"The second stage, is it?" Li Xuan muttered under his breath, staring at Gyokko, who now radiated nothing but pure self-confidence.
Li Xuan was already aware that Gyokko had a second form, so he wasn't the least bit surprised. What truly caught his attention was his recent use of the Mist Breathing technique.
After the earlier skirmish, he had come to understand the nature of the dense mist.
Obstruct vision. Confuse orientation.
That was its true purpose.
Gyokko's previous Blood Demon Art attack hadn't actually struck every part of the room. Once the razor-toothed fish entered the mist, they veered off in erratic directions, merely assuming their trajectory was still accurate.
And as for the First Form: Mist Clears, that was a technique Li Xuan had crafted himself.
Its effectiveness had already been proven in combat.
Yes, this one would be set in stone.
So decided the founder of Mist Breathing.
He still had many ideas he wanted to test—scattered fragments of inspiration gathered from whimsical daydreams during his travels. But now that Gyokko had entered his second stage, things had grown a bit too... volatile for experimentation.
Forget it. He would test them on a weaker demon next time.
With that thought, Li Xuan silently chanted in his mind:
[Activate Demonization]
Far in the distance, Gyokko was still admiring his so-called perfect physique when a jolt ran through his mind. A wave of inexplicable dread surged up from deep within his being. His gaze snapped back toward the demon slayer he believed was no longer a threat.
What he saw sent a chill down his spine.
In just an instant, the man had completely transformed.
Li Xuan's black hair had lengthened, falling over his shoulders. The whites of his eyes had turned pitch black, and within those abyssal voids, not a hint of life could be found. Deep, blood-red markings streaked across his cheeks, while the flesh along his neck twisted upward, releasing an eerie, malevolent gleam.
"What... what is happening?!" Gyokko screamed in terror, the ironclad confidence in his heart beginning to crumble. The oppressive aura flowing from Li Xuan overwhelmed his senses—like a superior predator standing above a lowly insect.
"You... You're a demon too?!"
And that presence... it was identical to what he felt in front of Lord Muzan!
Gyokko's entire worldview began to collapse.
Li Xuan tightened his grip on the Nichirin Blade. A flood of indescribable power surged through his body.
This wasn't his first time undergoing demonization—he had done it before—but the change this time was on a whole different level. The enhancement he now experienced was unlike anything he had felt before.
So powerful, in fact, it seemed he could cut Gyokko down with only a few strikes.
Even he was startled by his current strength.
It made sense, though. Even without demonization, Li Xuan already possessed elite human-level strength, strong enough to battle powerful demons. Becoming a demon didn't simply add power—it was a qualitative transformation.
It was the same principle that made Kokushibo, the Upper Rank One demon, so terrifying. As a human, Kokushibo had already been a master swordsman with supreme control of Breathing Techniques. Once he became a demon, his strength skyrocketed, allowing him to rise to the top of Muzan's ranks.
And the difference between Upper Rank One Kokushibo and Upper Rank Five Gyokko was as vast as a canyon.
"Water Breathing, First Form: Surface Slash."
Water Breathing activated, and ethereal streams of blue liquid began to swirl around him. Within those waves, however, a strange inky darkness rippled beneath the surface.
"Wait... Wait...!" Gyokko shrieked in panic. "We're both demons! We're the same!"
His voice trembled. Gyokko had always been a coward at heart. Now, faced with an overwhelming force bearing down on him, he couldn't even muster the will to fight back. Instead, he tried to find common ground.
But Li Xuan didn't even blink.
The darkened water streaked through the air and reached Gyokko in a flash. Within it, the blade cut through his body.
The armor Gyokko so proudly boasted—scales harder than diamond—was sliced from his upper left to lower right like tofu.
"Impossible..."
More than the pain, what truly shocked him was how easily his supposedly impenetrable body had been cleaved apart.
"Wait!" Gyokko cried out in terror, begging for mercy.
But his trembling hand reached toward Li Xuan.
Li Xuan's reflexes, heightened by his demonized state, were lightning-fast. He severed Gyokko's hand before it could get near him.
He couldn't afford to be touched by Gyokko's so-called "God Hand." Anything it made contact with would turn into fish.
"How disobedient."
Li Xuan's voice sounded hoarse, like the whispers of a forgotten soul echoing from the depths of the underworld.
He continued swinging his Nichirin Blade, slicing Gyokko's limbs again and again—but never once did the blade touch his neck.
"AAAAHHHHH!!" Gyokko could do nothing but scream.
His opponent's speed, strength, and aura far surpassed his own. Worse still, it felt like Li Xuan knew every detail of his Blood Demon Art.
Every time Gyokko summoned a vase, Li Xuan would shatter it instantly, not giving him a chance to activate his techniques.
Even when Gyokko's limbs regenerated, they were immediately cut down again.
He could only hope Li Xuan would tire out eventually.
Even running away was a hopeless dream.
He felt like a pet trapped in a cage, being toyed with at his captor's whim.
Li Xuan could have easily beheaded him and ended it all—but instead, he continued tormenting him without explanation.
Gyokko didn't understand. His heart swelled with rage and fear.
"Why?! Why?! You're a demon too! Muzan made you, just like he made me! Why are you doing this?!"
His two mouths, located in his eye sockets, were the only parts left capable of speech. They lashed their tongues and roared in fury.
Li Xuan's reply was simple. Two clean slashes silenced those mouths forever.
The room fell eerily quiet.
Only the repeated sound of a sword slicing flesh echoed within the chamber.
Li Xuan had fallen into a trance-like state. He said nothing, his movements fueled by some internal madness as he continued to swing his blade.
Gyokko's regeneration was fast—unnaturally fast. But Li Xuan's blade was faster still.
Dozens, even hundreds of cuts landed in a single second.
One minute passed. Then ten. Then thirty. Then a full hour.
Li Xuan, in his demonized state, showed no signs of fatigue.
But Gyokko was clearly deteriorating. His regeneration slowed visibly.
A few minutes later, his body stopped regenerating altogether.
Even the mouths in his eyes could only regrow halfway.
He now lay on the ground—limbless, mute, barely clinging to life.
Li Xuan finally dispelled his demonization. His body slowly returned to its human form.
He sheathed the Nichirin Blade and stretched his aching arm.
Sure enough, swinging a sword that much left his arm sore.
The vitality of demons really is something else.
Li Xuan grabbed what was left of Gyokko and stared into his eyes.
His own gaze was cold and composed, while Gyokko's was filled with unspeakable terror.
The kanji for "Upper Five" shimmered within Gyokko's eyes, trembling violently as if even that label had grown ashamed of him.
"So… how should I package you?" Li Xuan murmured, resting his chin thoughtfully on one hand.
"Oh, and just so you know," he added with a gentle smile, "if you try regenerating your arms and legs again, I'll cut off everything below your neck… then stuff you into a chamber pot."
"You like pots, don't you?"
The smile on his face was calm—but not even remotely warm.