SWOOSH!
Shen Mo stopped condensing Soul Generals and returned the Soul Refining Flag to his Universe Bag.
The narrow stone passage limited the nurous Heavenly Demons as much as it hindered the Soul Generals. To combat Heavenly Demon Wan Wu, dozens of middle-stage Class II Soul Generals would need to swarm it simultaneously to be effective. A single Soul General could not withstand even one of its sword Qi attacks; it would only fruitlessly drain Shen Mo’s Mana.
"Kid, why are you so stubborn?"
"Hand over the woman behind you. I, Wan Wu, keep my word and will spare your life!"
The figure of Heavenly Demon Wan Wu entered Shen Mo’s vision. It advanced step by step, its demonic might blazing intensely!
Its only response was a single Shangqing Sword Qi.
"It seems you’re determined to be a pair of ill-fated lovers. Fine, I, Wan Wu, will grant your wish!" it sneered. "Once I devour you both, I believe I can advance to the Spirit Sea Realm..."
If not for the thick Demonic Qi coiling around its body, no one would believe this was a demon head driven solely by the desire to devour. Its words even carried a hint of mockery!
The Flying Sword in Heavenly Demon Wan Wu’s hand roared, deflecting the Shangqing Sword Qi. Then, it uncoiled another streak of sword light, slashing straight towards Shen Mo.
BANG!
Shen Mo countered with his own sword Qi. The two beams of Sword Light collided and dispersed, the aftershock rolling back towards him.
The Nine-Extre Crystal Sand fiercely manifested! Countless grains of crystal, flickering between reality and illusion, rustled as they intercepted and blocked all the residual sword Qi.
At this mont, Heavenly Demon Wan Wu once again unleashed its swordplay magic. The Flying Sword in its hand suddenly swelled enormously in mid-air, its massive form filling the entire tunnel.
All Shen Mo could see was the overwhelming shadow of the colossal sword. The sword tip, carrying a razor-sharp sword Qi, surged forward like a raging tide, rushing directly at him.
"The Big Dipper Array, Conversion!"
While deploying the Sword Array to block the giant sword, Shen Mo unleashed an overwhelming torrent of Sword Light that ravaged the tunnel walls, unleashing its destructive power. He was no longer concerned about conserving Mana; he began to actively destroy the stone passage!
RUMBLE!
As Sword Lights collided, exploded, and scattered, the stone passage began to collapse dramatically.
This place was at least hundreds of feet below the surface. The weight of the soil and rock layers above was imnse, not just thousands of tons, but tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of tons of pressure. It was comparable to an entire mountain pressing down! Even cultivators like Shen Mo and Heavenly Demon Wan Wu, or even a Spirit Sea Realm expert, would be severely injured if crushed.
Of course, the stone passage was not large, so not all the colossal weight from above could be concentrated on a single person. Therefore, Shen Mo didn’t hope to inflict heavy damage on Heavenly Demon Wan Wu with the collapse alone; he only aid to hinder it for a while.
Previously, the battle between the Soul Generals and the Heavenly Demons had already caused parts of the stone passage to collapse. Now, Shen Mo, sparing no Mana and deliberately causing the destruction, triggered a collapse far more massive and resounding than before.
RUMBLE!
RUMBLE!
Vast sections of rock fractured, continuously deforming and then crumbling inch by inch, creating a solid, dense barrier of debris between Shen Mo and Heavenly Demon Wan Wu.
Once the dust settled, Shen Mo took out several talismans and specifically reinforced the collapsed section.
Heavenly Demon Wan Wu had the form of a cultivator, but in essence, it was still a Heavenly Demon driven by an insatiable desire to devour. With such a delicacy before it, how could it easily give up? It used sword Qi to clear a path, continuing its pursuit of Shen Mo and Zhao Lingyin.
And whenever it managed to dig through a collapsed section, it would find that Shen Mo had already collapsed the stone path further ahead. Each ti Zhao Lingyin dug about ten feet forward, Shen Mo would repeat his tactic, unleashing sword Qi to collapse the ten feet of tunnel behind them.
He and Zhao Lingyin were left with a space only a few feet wide in which to take shelter, like a small, trapped bubble deep underground.
After what felt like an eternity, Shen Mo finally could no longer detect Heavenly Demon Wan Wu’s presence with his sense.
Zhao Lingyin was drenched in sweat. The sweet fragrance of spiritual dicine filled the confined space.
"Senior Sister Lingyin," Shen Mo said, "let’s rest for a bit. That demon head won’t be able to catch up for a while."
Shen Mo conjured a handful of clear spring water and handed it to her.
"I wonder how far we are from Tianshan City now?" Zhao Lingyin asked, frowning slightly after using the clear spring water to wash her face, neck, and hands. She also lightly rinsed her hair.
"We should still be over a hundred miles away," Shen Mo replied after a mont’s calculation.
Normally, covering this distance by Flying Escape wouldn’t take long at all, Shen Mo estimated. However, digging a tunnel underground would take a considerable amount of ti. But this thod was much safer.
Above ground, with Tianshan Mountain as the center, surging Demonic Qi and innurable Heavenly Demons blotted out the sky for a hundred miles in every direction! Returning to Tianshan City would likely involve battling through hordes of Heavenly Demons. It was a stark contrast to the relative quiet underground.
"If the Heavenly Demons from the Lower Realm invade in force this ti... Junior Brother, will you have to fight these demon heads day in and day out?" Zhao Lingyin asked, her voice tinged with concern. "Will you still have any leisure ti to practice Alchemy with ?"
Looking at the worry in Zhao Lingyin’s eyes, Shen Mo sighed softly.
Ever since the startling discovery of a passage to the Heavenly Demon Realm within the Cloud Sword Sect ruins, an invasion of the Red Fla Country by the Heavenly Demon Realm had beco inevitable.
He didn’t know if this upheaval at Tianshan Mountain was confined to Zhong State or if it affected the entire Red Fla Country. If it was the forr, then the Peak Master and a dozen or so other powerful experts from various sects had already descended into the depths beneath Tianshan Mountain to seal the spatial passage. They should be able to plug this source of Heavenly Demons. Of course, even if they failed, the problem wouldn’t be too severe. The Five Great Sects had been preparing for years to counter a Heavenly Demon invasion. Furthermore, considering the previous ons from the Cloud Sword Sect... it was likely that the various immortal sects already had nurous contingency plans and could swiftly dispatch experts to quell this minor demonic disaster.
If it was the latter, however, then things would be truly problematic. It was just feared that the Five Great Sects were currently overwheld and would find it difficult to spare attention for this area for the ti being. Of course, regardless of the scenario, the overall trend of the Heavenly Demons invading the Red Fla Country once more would not change. It probably wouldn’t be long before the Red Fla Country was once again plunged into a state of utter devastation, with widespread suffering among its people.
As for himself, Shen Mo knew he would naturally be dispatched—either to guard a certain location, to slay demons in overrun areas, or to perform other tasks. Under such a demonic calamity, no one could be spared. Even Yuan Qingshi, the Law Master of the Riverside Sect, and many Supre Elders would have to exert all their efforts to battle the Heavenly Demons.
To continue as usual—hiding in his cave mansion to cultivate peacefully, discussing Alchemy and the Dao with Zhao Lingyin in his spare ti—that seed an unlikely prospect now.
Having gained a mont’s respite, while chatting idly with Zhao Lingyin, Shen Mo felt a vague worry in his heart for Lu Ming, Yao Ting, and the others.
Lu Ming was a good friend, and many disciples from Stars Peak were also acquaintances. Even the inner disciples of Rising Sun Peak and Bright Moon Peak were all fellow sect mbers! If they were Demon-corrupted by the Heavenly Demons, Shen Mo wondered if he could bring himself to strike them down. Especially Uncle Chen, Chen ngze, and Zhao Lingyin right before him... if these people so close to him were unfortunately Demon-corrupted, what then? What could he possibly do?
At this, Zhao Lingyin paused. She pondered for a long ti, then, her eyes shimring with unshed tears, she gazed intently at Shen Mo.
"If that day ever cos, don’t hesitate. Slay the Heavenly Demon that has stolen my body and mories!
"The ’’ you knew will already be dead.
"What appears before you then will be nothing but an ugly demon head...
"I don’t want it to use my body, my mories, to appear before you!"
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