Immortality Through Array Formations Chapter 2429 - 1101: Heavenly Demon (2)

A myriad of sword aura fragments ascended within the Sword Tomb, gathering around Patriarch Dugu as if a downpour of blades.

"Return to the grave!"

Patriarch Dugu uttered a soft command.

Innumerable vestiges of sword intent simultaneously surged from the earth skyward, mimicking an inverse deluge to assail the colossal, featureless Heavenly Demon.

The Heavenly Demon let out a roar, morphing into boundless Demonic Qi and manifesting a hundred human visages.

Each countenance chanted a peculiar incantation, wielding the Demonic Qi to conjure a Heavenly Demon Skill directed at the Divine Thought-transformed sword of Patriarch Dugu.

In a mere moment, the Demonic Qi descended upon the city like an oppressive shroud of dark clouds, poised to consume all.

Yet, Patriarch Dugu's sword aura ascended like a tempest turned rain, piercing the heavens.

The Demonic Qi and sword aura became locked in an embrace, creating a spectacle of grandeur that left Mo Hua utterly mesmerized.

Though the Heavenly Demon exuded an overwhelming and formidable presence, it was evident that Patriarch Dugu's Divine Thought Sword Skill possessed a far more potent killing force.

Under the relentless assault of the Divine Thought-transformed sword and the collective resonance of countless fragments, the Demonic Qi began to wane, and the myriad Demon faces were impaled by sword intent, dissolving into the void.

Ultimately, the immense Hundred-faced Heavenly Demon looming on the horizon was single-handedly obliterated into wisps of black smoke by Patriarch Dugu.

Patriarch Dugu expelled a mouthful of blood.

Mo Hua watched, utterly astonished.

This "Hundred-faced Heavenly Demon," in terms of might, stood second only to the Evil God amongst all beings he had witnessed thus far.

In its essence, it might not have matched the true form of the Evil God, but it was only marginally inferior.

However, its tier was clearly much higher, marking it as a potent malevolent entity capable of reaching the fourth-grade Feather Transformation Realm.

Yet, this fourth-grade "Hundred-faced Heavenly Demon," comparable to a "half-step Evil God," had been forcefully slain by Patriarch Dugu utilizing his Divine Thought-transformed sword...

Patriarch Dugu was a Cultivator, a true mortal in the most absolute sense.

His Divine Thought had never once unified with the Dao, and his capacity to vanquish the Heavenly Demon rested entirely upon the fortitude of his mind, the potency of his sword aura, and his peerless mastery over the Sword Dao.

Furthermore, observing the surrounding evidence, it was abundantly clear this was not his inaugural battle.

For years uncounted, standing resolute and alone, he had tirelessly defended the Sword Tomb, repelling and eradicating these extraterrestrial Heavenly Demons time and again, never faltering.

This unending campaign must have been both prolonged and grueling.

Patriarch Dugu’s physical being was worn and far from its zenith, yet his silhouette, like a solitary candle flame flickering in the wind, maintained an edge as sharp as a drawn Divine Sword.

The unwavering resolve of his Taoist Heart and the sheer tenacity of his will filled Mo Hua, who was treading the path of Divine Sense Proving the Dao, with profound awe and deep respect.

The divergence in human willpower is indeed as vast as an unbridgeable canyon.

Some possess such feeble willpower, they are worth less than a single blade of grass.

While others command willpower so formidable, it rivals that of deities.

With the Hundred-faced Heavenly Demon vanquished by Patriarch Dugu, the Demonic Qi and Evil Qi began to recede, the tear in the sky commenced its mending, and all elements of peril started to dissipate.

Patriarch Dugu retracted his sword aura, his profound fatigue now apparent, as if he had visibly aged by several years.

He drew a deep breath, suddenly startled, and turned to behold Mo Hua.

Patriarch Dugu’s expression flickered with bewilderment, then his pupils dilated as he inquired,

"Why have you come here?"

Mo Hua was equally taken aback, "The spatial rift opened, so I entered..." He then asked softly, "Wasn't it you who guided me here?"

Patriarch Dugu's countenance shifted abruptly, "I... that's impossible, I..."

But in the very next instant, his features distorted and vanished, replaced by black Evil Qi that sketched an eerie human likeness, which then grinned with sinister intent,

"It was I who brought you here..."

Before the malevolent entity could complete its statement, Patriarch Dugu thrust out his brawny hand towards his own face, as if wiping away ink, eradicating the Heavenly Demon visage and restoring his original features.

His face was now etched with sheer terror.

"Damn it all, this is a trap!"

Patriarch Dugu's complexion turned ashen. Gazing at Mo Hua, he urged with desperation, "Hurry! I will send you away, and you must never return."

However, just as he extended his hand to rip open the void, his visage was once again enveloped by black Qi.

Patriarch Dugu reverted to being a faceless figure, sneering with cold disdain,

"Trying to escape? You..."

Transforming his finger into a sword, he pressed it against his own forehead, employing a wisp of Tai Xu Sword Intent to momentarily seal his own corrupted Mind.

Yet, as he attempted to tear open the spatial breach, the opening in the sky, which had just been sealed, abruptly recommenced its widening, revealing two colossal white skulls.

Upon these skulls, hundreds of grim human faces began to emerge.

Two Hundred-faced Heavenly Demons! Indeed, some Heavenly Demons, boasting ten faces, or even scores of faces, violently burst forth from the dimensional rift, hurtling downward towards the awaiting earth. Yet, their ultimate objective was not Patriarch Dugu. Instead, their sole focus was Mo Hua. In that precise moment, Patriarch Dugu grasped the full extent of the unfolding situation. It was all a devious machination orchestrated by the Heavenly Demons! For years, in his relentless efforts to obstruct and vanquish these fiends, he had become unintentionally tainted, even showing signs of assimilation. The Heavenly Demons, perceptive to his inner turmoil, had discerned his desires. They masterfully exploited his longing to pass down the Divine Thought-transformed sword, luring him into teaching Mo Hua the sword technique. Subsequently, capitalizing on this vulnerability, they schemed to pilfer his Primordial Spirit. During the very act of sword transmission, they stealthily implanted the seed of transformation into a 'Heavenly Demon' within Mo Hua. Now, this insidious 'seed' had reached maturity. Or perhaps, with this 'seed' on the verge of departing the Taixu Gate and the Qian Learning State Boundary, the Heavenly Demons could no longer restrain themselves. They were compelled to draw Mo Hua to this location, intending to possess his physical form and transmute him into a 'Heavenly Demon Fetus'. Upon completion of this transformation, Mo Hua would manifest as a flesh-and-blood Heavenly Demon walking the mortal realm. Utilizing him as their vanguard, the Heavenly Demons planned to disseminate the Supreme Heavenly Demon Slash Love Path universally. At that juncture, by eradicating human emotions and intrinsic nature through the Heartless Path, they intended to foster widespread indifference and the complete annihilation of conscience, effectively rendering humanity into subservient puppets of the Heavenly Demons. By consuming the vast spectrum of human hearts as sustenance, they could then gestate a multitude of more potent Hundred-faced Heavenly Demons, Thousand-faced Heavenly Demons, and ultimately, an unparalleled Innate Great Demon.