Chapter 64: The Death of Xu Beichen!

Within the bloody vortex, Xu Beichen’s figure slowly twisted and deformed.

His skin cracked inch by inch, revealing the purplish-black flesh beneath. The bloody horn on his forehead surged to over five feet in length, and the immortal bone on his chest had completely transformed into a purplish-black crystal.

"Ye Xiao!"

Xu Beichen’s voice sounded like thousands of people roaring simultaneously. "Today, either you die or I perish!"

Ye Xiao gripped the Chaos Sword tightly, the golden runes on the blade pulsing in synchronization with his breathing.

He could feel the surging power within his body!

The First Layer of the Spirit Realm!

This was an entirely new realm. His profound energy was no longer restricted to his meridians; instead, it resonated directly with heaven and earth.

"Enough idle talk."

Ye Xiao took a single step, his figure instantly crossing a distance of a hundred zhang.

The Chaos Sword descended seemingly slowly, yet it suddenly accelerated midway, delicate black cracks ripping through the space surrounding the blade's edge.

"Clang!"

Xu Beichen’s bloody claws collided with the sword’s edge, erupting with a blinding radiance.

A shockwave swept outward, instantly reducing the buildings atop the main peak to fine powder.

Both men retreated simultaneously.

The webbing between Ye Xiao’s thumb and forefinger tore open, fresh blood flowing down the hilt, only to be greedily absorbed by the Chaos Sword. Meanwhile, three fingers were sheared off Xu Beichen’s right claw, and dark blood spurted forth.

"Interesting."

Xu Beichen grinned hideously. The flesh at his severed fingers wriggled and regenerated completely in the blink of an eye. "Your blood is even more delicious than I imagined."

Ye Xiao did not reply. With a flash of his figure, he split into seven afterimages, attacking Xu Beichen from different angles.

Every sword strike carried the might to tear through space. Before the blade even arrived, the sword qi had already plowed deep trenches into the ground.

Xu Beichen let out a violent roar, and the bloody mist around his body condensed into seven shields.

Sword and shield collided, producing a deafening explosion. The final sword shadow pierced through the defense, leaving a wound so deep on Xu Beichen’s chest that his bones were visible.

"Ah!"

Xu Beichen roared in agony. Purplish-black light flickered around the wound, yet it failed to heal as rapidly as before. "Chaos Sword Qi?"

Seizing the opportunity, Ye Xiao drove the blade straight for Xu Beichen’s throat.

Just as the strike was about to land, Xu Beichen suddenly grinned.

"You fell for it."

Xu Beichen’s body exploded with a loud bang, transforming into a torrential downpour of blood.

Every single droplet of blood twisted and warped in midair, turning in the blink of an eye into thousands of thumb-sized blood bats that completely surrounded Ye Xiao.

"The Blood Demon True Form!" the Sword-Guarding Elder cried out from a distance. "Ye Xiao, be careful!"

Ye Xiao swung his sword to slash at the swarm of bats, only to discover that these creatures immediately reassembled the moment they were cut apart, making them utterly impossible to completely annihilate.

Even worse, they were continuously draining his vital energy through their bites.

The golden runes on the Chaos Sword began to dim.

Ye Xiao felt the power within him draining away, and his movements grew sluggish accordingly.

"Hahaha!" Xu Beichen’s voice echoed from all directions. "So what if you are at the First Layer of the Spirit Realm? Before a true Blood Demon, you are nothing more than a sturdy ant!"

The bat swarm suddenly converged, reforming into Xu Beichen’s appearance.

His physique was twice as large as before, and three pairs of bloody wings sprouted from his back, every single feather shimmering with a metallic luster.

"It ends here."

Xu Beichen flapped all six wings simultaneously, moving with a speed so swift it left behind afterimages.

Ye Xiao barely managed to raise his sword in defense, but was sent flying by a tremendous force, crashing straight through three successive peaks before coming to a halt.

"Cough, cough..." Ye Xiao spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, discovering delicate cracks spreading across the Chaos Sword.

"Ye Xiao..." Yue Wuxia’s weak voice emanated from within the sword. "Listen to me... the final form of the Chaos Sword Classic..."

Xu Beichen did not give Ye Xiao a moment to catch his breath, appearing before him again in the blink of an eye.

His blood-stained claws clawed toward Ye Xiao’s heart with the might to tear through space.

At the most critical juncture, the Chaos Sword automatically moved to block.

"Clang!"

Amidst the ear-piercing screech of clashing metal, the cracks on the sword body widened, and a pale blue phantom drifted out from the fissures—it was none of other than Yue Wuxia’s remnant soul.

"Senior!"

Ye Xiao cried out in alarm.

Yue Wuxia’s phantom was much dimmer than when they had last met, appearing nearly transparent.

She glanced back at Ye Xiao, her eyes filled with deep gratification.

"Remember, Chaos returns to One..."

Before her words finished, her figure suddenly transformed into a stream of light, merging into the space between Ye Xiao’s eyebrows.

Ye Xiao felt a wave of cooling energy rush through his entire body, and the complete profound meanings of the Chaos Sword Classic surfaced within his mind.

At the same time, Xu Beichen’s bloody claws had already pierced three inches into his chest.

"Die!"

Xu Beichen sneered hideously.

At this life-or-death moment, brilliant golden light erupted in Ye Xiao’s eyes.

Instead of resisting, he actively guided Xu Beichen’s Blood Demon energy into his own body.

"What?"

Xu Beichen’s expression changed drastically. He tried to pull his hand back, only to find himself firmly locked in place. "Are you insane? If you do this, you will also..."

"Chaos... returns to One."

Ye Xiao’s voice was terrifyingly calm.

He released his grip on the Chaos Sword and formed a bizarre hand seal with both hands.

His right hand pointed toward the heavens like a sword, while his left hand clawed downward toward the earth.

The energy between heaven and earth suddenly surged into a frenzy. Taking Ye Xiao as the center, the spiritual Qi within a radius of a hundred miles converged madly, forming a massive vortex.

Xu Beichen watched in horror as the Blood Demon energy within his own body began to flow in reverse!

"No! This is impossible!"

Xu Beichen struggled desperately, yet he could not break free from that terrifying suction force.

Ye Xiao’s body began to emit a brilliant glow, and golden runes identical to those on the Chaos Sword surfaced across his skin.

His aura climbed step by step, leaping directly from the First Layer of the Spirit Realm to the Third Layer!

"Blood and Chaos were always one and the same."

Ye Xiao’s voice carried a dual echo. "Xu Beichen, your journey... ends here."

The Chaos Sword automatically flew back into Ye Xiao’s hand, the cracks on the blade filled entirely with golden light.

Ye Xiao raised the sword above his head, a miniature star condensing at the tip of the blade.

"Slash!"

A single, simple word, yet it seemed imbued with the ultimate truths of heaven and earth.

When the sword light fell, time seemed to freeze for a fraction of a second.

Xu Beichen’s pupils constricted violently.

He wanted to dodge, but found that his body could not move a single inch. He wanted to defend himself, but discovered that all his Blood Demon energy had been completely drained away.

"No—!"

The sword light swept across, splitting Xu Beichen’s body cleanly down the middle.

No fresh blood spewed from the cut; instead, golden flames ignited, rapidly spreading across his entire body.

"Ye Xiao... even as a ghost, I will not..."

Xu Beichen’s mutilated corpse twisted within the flames, his voice growing weaker and weaker.

Ye Xiao ignored his curses and turned to walk toward the Sword-Guarding Elder.

Behind him, Xu Beichen’s body was thoroughly reduced to ashes, scattered away by the mountain winds.

"It is over."

Ye Xiao said softly, suddenly coughing up a mouthful of fresh blood before dropping to one knee.

The Sword-Guarding Elder hurried forward to support him. "You forcibly absorbed far too much Blood Demon energy; you need to regulate your breath immediately."

Ye Xiao shook his head, gazing at the Chaos Sword in his hand.

The golden runes on the sword had vanished, reverting to an ordinary bronze hue.

"Senior, she..."

"Yue Wuxia’s remnant soul exhausted her final bit of strength."

The Sword-Guarding Elder sighed. "She bought you the time needed to comprehend the return of Chaos to One. Although it will cause immensely heavy damage to her true form, the outcome is a good one."

Ye Xiao gripped the hilt tightly, his knuckles turning white.

He could sense that the familiar presence within the sword was entirely gone.

"The immortal bone!"

He muttered to himself.

The Sword-Guarding Elder did not reply, merely gazing into the distance.

The skies above the Xuanhuang Sect were clearing up, and the bloody clouds were gradually dissipating.

"At least the Blood Demon calamity has been lifted. As for the immortal bone, we can simply go find another one!"