Liu Baijian stopped Gu Minglang from striking the White Bone Demon Lord down, for he wanted to learn from the White Bone Demon Lord, who had revealed the method to forge the demon spear—a technique capable of slaying souls, certainly beyond the knowledge of ordinary men.

Facing the White Bone Demon Lord, whose defiant expression remained undimmed despite his defeat, Liu Baijian spoke to him in a gentle tone: “Do you think I saved you from Gu Minglang’s sword out of kindness or pity? Of course not!”

“It was because you hold information I seek,” Liu Baijian stated. Observing the White Bone Demon Lord’s cold, unflinching expression, he continued, “Let’s make a deal. If you tell us what we want to know, we’ll spare your life.” The White Bone Demon Lord fixed his gaze upon him and asked coldly, “Do your words hold weight?”

“Absolutely!” Liu Baijian replied without flinching, pointing to Gu Minglang beside him, who stood coldly holding his sword. “He obeys me.”

The White Bone Demon Lord turned his gaze to Gu Minglang, who was listening to him.

“…” Gu Minglang.

Gu Minglang’s expression paused for a moment before he said, “Yes, I obey him.”

Hearing this, Liu Baijian shot him a satisfied look that screamed, “You’re on the ball, you’re awesome!”

The White Bone Demon Lord standing before them seemed lost in thought. The look he cast upon the two of them suddenly grew complex.

“I demand your oath,” the White Bone Demon Lord declared gravely to Gu Minglang. “Swear that you will not kill me, and I shall tell you what you seek.”

Gu Minglang responded with a swift oath: “If you truthfully reveal who taught you the method to forge and refine the demon spear, I, Gu, shall spare your life today. Should I break this oath, may my cultivation never advance another inch.”

Hearing mention of the Heart Demon Oath, the White Bone Demon Lord finally relaxed. ”I obtained a tattered secret manual at the auction in Cangzhou’s Treasure Pavilion. It contained the ritual for refining the demon spear.“

”Where is the manual?” Liu Baijian inquired.

The White Bone Demon Lord paused before replying, “It’s in my storage pouch.”

“I needn’t spell out what comes next, do I? You understand what I mean, correct?” Liu Baijian offered him a kindly smile, his words laden with meaning.

“…” The White Bone Demon Lord.

He instantly shot him a look that screamed, Are you some kind of demon? His mind couldn’t help but wonder, Am I the Demonic Cultivator here, or are you?

The White Bone Demon Lord shot a glance at Gu Minglang, who stood beside Liu Baijian as if backing him up. Gu Minglang held the Chiyang Sword, his face cold and expression as sharp as the blade itself, staring intently at the Demon Lord. “…”

Devil x2

These two devils!

Fine, you win. The White Bone Demon Lord conceded.

He obediently retrieved the tattered manual from his storage pouch and handed it to Liu Baijian.

Liu Baijian glanced at the tattered, half-missing manual in his hand before taking it and flipping through it rapidly. His speed was so swift it made one doubt whether he was actually reading it at all.

Moments later, Liu Baijian closed the manual.

“Any issues?” Gu Minglang asked, observing his expression. He inquired if there were any problems, not whether there were problems.

Liu Baijian lifted his gaze to meet his and stated, “Major issues. This manual is fake.”

“What!? Impossible!” The White Bone Demon Lord, standing nearby, reacted more violently than the other two, exclaiming first, “I clearly forged the demon spear! How could it be fake?” The White Bone Demon Lord wore an expression of utter disbelief, his gaze fixed on Liu Baijian as if saying, Don’t you dare try to fool me.

Liu Baijian met his gaze and said calmly, “This manual is a forgery. Someone deliberately created this fake, incomplete version, and the Forging Method within it has been tampered with.”

“Any spirit artifact targeting the soul requires an extremely intricate and arduous forging process,” Liu Baijian explained. “Such artifacts are either already at the level of Divine Artifacts or possess the potential to evolve into them. To put it more profoundly, these artifacts embody the Law of the Dao, which is why they can attack the soul itself.”

”Explaining further would be pointless. Simply put, even with a thousand years of your ability, you couldn’t forge a soul-attacking spirit artifact,“ Liu Baijian told the White Bone Demon Lord.

”Nonsense! Utter nonsense! Haven’t I just forged one successfully?” The White Bone Demon Lord retorted defiantly, gripping his demonic spear tightly.

Liu Baijian met his gaze with profound meaning. “That’s precisely the strange part. Don’t you find it odd? You possess no talent for the Artifact Dao, yet you’ve somehow crafted this demonic spear. Aren’t you curious how it was forged? Aren’t you curious… what price you’ve paid?”

“…” The White Bone Demon Lord.

As he listened to Liu Baijian’s words, the White Bone Demon Lord’s face instantly paled, fear flashing in his eyes. He understood the implication behind Liu Baijian’s words, and it was precisely this understanding that filled him with dread.

Seeing the fear in his expression, Liu Baijian saw no need to continue intimidating him. He spoke directly, “I won’t beat around the bush. I’ll tell you plainly: The ritual forging technique you employ is demonic. All demonic arts defy heaven and harm humanity, demanding a heavy, immense price. The lives you took from that city to forge your demonic spear—that is defying heaven and harming humanity. And the price… is yourself.”

Hearing this, the White Bone Demon Lord’s expression darkened further. He remained silent for a long while, neither refuting Liu Baijian’s words nor acknowledging belief.

“The final step in perfecting the demon spear is to sacrifice the forger’s soul. The spear will ultimately devour your spirit, and your soul will transform it into a true God-Slaying Demon Spear. Only human hatred can slay gods—the boundless hatred born of endless despair,” Liu Baijian declared.

His gaze fixed on the White Bone Demon Lord before him, whose face had turned ashen and bloodless at his words, he continued sincerely, “What immense hatred must have driven the person who sold you this tattered manual to wish for your death?”

The White Bone Demon Lord seemed struck by his words, falling silent for a long moment, unable to speak. He appeared utterly crushed, deeply despondent.

Just as Liu Baijian inwardly questioned whether he’d been too harsh and should have phrased things more tactfully, the White Bone Demon Lord suddenly lifted his head. His gaze fixed on Liu Baijian as he asked, “How much longer do I have to live?”

“Half a year at best, a year at worst,” Liu Baijian replied. “Then your soul will be completely devoured by the Demon Spear.”

“…”

The White Bone Demon Lord fell silent upon hearing this.

Moments later, he lifted his head, his gaze fixed on Liu Baijian before him. “You have a solution, right?” 

“Since you’ve confided this matter to me, you must have a way to save me, correct?” The White Bone Demon Lord stared intently at Liu Baijian, his expression unwavering.

“…” Liu Baijian.

He thought to himself, This guy’s mind is surprisingly sharp now. Could it be that facing life-or-death stakes has unlocked his potential?