That day, in the grand temple hidden in the desert. In the Yellow Stone Valley, as we called it, was the border between the great plains of the yellow-skinned race and the desert people.
I won't tell you about the desert people or the yellow-skinned race, I'll tell you about that day. The day I killed my own best friend, my companion who had accompanied me for seven years hunting Devil Cults, with my own hands.
"Long Yi! He's using the Five Curses Dance!"
Clang!
I nimbly dodged and ran from five blood clones made of Qi. Each clone had swordsmanship equal to its original owner.
The leader of the Devil Cult. No one knew his name, but we knew his face because for these seven years, we both chased him from the East end to the West end.
And between that East and West, we had now been fighting for three days and three nights straight without stopping. He, I, and Ye Jing were breathing exhaustedly. We unleashed a thousand of our signature moves, but not a single wound landed on his face or body.
Instead, a thousand enemy moves were unleashed, we were slowly but surely cornered and we were wounded everywhere.
"Ye Jing! I have to use this to kill him!"
Boom! Clang! Clang!
Inside the grand temple building, hundreds of meters ahead, massive pillars stood firm. The giant Buddha statues stored here had their heads cut off due to our fierce battle. Hundreds of meters to the side, the standing pillars were cracked. Even ten or twenty had collapsed. The temple ceiling embedded in the valley wall began to shake and drop dust.
"Don't, you fool! If you use that demonic sword, you'll only fulfill that Turd's wish! And you'll turn into a cursed vile evil bloodthirsty wicked demon!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A giant blood hand, one of the turd's high-level Qi techniques (the Devil Cult leader, we called him the Turd because his face was brown like turd and it was easier for us to call him like that), slapped Ye Jing—my best friend who had accompanied me hunting Devil Cults for seven years—into a pillar until the massive pillar cracked and collapsed.
He coughed up blood, it was a pretty direct hit.
"If I don't use it, that Turd will kill us first!"
"Who are you calling a turd?!?!"
A terrifying sound like a demon's shriek when speaking was heard. Yes, it was the Turd's voice, unwilling to be called that. He created many clones and controlled his giant blood hand Qi to chase me.
I ran as fast as dancing flames. Wherever my feet landed, fire ignited, creating propulsion to increase my speed.
"Flaming sword slash technique; First step; Twelve Fiery Dragon Twists."
BLAST! SLASH! SLASH!
Twelve slashes in one continuous foot strike eliminated all of the Turd's clones chasing me. I leaped between pillars, avoiding the large blood hand chasing me.
Using the fiery flash step technique, I was twenty steps away from the Turd. Preparing to unleash another slash technique.
"Why don't you just die, Turd? Your life is really troublesome for us."
The Turd raised his black-veined sword. Ready to receive my slash technique for the thousandth time.
"Flaming sword slash technique; Fifth step; Fiery Dragon Charge!"
Faster than a shooting arrow, covering twenty steps in half a blink of an eye. My flaming sword was thrust forward, piercing his neck.
"Darkness curse technique; Larum Mori."
Crack! Crash!
My sword shattered by the Turd's darkness Qi sword technique. He only made a simple straight sword swing from above. Just before the tip of my flaming sword hit his neck, my sword shattered, leaving only the hilt. My sword, broken into small pieces of iron, floated in the air. Its vibration caused my entire right hand to shatter as well. Its flesh, its bones, cracked, then tore and profusely bled red blood.
"Long Yi! Cough!"
Ye Jing, with his mouth and nostrils full of blood, forced himself to run after me.
That Turd had already raised his hand above my head, preparing to decapitate me.
"Too bad, Long Yi. You'll end up just like your father and mother."
"Too bad, Turd. You'll end up just like my father and mother."
Slash!
One swing, one head rolled to the ground.
Ye Jing screamed behind my back. He screamed because I used that.
The demonic sword, the cursed, forbidden, strangest sword ever exist on the face of this earth.
Its hilt was made of flesh yet harder than iron. In the middle of the hilt was a purple eye with a black pupil like a dragon's eye, writhing as it felt the blood from its blade flow to the ground.
For some reason, my left hand moved faster than that Turd swing his sword at my neck. Precisely before the Turd blade met my neck, my left hand move faster than him.
His head rolled to the ground. But he was smiling broadly. A very strange, broad smile that made me shudder in horror.
"Muahahahhaha!" His laugh, sounding like a true demon, still echoed even though his head was severed from his body. "Excellent, Long Yi. You truly met my expectations."
Black veins suddenly appeared on my left hand. My right hand, which was shattered, its flesh and bones regenerated, fusing back together, and black veins emerged, covering my entire body.
"UrGhhHh!!!"
Unbearable pain immediately enveloped my entire body. It felt like spears piercing every inch of my body or swords cutting my body into a thousand pieces. I couldn't take it anymore.
My eyes began to bleed. My vision turned blood red. I looked back, Ye Jing was on guard, his hands trembling and his face... His face... Was he angry? He stared at me with hatred. He even looked at me more seriously than when he faced the Turd.
Ye Jing took a stance, his sword drawn towards me. I knew it was his signature stance. The stance to unleash his deadly sword technique, and he was aiming it at me?
Why?
"Ye... Jing?"
"You, have become a demon, Long Yi." Ye Jing began to firm his footing. "I'm sorry, but you must die."
Without hesitation, he stomped his foot with all the remaining strength he had and unleashed his most deadly sword technique to cut my neck.
My entire body was covered in black veins. My eyes bled, crying blood, and I lifted my face only to see a blue sword blade cutting my neck.
Ye Jing, his face that usually smiled kindly like a prince. His face that usually laughed and joked with me. Now he looked at me with hatred and vengeance. Although behind those blue eyes, there was a hint of sadness visible.
However... It wasn't my head that was severed. My left hand moved on its own again.
The moment Ye Jing was halfway through cutting my neck, his movement stopped. My hand, the demonic sword in my left hand, pierced his heart. Just as Ye Jing used his most deadly technique on me. The blue slash technique whose speed no human eye could match.
Our red blood flowed profusely onto the dusty ground. The temple ceiling shook even more violently, dropping large chunks of stone.
"I... will... not... let you go... Long... Yi..."
"Why? Why did you..."
I looked into his eyes. From the reflection in his eyes, I could see my face. I... had turned into a demon. My skin was pale and black veins were taut all over my body. My eyes had turned dark blood red. My face was pale, I was no longer human.
"Hahahahaha! Ironic. All my life I searched for the demonic sword and found it. But I wasn't chosen by that sword. However, when you used it! You turned into a demon! The perfect creature I've been looking for all entire my life!
"In this world, no one will be able to match the power of a demon, Long Yi. That's why your friend desperately tried to kill you before you fully transformed into a perfect demon."
The Turd, whose head was already severed and lying on the ground, for some reason could still speak using its mouth. It smiled widely at me as if witnessing new born of a baby.
"Long... Yi... Let's die together.." Ye Jing released his hand from the sword that was still halfway through cutting my neck. He pulled the demonic sword I held in my left hand deeper until it pierced his back.
He smiled. His characteristic smile for the last time at me.
I was silent. I didn't know what to do.
For a few seconds, silence reigned. The Turd was now completely silent. Just like Ye Jing who died in my hands while wearing a smiling face and his hands gripping tightly blood stained blade not letting me pull out my sword.
The temple ceiling collapsed. Large chunks of stone fell. Burying me, Ye Jing, and the Turd within.
That day was the day of my death. And the day of my birth, as a demon into this world.
***