. I lost from the very beginning. It seems the path I once walked was wrong! Perhaps I should have been utterly ruthless, or perhaps I shouldn't have severed my past. Thank you, Lixing, for showing me what true strength is!"
As soon as he spoke, Yagyu Jubei's body began to disintegrate, gradually turning into ash. Logically, Yagyu Jubei, who had entered the Transparent World, should not have died from decapitation. It seemed he had lost the will to live and disintegrated himself, a death similar to Kokushibo in the original story.
The moment Yagyu Jubei died, Lixing saw his past in his mind.
The Yagyu family was not yet a renowned clan. To become stronger, Yagyu Jubei left home and wandered, but unfortunately, he didn't feel himself growing stronger.
Unable to pinpoint the reason, Yagyu Jubei believed the presence of his family, whom he missed, hindered his swordsmanship. He returned home and slaughtered his entire family, leaving only a son.
Coincidentally, his act of killing his family led to him being pursued. Muzan found him and turned him into a demon. Thus, Yagyu Jubei always believed he was right; after killing his parents and wife, he indeed became stronger.
"Alas, how foolish! Didn't you realize your blood demon art simply enhanced the power of your swordsmanship? To think you believed you grew stronger and even thought you didn't have a blood demon art." Of course, Yagyu Jubei could no longer hear him. Lixing didn't dwell on it and headed directly for the Swordsmith Village.