Facing the White Bone Demon Lord’s interrogation, Liu Baijian didn’t answer but countered, “You’re asking me this question. It seems you’ve been suffering quite a bit these days.”

He looked at the White Bone Demon Lord standing there, pale-faced and looking rather unwell, his eyes seeming to recall something terrifying. Liu Baijian continued, “There is indeed a way to save you, but can you do it?”

“…What do you mean?” The White Bone Demon Lord lifted his head, his gaze fixed on him.

“It’s simple. What killed you was evil thoughts and resentment. To live, you must abandon evil and embrace goodness. From now on, harbour no evil thoughts, commit no killing sins, practice kindness, and accumulate virtue to dissolve that hatred and resentment.” Liu Baijian said to him, “Can you do it?”

“…” The White Bone Demon Lord.

Hearing Liu Baijian’s words, the White Bone Demon Lord’s face instantly drained of colour. He stared blankly at the youth before him, speechless for a long moment.

Liu Baijian had spoken one truth: ever since the demon spear was successfully forged, the White Bone Demon Lord had not known a single day of peace. From dawn to dusk, every moment, countless voices echoed in his ears—agonised wails, hate-filled curses, endless condemnations… These tormented his soul and flesh without respite.

It felt as though the souls of those who had perished by the demonic spear had gathered around him, hovering relentlessly, ready to devour his flesh and blood.

If this continued, the White Bone Demon Lord felt he would go mad, if not die…

Liu Baijian observed the shifting expressions on his face but said little. “I’ve told you how to save yourself. Whether you act on it is your choice.”

Hearing this, the White Bone Demon Lord lifted his head and met his gaze.

“What I mean is, you can get lost now!” Liu Baijian continued, facing the stare. “I said I wouldn’t kill you, so I won’t. Get out!”

“…”

Hearing this, the White Bone Demon Lord shot him a complex look. Moments later, he gripped his demonic spear and turned to leave.

Seeing his movement, Liu Baijian immediately called out, “Wait! Have you misunderstood something? You can go, but leave the thing behind!”

“…” The White Bone Demon Lord.

“Do you really think we’d let you take this demon spear—the very weapon that could plunge the world into bloodshed and chaos? You can’t be that naive!” Liu Baijian declared.

The White Bone Demon Lord froze in place. After a long moment, he finally released his grip on the spear. “Clang—” The demon spear clattered to the ground.

Then, the White Bone Demon Lord swiftly vanished from before Liu Baijian and Gu Minglang.

After the White Bone Demon Lord departed.

“Why let him go?” Gu Minglang frowned as he looked at Liu Baijian.

Hearing this, Liu Baijian met his gaze, knowing his desire to kill the White Bone Demon Lord remained unyielding. Liu Baijian had noticed the oath Gu Minglang had just sworn to the White Bone Demon Lord: “If I don’t kill you today, there’s tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after that…”

“Killing a villain is easy, but merely letting them die is too lenient a punishment. “ Liu Baijian said. ”Making a villain live a life worse than death, enduring daily torment, fear, and dread as penance—that is their greatest punishment.“

Gu Minglang’s expression darkened with disagreement. ”Only death silences them,“ he countered. ”Only then is the threat permanently eliminated.”

For a Demonic Cultivator as utterly depraved as the White Bone Demon Lord, only piercing his heart and sending him straight to hell could bring true peace of mind.

“You have a point,” Liu Baijian nodded in agreement. “Truthfully, if I could, I’d choose your method too. But…”

But?

Gu Minglang met his gaze, his eyes filled with questioning.

“Don’t forget this demon spear,” Liu Baijian addressed him. “Someone deliberately forged this fragment of the secret manual to lure cultivators into refining the spear. Now, the spear hasn’t been fully refined yet. Only by using this spear to kill the person refining it can the process be completed. In other words, to truly refine this spear into the God-Slaying Demon Spear, one must use it to kill the White Bone Demon Lord.”

“Who released this secret manual fragment? What was their purpose?” Liu Baijian pressed on.

Gu Minglang’s expression turned pensive upon hearing this. After a moment, he replied, “If we wish to prevent the God-Slaying Demon Spear from coming into being, wouldn’t it be better to kill the White Bone Demon Lord?”

Of course, it must be done with another weapon. Only when this demonic spear kills the one who forged and consecrated it can it become the God-Slaying Demon Spear. If the White Bone Demon Lord dies by another weapon, this spear cannot ascend.

“You have a point,” Liu Baijian nodded. “But don’t forget—the one who released that secret realm fragment. If his goal is the God-Slaying Demon Spear, and the White Bone Demon Lord dies, causing the forging to fail, might he simply choose another candidate to continue the process? “…” Gu Minglang fell silent.

“Or rather, is the White Bone Demon Lord the only one who obtained that scroll of the secret realm? Is he the only one refining the demon spear?” Liu Baijian continued.

To forge and refine the demon spear, one must kill ten thousand people, using their souls and resentment as nourishment for the spear’s refinement. The forging and birth of each demon spear was steeped in countless wronged souls—precisely why Liu Baijian had let the White Bone Demon Lord go. His demon spear had already been successfully forged through ninety-nine steps; only the final step remained.

Therefore, if the mastermind truly sought the God-Slaying Demon Spear as Liu Baijian suspected, they would no longer “cast a wide net” but focus solely on the White Bone Demon Lord. However, if the White Bone Demon Lord perished by another weapon, causing the God-Slaying Demon Spear to fail completely, the mastermind would inevitably resume luring other cultivators to kill and refine the demon spear.

Gu Minglang fell silent upon hearing this. After a long moment, he lifted his gaze to meet Liu Baijian’s, his expression cold and grave as he said, “I understand your meaning. I will protect this demon spear well, ensuring no one else takes it.”

“No,” Liu Baijian countered. “This demon spear cannot remain with you.”

Observing Gu Minglang’s furrowed brow and solemn expression, Liu Baijian continued with a heavy tone, “According to the law, if it remains in your possession, it will be seized by the enemy without fail.”

“…” Gu Minglang.

What the hell kind of law is that? Does such a law even exist!?

Gu Minglang frowned instantly upon hearing this, his gaze fixed on him as he said in a deep voice, “Are you questioning my abilities?”

“Of course not.” Liu Baijian replied without hesitation. Seeing the displeased expression on the man’s face, he thought to himself, Here we go again—that prideful, face-saving ego of his.

“It’s just that this thing is too troublesome. Keeping it will only cause endless trouble later. We should secretly destroy it.” Liu Baijian said with a serious expression. “Destroy it without anyone noticing. No one will ever know!”

“…” Gu Minglang.

He looked at him with an expression that was hard to describe. Didn’t you just say you wanted to use it to catch a big fish?

Catching his gaze, Liu Baijian declared with righteous conviction, “No one will know if we destroy it secretly! Our enemies certainly won’t suspect we’d lack the boldness to scrap a Pseudo Divine Artifact on a whim. Then we can pretend nothing happened and go fish for big game—no harm done.”

His justification was so convincing that Gu Minglang nearly bought his nonsense.

“Don’t underestimate me—I’m the true successor of Liu Yanzhen, the foremost master of the Artifact Dao!” Liu Baijian boasted, flaunting the name. “Forget a mere Psuedo Divine Artifact—I’d destroy a divine artifact for you if I had to!”

“…” The demon spear.

As Liu Baijian spoke these words, his gaze remained fixed on the Demon Spear lying on the ground ahead. He thought to himself: I’ve laid it all out—I refuse to believe you haven’t reacted yet.

At this moment, Gu Minglang finally caught on. He followed Liu Baijian’s gaze and then continued along the same line of reasoning: “You make a good point. Let’s do as you suggest.”

At this moment, a certain Artifact Spirit, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation since earlier, suddenly panicked.

What the hell is wrong with these two cultivators!?

Where was the greed and desire for divine artifacts that humans were supposed to have? How could they… how could they treat me like this!

Seeing Liu Baijian and Gu Minglang issue his death sentence in just a few words, the Demon Spear Spirit panicked and immediately revealed itself. “Master, spare me! I’m innocent! Waaah!”

Here it comes!

Liu Baijian’s eyes lit up at the sound. He thought to himself, “Well, well, I finally forced it to show itself!”