The Seventeenth Layer of Hell
As the aftershocks of that final punch continued to violently reverberate and wail...
The mutation occurred suddenly and unexpectedly, far exceeding everyone's expectations in both speed and manner!
"Buzz!!!"
A deep yet extremely penetrating hum seemed to emanate from the very laws of Hell itself!
The heads, severed arms, broken bodies, and shattered bones scattered across the scorched earth, embedded in twisted rock layers, and even floating in the deathly air had dimmed due to the collapse of the demonic body.
The chaotic demonic patterns, which resembled ancient totems devoid of life, suddenly lit up one after another, as if infused with an evil vitality from the deepest depths of the Netherworld!
The light was dim and deep, yet it possessed a chilling vitality, like millions of dying venomous snakes simultaneously opening their cold, vertical pupils!
Even more astonishingly, the Chaos Battle Soul, which had been suspended in the center of the battlefield and had withstood the Mad Demon's deadly attack yet remained stubbornly unyielding, beating slowly like a dark heart, was now trembling violently with an unprecedented magnitude!
A surge of will, filled with resentment and the most primal desire to devour, erupted fiercely from the core of the battle spirit like an invisible storm!
This wave was silent, yet more penetrating than any roar, causing even the space of Hell to emit a cracking sound before it shattered!
A powerful, suffocating suction force suddenly erupted from the heart of that pulsating battle spirit!
That was not an ordinary energy pull, but more like a miniature "singularity" vortex containing the primordial rules of chaos!
Under the absolute gravity of this vortex, the scattered remains of demons throughout Hell seemed to be instantly endowed with independent life and will, no longer inanimate objects, but summoned by their "monarch" with the highest and most supreme authority!
"Boom!!!"
The enormous head, which had been smashed deep into the core of Hell and almost merged with the scorched earth, suddenly arched upwards, carrying with it tons of rocks and lava. In its empty eye sockets, two faint but incredibly stubborn clusters of crimson soul fire ignited again with a "poof".
Like an ever-burning cursed eye in Hell!
It dragged a dark red tail flame thousands of feet long, a mixture of pure demonic energy and Hell death intent, and let out a soul-tearing howl as it ruthlessly smashed through layers of spatial barriers, frantically returning towards the direction of the battle spirit!
Those two arms, severed at the root and as silent as a dragon whose head had been cut off, seemed to hear the battle horn and suddenly sprang up from the Void!
The pale demonic runes and remaining red hairs covering his arms stood on end, unleashing a tearing force that ripped open dark cracks in the surrounding stable Void!
With a piercing, chilling sound that could disrupt Yin-Yang and reverse clarity and turbidity, two demonic dragons, one on the left and one on the right, like two resurrected world-destroying dragons, lunged at the re-forming body, attempting to forcibly reconnect!
What's chilling is that the splattered demonic blood, which should have been lifeless, now seems to have come to life on its own.
Transforming into billions of tiny, pulsating dark blood beads, like a reverse-flowing crimson galaxy, ignoring gravity and the rules of space, they converged on the battle spirit from all directions!
Those shattered torso fragments and broken leg bones, as if seized by an invisible giant hand, flew back at an illogical speed, frantically embedding themselves into the writhing, attempting-to-reconstruct-the-demonic-body framework!
Buzzing!!!
Click click click!!!
The space of Hell emitted a wail, a mixture of buzzing and cracking sounds, as if it were overwhelmed!
Dense, chaotic demonic energy, imbued with the aura of the Return to the Ruins, surged forth from the battle spirits and remains at a visible speed, frantically intertwining, entwining, and merging like living things!
The thousand-foot-tall demonic body, whose structure had just been completely disintegrated and shattered by the Mad Demon's supreme "annihilation" fist intent, was actually drawn by the Chaos Battle Soul's heaven-defying indestructible nature.
It began a reorganization and rebirth that defied the laws of life and death, leaving those outside the Human World in despair!
Although the speed was far less than in its prime, the newly grown parts were covered with spiderweb-like cracks and constantly writhing, abnormally grotesque and twisted fleshy buds, intertwined with each other.
But that was indeed a sign of the demon's regeneration; an even more sinister and ominous aura was slowly reviving!
"Indeed, it is an immortal battle spirit that has truly touched the origin of chaos!"
It is extinguished yet never truly eradicated; it is ever-renewing!
In the Mad Demon's bloodshot eyes, the expected violence and solemnity almost materialized.
As an ancient madman, he had seen countless immortal beings, but such a being, whose battle spirit was so perfectly aligned with the Great Dao of Chaos and Nothingness that it had almost become an embodiment of some kind of rule, was extremely rare!
He sensed that as long as the battle spirit remained and the demonic source was not extinguished, even if only a drop of demonic blood and a piece of broken bone remained, given enough time and energy, it was only a matter of time before the demonic body was rebuilt!
This is not simply a matter of tenacious vitality, but rather an indestructible characteristic that is close to the "Tao"!
At this moment, deep within that frantically reorganizing, constantly twisting and writhing, demonic body exuding a nauseating stench.
A tiny, incongruous Innate Spiritual Light, as faint as a candle flickering in the wind, stands out against the surrounding raging, chaotic, and destructive demonic nature. It endures unimaginable pressure, stubbornly shimmering as classic quotes from " Shrouding the Heavens: Yuanshi of the Myriad Heavens " are frequently quoted, seeking resonance.
That was the original spiritual light belonging to Li Qingshan's "true self," the lighthouse that kept him clear-headed in the endless sea of demons.
Having long been dimmed and nearly extinguished by more than a decade of demonic erosion and spiritual decay, it was completely submerged and assimilated by the chaotic will as vast as the sea of stars.
At this moment, due to the forced shattering of the demonic body and the severe damage to the battle spirit, the unified and powerful demonic nature has temporarily fallen into an unprecedented period of chaos and weakness due to the damage to its core.
This represents the glimmer of "self" and "order," which allows it to shine through like a spark hidden beneath a vast, icy ocean, with great difficulty and intermittently.
However, all around was an endless, frenzied, and raging demonic tide. This glimmer of light was like a small boat in a raging storm, which could be completely swallowed up and crushed at any moment. It struggled.
Yet, it still cannot break free from the heavy shackles that originate from its very source and are deeply rooted in the core of the Demonic Embryo.
They could only silently endure the erosion of demonic thoughts in boundless despair and darkness, waiting for that slim, almost non-existent opportunity.
We absolutely cannot allow it to reorganize successfully!
The voice of the Heaven-Shocking Sword Master came through the seal again, even more resolute than before, carrying an unquestionable determination that resonated with the way of the sword.
His injuries were extremely severe, to the point of near death. His white robes were so stained by his own divine blood and demonic energy that their original color was no longer discernible, and his hand holding the sword was even trembling slightly.
But his eyes remained sharp as a blade honed through countless ages, keen enough to pierce through all illusion and wishful thinking.
"This demonic body is the manifestation of its power, and the battle spirit is the core of its will. The two are interdependent, depend on each other, and together form an indestructible foundation!"
The only course of action now is to take advantage of the fact that its reorganization is still unstable and that the Demon Source and Battle Soul are still shaken by the attack just now, and to completely dismantle it with swift and decisive measures.
Divide and suppress it, borrowing the power of heaven and earth and the distance of time and space, to slowly wear it down until it is completely annihilated, both in form and spirit!
Upon hearing this, everyone, whether it was the Mad Demon still raging within Hell, or the remaining figures outside Hell, all wounded and weakened, such as the Ancestor Destruction, the Old Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, the Demon Lord of Kunlun, and Fairy Wuyou, were all shaken to their core!
They were all top-tier individuals who had fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and they instantly understood the ruthlessness and necessity of this plan.
This is undoubtedly the only feasible way to effectively contain this indestructible monster under the current circumstances, and to minimize the subsequent risks and losses on our side!
Continuing to fight head-on is pointless; it will only increase casualties and may even accelerate some unknown mutation.
"Alright! We'll do as you say!"
The Mad Demon was the first to respond, his voice hoarse yet carrying a sense of triumph over trampling on the rules.
Although he Lifetime arrogant and seemingly acted without any rash rules, he was no ordinary person who had lived from ancient times to the present.
It would be unwise for him to spend countless years, risking being devoured by the great calamity that was about to strike, slowly eroding this almost rule-based battle spirit.
Implementing this method of dividing the towns into separate garrisons is the best way to sever their foundation, weaken their vitality, and extinguish their fighting spirit!
My body is the sword, my soul is the blade!
Sever Cause and Effect, cut off entanglements, distinguish between the pure and the impure, and restore order to the universe!
Without the slightest hesitation, the Heaven-Shocking Sword Master let out a resolute roar that seemed to suggest he would perish alongside his own sword path!
At this moment, his entire aura underwent an astonishing transformation. He was no longer a sword cultivator with flesh and blood, but had completely transformed into a divine sword, a concrete manifestation of the most fundamental law of "separation" between heaven and earth!
The unity of man and sword reached its peak at this moment. His flesh and blood, his soul, and the sword intent he had cultivated throughout his life were all perfectly integrated with the Dao of "separation," becoming inseparable!
"Clang!!!!!!!"
A clear, melodious sword cry, indescribable in words, suddenly rang out!
The sound seemed not to come from the present moment, but rather from the very beginning of Heaven-Opening, from the first divine voice that separated chaos and determined purity!
Its sound resounded throughout the entire Seventeenth Layer of Hell, its sound waves even penetrating the barriers of multiple seals, clearly echoing in the shattered human world and the dim Heavenly Realm, causing the souls of countless surviving beings to tremble!
A beam of light burst forth from the Heaven-Shocking Sword Master!
This sword light cannot be described by any color in the world; it is neither black nor white, neither light nor darkness, as if it were the very essence of all "boundaries" and "distinctions"!
Within the sword light lies the supreme and absolute will to "sever cause and effect," "separate the pure from the impure," and "define boundaries"!
It does not exist for destruction, but for "definition" and "separation"!
The sword light flashed like lightning, seemingly slow but actually swift, following the invisible bond that existed in the darkness, connecting the various parts of the demonic body with the battle spirit, a bond formed by the laws of chaos and the undying demonic nature.
With absolute precision and decisiveness, it swept across in a single stroke!
There was no earth-shattering explosion, no clash of energy torrents.
There was only a kind of "silence" that seemed to be the rules of heaven and earth being forcibly rewritten and established facts being ruthlessly denied!
The next moment, the Great Demon remains that were writhing wildly, surging with demonic energy, and trying to forcibly merge, suddenly froze as if struck by a spell, all their movements instantly stopping!