Chapter 372: Crushing Us Like Ants

Over the next ten days, things unfolded exactly as Shen Mo had predicted.

Xiong Luan and the other demon emperors, emboldened by their victory, pursued relentlessly northward.

The cultivators, however, feigned a complete collapse, appearing like startled birds.

At the mere sight of demons in the distance, they would immediately flee.

In this way, they lured Xiong Luan and the other demons further and further north, away from the territory of the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom.

At the border between Mist Province and Yu Province.

Ying Ti, watching the terrified human cultivators fleeing in panic, frowned slightly.

The recent successes had been too smooth, making him instinctively feel that something was wrong.

Even Gu Ming held Shen Mo in such high regard, considering him a formidable enemy.

How could Shen Mo now seem completely incapable of mounting a counterattack?

Xiong Luan asked impatiently, “Why aren’t we pursuing them? If we can capture Shen Mo alive, it would be a great achievement!”

“Who knows, we might even get a chance to enter the Blood God’s Treasury!”

At the mention of the Blood God’s Treasury, a flash of greed appeared in Ying Ti’s eyes.

However, after a moment, reason prevailed.

He shook his head, “No, something feels off.”

“Besides, ahead lies the territory of Mist Province. It’s possible the humans have already set up an ambush.”

“Xiong Luan, His Majesty also gave us orders to pursue while victorious but not to venture beyond the borders of the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom.”

“I think it’s best to withdraw.”

Xiong Luan snorted coldly, “Withdraw? Impossible!”

“I respect His Majesty’s wisdom, but the situation changes rapidly. Now is the time to press the attack!”

“That Shen Mo—I think His Majesty has completely overestimated him. How could he possibly foresee everything? He’s not some prophet.”

“Besides, I suspect there’s internal strife among the humans. Think about it—Shen Mo proposed not participating in the attack, which led to the four sects staying out of the battle.”

“Many human cultivators probably believe that if those four sects had joined, the casualties wouldn’t have been so severe!”

“They must hate Shen Mo to the core!”

Ying Ti was taken aback, “That… does make some sense…”

“Exactly! What are we waiting for? Let’s pursue them now. We can’t waste any time.”

Xiong Luan’s feet surged with blood energy, and in an instant, he shot forward several hundred meters, crushing a small hill beneath him, which exploded into countless rocks.

“Let’s make this clear—if I capture Shen Mo, the greatest credit is mine. You get nothing! Hehehe!”

Ying Ti gritted his teeth, spread his wings, and resolutely followed.

Capture Shen Mo! Achieve a great merit! Enter the Blood God’s Treasury!

This was an irresistible temptation for him!

Through normal means, he would never surpass the likes of Hu Yong and Xiong An.

He had to use every possible method to strengthen himself—that was the only way!

Besides, with Xiong Luan, the second strongest under Gu Ming, leading the charge, even if the humans had an ambush, they should still be able to retreat unscathed.

…

Several hours later.

In a gourd-shaped valley, the battle had already concluded.

The corpses of Xiong Luan and Ying Ti lay in the mud and blood.

Around them were the bodies of several other demon emperors.

These powerful and noble demon emperors now lay like dead dogs, utterly lifeless.

Li Zhendao and the others stared at the scene, still unable to believe their eyes.

They hadn’t expected it to actually work!

Everything had gone exactly as Shen Mo had predicted. The demons, driven by bloodlust, had charged recklessly without considering the consequences.

Even though Gu Ming had given strict orders, they hadn’t necessarily followed them.

Xue Ziyi looked at Shen Mo, who was inspecting the spoils of war, and felt a shiver of fear.

Earlier, Shen Mo had single-handedly fought Xiong Luan and Ying Ti, two demon emperors.

He had effortlessly slain them.

After the battle, he bore no injuries, only some damage to his clothing.

Such combat prowess was terrifying.

“It seems…”

“Shen Mo’s strength has made significant progress.”

“With his current power… he has likely already surpassed Lin Dongtian and me.”

“He could crush us like ants.”

Xue Ziyi couldn’t help but tremble.

Perhaps only the grand elder of her Shadowless Pavilion, once he emerged from seclusion, could stand against Shen Mo.

It wasn’t just her. Zhou Mingyi, Wang Lang, Tong Yuan, and the others also looked at Shen Mo with increasing awe and respect.

Xiong Luan, the demon emperor revered by countless demons as the strongest beneath Gu Ming, had once even had the chance to compete with Gu Ming for the throne of the Demon Emperor.

Yet, he had been so easily slain by Shen Mo.

His death was less dignified than that of a dog.

Lin Dongtian’s gaze toward Shen Mo had completely changed.

Back in the capital, he had once believed that with his unparalleled talent, he would inevitably surpass Shen Mo in no time.

Yet, now, only a few years later, the gap between Shen Mo and himself had not only failed to narrow but had instead grown even wider!

At this rate, he wouldn’t even be able to see Shen Mo’s shadow, let alone catch up to him.

“Fellow Daoist Lin.”

A voice brought Lin Dongtian back to his senses.

He quickly turned toward the source of the sound.

To his surprise, it was Shen Mo walking toward him.

Lin Dongtian took several deep breaths before managing to adopt his usual tone.

“Fellow Daoist Shen, what can I do for you?” He smiled warmly, his expression still as honest and simple as ever.

Shen Mo smiled in return.

In Lin Dongtian’s eyes, there had been a flicker of panic just moments ago.

Clearly, Shen Mo’s deliberate display of his strength in front of everyone had achieved the intended effect.

“I’ve heard that the Sacred Spirit Sect has a secret technique for creating puppets, called the Corpse Refining and Spirit Control Puppetry Art,” Shen Mo said calmly.

Lin Dongtian hesitated for a moment before nodding. “I was just about to discuss this with you, Fellow Daoist Shen. There are many demon emperor corpses here, all of which can be refined into puppets.”

“Especially Xiong Luan’s corpse. Once refined, it will likely retain the strength of a Golden Summit Emperor.”

“My Sacred Spirit Sect is willing to offer some Sacred Spirit Eyes in exchange for these corpses…”

Shen Mo smiled. “I want this secret technique.”

Lin Dongtian was utterly shocked. “No! This is the Sacred Spirit Sect’s closely guarded secret…”

Shen Mo waved his hand. “I haven’t finished speaking. Don’t be so hasty.”

“I don’t need the complete set—just a portion of it.”

“I’ve heard that your sect’s Corpse Refining and Spirit Control Puppetry Art is divided into two parts. The first is the formula for the corpse-refining elixir, and the second is the method for controlling the puppets.”

Lin Dongtian was momentarily stunned and couldn’t help but nod.

How did Shen Mo know more about the Corpse Refining and Spirit Control Puppetry Art than he did?

Shen Mo smiled. “I want the method for controlling the puppets.”

Lin Dongtian frowned. “No, if this method is handed over to you, Fellow Daoist Shen, you could control our sect’s puppets as well. This…”

Shen Mo continued, “The spirit control method is unique. The control method for each puppet is completely different. There’s no need to use that as an excuse to brush me off.”

Lin Dongtian clicked his tongue.

How did Shen Mo even know this?

However, without the corpse-refining method, the quality of the puppets produced would be poor.

He guessed that Shen Mo must have obtained some inferior formula for the corpse-refining elixir and hoped to use it to refine puppets on his own.

After careful consideration, Lin Dongtian nodded. “I can agree to hand over the spirit control method to you.”

“However, I need the corpses of five demon emperors. Otherwise, I won’t be able to explain this to the sect. After all, I’m only the Holy Son, not the Sect Master.”

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Madara Web Novel