Chapter 444: Broken

Fruit peels lay scattered across the ground, and poorly peeled fruits rolled everywhere.

The Demon God Hall glowed faintly, and the shriek of the wind echoed from outside.

It was midnight, with the moon at its zenith. The sky was a mysterious deep teal, and the earth lay tranquil under the moonlight.

Inside the hall, shattered mirror fragments lay piled on the table, a picture of darkness.

Lu Jiajia and Siming's swords plunged into the void, their tips disappearing into it, striking an unknown target.

Amidst a dripping sound, blood trickled along the sword blades, splattering onto the mirror fragments.

Ning Changjiu's hand also clutched something, as if he were trying to drag it out of the void.

Liu Xiyuan stared blankly at the scene, still bewildered. "What exactly is going on?"

"It's a trap," Ning Changjiu said, "designed to lure the Six-Eared Macaque."

Earlier, he had expressed his concern that the Six-Eared Macaque might use its mirror ability to assimilate him with insignificant things like ants or dust, thus deceiving his Lunar Eyes. Therefore, he needed to trick the macaque into copying and then ambushing him.

Wielding the mirror's power required a medium. Ning Changjiu hypothesized that he could only be replicated if he was seen.

So, a few days prior, they had devised a plan in the Golden Crow Divine Kingdom, staging this act under the guise of the Mind-Reflecting Mirror.

People are often fully absorbed when peeling fruit or staring into a mirror. No one guards against their own reflection, so the Six-Eared Macaque could use the Mind-Reflecting Mirror as a medium to silently copy him and then gravely wound or even kill him while he was completely focused on the mirror's contents.

The moment of greatest concentration would be when the fruit peel fell and an image appeared in the mirror.

That was Ning Changjiu's calculated moment for the Six-Eared Macaque to strike.

To show he was unprepared, he even called Liu Xiyuan to his side, creating the illusion that he was unarmed.

This piece of fruit peel also served as a signal.

The instant it landed, Lu Jiajia and Siming, who had already planned this, simultaneously drew their swords. As they shattered the mirror's surface, they also sent their blades into the other dimension connected by the mirror—the Six-Eared Macaque's Divine Kingdom.

As it turned out, his gamble paid off.

Ning Changjiu didn't have time to fully explain to Liu Xiyuan. He just extended his hand and said, "Come, follow me to subdue the demon."

Before Liu Xiyuan could speak, her body had already responded.

She rapidly transformed into a spirit, her form merging with Ning Changjiu's. Her consciousness manifested as a tangible maiden, resting within his pure white mind-lake. Her white dress and socks blended seamlessly with the water, and her ethereal, mermaid-like figure circled Ning Changjiu, holy and flawless.

Ning Changjiu slashed vertically with a finger, cleaving the void before him.

The Golden Crow flew out. Lu Jiajia and Siming were absorbed into the golden light, taking their positions in the Divine Kingdom. The Golden Crow Divine Kingdom truly opened in an instant, and a continuous stream of spiritual energy surged into Ning Changjiu's veins. He flickered, disappearing from the Myriad Demon Hall in the blink of an eye.

Outside Myriad Demon City, within a magnificent, translucent space, a thunderous roar reverberated.

On the throne of the Divine Kingdom sat a figure almost identical to Ning Changjiu, but his cheek was bleeding profusely, as if pierced by a sword.

He clutched his bleeding cheek, grimacing as he stared ahead, his eyes filled with rage and terror.

He had originally had a chance to escape using the mirror.

But Ning Changjiu's significant vulnerability had ignited his greed. He wanted Ning Changjiu to stare into the mirror and see a face identical to his own, and then, just as they thought the mirror was malfunctioning, the reflection in the mirror would reveal an eerie smile.

Then he would hear Ning Changjiu's screams.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned…

Although he had activated the mirror's authority, he was defeated before he could fully replicate his opponent.

It turned out that light and shadow had already been reversed; *he* was the one completely engrossed in staring at the mirror…

A feeling of despair surged in the Six-Eared Macaque's heart.

The mirror's authority would fall dormant for a period after a single use, temporarily preventing him from assimilating into all things. Ning Changjiu, having struck successfully, naturally wouldn't give him time for the mirror's authority to recover.

In an instant, sword light illuminated the Divine Kingdom. Ning Changjiu's figure, arriving on his sword, turned orange-red upon striking the layered barriers. The sword light grew increasingly intense, like a meteor carving into the earth.

In a flash, the Six-Eared Macaque's temple gate was ripped off, and its fragments were flung upwards by immense force, resembling vast clouds of volcanic ash, obscuring the sky.

From the dust, Ning Changjiu emerged, holding the Silver Sword, and his Lunar Eyes fixed upon the Six-Eared Macaque.

The Lunar Eyes locked onto the Six-Eared Macaque. From this moment on, even if he transformed into myriad things, he could not escape Ning Changjiu's pursuit.

Before their blades even clashed, the outcome of the battle was already decided.

Ning Changjiu dispersed the dust, walked through the ruined temple, and gazed at the Six-Eared Macaque on the throne, identical to himself.

"You've sat on this divine throne for five hundred years. Is it comfortable?" Ning Changjiu asked.

The Six-Eared Macaque slowly rose. He released his hand, revealing his ruined right eye, which had been pierced. The rules of his Divine Kingdom had been shattered by 'Qitian,' making it difficult for him to even quickly recover.

The Six-Eared Macaque stared at him. "If you want to kill me, just do it. Why pretend to be so righteous? You all say I betrayed Jufu, betrayed your so-called sages, but did you or Jufu ever treat me as one of your own?"

The Six-Eared Macaque, having replicated Ning Changjiu's abilities, immediately sought out the authority of time to swiftly heal his wounds.

"I am not a true sentient being at all. I am merely Jufu's inner demon. He turned me into a monkey, using me as a 'heart ape' to observe the Dao. When did he ever truly acknowledge me?" The Six-Eared Macaque sneered, "If I was never one of you, how can there be talk of betrayal?"

Ning Changjiu was unconcerned with his grievances with Jufu. He simply nodded. "You're right. I'm just here to kill you, no other reason."

As Ning Changjiu spoke, the Silver Sword thrust forward.

The divine path between the two instantly crumbled to dust.

Although the Six-Eared Macaque had been ambushed, his realm was comparable to Ning Changjiu's at this moment. How could it be easy for his opponent to defeat him?

The Six-Eared Macaque summoned his Asura Golden Body to resist the Silver Sword's assault.

When the mirror's authority was activated, Liu Xiyuan was standing beside Ning Changjiu, not inside him, so the Six-Eared Macaque couldn't fully replicate the Asura Golden Body. The colossal golden figure now covering his body was incomplete.

But the Six-Eared Macaque had no regrets. Although he lacked the Silver Sword, Jufu's Divine Kingdom possessed the Nation-Suppressing Sword.

With a casual grab, the divine sword, inscribed with Jufu's name, flew into his palm.

The Nation-Suppressing Sword had no physical form of bronze or iron; it appeared simply as a dazzling beam of light.

He possessed the same cultivation realm as Ning Changjiu. Ning Changjiu had the Golden Crow Divine Kingdom, and he had Jufu's Divine Kingdom. Ning Changjiu had the Silver Sword, and he had the Nation-Suppressing Sword. Although he had thoroughly lost the first round of the mirror's gambit, a full-strength fight might still offer a chance to survive and even slay his opponent!

The Six-Eared Macaque, holding the Nation-Suppressing Sword, pressed forward.

In Jufu's Divine Kingdom, the figures of two white-robed youths collided.

A thunderous collapse echoed throughout the Divine Kingdom.

The battle's aftershocks spread beyond the Divine Kingdom. A fierce wind, like a roaring demon in every muscle, swept through Myriad Demon City. Trees tilted and countless fell, leaves swirled chaotically into the sky, rushing towards the moon.

The tranquil night seemed like a suddenly agitated lake, with all worldly phenomena overturning within it, shattering into fragments.

The dome of Jufu's Divine Kingdom was also breached. The two figures, entangled in combat, soared all the way to the clouds. The ethereal realm above the clouds shimmered like a silver-white sea under the moonlight. The two white-robed youths hovered in the sky like whales, with tens of millions of sword energies resembling silver fish circling around them. The sword energies wove back and forth, transforming the ethereal realm into a world of light beams.

Their figures darted through the world formed by sword light, continuously clashing and rebounding, sometimes igniting sky-piercing flames, sometimes shattering miles of void.

Dao Sword, Dharma Sword, Crane Sword, Swords of the Sword Sect, Exorcist Sword, Sword Pavilion Sword…

Ning Changjiu's familiar sword techniques tumbled chaotically through the air, indistinguishable between friend and foe.

Their figures intertwined, like two shadows vying for ownership of the original body.

This was the first time Ning Changjiu had experienced such a battle.

They employed the same Daoist methods and sword arts. Whether it was a secret art like "Moon in the Mirror" or a deadly ultimate skill like "Heavenly Edict Sword Scripture," they executed them with perfect precision.

He was fighting his own shadow.

Only today did he truly feel the pressure his enemies faced under his endless array of Daoist methods.

The two clashed with immense spiritual energy and Daoist methods.

In the ethereal realm above Myriad Demon City, space shattered inch by inch, and the moonlight within it swayed like ocean tides.

They were like two identical shadows, contending for ownership of the body.

"Originally, I could have transformed into dust and hidden in the world. Wouldn't it have been better for us to simply leave each other alone? Why did you insist on luring me out?" The Six-Eared Macaque, wielding the Nation-Suppressing Sword, spoke with resentment. "It's not easy for either of us to kill the other, so why waste time here?"

Ignoring the backlash, the Six-Eared Macaque directly unleashed the Heavenly Edict Sword.

This sword carried such immense killing intent that even Ning Changjiu, intimately familiar with it, had to momentarily avoid its edge.

He retreated erratically, brushing past the sword, and simultaneously, using the concepts of Heaven, Earth, and Man, he split his attack into three swords, thrusting them towards the Six-Eared Macaque's face.

The Six-Eared Macaque evaded them using "Moon in the Mirror," then formed a sword seal and, supporting his Asura Golden Body, pressed towards Ning Changjiu.

Ning Changjiu also raised his Asura Body to parry the opponent's assault.

The Asura Bodies grappled with each other, and in the spaces between them, sword energies unleashed a near-bombardment, creating powerful shockwaves that pushed both fighters apart.

Ning Changjiu looked at him and said calmly, "You can evade, but I cannot. You betrayed the sage and the demon race to become a Divine Kingdom Lord merely to cling to life, but we ascended to divinity to restore freedom to the human world."

"How nicely you put it…" The Six-Eared Macaque sneered, "I relied on the Dark Lord to survive, and you want to kill the Dark Lord to survive. We are all just humble souls trying to survive under the Dark Lord's terror. What difference is there in status? If you are truly powerful, why don't you, like Jufu and Ke Wenzhou, directly ascend to the heavens and prove your Great Dao?"

Ning Changjiu's figure grew even brighter, illuminated by the sword light.

His white robes also seemed to glow.

"That day will come," Ning Changjiu said, thrusting his sword, "but I'm afraid you won't live to see it. You are the Dark Lord's roots probing this world. To sever the body, one must first destroy the roots."

The Six-Eared Macaque's Asura Golden Body continuously punched, smashing the sword energies.

He suddenly burst into maniacal laughter. "Fine! Then I'll see how you plan to defeat me!"

He mirrored all of Ning Changjiu's Daoist methods and cultivation realm.

Ten thousand Daoist techniques emerged endlessly with each swing of his sword. The Three Thousand Great Daos manifested myriad phenomena, grand and vast, spreading across the long sky, as if the heavens were about to fall.

Ning Changjiu calmly watched this magnificent scene.

"The fake will always be fake."

He shook his head, gripping the Silver Sword tightly.

He stared at the Six-Eared Macaque's face; even though it was identical to his own, he felt a sense of unfamiliarity as he looked at it.

A person's existence is never solely defined by appearance.

Even if his Daoist methods, realm, and abilities were identical to his own, he was merely an exquisite fake, not the true self.

Ning Changjiu closed his eyes. In his mind-lake, his spiritual consciousness connected with the Golden Crow.

Ning Changjiu stood sideways on the cloud, his Lunar Eyes firmly locked onto the Six-Eared Macaque's position, and thrust his sword.

The Six-Eared Macaque extracted massive amounts of spiritual energy from Jufu's Divine Kingdom. This energy filled his body, supporting him to a towering height and manifesting boundless divine majesty.

He tossed the Nation-Suppressing Sword into the air, then raised a mountain-like colossal fist and lunged towards Ning Changjiu's approaching figure.

In the ethereal realm, the Silver Sword and the fist collided.

Although the Dharma-Form fist immediately cracked, the Nation-Suppressing Sword also plunged from the sky, hurtling towards Ning Changjiu's position.

Ning Changjiu remained motionless.

As the Six-Eared Macaque was slightly stunned, a golden light flashed, and two female figures appeared out of thin air. One, in snow-white robes, moved to block the falling great sword, while the other, in cold and stunning black robes, directly wielded a black sword and launched a fierce assault along the broken arm.

The Six-Eared Macaque's pupils constricted. The remaining five arms of his Asura Dharma-Form blocked in front of him, intercepting Siming's attack.

Siming's icy eyes were like frost. She observed the Dharma-Form's movements, not attacking rashly, but instead drawing her sword from the side to constrain him, preventing the Six-Eared Macaque from fully dedicating himself to the fight.

On the other side, the Nation-Suppressing Sword was forcefully blocked by Lu Jiajia. Ning Changjiu, moreover, directly severed one arm of the Asura Golden Body, slicing along its bone.

In the past, it was always Ning Changjiu's own Asura Golden Body that was shattered. Now, he finally understood how his past enemies felt.

The Six-Eared Macaque gritted his teeth, looking at the two female figures.

When he had looked into the mirror, only Ning Changjiu and the sword spirit were directly in front of it. Although he was injured by the shattered mirror, he hadn't known who was responsible until now, when he finally saw these two immortal women clearly.

Both immortal women were exceptionally graceful, seemingly equivalent to his own divine officials and heavenly lords. Now, empowered by the Golden Crow Divine Kingdom, their realms had surged, granting them the ability to assist Ning Changjiu in slaying a Divine Lord!

The Six-Eared Macaque could replicate Ning Changjiu perfectly, but he could no longer replicate anyone else.

"Where are your divine officials and heavenly lords?" Ning Changjiu asked calmly. "When will they come to their deaths?"

Jufu's Divine Kingdom changing hands was an event from five hundred years ago.

He was a newly appointed Lord, the weakest of the Twelve Divine Lords. After the catastrophe that ravaged Jufu's Divine Kingdom, few talents remained, and the currently chosen divine officials and heavenly lords were merely placeholders, having never truly matured.

While the Six-Eared Macaque was locked in fierce combat with Ning Changjiu, he didn't even remember them.

In a battle of this caliber, his subordinates would be annihilated with a single touch.

The Six-Eared Macaque felt the powerful oppressive force from Lu Jiajia and Siming. He stared at Ning Changjiu, no longer aiming for victory. His mirror's authority had recovered; if he could utilize it well, he might survive.

But where in the human world was there a being stronger than Ning Changjiu?

Even if he wanted to replicate, whom could he replicate?

The Six-Eared Macaque gritted his teeth, reined in his offense, and shifted to defense.

He remained indignant: "Hmph, you need to rely on other women to defeat me… Oh right, Yi, didn't you also rely on Chang'e in your previous life? If not for her, you would have been killed by Yuanfu long ago, wouldn't you? Where is Chang'e? Isn't she the Master of the Unseeable View? Let her come and kill me!"

Ning Changjiu said, "My master's eyes are currently fixed on the vast expanse of the world; there's no room for you in them. I am her disciple, temporarily clearing the dust from the human world on her behalf."

The Six-Eared Macaque said coldly, "Then do you dare to fight me one-on-one?"

"They are my Dao companions, journeying and existing with me. Why distinguish between us?" Ning Changjiu said calmly, "Furthermore, the moment you chose to pledge allegiance to the Dark Lord, you became a king alone. If only I were to kill you, you wouldn't experience the fear of facing solitude."

"Shameless…"

The Six-Eared Macaque trembled all over. He realized that his opponent, Ning Changjiu, seemed more like a malevolent demon than he did.

Ning Changjiu moved through the air, his Silver Sword gleaming with even greater brilliance.

"Xiyuan, are you ready?"

In the mind-lake, Liu Xiyuan closed her eyes and said, "Yes, the sword is ready."

Ning Changjiu, Lu Jiajia, and Siming—the three figures surrounded the Six-Eared Macaque in the ethereal realm.

Silvery moonlight cascaded down.

The Six-Eared Macaque, in Ning Changjiu's form, had a pale face, smeared with blood.

He knew he couldn't delay any longer; he had to find a way to break free…

At this moment, in the Three Thousand Worlds of the Western Kingdom, Zhao Xiang'er sat on a cloud, a water mirror hovering before her. She casually ate vermillion fruits formed from ambrosia, her gaze fixed on the water mirror.

She had just finished her sword practice, her hair still tied in a single ponytail, and her exquisitely beautiful face still held a hint of killing intent.

Xue Yuan stood by her side, peeling fruit for her.

Her peripheral vision occasionally flickered upwards, stealing glances at Zhao Xiang'er's porcelain-white, beautiful cheek.

Zhao Xiang'er's detached and ethereal divine aura grew increasingly strong. Her world-renversing beauty was so breathtaking that even Xue Yuan, a woman herself, found it stunning. It wouldn't be surprising if, next month when the Vermillion Bird Divine Kingdom opened, she simply ascended to that divine throne.

Xue Yuan detected no expression on Zhao Xiang'er's face.

She remained a pure and ethereal maiden, watching the peerless battle unfolding in the ethereal realm within the water mirror, seemingly indifferent to the outcome.

Or rather, there was no suspense regarding the battle's outcome, making it unworthy of her concern.

"Miss," Xue Yuan finally couldn't help but speak, "You're watching your fiancé fight alongside other women, and you're not…?"

She trailed off.

Zhao Xiang'er's lips were moistened by the vermillion fruit's juice. She lightly pursed her lips, then said, "To know yourself and your enemy is to fight a hundred battles without defeat."

Xue Yuan was somewhat confused. "Does Miss mean that our enemies are also those Divine Lords, and if the Prince Consort cannot kill them, then you will step in?"

Zhao Xiang'er's slender swan-like neck swayed slightly. She said softly, "I never thought he would lose. If he can't even eliminate these Divine Lords, how will he face the Heavenly Inquiry Sword in the future?"

Xue Yuan asked, "Then what kind of enemy is Miss referring to?"

Zhao Xiang'er said, "I'm observing Ning Changjiu's techniques to see if he's learned anything new recently."

"..." Xue Yuan thought to herself, *Do husband and wife need to be so competitive?*

Zhao Xiang'er still resented Ning Changjiu tying her up and taking her to a brothel for "training." Although she lost their three-year agreement back then, life was long, and a small defeat was nothing. The next time they met in the Western Kingdom, she was determined to avenge her past humiliation.

Time passed swiftly.

Above Myriad Demon City, they had been fighting for a day and a night.

Under the siege of the three, Jufu's Divine Kingdom, already low on spiritual energy, was almost completely depleted.

The Six-Eared Macaque's Asura Golden Body was stripped away like armor. He was covered in wounds, and even the mirror's authority was difficult to maintain.

Even if he replicated Ning Changjiu, he was far from reaching his true strength.

Because he discovered that Ning Changjiu's power wasn't solely his own; his Golden Crow, divine officials, heavenly lords, and sword spirit were all terrifying entities, and these were things he could not replicate.

But…

Despite being in a desperate situation, the Six-Eared Macaque let out a sinister laugh.

At this very moment, the Six-Eared Macaque's mirror authority spread to the Western Kingdom.

"No one in the world can defeat you?"

The Six-Eared Macaque laughed maniacally, "Then I'd like to see who is stronger: you or your fiancée!"

Ning Changjiu's expression changed. He looked towards the Western Kingdom.

Zhao Xiang'er was watching the water mirror.

The Six-Eared Macaque activated his authority.

Then, everyone, including the Six-Eared Macaque, froze in astonishment.

He failed to transform into Zhao Xiang'er in her phoenix-patterned gown. Instead, he became a maiden in snow-white robes and a silver crown.

"Wha… what happened?" The Six-Eared Macaque looked at his hands, realizing his realm was terrifyingly lower than before. "Who is this?!"

"Xue Yuan?" Lu Jiajia quickly recognized her.

Siming also remembered.

This was the girl who had bullied Ning Xiaoling outside the Thunder Kingdom back then.

In the Western Kingdom, Xue Yuan, sitting before a mirror and watching the scene, was also stunned. She hadn't yet understood what had happened.

A faint smile appeared on Zhao Xiang'er's face.

She repositioned the water mirror directly in front of herself.

Earlier, as the Six-Eared Macaque activated his authority, she also activated her Pure Yang Authority—the ability to evade all attacks.

Back in Solitary Cloud City, she had relied on her Pure Yang Authority to help Ning Changjiu evade the Sword Saint's fatal strike.

While activating her Pure Yang Authority, she pulled Xue Yuan in front of the mirror.

Thus, the mirror successfully replicated Xue Yuan.

"It seems this battle can end early," Zhao Xiang'er said with a faint smile.

Indeed, in the water mirror, after a brief moment of surprise, Ning Changjiu and the others began a nearly one-sided slaughter.

The Six-Eared Macaque simply deactivated his mirror form.

Using Xue Yuan's authority and abilities was weaker than using his own true form.

But his Divine Kingdom was already exhausted, unable to provide him support.

He could use his own eyes as a mirror to replicate Ning Changjiu again, but his authority was currently dormant, and he might not be able to last until its next recovery.

Ning Changjiu wouldn't give him the chance.

"Kill."

He uttered a single syllable.

In the pure white mind-lake, Liu Xiyuan opened her eyes.

Before the sword could strike, the Six-Eared Macaque seemed to go mad. He revealed his true form, laughing and crying, then stepped on the void and shot upwards into the higher reaches of the ethereal realm, like climbing a tree.

"Is he trying to escape?" Liu Xiyuan wondered.

At this moment, the sage had held back the Dark Lord, leaving a sliver of light. If he had tried to escape while still in Ning Changjiu's form, he might have had a chance, but now…

Without needing to communicate, the three individuals and one sword spirit pounced almost simultaneously.

The Six-Eared Macaque's screams echoed through the ethereal realm.

His flesh was cut away, his bones fractured, and his fur floated down in tiny fragments… This was the punishment of slow slicing. The Six-Eared Macaque fell from the divine throne, finally paying the price for his betrayal years ago.

He leaped over the ethereal realm, over the Sea of Ruins, and madly rushed towards the Dark Lord's location.

Amidst the sword light, his flesh was almost entirely stripped from his bones.

"I will…" At the brink of death, the Six-Eared Macaque's mirror authority finally recovered. He roared, "I will become the strongest! Stronger than all of you! I am an inner demon; even sages have inner demons, hahahaha, I am Jufu's inner demon, and I will become the inner demon of all of you!"

If he had replicated Ning Changjiu, he might have been able to fight his way out with all his might.

But he did not.

The Six-Eared Macaque looked towards the Dark Lord and activated his mirror authority.

But this was merely a delusional thought.

How could his authority contain the Dark Lord…

The moment the mirror activated, his body completely exploded, then was devoured by countless worm-like vortices, turning into fragmented bones at the edge of the Sea of Ruins.

Spirit-eaters surged from all directions, devouring the spiritual energy within his shattered husk.

The Six-Eared Macaque died then.