The true form of the Zanpakuto, already capable of slicing through iron, was the nemesis of all wicked spirits.
Further enhanced by the Li Huo Chi Ren Incantation, the Zanpakuto in Yan Shouyi's hand was now at its absolute peak of power!
With fire and blade light merging, it seemed as though they would cleave the heavens and earth apart!
Within the fiery glow, Yan Shouyi descended from the sky. The Zanpakuto, angled from upper left to lower right, sliced diagonally across Jiang Wusheng's body!!
Although Jiang Wusheng used his massive hand to block, it was ultimately no match for the Zanpakuto. His colossal hand shattered instantly, and the splashing Li Huo blade energy left a shocking wound on Jiang Wusheng's chest!
Flames burned around the wound, and the black Gu worms were nowhere to be seen!
"So strong!"
The Ma siblings, standing at a distance, arrived fashionably late and coincidentally witnessed this astonishing scene.
They asked themselves, if they, the Ma siblings, were to stand before Jiang Wusheng, they likely wouldn't last ten rounds!
Yet Yan Shouyi could suppress and fight Jiang Wusheng!
Yan Shouyi's performance over the past two days had continuously challenged their perceptions.
Both originating from the common folk, why was this guy so outrageously powerful?!
After severing Jiang Wusheng's tentacles and colossal hand, Yan Shouyi did not pause.
Fearing that Jiang Wusheng might have further hidden trump cards, he intended to end it swiftly and decisively!
Thus, he lunged forward, and the Zanpakuto in his hand instantly pierced through Jiang Wusheng's defenseless chest!
The blade tip, enveloped in flames, emerged from Jiang Wusheng's back, the flames intensifying.
Jiang Wusheng's massive head on his neck twisted in pain, and he emitted involuntary moans and screams.
"A thousand years!! I pursued him for a thousand miles, offered myself as a sacrifice to the Gu, lost my wife and children, and waited for a thousand years, yet I am still not your opponent!!!"
Jiang Wusheng questioned in agony, "Is it simply because I am a nobody from Yushu Kingdom, while you are the upright General Qing Jiang!"
Yan Shouyi did not understand why Jiang Wusheng harbored such deep resentment towards him, only feeling that the man's hatred had gone completely mad.
He pushed Jiang Wusheng's body, slowly withdrew the Zanpakuto, and said coldly,
"Do you have any more tricks up your sleeve?"
Jiang Wusheng immediately knelt before Yan Shouyi.
He had no more tricks.
Offering himself as a sacrifice to the Gu had been his ultimate trump card. It was just that he had given himself too little time to recover; otherwise, Yan Shouyi today would truly not have been his opponent.
Looking at Jiang Wusheng before him, Yan Shouyi sighed.
He placed the Zanpakuto against Jiang Wusheng's neck and asked, "Do you have any last words? Consider them a message for General Qing Jiang."
Jiang Wusheng raised his head, looking at Yan Shouyi, and what came out were not last words, but an accusation:
"General Qing Jiang... was merely a hypocrite, who, for his own selfish desires, betrayed the entire Qing Jiang Kingdom... and even Princess Wenyan..."
"Princess Wenyan was your childhood sweetheart, waiting for you for so many years, yet you ultimately chose that woman from Yushu Kingdom..."
"Do you know what became of Wenyan after you left?!"
At this moment, Yan Shouyi realized that Jiang Wusheng's hatred for General Qing Jiang did not stem from his own death.
It was… for Princess Wenyan?
Who was this person?
Neither in Lian He's records nor in his own conversations with General Qing Jiang had Yan Shouyi ever heard the name Princess Wenyan. Therefore, he was utterly bewildered, unsure of what Jiang Wusheng was talking about.
However, there was one thing Yan Shouyi knew for sure.
"Jiang Wusheng, you yourself betrayed Yushu Kingdom and defected to the Grand Tutor of Qing Jiang Kingdom. What right do you have to look down on General Qing Jiang?"
Jiang Wusheng was speechless for a moment.
His life had been tragic. Bullied in Yushu Kingdom as a child, insulted in the army camp as an adult, and later seeking refuge in Qing Jiang Kingdom, believing he had gained the Grand Tutor's recognition, only to find that the Grand Tutor treated him as a mere tool.
Finally, after surviving many dangers and having a wife and children, they were cruelly murdered by the people of Qing Jiang Kingdom. His resentment lingered for thousands of years, unyielding.
And in the end, he lost to Yan Shouyi.
Jiang Wusheng's eyes lost their light. His soul had long since scattered, and now, having lost to Yan Shouyi, his obsession also dissipated.
"I..."
Jiang Wusheng opened his mouth, but before he could utter a complete sentence, he unexpectedly threw himself onto the Zanpakuto!
The Li Huo on the Zanpakuto instantly incinerated him!
Yan Shouyi had not expected Jiang Wusheng to choose suicide. By the time he reacted, it was already too late.
He pulled out the Zanpakuto, looking at Jiang Wusheng engulfed in Li Huo, and suddenly felt a sense of unease.
For the first time, he felt curious about the events that had transpired back then.
What kind of love and hate had those people experienced a thousand years ago, that these emotions had not faded even after a millennium?
Even as their bodies decayed and their souls scattered, their obsessions remained in the mortal world.
"Princess Wenyan..."
Yan Shouyi repeated the name. He decided that if he ever had the chance to speak with Lian He or General Qing Jiang again, he would definitely inquire about the owner of this name.
Everyone gathered around Yan Shouyi. They had not personally experienced the battle and did not know what Jiang Wusheng had said, so they felt no particular emotion about Jiang Wusheng's death.
Everyone only knew that Yan Shouyi had won, and Jiang Wusheng was dead.
Yan Chou lightly tapped the Zanpakuto, and the Li Huo on it instantly extinguished. He then patted Yan Shouyi's shoulder and praised,
"You performed very well this time."
Whether it was the use of spells from the Lu Ban Book, his familiarity with Qimen Dunjia, or his decisiveness in combat, in Yan Chou's eyes, Yan Shouyi had passed the test.
A man of the Yan family should be like this!
The Dog Daoist also chimed in with praise, "Your father was already very outstanding back then, but compared to you now, he was still a little lacking!"
Yan Shouyi regained his senses, humbly responding to everyone's praise. He then took Lin Zitong's hand and said, "Let's quickly go see the original Gu worm!"
With Jiang Wusheng's death, the original Gu worm placed aside was also freed from its restraint.
The Dog Daoist stepped forward, picked up the Gu container, and after opening and examining it, confirmed, "No problem, Zitong little girl's life is saved!"
He tossed the Gu container to Lin Zitong. When Lin Zitong opened it, she saw a plump little worm nestled inside.
Unlike other girls who might be squeamish, Lin Zitong directly picked up the little worm with her finger and placed it on her palm.
The little worm tested something with its antennae, then its worm legs dug into Lin Zitong's skin. In a short while, the Gu poison was sucked out by the little worm.
The originally white little worm eventually turned black. As the Gu poison was completely absorbed, the little creature also lost its life.
The Gu poison within Lin Zitong was finally cleared, and she felt her overall spirit and energy had improved significantly.
Yan Shouyi breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but hug Lin Zitong.
"This original Gu worm was the mother body of the Yushu Soul-Devouring Poisonous Gu. Its entire life had only two purposes: to produce Gu poison, then absorb Gu poison, and then use the Gu poison to reproduce its offspring," Miao Ji, the Martial Monk, explained from the side.
The original Gu worm in Lin Zitong's palm, after dying, had its body, like an egg, quickly burst open, and five to six small Gu worms emerged.
These Gu worms were the larvae of the Soul-Devouring Poisonous Gu, but because they were still very young, they possessed little toxicity.
Lin Zitong was about to eliminate these Gu worms when the Dog Daoist suddenly stopped her, "Don't waste them, this thing is not common and is very nutritious!"
Yan Shouyi blinked in surprise, "Uncle Gou, you're not planning to eat them, are you?"
The courage to eat poisonous Gu worms was something Yan Shouyi truly lacked, he could only say that one's skill matched their boldness; indeed, he was Uncle Gou!
The Dog Daoist shook his head and pointed at Old Huang the dog, "It wants to eat them."
"Old Huang?" Lin Zitong hesitated, "Is it really okay?"
"What could possibly be wrong?" The Dog Daoist smiled, "Just give them to it!"
Seeing the Dog Daoist's confidence, Lin Zitong no longer hesitated and fed the Gu worms to Old Huang.
Unexpectedly, Old Huang, upon seeing the Gu worm larvae, acted as if it had found its snacks, wagging its tail excitedly. It swallowed all the poisonous Gu in one gulp, without even chewing.
After eating, it still licked its lips as if unsatisfied, its eyes asking Lin Zitong if there were any more of these little worms.
Lin Zitong couldn't help but feel amazed, "Old Huang is truly no ordinary dog. What is its background?"