I, the Lord of the Fifth Throne, am the source of all things!

Muzan never expected that Duanmu Lian would be able to discover him.

Duanmu Lian never expected to encounter the Ghost King here.

So both of them were somewhat stunned.

Then, Duanmu Lian was the first to react, and then made a strange move under the puzzled gaze of Kibutsuji Muzan.

"Hey Hey......"

He first gave a wicked smile, then rubbed his clothes, which immediately deformed and split into two sun-shaped earrings that he wore on his earlobes.

Then, as Muzan Kibutsuji's gaze gradually stiffened, Duanmu Lian's clothes changed into a red haori.

Finally, he slicked his hair back with hairspray, turning his blue hair a deep red and setting it up in a high ponytail.

With her pupils turning iridescent, having completed a Taisho-era cosplay of Yoriichi Tsugikuni, Duanmu Lian raised her sword and spoke in a low, somber voice, mimicking Yoriichi Tsugikuni:

"What do you value life for?!"

"!!!!!!"

In an instant, Muzan Kibutsuji's cabinet moved—no, his DNA moved!

As every cell in his body recalled that terrifying memory, and he broke out in a cold sweat, Duanmu Lian moved.

Bang---!

In the blink of an eye, the ground beneath Duanmu Lian's feet cracked open, revealing deep, spiderweb-like fissures.

Then, to Muzan Kibutsuji's wide-eyed horror, Duanmu Lian's terrifyingly smiling face was already face-to-face with him.

In an instant, a chilling glint of light flashed in Muzan's crimson eyes, and then...

Puff puff puff puff puff puff!

At this distance, Duanmu Lian stabbed Muzan five times and slashed him seven times almost simultaneously.

Five thrusts, carrying terrifying power concentrated on a single point, pierced through the five brains within Muzan's body.

The seven consecutive slashes also destroyed the seven hearts inside Muzan's body.

Muzan has five brains and seven hearts in his body, and at the same time, they were all breached by Duanmu Lian.

At that moment, Muzan seemed to be replaying a scene in his mind, recalling that night in the bamboo forest.

It was that man with the sun-shaped earring who drove him into a near-death situation.

At that moment, another man wearing sun-shaped earrings appeared, reenacting the desperate situation he had faced that day.

Is he going to die now?!

No!!!!!!

This man didn't have a Nichirin Blade and didn't know any breathing techniques, so he still has a chance to live!

In an instant, Muzan Kibutsuji unleashed an extremely powerful will to survive.

Everything he did was for the sake of living, to live forever, and he would stop at nothing to achieve that.

So, should we run away? Should we escape?

This man in front of me is dangerous. He's so strong even without getting the Nichirin Blade or learning the Breathing Technique.

If he were to wield a Nichirin Blade and learn breathing techniques, wouldn't he have to hide for another hundred years?!

Thinking of those past years when he hid like a rat, Muzan felt an overwhelming sense of anger and shame.

Quack! No, no, you can't do that!!!

Muzan has already noticed the progress of human society. The world is changing rapidly, and he cannot predict what will happen a hundred years from now.

and so!

"I must kill you here!!!"

Muzan Kibutsuji roared, and then a powerful, tangible shockwave erupted from his entire body, instantly blasting away and shattering the ground a hundred meters beneath his feet.

At that moment, the entire Yoshiwara entertainment district seemed to have been struck by a meteorite; everything above ground was shattered and blown away.

Even people were not exempt; in just an instant, many people were turned into minced meat by the shockwave, which was comparable to the explosion of a missile.

This is one of Muzan's trump cards, and also his strongest attack method.

It can emit a powerful shockwave over a wide area centered on itself, and also possesses extremely strong physical destructive power.

Duanmu Lian originally thought this guy would split up and run away, but she didn't expect him to actually fight back, so she was knocked dozens of meters away.

At this moment, after Kibutsuji Muzan knocked Duanmu Lian away, he underwent a complete transformation, much like a boss in its second phase.

He was shirtless, his skin was as white as paper, and his limbs and lower body were covered in blood and hair.

Its body was covered with mouths that opened and closed like shark teeth, and its two arms were like two large snakes, stretching out and wrapping around its body.

At the same time, nine tubes extended from his back, constantly swaying like whips, with sharp blades at the ends of the tubes.

With his hair growing long and waving wildly like seaweed, Kibutsuji Muzan stared at Duanmu Lian not far away with his scarlet eyes, his eyes filled with tension and killing intent.

He was afraid of Duanmu Lian and wanted to kill her right now.

His inner shame and indignation made him unwilling to continue hiding, so he decided to take a gamble.

Duanmu Lian beamed with delight at this.

"It's good that you didn't run away, at least you saved yourself some energy~~~"

Duanmu Lian changed her clothes back to their original state. She originally thought she could scare this coward into exploding and running away. But seeing that Kibutsuji Muzan was able to muster the courage to confront him head-on, it saved her a lot of trouble.

"These mere humans are far too arrogant!!!"

Enraged by Duanmu Lian's disdainful attitude, Kibutsuji Muzan stretched out his arms and unleashed nine pipes behind him that danced wildly like mad snakes.

As this guy went berserk, a cutting storm formed within a radius of nearly twenty meters around him.

The achievement, like a whip, directly slashed out waves of vacuum.

But Duanmu Lian scoffed dismissively at the barrage of attacks.

He often encounters opponents who launch concentrated attacks in the training space, and he has many ways to counter them.

choke---!

Faced with Muzan Kibutsuji's impenetrable attack, the sound of the sword rang out like the chirping of a bird.

Duanmu Lian directly used the Water Bird Dance she had stolen from Valkyrie Malenia, charging straight into Muzan Kibutsuji's barrage of fire.

The collision lasted only a second before Muzan Kibutsuji's attack was interrupted, as his body was torn to pieces.

Just like a skilled butcher carving up an ox, the other person was cut into pieces.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Duanmu Lian immediately took out a freezing device and containers, freezing and preserving a portion of Kibutsuji Muzan's flesh and blood.

Upon realizing this, Kibutsuji Muzan, who had immediately recovered, also sensed the other party's intention.

This guy wants to capture him alive!!!

Looking at Duanmu Lian's excited and fanatical eyes, Kibutsuji Muzan felt a new kind of terror he had never heard of before.

What is this guy trying to do by collecting his flesh and blood?

Isn't it all for immortality?

If humans are short-lived, can they resist the temptation of immortality?

No!

Muzan Kibutsuji believed that, apart from people like the Demon Slayer Corps, there were few people in the world who could refuse immortality.

Furthermore, for Duanmu Lian, who is yet another Yoriichi Tsugikuni, what if he becomes a demon...?

"Aaaaaah!!!! I will absolutely not let you succeed!!!!"

Kibutsuji Muzan roared in shock and anger. The appearance of someone as terrifying as Yoriichi Tsugikuni, capable of completely overpowering him, was already terrifying enough.

But he discovered that there was something even more terrifying than that.

That's the kind of person who can instantly dismember themselves and wants to become a ghost like them.

If this happens, he'll have to hide for the rest of his life!

Thinking this, Muzan Kibutsuji immediately stopped fighting and turned into a blur as he ran away.

Duanmu Lian was unaware of Muzan Kibutsuji's imagined scenarios.

"boom---!"

But when he saw the most precious experimental material and tried to run away, his eyes immediately turned red, and he instantly unleashed an amazing aura. Then, he entered a supersonic state and began to chase after Muzan Kibutsuji.

Duanmu Lian's actions caused the entire Yoshiwara entertainment district to feel as if it had experienced a major earthquake, resulting in a multiplied increase in the number of casualties.

He ran on the ground at several times the speed of sound, and the shockwaves and gales he generated were enough to smash a person into mincemeat and blow a house away.

Duanmu Lian relentlessly pursued Kibutsuji Muzan, slashing at him as she went.

With his speed, he could have easily caught up with Muzan.

However, every time Muzan was caught up, he would immediately self-destruct on the spot, turning into pieces of flesh, and then take the opportunity to escape.

Instead of immediately giving chase, Duanmu Lian quickly collected the pieces of meat and then used her mental energy to scan and pursue Muzan once again.

While chasing, he also trash-talked the other person behind their back.

"You son of a bitch, Muzan Kibutsuji, why are you running?! I don't have my Nichirin Blade and I don't know any Breathing Techniques, what are you cowering for?!"

"Aaaaaaah!!! Nakime! You bastard, why aren't you coming to save me?!"

Having been chased and hacked for over a hundred kilometers, Muzan Kibutsuji was now nothing but skin and bones. He screamed in terror, calling for his subordinate Nakime to come and save him.

Because of his constant self-destruction and escape, Duanmu Lian has collected several tons of flesh from his body.

Muzan Kibutsuji didn't believe a single word the monster chasing him from behind said!

You can't use the Breathing Technique without a Nichirin Blade?!