He changed Tiwat

"Alright. In that case... let those two Abyss Chanters pay the price for their deaths."

Ye Mingxiang's gaze fell on Han Fulai's face behind Jiang Xue.

Han Fulai was making a strange gesture at this moment—his eyes were closed, and his hands were clasped together and raised above his head, as if he were praying to a certain god. If it were Wan Yan in Yinyuan Hall, she might recognize that this was the posture of a believer of the Salt God praying.

But this was not a meaningless action; his body was now emitting a faint silver light—like a snowfield reflecting moonlight.

Ye Mingxiang put his helmet back on, and with his free hand, he placed it on the hilt of his greatsword.

This is the first time he has used both hands since he appeared.

The result was that the outcome was already decided.

Jiang Xue watched helplessly as his senior brother suppressed his Thousand Rocks Ancient Sword inch by inch, bringing it ever closer to his throat. He had no choice but to retreat step by step, while Ye Mingxiang pressed forward against him.

“There are only four kinds of people in this world,” Ye Mingxiang said softly. “The first kind of people are the dead.”

"Even with the protection of the Abyss and a long lifespan, if chanting scriptures ruins your mind, you'll become a nonsensical charlatan. So those two Abyss Chanters are already dead."

Chapter 195 Half-god, half-saint, and half-immortal; a complete Confucian and Taoist, a complete sage

The demonic remnants within Han Fulai's body are pure energy that has been dispersed by Zhongli, and they do not contain any of the will of that "Salt Demon God." However, Han Fulai is currently "praying" to the demonic remnants within his body.

He wants to be his own god.

He was infusing his own will into this pure energy.

Then, respond to your own prayer.

Although he had never participated in the battle between Jiang Xue and Ye Mingxiang, he had always heard their conversation clearly.

When Ye Mingxiang's gaze fell upon him, even though he wasn't a martial artist, he felt a palpable killing intent. To be honest, he felt the fear of death. Perhaps running away without thinking was an option, and it perfectly aligned with human instinct when facing danger.

But he believed in Jiang Xue, believed that this commander of the Thousand Rocks Army, who wielded the Thousand Rocks Ancient Sword, was just like his oath—"The Thousand Rocks are firm, and the towering peaks are unyielding."

Jiang Xue did indeed reciprocate his trust, delaying until his preparations were complete.

Han Fulai opened his eyes, his pupils flashing with silver light.

"Senior Jiang Xue! Retreat!"

Upon hearing Han Fulai's voice, Jiang Xue paused slightly, hesitating whether he should listen to Han Fulai's advice and retreat.

Although he is currently at a disadvantage, he is still maintaining a stalemate. Once he retreats, it will be too difficult to protect Han Fulai from his senior brother.

The "True Techniques" are skills created solely for killing enemies on the battlefield, and the invisible sword energy of the "Wind-Slaying Sword" is even more incomparably sharp.

Just like when he killed Dark Shell and Abyss Singer before, he believed that his senior brother would not need to use a second move to kill Han Fulai—and his senior brother had already declared that Han Fulai would "pay the price" in his place.

If he retreats, it would be tantamount to "betraying his comrades".

Upon hearing this, Ye Mingxiang actually smiled.

"Jiang Xue, Jiang Xue... Heh. Giving up your name, giving up your responsibilities, giving up your ideals... I'm so disappointed in you..."

He gripped the sword hilt tightly with both hands, and the "True Technique" suddenly erupted, his whole body surging with soaring sword energy, making him seem like a sharp sword, capable of killing enemies invisibly with every move.

The sword light suddenly intensified, and Ye Mingxiang took a heavy step forward!

"Step-Slaying Kill - Shattered Dream!"

The immense force was unstoppable. Jiang Xue's body, along with the Thousand Rock Ancient Sword in his hand, flew out like a cannonball, tracing a curved parabola in the air before crashing heavily to the ground.

The ultimate move of the "Sword of Wind Slash" is a step from light to heavy—and Ye Mingxiang's step required no preparation; his cultivation had already reached the level of being able to switch between light and heavy with ease.

If it weren't for the Thousand Rocks Ancient Sword in his hand, made of divinely forged bedrock, Jiang Xue might have been cut in two by that sword strike.

"Xinghan, you really are...heartbreaking." Ye Mingxiang sighed. "You are the second type of person, a failure."

"But it's all good... this way, you won't stand in my way anymore, and I won't have to... kill you with my own hands."

“Sir, your words are somewhat biased,” Han Fulai said at this moment. “As a civil servant of Liyue, I am obligated to provide you, Mr. Ye Mingxiang, with some legal education.”

Han Fulai stretched out his hands, as if holding a sphere, while silver-white, arc-shaped high walls grew out of the ground beside Ye Mingxiang, forming a spherical cage.

"According to Liyue's laws, every citizen of Liyue has the right to their name and the right to decide, use, and change their name in accordance with the law. I think the name Jiang Xue sounds better than Xing Han... In addition, changing names is very common. For example, I know people who don't have the surname Zhong but call themselves Zhong Li, people who don't have the surname Ning but call themselves Ning Guang, and people who don't have the surname Ye but call themselves Ye Lan... I guess, sir, you may not actually have the surname Ye either."

"...So the Salt Demon God still has a lineage in the human world." Ye Mingxiang frowned under his helmet. He had guessed that the person traveling with Xing Han must also have some skills, and might also possess the "Eye of God", but he did not expect that he was the inheritor of the power of the Demon God.

"You are the third type of person."

"Who is it?" Han Fulai asked.

At the same time, he clasped his hands together, and the salt cage suddenly contracted, completely enveloping Ye Mingxiang's body.

As a mage, this wasn't the first time he'd done something like trash-talking while keeping his distance from his opponent, and he was quite skilled at it.

"To make rash judgments without understanding your opponent's strength is the beginning of your mistakes—a foolish man."

Ye Mingxiang's body was filled with sword energy, and without even wielding her greatsword, the salt cage was shattered layer by layer.

But Han Fulai did not stop his attack. The ground beneath Ye Mingxiang's feet had already hardened and cracked when he was trapped in the cage. Just as Ye Mingxiang broke free of the cage, a large hole collapsed in the ground.

Even Ye Mingxiang, suddenly losing his footing, couldn't resist the effects of gravity, let alone the fact that his armor and the greatsword he carried weighed over two hundred pounds. So he fell into the pit Han Fulai had dug.

However, hindering his opponent's progress was only Han Fulai's first step.

He murmured, "Half-god, half-saint, half-immortal; a complete Confucian, a complete Taoist, a complete sage."

Half salt god, half immortal, half-monthly secretary of the Sea Pavilion, and half-heir to the Emperor who has not yet been truly recognized—this is a true reflection of Han Fulai's current situation. As for Liyue's "reason," he had already touched upon it by chance in his battle with the Sea God.

—To judge the beauty of heaven and earth, to analyze the principles of all things, and to observe the completeness of the ancients. Few can encompass all the beauty of heaven and earth, or be worthy of the countenance of the gods.

The so-called demon gods are beings who have mastered the "principles" of Teyvat.

"With ten thousand volumes of true knowledge in one's mind, one can master half of the world, both literary and martial arts."

While Jiang Xue and Ye Mingxiang were confronting each other, Han Fulai fully mobilized the demonic power within him, allowing it to permeate his entire body in place of immortal power. Using his understanding of Zhongli's "inner saint and outer king" principle gained during this time, he successfully integrated his will into the demonic remnants. Until the energy of the demonic remnants within him is exhausted, he is the Salt God!

Although his understanding of salt compounds was not yet deep enough to allow him to wield power surpassing Heuria's, Heuria's strength was already unparalleled for humans. Han Fulai vividly remembered those "statues" in the Salt God Ruins.

Han Fulai took a deep breath.

"Inhale and turn into stone!"

Ye Mingxiang leaped out of the pit, and what awaited him was a silvery light.

Just like Onnar's "Listening to the Truth" before, Han Fulai also used a ranged attack belonging to a mage, only his attack range far exceeded Onnar's.

With him as the center, a semi-circular area with a radius of 100 meters in front of him was completely covered with a white salt crust.

Fortunately, Jiang Xue had already been knocked behind him; otherwise, such an indiscriminate area attack might have included Jiang Xue as well.

Ye Mingxiang suddenly raised the Thousand Rocks Ancient Sword in her hand and stood it upright in front of her, as if using it as a shield to block—but it was useless.

A white knight statue stands on the vast, white silver plain.

Bounty settled and Happy Chinese New Year!

First, there's the settlement of the previous New Year's bounty.

To be honest, I originally expected to finish around five chapters, because it's quite difficult to write even 10,000 more words on this topic... and you guys don't usually post or vote much...

So you guys popped up as soon as I offered a bounty, huh?

Even people are opening treasure chests!

Some people in the group even said they would give out year-end bonuses and treasure chests, which scared me so much that I immediately begged for mercy, saying I couldn't afford to pay any more, really!

That's all for now. Thank you all for your support, and thank you to everyone who voted and tipped. I'll start making up for lost time with 20 chapters today! I'll try my best to finish making up for lost time as soon as possible.

And today is Lunar New Year's Eve, so I wish all my viewers a Happy Chinese New Year and a prosperous Year of the Rabbit! I wish you all a happy life, smooth work, and academic progress!

Please continue to support me in the new year! Let me start with a little something to whet your appetite today~

Chapter 196 Neither God, Saint, nor Immortal; Abandoning Confucianism and Taoism, Not Called a Worthy Person

Jiang Xue, leaning on the Thousand Rocks Ancient Sword, finally managed to stand up.

His bamboo hat and mask had been shattered by the sword energy in the previous battle, and several shallow wounds remained on his cheeks. But to suffer only these injuries after fighting his senior brother was clearly a result of his senior brother holding back.

When he stood up, what came into his view was the vast expanse of white silver plain, and his senior brother's "statue" on the silver plain.

“This…is…” Although he had never seen Han Fulai use the power of the Salt God like this before, he quickly understood the situation before him.

Han Fulai, who cast this "statue", has already approached Ye Mingxiang.

"Stop right now!" Jiang Xue shouted.

Han Fulai had already summoned his black-tasseled spear and was preparing to deliver the finishing blow as usual when he heard Jiang Xue's voice and quickly stopped—he couldn't very well smash his senior brother to pieces in front of her.

He was slightly embarrassed at this moment.

Logically, since the other party wanted him dead, his counterattack was purely self-defense. However, the other party clearly had a deep relationship with Jiang Xue, and he couldn't disregard personal feelings.

So his gun froze in mid-air, caught in a philosophical dilemma like Hu Fei facing Miao Renfeng—should he strike or not?

However, this action saved his life—because the white "statue" suddenly moved, maintaining the shape of a statue as it moved!

The ancient sword, encased in salt, suddenly rose and struck him precisely in the chest.

Han Fulai's gun happened to stop in mid-air, so he used it to block the shot.

Although he blocked the sword, he didn't completely block it—the black-tasseled spear was broken in two by the sword!

The sword's edge, having shattered the black-tasseled spear, continued its momentum, still aiming for his heart. Fortunately, Han Fulai reacted in time, and a protective mirror made of salt shield appeared out of thin air, saving his life.

The salt shield shattered, but its momentum still lingered, sending Han Fulai flying several feet away.

Han Fulai barely managed to stand, feeling a sweet taste in his throat; the impact to his chest and abdomen had already injured him. What surprised him even more was that Ye Mingxiang could still move!

The white knight, still in that "statue" pose, charged towards him.

That's impossible!

Whether it's the inhuman "Beast Hound" or the "Empty Shell" that no longer has a physical form, being hit by his skill will only result in turning into a salt statue. Ye Mingxiang clearly took a solid hit from his "Inhale and Turn to Stone" attack, so how could she escape from the power of the Salt God?

Even if he's only half a salt god now, he's still using the power of a demon god!

“It’s the ‘True Truth Technique’!” Jiang Xue spoke rapidly. “He just covered his entire body with the ‘True Truth Technique,’ which is equivalent to wearing an extra layer of armor around his body, so…”

No wonder Jiang Xue told him to stop earlier, not to stop attacking, but to stop walking... Ye Mingxiang had just covered her entire body with sword energy to form a protective barrier, thus neutralizing his attack!

Han Fulai had no time to think about anything else. He tried his best to maintain the state of the Salt God while launching another attack.

Han Fulai gestured with both hands, and two salt dragons appeared out of thin air, attacking the white-clad knight. Then, his hand gestures changed, and he pressed his hands down to the ground. The silver plain formed by salt surged like a turbulent sea, unleashing a torrent of salt waves that swept towards the target.

Ye Mingxiang paused, and the salt crust on the greatsword in her hand shattered, revealing its true golden color.

"Neither god nor saint nor immortal, abandoning Confucianism and Taoism, he is not worthy of being called a sage." Ye Mingxiang's voice suddenly appeared.

The sword energy was like a whirlwind, sweeping in all directions around Ye Mingxiang without any blind spots.

Then, he disappeared.

"Run!"

Jiang Xue gritted her teeth, and her figure disappeared from the spot at the same instant.

Han Fulai looked up in astonishment and saw Jiang Xue fly in front of him, while a resounding bell rang between the two ancient swords.

Before she could react, Jiang Xue and Han Fulai behind her were both sent flying dozens of meters away.

The white knight shook off the salt crust covering his body during the collision, emerging unharmed.

"Even when the sun, moon, and stars have faded, the North Star remains; the world will always be under one sky."

Ye Mingxiang leaned on her sword and finished her stance.

"What use is the power of a demon god? Humans can also slay gods." Although his expression beneath his helmet was obscured, his voice was unmistakably filled with mockery. "From beyond this world, we have gained the power to negate it."

Thick black energy swirled and surged around the black armor.

Behind him, waves of salt crashed into the air, the salt dragon shattered, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the silvery ground.

Jiang Xue managed to roll and dissipate the force after landing, while Han Fulai had a solid, intimate encounter with the rocky ground, feeling pain all over his body.

"Extreme Step Kill - Silence. Of the Six Forms of Wind Slash, this is the one you've never been able to use well." Ye Mingxiang slowly walked towards the two of them, casually commenting on Jiang Xue's performance just now.

"Remember, the combination of the Swiftness and the Phantom is the key to silence. Your sword and your body must be faster than sound."

"Cough..." Jiang Xue knelt on the ground, sword in hand, her eyes filled with resentment.

Han Fulai tried to straighten up, his fingers digging into the ground, but he found that he couldn't muster any strength at all.

He had already pushed the power of the demon god's remnants to its limit. He now truly felt "completely drained."

Ye Mingxiang shook her head.