Mo Sha Meets Her Match

High in the firmament, boundless crimson clouds suddenly surged forth. In merely a breath, they enveloped the entire Congyun Sea. "Crimson Flame Immortal Venerable Zhang Zhiliang, cultivated the Dao for six hundred and eighty-three mortal years. Built his Dao Foundation with the wondrous item [Sleepless Child], attained the Golden Core with [Infinite Formations]." "Seized the [One-Eyed Grotto-Heaven] to achieve Nascent Soul." "Sacrificed the [Anima of Crimson Flame] to integrate with the Dao." "Fortunate to meet Heavenly Retribution; Dao extinguished, returned to Heaven!" ... Against the backdrop of the dying Dao Integration Immortal Venerable's celestial phenomenon filling the sky, an ink-black silhouette quietly manifested. Zhang Zhiliang's corpse dissolved into a single drop of dense ink, writhing as it flowed back into her hand. Then, her gaze turned downward toward the Congyun Sea. At this moment, all the cultivators across the Congyun Sea who witnessed this scene fell into a stupor. Immediately afterward, an irresistible dread welled from deep within their hearts, leaving their bodies shivering and their souls trembling. "An anima of Heaven and Earth—Mo Sha!" For reasons unknown, another anima of Heaven and Earth had descended without warning. Not only had she casually obliterated Zhang Zhiliang just as he succeeded in Dao Integration, but she also seemed unsated, fixing her sights on the countless living beings of the Congyun Sea! Mo Sha pointed a finger gently toward a patch of nearby space. "Tianyang, throughout his whole li—" Having barely managed to utter what would be his final words, Tianyang—who had narrowly escaped Zhang Qianmo's Purple Cloud Divine Thunder with his life—was engulfed by the dense, inky darkness. The celestial phenomenon of a falling cultivator appeared once more in the sky. Yet countless black specks surged forth from Mo Sha's body. These black particles hopped and danced, billowing into the sky and blotting out the entire firmament. True darkness descended. The black particles multiplied relentlessly like a colossal black veil, blanketing the entire Congyun Sea. Then they pressed downward, swallowing everything. The sight was so terrifying that the cultivators on Wanxian Island showed their ugliest sides in sheer panic. Just like during Mo Sha's previous apocalypse, some completely lost the courage to resist, collapsing onto the ground in hopeless resignation. Some were overcome by fierce desperation, charging at the inky darkness like moths to a flame in hopes of carving out a slim sliver of survival. Others wept and laughed at once, clearly driven out of their minds by the horrifying spectacle. "What was meant to come has finally come." Li Fan was once again the sole exception among the crowd. He studied the scene of Mo Sha corroding everything with boundless, ravenous thirst, unwilling to miss even the slightest detail. Before those black particles, all spells and divine abilities lost their efficacy, doomed only to be swallowed and assimilated. Life, spiritual energy, matter... All of it became nourishment for their multiplication. "Truly terrifying and awe-inspiring..." Seeing Mo Sha strike once more, Li Fan was still shaken by her methods. *If I could achieve the Golden Core through Mo Sha's technique, my destructive power would not fall short of anyone in this realm,* Li Fan thought to himself. Transfixed as the black particles in the sky pressed steadily downward, Li Fan wore an entranced expression. While Li Fan was immersed in comprehending the Dao, another figure was flying above Wanxian Island in wild excitement, using a seven-colored image-recording stone to capture every detail of this pre-apocalyptic scene. "Marvelous! Absolutely marvelous! I thought the assembly of immortals executing Crimson Flame was the main catastrophe, but who would have thought an even greater one lay in store!" "Mo Sha descends, annihilating all things!" "This exclusive, one-of-a-kind footage will fetch me quite a tidy sum!" ... Jiao Xiuyuan muttered to himself, his face alight with excitement. All of a sudden, his flight ground to a dead halt. Looking toward Li Fan, he cried out in shock, "Fellow Daoist Lin Fan, why are you still here?" Jolted from his enlightenment, Li Fan looked over at Jiao Xiuyuan, offered a faint smile, and cupped his hands in greeting. Then he returned his rapt attention to the black particles in the sky. Jiao Xiuyuan followed Li Fan's gaze, seeing only the endless black particles obliterating all creation. He turned back to look at Li Fan, studying his expression closely. Realization dawned, and he asked in some dismay, "You're a puppet too?" "No, not a puppet. An avatar?" His eyes narrowed. Recalling everything that had happened since he first interacted with this 'Lin Fan,' a strange look crept onto his face. "Fascinating. To think the day would come when even I, Jiao Xiuyuan, would misjudge someone." "It seems this fellow's true identity is anything but simple..." Just then, a strange sound interrupted his thoughts. He looked in the direction of the noise, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes. "What is that?" Li Fan was drawn by the noise as well. Looking up, he heard continuous, thunderous roars echoing through the sky already engulfed by endless black particles. It was as if something was relentlessly churning within the inky sea, agitating the black particles into a boiling frenzy. "That direction is..." Li Fan narrowed his eyes. After a moment of thought, he murmured in uncertainty, "Cloud Water Heavenly Palace?" The disturbance continued. Moreover, the thunderous rumbling grew louder and louder. Beneath the black veil, something was rapidly approaching. A thin streak cleaved the inky sea, whistling through the air as it arrived in a flash. In the blink of an eye, it appeared high above Wanxian Island. The surrounding black particles seethed with agitation, lunging to swallow this insolent intruder. Yet the twisted blackness enveloping the thin streak formed an impenetrable line of defense, preventing the all-devouring particles from advancing even a fraction of an inch. *It can actually withstand Mo Sha's corrosion?! What is that?!* Li Fan's heart jolted as he looked toward the sudden streak. "The Heaven Fiend Sword?" To Li Fan's shock, a pitch-black, broken sword radiating surging malevolent qi revealed its form. Its tip pointed straight ahead. Tangible malevolent qi erupted from it, forcing back all the black particles surrounding it. Where the Heaven Fiend Sword pointed, the black particles churned, and Mo Sha reconstituted her form. She stared at the sword ahead, her expression turning grave. "What kind of treasure is that? It can actually go toe-to-toe with Mo Sha?!" Jiao Xiuyuan gasped. Li Fan's mind trembled even more violently, mingled with an inexplicable surge of excitement. *Between Mo Sha and Heaven Fiend, who will prevail?* He scrutinized the two figures closely. They were remarkably similar, yet seemed fundamentally distinct. Mo Sha was pure, dense ink-black, a profound abyss that devoured everything. Heaven Fiend was a twisted black, the pinnacle of madness and ruin. The two stood locked in confrontation, a clash hanging by a thread. Yet Mo Sha suddenly glanced down at Wanxian Island below. Countless black particles vibrated instantly, and another figure identical to Mo Sha materialized in a flash. Transforming into a thin black line, it shattered the barrier of the Seven-Colored Immortal-Felling Formation with ease. Then, leading a sea of inky darkness, it swept down to corrode everything on the island. "This..." Li Fan was taken aback. He had not expected Mo Sha to remember to carry out her regular duties even when confronted by a formidable foe. The canopy of darkness pressed down, and the figures of Mo Sha and Heaven Fiend vanished into the black sea. Only the occasional wave-like surging of the black particles bore witness to the terrifying battle raging above. A profound sense of regret rose in Li Fan's heart. *To miss out on watching the clash between those two... what a pity.*