Chapter 401 - 400: Three Deaths, Three Gains

The punch connected squarely with Bai Sha’s jaw, snapping his neck sideways. The impact carried the combined force of Lin Yuan’s physical cultivation and the destructive authority of his Dao Fruit.

Bai Sha’s skull fractured.

His consciousness collapsed beneath the force, and the remaining vitality within his body vanished.

The Demon Lord died for the second time.

Yet Lin Yuan did not relax.

He had already witnessed Bai Sha’s regeneration, and the first resurrection had been sufficient to establish that destroying the Demon Lord’s physical body was not enough to end the battle.

The silver-white fur flared.

Bai Sha’s neck returned to its original position, and the shattered bones within his skull reformed. His golden eyes reignited, carrying the same terrifying hunger as before.

The Demon Lord roared and swung a massive backhand toward Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan ducked beneath the attack.

His Dao Fruit had already perceived the trajectory, allowing him to move before the claws reached their destination. The White Tiger’s hand swept over his head, generating a powerful gust that scattered the surrounding rain.

Lin Yuan pivoted.

The Azure Dragon Secret Realm within his True Elemental Body released its boundless vitality, reinforcing his left leg as he delivered a sweeping kick toward Bai Sha’s knees.

The impact shattered both joints.

The Demon Lord’s massive body lurched forward, momentarily losing its balance.

Lin Yuan seized the opening.

He raised both fists above his head and brought them down upon the White Tiger’s skull with a devastating overhead strike.

BOOM!

The impact drove Bai Sha downward.

His skull caved in, and the enormous body dropped toward the ruined Grand Court. The force of the blow carried through his neck and spine, leaving his limbs hanging limply as he descended.

The Demon Lord died for the third time.

Lin Yuan followed him through the air.

The Rain Dragon spiraled around his body, its enormous form descending alongside him. Its silver-blue scales shimmered with Origin energy, while golden-purple thunder continued flowing through its coils.

Lin Yuan did not intend to allow Bai Sha another opportunity to attack Bai Qingyue.

If the Demon Lord’s regeneration depended upon consuming his phantom Primordial Spirits, then every death brought him closer to the limit of that ability.

However, Lin Yuan also remembered Ku Ming’s warning.

The nineteen lives were not necessarily a simple sequence of repeated resurrections.

There might be a deeper cost or benefit associated with each death, and he needed to understand that mechanism before allowing the battle to continue indefinitely.

Bai Sha’s body struck the ground.

The impact created a massive crater in the center of the ruined Grand Court, sending broken stone and shattered formation fragments flying in every direction.

The surrounding demons retreated instinctively.

Lin Yuan landed several paces away, his crimson robes untouched by the dust rising from the crater. He watched the motionless White Tiger with a cold expression, waiting for the inevitable return of its vitality.

A moment later, the crushed skull regenerated.

The silver-white fur spread across Bai Sha’s head, and the ancient crimson scars on his chest pulsed with renewed light.

The Demon Lord twisted his body and rose to his feet.

His enormous paws settled against the shattered ground, and the space around him trembled beneath the pressure of his cultivation.

Lin Yuan examined him.

"Three down," he said calmly. "Sixteen to go."

Bai Sha’s expression darkened.

For the first time, the White Tiger’s golden eyes contained something beyond contempt. His opponent had killed him three times in rapid succession, and although each resurrection had restored his body, the repeated destruction had begun to change the nature of his aura.

Ku Ming, who had finally managed to stabilize himself in the air, noticed the change as well.

His golden eyes widened.

"Benefactor Lin! Be careful!"

Lin Yuan’s Dao Fruit flared.

He followed the monk’s gaze and immediately understood that something was wrong.

When Bai Sha had first appeared, his cultivation had stood at the absolute peak of Void Refinement. His aura had been oppressive, but Lin Yuan had been able to suppress him temporarily through the authority of the Origin spell.

Now the pressure surrounding the White Tiger was considerably greater.

The silver slaughter intent radiating from his body had become thicker and more concentrated. It spread across the battlefield like an invisible weight, crushing the remaining demonic miasma and causing the surrounding spatial distortions to tremble.

The crimson scars across Bai Sha’s chest glowed with an intensity that made them appear almost incandescent.

His physical presence had also changed.

The muscles beneath his silver-white fur had become denser, and the energy circulating through his body carried a terrifying sense of accumulated power.

Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes.

"He is growing stronger."

Ku Ming’s expression became grave.

"The nineteen lives are not merely a means of restoring his body," the monk explained urgently. "Every time Bai Sha consumes a phantom Primordial Spirit to resurrect himself, the remaining energy of that spirit is absorbed into his physical vessel!"

He looked toward the White Tiger.

"Each death allows him to accumulate more power. The stronger the phantom Primordial Spirit he consumes, the greater the increase in his combat strength!"

Lin Yuan’s expression changed slightly.

That explained the transformation in Bai Sha’s aura.

The Demon Lord’s bloodline did not simply allow him to return from death. It converted the destruction of his body into an opportunity for further advancement, using the residual energy of his consumed phantom Primordial Spirits to reinforce his physical strength and cultivation.

Every successful killing blow was making the next confrontation more dangerous.

Bai Sha rolled his broad shoulders.

A low, menacing chuckle emerged from his chest, spreading across the ruined courtyard.

"You are perceptive, monk."

His voice now carried a dual-toned resonance, as though another presence was speaking through him.

"I am the Warlord of the White Slaughter. My bloodline does not merely endure death. It feeds upon it."

The Demon Lord took a step forward!

A/N: Woah, 400 Chapters already written. Thanks to everyone that has been with me along the way, so what are your thoughts so far?