Immortal Dao is dead, I am the mastermind behind it all.

Shen Moyan played with the blood-red gourd in his hand.

This was Ni Gaoyuan's magic weapon back then.

At first, Shen Moyan didn't know the gourd's purpose; he only knew that it could absorb human corpses.

But after that glimpse from the Heavenly Demon, Shen Moyan finally understood and learned the name of the gourd.

【Easy Magic Gourd】

This item can be used to trade with the Heavenly Demon.

This was obtained by Ni Gaoyuan from the remains of that Guizang Realm cultivator.

Unfortunately, Ni Gaoyuan was killed instantly by Shen Moyan with a single sword strike before he could reveal his trump card.

"The Yi Mo Gourd can absorb things rich in 'Daoist essence,' and those things will naturally be offered as tribute to the Heavenly Demon."

"And the Heavenly Demon will grant you an equivalent existence based on what you offer."

If cultivating the "Heavenly Demon Transformation Technique" is to offer up one's own Dao essence, then the "Easy Demon Gourd" is to offer up the Dao essence of others.

"Let's see what I have to offer in exchange for the Heavenly Demon."

Shen Moyan took out all the treasures he had previously acquired from Dongshan City.

Unfortunately, most magical artifacts were not worthy of the attention of the Magic Gourd.

The Heavenly Demon does not value material things; it only values ​​the abstract existence of "Daoist essence."

"Hmm? This one is reacting!"

He took out a small ginseng root, and the magic gourd trembled slightly, as if yearning for this carefully cultivated ginseng.

Humans are the most intelligent of all beings, and nature is the greatest embodiment of the Dao.

Then Shen Moyan filled the Yi Mo Gourd with all the ginseng, and the gourd was immediately packed full.

The gourd made clanging and rattling sounds, as if it was still somewhat unsatisfied.

"So greedy, it seems you've been starving for a long time."

After feeding so many ginseng, the Yi Mo Hu shrank and spat out a drop of scarlet blood.

"Is this the true blood of the Heavenly Demon?"

True blood floated in Shen Moyan's palm; this was the Heavenly Demon's feedback after the exchange of equal value.

Holding it in his hand, Shen Moyan felt that he could do anything, and could freely transform this drop of true blood into anything, any magical artifact.

Or it can be integrated into oneself, transformed into cultivation, and immediately break through to the mid-stage or even late-stage of the Transcendent Realm.

However, rushing to break through one's cultivation level and then adapting is not a good choice in this ever-changing war situation.

And this feedback was so little that it was negligible.

After thinking for a long time, Shen Moyan dripped the drop of true blood onto the Azure Cloud Wings.

If you want to snatch food from the tiger's mouth or escape from this place, speed is the first priority.

Since Shen Moyan didn't possess the supernatural abilities of "reaching the ends of the earth in an instant" or "shrinking the earth to an inch," he could only rely on speed.

"There are only 611 ginseng plants, and it will be difficult to obtain something that can break this deadlock."

Shen Moyan's face showed bitterness.

But as he looked around, a smile crept onto his face.

Aren't there readily available talents around?

On the vast ocean, the corpses of thousands of cultivators floated and sank with the waves.

Shen Moyan raised his hand and used his telekinesis to suck the nearby corpse pieces into the Yi Mo Gourd.

"Very good! I'm very satisfied with the gourd!"

The magic gourd in his hand made a gurgling sound, and Shen Moyan was delighted.

"However, we need to hurry. The Divine Refining Array is still absorbing the cultivators' souls. The longer it drags on, the less nourishment they will receive."

Looking at the mountain of corpses and sea of ​​blood ahead, Shen Moyan's brows furrowed.

He wanted to compete with the Great Formation of the Wild Goose Formation for food.

Using the corpses of cultivators, he evolved the Azure Cloud Wings, gaining unparalleled speed for himself.

Shen Moyan flapped his Azure Cloud Wings, instantly increasing his speed by more than a hundred times.

He carried the Magic Gourd and flew over every corner of the sea, retrieving and absorbing the corpses of cultivators along the way.

All the true blood he gained was added to the Azure Cloud Wings, making him faster and faster.

Gradually, he transformed into a wisp of green wind, traveling to various places.

…………

Above the vast sea, beside the giant face fruit tree, the battle continues.

"Cangwu Dragon Goose Coastal Formation!"

Faced with the siege of a group of True Lords, True Lord Yanzhen also took out his trump card formation diagram and went all out.

The ocean transformed into thirty-six water dragons, which encircled the human-faced tree, and the spells of all the True Lords were blocked by these water dragons.

The True Lord who summoned the fire dragon was suppressed by the water dragon and fell into a disadvantageous position.

This True Lord, whose title was Yan Rong, watched as his supernatural powers crumbled inch by inch under the Great Formation of the Wild Goose Formation True Lord. His blurred face was filled with disbelief in his eyes.

"As expected of True Lord Yanzhen, the formation you've mastered is comparable to that of a Grandmaster of the Supreme Formation Dao. The entire Langya Prefecture is now under your control!" True Lord Yanrong said solemnly.

The True Lord who moved mountains also retreated.

Shi Jian Zhenjun coughed up blood, his bound muscles convulsed, and his skin was deathly pale.

"That old scoundrel's turtle shell is really hard to chew."

Mingxuan Zhenjun, standing to the side, unleashed a sword formation, sending over three thousand flying swords continuously slashing towards the sea of ​​clouds where Yanzhen Zhenjun was located:

"Everyone, the Great Array for Refining the Spirit of All Beings is operating faster and faster, and I'm afraid our lifespans will all be affected."

Looking at the stalemate in the battle, the cultivators struggling in the stormy sea were filled with worry:

"Even with four True Monarchs joining forces, they still couldn't break that demon's evil formation?"

"It's over! Langya Prefecture is finished!"

"Die! If that demonic tree doesn't fall, we're all going to die!"

……

"Gentlemen, if you retreat now, then the karmic consequences of obstructing the path today will be averted," said True Lord Yanzhen, looking down at the four True Lords before him.

"If you remain stubborn and refuse to see the truth, then don't blame me for being ruthless with my battle formation."

His tone was calm, as if he felt confident of victory.

Just as the group of low-level cultivators were in despair, a voice pierced through the still-falling water curtain.

"I am Qingmu, the foremost alchemist in the Gui Cang Realm, paying my respects to the former Holy Court's Strategy Hall True Lord Yan Zhen!"

"But what True Lord Yanzhen has done today has angered Heaven and resented the people, defied human ethics, and is truly the way of the demons!"

"With the Mind-Concentrating Pill that I've refined over half a century, I wish to assist my fellow cultivators in vanquishing the evil!"

Qingmu Zhenjun's voice resounded throughout the entire ocean. With a wave of his hand, a pill furnace appeared behind him.

That was his natal magic weapon, the Azure Wood Elixir Cauldron.

Amidst the elixir fire, each crystal-clear pill transformed into a stream of light and flew towards the True Lords in the air.

At the same time, countless pills with slightly weaker light fell into the hands of the cultivators.

Those cultivators who still tried to resist immediately swallowed the pills bestowed by True Monarch Qingmu to prolong their lifespan being drained.

"Keep going! Kill!"

Shi Jian Zhenjun stomped his foot, and a tsunami thousands of feet high was stirred up across the entire ocean.

The power of the four elements—mountain rocks, flames, green wood, and golden sword—all converged on the vast ocean.

But the ocean is vast and all rivers flow into it, encompassing and absorbing all these elemental powers.

The battle has reached an unprecedented stalemate.

One day, two days, three days, a week passed.

The terrifying force that had been draining life force receded like a tide, and the suffocating oppression in the world suddenly eased.

Most of the monks floating on the sea were exhausted from the long resistance and final charge.

They either floated in mid-air or stood supporting each other atop dilapidated buildings.

They all looked old and were weak.

Their hair and beards were all white, and deep wrinkles were etched on their faces, a direct manifestation of their severely depleted spirit and vitality.

"True Lord and the others succeeded!"

"The passage of time has stopped!"

"Haha! I actually survived!"

All the cultivators at the lower realms were overwhelmed with mixed emotions of joy and sorrow, and wept uncontrollably.

The curtain of water in the sky stopped pouring, and the dark clouds dissipated.

In the corner, Shen Moyan absorbed the last piece of corpse in his hand into the Yi Mo Gourd and nourished the Azure Cloud Wings behind him with his true blood.

The speed at which he now soars is beyond description.

These days, he has been using his Azure Cloud Wings to try to fly to areas outside of Kongsang County, avoiding the battlefields where high-level cultivators and powerful demons are fighting.

He discovered that, just as he had imagined, Langya Prefecture was now surrounded by an endless ocean.

Even the Hundred Thousand Mountains to the east have become Hundred Thousand Islands.

"Life's passage has stopped; has the Wild Goose Formation Lord been defeated?"

Shen Moyan removed the Soul-Controlling Talisman from his body and chewed on the pill bestowed upon him by True Monarch Qingmu.

After considering the overall situation, Shen Moyan frowned.

"Up to the rank of True Lord Mingxuan, wielding a sword, which belongs to the metal element."

"True Lord Yanrong belongs to the element of fire; True Lord Shijian belongs to the element of earth; True Lord Qingmu belongs to the element of wood..."

"And the Wild Goose Formation True Lord, the Vast Ocean Formation, belongs to the water element."

"The five elements generate each other; why is there such a coincidence?"

Shen Moyan sensed a hint of conspiracy.

"Whose scheme is this?! Gao Sheng? Zheng Quan? Or...all of them?"

All the cultivators in Langya Prefecture, regardless of their cultivation level, felt a strange stirring in their hearts, as if they had heard some kind of grand and harmonious "Dao sound".

Their gazes fell unanimously on the swaying, man-faced fruit tree.

At the core of the giant tree's canopy, in the void, a dazzling light, indescribable in words, was quietly emerging.

Its color is chaotic, seemingly encompassing all things, yet pure and translucent. As it slowly rotates, it absorbs the remaining spiritual energy of heaven and earth and some more mysterious essence of "god".

Within this radiance, a tiny, yet incredibly powerful and profound phantom was faintly visible, taking shape.

Its form is ever-changing, sometimes resembling an infant embracing a clod of earth, and sometimes like a deity sitting upright.

It exuded an aura that warmed the souls of all the cultivators present, evoked longing, and even a faint sense of awe.

That was the Great Array for Refining the Spirits of All Beings, forged at the cost of the massive amounts of souls and lives it plundered, and tempered by the divine powers of the Five Elements True Monarchs…

Transformation of God's Dao Fruit!