Chapter Ten: Mutual Destruction

"Hmph! You have some talent, but how long can you hold out?" the jackal-headed monster transformed from Kama roared. It swung its scepter, striking the Heavenly Sound Bell with a bolt of black light. *Clang!* Another muffled thud echoed, and Zhang Xiao’s face turned pale as he saw a thin crack appear on the surface of the bell.

Although the Heavenly Sound Bell was not his natal magic treasure, he had refined it for many years and shared a spiritual connection with it. Being damaged by the opponent immediately infuriated Zhang Xiao. He summoned the Five-Colored Cloud Banner to replace the bell, then grasped the Heavenly Yang Sword and slashed out waves of sword intent, which roared like a gale toward the jackal-headed monster.

Even a clay figurine has a temper, let alone Zhang Xiao. Ever since he had fallen into the path of the demon, he had kept his temperament in check using the pure and righteous "Seven Transformations Profound Heaven Technique," acting far less extreme than typical demonic cultivators. Yet, that trace of demonic nature had already begun to slowly influence him.

Now, bullied by the monster Kama had become, this demonic nature was ignited. Zhang Xiao’s sword strikes grew increasingly fierce, the beams of light becoming thinner and more elongated, each thrust carrying a momentum of no return.

Facing Zhang Xiao’s counterattack, a flash of rage crossed the jackal’s eyes. Its fur bristled, and its claws, sharp as blades, tore the sword beams to shreds. It then lunged toward Zhang Xiao with such speed that the surrounding air rippled like water. Its scepter unleashed another black bolt at him.

"Damn it! Do you think I'm a sick cat because I haven't shown my teeth?" Zhang Xiao’s eyes were filled with cruelty. With a roar, the demonic energy around him surged violently. Strands of dark mist intertwined, turning his surroundings into a hellish landscape. His long hair danced wildly, and the sword intent from the Heavenly Yang Sword began to turn pitch black, shifting from pure Yang to pure Yin. Even his silver-white hair began to turn as black as ink.

At that moment, his avatar emerged from within his body. Amidst the chanting of Buddhist scriptures, a Buddha realm manifested. With a wave of its fingers, golden lotuses rained down. Amidst the celestial Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, the avatar sat like a Buddha himself, casting strings of Sanskrit-inscribed scriptures toward the jackal-headed monster.

One side was a Buddha realm, the other a hell; the monster was caught in the middle. Meanwhile, Blackie, in Zhang Xiao’s pocket, regained its massive form. Its giant scorpion pincers swung like war hammers at the monster. However, Blackie’s greatest weapon was its tail, which had long since been severed by Zhang Xiao using the Buddha’s Golden Wheel. For a moment, it possessed great strength but lacked the means to fully apply it.

The monster swiped at the pincers, knocking them aside, then kicked off the ground, hurling itself at Zhang Xiao like a cannonball. "Well come!" Zhang Xiao’s eyes turned blood-red, and his Heavenly Yang Sword emitted a crimson glow. He thrust his sword, and sword light fell like raindrops. Seeing this, the monster ignored the onslaught, determined to slay Zhang Xiao even through the rain of blades.

*Boom!* Just as the monster closed in, the avatar behind it held a golden flying sword and roared, "Strike!" Buddhist sounds erupted from the blade, and it pierced toward the monster's back like a golden meteor. Sensing the aura behind it, the monster’s expression shifted, and it instinctively tried to retreat.

But Zhang Xiao would not let it escape so easily. He threw his sword aside, unleashed the Heavenly Demon Phantom technique, dashed in front of the monster, and embraced it tightly. "You madman, get off me!" Sensing the lethal aura drawing closer, the monster clawed frantically at Zhang Xiao’s back. Scales were torn from his body, exposing his skin. The monster’s eyes glinted, and its fingers, sharp as knives, dug into Zhang Xiao’s back, tearing away a chunk of bloody flesh. Yet, despite the agonizing pain, Zhang Xiao did not let go—he only held on tighter.

"Let go, you bastard! Don't drag me to hell with you!" The monster’s eyes were full of rage, but even more so, terror. As the saying goes, the ruthless fear the desperate.

Zhang Xiao looked ferocious, his blood-red eyes raised as he laughed, "If I die, at most my cultivation level will drop and I'll suffer penalties. As long as I'm not completely erased, I can recover after some time. But you? I don't believe a possessed artifact spirit like you has a chance at rebirth. When the time comes, my avatar will destroy your true form, leaving you without even the chance to be repaired."

Hearing this, a chill ran through the monster. It continued to gouge bloody holes into Zhang Xiao with its claw-like fingers and hammered at his back and head with the scepter. But Zhang Xiao held on with a death grip. Facing the golden flying sword transformed from the Buddha’s Golden Wheel, the monster gritted its teeth and hissed at Zhang Xiao, "Kid, you win this time."

With that, black energy poured out of the monster and was absorbed by the scepter in its hand. As the energy was drained, the black fur on the monster’s body receded, and the jackal face began to shift back into Kama’s features. The scepter trembled violently, breaking free from Kama’s grip and shooting away as a black bolt. "Want to run? Hmph! Not so easy."

At that moment, Zhang Xiao flipped his palm and caught the flying sword. Since the Buddha’s Golden Wheel was his own treasure, it was naturally linked to his will, allowing him to control it effortlessly.

Zhang Xiao’s madness was intended to force the spirit within the scepter to abandon Kama’s body. Without the support of a physical host, the artifact spirit’s true form could not exert much power. Of course, if the opponent had refused to leave, Zhang Xiao would have resorted to mutual destruction; after all, as long as his avatar remained, he would not be completely erased by the Golden Wheel. The only trouble would be where he would respawn.

Now that it lacked the support of Kama’s body, Zhang Xiao would not miss this chance. With the golden sword in one hand and the Heavenly Yang Sword in the other, he used the Heavenly Demon Phantom technique to block the scepter’s path. The two swords crisscrossed, weaving a gold-and-silver net that trapped the artifact. Despite its frantic struggles and bursts of black light, it could not escape. Black smoke billowed from the scepter, forming a hideous jackal head that roared at Zhang Xiao, "Damn you! I am the divine artifact of the God of Death; you cannot destroy me!"

Zhang Xiao ignored it and, joining forces with his avatar, both cast a *Swastika* symbol—Zhang Xiao’s was black, the avatar’s was gold. They struck the scepter simultaneously, resulting in a deafening explosion. *Clang!* The scepter, which had been so arrogant, fell to the ground like common scrap metal.

Although it still radiated an astonishing aura, the oppressive black mist was gone. Seeing the cursed scepter sealed, Zhang Xiao finally let out a sigh of relief. He slumped to the ground. This was the most severe injury he had ever sustained; not only were there multiple fractures, but his internal organs were severely damaged, especially the wound on his abdomen that nearly exposed his intestines.

Had his physical body not been incomparably tough, he would have been dead by now. Retracting his avatar, Zhang Xiao pulled out several bottles of pills and carefully applied them to his wounds. Ziyan appeared from the Profound Heaven Token. Seeing Zhang Xiao’s gruesome injuries, her eyes turned red, and tears began to fall.

She took the pills from his hand and carefully applied them to his wounds. Zhang Xiao was about to speak, but the immense pain caused his face to twitch uncontrollably.

Finally, Zhang Xiao forced a smile that looked worse than crying. "It’s alright, Yan’er. It seems the Rebirth Water is truly miraculous if it can make you shed tears. I’d say I’ve earned something."

Ziyan remained silent, tears still in her eyes as she applied the medicine. Blackie approached Zhang Xiao, held the fallen scepter with its giant pincers, and said in an obsequious tone, "Young Master, you truly have vast magical powers. You have so many treasures—do you think you still need this thing?"

Hearing Blackie’s words, Zhang Xiao felt like vomiting. The image of a ferocious giant scorpion speaking with the sycophantic voice of a character from a Stephen Chow movie made his injuries feel even worse. He sneered, "If you like it, take it. As long as you aren't afraid of following in Kama’s footsteps, it’s all yours." Blackie hesitated; the treasure was indeed valuable, but looking at Kama’s mangled body, it decisively chose to give up.

Zhang Xiao took a jade box from his bone ring, placed the scepter inside, and had his avatar apply thirteen dense Buddhist seals to it before he felt at ease. Though it wasn't a good item, it might be useful later.

After ordering Blackie to shrink back to the size of a palm, he said to Ziyan, "That’s enough, Yan’er. This place is not safe. If we run into those scarabs, we’re done for. Open the teleportation array; let’s head back." Ziyan nodded, but her expression was troubled. "But the cracks on the Profound Heaven Token... I don't know if they will cause any issues. It was fine when the situation was urgent, but now..."

Zhang Xiao fell silent. He was unsure if he should use the Grand Teleportation Talisman given the damage to the token. But as he hesitated, Blackie suddenly shrieked, "Young Master, run! I can feel those bugs rushing toward us!"

Zhang Xiao scanned the area with his divine sense, and his face sank. A tide of scarabs had already surrounded the passage and was charging toward their position. Seeing this, he could no longer worry about the flaws in the array. He gritted his teeth and said, "Quickly, transmit!" As Ziyan activated the array, a bright light instantly swallowed Zhang Xiao and Blackie.