Chapter 983: Slaying the Little Demon Lord

It vividly recalled the trembling fear of being weak and helpless in the open sea, long before it had joined the Myriad Immortals Isle.

Just then, the Little Demon Venerable suddenly felt a lightness above its head as the Violet-Green Twin Swords swiftly returned to the Two-Element Sword-Fiend Array in the sky.

"Where there's life, there's hope!"

The thought of escape flickered in the Little Demon Venerable's mind for the very first time. Its entire body, interwoven with water and lightning patterns, powerfully restrained the Sea-Calming Sword embedded in its heart, intending to flee with the top-tier Level 5 flying sword still impaled.

Before it could even turn, a colossal shadow suddenly loomed above, plunging everything into darkness.

The Little Demon Venerable looked up to see Chen Mobai's Myriad Sword Dharma Body had, at some unknown point, descended upon the Two-Element Sword-Fiend Array. Its colossal hands plunged into the array, seizing the Violet-Green Twin Swords. In the blink of an eye, the sword array, which had posed such a formidable threat, began to rapidly contract, centering on its two Yin-Yang eyes. Chen Mobai, personally commanding the Myriad Sword Dharma Body and wielding the Violet-Green Twin Swords, completely siphoned away the array's power.

He intended to focus all his might to send the Little Demon Venerable to its demise!

Realizing this was a life-or-death moment, the Little Demon Venerable roared towards the heavens. Between the two horns on its head, the primordial forces of thunder and water once more coalesced into two inner cores, which then fused under the command of its potent divine sense.

An incredibly thick, dark pillar of light surged skyward, colliding with the Violet-Green Twin Swords as they were brought down by the Myriad Sword Dharma Body!

A resounding crash echoed through the air.

Seizing the opportune moment, the Second Nascent Soul guided the Level 5 Primordial Yang Sword Qi, cutting into the Little Demon Venerable's neck and causing blood to gush forth.

Under Chen Mobai's relentless assaults, the Little Demon Venerable's once flawless Desolate Thunder Battle Armor finally showed vulnerabilities. However, the Little Demon Venerable's physique was also at Level 5; though the crystalline sword threads sliced through the gaps in its scales and into its flesh, they became lodged against the bone.

Nevertheless, significant damage was inflicted upon the Little Demon Venerable.

Its heart was pierced, its neck remained connected only by bone, and its two dragon horns throbbed with a dull ache under the Violet-Green Twin Swords' relentless strikes. It felt as if its mightiest horns might, at any moment, tear off the top of its head.

The Little Demon Venerable found itself in an unprecedented state of peril and entrapment.

At this critical juncture, Chen Mobai extended his hand and unleashed two more magical artifacts he possessed.

The Five Extremes Heavenly Heart Pendant, paired with the Grand Unity Five Mists Robe, transformed into a radiant, multi-colored cloud, completely enveloping the Little Demon Venerable.

"Grand Unity Heavenly Array, rise!"

Chen Mobai personally directed the Grand Unity Five Mists Robe's ultimate transformation. With the Five Extremes Heavenly Heart Pendant infused, and supported by a Level 5 spiritual vein and Five-Element divine light, it effortlessly ascended to Level 5.

In the sky, a vast swirl of five-colored cloud light abruptly intensified. The vibrant, ethereal glow within transformed into tumultuous waves, crashing down upon the Little Demon Venerable's body like a fierce storm.

Ordinarily, this Level 5 array could merely trap the Little Demon Venerable, and harming it would require a protracted effort.

But with the Little Demon Venerable already gravely wounded, this Level 5 Grand Unity Heavenly Array instantly became the final straw.

Under the incessant onslaught of the multi-colored ethereal light, the scales of the Little Demon Venerable's Desolate Thunder Battle Armor began to shatter and fall away piece by piece.

Soon, its entire body would be exposed.

Yet, this was not the greatest challenge. As the Desolate Thunder Battle Armor became sparse, the Primordial Yang Sword Qi, which previously needed precise timing to pierce, could now effortlessly carve bone-deep wounds across various parts of its body.

With each new wound, the Little Demon Venerable felt its previously inexhaustible vitality slowly ebb away.

Amidst cracking sounds, its two dragon horns were instantly shorn down by an inch by the Violet-Green Twin Swords.

The dragon horns, refined over a millennium and forged from countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures of the Desolate Sea, were incredibly durable; only superficial sword marks appeared on their surface.

Yet, the Little Demon Venerable felt its skull, where the horns connected, begin to crack.

*No, if this continues, I'll die here!*

An unprecedented panic welled up. The Little Demon Venerable, no longer caring for the pain, gritted its teeth and directly severed its two dragon horns, sending the Violet-Green Twin Swords flying. It then ignited its essence blood, activating the Blood-Burning Escape technique.

The Little Demon Venerable, with two bleeding holes in its forehead, transformed into a streak of crimson light, hurtling towards the depths of the Desolate Sea.

Yet, no matter its speed, it found itself perpetually surrounded by the multi-colored ethereal light, seemingly unable to escape the Level 5 array that enveloped it.

The Blood-Burning Escape technique, requiring the burning of essence blood, caused greater intrinsic damage the longer it was sustained.

The Little Demon Venerable attempted to change direction multiple times, feeling as though it had already escaped tens of thousands of miles, yet it remained trapped within the Grand Unity Heavenly Array. Meanwhile, the Myriad Sword Dharma Body had already moved to suppress its two severed dragon horns.

As the Violet-Green Twin Swords were once more raised and swung towards it, the Little Demon Venerable halted. With a sharp roar, it expelled the Level 5 Black Flood Dragon Inner Core from its body again.

It then spat out a wisp of refined Demon Venerable essence blood onto the Black Flood Dragon Inner Core.

"Explode!"

In a desperate bid for survival, it chose to directly detonate the magical artifact, which was its Level 5 inner core!

With a tremendous boom, the Cloud-Mist Realm, which had enveloped the Little Demon Venerable, was instantly blown open to hundreds of times its original size.

It was as if a colorful, water-filled balloon had suddenly expanded and burst, as endless shimmering waves of water surged forth from every rupture in the array.

Chen Mobai, whose mind was intimately linked with the Grand Unity Heavenly Array, instantly paled. Had he not foreseen the danger and immediately severed his mental connection to the two artifacts, his Spiritual Sea would likely have ruptured.

With the array shattered, vast amounts of pure water essence began to dissipate into the heavens, much to Chen Mobai's regret.

Had this fallen into Qing Nü's hands, it could have been entirely used to refine Nascent Soul Pills for the Jellyfish Palace.

However, he couldn't concern himself with such thoughts at that moment, as the Little Demon Venerable had already escaped through a breach in the Grand Unity Heavenly Array.

Surrounded by a crimson aura, it had clearly activated the Blood-Burning Escape technique once more in an attempt to flee. But Chen Mobai, having pushed it this far, certainly wouldn't let it escape. He instantly performed Void Walk, teleporting to intercept its path.

"You court death!"

The Little Demon Venerable had no other option. While the Blood-Burning Escape technique was incredibly fast, once activated, it could only proceed in a single, unalterable direction. Thus, it could only unleash the power of its other Level 5 Lightning Orb, transforming into a dark blue bolt of lightning and charging directly at Chen Mobai.

Its face contorted into a grimace as it intended to either smash Chen Mobai to pieces or simply push him aside to escape.

But suddenly, a searing pain erupted in its chest.

The Sea-Calming Sword, which had been locked within its flesh, suddenly erupted with an unprecedentedly dark radiance. It seemed as if lightless currents from the ocean's deepest, most ancient trenches swirled along the blade, serene yet profound.

With a tearing sound.

A dark, sharp gleam erupted from the Sea-Calming Sword's blade. The heart muscle, which had previously held the sword, was immediately ripped open further. The blade then sliced upward from the chest, carving through the Little Demon Venerable's shoulder, spilling blood and internal organ fragments into the air.

Even Chen Mobai was astonished by this sight; he had not anticipated the Sea-Calming Sword's spirit would awaken at this precise moment.

This must be the auspicious fortune brought by the Danfeng Chaoyang Diagram, enabling him to subdue his opponent with a lesser cost.

Ignoring the excruciating pain from its severed left side, the Little Demon Venerable gritted its teeth, used the Blood-Burning Escape technique to tear free from the Sea-Calming Sword, and slammed into Chen Mobai's head.

Chen Mobai raised the Doushuai Eight Sceneries Lamp in his hand.

Cluster after cluster of violet-green divine flames ignited on the wick, then diffused through the lampshade, amplifying their power tenfold to form a sealed, violet-green space.

The lightning bolt into which the Little Demon Venerable had transformed slammed into the space, causing Chen Mobai's right hand to tremble slightly, almost losing his grip on the lamp.

The Second Nascent Soul leaped from Chen Mobai's shoulder, solemnly exhaling mouthfuls of incredibly pure innate Pure Yang Qi into the Doushuai Eight Sceneries Lamp, pushing the Doushuai Demon Refining Array's power to its absolute limit.

This array was far more formidable compared to the Grand Unity Heavenly Array, as the latter specialized in defense and containment.

In contrast, the Doushuai Demon Refining Array was designed purely for slaughter. While the Little Demon Venerable, being a demon, couldn't trigger the Doushuai Eight Sceneries Lamp's special enhancements against evil and defilement, it wasn't a Spirit Transformation realm being, and it was already severely wounded, making escape impossible within the array.

Having just witnessed the Little Demon Venerable self-detonate a Level 5 inner core, Chen Mobai knew it still possessed a Level 5 Lightning Orb and possibly its own life inner core. Fearing his newly refined Doushuai Eight Sceneries Lamp might suffer the same fate as the Grand Unity Five Mists Robe, he immediately unleashed its full power upon trapping his opponent. The violet-green divine flames completely enveloped and incinerated the Little Demon Venerable.

Simultaneously, the Myriad Sword Dharma Body, holding the Violet-Green Twin Swords, plunged them into the Doushuai Eight Sceneries Lamp!

The Violet-Green Twin Swords, sharing a common origin with the lamp, effortlessly penetrated the Demon Refining Array, much like the Unprepared Sword Art.

The Little Demon Venerable, on the verge of spitting out its essence blood to detonate the Level 5 Lightning Orb, was suddenly immobilized for an instant by an inexplicable force. Then, the Violet-Green Twin Swords descended from above, piercing its glabella and mouth!

The Azure Frost Sword easily pierced through the Little Demon Venerable's mouth, but the bone at its glabella proved incredibly tough. Seemingly nourished and nurtured by the Level 5 Black Flood Dragon Inner Core for years, it halted the Violet Lightning Sword after only an inch.

Chen Mobai, whose mind was linked to the Doushuai Eight Sceneries Lamp, clearly witnessed this scene.

The physical body of his opponent was truly astonishingly resilient.

Despite such grievous injuries, the Little Demon Venerable was not dead; it was still struggling violently, furiously lashing its thick, long dragon tail.

It coiled around the Violet-Green Twin Swords, attempting to wrench them free from its body.

A metallic clang reverberated within the Doushuai Demon Refining Array as the Violet-Green Twin Swords' blades left a deep gouge on the Little Demon Venerable's dragon tail scales.

Seeing this, Chen Mobai immediately commanded the Myriad Sword Dharma Body to use another Sea-Calming Sword to dismember the creature, but found that the Sea-Calming Sword completely disregarded his order.

With a flicker of his divine sense, he realized that the Sea-Calming Sword had already darted into the breached Grand Unity Heavenly Array. Myriad sword shadows burst forth from its serene blade, sealing the array's opening and greedily absorbing every last drop of the vast water essence that had scattered from the exploded Level 5 Black Flood Dragon Inner Core, much like a whale devouring its prey.

Hundreds of sword shadows even hovered and danced in the high heavens, meticulously absorbing every last wisp of water essence that had leaked when the array was broken.

Chen Mobai's mouth twitched slightly at the sight of the Sea-Calming Sword, which seemed to be awakening like a ravenous refugee, but he could do nothing about it.

The golden lines within his pupils were now perfectly formed and clear. The Fangcun Book presented several solutions, and Chen Mobai selected the most optimal one.

The Second Nascent Soul flew out, guiding the Level 5 Primordial Yang Sword Qi into the Doushuai Demon Refining Array. The crystalline sword threads landed on the Little Demon Venerable's forehead, precisely where the two bloody holes from its severed horns were located.

The Primordial Yang Sword Qi was all-penetrating. With no hardened skull to obstruct it, the sword threads effortlessly sliced through flesh and, to the Little Demon Venerable's wide-eyed terror, pierced directly into its Spiritual Sea.

As the sword threads churned, the Little Demon Venerable's spiritual consciousness was utterly annihilated.

An expression of terror was permanently etched onto its face.

After confirming the opponent's demise, Chen Mobai finally breathed a small sigh of relief.

The Little Demon Venerable's power was, without a doubt, the greatest among all Nascent Soul cultivators he had encountered in the Heavenly River Realm.

It was unfortunate for the demon that Chen Mobai was even stronger!

However, in securing this victory, he did sustain some injuries.

When the Grand Unity Heavenly Array exploded earlier, his mind suffered trauma. Had the Morning Bell not been able to stabilize his Spiritual Sea, his divine sense cultivation might have regressed.

Yet, despite this minor cost, defeating the Little Demon Venerable left Chen Mobai extremely satisfied.

While he hadn't achieved a flawless victory, his cultivation realm was, after all, a step lower. Had he also been at the perfected Nascent Soul stage, the battle certainly wouldn't have been as arduous.

With these thoughts, Chen Mobai retrieved the Little Demon Venerable's corpse from the Doushuai Demon Refining Array. He then skillfully extracted and sealed the Level 5 Lightning Orb and the Little Demon Venerable's own inner core before confidently recalling his Myriad Sword Dharma Body and Second Nascent Soul.

Naturally, he didn't forget the scattered pieces of the Desolate Thunder Battle Armor or the two severed dragon horns.

Finally, there was the Grand Unity Five Mists Robe, now broken.

Though Chen Mobai hadn't been directly linked to it, he could sense that its vital essence was severely depleted.

This magical artifact would likely require an extended period of nurturing to fully recover.

Remembering he had borrowed it from his daughter, Chen Mobai felt compelled to find a way to repair it quickly.

This Grand Unity Five Mists Robe was the one refined by Patriarch Yun Ya. Many of its materials were actually inferior to those Chen Mobai himself possessed, and its peak Level 4 grade was solely attributed to Patriarch Yun Ya's superior craftsmanship.

This presented a perfect opportunity to see if he could acquire Level 5 materials in the Heavenly River Realm and upgrade it.

With that thought, Chen Mobai reached out to comfort the severely wounded artifact spirit. Its original spiritual sentience was no less than that of the Violet Lightning Sword, but now it had significantly diminished, almost to the point of dissipation.

It was also fortunate that when the Level 5 Black Flood Dragon Inner Core self-detonated, a portion of its power was absorbed by the Five Extremes Heavenly Heart Pendant.

Chen Mobai examined the Level 5 magical artifact refined by True Monarch Yiyuan. He noted that while the central Heavenly Origin Pearl was intact, the surrounding Five-Directional Jade Pendants bore numerous cracks, indicating considerable damage.

Nevertheless, the artifact's core was the Heavenly Origin Pearl, making its damage relatively superficial compared to the Grand Unity Five Mists Robe.

After similarly comforting the Five Extremes Heavenly Heart Pendant, Chen Mobai turned his gaze to the Sea-Calming Sword, which was greedily absorbing the vast water essence.

"For this encounter against the demons from another realm, I am greatly indebted to Senior Sea-Calming for your assistance—"

Chen Mobai immediately communicated with the Sea-Calming Sword, knowing that on the Desolate Sea battlefield below, his Five Elements Sect was still locked in a life-and-death struggle with the demons.

Having slain the Little Demon Venerable, he was keen to return and stabilize the ongoing battle.

"Are you my sword master of this generation? But why are you only at the Nascent Soul stage?"

Chen Mobai, using the same pretense he had employed with Violet Lightning and Azure Frost, claimed he was pioneering a war in another world, a tale the Sea-Calming Sword readily accepted.

After all, within the Immortal Sect, no demon would be so wasteful as to directly detonate a Level 5 inner core.

"Ahem, the adversaries in this cross-world pioneering war are exceptionally powerful. Thus, the Immortal Sect unsealed numerous Level 5 artifacts for us Nascent Soul cultivators. This junior's sword cultivation is quite commendable, which is why I was assigned to Senior."

As Chen Mobai spoke, he produced the Pure Yang Cauldron.

The cauldron possessed numerous functions, including the storage of various essence qi. He instructed the Second Nascent Soul to control it, assisting the Sea-Calming Sword in preserving the vast and potent water essence.

"This essence qi is extremely important to me; don't try to take it!"

The Sea-Calming Sword, witnessing this, mistakenly thought Chen Mobai intended to seize its sustenance and spoke with a hint of urgency.

"What do you mean, Senior? The Immortal Sect has regulations stating that during periods of pioneering warfare, all spoils from new realms belong to the Immortal Sect as a whole. Even if you desire it, you must wait until the war concludes and merits are distributed. Though I am merely a Nascent Soul cultivator, I still report to Spirit Transformation Patriarchs."

"I am considering the Immortal Sect's overall interest. If I absorb this water essence, I can recover seventy to eighty percent of my power, which will enable me to cooperate with you in future pioneering battles and slay more foreign creatures."

Hearing Chen Mobai invoke the name of a Spirit Transformation Patriarch, the Sea-Calming Sword's confidence wavered, and it replied.

"Ah, I see. It seems I misunderstood Senior. It is also my fault that I cultivate the Pure Yang Scroll, which doesn't align with Senior's attributes. For all these years, I could only offer you spirit stones—"

As Chen Mobai spoke, his expression shifted to one of sudden understanding, tinged with a hint of guilt in his eyes. Then, with a flourish, he produced five top-grade spirit stones from his storage bag.

"Senior, please take these for now. This vast amount of water essence can only be utilized to its fullest potential in your hands. I will report to the two Spirit Transformation Patriarchs of the Immortal Sect later, and I believe they will agree to your absorption and refinement."

Witnessing Chen Mobai's casual generosity in producing five top-grade spirit stones, the Sea-Calming Sword's spirit was so astonished that it materialized as a small boy with blue eyes and long blue hair.

The boy stared blankly, pointing at the top-grade spirit stones, then, in disbelief, pointed at himself: "For me?"

"Not enough? I have dozens more..."

At Chen Mobai's words, the Sea-Calming Sword spirit vigorously shook its head, immediately correcting itself: "Enough, enough, Master! I meant, it's far too much."

"Though this fourth master's cultivation is a bit weaker, his generosity far surpasses that of the previous three," the Sea-Calming Sword spirit thought to itself, happily accepting the five top-grade spirit stones. "It's only a pity he cultivates the Pure Yang Scroll..."

Having received the spirit stones, the Sea-Calming Sword immediately became incredibly cooperative, using myriad sword shadows to assist the Second Nascent Soul in sweeping all the water essence from the sky into the Pure Yang Cauldron for storage.

Chen Mobai felt reassured by this sight.

Indeed, he was naturally fated with all manner of magical artifacts; even a top-tier Immortal Sect flying sword like the Sea-Calming Sword willingly recognized him as its master.

After clearing the battlefield in the high heavens, Chen Mobai descended with the Little Demon Venerable's corpse towards the ongoing conflict on the sea below.

Along the coastline, Mo Douguang had pushed his sword dao cultivation to its limit. Bolstered by the Five-Element Dao Soldiers, his sheer power was no less than that of a late Nascent Soul cultivator.

However, since his power level wasn't cultivated by himself, its execution wasn't as fluid or refined.

Moreover, Du Mengyun, the Saintess of the Jade Mirror Demonic Sect, cultivated the most supreme and bizarre demonic secret arts. Mo Douguang had cleaved her in half multiple times, only for her to instantly transform into a blood shadow, re-merge, and emerge completely unharmed.

As time wore on, Mo Douguang ceased his blind assaults. Instead, he stood firm by the shore, guarding the Five Elements Sect's encampment to prevent excessive casualties among the sect's thirty thousand disciples.

However, the Five Elements Sect and the Eastern Wu Alliance gradually began to falter.

Within the whirlpool above the sea, the scent of blood grew increasingly thick, and as more creatures perished or were wounded on the battlefield, the crimson aura surrounding Du Mengyun intensified.

At this point, Mo Douguang also sensed the power of his evolved Geng Metal Dao Soldiers beginning to wane.

He clearly recognized that the Five Elements Sect disciples' strength was reaching its limit.

While they could endure a little longer with elixirs, doing so would deplete many disciples' vital energy by the battle's end.

Mo Douguang's eyes narrowed. While fending off the pervasive blood light emanating from Du Mengyun, he telepathically sent a message to Zhuo Ming.

"Command the disciples to form battle arrays and prepare to retreat!"

Although a medium-sized teleportation array existed within the encampment, it was incapable of transporting all thirty thousand disciples and tens of thousands of Eastern Wu Alliance cultivators in a short timeframe.

However, the array Zhuo Ming had previously set up was mobile, meaning that as long as the battle formation remained intact during a retreat, it could still be effective.

Waving his golden jade axe, Zhuo Ming decapitated a sea serpent dozens of meters long. He then nodded to Mo Douguang and telepathically instructed hundreds of disciples from the array department to commence the retreat.

"Attempting to flee? Today, every single one of you from the Five Elements Sect shall perish here!"

But Du Mengyun's acute divine sense quickly detected their intentions. She sneered at Mo Douguang as two crimson ribbons flew from her sleeves, plunging into the sea whirlpool. Astonishingly, she then used these ribbons to lift the entire whirlpool from the ocean, flipping it upside down above the Five Elements Sect's encampment.

This terrifying display of power brought expressions of despair to the faces of cultivators from the Eastern Wu Alliance and some disciples of the Five Elements Sect.

As the colossal whirlpool, spanning the entire coastline, descended, Zhuo Ming gritted her teeth and unleashed the Myriad Things Cauldron of Thick Virtue, integrating it with the camp's defensive array.

Simultaneously, Mo Douguang channeled the Earth-element power from his Five-Element Dao Soldiers into Zhuo Ming's body. Her cultivation instantly surged, reaching the perfected Core Formation realm in a mere blink, and even exhibiting a partial Nascent Soul aura.

The Myriad Things Cauldron of Thick Virtue exhaled the earthen-yellow spiritual light of the grand array, spewing forth profound and weighty Earth-element divine light that clashed with the colossal whirlpool descending from the sky.

With a mighty roar, Zhuo Ming's round face turned deathly pale, but she gritted her teeth and spat a mouthful of essence blood onto the Myriad Things Cauldron of Thick Virtue.

This innate magical artifact immediately radiated an even richer Earth-element divine light, its power ascending from its previous Level 4 lower-grade to Level 4 middle-grade.

Yet, against Du Mengyun's long-brewing assault, this Level 4 middle-grade Earth-element divine light endured for only a few breaths before shattering with a loud crash.

Weakened, Zhuo Ming tumbled from mid-air, hastily opening an iron umbrella above her head. She then enlarged the Myriad Things Cauldron of Thick Virtue, hoping to use the artifact to shield more disciples.

Witnessing this, Mo Douguang immediately sent out his Nascent Soul, unleashing the full power of his Geng Metal Dao Soldiers. Wielding the Longevity Sword, he unleashed his most formidable strike towards the whirlpool in the sky!

A golden sword, thousands of meters long and wreathed in five-colored flowing light, cleaved the mid-air whirlpool in two. However, the immense water essence within the vortex immediately began to corrode and decay the golden sword.

Du Mengyun seized the opportunity, pointing a finger at the Geng Metal Dao Soldier's chest. A crimson, spiraling beam of blood-light, like a long spear, extended thousands of meters from her fingertip, piercing through the Dao Soldier's golden armor defense and sinking into Mo Douguang's shoulder.

Mo Douguang swiftly dodged, avoiding critical body parts. Yet, even so, a sinister and terrifying demonic energy still burrowed into the wound, wriggling like a nimble snake along his meridians towards his Dantian Qi Sea and Spiritual Sea.

Mo Douguang swiftly waved his sword-finger, timely severing the flesh and demonic energy from the wound. Then, taking a deep breath, his Nascent Soul embraced his Longevity Sword, and he unleashed his most powerful strike once more towards Du Mengyun on the sea's surface.

"A mere speck of light!"

Du Mengyun observed this and chuckled, though she did not directly meet the sword strike.

Even she harbored considerable apprehension towards the formidable combat prowess of a sword cultivator.

Furthermore, this particular sword strike also contained multi-colored mixed elemental true qi.

She invoked the Blood Shadow Adaptation Art, directly evading the sword strike.

"Now, you can die!"