The First Immortal of Destiny

Chapter 528: Chapter 528: Reconstructing the Demon Soul General Sequence (Part 1)_1

Inside The Big Dipper Array, the Ten Thousand Eyes Demon, Turi Ke, sensed the weakening force of the Sword Array. He immediately started causing turmoil, employing all kinds of Spells to strike at the Sword Array!

The seven Dao swords, no longer benefiting from Shen Mo’s full support, began to show signs of strain under Turi Ke’s counterattack, letting out sorrowful wails. But at this moment, Shen Mo had no time to spare them any attention...

His blood, carrying his Essence and Qi, splattered onto the banner’s surface, causing the sanguine light emanating from the Soul Refining Flag to become even more exceptionally sinister. The soul marks representing the Demon Soul Generals devoured the blood completely. However, the backlash power only subsided for a brief moment before it surged uncontrollably, threatening to rebel and devour its master!

If the Soul Refining Flag were a kingdom, Shen Mo would be its supreme king, holding absolute power over life and death, and the Demon Soul Generals within the banner would be his soldiers. Currently, this assembly of proud and fierce soldiers was on the verge of rebellion, intent on assassinating their king. The splattered blood served as both a military stipend to reward them and an imperial edict. This offering was meant to appease the army’s morale while also reinforcing the king’s authority.

Unfortunately, this maneuver proved ineffective. The rebellious intent of the Demon Soul Generals within the banner remained unchanged. They constantly vied with Shen Mo for control of the Soul Refining Flag, seemingly determined to slay him and unwilling to cease until they succeeded.

On one hand, The Big Dipper Array was on the brink of collapse, and the Ten Thousand Eyes Demon was about to break free.

On the other hand, the Soul Refining Flag sought to devour its master, aiming to consume his soul, Dao Body, and True Yuan entirely...

Caught in this crisis from within and without, the situation grew increasingly perilous. However, Shen Mo consistently maintained a clear Path Heart. He did not allow external factors to cloud his judgment or disturb his mind.

WHOOSH!

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

One seal after another was continuously struck towards the Soul Refining Flag, forcing back the surging sanguine light. Within the crimson light screen, the faces of formidable Demon Soul Generals, like the Ghost Bride, could be vaguely discerned. They threatened to fully materialize and devour Shen Mo entirely!

In this current situation, is forcibly destroying the Soul Refining Flag the only path left?

This thought flashed through Shen Mo’s mind like a spark.

Currently, although the Soul Refining Flag is on the verge of rebelling, as its master, it wouldn’t be difficult for me to destroy this demonic flag. Once this magic artifact is destroyed, the hundreds of Soul Generals within would instantly vanish, making it impossible for them to rebel further. At that point, the burden on my soul and Mana would lessen. This would free me up to maintain the killing power of The Big Dipper Array and once again force Thousands-eyes Turi Ke into a desperate defense. This way, all crises could be resolved! But if I were to really do that, my heart would be filled with countless regrets and immense unwillingness!

Ever since his early days of cultivation, when he was still weak, he had refined this blood flag. It had aided him through numerous crises along his path. Especially after the ordeal at Death Jaw, the Soul Refining Flag underwent a mysterious and unknown transformation, becoming what could be considered a divine weapon and exotic treasure. Its power had been continuously increasing, making it one of the few trump cards capable of keeping pace with his own growing strength. If he were to destroy it, the Soul Generals within the banner, which embodied so much of his painstaking effort over the years, would also perish.

Furthermore, after slaying so many evil cultivators and outer zone demons, I can clearly feel that much of the Evil Qi in my heart has dispersed, and a significant layer of dust has been wiped from my Path Heart. However, this task is not yet fully accomplished. It will undoubtedly have a negative impact on my future Core Formation, preventing the transformation of my Essence and Qi from reaching a state of flawless perfection! I also want to rely on the Demon Soul Generals who are about to step into the Golden Core Realm to participate in higher-level battles. This is to maximize the benefits of the ’Core-forming blessed land’. If I destroy the Soul Refining Flag, this aspiration would naturally be dashed! Thus, I am, of course, unwilling to personally destroy this wondrous magic artifact.

No. There’s another conceptual method I can try!

As this thought occurred to him, a peculiar light flickered in Shen Mo’s eyes. His third pair of unoccupied arms moved like fluttering butterflies, continuously injecting various refining seals into the Soul Refining Flag.

As the Mysterious Seal Arts entered the blood flag, the soul marks of the Ghost Bride and nine other preeminent Demon Soul Generals suddenly expanded by a circle. Their radiance intensified, brimming with vibrant Dao essence. Conversely, the soul marks of dozens of slightly weaker Demon Soul Generals dimmed somewhat, their vital energies continuously intertwining and merging with those of the stronger ones...

The evil cultivator Xuanzhi Superior Master—Gu Ming and Gu Zhao’s Master and the original owner of the Soul Refining Flag—had left behind a rudimentary concept in his refining method. It proposed that when facing the backlash from this blood flag, a demonic artifact, one might be able to reconstruct the hierarchy of the Soul Generals within the banner!

Given Xuanzhi Superior Master’s cultivation and understanding at Layer II of the Qi Gathering Realm, this idea naturally remained purely theoretical, impossible for him to implement. After Shen Mo obtained the Soul Refining Flag and its refining method, he would contemplate and refine this concept whenever he had leisure. After all, both he and Xuanzhi Superior Master, as wielders of the Soul Refining Flag, would inevitably have to confront the issue of backlash from the demonic artifact.

Although Shen Mo had significantly improved upon this concept, he had never actually put it into practice. Previously, Shen Mo possessed sufficient strength to suppress the backlash from the Soul Refining Flag and its Demon Soul Generals. There was no need to risk destroying this magic artifact to test an unverified method. But now, the circumstances were different. Even if he failed, the worst outcome would be the destruction of the Soul Refining Flag. However, if he succeeded, he could not only preserve this exotic treasure but also wield the banner more safely, suppressing its malevolent nature and its master-devouring tendencies to the fullest extent!

What Shen Mo needed to do now was to strengthen his connection with the Ghost Bride and the nine other Demon Soul Generals. They were on the verge of advancing to the Golden Core Realm of Class IV and represented the most powerful group of Demon Soul Generals within the banner. Simultaneously, he needed to weaken, or even sever, his direct connection with the other, weaker Demon Soul Generals. Then, he would re-establish his connection to these weaker generals *indirectly*, through the Ghost Bride and the other leading Demon Soul Generals.

This was the conceptual method left behind by Xuanzhi Superior Master for dealing with the backlash from the demonic flag: reconstructing the Demon Soul General Sequence within the banner. However, Shen Mo had further refined it, drawing upon his own experiences, insights, and knowledge of various magic cultivation methods.

The ten soul marks representing Demon Soul Generals like the Ghost Bride grew even larger and more dazzling. Meanwhile, the soul marks of numerous other, weaker Demon Soul Generals dimmed considerably, their connection with Shen Mo becoming almost imperceptible.

Through these actions, the backlash power from the Soul Refining Flag, instead of weakening, actually grew more intense. This compelled Shen Mo to channel even more of his mental energy and True Yuan to suppress the Soul Refining Flag!

This maneuver was akin to a monarch of a kingdom facing a rebellion by his proud and unruly soldiers. He adopted the feudal practices of ancient kings: ceding a portion of his authority, he enfeoffed his most formidable generals as dukes and marquises. The slightly weaker soldiers were then placed directly under their command, no longer reporting to the monarch himself. By relying on these newly appointed nobles to suppress the soldiers beneath them, the overall backlash power from the Soul Refining Flag could be counteracted. Subsequently, he would continue this process of delegation, assigning even weaker soldiers to the command of these subordinate tiers. In this manner, a hierarchy was established, built layer upon layer, forming a structure akin to a pyramid!

The Ghost Bride, Master Hong Jue, the Serpent-Eel Heavenly Demon, the Gold Piercing Ghost, and others—these ten mutated Demon Soul Generals on the cusp of advancing to Class IV—formed the apex of this pyramid.

Through the refining method, Shen Mo was strengthening his direct connection with them. He only needed to withstand their direct backlash. Then, he could rely on them, in turn, to suppress the backlash from the next tier of Demon Soul Generals below them!