The First Immortal of Destiny-Chapter 687: The 8th Heavenly Thunder_1
HUMMMMM...
The Demon Slaying Sword vibrated constantly, its Artifact Spirit frantically seeking help from Shen Mo through their mental connection.
Lin Zhaozai's mountain-sized rib wound pulsed with an evil light. Dark blood oozed out continuously, and the white bones seemed alive, clinging to the sword's body, attempting to assimilate the Spirit Sword, to make it part of the ribs.
"Universal Demon Slaying!"
The next moment, Shen Mo grasped the hilt, his vast True Yuan pouring from his body as he executed the Demon Slaying Sword Style.
This unleashed a torrent of nature's spiritual energy, which surged like a tidal wave into the Demon Slaying Sword. It was further blessed with the power of heavenly tribulation, causing the blade to be covered in profound Dao runes that shimmered with lights representing various disasters.
"CLANG!"
The sword light surged intensely.
With Shen Mo's prowess in swordplay, the blessings of his Destiny [Uncommon Victory], his Skill [Sword Body], and other personal strengths, augmented by the aid of heavenly and earthly forces, this execution of the Demon Slaying Sword Style reached the pinnacle of profundity and terrifying power.
A brilliant sword Qi erupted, and in an instant, it severed Lin Zhaozai's third rib!
Shen Mo immediately withdrew the Demon Slaying Sword. Without time to soothe the Sword Spirit within, he once again enveloped the blade in sword Qi and slashed into the chest cavity of the gigantic skeletal structure.
At the same time, Lin Zhaozai's giant skeletal hand, radiating terrifying might, reached out to grab him.
Shen Mo swung the Taiyi Sword, fiercely clashing with the giant skeletal hand. He destroyed most of its finger bones, but was struck in return, his blood roiling and his Brahma Flame flickering violently.
It was unclear whether this gigantic skeletal form inherently possessed such supernatural abilities, or if Lin Zhaozai had regained considerable strength. The capabilities of this colossal skeleton were somewhat different from his previous body; its damaged bones possessed a shocking ability to recover!
The foot bones, previously shattered by the hidden trump cards of the Four Great Sects, had completely regenerated. Even the ribs and finger bones Shen Mo had severed were now repairing at a visible speed, fueled by the surging evil light and dark blood.
His [Chanjue] Destiny indicated that the eighth Heavenly Thunder was about to strike.
Shen Mo had no wish to remain entangled. Sensing that the Demon Slaying Sword had already slashed deep into the colossal skeleton's chest cavity, he immediately activated his [Sword Escape] Skill once more!
At this point, both Lin Zhaozai, transformed into the colossal skeleton, and Big Moro Yao, who was using Flower Fairy Spells to engage him, clearly guessed Shen Mo's intentions. He planned to use Lin Zhaozai's White Bones Path Dao Body as a shield against the final two tribulation thunderbolts, whose destructive power had multiplied over a hundredfold, even two hundredfold!
If this plan succeeded, it would indeed kill two birds with one stone.
On one hand, Lin Zhaozai's White Bones Path Dao Body could absorb some of the destructive power for Shen Mo, making it easier for him to endure the final two Heavenly Thunders.
On the other hand, he might seize this opportunity to severely wound Lin Zhaozai, thus conveniently overcoming this "man-made calamity."
However, Lin Zhaozai was an Evil Monarch who had cultivated to the late stage of the Divine Bridge Realm. Accustomed to deceit and possessing a mind and methods befitting his strength, he was not so easily dealt with.
Just as Shen Mo used [Sword Escape] to appear deep within the colossal skeleton's chest cavity, he suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure.
It was as if all the bones of this colossal skeleton—skull, facial bones, frontal bone, cervical vertebrae, ribs, sternum, arm bones, sacrum, leg bones, and so on—had all instantaneously reverted to their normal size, generating a terrifyingly immense crushing force.
From the outside, Lin Zhaozai's White Bones Path Dao Body still appeared terrifyingly massive; it had not truly shrunk or returned to its normal shape.
Yet the crushing force Shen Mo endured was all too real, not an illusion born from his five senses being deceived.
He retrieved the Demon Slaying Sword, which was already under immense strain. The blade rattled, and its Sword Spirit moaned. The Demon Slaying Sword had advanced to the middle-grade of the spiritual level; even in the hands of a Divine Bridge Heavenly Monarch, it would be considered a decent magic sword with an incredibly sturdy blade. Yet, at this moment, it seemed unable to withstand the oppressive force filling the space.
Shen Mo's other magic artifacts, much like the Demon Slaying Sword, were on the verge of collapsing and disintegrating from within. Only the Taiyi Sword, a Supreme Spirit Sword, flickered constantly with sword light, holding this crushing force at bay.
In this situation, even a solid mountain forged from refined iron would have been utterly crushed and obliterated.
"Universal Fairyland!"
Shen Mo gave a cold shout, unleashing a curtain of sword light. He recalled all his magic artifacts—the Demon Slaying Sword, Soul Refining Flag, Green Cloud Umbrella, Universe Bag, and others—into his Sword Zone. He was left with only the Taiyi Sword in hand.
Simultaneously, he activated his special Destiny [Indestructible Body] and pushed the defensive Skill [Crystal Brahma Flame] to its maximum potency.
The Crystal Brahma Flame, originally three feet thick, was compressed to a mere foot by the immense pressure. As the white flame flowed, it seemed to coat Shen Mo's body in a layer of transparent armor.
Shen Mo was not faring well. It felt as if hundreds of massive mountain ranges, tens of thousands of peaks, were pressing down on him. His Dao Body emitted eerie, creaking sounds—the sound of his Flesh and Blood, tendons, bones, and internal organs resisting the crushing force.
Fortunately, before he had constructed his Divine Bridge, he had cultivated two powerful external magic arts. His Basic Destiny for Vitality had also advanced to the [Ancient Holy Body]. Back then, the strength of his Dao Body was already comparable to a Class IV peak Evil-eating Centipede.
Now that he had become a Heavenly Monarch, his Essence and Qi were combined into one, and his Dao Body's vitality had experienced another significant augmentation.
With the special Destiny [Indestructible Body] active, his physical form alone could rival a middle-grade Spirit Sword, not to mention the high-quality True Yuan circulating within him. Crushing him to death or even injuring him would not be so easy!
"RUMBLE!"
Shen Mo's Dao Body emitted a thunderous rumbling, and endless divine light erupted from it, desperately resisting the infinite crushing and destructive force.
"Hmm?"
Lin Zhaozai uttered a sound of surprise, clearly incredulous at the sturdiness of Shen Mo's Dao Body.
He had initially thought Shen Mo drilling into his skeletal chest cavity was a foolish move, akin to walking into a trap. He never imagined that even with his Dao Methods of the White Bones Path, he would be unable to crush Shen Mo to death.
Lin Zhaozai couldn't be blamed for this misjudgment. In their two previous encounters, he had never seen Shen Mo engage in purely physical combat, so he had no idea of the true extent of Shen Mo's physical fortitude.
The next instant, Lin Zhaozai changed his offensive.
Shen Mo, still deep within the skeletal chest cavity, felt not only the endless pressure from all directions but also a sudden, bizarre change within his own bones. They began to twist, misalign, and even sprout sharp bone spurs!
As expected of an Evil Monarch who has cultivated the White Bones Path. Even with my current strength, he can influence the jade bones within my Dao Body... 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
Similarly, many of the methods Lin Zhaozai was now demonstrating were beyond Shen Mo's expectations.
After all, during their previous confrontation, this Evil Monarch had been suppressed by the Demon-Suppressing Tower for countless years and was still under heavy Imprisonment, preventing him from utilizing his full strength.
"The eighth Heavenly Thunder is about to fall!"
Shen Mo looked up at the sky through the gaps in the skeletal frame.
He saw a thunderbolt, tinged with purple, emerge from the tribulation cloud. It carried a terrifying force capable of destroying heavens and earth as it hurtled directly towards him.
