Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil in the Cultivation World Chapter 858 - 433: Finally Crossing the Tribulation, Gaining a Second-Grade Opportunity

"To think these demons are actually this treacherous!"

"They possess such an array of survival techniques."

Jiang Fan kept his face completely blank, masking his emotions to prevent the foe from sensing any shift in his thoughts.

Having crossed paths with very few demons, he lacked a comprehensive grasp of their diverse capabilities.

Initially, he assumed that by obliterating the demon’s physical shell, the Soul Devourer had been slain.

To his surprise, the enemy had retained a split soul.

Furthermore, it had managed to disguise itself as the Artifact Spirit of the Divine Wood Sword.

Had it not been for the guidance of fate, he might have overlooked this detail entirely.

It was no marvel that during the Ancient Era, many formidable Sects suffered constant defeats.

With an enemy capable of rewriting memories and masking their true nature, one could never distinguish between an ally and a foe.

A single moment of negligence would lead straight into a deadly trap.

How could anyone hope for triumph under those conditions?

However, now that the adversary's cover was blown, they were no longer a threat worth mentioning.

Boom~~

With that thought, Jiang Fan wasted no time and immediately retrieved the Demon-Vibrating Bell from his storage.

He poured the vast Primordial Magical Power from his Dantian into it, fully awakening the potential of this Magical Treasure.

In an instant, the myriad Demon-Vanquishing Runes etched upon the Demon-Vibrating Bell ignited, looking like a holy scripture while emitting ethereal Daoist hymns.

Clang~~ Clang~~

Suddenly, the might of the Demon-Vibrating Bell surged, its force lashing out toward the Divine Wood Sword.

"Brat, what do you think you’re doing?!"

The Divine Wood Sword’s expression shifted violently. It never anticipated that this human Cultivator would launch a sudden strike against it.

Was it possible that this youth had seen through its disguise?!

But that felt impossible.

Its split soul had long since integrated with the Divine Wood Sword, truly becoming the Artifact Spirit of the weapon.

Even the Great Powers of the Ancient Era were unable to expose its secret.

"What is the meaning of this?"

The Array Spirit Burial was similarly bewildered, stunned by the human Cultivator's abrupt assault on the Divine Wood Sword.

There was no enmity between them; why would this human act so aggressively? What had occurred to cause this?

Even if the Array Spirit wished to step in and stop the conflict, it was too late; the speed of the attack was simply too overwhelming.

"What am I doing?!"

"Demon, I can tell with a single glance that you are no human."

"You dared to play me for a fool; now, prepare for your end."

Jiang Fan’s heart was cold with killing intent as he pushed the Demon-Vibrating Bell to its limit.

Terrifying Demon-Vanquishing Sounds rippled through the air, distorting the void and echoing across the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands with immense destructive energy.

Furthermore, this was a specialized strike aimed directly at the soul.

The shockwave slammed into the Divine Wood Sword with total precision.

"Ah!"

A blood-curdling shriek erupted from the Divine Wood Sword as its weakened soul began to crumble instantly.

At this point, it could no longer maintain its facade—or rather, the force of the attack made concealment impossible.

The sword, once a vibrant green, was suddenly overtaken by a flood of dark energy, morphing into a pitch-black blade covered in sinister demonic runes.

"There really was a problem with the Divine Wood Sword?"

"Impossible... could this be a Demon Sword? What is happening?"

The Array Spirit Burial was shaken to its core, feeling as though its countless years of memory were collapsing.

After eons of facing life and death together,

Who could have guessed that its companion was actually a Demon Sword, saturated with demonic Qi?

"Accursed human,"

"Just when did you manage to see through my secret?"

The Soul Devourer let out a pained cry, desperate to understand where its perfect disguise had failed.

It was certain its camouflage was flawless.

Even the Array Spirit Burial had been deceived, viewing it as a trusted comrade through ages of battle.

It was inconceivable that this human could identify it so instantly.

The demon was left in utter confusion, unable to grasp how its flaw had been exposed.

"That is information you do not need."

"Just die quietly."

Jiang Fan was not so naive as to explain; providing answers would only risk revealing his own cards.

In his eyes, the only good enemy was a dead one.

He continued to fuel the Demon-Vibrating Bell, causing the treasure to chime relentlessly, releasing waves of lethal Demon-Vanquishing Sounds.

This specific power was the ultimate bane of all demons.

"You dare to slay me? You will suffer for this."

"Even if you wipe me out, you are doomed to follow me to the grave."

"I will wait... I will wait for the day of your demise."

The Soul Devourer gave one final, agonized howl.

It no longer had the strength to struggle.

In a mere breath, the remains of its split soul were vaporized, reduced to nothingness.

With a heavy clatter, the black sword fell to the earth and shattered, its spiritual essence completely extinguished.

"Wait... my memories?"

"Were my very thoughts tampered with by that creature?"

"So from the very beginning, I was the only one holding the line against the demons."

"The Divine Wood Sword was nothing more than the Soul Devourer in a different form."

Following the Soul Devourer's death, the Array Spirit Burial’s features contorted in agony. The Illusion Technique that had clouded its mind vanished, allowing its true memories to flood back.

Throughout the long ages spent suppressing the abyss, the Array Spirit Burial had grown weary, losing all hope for the future. This despair had birthed a Heart Demon, a longing for a partner to share the burden.

Sensing this weakness, the Soul Devourer had sacrificed a portion of its power to create a split soul.

It had discovered a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure that lacked an occupant and fused its soul into it, manifesting as the Artifact Spirit of that very weapon.