One person: Lu Jin, do I look like your master?

Chapter 15 A Shocking Statement

Kagaya Ubuyashiki shakily raised his hands, his fingertips no longer cold and weak, but filled with a long-lost warmth and strength belonging to a healthy life.

He subconsciously straightened his back, and the heavy feeling that had been pressing on his chest and making it difficult for him to breathe for years disappeared without a trace, replaced by a lightness that felt almost like a rebirth.

He greedily inhaled the fresh air, feeling his lungs expand freely and fill with vitality with each breath.

This feeling of being instantly freed from the brink of death and from the constant torment of illness that plagues the body and mind is like leaping from an endless abyss of darkness to a bright, sunny cloud.

The stark contrast and ecstasy involved are beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

"Puff-"

With a muffled thud, Kagaya Ubuyashiki knelt down again. This time, his movements were not due to weakness and staggering, but rather filled with heartfelt and uncontrollable excitement and gratitude.

The first time he knelt down was the highest respect that the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps paid to the unknown and powerful "Sage".

This time, it was to express gratitude for the miraculous grace that had given him a second life!

He raised his head, and his eyes, which had regained their clarity and were even brighter than before his illness, were brimming with hot tears. His voice trembled and choked with overwhelming emotion.

"Thank you so much, Immortal! This kindness is like a second birth, a blessing that will be forever remembered!"

His voice echoed in the quiet courtyard, filled with the deepest gratitude.

Ubuyashiki Amane, Kocho Kanae, Rengoku Kyojuro, and several members of the Hidden Society who rushed over upon hearing the news and happened to witness this miraculous scene, all knelt down again in overwhelming excitement, shouting in unison:

"Thank you for your blessing, Immortal!"

Their voices came together, filled with heartfelt joy and awe.

For the entire Demon Slayer Corps, Chief Kagaya Ubuyashiki is not only the leader, but also the symbol of spirit, the core soul that sustains this vast organization and its thousand-year mission.

His health is directly related to the stability and future of the Demon Slayer Corps.

Wang Xuan's actions were tantamount to providing the Demon Slayer Corps, which was struggling in the darkness, with an incredibly solid pillar of light.

Looking at the kneeling crowd before him, their emotions running high, Wang Xuan's face remained calm and composed, as if his actions of reversing life and death and dispelling the curse were merely a dusting of dirt from his clothes.

He was neither moved by the gratitude nor pleased by the kneeling.

He simply raised his hand again casually, palm up, and lifted it lightly.

A gentle yet undeniable force descended once more, like an invisible hand, steadily lifting up everyone kneeling on the ground, including the excited Kagaya Ubuyashiki.

"No need to thank you."

Wang Xuan's clear, cold voice rang out, not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's heart, carrying a detached and indifferent air.

"It's just a little effort."

Once again, everyone present, from Kagaya Ubuyashiki to ordinary members of the Hidden Force, personally experienced this completely incomprehensible and irresistible power.

She no longer had any doubts about Wang Xuan's "immortal" identity, and even began to get used to the great power he inadvertently displayed, which seemed to be in control of the rules.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki straightened up with the help of the force that lifted him up, took a deep breath, and tried to calm his turbulent emotions.

He straightened his clothes, which were slightly disheveled from kneeling, and then bowed solemnly to Wang Xuan at almost a ninety-degree angle, his attitude even more respectful than before:

"We would never forget the great kindness of the immortal. We wonder... how we should address the immortal? This is not the place for conversation. Please, immortal, move to the inner room so we can have tea and discuss this further."

Wang Xuan glanced at him, not particularly concerned about the form of address, and casually replied:

"Just call me Wang Xuan."

"Yes, Your Excellency Wang Xuan!"

Ubuyashiki Kōya readily accepted the good advice and stepped aside to lead the way.

"Lord Wang Xuan, please!"

The group of people escorted Wang Xuan into the elegant and solemn inner courtyard of the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters.

The atmosphere still carried the afterglow of excitement, but more than anything, it was one of caution and reverence in the face of a supreme being.

In the simply furnished yet culturally rich Japanese-style room, everyone took their seats according to their status as host or guest.

Ubuyashiki Amane personally brought over the tea set and, with the most solemn tea ceremony etiquette, brewed a cup of fragrant green tea for Wang Xuanqi, presenting it respectfully with both hands.

Wang Xuan took the teacup, his fingertips touching the cup's rim, feeling its perfect temperature, but he didn't drink it; he simply placed it casually on the table in front of him.

A brief silence fell over the room, with only the rising steam from the tea leaves tracing a soothing path through the air.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki sat in the main seat with his hands on his knees, his posture upright. This was the first time in many years that he had been able to sit so easily.

He looked at Wang Xuan sitting opposite him, his eyes, now filled with light, were brimming with an indescribable hope and expectation, as if they had seen the light at the end of a thousand years of darkness.

He carefully chose his words, and with utmost respect, asked cautiously:

"Lord Wang Xuan, may I ask... why you have descended upon this realm...?"

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear. He was asking why Wang Xuan had come to this world—was it for travel? Was it by chance? Or was there a deeper meaning?

As he asked the question, everyone's gaze in the room—Lady Amane, Kanae, Kyojuro, and even the Hidden members standing at the door—instantly focused on Wang Xuan.

It was filled with tension and curiosity. This being, possessing godlike power, had a purpose that would directly affect the future of this world and the outcome of the Demon Slayer Corps' millennia-long dream.

Under everyone's gaze, Wang Xuan raised his eyes and calmly swept his gaze over everyone present, his face still expressionless.

As if stating a given fact, the tone was chillingly indifferent:

"My coming into this world was just an accident."

A slight tremor ran through everyone's hearts. Was it an unexpected turn of events? Then...

However, Wang Xuan's next words were like a thunderclap from the heavens, exploding in everyone's ears and hearts, instantly robbing them of all their ability to think!

"As for what's next."

Wang Xuan's voice was completely calm, yet it clearly penetrated the depths of everyone's soul.

"I will take action and destroy this country."

"what?!"

"Destroy...the country?!"

"this……!"

One stone caused a thousand waves!

Kagaya Ubuyashiki's face drained of color instantly, then surged back. His eyes widened, and his body leaned forward uncontrollably, almost bouncing off his seat!

The teacup in his hand fell onto the tatami mat with a clatter, splashing warm tea onto his clothes, but he was completely unaware.

Lady Tianyin covered her mouth, her usually gentle and calm eyes now filled with extreme shock and disbelief.

Kanae Kocho and Kyojuro Rengoku suddenly stood up, their faces filled with shock and bewilderment, as if they had heard the most incredible and mind-blowing words in the world!

Destroy a country?!

These words, spoken by Wang Xuan, came out so naturally and calmly, as if he were not declaring the destruction of a country, but rather saying that he was going to brush off a speck of dust from the windowsill.

However, it is precisely this extremely bland tone that creates a terrifying contrast with the enormous impact of the content of the words.

The entire Demon Slayer Corps, including Kagaya Ubuyashiki who had just been reborn, was struck dumb. Their pupils contracted violently, their faces drained of color, and they were plunged into utter, speechless panic and horror!

Chapter 16 is true, kid.

Wang Xuan's calm yet weighty declaration of "destroying this world" was like a meteorite thrown into a calm lake, stirring up not only turbulent waves.

It instantly extinguished the flame of hope that had just risen in the hearts of Kagaya Ubuyashiki and others due to the healing, replacing it with a bone-chilling cold and extreme confusion.

Destroy...this world? The immortals descend, not to cleanse evil and bring hope, but rather to...destroy.

In fact, given Wang Xuan's current understanding of the "Dao" and his level of power, it would be no easy task for him to single-handedly annihilate a nation with a complete civilization and tens of millions of lives, even a small island nation like Japan, with a pure burst of energy.

But, fortunately, this country itself harbors the seeds of self-destruction.

Despite its small size, it is located in one of the most active regions of the Circum-Pacific volcanic and seismic belt, with a thin crust and accumulated energy.

More importantly, on the spine of this land lies a dormant mountain, revered by its people as a "sacred mountain," but in reality, it is an extremely unstable active volcano containing destructive energy—Mount Fuji.

Wang Xuan didn't need to personally overthrow the mountains and rivers; he only needed to become a "trigger," a precise "catalyst," to ignite the "powder keg" that had been accumulating anger for countless years.

Guide that immense natural power, powerful enough to change the world, to unleash it in the most violent way.

This is not creation or destruction, but rather the acceleration of an existing, predetermined geological process, for which the cost and consequences are far less than the former.

However, the Demon Slayer Corps members present were unaware of and unable to understand these considerations.

They only heard the word "destroy" and felt the undeniable determination.

"Immortal... Immortal... Please, please tell me... why—?!"

Kagaya Ubuyashiki's voice trembled violently. He barely managed to break free from the shock that had almost frozen his soul by sheer willpower and ask the huge question that was on everyone's mind.

Even he, as the leader of the Demon Slayer Corps who had fought against demons for thousands of years, whose mind had long been hardened to the point of rock-solidity, was shaken to the point of almost collapsing by this declaration that was completely beyond his comprehension and pointed directly to the survival of his race.

Is it possible that what they have protected for generations is destined to meet such a complete end?

Wang Xuan's gaze calmly fell on Ubuyashiki Kagaya's face, which was pale with extreme shock. Instead of answering directly, he posed a seemingly unrelated question:

Do you think ghosts are something to be hated?

This abrupt question startled Kagaya Ubuyashiki, but he answered almost instinctively, with the deep pain brought on by a thousand-year-old blood feud:

"This... ghost, as a monster that feeds on humans, harms living beings, and has no mercy, is naturally... extremely despicable!"

His voice was filled with suppressed anger due to excitement, a sentiment etched deep within the souls of every Demon Slayer Corps member.

Wang Xuan responded indifferently, as if he were merely confirming a trivial fact.

Then, in that still calm tone, yet seemingly containing endless chill and disgust, he continued:

"Just Muzan Kibutsuji, leading the Twelve Demon Moons and a bunch of mindless little demons, is enough to make you think he is so hateful, and you have struggled to survive for thousands of years without being able to destroy him."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the faces of everyone present, his deep eyes seemingly reflecting some nauseating vision of the future.

"Now, please imagine it."

Wang Xuan's voice was like ice beads falling onto a jade plate, clear yet cold.

"If... it's not a ghost, not an organization, but... almost an entire nation's people, their souls."

Their actions, what they believe in and practice, are in a sense...

They all became things more twisted, more greedy, more cruel, more inhuman than 'ghosts,' and they were proud of it..."

"...How disgusting...that scene must be?"

"what?!"

"A...an entire country?!"

"More than a ghost..."

Wang Xuan's words, like the sharpest ice pick, instantly pierced everyone's psychological defenses! More twisted than a ghost? More cruel than a ghost? An entire nation?!

This is even more despairing and terrifying than Muzan ruling the world!

Kagaya Ubuyashiki was struck dumb, his body swayed violently, his face turned ashen, and cold sweat poured down his back.

"Could it be...?"

His voice was hoarse with despair.

"I waited... I waited, but I still failed in the end... Someday in the future, Muzan... Muzan really succeeded?"

He turned the entire country... into a realm of ghosts?!

This was the future he could imagine that best matched Wang Xuan's description, and it was also the most terrifying!

Wang Xuan looked at Ubuyashiki Kagaya, who was gripped by immense panic and despair, and shook his head slightly.

He knew that words were inadequate to describe it; only by seeing it with his own eyes could he understand the collective, institutional madness and cruelty that transcended individual evil.

Compared to the primal appetite of demons, this is a living hell.

He didn't explain further, but simply met Ubuyashiki Kagaya's terrified gaze.

The moment their eyes met, countless streams of light seemed to flash in Wang Xuan's eyes, as if reflecting fragments of the river of time.

A massive, chaotic, yet incredibly real torrent of information—not just simple images, but “historical fragments” mixed with sounds, smells, emotions, and even the desperate cries of countless victims before their deaths—was directly projected and infused into the depths of Kagaya Ubuyashiki’s mind by his divine sense!