155: Control the evil sword

Shen Xiaochuan stood still, gripping the rusty Sword of the Evil God tightly in his hand. He could feel that the thing inside the meteorite fissure was still moving.

The black mist retreated deep into the fissure, and the surroundings were so quiet that there was not a single sound.

His feet stepped on the cracked scorched earth, his right hand not letting go of the hilt. The spot on his left eye where the black Devilish Qi had invaded earlier had faded, with only a faint gray shadow flickering at the corner of his eye. His breathing was steady, his chest rising and falling slightly, but inside his body, it felt like two forces were fighting—one was a flow of golden light, and the other was cold, dark Devilish Qi that refused to leave completely.

Guan Yu's Divine Sense was still suspended above his head, and the red phantom stood behind him like a wall. His eyes were vigilant, staring at every move Shen Xiaochuan made.

"It is not over yet." Shen Xiaochuan said in a low voice, his voice very hoarse, "It is still talking inside."

Aminos stood ten meters away, his hand constantly pressed on his sword, not daring to approach. The scene just now was too terrifying. Black smoke had been pouring out of Shen Xiaochuan's seven orifices, and he had almost turned into a monster. If it were not for the sudden appearance of this red shadow in the sky, he really feared he would have watched Shen Xiaochuan turn into a Demon King.

"What did you just say?" Aminos asked, his voice trembling slightly.

"The thing inside the sword." Shen Xiaochuan closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, his right eye flashed with golden light, "It does not want to recognize me as its master; it wants to control me instead."

As soon as he finished speaking, his arm shook violently, and a black line darted out from under his skin, crawling toward his shoulder like a snake. He groaned, gritted his teeth to hold on, but his hand still did not let go.

Guan Yu's Divine Sense shouted coldly: "Evil creature! You still will not submit?"

The red shadow in the air raised a hand and pointed, and a blood-colored chain descended from the sky, piercing directly into Shen Xiaochuan's back. His body stiffened, his back arched, and his teeth chattered, but his eyes remained focused.

"Lend me three seconds." Shen Xiaochuan squeezed a few words through his teeth, "I am going to drag it out."

Guan Yu did not respond; he pressed his palms together, palms facing down, and the red aura compressed violently, rushing into Shen Xiaochuan's body along the chain.

In an instant, a shrill scream rang out in Shen Xiaochuan's mind.

It was not his voice, nor was it Guan Yu's. It was a distorted voice, sounding not quite human—

"You should not have touched it... Mortal... I will grant you eternal life... As long as you bow your head... Submit..."

The Devilish Qi spewed from his seven orifices, wrapping around his body surface, trying to coalesce into a human shape.

Guan Yu's Divine Sense opened his eyes and glared, and the Azure Dragon Crescent Blade in his hand slashed through the air. The mass of black mist screamed and was split in two. Half dispersed on the spot, while the other half shrank into Shen Xiaochuan's chest, trembling.

"Mercy..." The voice changed, no longer arrogant, but fearful, "I will not seize your body... I only ask to keep a sliver of consciousness... Do not kill me..."

Shen Xiaochuan panted, sweat streaming down his forehead and face. He raised his hand to wipe his face, and his fingertips were stained with a bit of blood—it was left from biting his tongue tip.

"You are begging for mercy now?" He sneered, "Did you not just say you wanted to give me eternal life? Said you wanted to be the Dominator of the world? Scared now?"

The black mist trembled, not daring to speak.

Guan Yu's Divine Sense looked coldly at the remnant soul, his voice like thunder: "This sword is an evil object, lacking the Foundation of the Righteous Path. Today, having encountered a person of loyalty and righteousness, if you do not submit, you shall be executed immediately."

The black mist trembled violently a few times, finally lay flat, and stuck to Shen Xiaochuan's Meridians, motionless, like a snake with broken bones.

Shen Xiaochuan slowly exhaled, and the tearing sensation in his body gradually disappeared. He looked down at his hand, spreading his fingers and clenching them again; his movements had recovered.

"Is it done?" Aminos stepped forward cautiously.

"Almost." Shen Xiaochuan nodded. He lifted his left hand, palm facing up, and held the Sword of the Evil God flat on his hand. The sword was still rusty and did not look sharp, but the surrounding air distorted slightly. The black mist circled the sword body but did not leak out, as if it had been controlled.

"It is my weapon now." Shen Xiaochuan looked at the sword, his tone firm, "Not a master, but something I control."

"Can you really control it?" Aminos lowered his voice, worry still in his eyes.

"Otherwise?" Shen Xiaochuan looked up at him, the corner of his mouth curling up, "Do you think I would gamble with my life? I have faith points, I have summoning skills; I do not need to turn myself into a monster."

Aminos did not speak and slowly released the hilt.

He knew that the person in front of him was no longer the reckless kid who had barged into the black market to buy slaves. Back then, he had felt that Shen Xiaochuan was naive, impulsive, and would not live long. But now, the other party was not only alive but had reached a level he had not even dared to imagine.

"You won." Aminos took a deep breath, his tone lacking any doubt, only admission, "You really won."

Shen Xiaochuan did not respond and turned to look at the black meteorite.

Just then, the thin figure in the fissure moved.

The Demon King had originally stood still like a statue. But the moment it felt the Sword of the Evil God change owners, its body trembled violently, and for the first time, emotion appeared in its eyes—not anger, but fear.

It took half a step back, and its hands suddenly raised.

The sky suddenly darkened, dark clouds churned, and a thick, black Devilish Qi erupted from its body, rapidly condensing into a giant palm. The five fingers were like mountains, the palm was carved with twisted runes, and it carried an aura of destruction as it slammed down fiercely toward Shen Xiaochuan.

The ground exploded, stones flew, and the defensive line formed by the Believers was forced to retreat three hundred meters, their formation in chaos.

Shen Xiaochuan did not move.

His feet stood firmly on the spot, and his right hand slowly drew the zanpakuto from his waist.

A flash of blade light, cold air overflowing.

He did not strike immediately, but instead laid the Sword of the Evil God horizontally on the zanpakuto's blade, gripped the hilt with both hands, and closed his eyes.

The next second, a strange phenomenon appeared.

A hundred-meter-high projection emerged behind him—its face blurred, arms raised high, holding two giant blades. It was precisely the body of the Evil God, controlled! The projection looked up at the sky; although it was composed of black Qi, it was restrained by a layer of faint golden light, unable to move recklessly.

The System prompt appeared:

[combat power increased to 17530 points]

Aminos looked at the sword, then at Shen Xiaochuan's face.

He had never seen such an existence—it was both an evil object and suppressed; both terrifying and controllable.

"Use your sword to slash your shadow!" Shen Xiaochuan opened his eyes and roared a sentence, his voice low but resolute!

The power of the dual blades merging rushed into his arms, the Sword of the Evil God vibrated violently, and the black Qi flowed backward, gathering at the tip of the blade, wrapped layer by layer by the golden light, finally condensing into a sword ray that pierced through heaven and earth.

He raised both hands high and slashed down with the blade.

The ten-thousand-foot sword light tore through the sky, rushing straight toward the demonic palm.

Boom—!

At the moment of impact, the air exploded into a ripple, a distant mountain top was sliced in half, and dust waves rolled for tens of miles. The demonic palm shattered piece by piece before the sword light, the runes extinguished, the black mist dissipated, and finally, it turned into nothingness.

The sword light did not stop, continuing forward, piercing through the Demon King's chest.

"Ah—!!"

A non-human scream resounded through the battlefield.

The Demon King's body shook violently, a large hole exploded in its chest, black blood sprayed out, and its body began to fall off in pieces, turning into ashes and drifting away with the wind.

It looked down at its own hands, then looked up at Shen Xiaochuan, a complex emotion flashing in its eyes—no longer contempt, nor hatred, but something like... awe.

It opened its mouth, as if it wanted to say something.

But it did not come out.

The last piece of its body also disappeared into the wind.

The black meteorite was still in place, the fissure remained, but no more black mist emerged.

The battlefield was silent.

Fifteen hundred Believers stood on the spot, no one moved, no one shouted, all watching the person in the middle—holding the blade with both hands, black Qi still wrapping around his body, the hundred-meter-high Evil God projection behind him had not yet dispersed, and Guan Yu's Divine Sense was still overhead, the red light flickering faintly.

Shen Xiaochuan stood quietly, not looking back, nor speaking.

He could feel the changes in his body—faith points were still steadily increasing at +1 per second, and the Sword of the Evil God was completely obedient, like a sleeping Sharp Weapon that could be used at any time. But he also knew that this battle had exhausted his strength, his spirit was reaching its limit, and if he was not careful, the residual evil intent might counterattack.

So he could not relax.

And he dared not relax.

"What do you plan to do next?" Aminos stepped forward and asked softly.

"Wait."

"Wait for what?"

"Wait for it to fully recognize me as its master, wait until I can use it freely without fear of being backlashed."

Shen Xiaochuan paused and added: "Wait until I am sure that the next time I draw the sword, I am still myself."

Aminos was silent for a while and nodded.

He knew that some victories were not just about defeating the enemy.

True control is knowing clearly in your heart—that you have not become the kind of person you wanted to destroy.

The wind blew across the scorched earth, stirring up a few wisps of ash.

The black meteorite stood quietly.

Shen Xiaochuan stood in the center of the battlefield, dual blades in hand, motionless.