Chapter 23: Entering Demonic State

"Be careful!"

Sensing the aura emanating from Tang Tianqi, Gu Mo immediately shielded Gu Chuxia behind him, his hands already poised to unleash several Dragon Subduing Palms at any moment.

At the same time, he summoned the system and claimed the Finger Flicking Divine Skill and Cloud Ladder Movement.

At this point, Gu Mo was fortified by the Nine Yang Divine Skill internally, possessed the fierce and dominant Dragon Subduing Palms externally, had the Cloud Ladder Movement for agility, and was bolstered by the Dragon Capturing Skill and Finger Flicking Divine Skill for extraordinary techniques. Therefore, even though Tang Tianqi seemed somewhat sinister at that moment, Gu Mo wasn't overly concerned.

Even the blind Gu Mo could sense something was amiss with Tang Tianqi, let alone Tang Tianhao and the others.

"You've practiced a wicked martial art!" Tang Tianhao's face changed dramatically.

Just then, two figures entered from outside the courtyard: Shen Bai of the Canglan Sword Sect and his junior sister.

Shen Bai walked in front, calmly stating, "If I'm not mistaken, you've been cultivating the Blood Cauldron Scripture, haven't you?"

Hearing Shen Bai mention the Blood Cauldron Scripture, Tang Tianhao and the others were stunned, and even Gu Mo was taken aback. He recalled Tang Buyi mentioning earlier that Tang Tianqi's wife was killed by the devil Fan Yuyun, who practiced the Blood Cauldron Scripture, for cultivation purposes.

Tang Tianqi showed no surprise upon seeing Shen Bai enter. He said calmly, "You've finally arrived, Shen Bai. You've been chasing me for half a year. Today, it's time we settle this."

"It is you, after all," Shen Bai said. "Three years ago, Fan Yuyun was injured by my master and, by all accounts, shouldn't have survived. Yet, the Blood Cauldron Scripture still frequently appeared in the martial arts world. I was ordered to investigate, and each time I encountered you where the Blood Cauldron Scripture surfaced. I've long suspected something was off with you. Now it seems your search for Fan Yuyun to avenge your wife was a pretense; impersonating Fan Yuyun and killing people everywhere was the truth, wasn't it? Perhaps your wife wasn't even killed by Fan Yuyun, but by you, right?"

Tang Tianqi sneered, then admitted decisively, "Exactly, I killed her. That bitch actually tried to stop me from cultivating the Blood Cauldron Scripture, ha ha ha. Shen Bai, in fact, I should thank your master. If he hadn't severely wounded Fan Yuyun, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to obtain the Blood Cauldron Scripture, nor to inherit all of Fan Yuyun's cultivation!"

Shen Bai said, "It seems Fan Yuyun transferred all of his Blood Cauldron True Qi to you before his death. I've long heard that practitioners of the Blood Cauldron Scripture can pass on their internal energy; it appears to be true."

"Indeed!" Tang Tianqi continued, "The Blood Cauldron Scripture can indeed transfer internal energy. I inherited nearly a century's worth of Fan Yuyun's cultivation, spent three years, and killed over two hundred people to successfully assimilate all of his power. Alas, Shen Bai, you actually didn't have to die. I wasn't planning on revealing myself. My original intention was to kill Tang Tianhao, seize control of the Tang family, and then eliminate that group of wicked experts, using them to aid my cultivation. But unfortunately," Tang Tianqi pointed at Gu Mo and said, "That damned blind man ruined my plan, forcing me to reveal myself. Since I've chosen to expose myself, I might as well go on a killing spree. That's why I was waiting for you to arrive. That blind man's cultivation is impressive, and yours is good too. Tang Tianhao is a bit weaker, but still usable. With the three of you aiding my cultivation, my martial dao true intent will reach grand completion. In just a few years, I'll become a grandmaster, and then the whole world will be mine to roam freely!"

"Hmph, delusional!" In an instant, Shen Bai drew his sword.

The sword in his hand was precisely the divine Unblemished Sword, fresh from the Tang family's sword forge. Its blade was long and straight, like a clear ice prism, shimmering with a cool luster in the light. Its color was like frost and snow, pure and flawless, as if carved from ancient ice crystals. The sword's momentum was like a rainbow, radiating dazzling light, akin to a brilliant galaxy pouring down, or a long rainbow piercing the sun, with surging white clouds, utterly captivating. This was the Flowing Cloud Sword Art, the renowned ultimate technique of Ye Liuyun, grandmaster of the Canglan Sword Sect, one of the top techniques in the world. As Ye Liuyun's direct disciple, Shen Bai had thoroughly mastered Ye Liuyun's true teachings, and his Flowing Cloud Sword Art had long reached the pinnacle of perfection.

Facing Shen Bai's thrusting sword, Tang Tianqi wore a hint of disdainful smile on his face and let out a low, hoarse roar. His wicked cultivation fully erupted, and a torrent of black energy, like a surging tide, swept outwards from him in all directions.

In an instant, Shen Bai's sword reached Tang Tianqi. However, Tang Tianqi extended a palm, from which an aura emerged, emanating wisps of crimson mist, astonishingly blocking Shen Bai's sword directly. Nevertheless, Shen Bai showed no panic. He simply flicked his long sword, unleashing bursts of sword qi. Wherever the qi passed, the ground was forcefully torn into bottomless ravines, and scattered stones and sand were swept into them, instantly turning to dust. The sword qi instantly pierced through Tang Tianqi's true qi.

Tang Tianqi's face still held a calm, sinister smile. With a slight push of his foot, he flew backward like a wild goose. Then, he drew a long sword from his back, which surprisingly looked identical to the Unblemished Sword in Shen Bai's hand, like a clear ice prism.

Tang Tianqi drew his sword. His sword, unlike Shen Bai's righteous aura, reeked of blood, like a malevolent spirit from hell, exuding an aura of despairing terror, as if everything in the world would be ruthlessly destroyed and annihilated by this single strike.

Upon seeing that Tang Tianqi's sword was identical to the Unblemished Sword in his own hand, a sudden premonition of dread surged within Shen Bai.

With a clang, when the two swords clashed, Shen Bai's ill premonition finally came true: the Unblemished Sword in his hand was directly severed by the sword in Tang Tianqi's hand.

"This is a fake!" Shen Bai was greatly shocked and immediately realized that his sword had been swapped by Tang Tianqi. However, in battles between masters, victory or defeat often occurs in an instant. With his sword broken, he instantly fell into a desperate situation. Tang Tianqi lunged with his sword, and Shen Bai had no escape, only able to watch as the blade thrust straight towards his heart.

But at that very moment, a whistling sound, "whoosh," came from the air. A pebble suddenly appeared, striking Tang Tianqi's sword and knocking it off course. Shen Bai seized the opportunity to catch his breath and swiftly retreated.

Tang Tianqi's eyes were bloodshot and shrouded in black mist. He turned to Gu Mo, his voice hoarse: "It's that damned blind man again! You truly deserve to die!"

"Second Brother, how did the Unblemished Sword get into your hands?" Tang Tianhao asked.

"I secretly swapped it a few days ago," Tang Tianqi scoffed. "This sword was clearly forged over sixty days ago, but you, for the sake of making its legend more mystical and for your reputation, insisted on waiting for the 'ninety-nine' auspicious number. Didn't that just give me the chance to steal it?"

Everyone looked at Tang Tianhao.

Tang Tianhao looked embarrassed and said, "Wasn't it just for the sake of showmanship..."

Tang Tianqi said, "Originally, I planned to send the fake sword to the Canglan Sword Sect. Once it was quickly exposed, I would declare the sword forging a failure. By then, I should have taken over the Tang family. Then, under my name, I would forge the sword once more and send this Unblemished Sword to the Canglan Sword Sect. I didn't expect a turn of events; now this sword is about to kill someone from the Canglan Sword Sect first!"