Lex Luthor's smile didn't last long.
Not only did he watch a corner of his own skyscraper get destroyed in the fight, but he also saw his heavy Particle Accelerator, which he'd spent a fortune and countless hours perfecting, seemingly rendered useless due to an energy overload.
This had nothing to do with Qingshui for now.
Currently, Qingshui was leveraging the League of Assassins' intelligence network to plan assassinations against the politicians who wanted him dead, ensuring no traces or evidence would be left behind.
This was a ninja's bread and butter.
...
...
Demon Slayer World.
Along the long corridor, door after door opened in succession.
In the vast, strangely shaped, three-dimensional ancient castle, orange lights flickered on.
"Nakime, why have you summoned me? Have you found that person?"
Muzan, dressed in a geisha's attire, stood by a lotus pond and asked Nakime, who was prostrate behind him.
Nakime lifted her head, and the single eye she possessed clearly displayed the character "Upper Rank Six."
With the deaths of Upper Rank Two Doma and Upper Rank Five Gyokko, Muzan naturally had to select Demons with Upper Rank potential from the remaining ones to fill their places.
And Nakime was the new Upper Rank Six.
"The Hashira who inherited the legacy of the Breathing Style progenitor hasn't been found yet, but... my scattered clones outside have made a new discovery. I believe, Master Muzan, you will be very interested, as this is enough to cause irreparable damage to Ubuyashiki."
Nakime knelt down again, holding her biwa, and spoke to Muzan.
The person she was referring to was Qingshui.
Because Tsugikuni Yoriichi's name was a taboo for Muzan, and besides Kokushibo, no one dared to utter that name, she used "Breathing Style progenitor" as a substitute.
After receiving Doma's memories before his death, Muzan saw Yoriichi Type One, who looked exactly like Tsugikuni Yoriichi. He nearly wet himself on the spot and wished he could hide in the Infinity Castle for the next few decades.
But after fully receiving the memories, Muzan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It turned out that Tsugikuni Yoriichi, who had been cut into pieces by Kokushibo's sword, had not climbed out of his coffin, but he was still working against him.
Through Yoriichi Type One, Muzan quickly concluded that Qingshui had become powerful by finding Tsugikuni Yoriichi's lingering preparations three hundred years later, allowing him to single-handedly slay Upper Rank Two and Upper Rank Five in one night.
After all, among all the Hashira throughout the Demon Slayer Corps' history, the only one who could achieve this, besides Tsugikuni Yoriichi himself, was perhaps Tsugikuni Michikatsu, who once served as the Moon Hashira—he was the strongest among the first-generation swordsmen, apart from Yoriichi himself.
The remaining first-generation swordsmen also had a chance to defeat an Upper Rank, but it wasn't a guaranteed win, let alone killing two directly.
Muzan looked at Nakime and began to read her memories.
"So that's it. You've done very well. This is indeed a good opportunity to completely wipe out Ubuyashiki."
A cruel smile appeared on Muzan's disguised face as he licked his lips.
"Call Kokushibo. Have him take action. Don't be in a hurry to kill them so quickly. I want to savor it."
"Yes... Master Muzan."
Nakime lowered her eyes and plucked a string on her biwa with a slender finger.
...
...
New Swordsmith Village.
A slender, glowing red Nichirin Blade gradually cooled.
"The duration is still a bit short. Even if Li Hashira, you've improved the battery, a single charge still won't last more than three minutes."
Haganezuka Kozo scratched his head in frustration, looking at the cooling Red Blade.
"It's fine. As long as we standardize the size of the Fluorescent Lamp Flashlight batteries, so that slayers can carry a few extra before battle, we can maximize the usage time of both the Red Blade and the flashlight."
Qingshui was quite satisfied.
Improving zinc-iron batteries to nickel-cadmium batteries, though significantly increasing costs, yielded good results.
Primarily, the Ubuyashiki family was incredibly wealthy, having accumulated centuries of riches. Even though most of it was spent fighting Demons, they were still as rich as a nation. This amount of money was nothing.
Not to mention, for the great plan to exterminate Demons, even if it meant depleting all the Ubuyashiki family's wealth, he wouldn't hesitate.
"So now, there's one last problem that hasn't been solved."
Haganezuka Kozo stated:
"That's the Insect Hashira's Nichirin Blade; we can't modify it. She uses Wisteria Flower Poison within the blade to kill Demons, but once the blade heats up to a high temperature, the plant toxins inside quickly degrade and become ineffective against Demons."
Qingshui raised an eyebrow slightly.
Kocho Shinobu initially trained in Flower Breathing with her elder sister, Kocho Kanae. However, Kocho Shinobu was naturally less physically strong and couldn't unleash the full power of Flower Breathing. When facing stronger Demons and needing to sever their heads, she took a different approach, developing Insect Breathing based on Flower Breathing, fighting with high-speed thrusts combined with poison.
If she couldn't use Wisteria Flower Poison, Kocho Shinobu's combat effectiveness would be greatly reduced.
"Actually, it's not a huge problem. We just need to slightly alter the structure of Shinobu's Nichirin Blade."
Qingshui picked up a branch and began drawing on the ground.
"The tip is still a sharp blade, perfect for thrusting. Previously, Shinobu would use this end to stab Demons and inject Wisteria Flower Poison. Now, there's an insulating layer added below the blade, with a thin branch extending from it to serve as a needle for injecting the poison. When powered on, only the blade tip heats up into a Red Blade, increasing its piercing power against Demons."
As the two of them were discussing, a Kakushi, cloaked in a brown robe, came jogging up, breathless.
"Li Hashira-sama! Master is gravely ill and has requested an urgent Hashira Meeting!"
Qingshui looked up in surprise.
This isn't right!
According to the timeline, Zenitsu and Kanao haven't even participated in the final selection at Mount Fujikasane yet, though Tanjiro passed early. There's still a year and a half before Ubuyashiki Kagaya's illness becomes fatal.
Why is it so early?
"I understand."
Qingshui nodded slightly at the Kakushi, then excused himself to Haganezuka Kozo before instantly departing.
Given Qingshui's speed, he arrived at the Ubuyashiki Mansion almost immediately.
Himejima Gyomei and Tokito Muichiro arrived around the same time.
They were the closest.
"Master!"
Tokito Muichiro held Ubuyashiki Kagaya's hand, his face filled with reluctance.
Lying in bed, Ubuyashiki Kagaya opened his eyes and said weakly, "Muichiro, Gyomei, Qingshui, you've come…"
"Namu Amida Butsu, please rest well, Master."
Himejima Gyomei clasped his hands together, reciting a Buddhist chant.
Qingshui stepped forward and placed his hand on Ubuyashiki Kagaya's body, a faint green light glowing from his palm.
Ubuyashiki Kagaya had always been very kind to him. Whatever he wanted or plans he proposed, Ubuyashiki Kagaya would do his best to help him achieve them.
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