The First Immortal of Destiny-Chapter 529: Reconstructing the Demon Soul General Sequence (Part 2)_1
In this act, Shen Mo divided his absolute control over the Soul Refining Flag and the Soul Generals within it into two: one half he retained, and the other half he delegated to the Ghost Bride and the nine other top-tier Demon Soul Generals.
This was akin to a monarch enfeoffing his commanders, bestowing upon them territories and delegating his own rights.
Thus, the Demon Soul Generals, now controlling a small portion of the blood flag’s authority, would possess a certain degree of ability to resist the Soul Refining Flag’s annihilation of their consciousness. They would awaken some level of awareness—be it remnants of their past or a newly birthed sentience—and would certainly not be as uncomprehending and insensible as before.
It was like ennobled vassals, granted lands and power, beginning to harbor ambitions they ought not to possess.
At the same time, however, Shen Mo would not need to directly confront the hundreds of Demon Soul Generals within the flag. He only needed to suppress the backlash from the Ghost Bride and her ilk, and through their power, he could quell the others layer by layer.
If everything proceeded smoothly, the advantages would be obvious.
Whether the Demon Soul Generals were within the flag or manifested externally, the burden on his soul and the consumption of his Mana and True Yuan would be reduced by a significant degree. In the future, he could gather more powerful Soul Generals and, when facing enemies, condense even more of them for battle.
Moreover, the current backlash from the Soul Refining Flag could also be consequently suppressed.
However, there were disadvantages. Even if this method proved effective, Shen Mo would lose absolute control in the truest sense. Although he would still hold the power of life and death over the Soul Generals within the flag, when issuing commands to the top-tier Demon Soul Generals who had awakened a degree of self-awareness, he would have to consider their "instincts" and "desires."
For instance, previously Shen Mo could use the Ghost Bride as a practice target, freely testing Spells on her without her awareness or any complaint. Henceforth, he would likely need to offer her benefits, such as blood food, to do so.
Furthermore, if Shen Mo wished to use the Soul Destruction Curse to completely annihilate its soul, it would exhibit resistance and, along with the Soul Generals under its command, incite a backlash.
In this respect, there were gains and losses, a trade-off Shen Mo found entirely acceptable.
After all, as long as he remained the master of the Soul Refining Flag, controlling the vast majority of its supreme authority, he could single-handedly suppress any backlash from a small number of Demon Soul Generals.
The primary danger, however, stemmed from the process of reconstructing the Demon Soul General Sequence.
As Shen Mo delegated partial authority to the Ghost Bride and the other nine top Demon Soul Generals, thereby strengthening his connection with them, he simultaneously weakened, or even severed, his connection with the other Demon Soul Generals.
Consequently, the initial backlash power from the Soul Refining Flag not only failed to diminish but actually intensified severalfold.
This was the most perilous moment. If Shen Mo showed the slightest sign of faltering, his body and soul would be annihilated by the Soul Refining Flag’s backlash. Fortunately, he was no ordinary peak Spirit Sea Realm cultivator; his strength was already comparable to weaker Golden Core Realm cultivators or Class IV powerhouses.
Bolstered by his exceptional Basic Destiny, various Skills, and Soul Magic, he ultimately withstood the first wave of the backlash power’s assault.
Under Shen Mo’s refining, the Soul Generals struggling to emerge from the blood curtain quickly split into two factions.
At the forefront were the Ghost Bride, Master Hong Jue, the Serpent-Eel Heavenly Demon, the Gold Piercing Ghost, the Green-skinned Ghost, and others—ten top-tier Demon Soul Generals on the verge of advancing to Class IV.
Upon receiving a small portion of the Soul Refining Flag’s authority from Shen Mo, their expressions instantly grew more animated. They paused briefly, no longer forcibly absorbing True Yuan in an attempt to manifest from the blood curtain. Instead, they turned and roared, charging at the other Demon Soul Generals.
With them tying down the enemy, and Shen Mo continuously infusing Mana and True Yuan while employing refining techniques, soon, one weaker Demon Soul General after another was brought under their command, turning to suppress the remaining rioting, master-devouring Soul Generals.
This process resembled a civil war, with two armies of differing loyalties clashing within a dynasty.
During this, the slightest misstep could cause the powerful tearing forces to utterly destroy the Soul Refining Flag, akin to mountains shattering, rivers breaking, and a dynasty collapsing.
...
Just as Shen Mo was wholly focused on suppressing the Soul Refining Flag’s backlash and reconstructing the sequence of Soul Generals within it, The Big Dipper Array, already on the verge of collapse, finally gave way.
With a colossal roar like a collapsing mountain, the formidable Sword Array abruptly shattered. The seven Big Dipper Swords were sent flying, spinning and tumbling through the air before returning, wailing mournfully, into Shen Mo’s sleeves.
The Dao swords were heavily damaged and would be incapable of forming the Sword Array again in the near future.
"Despicable traitor! Let’s see what other tricks you have to stop me! I will not rest until I have ground your bones to dust!"
The moment the Ten Thousand Eyes Demon Turi Ke escaped the Sword Array, it furiously cursed Shen Mo via Divine Sense. It didn’t even mention having dug out Shen Mo’s Dharma Eye, a clear sign of its extreme hatred for him.
Shen Mo turned his head towards it. He brandished the Demon Slaying Sword in a circular motion and once again activated the Skill [Universe in the Sword].
This Skill, much like the [Pure Yang Pupil], had its shortcomings. Its main advantage, however, was that an enemy within the range of his senses, even if prepared, would find it very difficult to evade the Skill’s instantaneous lock.
In the next instant, Turi Ke, transformed into a black shadow by a Spell, vanished from its position once more.
Within a mere moment, it reappeared in its original spot. As Shen Mo had anticipated, it was prepared this time; even when faced with the crushing force of The Small World of Sword Zone, it did not lose a single Dharma Eye.
However, in that brief interval, a Demon Slaying Sword Qi unleashed by Shen Mo had already swept it up.
The collision of Spell and Sword Light erupted with shocking tumult. The nature’s spiritual energy roiled violently, and the shockwaves obliterated a vast stretch of forest on the ground, rendering the already desolate landscape even more scarred.
Thousands-eyes Turi Ke roared furiously in his mind, The same moves are useless against me. Die! Several of the eyes on its body flashed with an eerie radiance. Instantly, it launched several formidable Spells, their vast and terrifying killing intent locking onto Shen Mo from every direction.
PFFT!
A puff of blue smoke rose.
Shen Mo activated a Feather Transformation Charm. He and the Soul Refining Flag instantly reappeared sixty or seventy miles away. Then, he once again unleashed the Skill [Universe in the Sword] upon Turi Ke.
It might have seemed like a futile effort, but he was actually disrupting the great demon’s rhythm while simultaneously buying time to suppress the backlash power from the Soul Refining Flag.
After repeating this several times, Shen Mo began to suffer a splitting headache. The burden on his soul was too great, making it increasingly difficult to activate his Skills. The Spiritual Qi and True Yuan within his body were also nearly depleted. Even though he had preemptively consumed a large quantity of Elixirs designed to nourish the soul and restore Spiritual Qi, he was struggling to recover in time.
Besides the battle with Turi Ke, suppressing the backlash power of the Soul Refining Flag consumed an immense amount of energy.
The Ten Thousand Eyes Demon noticed Shen Mo’s flagging state. The eyes covering its body glinted with malevolence. As its gaze flickered, it conjured vast, murky yellow sandstorms one after another.
This time, it spared no Mana, continuously casting Spells. The soul-searing, bone-eroding Sandstorm Spell not only enveloped Shen Mo’s current location but also blanketed all potential escape routes—above, below, front, back, left, and right—spreading for hundreds of miles.
Forget using a Feather Transformation Charm; even with the Sword Escape Skill, Shen Mo would find it difficult to escape instantly.
