Modifying the universe starts with Minecraft command blocks!

Chapter 18 "What do you value life for?"

Pei Qi stood on the edge of this scorched earth after the explosion, surrounded by ground baked by the intense heat.

"Click."

Pei Qi looked down at the shield that had been with him in battle these past few days. Although it appeared to be intact on the surface, its durability was actually almost zero.

Finally, with a sound like shattering glass, the entire shield disintegrated into countless tiny particles, which then vanished completely in mid-air as white specks of light, leaving not a trace behind.

"But this can be considered a peaceful death," Pei Qi sighed, his heart unmoved.

He shook his slightly numb left hand, raised his head, and his gaze pierced through the heat waves, locking onto the figure still standing in the center of the ruins.

"So, Muzan, are you satisfied with this 'gift'?"

In that hellish center, Muzan Kibutsuji was displaying a chilling demeanor.

Even the progenitor of demons, who is said to be immortal, could not have escaped unscathed after being caught off guard by the explosion.

His clothes had long since turned to dust, and his once pale and perfect body now resembled a lump of rotten flesh forcibly kneaded together.

Even more terrifying was that, in Kagaya Ubuyashiki's original plan, the explosives were mixed with tens of thousands of tiny iron nails and poisonous thorn seeds.

At this moment, amplified by the shockwave of the explosion, these sharp metal fragments, like a torrential rain, deeply embedded themselves into every inch of Muzan's flesh, bones, and even internal organs, leaving his entire body riddled with rusty iron spikes.

But what truly made Muzan tremble and contort his face was the strange "toxins" raging within his body.

Purple and gray swirling particles erupted wildly from his body, a result of the persistent, excruciating pain from Poison II and the doubled slowing effect of the slow-acting potion.

"Cough...cough cough..."

Muzan bent over, panting heavily.

He tried to force the iron nails out of his body, his muscles writhing wildly, but what used to be a movement that could be completed in the blink of an eye was now as slow as a rusty gear.

Looking at the miserable scene before him, Pei Qi's lips curled into an undisguised sneer.

"How pathetic, Muzan."

Pei Qi took a step, his footsteps shattering the charred tiles on the ground with a crisp sound. He walked at a leisurely pace, like a hunter observing a caged beast.

"You always act superior, considering yourself a perfect being who has transcended the limits of biology, even... calling yourself 'god,' right?"

Pei Qi stopped at a safe distance of ten meters from Muzan, his gaze sweeping mockingly over the bleeding bullet holes on Muzan's body.

"So, here comes a question so simple even a three-year-old could understand it—"

"Tell me, God, does blood flow?" Pei Qi tilted his head slightly, his voice icy cold.

Wu Can suddenly raised his head, his scarlet vertical pupils staring intently at Pei Qi, the resentment in his eyes almost tangible.

He opened his mouth, wanting to retort and roar, but the blood and foam rising in his throat prevented him from making a complete sound.

Pei Qi took a step forward, his tone suddenly changing. It was no longer a frivolous mockery, but a calm question that was suffocating.

"I can't help but think, Muzan..."

Pei Qi's voice was deep and resonant, each word like a heavy hammer, striking precisely at the nerve that Muzan feared most.

"What do you really value your life?"

boom--!

These words were like a thunderclap, instantly exploding in Muzan's chaotic mind.

Muzan's pupils contracted violently, and he even stopped breathing.

Through Pei Qi's figure, he seemed to see the red-haired swordsman with the earring again, the man who had haunted his nightmares for four hundred years, Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

Back then, that man looked at him with the same expressionless face, his eyes filled with pity yet cold indifference, and asked the same question.

fear.

The long-lost, deep-seated fear caused Muzan's body to stiffen uncontrollably.

Seeing Muzan's reaction as if he had seen a ghost, Pei Qi's smile grew even colder.

"Looks like you've remembered."

Pei Qi spread his hands, his speech suddenly quickening, each word like a knife, forcibly dragging Muzan back from his memories to the cruel reality.

"I don't know if other gods bleed, but I know one thing for sure. True gods wouldn't be reduced to this half-dead state by a mere few hundred pounds of gunpowder."

"Look at yourself now, Muzan. You're afraid of the sunlight, like a cockroach, you can only hide in a dark corner and eke out a living."

"You rely on devouring human flesh to sustain your life, just like a low-level parasite that can never be satisfied."

Pei Qi raised a finger and shook it gently, his eyes revealing a disgust as if he were looking at garbage.

"You are a complete imposter. You are neither a perfect being nor a god."

"You're just a failed genetic mutation, a... hazardous waste that should be thrown into the recycling bin."

"Shut...up..." Muzan's voice was hoarse and trembling, a sign of extreme anger.

"What's wrong? Does it hurt? Are you angry?"

The smile in Pei Qi's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a cold gaze.

"This little bit of pain is nothing compared to the countless humans you've slaughtered and devoured over the centuries, the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen who lost their homes and died in despair, and the victims you turned into demons, now living in hell..."

"What does the pain you're enduring now compare to this?"

Muzan's body trembled violently, but he was, after all, a monster who had lived for thousands of years, and his cunning instincts quickly took over.

He clearly sensed that his physical condition was extremely poor. Those damned drugs were constantly weakening him, and if he forced a fight now, he might not be able to instantly kill this strangely skilled man in front of him.

He needs time. Even just a minute, enough time for him to break down the toxins in his body and for him to rebuild his health.

On Muzan's twisted and ferocious face, a hideous smile was forced out.

"Hehe... Hahahaha..."

Muzan chuckled softly, his voice carrying both composure and allure.

"Well said. With such power and insight, why do you stand on the side of those weak humans? They are nothing but ants that live only a day and die at night, our food."

He straightened his back slightly, still trying to project a kingly demeanor despite the nails still sticking out of his body.

"Join me. Since you've driven me to this point, you deserve to be my ally. I can give you my blood, lots of blood."

"You will become an existence surpassing the Upper Moon, and we will share eternal time, jointly ruling this world. Why fight for those dust destined to decay?"