The Soul-annihilation Spell struck Heavenly Demon Wan Wu. It was as if a sharp spike had fiercely stabbed it. Streams of disintegrating, shattering demonic essence, accompanied by Demonic Qi, wildly gushed from its seven apertures—mouth, nose, ears, and the like. Its swollen body also quickly shrank. In the blink of an eye, this powerful demon head transformed into a desiccated skeleton, nothing but skin and bones. Blood still trickled from its seven apertures, but otherwise, not a sound remained. Wan Wu, a disciple of the Heaven Sword Sect, had been Demon-corrupted by a Second-order Pinnacle Heavenly Demon. His original soul, flesh, and blood had all transformed into a chaotic demonic body. The Secret Technique, the Sacrificial One Sword, involved sacrificing all of one’s vital blood, soul, and even lifespan. When this demon head employed it, it naturally had to sacrifice its demonic essence too. Now, before its Sacrificial One Sword could even be unleashed, it was struck by Shen Mo’s Soul-annihilation Spell. Under the backlash of the Secret Technique, it naturally met its end, its demonic essence depleted and its soul scattered. Shen Mo, at this moment, was not faring well either. His soul was severely injured, causing his head to throb as if it were splitting apart, and blood seeped from his mouth and nose. For a moment, he even found it difficult to control his Flying Sword for flight. He plummeted headfirst from a height of thirty feet, crashing to the ground. If not for his robust vitality and the relatively low altitude of his fall, he likely would have broken several bones. The source of thɪs content is 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✶𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲✶𝗻𝗲𝘁 Shen Mo took out several Elixirs to nourish his soul and circulated the Divine Soul Contemplation Scripture, using the Scorching Sun Soul Phase to nurture his soul. Only after about the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn did he gradually recover. Soul Curses are still too dangerous! I must be cautious when using them in the future... Shen Mo had used the Soul-annihilation Spell this time precisely because he had seen that Heavenly Demon Wan Wu was in an extremely weakened state while using its demonic body to offer a sacrifice for the Secret Technique. Moreover, there was a sixty to seventy percent chance that the target of its spell was Shen Mo himself. There was a thirty percent chance it would strike Li Zhong. Whether it was him or Li Zhong, neither could have likely survived being struck by this Sacrificial One Sword. Therefore, Shen Mo had resolutely used the Soul-annihilation Spell. Even so, his soul had still suffered considerable injury. Fortunately, they had managed to kill the demon head in the end. "Many thanks to my three senior fellow disciples for your righteous assistance in helping me slay this fiend!" Although slaying demons is a matter of great righteousness in the cultivation world, Li Zhong and the others had come at his invitation. Moreover, they were dealing with a Second-order Pinnacle mutated Heavenly Demon, and each of them had contributed significantly. If they hadn’t been invited, they could have gone to the Tianshan Mountain battlefield. There were more Heavenly Demons there, and their strength was relatively weaker. At least, there weren’t many powerful demon heads that had Demon-corrupted elite disciples from the immortal sects. With numerous fellow sect members present, it would have been much safer. Why would they risk their lives fighting Heavenly Demon Wan Wu? It was only right and proper that Shen Mo express his gratitude. Subsequently, Shen Mo presented them with three bottles containing a total of fifteen Grade III Elixirs. Li Zhong and the others did not decline and graciously accepted the gifts. Shangguan Jie of the Heaven Sword Sect, having joined forces with Shen Mo to slay the demon and received benefits, now had a noticeably improved attitude towards him. "Junior Brother Shen, you’re too kind!" he said. "Wan Wu was a disciple of our Heaven Sword Sect. Since he was Demon-corrupted, it was only natural for me to help him find peace! However, according to the rules of the Five Great Sects... the remains and belongings of cultivators who become Demon-corrupted are to be handled by their respective sects or families. Forgive me, but I cannot open Senior Brother Wan’s Universe Bag to divide the spoils with you all." Shen Mo understood this point. In the face of the overwhelming tide of the Heavenly Demon invasion, the entire cultivation world of the Red Flame Country—including the Five Great Sects, various minor sects, aristocratic clans, rogue cultivators, and even the secular imperial court—had to unite to collectively resist the invasion from the Heavenly Demon Realm. When a cultivator was Demon-corrupted, their original host would die at the hands of the Heavenly Demon. However, the demon head would remain alive, capable of using the host’s magic, cultivation methods, talismans, magic artifacts, and so on. If cultivators from other immortal sects were to slay such a mutated Heavenly Demon and claim all its possessions, the Red Flame Country would instantly plunge into utter chaos. Some might even scheme against other cultivators or turn a blind eye, waiting for them to be Demon-corrupted. Then, they could strike down the demon head and reap all the benefits. Thus, during the last demonic calamity, which lasted seventy to eighty years, the Five Great Sects, along with various major and minor powers, had established numerous rules. One such rule pertained to handling the posthumous affairs of Demon-corrupted cultivators. To reward cultivators for valiantly slaying demons, upon returning the remains and belongings of a Demon-corrupted cultivator, one could register their battle merits at the Demon Slaying Hall—under the jurisdiction of the Defense Division—and receive generous rewards. Of course, to prevent malicious incidents, the rewards for slaying a mutated Heavenly Demon and a Native Heaven Demon were not differentiated. However, this was still more advantageous than slaying a mutated Heavenly Demon only to destroy its corpse and misappropriate its belongings. The former action earned battle merits and rewards; the latter, while yielding belongings, offered neither. If discovered, they would be placed on the Defense Division’s "Blacklist," just like an evil cultivator. Since the Defense Division of the Red Flame Country was governed by the Five Great Sects, being on the "Blacklist" was tantamount to severing one’s own future prospects. Of course, rules are rigid, but people are adaptable. If the spoils from killing a Demon-corrupted cultivator far exceeded the rewards from the Demon Slaying Hall, and if one was willing to risk being blacklisted, they could conceal the matter and claim all the belongings in the deceased’s Universe Bag. As for this Demon-corrupted cultivator, Wan Wu, it had destroyed one Flying Sword after another, ultimately being left with only a low-grade Profound-level Flying Sword. Its other talismans and magic treasures were also mostly depleted. The resources in its Universe Bag likely wouldn’t even match the rewards from the Demon Slaying Hall. Shen Mo had no interest in the Sacrificial One Sword. Returning it to the Heaven Sword Sect didn’t cause him any regret. After Shangguan Jie collected Wan Wu’s remains, Shen Mo and the other three flew towards Tianshan City. 「Inside Tianshan City, a Demon Slaying Hall had already been newly established, making it convenient for disciples from various sects to register their battle merits, exchange them for rewards, and so on.」 However, Shen Mo found it somewhat strange. The Five Great Sects established a Demon Slaying Hall in Tianshan City so quickly... Could it be that the demonic calamity at Tianshan Mountain is expected to last for a very long time? The Grand Formation in Tianshan City was not active. After all, each activation of such a large Formation consumed a significant amount of Spirit Stones and other resources. However, the city walls were now manned by many disciples from the immortal sects, who had taken over the duties of patrolling and guarding the city from the original soldiers. Furthermore, at the entrances and exits of each city gate, mirror-like magic artifacts had been erected. Whether they were mortals seeking refuge in Tianshan City or the "Immortal Masters" entering and exiting, everyone would be scanned by these mirror-like magic artifacts. "Some of those Heavenly Demon whelps are extremely cunning!" Li Zhong, a disciple of the Riverside Sect who had arrived after the demonic calamity began, knew slightly more about these matters than Shen Mo did. "After Demon-corrupting us Human Cultivators, they completely conceal their Demonic Qi. If they don’t make a move, it’s impossible to tell if they are human or demon. With this Bone Viewing Mirror, we can uncover any hidden demon heads." Shen Mo nodded and, along with them, flew on his sword towards the Tianshan City wall. Immediately, the Bone Viewing Mirror emitted a layer of hazy, clear light, enveloping Shen Mo, Li Zhong, and the other two. After the clear light faded, there was nothing unusual. Just then, Shen Mo saw another of the Treasure Mirrors suddenly erupt with an endless, blood-red light. Several disciples from the immortal sects standing on the city wall instantly locked onto a mutated Heavenly Demon hiding among the mortals. A barrage of attacks—magic artifacts, Sword Light, Fist Energy, talismans, and more—instantly overwhelmed this demon head.