The Quest for Immortality Chapter 2430: Heavenly Demon (part 3)

The world teetered on the brink of ruin, facing a resurgence of the Heavenly Demon calamity.

My lifelong pursuit, along with the sacrifices of the Taixu lineage across countless ages, were on the verge of becoming utterly meaningless.

This immense catastrophe, which should have fallen upon me, was instead destined for that child, ‘Mo Hua’.

He bears the mark of the ‘Heavenly Demon’s guide’.

All of this stemmed from my own selfish desires.

“Despicable wretch! Perish!”

Patriarch Dugu’s gaze was like ice as he bit his tongue, invoking his spirit, and then channeling every fiber of his Divine Thought with unwavering resolve.

His chest expanded and contracted like a bellows. His emaciated frame resembled withered wood, yet an immense Sword Intent erupted from him.

An ultimate, pure, pristine white Sword Intent coalesced into razor-sharp threads.

Every fractured sword within the Sword Tomb converged upon Patriarch Dugu, falling like a deluge of raindrops.

“Taixu Sword Transformation, Heaven’s Net of Swords!”

Patriarch Dugu thrust his finger towards the heavens. The torrent of sword rain and threads surged like colossal waves, roaring upwards and weaving a vast sword web that ensnared every Heavenly Demon in the sky, annihilating them one by one.

Mo Hua’s face registered sheer astonishment.

He had never conceived that a sword forged solely from a cultivator’s Divine Thought could possess such formidable power.

Yet, in that very instant, an even more potent, chilling, and terrifying aura of a Heavenly Demon emanated from the celestial rift.

Mo Hua’s pupils constricted. “This is… Fifth Grade?”

“A Thousand-Faced Heavenly Demon…” Patriarch Dugu’s expression turned bitter. His heart grew heavy, and he finally let out a soft sigh.

“Now, I am left with no other recourse…”

Patriarch Dugu extended his hand, drawing a Broken Sword from the Sword Tomb before him. It was as if he were reuniting with an old companion, a look of fond remembrance gracing his features.

Gripping the sword’s hilt, a more profound aura surged from the Broken Sword, resonating deeply with his Sword Heart.

The very Laws of the Sword Dao seemed to solidify, swirling around Patriarch Dugu.

This time, the unfolding power was not ostentatious, but instead exuded an profound mystery and a terrifying aura of Law destruction.

Within the tear in the heavens, an even more colossal Heavenly Demon slowly disclosed its form, laden with an ancient grievance.

It appeared to be straining against the Heavenly Dao Seal, desperately attempting to breach the barrier and invade the mortal realm, a world it had coveted for eons, filled with human hearts and desires.

This was a Fifth Grade Thousand-Faced Heavenly Demon, radiating a fearsome might.

Patriarch Dugu’s countenance turned ashen, his gaze steely. Pointing his Broken Sword skyward, he uttered a soft incantation:

“Tai Xu Divine Thought Transforms into Sword…”

“Skill of Extinguishing the Divine.”

In that blinding flash, all of Patriarch Dugu’s Divine Thought began to plummet at an alarming rate. Simultaneously, a terrifying wave of Sword Dao’s might swept outwards.

The very Laws governing the heavens and earth commenced their dissolution.

The Thousand-Faced Heavenly Demon, having barely revealed its head, adorned with a myriad of ferocious visages, found its features contorted in that instant by the overwhelming Sword Dao Laws. Each human face began to disintegrate, dissolving back into the void.

The Fifth Grade Heavenly Demon erupted in fury, its roars echoing, unleashing a thousand faces, each emitting a soul-shattering cry.

The demonic qi, intermingling with reality, continued to churn turbulently, yet it proved utterly incapable of challenging Patriarch Dugu’s Extinguishing Divine Sword Intent.

The narrow aperture of the Heavenly Dao Seal proved an insurmountable obstacle for the Thousand-Faced Heavenly Demon attempting to cross into this realm.

And so long as it dared to expose its head, its Demon Thought essence would be obliterated by the overwhelming power of the Extinguishing Divine Sword Intent.

Following a tense standoff, this Fifth Grade Thousand-Faced Heavenly Demon retreated back into the abyssal depths of the seal, no longer daring to forcefully breach the mortal realm’s barrier under the crushing pressure of Patriarch Dugu’s Extinguishing Divine Sword.

The Ten-Eyed Celestial Demons and the Hundred-Eyed Heavenly Demons were utterly annihilated by the Heaven’s Net of Swords.

The Fifth Grade Thousand-Faced Heavenly Demon was forcefully repelled by Patriarch Dugu utilizing the formidable Extinguishing Divine Sword.

The tumultuous wave of Demon Thoughts on the horizon began to ebb and recede.

Patriarch Dugu, his Divine Thought nearly depleted, slowly lowered the Broken Sword. It was as if a weight of a thousand jun had been lifted, and he exhaled a prolonged sigh of relief.

However, the profound exhaustion of his Divine Sense, coupled with the relentless application of Taixu’s ultimate technique, the Heaven’s Net of Swords, and the ban-breaking Extinguishing Divine Skill, had left the already fading Patriarch Dugu resembling decaying wood, hanging precariously by a thread.

Yet, having succeeded in subduing the Thousand-Faced Demons and reinforcing the Heavenly Demon seal was sufficient… for now…

“Mo Hua… you must depart…”

Patriarch Dugu urged Mo Hua to flee. But as he turned his head to look at the young disciple, his pupils expanded drastically, and an icy chill permeated his entire being.

Mo Hua remained at the side, observing as Patriarch Dugu unleashed the formidable Extinguishing Divine Skill. The strike, possessing the might to obliterate Laws, sent the Fifth Grade Heavenly Demon reeling in terror, forcing its retreat. Mo Hua's face was etched with astonishment.

Yet, he remained oblivious that, at that precise moment, another Heavenly Demon lurked directly behind him.

This particular Heavenly Demon was not large in stature, but curiously, its face was a void of any features, entirely blank.

And this very Heavenly Demon instilled absolute dread within Patriarch Dugu.

"The Little Faceless Celestial Demon!"

The strength of a Heavenly Demon is intrinsically linked to the number of faces it possesses.

A Ten-faced Heavenly Demon, a Hundred-faced Heavenly Demon, a Thousand-faced Heavenly Demon...

The more human hearts it consumes, the more faces it accrues, and the greater its power becomes.

However, an alternative form exists: the pure, unadorned 'Faceless' Heavenly Demon.

This specific type of Heavenly Demon acts as a unique 'seed,' a nascent 'embryo.' While appearing unassuming in strength, its true danger lies in its ability to parasitize and assimilate any host.

Once implanted, this corruption becomes nearly inseparable, rendering it impossible to eradicate.

It represents a distinct category of 'High-grade Heavenly Demon.'

And now, a Little Faceless Celestial Demon stood positioned behind Mo Hua, its hand already clamped around Mo Hua's neck.

Despair consumed Patriarch Dugu's heart.

In that instant, the full realization dawned upon him: this entire scenario was a meticulously crafted scheme by the Heavenly Demons.

The presence of three Hundred-faced Heavenly Demons, coupled with numerous Ten-faced ones, and even the appearance of the formidable Fifth Grade Thousand-faced Heavenly Demon, were all orchestrated to pressure him, depleting his Divine Thought to its very limit.

But their ultimate trump card was this Little Faceless Celestial Demon, which had stealthily infiltrated their midst undetected.

Should the Little Faceless Celestial Demon succeed in corrupting Mo Hua, all would be lost!

The Heavenly Demon intended to utilize Mo Hua as a conduit, re-establishing the gateway to the mortal realm and unleashing their descent.

The calamity of the Heavenly Demons would once again be unleashed upon the world.

And for this impending doom, he alone bore all responsibility.

"Never should I have, ten thousand times over, entertained the thought of imbuing my Divine Thought into sword skills! I should never have taught Mo Hua the Divine Thought into Sword True Jue, nor allowed my Dao Heart to be compromised by the Demons, leading to this eternal damnation!"

"And now, I have not only sealed the fate of the Taixu Gate but also endangered this child, Mo Hua..."

Patriarch Dugu coughed up a mouthful of blood. Just as he was about to move, to intercept and destroy the Little Faceless Celestial Demon, his Divine Sense was utterly depleted. The backlash from his injuries left him incapable of forming even a single Sword Intent.

Furthermore, it was already far too late.

The Little Faceless Celestial Demon was perilously close to Mo Hua, its featureless void poised to merge with him.

Suddenly, a youthful voice pierced the air:

"Why are you behind me? Trying to startle me?"

The Little Faceless Celestial Demon froze, a flicker of stunned surprise, almost imperceptible, crossing its usually impassive visage.

In the subsequent moment, it felt a grip seize its throat.

Before it could even process the situation, it was ruthlessly slammed to the ground, utterly powerless.

Mo Hua pinned the Little Faceless Celestial Demon beneath him. Raising his hands, he summoned a colossal Godslaying Sword and delivered a barrage of ferocious strikes, cleaving the Little Faceless Celestial Demon into unrecognizable fragments.

Patriarch Dugu, witnessing the scene from the sidelines, stood utterly bewildered, his face a mask of pure incredulity.