The sheer force of the sword strike shuddered through the air, yet the power channeled through the white-robed figure's blade barely reached thirty percent of its initial intensity. The martial dao sword intent it carried had faded to its absolute minimum, almost indistinguishable from that of an ordinary Immortal-rank cultivator.

Despite possessing the cultivation of a peak Divine Realm master, the actual strength displayed was akin to that of a common Divine Realm entity. With the momentum of a pouncing tiger, the Nameless Sword slashed again, and then a third time, effortlessly tearing through the overlapping sword screens!

Perhaps realizing the dire situation or unable to withstand the onslaught any longer, the Formless God-Demon dared not remain within the shell of the shadow puppet. Beneath a flash of azure light, a wisp of green smoke rose, vanishing into the black mist, accompanied by a sharp, enraged roar.

"Despicable!" Before the word had fully faded, the almost frantic, blood-red sword light cleaved the white-robed shadow puppet into mincemeat and dust! Zong Shou, however, paid it no mind.

His divine sense remained locked onto the true body of the Formless God-Demon. He had concealed the main soul body within the Illusory Heart Mirror.

The body currently fighting contained only a fabricated nascent soul, serving as bait to lure the Formless God-Demon into his trap. Only this sacrifice allowed the Illusory Heart Mirror the chance to directly illuminate the demon's true form.

At this moment, how could he permit the shadow demon to escape right before his eyes? Continuing the fight, though victory was still assured, required the Illusory Heart Mirror to be utilized at full power for even a single breath—a cost equivalent to a month of his lifespan.

Naturally, a swift conclusion was paramount! As flesh and blood exploded outward, nine colossal silver tails, each a hundred zhang long—seven real, two illusory—erupted behind Zong Shou.

On his brow, a golden-purple mark materialized, vaguely resembling the character for 'Flame,' or perhaps 'Lightning'; upon closer inspection, it seemed to embody the characters for 'Illusion' and 'Water.' Four distinct talismanic imprints appeared to have merged into one. Six thousand zhang of lightning wings unfurled, while black flames billowed, scorching the land for a hundred li!

Furthermore, with his Mystic Vulpine bloodline perceiving the domain, none of the black mist's illusory energies could affect his state of mind. Under the illumination of the Illusory Heart Mirror's azure light, all true scenes were revealed, bringing every alteration and illusion cast by the Formless God-Demon into his divine sense's range.

Slash! One sword strike unleashed Three Thousand Stars Falling!

Although Zong Shou had only managed to condense seventy-nine Star Dao Seeds at this point, this single strike carried the momentum of countless stars plummeting from the heavens! In one thousandth of a moment, a soft 'poof' sounded at the edge of the blade.

The sword light pierced the shadow demon’s soul body, immediately unleashing a torrent of sword intent: the killing sword intent of the Soul Realm, the Sword Intent of the Cosmos, and at least three Dragon Shadow Swords, all unified through the method of integration, then splintering into hundreds of streams that ravaged the demon's soul from within. The Formless God-Demon cried out again in agony but decisively and voluntarily fractured his originally formless, intangible body into millions of fragments.

Resisting Zong Shou’s Fiery Lightning Splendor amidst the blazing black flames, the fragments fled wildly. Zong Shou merely laughed coldly.

Flee? Not so easily.

The Formless God-Demon held no interest in seizing minds, making it difficult to guard against, and was notoriously vengeful. Having incurred his wrath today, no loose ends could be left!

Just as he prepared to strike again, the stabbing pain in his eyes suddenly intensified, violently wrenching his nerves and soul sea as if an explosion were occurring, forcing Zong Shou to stoop over in agony. "Pain—" Yet, with greater resolve, as if intending to vent all suffering and hardship, he formed hand seals and uttered a true incantation!

"Myriad! Dao!

Rites! Profound!

Law! Void!" The seven-character true mantra of the Sage Dao lineage escaped his lips, forcefully immobilizing the countless fragmented souls of the Formless God-Demon in the void.

Under the scorching of the Fiery Lightning Splendor, they rapidly withered. With little residual strength left due to the intense pain, Zong Shou simply flicked his sleeve, releasing Han Xi along with several dozen Sacred Fire Silver Ants simultaneously.

Han Xi, understanding his intent, flashed through the air—sometimes like a streak of light, sometimes utilizing fire escape techniques to leap directly off Zong Shou's black flames. Cooperating with the Ten Absolute Dao Control Annihilation Sword Formation, they shattered every single fragmented soul of the Formless God-Demon in mere moments!

At this point, Zong Shou finally recovered from the overwhelming pain. The Illusory Heart Mirror remained firmly locked onto the true body of the Formless God-Demon.

The now hundredfold weakened soul body was still struggling violently. Showing no hint of mercy, Zong Shou sent another sword slash across the air.

It was still Three Thousand Stars, the starlight descending, the sword shadow dazzlingly bright. After a burst of blinding firelight subsided, the divine sense Zong Shou extended could no longer sense any trace of the Formless God-Demon's aura.

Nothing remained, clean and absolute. The pervasive black mist in the area seemed to have thinned considerably at that instant.

Zong Shou scanned the surroundings with the Illusory Heart Mirror, inch by inch, ensuring that the Formless God-Demon had truly perished, his soul scattered, utterly annihilated. Only then did he quickly recall all the azure light projections.

The consumption of lifespan by the Illusory Heart Mirror was only incurred when employing its ordinary divine abilities, which was not the issue here. He was merely using the mirror as a placeholder for the final blow.

The nine tails behind him retracted completely, and the mark on his brow vanished without a trace. Even the Star Manifestation was fully recalled.

Only the Ten Absolute Dao Control Annihilation formation remained orbiting him for protection. Zong Shou, however, frowned.

When the Formless God-Demon had spoken that sentence just moments ago, the spiritual fluctuation he had feigned was indeed part of the trap to lure the demon. Yet, he genuinely cared about that statement.

Was his mother truly not in the Ninth Layer of the Death Prison, but still within the Eighth? He immediately shook his head slightly, musing that the Nine Absolute Death Prisons were guarded only from top to bottom.

Moving from bottom to top, aside from the naturally birthed anomalies, there were no impediments. If he could not find her in the Ninth Layer, he could return and search again; it should be fine.

Furthermore, it was best not to believe anything the Formless God-Demon said. To destabilize an opponent’s mind, they would use any means necessary, and their words were often half-truths.

He felt a touch of oddity: back on the Seventh Layer, the Ultimate Flame Saint Venerable had directly aided the Azure Thunder Eagle in preventing his entry to the Eighth Layer. Why did he not intervene this time?

Had he lost interest in him, given up? Shaking his head, Zong Shou’s gaze settled on a diamond-like, brilliant object in the distance.

It was a transparent pill, the remnant of the Formless God-Demon’s true body. "What is this?

Could this be the God-Demon's Golden Core?" Zong Shou summoned the transparent pill with a flick of his mana and took it into his hand. His soul sense probed inward, and a distinct change flickered in his eyes.

The Shadow Demon race differed fundamentally from common living beings, and their methods of cultivation were completely dissimilar. The inner core they formed was naturally distinct from that of Crystal Beasts, humans, or even the myriad races of other domains.

Just as he was contemplating how potent the phantom energy within this object was—its residual source markings suggesting it could amplify a cultivator's divine sense by several times, marking it a rare treasure—a strange movement occurred within Zong Shou's sleeve. A faint golden liquid suddenly spread out.

By the time it reached Zong Shou's right hand, it transformed into a large mouth and violently swallowed the transparent crystal pill whole. "It’s Little Gold?" Zong Shou stared blankly.

Why would Little Gold consume this thing? The Myriad Forms swallowing the Formless?