Chapter 36: The Dance of Annihilation
The initial shock of the assault gave way to the brutal rhythm of battle. The Azure Cloud Sect disciples, a torrent of righteous fury, crashed against the demonic tide of the Shadow Veil Cult. While the Core Formation elders held the sect's demonic powerhouses in the heavens, and the Core Formation prodigies carved swathes through the main lines, the vast majority of the disciples found themselves embroiled in a desperate, harrowing struggle against the countless cultists and lesser demons.
The air itself shrieked, rent by clashing spiritual energies, guttural roars, and the desperate cries of the dying. Tendrils of dark, corrosive Qi writhed from the cult's stronghold, sickening the very ground and testing the limits of every cultivator's resolve.
Amidst this maelstrom, Li Shen moved with a chilling, predatory grace. The Demon Slayer Blade was no longer merely a weapon in his hand; it was a living extension of his will, a conduit for the destructive hunger of his Heaven Asura Destruction Body. His Blade Intent, at the 9th Stage, allowed him to perceive the battlefield in a terrifyingly efficient manner.
Each charging demon, each shrieking cultist, appeared to him not as a singular threat, but as a collection of vital points, of energy flows, of weaknesses waiting to be exploited – laid bare by his Discernment of Flaws.
He didn't waste movement on flamboyant techniques. The Heaven-Cleaving Annihilation Blade Art was a symphony of brutal efficiency. As a hulking, horned demon, its skin like hardened leather, lunged with razor claws, Li Shen's form flickered.
He executed *Asura's Veil*, his body dissolving into a fleeting shadow, reappearing an inch to the side, just outside the creature's reach. Before the demon could react, his blade became a crimson blur. With a precise, downward arc, he unleashed *Blade Rend*.
The attack wasn't wide or flashy; it was concentrated, tearing through the demon's thick hide and spiritual core as if it were parchment. The creature's roar turned into a gurgle as its essence instantly dissolved into a crimson mist, eagerly absorbed by Li Shen's unique constitution.
A group of robed cultists, chanting dark incantations, surrounded him, their hands glowing with sickly green demonic energy. Li Shen's eyes sharpened. He saw the flaws in their combined formation, the subtle gaps in their coordinated attacks.
He moved, each step a calculated pivot, his blade a continuous, blurring extension. He parried a demonic claw with a precise block that jarred the cultist's arm, then twisted, his blade slicing across another's throat before the spiritual energy could fully manifest.
"Weak," he muttered, his voice a low growl, barely audible over the din. "Too slow."
Each kill was swift, merciless, and contributed to the ever-growing reserves within his Dantian. The foul demonic Qi, lethal to others, was pure nourishment to him, fueling his power and subtly refining his Asura Qi.
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Nearby, Ran Qiu, a whirlwind of bright spiritual energy and nimble movements, was battling fiercely. He cracked his flexible spiritual whip, sending arcs of contained force that knocked three cultists sprawling.
A winged daemon swooped down, its talons aiming for his head. Ran Qiu cursed, ducking low, the daemon's talons tearing through the air where his skull had been.
"Damn these things! They just keep coming!" Ran Qiu yelled, lashing out again, catching the daemon's wing and sending it spiraling. He landed a solid kick on a charging cultist, sending them reeling.
"Anyone seen Li Shen? We could use some of his insane luck right now!"
He didn't truly believe Li Shen was dead, but the sheer volume of enemies was overwhelming. He knew Li Shen was formidable, but even he'd be tested here.
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Not far from Ran Qiu, Xue Jin was a beacon of calm amidst the storm. Her cultivation at Foundation Establishment Stage 4 flowed with a serene yet potent grace. She wielded a pair of delicate, silver needles that, when imbued with her spiritual Qi, flew with astonishing speed and precision.
She targeted the joints of a hulking, grotesque demon, her needles striking with pinpoint accuracy, causing the creature's massive limbs to lock up. It stumbled, giving nearby disciples a crucial opening.
A younger Inner Sect disciple, his face pale with fear, stumbled beside her. "Sister Xue Jin, we're being overrun! Their numbers... they don't seem to thin!"
Xue Jin's eyes, sharp and perceptive, narrowed slightly, not at the disciple, but at a fleeting dark blur in the distance that seemed to defy the chaos.
"Hold your ground! Focus on their vital points, conserve your Qi. Every cultist has a weakness."
She unleashed a volley of needles that struck the throats of three advancing cultists simultaneously, silencing their dark chants. Her gaze drifted back to that dark blur.
The unique rhythm of that combat, the absolute precision, the chilling efficiency... it was unmistakable.
*He was here.*
He was truly here, and he was unleashing himself in a way she hadn't dared to imagine.
*He's not just killing them,* she thought, a shiver running down her spine. *He's consuming them.*
The aura, though suppressed, carried the faint, primal scent of the abyss.
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Zhou Tai, meanwhile, found himself in a precarious position despite his own significant power. Now at Foundation Establishment Stage 4, he had expected to dominate. His spiritual saber slashed wide, powerful arcs, but often met only air as the agile, unpredictable demons and insidious cultists dodged.
While he could cut down many, his reliance on brute force and showy techniques was proving less efficient than he'd anticipated in this brutal environment.
"Move, you useless trash!" Zhou Tai roared at a cowering Qi Condensation disciple, his frustration boiling over as a daemon dodged his powerful blow and lunged at the disciple instead.
He was losing control, his pride taking a battering.
"This is my glory! Why aren't they dying faster?!"
He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to focus, but the image of Li Shen's draw with Gao Lei still burned in his mind, fueling a dangerous mix of rage and desperation.
He needed to prove himself here, above all others, and this infernal cult was making it difficult.
---
Li Shen, oblivious to the struggles and observations of his friends and rivals, plunged deeper. He prioritized the larger, more potent demonic beasts and the more spiritually aware cultists, feeling the surge of invigorating demonic essence with each kill.
He wasn't just fighting; he was *harvesting*.
He felt the constant, subtle feedback of his Heaven Asura Destruction Body, guiding him, pushing him, urging him to take more.
The scent of blood, the roar of battle, the cries of the dying – it all served to sharpen his focus, to awaken the ancient, destructive essence within his bloodline.
This was his element.
This was where the Demon Slayer truly came alive.
The Trial by Fire had just begun, and Li Shen was ready to consume it whole.
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