The First Immortal of Destiny-Chapter 399 Heishan Dangerous Incident_1
The Ghost Nation Ruins teemed with endless Soul Ghosts, excellent high-grade blood food for Heavenly Demons to corrupt and devour.
Therefore, once these demons, large and small, emerged from the Heishan demonic cave, they constantly swarmed towards the Abyss—the location of the Ghost Nation Ruins—attempting to merge with it.
Fortunately, the ruins also harbored numerous powerful Soul Ghosts and various treacherous terrains. Even the terrifying Demon Tide would struggle to quickly level the area and transform it into a blood food farm for the Heavenly Demon faction.
The Human Cultivators, led by the Five Great Sects, certainly wouldn’t stand idly by.
Around the Heishan demonic cave, they constructed eight large cities, fortified with Formations and Prohibitions. Five of these cities specifically blocked the path between Heishan Town and the Ghost Nation Ruins.
This created an interlocking battlefront with the Heavenly Demon forces, leading to bloody and brutal battles daily.
As this area lay on the border of You State and Jing State, the Ghost Corpse School and the Heaven Sword Sect—two major sects—along with various cultivation forces from both states, bore the brunt of the responsibility.
Naturally, the other Three Major Sects, and numerous cultivation forces, large and small, from other states, also dispatched considerable forces to slay demons.
For instance, a Golden Core Realm patriarch from the Riverside Sect was stationed in one of these large cities. Shen Mo seized the opportunity to pay him a visit and received some benefits.
Upon re-entering the Ghost Nation Ruins, Shen Mo, accompanied by Ming Yu, headed to the Human Ghost village protected by Ghost General Zhang Taian.
They discovered the village deserted. However, the remaining traces indicated it hadn’t been ravaged by Heavenly Demons; rather, its inhabitants had voluntarily abandoned their settlement.
Subsequently, Shen Mo and Ming Yu traversed most of the ruins but found no trace of Zhang Taian or the other Human Ghosts.
Shen Mo even utilized the Soul Refining Flag, attempting to contact Zhang Taian using a portion of his soul mark, but it was futile—just as it had been when trying to contact Possession Ghost Horse Groom Lv with its mark.
Adhering to the principle of ’never leave empty-handed,’ Shen Mo summoned the Variant Demon Soul Generals and minor Heavenly Demon Soul Generals from his Soul Refining Flag, allowing them to devour numerous low-class Soul Ghosts.
However, Shen Mo soon discovered he had underestimated the entities within the Ghost Nation Ruins.
In just a few days, several Class III Variant Demon Soul Generals had their Soul General forms shattered, forcing their return to the Soul Refining Flag.
Powerful Ghost Kings, exceeding Class III peak yet not quite reaching Class IV, even pursued them, compelling Shen Mo to seek refuge in Ming Yu’s The Smallest Space.
They remained hidden for several days until the terrifying aura lingering nearby finally dissipated.
After this ordeal, Shen Mo exercised greater caution when dispatching his Demon Soul Generals to plunder blood food.
After more than a month, Shen Mo faintly sensed his soul reaching its load limit. He shook the Soul Refining Flag, recalling all the numerous Demon Soul Generals still plundering blood food outside.
Within the flag, most of the minor Heavenly Demon Soul Generals—those that had not yet Demon-corrupted other creatures—had advanced to Class II peak.
Further advancement was impossible for them.
These types of Demon Soul Generals retained the characteristics of primal Heavenly Demons; unless they Demon-corrupted other creatures, they could not break through to Class III, regardless of how much blood food they consumed.
Meanwhile, the more formidable Variant Demon Soul Generals had mostly advanced to Class III.
The Snake Eel Demon Soul General, the strongest among them in its lifetime, reached Class III peak. Over ten other Demon Soul Generals, including Master Hong Jue, the Ghost Bride, Gold Piercing Ghost Jinshan, Green-skinned Ghost Tieshan, and the Fire Spitting Wolf King, smoothly advanced to the late-stage of Class III. The remainder were at various stages between early and mid-Class III.
My soul is already at its limit; I cannot bear any more, or more powerful, Demon Soul Generals!
Only when my cultivation realm breaks through, or my Divine Soul Contemplation Scripture advances to the next level, will I be able to confidently suppress the backlash power of the Soul Refining Flag.
The Soul Refining Flag was, after all, an evil cultivator’s magic artifact. Though powerful, it was not as docile or compliant as ordinary magic artifacts.
Shen Mo felt no pressure refining and activating the low-grade Spiritual Artifact, the Ruyi Soul Stealing Needle. However, he was quite apprehensive of the increasingly extraordinary Soul Refining Flag, fearing that a moment of carelessness could lead to his own soul being torn apart and sacrificed to it.
Currently, the Soul Magic, Divine Soul Contemplation Scripture, that he cultivated was still at the "Reaching the Peak" level.
Upon reaching the next stage, his soul would become significantly stronger and more resilient, capable of supporting the advancement of more Variant Demon Soul Generals.
Although Shen Mo hadn’t used the Soul Refining Flag much recently, this item remained one of his strongest trump cards. Provided conditions allowed, it was naturally best to enhance its power as much as possible.
After leaving the Ghost Nation Ruins, for some unknown reason, Shen Mo and Ming Yu were targeted by a Class IV Big Heavenly Demon from the Black Mountain Demon Suppression Cave. A colossal, withered hand, capable of shaking the heavens and earth, stretched across a hundred-li range, striking directly at them!
In an instant, the nature’s spiritual energy surrounding them was compressed and distorted.
Furthermore, the destructive will embedded in this attack caused Ming Yu’s Dao Body and mind to stiffen, freezing her in place as if she were encased in amber.
She couldn’t even manage to activate her Skill, The Smallest and The Largest!
At this critical juncture, Shen Mo, having resisted the terrifying spiritual pressure, assumed his Three-headed Six-armed Incarnation. Empowered by the Skill Uncommon Victory, he unleashed his Sacrificial One Sword directly at the heaven-shaking claw.
Having sacrificed a portion of his Essence and Qi, Shen Mo was instantly weakened.
The effect, however, was astounding: three fingers of the suddenly appearing demonic claw were severed, and its downward strike faltered momentarily.
This bought enough time for the immortal sect’s Golden Core Realm patriarch stationed in the city to react.
Flying Swords, Ghouls, Moon Wheels, Starlight, Thunderbolts, Raging Flames, Storms, Poisonous Rain...
Several Golden Core Realm cultivators attacked simultaneously, instantly shattering the heaven-shaking claw. Their attacks then descended upon the Black Mountain Demon Suppression Cave, annihilating countless demons and their progeny in the blink of an eye.
Regardless, for several months afterward, the entire Black Mountain Demon Suppression Cave failed to organize any significant Demon Tide to assault the defensive line formed by the eight cities.
Shen Mo, nearly crushed to death, was both shocked and enraged.
Witnessing the Golden Core Realm patriarch from his side take action, he immediately consumed a handful of Grade III Elixirs and charged towards the Black Mountain Demon Suppression Cave.
He unleashed a barrage of powerful techniques one after another.
With the enhancement from his newly acquired Skill, Uncommon Victory, any offensive method he employed inflicted significantly increased damage on Demons.
He alone slew several dozen Class III Demon Heads; the number of low-class Heavenly Demons he slaughtered was even greater, counted in the tens of thousands.
Shen Mo only stopped once he had annihilated every demonic shadow within a hundred-li radius.
This bout of slaughter earned him another substantial sum of demon-slaying merits, which he then used to exchange for many high-class materials from the Demon Slaying Hall in the newly constructed large city.
Earning a hefty profit from this ordeal was indeed a blessing in disguise.
Subsequently, after discussion and analysis with the Riverside Sect’s Supreme Elder in the city, Shen Mo concluded it was highly probable that he had been implicated due to Ming Yu.
The Class IV Big Heavenly Demon in the Black Mountain Demon Suppression Cave likely intended to capture Ming Yu, Demon-corrupt her, and thereby obtain more information regarding the Immortal Burial Sea and Demon Lord Ming Cang.
Killing Shen Mo would have merely been a secondary objective.
Eliminating a rising talent from the immortal sects would also have been a welcome bonus for the Heavenly Demon faction.
Who could have predicted that Shen Mo’s abilities were not insignificant? By employing his powerful techniques, he managed to hinder the heaven-shaking claw, buying their Golden Core Realm patriarch an opportunity to strike and thus foiling the Heavenly Demon’s meticulous plans.
