"What a pity, it seems this desperate struggle by the Jiuzhou Continent could only reach this step, failing to bring me any more joy."
"Indeed, it is quite a pity." Li Jiulong revealed a pained yet mocking smile, "Just at the brink of turning the tables, and yet I am a ruined man, nothing more than a dead man walking, unable to witness the final victory."
The Great Demon God Emperor looked coldly at the gravely injured and dying human, showing no sign that a reversal was possible.
"All along, people have called me the Jiulong Sword Immortal or even the Sword God and Sword Saint. Even your Demon Race mostly feared my swordsmanship, some even believing I surpassed the Nameless Sword God. But in truth... I'm not much of a Sword Cultivator at all. My true expertise lies in Artifact Refining, as an uncompromising support cultivator. I am not good at swordsmanship, let alone being compared to the Nameless Sword God."
The Great Demon God Emperor tilted his head slightly, somewhat surprised.
Nine human cultivators each possessed Divine Techniques, none below the level of a Commander Level Demon General, among which Li Jiulong's combat power was evidently the strongest, wielding the Divine Sword that cut through all obstacles. The wound on his chest was a result of his own doing.
For over a thousand years, this was the first time the Great Demon God Emperor suffered an injury. He regarded this dying human with a different perspective, even considering turning him into a Duke Demon General. But recalling the Demon Hall reduced to ruins, he dismissed the thought... What did he mean by not being skilled in swordsmanship? That heavenly and earth-splitting swordsmanship just now couldn't be explained by the phrase 'not skilled'. As for that Nameless Sword God, disappearing without a trace since the start of the Immortal Demon War, a charlatan not worth mentioning.
Li Jiulong released his grip on the sword with his right hand. Without the support of the Divine Sword, he collapsed wearily to the ground, yet the sword remained standing and then slowly floated up, its tip pointing at the Great Demon God Emperor.
A glimmer of spirit flared in Li Jiulong's dim gaze: "Brother Jian, it's up to you now."
"Mm, leave it to me."
A clear voice resonated from Li Jiulong's Divine Sword at that moment, causing the Great Demon God Emperor's expression to change drastically: "You?!"
Simultaneously, the Demon Emperor's Godslaying Finger shot towards the Divine Sword like tearing the heavens and the earth, only to be scattered by an even more powerful sword light.
The Demon Emperor snorted coldly; since the battle began, this was the first time his Godslaying Finger was blocked head-on, and that Celestial Divine Sword emanated an unprecedented sense of threat.
Li Jiulong smiled bitterly: "Brother Jian, sorry, we can only hold this far."
"It's alright, you all risked your lives to buy me this much time, and that's enough. I've already understood the Demon Emperor's demon skill patterns, leave the rest to me."
The next moment, the sword light flashed, pointing straight at the Demon Emperor!
Expressionless, the Demon Emperor extended his dark fingers forward, sending an endless tide of magic power sweeping forth.
A perilous Immortal Demon War, ten times fiercer than before, thus began!
——
He always prided himself on having a strong memory.
Though as a human for fifty years, only dim fragments remained, the short few years after rebirth as a sword were all deeply imprinted in the depths of his memory.
Li Jiulong's gentle kindness, Shen Kaishan's exuberant boldness, Zhao Yuming's peerless elegance... In three years, the newly reborn Divine Sword enjoyed life with unprecedented positivity. As a human, his personality was reclusive and indifferent, even though his cultivation was the world's top, his fame couldn't surpass the strength of the Jiu Immortal Venerables beneath him. Yet, upon becoming the Divine Sword, he became optimistic and cheerful. Of course, a sword is a weapon, during those three years, he fought a hundred battles across Jiuzhou with the Jiu Immortal Venerables, remembering every detail of each battle.
However, the final battle remained a blur.
He discovered he couldn't recall how the final confrontation with the Great Demon God Emperor concluded, nor even the details of the battle itself.
He only remembered within the Sword World, black tides surged, countless glorious palaces crumbled, innumerable celestial arrays shattered and vanished. He only remembered the Great Demon God Emperor roaring incessantly, his noble form rolling in blood and mire. He only remembered himself trapped in desperation, yet still calmly discerning the Demon Emperor's flaws, only remembered the Demon Emperor physically crumbling, vomiting blood endlessly, unable to utter a complete incantation.
He only remembered the final victory hanging by a single thought.
And that thought, was nearly eternal.
As the battle with the Demon Emperor reached its final moment, unveiling the victor, both sides unleashed terrifying powers surpassing the Jiuzhou Continent, each residual ripple enough to sweep the land, leaving it barren for thousands of miles, the Demon Hall collapsing, the Demon Realm annihilated, the Central Province fractured, the Kyushu Barrier disintegrating.
In the end, heaven and earth overturned.
After that, he entered an infinitely vast darkness.
No light, no warmth, no time or space, everything familiar vanished without a trace, even the Sword World's connection to the Celestial Divine Sword's true form was lost, with only a spark of consciousness carrying his mind through endless solitary years in the darkness.
In the darkness, all he could do was reminisce and ponder, barely recalling anything from his fifty years as a human, with only the brief three-year rebirth, albeit vibrant, limited in experience. And the only matter he could contemplate was the outcome of their final battle.
Theoretically, he should have won, though the Demon Emperor's ultimate force exceeded expectations. Based on the vague memory fragments, he judged he slightly edged out in the end. Purely in terms of power back then, he and the Demon Emperor were evenly matched. The opponent possessed home advantage, but he had the Jiu Immortal Venerables securing him ample time and discerned over half of the Demon Emperor's demon skills, holding a slight edge in the determining move.