Chapter One Hundred Forty-Five: Oversights

Indeed.

From the very instant he completely comprehended the God and Demon of Wood, Liu Ping felt that the battle had already drawn to a close. All of the Demon Commander's struggles were utterly futile; the disparity in strength was an insurmountable chasm. Viewed in this light, what further issues could there possibly be?

Yet, when the dusty figure coldly questioned whether he truly believed he had won, a chill spread across Liu Ping’s entire body, a sensation of dread rising from the depths of his soul. It was not prompted by the words themselves—his subconscious still regarded the opponent with immense disdain—but rather by a primal premonition of danger.

Where had an error occurred?

Before Liu Ping could ponder the question, the next moment he felt his abdomen being ruptured. A hand reached through from behind to his front, and blood spurted ceaselessly forward.

For a fleeting second, there was no intense pain, only profound bewilderment. Immediately afterward, he could not help but cough up several large mouthfuls of fresh blood, while Ling'er shrieked frantically, "Young Master!"

Liu Ping turned his head to see Ying Ning's face frozen in utter astonishment. The arm that had stabbed through his back and pierced straight through his body naturally belonged to her.

Whether in defense or offense, the physique of a God and Demon was exceptionally transcendent. Be it formless energetic assaults or tangible physical attacks, one had to shatter the divine form itself in order to harm Liu Ping’s true body. Although damage to the divine form would reverberate back to the physical body, such backlash was negligible. Nevertheless, the divine form still possessed a fatal flaw: an attack launched from within, an angle impossible to evade.

"How... could this... be?" Ying Ning's lips trembled as she opened and closed them, unable to believe her own actions. A talismanic seal within her body controlled her movements; despite her desperate resistance, it remained entirely futile and useless.

Liu Ping sighed softly. He should have anticipated such a development long ago. Yet, accustomed as he was to pressing ever forward with infallible momentum, he had simply failed to consider this possibility.

A blunder.

A truly ridiculous blunder.

Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack!

Seizing the opportunity while Liu Ping was injured, the dusty figure broke free from the entangling trees, wearing a ferocious smile. With a swift incantation, he commanded Ying Ning to execute the next move.

Just one more strike—crushing Liu Ping's heart—would be enough to kill him completely.

With a stiff body, Ying Ning once again moved involuntarily, her eyes brimming with terror. "No... don't..."

Despite her desperate resistance, it seemed entirely in vain. Tears streamed down continuously, and the agony plunged her into a state of absolute despair. At that moment, she was terrified—terrified that the person before her might die at her own hands. No matter what, he was her savior. To be on the verge of victory only for her betrayal to completely reverse the situation—how could this not drive her to the pinnacle of self-reproach and torment?

Her eyes were splitting at the corners as she fought frantically against the talisman within her.

This resistance brought a surge of intense pain, washing over her like a tidal wave. She almost failed to hold on, yet she gritted her teeth fiercely, enduring it until she finally managed to wrest back control over her arm's further movement.

Just as Liu Ping appeared destined to perish under the next blow, the attack abruptly halted, leaving the dusty figure somewhat stunned. Gritting his teeth, he cursed, "Bitch! Bitch! I will make you beg for death and pray for life!"

Having clearly sensed the breath of death, Liu Ping breathed a sigh of relief as the assault stopped. The previous moment with Ying Ning had truly come dangerously close to stripping away his life. This was also the first time in his life he had brushed shoulders with death at such close quarters. The pain from his bodily injuries surged over him endlessly. Uncomfortable though it was, as long as he remained alive, hope persisted.

Liu Ping shook off Ying Ning and swiftly used a portion of his divine and demonic form to immobilize her completely.

He then rapidly staunched the bleeding with spiritual energy. Even so, his complexion remained extremely pale and unsightly. However, as long as he weathered this immediate crisis, the countless elixirs stored in his storage pouch would be more than enough to fully restore his injuries.

"Young Master, let me help you manipulate the divine and demonic form. Quickly take your elixirs to heal your wounds," Ling'er finally spoke after a long silence. Her tone carried a hint of self-reproach; had she helped Liu Ping swiftly finish off the dusty figure from the start, none of this would have happened.

Liu Ping shook his head, however, and stubbornly lifted his chin. "No, I will finish him off myself."

"Young Master... very well." Ling'er wanted to offer counsel, but seeing the expression on the young master's face, the words on the tip of her tongue had to be changed into agreement.

"Do you have any other trump cards?" Liu Ping raised his head, asking indifferently, "If you do, bring them all out. I want to see just how you plan to turn the tables."

This was nothing short of a supreme humiliation; Demon Commander Chen could hardly imagine that he would ever encounter such a predicament. With an ugly, ferocious expression, he snarled, "Abominable! You are heavily injured, yet you remain so arrogant! Do you really think possessing mere strength is enough to deal with me?"

Liu Ping replied calmly, "Of course I do."

His plain words were fraught with unquestionable certainty. He was not lying at all; he spoke as though stating a matter of course. The dusty figure froze, then said coldly, "A fine 'of course I do'! Then let me see how much combat power you still have left!"

He abruptly opened his wide mouth, preparing to spit out a moonlight cannonball, when he suddenly felt a wave of tremors wracking his entire body. It was a shudder originating from his very soul, warning him that his current situation was exceedingly perilous!

"How... is this possible?" But the attack was already at his lips, impossible to swallow back, and could only be launched toward Liu Ping.

"Hmph. Did you really think I would waste time chatting with you while waiting for your counterattack?" Pale-faced though he was, Liu Ping still radiated unparalleled confidence. Even after suffering a heavy covert blow just moments before, his sharpness remained unblunted, as if his injuries did not exist at all.

Dozens of seeds materialized out of thin air in the sky, transforming into countless vines in the blink of an eye.

Intertwining, the vines formed a massive web. When the moonlight cannonball collided with it, it merely blasted out a large crater before vanishing without a trace. That crater was swiftly filled by newly sprouted vines, rendering the attack as if it had never happened.

"This, this is impossible!" The dusty figure's heart was filled with absurdity. Had his attack truly become so weak and impotent? It would have been one thing if Liu Ping had been at the peak of his condition, but the man was severely injured right now! Gritting his teeth, he spun around and transformed instantly into a wisp of black smoke, fleeing frantically.

However, the next second, he was trapped by the all-encompassing web of interweaving vines. Before he knew it, there was nowhere left for him to escape.

The vines compressed and intertwined with one another, quickly engulfing the Demon Commander completely. No matter how many skills he possessed, he could only await his execution now.

Feeling the crushing pressure of the vines, pain crashed over him wave after wave. In the span of a breath, the physical body of Demon Commander Chen began to tear into a bloody mess, reduced to the utmost wretchedness.

The terror of death goaded him, and he screamed, "You cannot kill me!"

"Absurd," Liu Ping sneered with utter disdain. He was just about to make his move when the next sentence stopped him dead in his tracks.

"If you dare to make another move, I will instantly end the life of your pretty maiden! Since I can control her, I can certainly make her die!" Demon Commander Chen issued an unyielding and thoroughly vicious threat.

Liu Ping froze, coming to an abrupt halt as his expression darkened. If Ying Ning died, this entire battle would lose all meaning for him.

"You dare."

"Why wouldn't I dare! If you dare to kill me, I dare to kill your pretty maiden!" Driven to his wits' end, the Demon Commander shouted coldly.

"If you dare to kill her, I will slaughter your son and your entire family, leaving your bloodline completely extinct." Liu Ping's gaze was frosty. No one had ever threatened him in such a manner before, and this time, genuine wrath had been ignited within him. He meant what he said. Although involving others might invite karmic retribution upon his fortune, ever since he inherited a portion of the White Emperor's legacy, he had stepped onto the White Emperor's path. The path of slaughter naturally feared no consequences brought by slaughter.

Hearing this, Demon Commander Chen immediately snarled, "You wouldn't!"

Liu Ping sneered, echoing the Demon Commander's earlier words: "Why wouldn't I?"

The dusty figure yielded: "Fine! You're ruthless! Let me go, and I will undo the talismanic seal as well. From now on, we shall have nothing to do with each other—we will mind our own business!"

Liu Ping smiled. "Do you take me for a fool?"

The dusty figure's expression shifted as he demanded, "Then what do you want?"

"I want you to die!" There was only one chance to kill this dusty figure, and that was right now. Having controlled the divine and demonic form and unleashed several major ultimate attacks in succession, his spiritual energy was almost entirely depleted. Though he was replenishing it with the Immortal Spirit Art, it was undoubtedly a drop in the bucket. With his spiritual energy on the verge of exhaustion, letting the opponent go would mean certain death for Liu Ping once he could no longer maintain the divine and demonic form.

At that time, not only Liu Ping, but Ying Ning as well would be in mortal peril. Thus, there was no retreat left. Even knowing that this move would place Ying Ning in danger, he could no longer afford to hesitate.

Liu Ping was gambling—gambling that the dusty figure could not harm Ying Ning in time, and gambling that his own attack could obliterate the Demon Commander in a single instant.

"Ahhh! No!" the dusty figure shrieked, his voice filled with despair and reluctance. With reddened eyes, he frantically manipulated the talisman, determined to kill Ying Ning. After enduring countless hardships to rescue her, only to lose her in the end—he would make Liu Ping taste that very same bitterness!

Puff!

The entire body of Demon Commander Chen was instantly turned into a lump of minced meat.

On the ground below, Liu Ping—within the form of the God and Demon—suffered an overwhelming physical load from the frantic execution of spells just moments before. His vision went black, and he nearly passed out. Fortunately, he held on, but every muscle in his body trembled, blood oozing out through his skin until he looked almost like a man made of blood.

He whipped his head around to look at Ying Ning, only to find that she had fallen asleep, her breathing steady and seemingly out of danger.

"Phew." Breathing a sigh of relief, Liu Ping staggered, nearly collapsing to the ground.

At this moment, the family and various demons of the Chen clan were completely dumbfounded. The pillar of their hearts, clan head Chen Tu, had actually died?

"Ahhhhh! Father!" Chen Tu wailed tearfully, his face distorted beyond recognition. Abandoning all remaining reason, he charged frantically toward Liu Ping to kill him.

Yet, even in his current state of being at the end of his tether, how could Liu Ping be a match for him?

Taking advantage of the divine and demonic form before it dissipated, he decided to wipe out the entire Chen clan as well. Killing one was slaughter, and killing a dozen was likewise slaughter; Liu Ping never had the habit of leaving roots when weeding.

Swish!

The vines from above descended directly in a crushing sweep, pulverizing every single demon present into paste within the blink of an eye.