"No wonder you've managed to dominate this region - you actually do have some skill!" Gustave called out as a massive mushroom cloud erupted from the impact site. Both his Thunder Giant and the Black Mountain Demon's Black Stone Giant staggered backward from their collision, the ground cracking beneath their enormous forms.
"How dare you show such arrogance in my domain!" The Black Mountain Demon planted his feet and charged forward again. Each thunderous step sent tremors through the underworld, creating fissures that spread outward like spider webs.
"Come on then!" Gustave roared back, his Thunder Giant rushing to meet the challenge. The two colossal beings crashed together again with earth-shaking force.
Meanwhile, on the other sections of the battlefield, Fahai and Shanks were systematically dismantling their opposition. Though the assembled demon kings and greater demons possessed considerable power, they faced opponents far beyond their capabilities. Each strike from Fahai's Great Heavenly Dragon technique left a demon critically wounded, while Shanks' Conqueror's Haki-infused attacks proved nearly impossible for even the strongest demon kings to withstand.
As the battle intensified, the supernatural creatures found themselves increasingly overwhelmed.
"Brother Black Mountain, save me!" the tiger-headed demon cried out desperately.
Before the words had fully left his mouth, Fahai's palm strike ended his existence in a brilliant flash of golden light.
"Damn it!" The Black Mountain Old Demon cursed as he witnessed the scene, though not from any grief over his fallen ally. He understood the strategic reality - once all these demon kings and greater demons were eliminated, he would face three formidable opponents alone. The principle of mutual dependence was not lost on him.
"Black Mountain Old Demon, you dare let your attention wander while fighting me?" Gustave seized the opening, generating a powerful electromagnetic field that locked the massive stone giant in place like invisible shackles. A sphere of concentrated lightning, crackling with destructive energy, formed in his giant's hand.
The Black Mountain Demon struggled desperately to dodge, but the magnetic field held him fast as if he were trapped in quicksand. He could only watch in horror as the lightning sphere punched clean through his torso.
The explosion tore a massive hole in the Black Stone Giant's chest, sending fragments of rock cascading to the ground below.
The sight of their supposed invincible leader being so grievously wounded sent waves of terror through the remaining demons.
"Run! We can't defeat these three mortal!" someone screamed, and panic spread like wildfire. The demon kings and greater demons began fleeing in all directions.
"Monsters, where do you think you're going?" Fahai bellowed, hurling his cassock skyward. The garment expanded into an enormous net that covered the heavens, ensnaring every demon attempting to escape.
"Brother Shanks, help me subdue them!"
"Gladly!" Shanks unleashed his Conqueror's Haki at full power, the crushing spiritual pressure washing over the trapped demons below. Those who had been preparing to fight back collapsed unconscious under the overwhelming force.
"Receive!" Fahai commanded, drawing all the captured demons into his enchanted cassock.
One wrong decision had led to total disaster. If these creatures had fought Fahai and Shanks with everything they had from the beginning, perhaps one or two might have escaped. Instead, Gustave's devastating attack on the Black Mountain Demon had shattered their morale completely, creating the opening for a decisive defeat.
Seeing his allies vanish into Fahai's robes, the Black Mountain Old Demon realized escape was his only hope. He couldn't even defeat Gustave in single combat - what chance did he have against all three?
"Heavenly Demon Disintegration!" the ancient demon roared.
His massive stone body exploded outward, fragmenting into countless smaller pieces that shot off in every direction like shrapnel from a grenade.
"Don't even think about running!" Gustave's Thunder Giant dispersed instantly, replaced by an unprecedented electromagnetic barrier that encompassed hundreds of kilometers. The invisible dome began contracting steadily inward, trapping everything within its bounds.
"What is that thing?!" The tree demon grandmother, who had been locked in combat with Yan Chixia, stared at the approaching barrier in terror. Without hesitation, she struck Yan Chixia with enough force to send him flying, then attempted to flee.
But escape proved impossible.
The moment the tree demon touched the electromagnetic barrier, she was violently repelled, blood spurting from her mouth as the impact left her severely injured.
"Perfect opportunity!" Yan Chixia seized the moment, biting his finger and rapidly drawing a glowing talisman in the air with his own blood.
"Bind!" The mystic symbol immediately ensnared the wounded tree demon in chains of spiritual energy.
"Pierce!" Yan Chixia hurled his sword with all his might. The blade moved like a beam of light, punching straight through the ancient demon's core.
"I refuse to accept this!" the tree demon shrieked with her final breath.
Her body erupted in a spectacular explosion of splinters and dust. After a thousand years of evil, the tree demon grandmother had finally been destroyed.
The Black Mountain Old Demon's disintegration technique proved equally futile against Gustave's electromagnetic prison. Every fragment that touched the barrier was repelled, forcing the scattered pieces to reluctantly coalesce back into their original form.
"Human, don't force me to desperate measures!" The Black Mountain Demon clutched his wounded chest, gathering himself for one final stand.
"You two, let's finish this Black Mountain Demon together!" Gustave called out to his companions. The previous electromagnetic technique had drained considerable energy - he wasn't certain he could deliver a killing blow alone.
"Right!" Fahai and Shanks nodded in unison.
The three warriors converged on their target from different angles, their combined assault ensuring that the ancient demon who had terrorized this region for so long finally met his end.
"Yes! They did it!" Ning Caichen leaped for joy as he witnessed the deaths of both the tree demon grandmother and the Black Mountain Demon.
But when he turned to share his elation with Xiaoqian, he found her covering her face as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Xiaoqian, what's wrong?" Ning Caichen asked with immediate concern.
"Caichen, I'm finally free..." she whispered through her tears.
Since falling under the tree demon grandmother's control, Xiaoqian had been forced to participate in countless evil deeds against her will. Seeing her tormentor's destruction meant the chains that had bound her soul were finally broken.
"Xiaoqian..." Ning Caichen gazed at her with deep understanding and compassion.
"Thank you, Caichen!" Without warning, Xiaoqian threw her arms around him and pressed her lips to his in a bold, passionate kiss.
Ning Caichen's eyes went wide with shock - he had never been kissed by anyone before, let alone someone of the opposite sex.
"Haha!" Xiaoqian released him and laughed at his bewildered expression, the sound carrying both joy and heartbreak.
"Hehe, hehe..." Ning Caichen scratched his head awkwardly, completely at a loss for words.
"Brother Ning, Miss Xiaoqian," Fahai's voice interrupted the moment as he appeared behind them. "Though it pains me to say this now, I must remind you both: the paths of the living and the dead cannot converge."
"Master, Xiaoqian understands," she replied with quiet dignity. "Even though I've escaped grandmother's control, Caichen and I can never truly be together."
She understood the fundamental truth of that ancient saying all too well. She had been dead for who knows how long, while Ning Caichen's life was just reaching its most vibrant chapter. Their worlds could never truly merge.
"Xiaoqian..." Ning Caichen's voice carried profound reluctance.
"Caichen, from the moment I first saw you, I fell in love with this foolish but kind-hearted scholar," she said, her voice trembling with emotion. "But Xiaoqian is dead, so we were never meant to be together."
Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she spoke her farewell. "You were born before my time ended, and I died before your time truly began. Caichen, if there is a next life, I promise we will be together!"
"What is love in this world that it binds people to life and death itself?" Yan Chixia murmured with deep melancholy.
"If Miss Xiaoqian could become a ghost immortal, you two might still have a chance together. But the path to ghost immortality is incredibly long and arduous, and Brother Ning, being mortal, could never wait that long. Moreover, the road to ghost immortality has been severed in this age. You two simply cannot be together in this lifetime."
The demon hunter sighed heavily and shook his head.
"Xiaoqian..." Ning Caichen fell silent, struggling with emotions he didn't know how to process.
"Brother Ning, if you truly love Xiaoqian, perhaps you should wait for her to be reincarnated," Gustave suggested gently, placing a comforting hand on the scholar's shoulder. "If you two are genuinely meant to be together, you'll surely meet again in a future life."
"Thank you, Brother Gustave," Ning Caichen replied, fighting to maintain his composure.
"By the way, Brother Yan, do you know where the Six Paths of Reincarnation can be found?" Since the reincarnation cycle in this world remained intact, Gustave turned to the demon hunter hopefully.
"I'm afraid I cannot help you there. I have no knowledge of where the Six Paths of Reincarnation are located," Yan Chixia admitted with regret.
"It seems I'll need to ask my master to come assist us," Gustave concluded.
"Everyone, please wait here for a moment." With those words, he opened the Gate of All Worlds and stepped through, returning to the Bamboo Staff.