Wandering Swordsman |

Upon seeing this, Shen Mo immediately understood. The malevolent energy he had generated during his practice last night was actually demonic energy! This discovery sent a chill down Shen Mo's spine. If the fact that he possessed demonic energy were discovered, not only would he be doomed, but his master, Luo Wangchen, and even the entire Sword Tomb could be affected.

This made Shen Mo determined that he absolutely could not let anyone discover that he had learned demonic arts and that demonic energy had been generated in his body! He quickly adjusted his breathing and used his internal energy to circulate the "Heart-Cleansing Technique" in an attempt to calm his inner turmoil.

Fu Sheng's voice was deep and hoarse, as if it came from the depths of hell, "Today, I will show you true power!" With that, Fu Sheng swung his fists again, this time his attack bringing with it a powerful gust of wind, as if the entire world was trembling. With each punch, a deafening roar echoed through the air, and the ground shook.

"Everyone be careful, don't get hurt by his demonic energy!" Situ Dengfeng shouted a warning, wielding his longsword to meet Fu Sheng's attack. Their inner forces collided in mid-air, emitting a dazzling light, causing surrounding trees to snap and dust to fly. Zhang Zhenren, Ouyang Song, and the others quickly joined the battle, attempting to surround Fu Sheng from all directions.

However, Fu Sheng's demonic energy seemed to have some kind of special protective effect, and he easily neutralized every attack.

"This demonic art is too powerful; our attacks simply cannot penetrate its defenses!" Ouyang Song said, frowning, as cracks appeared on the longsword in his hand.

"We must find a way to break his demonic energy!" Master Zhang said through gritted teeth, "otherwise we will all die here."

Just then, Situ Dengfeng calmly analyzed, "Such domineering demonic art will surely come at a great cost. Everyone, hold on and don't get hurt. He will reveal a weakness sooner or later." His voice was steady and powerful, bringing some comfort to everyone. Despite facing a powerful enemy, Situ Dengfeng's composure restored everyone's confidence.

Upon hearing this, a barely perceptible glint flashed in Fu Sheng's eyes, and then his attack rhythm noticeably quickened. Each punch carried an even more ferocious power, as if to destroy everything in front of him. The surrounding air was swirled like a vortex by his powerful internal force, trees were shaken and snapped, and cracks appeared in the ground.

However, Situ Dengfeng and the others also noticed the change in Fu Sheng's attack and saw his impatience. Situ Dengfeng's heart skipped a beat, realizing that his deduction was correct—the demonic art was not invincible, and perhaps the impending side effects of the demonic art made him eager to escape.

"Everyone be careful, but don't panic. Continue to stall for time," Situ Dengfeng calmly commanded.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhenren, Ouyang Song, and the others nodded in agreement, their morale soaring. They knew that as long as they continued to stall, they would find a way to defeat the enemy. Therefore, the group quickly adjusted their formation, forming a tighter defensive perimeter, while simultaneously seeking an opportunity to counterattack.

Despite Fu Sheng's increasingly fierce attacks, he was unable to break through the defenses thanks to the close cooperation of his team. Every attack was skillfully neutralized, and Fu Sheng himself began to feel his stamina being depleted too quickly. He had originally thought that he could easily suppress his opponents with his demonic arts, but now he found that things were far more complicated than he had imagined.

Before long, Fu Shengjian was still unable to win, and his face grew increasingly gloomy. He knew that continuing like this would only lead him into a desperate situation.

So he uttered a harsh sentence: "Situ Dengfeng, in order to ensure your absence, I will spare your life today!" Then he quickly used his lightness skill and disappeared into the crowd.

The thought of being "absent" reminded Situ Dengfeng of Li Yonghuan's invitation to the wedding banquet at Qilin Village on the eighth day of the third month. Originally, Situ Dengfeng planned to go to Qilin Village after rescuing Situ Meng, but now that he saw Fu Sheng using demonic powers, he had to reconsider.

With Fu Sheng's departure, the rest of the Black Wind Gang also retreated. The battle between Jing Tian Pavilion and the Black Wind Gang had finally ended. The battlefield was left only with ruins and exhausted martial artists. Blood stained the earth, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.

Thus ended the battle between Jingtian Pavilion and the Black Wind Gang. However, the appearance of demonic energy during this battle made highly respected martial arts elders such as Situ Dengfeng and Zhang Zhenren sense an unusual and sinister atmosphere. They knew that the reappearance of demonic energy was not a simple event, but might conceal a greater crisis.

"Gentlemen," Situ Dengfeng said in a deep voice, "Although today's battle has come to an end, the threat we face has not been eliminated. The reappearance of demonic energy means that someone in the martial world dares to practice forbidden demonic arts. We must find out the truth as soon as possible."

Master Zhang nodded, his brow furrowed. "Back then, we went through countless hardships to defeat the Demonic Sect and destroyed all their demonic cultivation manuals. Now that demonic energy has reappeared, this matter is of utmost importance."

Ouyang Song gripped his longsword tightly and said with a determined look, "No matter the cost, we must eliminate this hidden danger and prevent demonic arts from wreaking havoc on the martial world again."

At this moment, calm gradually returned to the battlefield. Sunlight fell on the ground, reflecting a desolate scene. The disciples of Jingtian Pavilion began to clear the battlefield and treat the wounded.

As night fell, in an inn in Yimen County, Abbess Jingkong of the Emei Sect, Master Zhang of the Wudang Sect, and elders from Shaolin Temple, the Beggars' Sect, the Sword Tomb, and other sects gathered together to discuss their next steps in dealing with the resurgence of demonic arts in the martial world.

Shen Mo and He Yun, along with other younger members of the group, were not qualified to attend the meeting, so they sat on the street waiting for the outcome. They found a relatively quiet corner to sit in and quietly watched the people coming and going on the street.

"Brother He," Shen Mo finally broke the silence, "could you tell me more about demonic energy?"

He Yun nodded. He knew that Shen Mo was new to the martial world and might not understand these things, so he explained, "Demonic energy is a kind of malevolent energy that is different from internal energy. Practicing demonic arts will inevitably generate demonic energy. Although demonic arts can be improved rapidly and are extremely powerful, the risks they bring are also enormous."

"Demonic energy can corrode the heart meridian, greatly increasing the risk of qi deviation," He Yun continued to explain. "Moreover, if one cultivates both internal energy and demonic energy at the same time, one will definitely explode and die. This is because demonic energy and internal energy can never coexist in the same body."

Upon hearing this, Shen Mo was initially shocked, but he quickly felt a sense of relief. "In other words, to cultivate demonic arts, one must first abolish internal energy; conversely, to cultivate righteous martial arts, one must first abolish demonic energy. Otherwise..."

"That's right," He Yun interrupted him, "In this situation, that person basically won't live for long. The conflict between demonic energy and internal energy will cause the body to be unable to withstand it, ultimately leading to death by explosion."