Wandering Swordsman |

The group entered the valley, surrounded by dense forests. A faint stench of decay filled the air, making them feel uncomfortable.

As they ventured deeper, a narrow passage appeared ahead, formed by massive rocks and covered with moss and vines, as if nature itself had sculpted a mysterious gateway.

Before this passage lay two enormous demon-refining beasts, like giant beasts guarding a treasure, lying there silently and motionless, creating a stark contrast with the quiet environment and sending chills down one's spine.

The two demon-refining beasts had their eyes closed, seemingly immersed in a deep sleep, but every now and then they would let out a low roar, as if warning anyone who dared to approach.

Just as everyone cautiously approached the passage, as if sensing someone's arrival, the two demon beasts suddenly awoke, their eyes flashing with bloodthirsty red light, unleashing a monstrous fighting spirit, as if the group in front of them had trespassed into their forbidden territory.

Immediately afterwards, the two demon-refining beasts roared and charged towards the group. Their movements were incredibly swift, creating gusts of wind that rustled the surrounding leaves, adding to the terrifying atmosphere.

"Proceed according to the previous plan!" Shen Mo shouted as he faced the impending danger, then drew his sword and charged forward without hesitation.

Upon hearing his command, the previously tense team quickly calmed down, and everyone acted swiftly according to their pre-arranged roles. Even the people from the Blood Demon Pavilion and the Flame Demon Pavilion seemed to have no barriers with each other, fighting side by side with the people from the Moon Demon Pavilion to jointly resist the Demon-Refining Beast.

Holding the Tai'a sword, Shen Mo thrust it straight at the eye of a demon beast with lightning speed, attempting to disrupt its rhythm.

Xie Xin led the other disciples in an attack on the demon-refining beast, some using spears to launch surprise attacks from the side, and others using palm techniques to distract it.

At the same time, Lü Yan and Tu Yuliang led the members of the Blood Demon Pavilion and the Flame Demon Pavilion to meet another demon-refining beast.

Lu Yan wielded his heavy sword, each strike carrying the force of thunder; Tu Yuliang, on the other hand, used his agile movements to quickly move around the demon beast, looking for the best opportunity to attack.

The battle was exceptionally fierce. Relying on his agility and superb martial arts skills, Shen Mo fought the demon-refining beast to a standstill. In each exchange, he skillfully avoided the beast's fatal attacks and found opportunities to counterattack.

However, despite this, he knew he couldn't let his guard down, because the slightest carelessness could cost him his life.

Everyone was thrilled by Shen Mo's performance, except for Lü Yan and Tu Yuliang, who were secretly shocked. They never expected that Shen Mo's strength would grow to such an extent in just half a year.

This change intensified their unease and strengthened their resolve to eliminate Shen Mo as soon as possible.

As time went on, the battle between the two sides entered a fierce stage. Although they fought to a draw with the demon beast, they were still unable to gain any advantage.

Just as the stalemate continued, the two demon-refining beasts seemed to get impatient, and they let out a long howl.

The long howl left everyone bewildered, but then a scene that filled everyone with despair unfolded—three more demon-refining beasts appeared behind them, and everyone's hearts leaped into their throats.

Two demon-refining beasts were already locked in combat in front, and then three new demon-refining beasts appeared behind them. This sent a chill down everyone's spine; such an inevitable defeat caused many to instantly lose their fighting spirit.

At this moment, Shen Mo naturally noticed the current crisis and the change in everyone's morale. He immediately reminded everyone, "Move closer to me! Right now, the only way to survive is to defeat this demon-refining beast blocking our path!"

The crowd felt that it was somewhat unrealistic, but they had no choice but to align themselves with Shen Mo in the current situation.

Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Shen Mo decided to take a gamble. He took a deep breath and unleashed the Nine Revolutions of Yin and Yang, directly reaching the fourth revolution. In an instant, a monstrous demonic aura erupted from Shen Mo's body, and the surrounding air seemed to be distorted by this power.

The power unleashed by Shen Mo after activating the "Nine Revolutions of Yin and Yang" invigorated everyone. The strength they sensed from Shen Mo was indeed capable of defeating the demon-refining beast before them, which rekindled the fighting spirit of many.

The strength Shen Mo displayed at that moment sent a chill down the spines of Lü Yan and Tu Yuliang, and also largely extinguished their desire to eliminate Shen Mo. They realized that in this life-or-death moment, the stronger Shen Mo was, the higher the survival rate of the entire team.

Without the slightest hesitation, Shen Mo thrust his Tai'a sword at the demon-refining beast before him with lightning speed. This time, he concentrated all his strength into this single strike, and with a roar, the demon-refining beast finally collapsed to the ground, motionless.

Taking advantage of this brief opportunity, Shen Mo led everyone, stepping on the defeated demon-refining beasts, and rushed into the mysterious passage.

However, the danger was not over. The other four demon-refining beasts were in hot pursuit, and everyone ran with all their might.

The air was thick with tension; every step felt like a race against death.

Finally, not long after, someone shouted, "Look! There's a demon totem ahead!"

These words were like a lifeline, causing everyone to unconsciously breathe a sigh of relief. They sped up as fast as they could, finally managing to get into the range of the Heavenly Demon Totem before the Demon-Refining Beast caught up.

When the four demon-refining beasts were a hundred meters away from the Heavenly Demon Totem, they seemed to be restricted by some mysterious force and dared not pursue further.

Once inside the range of the Heavenly Demon Totem, everyone truly felt safe. A faint, warm aura permeated the surroundings, as if an invisible force was protecting them. Everyone was panting heavily, their faces etched with exhaustion, but even more so with the relief of surviving a calamity.

Lu Yan and Tu Yuliang stood in the crowd, their hearts filled with mixed emotions. They had originally planned to use this opportunity to eliminate Shen Mo, but now they had to admit that it was Shen Mo's existence that gave them a chance to survive.

Seeing Shen Mo's immense power, just as the two were about to approach him to have a conversation and ease tensions with the Moon Demon Pavilion members, they noticed that Shen Mo had deactivated the "Nine Revolutions of Yin and Yang" technique. In an instant, he collapsed to the ground, utterly powerless. Xie Xin immediately helped Shen Mo up, supporting him against her, while simultaneously keeping a watchful eye on the Blood Demon Pavilion and Flame Demon Pavilion members.

Because of Shen Mo's improved strength over the past six months, the side effects of using the "Nine Revolutions of Yin and Yang" were merely a feeling of all his strength being instantly drained, without the agonizing, heart-wrenching sensation of being devoured by countless ants. This relieved Shen Mo, as he would recover in just a few hours at this state. However, in the eyes of others, the collapsed Shen Mo appeared exceptionally fragile, as if he could collapse at any moment.