Chapter 19 Shadows Gather to Become Demons

"Now is not the time for pleasantries." Squad Yi-34 Captain Zeng Fu snapped back to his senses, suppressing the surge of emotion rising within him. This was certainly not the moment for catching up.

Before he could even finish his sentence, a sudden change occurred!

The remnants of the Shadow Demons, surrounded by the web of lightning swords, did not dissipate. Instead, they let out a collective, shrill shriek and exploded into a sky full of thick black mist.

The black mist seemed alive, churning and coalescing wildly. It actually took the initiative, layer by layer wrapping around and devouring Yun Bai's lightning sword web. The crackling electric arcs struggled and flickered within the mist, their light rapidly dimming.

Yun Bai frowned; the Black Hole Golden Core within his body vibrated slightly—the aura of these Demon Monsters was vastly different from ordinary Shadow Demons.

He watched as the churning black mist rapidly collapsed and condensed inward, reshaping itself into hideous, solid forms.

One, two, three...

"How can there be so many?!" Fu Lianchuan's eyes widened to the size of saucers, and he gasped.

Within his field of vision, shadowy demon bodies stood up from the mist, densely packed—there were actually forty or fifty of them!

"Damn it... did we poke a Demon Monster nest?!"

Yun Bai shot an exasperated glance at Fu Lianchuan. Since Du San retired, this originally reserved man had truly become the life of the squad.

However, he had no time for such thoughts now; he spread his Divine Sense like a net to perceive them carefully.

Their aura was stronger, and there was an eerie connection between them.

He did not act rashly. Nine Flying Swords hovered around him, their lightning light restrained, like dormant silver snakes.

He was observing the changes calmly.

Just then, the most heart-stopping change occurred.

Nearly fifty Shadow Demons did not pounce; instead, they began to merge in pairs, devouring one another!

The black mist churned, and the demon bodies twisted and intertwined. The creaking of misaligned bones and the sizzling sound of flesh merging echoed through the deathly silent mountain col.

"Shadows Converge into a Demon!?" Captain Zeng Fu's exclamation cracked, his face turning deathly pale.

He had only seen records of this in archives—when the number of Shadow Demons reached a critical point, and if they were in a place of yin and filth, this terrifying Fusion could be triggered.

The strength of every "Converged Demon" was by no means a simple addition!

He looked abruptly at the tall, upright back in front of him, his voice dry: "Yun Bai, this is no longer an ordinary Demon Monster... Can you handle it? Should we try to break through first?"

Yun Bai narrowed his eyes.

He also realized the strangeness of the situation. This was merely the outer perimeter of the Vast Mountain Range; how could a Demon Monster swarm of this scale appear here?

A single Shadow Demon was only at the Middle Stage of the First Realm, far less troublesome than a Fate-Fallen Demon Monster.

But a group capable of performing "Shadows Converge into a Demon" could absolutely not be measured by individual strength.

Historical records of the "Demon Shadow Catastrophe" described hundreds of thousands of Shadow Demons running rampant, causing a monstrous disaster.

Ten merging could rival a Late Stage First Realm; fifty merging were enough to rival a Second Realm Cultivator!

More importantly, once they merged, they were no longer "Demon Monsters" but "Shadow Demons"—that was an existence that truly belonged to the "Demon Race"! Only when Devilish Qi was pure to a certain degree could one be called a "Demon"; the rest were merely Demon Monsters or Yao Beasts.

The difference between them was like that between humans and livestock.

Knowing this well, Captain Zeng Fu had already begun rapidly planning an escape route.

Yun Bai, however, was filled with high Battle Intent.

A true Second Realm Demon Monster, is it?

Lightning flickered in his eyes.

If you want to fight, then let us fight.

"Sword, rise."

Yun Bai whispered, his voice sounding like the clashing of gold and jade.

The nine hovering Flying Swords let out a long hum in response. Lightning patterns on the blades lit up one after another; they were no longer the scattered electric arcs from before, but had transformed into nine incomparably solid beams of searing white lightning. The entire mountain col was illuminated as bright as day. The air distorted due to the high temperature, and the fine gravel on the ground trembled slightly under the pressure.

The converged Shadow Demon had already begun to take shape—it was about three zhang tall, its body wrapped in purple-black demon patterns, with black mist churning on its surface, forming faces of people wailing in pain. It had no facial features, only two balls of ghostly green fire burning fiercely in its eye sockets.

"Roar——!!"

The Shadow Demon let out a roar that did not sound human, and the Devilish Qi surged over like a tsunami. Wherever it passed, vegetation withered instantly, and sizzling white smoke appeared on the surface of the rocks as they were corroded.

Yun Bai did not retreat but advanced, taking a step forward.

Just one step.

The nine lightning sword shadows suddenly merged into one, transforming into a ten-zhang-long phantom of a giant lightning sword, hanging high above his head. Liquid-like searing white lightning plasma flowed along the blade, and the pressure it emitted caused the air to freeze.

"Slash."

Yun Bai pressed his fingers together like a sword and slashed through the Void Realm.

The giant lightning sword fell silently.

There was no earth-shattering roar, only a thin line of searing white light cutting through space. Wherever it passed, the black mist and Devilish Qi melted instantly like snow meeting the sun. The Shadow Demon let out a shriek of extreme agony, its massive body split in two from the center. Lightning rampaged at the wound, madly destroying every fiber of the Devilish Qi structure.

It tried to reorganize, the black mist churning frantically.

Yun Bai's eyes were cold; he gripped his left hand in the air.

"Disperse."

The nine swords separated from the giant sword phantom, pouncing down like nine lightning Dragons, instantly piercing the nine demon core nodes of the Shadow Demon's remnants. The lightning exploded within the Demon Monster's body, tearing it apart and purifying it completely from the inside.

"Boom——!!"

With a muffled sound, the Shadow Demon's massive body exploded into a sky full of black gas, which was swept away and extinguished by the lightning web that followed closely behind, leaving nothing behind.

Only a dozen or so Shadow Demons that had luckily not participated in the Fusion were trembling on the edge; they let out terrified shrieks and fled for their lives in different directions.

Not far away, Cultivators from various squads who had arrived one after another after receiving the distress signal were standing on the hillside.

When they first saw the massive Shadow Demon that had converged, many turned pale and almost rushed down to help. Cheng Jun, however, reached out to stop them, grinning as he said: "What are you panicking about? Just watch."

He had once seen with his own eyes how Yun Bai wiped out a White-Browed Demon Eagle nest in the Western Mountains. Those seven Demon Eagles, comparable to the Peak of the First Realm and skilled in coordinated attacks, hadn't lasted even the time it takes to burn an incense stick under this man's sword.

The next moment, lightning illuminated the sky.

Even from a great distance, the pressure emitted by the giant lightning sword phantom still made it difficult for many to breathe. And when the giant sword fell, and the Shadow Demon collapsed without any power to resist, there was dead silence on the hillside.

"Is... is this really a First Realm Cultivator?" someone muttered.

"Controlling heavenly lightning with a sword, defeating a demon in one blow... I fear even an ordinary Second Realm Cultivator could not be so destructive and unstoppable." Another person said in a low voice, their eyes filled with awe.

Cheng Jun stood with his arms crossed, his face saying "I told you so." Beside him, Tang Zhenrui watched, dazzled and mesmerized, his fists clenched unconsciously.

In the mountain col, the smoke and dust gradually dissipated.

Yun Bai did not immediately pursue the scattered Shadow Demons that were fleeing. He walked quickly back to his teammates and his gaze swept rapidly over their injuries.

"Captain! Brother Fu! Sister Ying! Are you all okay?" His voice was filled with genuine concern, and he then noticed Young Master Huang Yue standing to the side, pale-faced, and nodded slightly, "Young Master Huang Yue?"

"Still... still alive," Captain Zeng Fu sighed and smiled bitterly, "Yun Bai, thank you for the rescue. I didn't expect you to be the first to arrive."

"Yun Bai, we really owe it all to you this time," Li Ying said gratefully, clutching the wound on her side.