Most of the disciples from other immortal sects were also fighting while retreating! In the midst of the Demonic Qi, specks of light were constantly moving towards Tianshan City. "Alright, I’ll listen to Junior Brother Shen," Yao Ting quickly scanned the situation and readily agreed. The other disciples were all in the middle-stage of the Qi Gathering Realm. Seeing that Yao Ting and Shen Mo, the prodigy who had just broken the step-climbing record, wanted to move towards Tianshan City, they naturally had no objections. The Big Dipper Array shielded everyone. Combined with the others’ attacks, they defended against the oncoming Heavenly Demons. The small battle group, consisting of over a dozen people, kept moving away from the collapsing ground. Meanwhile, Shen Mo’s gaze fell on Zhao Lingyin’s delicate face. A demonic shadow drilled into Senior Sister Lingyin’s forehead. Could it be that a Heavenly Demon wants to Demon-corrupt Senior Sister Lingyin? If so, Senior Sister Lingyin must have a treasure protecting her soul! Otherwise, she would have already been Demon-corrupted by the Heavenly Demon by now. When endless demonic shadows erupted with the turbulent Demonic Qi, Shen Mo saw more than just one elite disciple of the immortal sect being Demon-corrupted, turned into entities similar to the mutated Demon Soul Generals! I can’t afford to probe carefully. Soul Curse, Bind Soul! Shen Mo murmured softly. He placed his right index and middle fingers together, forming a seal, and pressed them against Zhao Lingyin’s brow. Instantly, his Mind Sea, with the sun hanging high, shone brightly. Invisible soul power, in a profoundly mysterious way, created layer upon layer of strange ripples, surging toward Zhao Lingyin’s forehead. What he wanted to bind was naturally not Zhao Lingyin’s soul, but the soul of that Heavenly Demon! Based on Shen Mo’s understanding of the Heavenly Demon Soul General in the Soul Refining Flag, the body and soul of a Heavenly Demon are one, existing between the tangible and intangible! If it wants to Demon-corrupt a creature, it generally invades the creature’s soul, then from the inside out, turns this creature into a mutated Heavenly Demon. With the casting of the Soul-binding Spell, Shen Mo soon noticed something strange! Within Zhao Lingyin’s body, a soul with a fresh and ethereal aura was firmly protected by a cauldron. However, outside, a raging demonic flame was intent on breaking through the cauldron’s protection, devouring and contaminating that pure soul. "Senior Sister Lingyin!" Slight waves of soul power conveyed Shen Mo’s thoughts to Zhao Lingyin. "Shen Mo... why have you come? Be careful, don’t let the Heavenly Demon rebound into your Mind Sea; otherwise, it will be as troublesome as a Heart Demon." "I have the Treasure Soul Cauldron to protect me; this demon head can’t do anything to me for a while." Zhao Lingyin extended a strand of soul power, briefly touching Shen Mo’s before pulling away. Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹·𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲·𝗻𝗲𝘁 In a trance, Shen Mo seemed to smell a hint of the fragrance of spiritual medicine, a vague understanding dawning in his heart. No wonder so many immortal sect disciples singled out Zhao Lingyin! In the eyes of peculiar beings like Heavenly Demons, Zhao Lingyin was a delicious, fragrant delicacy. Although she said she had the Treasure Soul Cauldron for protection, since he had come, how could he leave empty-handed? Besides, judging by her appearance, she didn’t seem as optimistic as she claimed! Soul power instantly swept towards the demonic flame. Shen Mo felt a tremor in his soul, as if he had rammed headfirst into a huge stone, a wave of dizziness washing over him. This was the nature of the Soul Curse. In essence, it was a collision and battle between souls! Had Zhao Lingyin not been on the verge of being Demon-corrupted by this Heavenly Demon, Shen Mo would not have lightly cast the Soul-binding Spell. Fortunately, this Heavenly Demon was only at the middle-stage of Class II, and its demonic body wasn’t too strong. Converted, the strength of its soul was equivalent to a cultivator at Layer VI of the Qi Gathering Realm. Hooked by Shen Mo’s spell, the demonic flame instantly reverted to its semi-human Heavenly Demon form, shrieking as it was gradually drawn out by the Soul-binding Spell. Outside Zhao Lingyin’s Mind Sea, Shen Mo’s eyes stared intently at her brow. In an instant, a weak demonic shadow, restrained by the Soul-binding Spell, slowly flew out from between her eyebrows. Shen Mo chanted the incantation, and the Soul-annihilation Spell struck immediately! The demonic shadow dissipated. Shen Mo’s face turned slightly pale. He staggered a step, almost failing to maintain The Big Dipper Array. He hurriedly swallowed a Soul Nurturing Pill and activated the Soul Contemplation Sutra! The Scorching Sun Soul Phase illuminated his soul. After a short while, he recovered and continued to maintain the Sword Array to shield against the tide of Heavenly Demons. Previously, if he could have completely extracted this Heavenly Demon, Shen Mo would not have needed to use the Soul-annihilation Spell. A single strand of sword Qi would have been enough to obliterate it! However, this demon head was very cunning, stubbornly retaining its Demon Dyed Divine Power. A part of Zhao Lingyin’s Mind Sea had also been Demon-corrupted by it, causing their energies to intertwine. If he killed it with brute force, he feared that Zhao Lingyin’s soul might be injured as well! Strange... The Heavenly Demon has been slain, so why hasn’t Senior Sister Lingyin woken up yet? Shen Mo saw Zhao Lingyin’s eyelashes fluttering as she lay in his arms, but she didn’t open her eyes for a long time, making him quite anxious. He placed his right hand on Zhao Lingyin’s forehead again, intending to probe with his sense. At this moment, Zhao Lingyin finally opened her eyes, her voice as low as a mosquito’s hum. The blush on her face quickly spread, suffusing her ears and neck with red, making her look exceptionally beautiful. "Senior Sister Lingyin, I’m so glad you’re alright! It was all thanks to Senior Sister Yao Ting protecting you just now, otherwise..." Shen Mo said joyously, but quickly noticed something was amiss. His left hand was still tightly holding Zhao Lingyin, cradling her in his arms; no wonder her expression was a bit peculiar. He was about to let her go so she could use Flying Escape on her own sword. Just then, The Big Dipper Array suddenly shook violently, then shattered and exploded, reverting to seven small swords that flew back into Shen Mo’s sleeves. Shen Mo looked in the direction of the disturbance. He saw a Heaven Sword Sect disciple, surrounded by an endless Demonic Qi, looking gloomily at him. "It’s Senior Brother Wan Wu! His body has been seized by a Heavenly Demon..." a Heaven Sword Sect disciple cried out in grief and anger. Soon, Shen Mo learned from the Heaven Sword Sect disciple that this Wan Wu was at Layer IX of the Qi Gathering Realm! To think such a strong person could be Demon-corrupted... It must be one of the few Second-order Pinnacle Heavenly Demons from among the tens of thousands of Heavenly Demons. I don’t know when Wan Wu was Demon-corrupted, but now he’s targeting me and my companions. A scattering of stone dust fell from Shen Mo’s fingertips. Destiny... Examine All Beings! [Heavenly Demon: Mutated Heavenly Demon Wan Wu] [Realm: Second-order Peak] [Summary: This demon was originally a disciple of the Luo Fu Sword Master of the Heaven Sword Sect and was Demon-corrupted by a Second-order Pinnacle Heavenly Demon. Transformed into a mutated Heavenly Demon, it retains the memory, cultivation, magic, and Proficiency in Swordsmanship of the Heaven Sword Sect disciple, Wan Wu. It possesses several Perfection-level magic. It can increase its Cultivation Realm through cultivation and can also devour other creatures to strengthen itself. This Heavenly Demon’s Demon Form is fixed. It has lost the Heavenly Demon’s innate characteristic of merging with creatures and can no longer Demon-corrupt other creatures.] [Weakness: As a Human Cultivator, he had never grasped sword intent, and his Path Heart had a flaw. Now that he has been devoured by a powerful Heavenly Demon, this defect has been remedied.] Looking at the information appearing on the "Record of Sightings", Shen Mo felt an immense headache. This Wan Wu Heavenly Demon is probably the most difficult and powerful Second-order being I have ever encountered! He was already an elite disciple of the Heaven Sword Sect, just one step away from entering the Spirit Sea Realm. And he mastered many magic and cultivation methods of the Heaven Sword Sect! With the Demon-corruption, the flaw in his Path Heart has also been remedied. In a battle, I fear... I might not be a match for this demon.