Wandering Swordsman |

Lu Yan, who was currently enduring the oppressive aura of the Heavenly Demon, his forehead covered in cold sweat, answered with difficulty, "Yes, my lord. He is Hua Tianyou."

At the same time, although Yue Linglong was also doing her best to resist the oppressive feeling from the demonic energy, her keen eyes still caught Hua Tianyou's unusual state. She whispered a reminder: "But Hua Tianyou's current state is a bit off." Although her voice was soft, it sounded exceptionally clear in the silent cave.

Upon hearing Yue Linglong's reminder, Shen Mo frowned slightly, his gaze sharpening. He scrutinized Hua Tianyou before him, noticing a hidden secret lurking in the man's dark eyes. A sinister aura emanated from him, making him uneasy, as if the person before him wasn't the real Hua Tianyou.

Upon noticing Shen Mo, Hua Tianyou was initially taken aback, then a surge of wild joy flashed in his eyes. He could clearly sense that Shen Mo's strength far surpassed Hua Tianyou's own, and what excited him even more was that Shen Mo actually possessed the Heavenly Martial Body! This discovery instantly made his eyes incredibly greedy, as if he had seen an unprecedented opportunity.

"Hahaha, this is truly heaven's help!" Hua Tianyou muttered to himself, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement. In an instant, his figure vanished from his spot like a ghost, instantly teleporting in front of Shen Mo at an absurd speed. The speed was so fast that it was almost impossible for anyone to catch his movements with the naked eye; it was as if he had already stood in front of Shen Mo in the blink of an eye.

Shen Mo's heart tightened suddenly, an unprecedented sense of crisis surging into his mind. He knew that if he didn't go all out, he might lose his life in the next second. So, without saying a word, Shen Mo quickly activated the "Nine Revolutions of Yin and Yang" and simultaneously began circulating the "Heaven-Defying Divine Art". At this moment, a powerful demonic energy instantly erupted, faintly enveloping his entire body within it.

Almost simultaneously, Shen Mo drew his Tai'a sword without hesitation. The blade gleamed with a cold light, and he slashed at Hua Tianyou with unparalleled momentum. The strike was like a thunderbolt, containing all his inner strength and determination. Everyone present believed that even a Demon Lord-level expert would find it difficult to withstand this full-force attack, and it would surely severely injure Hua Tianyou.

However, a shocking scene unfolded. Hua Tianyou actually caught Shen Mo's attack with his bare hands, producing a crisp metallic clang. A black aura swirled around his hands, like a black glove, firmly gripping the blade of the Tai'a Sword. The force was so strong that it even slightly bent the blade, but ultimately failed to penetrate the layer of black aura.

"How is this possible!" Tu Yuliang and the others exclaimed in shock, their faces filled with disbelief. In that instant, Shen Mo had displayed power far exceeding that of a Demon Lord, yet even so, he still failed to inflict any substantial damage on Hua Tianyou.

Shen Mo himself felt a chill run down his spine; he had never encountered such a powerful opponent. Not only had his opponent easily withstood his full-force attack, but he seemed to be handling it with complete ease.

Then, Hua Tianyou gripped the blade of the Tai'a Sword tightly and infused it with a surge of demonic energy.

Instantly, Shen Mo felt a tremendous force of recoil from the sword, as if he had been struck by an invisible mountain, and he was involuntarily thrown backward. He forced himself to adjust his posture in mid-air, landing steadily, his feet leaving two deep marks on the ground before stopping his retreat. The Tai'a sword in his hand trembled slightly, as if it too was telling of the perilous nature of the demonic energy.

"So strong!" Shen Mo thought to himself in amazement, but he was not shaken by it. On the contrary, the scene made him even more vigilant. He stared intently at the "Hua Tianyou" in front of him, and every pore of his body was in battle mode.

Hua Tianyou looked at Shen Mo, a cold smile playing on his lips, as if admiring a rare treasure. "Just surrender obediently. I don't want my new body to get hurt." His tone was filled with greed and desire.

Although she didn't understand what Hua Tianyou meant, Yue Linglong was extremely anxious as she watched this scene. She knew that although Shen Mo was powerful, the outcome was uncertain when facing such a mysterious and powerful enemy.

She quickly circulated her inner energy, trying to find an opportunity to help Shen Mo, but she also felt the powerful oppressive feeling of the demonic energy, making it extremely difficult for her to move.

Just then, Hua Tianyou instantly moved behind Shen Mo with incredible speed. His movements were so fast that everyone present felt dizzy, as if time had been stretched out countless times. Although Shen Mo noticed, his body couldn't react in time. Just as he tried to turn around, Hua Tianyou had already grabbed the back of Shen Mo's head with his right hand.

A burst of black flame immediately shot out from Hua Tianyou's body, swiftly surging up his arm and into Shen Mo's head. The black flame, like a living venomous snake, snaked upwards, emanating a chilling aura. Shen Mo felt an icy yet scorching force instantly invade his brain, his consciousness seemingly torn apart, causing him unbearable pain.

Seeing this, Lü Yan and Yue Linglong immediately prepared to rush forward to help Shen Mo. However, they found that the pressure of the Heavenly Demon Qi had increased even more, as if the entire space was exerting immense pressure on them. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't move an inch and could only watch helplessly as it all unfolded.

However, something unexpected happened again. Whether it was because the black flames left Hua Tianyou's body or for some other reason, Hua Tianyou's originally pure black eyes suddenly returned to normal, becoming clear and distinct. Immediately afterwards, Hua Tianyou's left hand grabbed his right hand, attempting to forcibly remove it from the back of Shen Mo's head.

"The aura of the Heavenly Demon...you just promised me...you would help me fulfill my wish..." Hua Tianyou's voice had returned to normal, but as he forcefully moved his right hand away with his left, his words sounded extremely strained. His forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his hands were trembling violently, clearly indicating that he was engaged in a fierce struggle against some powerful force.

"Dry tongue!" Suddenly, Shen Mo turned around abruptly, his eyes flashing with an eerie light. He gathered demonic energy in one hand and forcefully sent 'Hua Tianyou' flying. With a loud bang, 'Hua Tianyou's' body crashed heavily onto the bluestone slab, producing a dull thud, and then he lost consciousness.

Only then did everyone notice that Shen Mo's eyes had turned completely black, like two bottomless black holes. Seeing Shen Mo's condition, Tu Yuliang and the others immediately understood that the demonic energy had taken over Shen Mo's body.