The Nichirin Blade, imbued with the power of sunlight, cut through the demon, reducing its body to drifting smoke and ash.
Li Xuan turned his gaze toward Shikata Masakazu, who had retreated to the edge of the doorway.
"Your so-called threat has been eliminated," he said coolly. "So, what do you plan to do now?"
Shikata Masakazu didn't reply. Instead, he bolted in a panic, shouting as he fled down the corridor, "Master, save me! Master!"
There was someone else behind the scenes?
Li Xuan narrowed his eyes and looked at the spot where the demon had been slain.
Was that one just a disposable pawn?
He made no effort to pursue using a breathing technique. Instead, he followed at a steady pace, calmly keeping Shikata within view.
The coward's desperate cries stirred the remaining members of the Shikata Clan. Thinking that the rumored man-eating demon had appeared, they rushed in wielding blades, spears, and halberds.
"Kill him! Kill him now! He's the one responsible for our missing clansmen! He's the demon!"
Shikata Masakazu screamed at the top of his lungs.
The clan members looked among themselves uncertainly. The man walking behind him, though carrying a long blade, looked far too clean, refined, and human to be the cannibalistic monster they had feared.
But given the choice between believing an outsider and trusting their newly appointed clan leader, the Shikata clansmen chose the latter.
Weapons were raised, and they began to close in on Li Xuan.
He clicked his tongue in mild annoyance.
They were just clueless bystanders, manipulated by lies. Slaughtering them would be excessive, but he also couldn't let the real target escape.
In the next instant, Li Xuan's Nichirin Blade rotated subtly in his grip, its spine facing outward.
Breath of Water, Fourth Form: Striking Tide.
A sudden cascade of flowing water surged from his blade. Spiraling torrents swept forward in rhythmic waves, striking down the oncoming attackers.
Those touched by the tide stumbled, their eyes rolling back as they fell unconscious, weapons clattering to the floor in a metallic chorus.
When the last of them hit the ground, Shikata Masakazu was already gone.
But Li Xuan remained composed. The man's scent still lingered strongly in his nose. Following it would be simple.
Step by step, he walked toward the source of the trail.
Eventually, he arrived in front of a tightly shut ceremonial hall.
Li Xuan inhaled through his nose. The scent confirmed it—Shikata was inside.
And yet… no other scent accompanied him.
Where was this so-called "master"?
He stepped up to the door, raised his blade, and with two swift slashes, split it wide open.
Inside the hall stood countless porcelain artifacts arranged in meticulous order. Shikata was frantically speaking to one of them, a large, pale-hued vase adorned with bright red floral patterns.
"Master, please! That demon hunter is too strong! You must come out and kill him!"
"He's coming this way, Master! Save me, please!"
When he saw Li Xuan stepping through the shattered doors, Shikata's cries grew more desperate, his voice climbing in pitch.
A soft giggle echoed from within the vase.
Shikata's face lit up with twisted joy.
"A demon's aura," Li Xuan murmured, halting his steps. "And a powerful one at that."
In the next moment, a small, pale hand, no larger than that of an infant, stretched out from the vase.
It grabbed Shikata's head without hesitation.
"M-Master, I-I'm your servant!" Shikata stammered in terror.
But the hand paid him no mind. It lifted him with frightening ease and began dragging him into the mouth of the vase.
By any normal measure, the opening was far too small to swallow a man, but the hand carried an overwhelming force that distorted reality. It compressed Shikata's body with brutal strength, crushing bone and flesh as it forced him inside.
He did not die instantly. His screams of agony echoed through the hall until they faded into silence.
Moments later, the vase returned to its original, undisturbed appearance.
As if nothing had happened.
"Breath of Flame, Fifth Form: Flame Tiger."
This was Li Xuan's first time using the Breath of Flame, but his mastery was instinctual. The technique had been etched into his bones through the power of his system.
A searing blaze enveloped his blade. With a sweeping strike, he unleashed a roaring inferno that surged forward in the form of a majestic tiger's head, its jaws wide open as it charged toward the vase.
But just before impact, the vase leapt into the air.
It spun with unnatural agility, performing a full twist before landing safely to one side.
The flaming tiger missed by a fraction.
"That was close. Very close," said a chilling voice, laced with mockery and arrogance.
From the mouth of the vase emerged a grotesque figure.
His entire body was ghostly white. His eyeballs were a sickly yellow. His lips were green and misshapen. Two gaping mouths sat where his eyes should have been, tongues flicking hungrily.
His actual eyes protruded unnaturally from his forehead and chin. Several tiny arms dangled from his head like ornaments, and purple fins flared across the top of his skull.
A grotesque demon, partially fused with the vase that birthed him.
Li Xuan narrowed his eyes.
A big catch indeed.
He recognized this demon immediately.
Gyokko. Upper Rank Five of the Twelve Kizuki.
A nightmare in demon form.
In the demon hierarchy, Gyokko was one of the most feared and dangerous.
If Li Xuan had met him just a few months earlier, victory would have been impossible.
But now?
That was a different story.
His grip on the Nichirin Blade tightened as confidence surged within him.
After all, in the original tale, it was Muichiro Tokito, the Mist Hashira who had awakened the Transparent World, who managed to defeat Gyokko.
But Li Xuan, in his current state, had already surpassed that level of strength without relying on any awakening.
He had reason to be confident.
"You demon slayers are so aggressive," Gyokko said mockingly. "Trying to kill me already? I only ate a few people, you know..."
Li Xuan did not attack immediately.
"Shikata Masakazu—what was he to you?"
"Him?" Gyokko tilted his head, voice dripping with disdain. "A fool. At first, I was intrigued by his admiration for my artistic creations. I offered him a chance to serve, gifted him a minor demon to assist with sacrifices. But lately, his offerings have been disappointing, so I had him offer himself. It was nothing serious. Just a game."
For some reason, the demon chose to answer honestly.
Before Li Xuan could respond, a sudden spike of danger surged through his senses.
His instinct flared like fire.
Without hesitation, he snapped into a guarded stance.
At that moment, several vases nearby burst open. From within them erupted hordes of razor-toothed fish, all baring fangs and launching themselves toward him in a coordinated assault.
Blood Demon Art: Flesh-Eating Fish.
Right. Gyokko could move freely between his own vases and launch attacks from them at will.
Fortunately, Li Xuan had been ready.
"Breath of Flame, Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Spiral."
As if performing in a spectacular anime battle, Li Xuan always shouted the names of his techniques, a habit that had become something of a personal quirk.
A swirling storm of flames burst forth from his blade, creating a fiery vortex that enveloped him in a spinning shield of searing heat.
The monstrous fish struck the flames and were instantly incinerated, falling to the ground in flickering embers like snow melting on hot steel.
They never even reached him.