HSSB182: The Xie Ziyi who suffered a blow
Xie Ziyi’s features distorted slightly as the corners of his mouth curled up into a strange and demonic grin.
His figure flashed as he was instantly gone from the spot. It seemed like his speed had increased even further as compared to before.
It was just that the current Xie Ziyi’s Heavenly Thunder Hall direct lineage movement techniques were unlike before, fast as flashing lightning, tough and blazing, resembling thunderbolts from above the nine heavens.
Accompanying his increased speed, Xie Ziyi’s martial technique had also begun emanating a strange, gloomy feel.
Yan Zhaoge knit his brows slightly, raising his hand. Jade light raged forth from his sleeve, resembling a dragon soaring through the skies!
The jade light stopped momentarily in midair before shooting down directly at the demonic purple sword light.
Xie Ziyi’s figure once again reappeared, still clutching the Vapor Sealing Sword with one hand. He gazed icily at Yan Zhaoge, his pupils suffused with a yellow mist. Behind him, a faint projection flickered with eerie red light.
He looked at Yan Zhaoge, his mouth twisting into a creepy and distorted smile.
Yan Zhaoge narrowed his eyes. “So, you’ve fallen to the devil….”
Xie Ziyi abandoned all restraint, roaring “Yan Zhaoge, come, let’s fight!”
His body abruptly turned as Xie Ziyi disappeared again, followed by the purple sword light.
The next time he reappeared, he was already behind Yan Zhaoge, stabbing out with his sword.
Yan Zhaoge resolutely stood still. Without moving a single step or turning around, he brought his sword up behind his back and accurately intercepted Xie Ziyi’s attack.
“Again! Again!” Xie Ziyi laughed, “This is different from before! Yan Zhaoge, I’ll tear out your heart and liver!”
Moving as quickly as a ghost, his body flickered in and out of sight. Surrounded by demonic purple light, his movements were was erratic and unpredictable in the gloom.
“Pan-Pan, don’t worry. You can rest there with peace of mind.” Saying this, Yan Zhaoge was also standing firmly with both legs rooted the ground like nails. The Jade Dragon Sword in his hands flashed as it continuously intercepted Xie Ziyi’s attacks.
“After falling to the devil there is indeed some improvement with regards to strength. However, the magnitude is nothing that impressive.” Yan Zhaoge stood still with a serene expression as he tracked Xie Ziyi’s attacks. “Despite instability of the emotions, there is no loss of calm while in combat. It looks like his strength won’t fall due to his rage.”
Comparing Xie Ziyi’s present state to his past state, Yan Zhaoge felt like he had a good understanding of the situation. “Generally, becoming a fallen practitioner will increase the target’s strength, but the increase will be fairly small.”
He looked at Xie Ziyi, and suddenly laughed: “This might be a little bit unfair for you.”
“After falling to the devil, your strength truly did increase. Unfortunately, that upgrade seems to be rather small.”
Xie Ziyi, who was flickering in and out of sight, suddenly came to a stop.
His pupils became increasingly yellow as the crimson blood light became more radiant. Staring at Yan Zhaoge, he let out a creepy laugh.
A berserk purple sword light shot forth, instantly cutting through tens of meters of space as it shot straight towards Yan Zhaoge. It was almost as if, with sufficient width, this sword could cut through heaven and earth.
After one sword, there was yet another sword!
It was the Thunderbolt Combo!
“Yan Zhaoge, I told you! I am different from how I was before!” Even as he laughed menacingly, the third sword strike was unleashed!
All the blood vessels in his body stood out as if they were about to burst, making him look like some sort of monster. Even as his face revealed a hideous leer, it seemed to reveal the immense pain he was experiencing.
The rolling black mist attached to his body. Though it was unable to restrict or repair the tearing of his body’s meridians, it helped to ease his pain to a great extent.
Xie Ziyi exploded with tormented yet elated laughter. Using the Thunderbolt Combo, he was able to chain together three magnificent sword strikes, cutting straight towards Yan Zhaoge.
Yan Zhaoge calmly watched Xie Ziyi. Brandishing the Jade Dragon Sword, Yan Zhaoge sent a jade sword light soaring towards the sky,
After that one sword strike flew out, with scarcely a moment’s delay, another sword light was sent out.
After that sword light, then another, then a fourth sword light. And then another…
Xie Ziyi stared with a dazed expression after seeing Yan Zhaoge make five successive sword strikes. Under his incredulous expression, the sixth sword strike flew out!
Finger Flicking Shocking Thunder, Six Chains!
The purple sword qi completely broke apart, dispersing in the air like ash. For a moment, the black mist was also split apart, leaving the air empty.
The horrifying jade sword aura split apart into dragon-like fluttering jade snakes, tearing straight through Xie Ziyi’s body.
The last image that Xie Ziyi ever saw was Yan Zhaoge calmly looking at him and asking, “And just what is different?”
Xie Ziyi opened his mouth, wanting to roar, but found himself unable to make any sound.
He was unwilling, he was resentful, and most of all, he was afraid.
Despite becoming the embodiment of the Nine Underworld Evil Devils, he was still unable to beat this opponent!
Xie Ziyi’s current resentment and hatred was even more intense than it was at the time when he had fallen to the devil.
Alas, his life had come to an end, his fire snuffed out.
His mutilated body landed on the ground and broke apart into wisps of black smoke which merged back into the surrounding devilish qi.
Yan Zhaoge looked at the strange sublimation of Xie Ziyi’s corpse and raised his eyebrows. “It is just as the records said. Even though their flesh and blood is indistinguishable from a normal person’s, they are no longer entirely human.”
This devilish mist surrounding the lake was an area attack with devilish qi that would affect the minds of its victims. It would target a specific desire or obsession and continuously amplify it.
Ultimately, the inner illusion of the desired external reality combined with the devilish qi would begin to cause irreversible changes, slowly transforming one’s body into that of a Nine Underworlds Evil Devil’s.
In the initial transformation, the beginning of the fall, this drastic change from one species to another could grant strength that corresponded with the despair and hopelessness felt. It could be a large boon or a small one depending on the practitioner.
If the original body was seriously injured when falling to the devil, then there would be a substantial amount of healing, or possibly even a full recovery.
Falling to the devil, especially in an area with dense devilish qi, would always result in various degrees of improvement.
It was also noteworthy that regardless of what external factors are in play, that critical last step of falling into the devil could only happen of the martial practitioner’s own will.
Even if the martial practitioner had a Heart’s Devil from past encounters, the ultimate decision to fall to the devil must come from the affected person himself.
If someone was steadfast and unwavering in their determination to resist the devilish will, no one would be able to force them to fall to the devil.
On a fundamental level, falling to the devil was simply magnifying someone’s innate desire or obsession to the breaking point until that one desire suppressed all other thoughts and rationality. When falling to the devil, the inner and outer self combined together.
Just because one’s body was invaded by devilish qi didn’t mean that they would fall to the devil.
Yan Zhaoge walked over to the place where Xie Ziyi’s corpse had dissipated and put away his Vapor Sealing Sword. Apart from his sword, Xie Ziyi had left behind several other notable items, among which was an embroidered bag.
Opening the bag, Yan Zhaoge found a coin-shaped object with a strange gold mark engraved in an intricate pattern.
Yan Zhaoge carefully examined the coin. He felt that the pattern was vaguely familiar.
Unable to recognize it, he temporarily suppressed his curiosity, and put away his loot.
The giant panda Pan-Pan inquisitively came to Yan Zhaoge’s side and let out a throaty rumble.
Being exposed to the dense devilish qi also made Pan-Pan feel very uncomfortable.
In fact, it was also possible for spirit beasts to fall to the devil.
Yan Zhaoge walked through the devilish domain while simultaneously comforting Pan-Pan.
Suddenly, Yan Zhaoge felt a vague threat of danger burst from his heart!
An extremely dangerous feeling appeared in his mind.
At practically the same time, a streak of gloomy sword light emerged from the devilish domain and shot straight towards the back of Yan Zhaoge’s head!
Martial Grandmaster!