With a reputation of 70,000, one leader travels across countless worlds with his adventure team.

Back at the lord's residence, Hakutaku and Shinobu Kocho reported to their lord, Kagaya Ubuyashiki, about their mission to kill Upper Moon Two, Doma.

The two then returned to the Butterfly Mansion to rest. Everyone at the mansion warmly welcomed Hakutaku and Shinobu Kocho back. Aoi, the three beady-eyed sisters, and Tifa prepared a lavish feast to celebrate Hakutaku and Shinobu Kocho's killing of Doma.

Nothing feels better than a delicious meal after a great battle.

That night, Bai Ze first went to Li Qinglu's room and quietly woke her up. Then he took Li Qinglu to Tifa's room and gave Tifa a surprise. The three of them secretly had a second round of fighting.

A few days later, news of the encounter between the three pillars of love, snake, and mist and the three little ones with two Upper Moon demons in the swordsmith village was delivered by Kasugai Crow. The headquarters also learned that Mitsuri, Muichiro and the others had defeated Upper Moon Four, Hantengu.

The three little ones worked together until dawn and the sun rose, defeating Upper Moon Five, Gyokko. Moreover, Nezuko underwent a change; after being exposed to the sun, she did not turn to ash but recovered a little, allowing her to walk and speak during the day.

Bai Ze didn't expect the events in the Swordsmith Village to unfold so quickly. With the flapping of his own wings, not only did Akaza, the third-ranked swordsman, and Doma, the second-ranked swordsman, die prematurely.

When the three pillars of love, snake, and mist returned to the swordsmith village to enchant their swords, they happened to encounter Upper Moon Four, Hantengu, and Upper Moon Five, Gyokko, just like in the original story.

However, the good thing this time is that, because of their special training, Mitsuri and Tanjiro discovered the two demons earlier and prevented them from wreaking havoc on the swordsmith village. As a result, more swordsmiths survived this time.

Moreover, the strength of everyone who had undergone special training had greatly improved, and the Mist Pillar and Love Pillar successfully killed the demon without even activating their 'Scarlet Mark'.

Bai Ze thought to himself:

"It seems my special training was quite effective. The Pillars and the three little ones did a great job."

The injuries sustained by the members of the Swordsmith Village varied in severity. The Hidden Team was on their way back to the Butterfly Mansion when Bai Ze called out to Raphael, asking her to help out once the injured arrived at the mansion.

After learning the details through the Kasugai Crow, Ubuyashiki Kagaya knew that once Nezuko, a demon who was not afraid of sunlight, appeared, Muzan would definitely try every means to seize her. Therefore, Ubuyashiki Kagaya immediately issued an order for an emergency Pillar Meeting.

After receiving the news, the Water, Wind, Sound, and Flame Pillars, who were outside, were all on their way to the mansion.

The three pillars, Koi, Orochi, and Mist, were also on their way to the headquarters. Their injuries were relatively minor, and the Kocho Shinobu special recovery medicine they carried had already healed their wounds.

The three pillars followed the three little ones, protecting Nezuko all the way back to prevent any accidents along the way. The injured swordsmith from the swordsmith village was also in the group.

After everyone arrived at the Butterfly Mansion, those who needed treatment received it, and those who needed rested rested.

Raphael also helped Shinobu treat the most seriously injured swordsmiths, Tanjiro, and Inosuke. Suddenly, a lot of wounded people arrived, keeping the Butterfly Mansion, which had been quiet for a while, busy until very late.

Two days later, Kagaya Ubuyashiki convened a meeting of the Pillars. In addition to the existing nine Pillars, there was now the "Mad Pillar" Hakutaku, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke, who had not yet officially become Pillars but already possessed Pillar-level strength.

Kagaya looked at this batch of nine Pillar-level swordsmen, all of whom were present, and there was even the addition of Hakutaku, the "Mad Pillar." Not to mention Raphael, Aying, Tifa, and Li Qinglu had all provided some help to the Demon Slayer Corps during this period.

They found Tanjiro Kamado, the successor of the Sun Breathing technique; Zenitsu Agatsuma, the next successor of the Thunder Breathing technique; and Inosuke Kuzuhira, a wild beast from the forest.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki smiled with satisfaction and said:

"I am very happy to see all of you here. So far, we have annihilated no less than six Lower Moon demons, and thanks to your efforts, six Upper Moon demons have also been successfully annihilated."

Upper Moon Two Doma, Upper Moon Three Akaza, Upper Moon Four Hantengu, Upper Moon Five Gyokko, Upper Moon Six Gyutaro, and Upper Moon Six Daki were all killed by you.

Tanjiro's sister's ability to overcome the sun was an accident, and this accident will surely lead to a huge change. Muzan Kibutsuji will definitely do everything in his power to take Nezuko away.

Upon hearing Kagaya Ubuyashiki's words, Tanjiro excitedly slapped the floor and exclaimed:

"I will definitely not let Muzan succeed!"

"Snapped!"

"You must be respectful to your lord, boy!"

The Wind Pillar, Sanemi Shinazugawa, was sitting next to Tanjiro. He raised his hand and smacked Tanjiro for interrupting.

"Private Marseille~oo乀"

Tanjiro blushed and quickly apologized.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki and everyone present were amused by Tanjiro, and Kagaya Ubuyashiki continued:

"We definitely can't let Muzan's plan succeed. Everyone here is your helper. They will help you protect your sister Nezuko. Don't worry."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki then asked everyone about what happened during the battle with the Upper Moons, and whether there was anything they could improve to further enhance the strength of the Pillars.

Tanjiro then raised his hand, and Kagaya Ubuyashiki nodded, letting Tanjiro speak first:

"My lords, during my battle with Upper Moon Five, Gyokko, I successfully activated the 'Transparent World' that Lord Hakutaku and Lord Stone Pillar previously knew;

Furthermore, during the battle, I triggered another change to my Nichirin Blade. I used the Flame Blade True Qi given to me by Lord Bai Ze to envelop the weapon, and when I released the Breath of the Sun, I noticed that the color of my Nichirin Blade changed, turning red. After striking Gyokuko, its healing speed noticeably slowed down.

Upon hearing Tanjiro's words, Kagaya Ubuyashiki smiled and had one of the twins retrieve a notebook from behind him, then addressed the group:

"The situation Tanjiro encountered was recorded in the notes of the first Pillar-level swordsman. This method of changing the color of the weapon in hand to increase the damage to demons is called 'Crimson Blade'."

When Lord Bai Ze provided the four types of small crystals before, the red and white small crystals had effects similar to Tanjiro's situation. I investigated the sealed notebook at that time and found out about this.

The reason why Sun Breathing and Fire Breathing are most effective against demons is because these two breathing techniques can more easily cause changes in weapon temperature, thus creating the 'Crimson Blade' effect. The Crimson Blade is no less effective against demons than the sun, and demons struck by the Crimson Blade will experience a rapid decline in their regenerative abilities.

Lord Bai Ze created the same effect as the Crimson Blade with his Flowing Starfall, and the red blade of the Flowing Starfall reminded me of that. The subsequent incident with the Flame Blade's true energy further convinced me that this is a shortcut to further enhance the weapons wielded by you Pillars.

At this moment, Tianyuan grinned happily and said:

"So Lord Bai Ze helped us unlock the power of the 'Crimson Blade' without us even realizing it? Hahaha~ Absolutely magnificent!"

Kagaya Ubuyashiki smiled and nodded, then said to Tanjiro:

"Tanjiro, you need to summarize the method of using the Flame Blade's true energy to activate the power of the 'Crimson Blade' so that all the Pillars can master this skill. I'm entrusting this matter to you."

"Okay...okay! I will definitely complete the mission!"

The charcoal-burning boy received his first teaching assignment, causing Tanjiro to break out in a sweat.

Kagaya Ubuyashiki turned to look at the pillars and continued:

"You must quickly learn how Tanjiro uses the 'Crimson Blade.' Muzan will definitely make a move against Nezuko for overcoming sunlight. The fact that demon attacks have suddenly decreased in various places recently is proof of this. Muzan is accumulating strength to launch a final offensive. The Demon Slayer Corps will face its last battle!"

At this moment, Sanemi Shinazugawa, the Wind Pillar, raised his hand. Kagaya Ubuyashiki asked Sanemi to speak, and Sanemi began to say:

"Before receiving this emergency meeting, when Tianyuan and I were dealing with the gathering of ghosts in an abandoned city, we followed several ghosts into a strange space. The space was extremely large and completely devoid of sunlight, relying entirely on various lamps for illumination."

The space is upside down and chaotic, with corridors, rooms, and attics all around it;

Various bizarre demons of different sizes filled the surroundings. Before Tengen and I even touched the floor, I heard Koto's voice. Then, Tengen and I were banished from that space and returned to the abandoned city. I suspected that was Muzan's and the demons' hideout.

After listening to Sanemi's words, Kagaya Ubuyashiki pondered for a moment and then said:

"It seems that if we want to completely defeat Muzan, we need to drive him out of that strange space. Otherwise, if we fight Muzan in a place where there is no sunlight, we will eventually be worn down and killed by him in that space."

It seems we'll have to seek her help. Everyone can go back and rest now. Tanjiro, you stay behind.

After everyone bowed and left the room, Tianyuan immediately pulled the others to go out for a big meal and drinks, and Bai Ze did not refuse and went with them.

After the Pillars left, Kagaya Ubuyashiki spoke to Tanjiro alone:

"Tanjiro, I need you to contact Tamayo as soon as possible and send her the collected demon blood and Nezuko's blood so that she can develop a medicine to deal with Muzan."

Tanjiro replied firmly:

"I will do my utmost to eliminate Muzan. The blood has already been prepared. Tomorrow I will have Kasugai Crow deliver another fresh batch to Ms. Tamayo."

Kagaya Ubuyashiki smiled and nodded, then continued:

"Once we have results from Ms. Tamayo's side, I will reveal Ms. Tamayo's identity to the Pillars. Butterfly has always been very averse to demons because of her sister's situation."

But after Butterfly and Hakutaku defeated Doma this time, I felt Butterfly was a little different. This time, she probably won't object to us asking Tamayo for help.

 …

That night, Bai Ze sneaked into Raphael's room. After their lovemaking, Bai Ze held Raphael and carefully considered and examined the results of their recent activities.

The four Lower Moon demons, plus the Upper Moon Three Akaza, Upper Moon Six Gyutaro, and Upper Moon Two Doma Hakutaku who were later killed, have already collected enough high-level vampire blood essence;

觉醒任务：收集高等级血鬼精血5份（5/5），血气能量50万（天龙收集到了20万）；

Reward: Awaken to become the Blood Demon God

Mission 2: Seven (7/12) members of the Upper and Lower Moon Demon Moons have been killed;

Mission Rewards: Host's level increase is determined by the number of Twelve Demon Moon members killed; 1 random summoning attempt for Adventurer Guild members.

Next is the battle in the Infinity Castle to kill Muzan. I wonder how many levels I'll gain from this mission 2 after it ends. Bai Ze is already almost level 51.

Over the next two weeks, Tanjiro and Hakutaku began researching methods to stably compress the Flame Blade's true energy within the weapon, helping everyone to use the 'Crimson Blade' more quickly.

Bai Ze and the other Pillars also inquired in detail about the conditions under which Tanjiro triggered the 'Crimson Blade'. Just like in the original series, Tanjiro gripped the Nichirin Blade in his hand with great force in order to make the damage from the Sun Breathing more solid.

Then, using the Yi Jin Jing, he channeled all the energy of the Flaming Blade into the weapon. After several intense collisions with the hard scales on the lower half of the Jade Pot's body, he successfully triggered the 'Crimson Blade'.

The Pillars also practiced diligently, and after about ten days, they all successfully activated the 'Crimson Blade'. Everyone could turn their blades red, and with the small crystal enchantment on their blades, plus the effect of the Crimson Blade, when they cut down Muzan, Muzan would definitely not return alive!

Just as the three little Bai Ze were training with the Pillars, a major incident occurred. Kaigaku, the disciple of the former Sound Pillar Kuwajima Jigoro, led his team on a mission and encountered a demon that they could not defeat.

All members of the squad perished. Kaigaku knelt before the demon and accepted its blood, becoming a demon himself. (Later, through Kokushibo's recommendation, Kaigaku became the new Upper Moon Six.)

Former Sound Pillar Jigoro Kuwashima, as Kaigaku's master, turned a swordsman with the Thunder Breathing technique into a demon. Later, Jigoro Kuwashima committed seppuku to atone for his mistake of not properly training a successor.

When the news reached the headquarters and Zenitsu found out, he didn't leave his room for five days. On the sixth day, when everyone came to the training ground, they saw a different Zenitsu.

Zenitsu, who used to laugh and joke around with the Butterfly Girls every day, is gone. He eats on time every day, trains on time, and is always the first to arrive at the training ground and the last to leave.

Zenitsu displayed superhuman speed during training. If Hakutaku didn't go berserk and use his divine powers to enhance himself, he sometimes couldn't even catch up with Zenitsu. Even Tengen, who was originally the fastest among the Pillars, said that his speed was no longer as dazzling as Zenitsu's.

At night, on a hill not far from the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, a croaking creature with an eye in the middle of its forehead has been perched on a tree branch observing the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters for several days. This is just a split offspring of a demon that survived the strangulation by the Pillars and ordinary members.

The rest of his body had been shredded by the swordsmen. He had been running around in several locations with several groups of swordsmen for almost two months, still in his frog-sized body.

Finally, on the way back to headquarters from where Love Pillar and the others were transporting the wounded from the Swordsmith Village and Nezuko, they caught up with the headquarters. However, there were too many swordsmen patrolling around the headquarters, so he dared not go any further and could only wait on a hilltop far away from the headquarters.

After observing the situation here for more than half a month, the demon finally confirmed that the one who had followed them was the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters. The croaking demon then sent the information to Muzan to confirm the location.

Upon receiving the news in the Infinite Castle, Muzan opened his eyes with a sinister grin, casually swung his massive flesh-and-blood fist, crushing a noisy demon in half, and said with a savage grin:

"Ubuyashiki, I've finally caught you! After I've killed you all, I'll go catch that demon that overcame sunlight and study it slowly."

 …

"bass!"

Guagua was split in two by Bai Ze. He sheathed his sword and landed on the ground. Xingming and Shimi were both there. Xingming said:

Will Muzan receive the message? Will he fall for it?

Bai Ze said with a smile:

"If you were given a chance to get rid of all the people causing you trouble, would you take it? Especially after you know you have a way to achieve immortality."

"Hmph~ I was afraid he wouldn't come. This time, I'm going to chop him to pieces with my own hands!"

The hot-tempered Sanemi is not afraid of Muzan's arrival. After two special training sessions, not only the Pillar-level members, but also the ordinary members have undergone intensive training in Yi Jin Jing, basic fist techniques training for Tifa and Li Qinglu, and enchanting of small crystal weapons.

Unless they encounter demons with special blood demon magic or demons of the lower moon rank or higher, ordinary swordsmen can team up to complete missions and all members can survive.

Unlike before Bai Ze arrived, when ordinary swordsmen in the squad would almost certainly be wiped out if they encountered a demon with Blood Demon Art, sometimes the other team members wouldn't even know what happened if the ordinary swordsmen hadn't died.

It turns out that Bai Ze had already discovered this frog when he went for a walk around the neighborhood after dinner. The red hostile level cursor above its head was extremely obvious. After telling Ubuyashiki Kagaya and the other Pillars, they all unanimously decided to use the headquarters as bait to lure Muzan out.

Otherwise, if Muzan had continued to hide in the Infinity Castle, no one would have been able to kill him.

Now that the news has basically spread, Bai Ze has cleared out his spies and is preparing to set up an ambush around the headquarters to lure Muzan into a trap.

 …