Currently, the battlefield of Golden Light Ridge was, in effect, divided into three tiers.
The first tier naturally involved the Protectors from the forbidden lands of the two major factions—powerful existences of Class V and above—entangled in struggles beyond the Ninth Heaven. However, they were reluctant to engage directly. The death of a Protector could lead to the extinction of their entire clan, and they wished to avoid destroying their own territories. Due to these and other factors, their battles inevitably reached an unspoken agreent: they did not fight to the death, aiming only to contain one another. This was to prevent an enemy’s Heavenly Monarch-level combatant from disregarding martial ethics and indiscriminately slaughtering their own experts. Thus, while the confrontations at this tier were terrifying and vast, they did not decisively influence the overall battlefield situation.
The second tier was the slaughter between Golden Core Realm cultivators and Class IV experts—a far more brutal and bloody affair. This conflict was already raging, and several such powerful individuals had already fallen. Their deaths triggered various terrifying phenona above Zhong State: blood rain poured from the sky, ghosts wailed and gods howled, and the very wind and clouds seed to warp and change color.
The third tier consisted of life-and-death battles between the main forces of both sides, involving Qi Gathering Realm and Spirit Sea Realm cultivators, as well as Class II and Class III creatures. At this tier, human cultivators—whether righteous path cultivators or evil cultivators—ford the majority. The number of creatures from the Outer Zone was relatively small. Unlike the higher tiers, hundreds of thousands of extraordinary creatures were locked in mutual slaughter here. Across a battlefield spanning a thousand-mile radius—in the sky, on the ground, within the mountains, and even underground—they ford a terrifying at grinder. Countless beings perished every mont.
...
It’s obvious to anyone with a discerning eye that in the battles involving the Golden Core Realm and Class IV experts, the Outer Zone Demons’ side has the absolute advantage!
This Four-Eyed Great Demon doesn’t want a fight to the death with ; its intentions aren’t hard to guess...
It’s trying to preserve itself, either waiting for other Great Demons to co to its aid, or waiting for the overall situation to deteriorate to the point where I’m forced to flee in disgrace!
Under normal circumstances, events would unfold as it expects. Once our Golden Core Realm cultivators and the Outer Zone Class IV experts are forced to retreat, the montum of the Evil Demons in Golden Light Ridge, and even across all of Zhong State, would beco unstoppable. My only options then would be to fall back to Yan Tianjing or flee Zhong State entirely.
However...
Thinking this, a cold smile touched Shen Mo’s lips. He imdiately reached out his free arm, grabbed the Soul Refining Flag, and gave it a fierce shake!
At that very mont, the Ghost Bride, Master Hong Jue, the Serpent-Eel Heavenly Demon, and seven other Demon Soul Generals—ten in total—had already devoured thousands of evil cultivators and Outer Zone Demons. Many of these victims were excellent ’blood food,’ possessing Spirit Sea Realm cultivation or Class III strength.
PUFF!
Under the Ghost Bride’s Glare Skill, a Spirit Sea Realm Layer V evil cultivator found his blood uncontrollably boiling. Soon, it erupted from his seven orifices—mouth, nose, ears, and eyes—like a crimson spring. His body rapidly lost all color and shriveled. This evil cultivator was not weak and didn’t die instantly. However, as a large amount of True Yuan drained away with his lifeblood, his aura instantly grew weak and listless.
"Where did this Evil Demon Monster co from? I can’t kill it, no matter what I try, yet its power is so terrifying?"
Horror filled the shriveled evil cultivator’s face. He imdiately roused the remaining True Yuan in his body, activating a life-saving Escape Skill in an attempt to flee from the Ghost Bride’s demonic clutches.
The next instant, the Ghost Bride whipped up a cloud of murky Demonic Qi, transforming into a streak of mottled, bloody light that slamd into the fleeing evil cultivator. As he watched in despair, she tore him into shreds of flesh and blood, then opened her vast maw and swallowed all of his remains. Only his Universe Bag, magic artifacts, talismans, and other external possessions were swept up by the bloody light and concealed within her Soul Body.
Normally, when a Demon Soul General like the Ghost Bride devoured a Spirit Sea Realm evil cultivator, her aura would strengthen. Yet, right now, she showed no signs of enhancent; instead, wisps of murky Demonic Qi drifted from her. This clearly indicated she had consud too much blood food and was suffering from a kind of ’indigestion’!
It wasn’t just the Ghost Bride; Master Hong Jue, the Gold Piercing Ghost, and the other peak Class III Demon Soul Generals were all exhibiting similar symptoms to varying degrees. Driven by the powerful instinct to ’devour living beings to strengthen themselves,’ they wouldn’t halt their predation even if their bellies were full and round. They would continue until Shen Mo activated the Soul Refining Flag and issued the command to recall them.
Instantly, the mutant Demon Soul Generals, active across Golden Light Ridge—feared and cursed by countless evil cultivators and Outer Zone Demons as ’Evil Demon Monsters’—all transford into streaks of mottled, bloody light, fleeing towards the Soul Refining Flag. Within twenty to thirty breaths, up to more than a hundred breaths’ ti, the ten Demon Soul Generals still in the Outer Realm successively plunged into the blood flag.
RUSTLE! RUSTLE!
The Soul Refining Flag rustled, and the soul marks of the Demon Soul Generals on its surface began to glow, one after another.
Shen Mo was delighted to notice that the Ghost Bride and the other mutant Demon Soul Generals were showing signs of advancing. As long as ten Demon Soul Generals reached Class IV, he would gain the qualification to interfere in higher-tier battles. This would be imnsely useful, whether for slaughtering more Evil Demons and maximizing the ’Blessed Land’ characteristic of Golden Light Ridge, or for venturing to the Dragon Fall Abyss in the future.
As for entering the Mountain River Realm, he didn’t pin excessive hope on the Class IV Demon Soul Generals. After all, without cultivating the Reverse Dragon Curse to an extrely high level, even an existence equivalent to the Golden Core Realm couldn’t withstand the Essence and Qi radiating from the Soaring Serpent Bizarre Dragon. They would rely be reduced to parasitic beings like the Double-winged Flying Snake.
Just as Shen Mo was savoring this joyous thought, a sudden change occurred! The Soul Refining Flag in his hand pulsed, its blood-red light flaring malevolently—it was about to backlash against its master!
"Damn it!"
Shen Mo’s expression changed abruptly. His free hands flew, forming a series of seals that forcefully suppressed the backlash power of the Soul Refining Flag. No matter how extraordinary or mystical this flag was, it was, at its core, an evil cultivator’s artifact. And any demonic artifact carried the risk of backlashing against its destined master.
Shen Mo had always both valued and been wary of the Soul Refining Flag. He was careful not to let the Demon Soul Generals within it advance too quickly. Consequently, he had always been able to calmly suppress any minor backlashes. But now, the strength of the Demon Soul Generals within the flag had surged dramatically, and the backlash power had correspondingly increased by a large margin.
Even though he possessed the thods to suppress it, top-tier Demon Soul Generals like the Ghost Bride were on the verge of breaking through to the Class IV Soul General rank. Other, weaker Demon Soul Generals had also advanced by one or two Minor Realms. This made the backlash from the demonic flag more ferocious than any he had previously experienced!
Unfortunately, at this critical mont, the majority of Shen Mo’s True Yuan and ntal power were dedicated to controlling the Big Dipper Sword Array. If he mishandled this, his very soul would be torn into myriad fragnts. His True Yuan and lifeblood would be drained completely, swept away by the Soul Refining Flag to beco ’rations’ for the Demon Soul Generals within!
Imdiately, Shen Mo diverted a significant portion of his concentration from the Sword Array to suppressing the Soul Refining Flag. Simultaneously, he ntally reviewed all the thods for refining this flag. Then, with a thought, his Demon Slaying Sword pulsed, sending a streak of sword Qi to slice a deep, long gash across his palm. A copious amount of blood, rich with his Essence and Qi, spurted out, splattering onto the flag’s surface like blood ink.
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