Devouring demons, I attain immortality.

Lin An stood holding the sword, the blood droplets hanging from the blade of the Nine Revolutions Demon Slayer Blade gleaming with a dark golden luster in the dim space.

He unleashed all his skills, pushing the power of the Nine Revolutions Demon-Slaying Blade to its limit.

The blades crisscrossed, each capable of taking the lives of several demons.

After a full-force attack,

Lin An felt the spiritual energy within his body surge like a raging tide, relentlessly impacting his meridians.

He knew that the opportunity for a breakthrough had arrived.

He immediately calmed his mind and circulated the spiritual energy within his body.

They launched a final assault on that barrier.

As Lin An circulated his spiritual energy throughout his body, the surging spiritual power in his meridians condensed into golden patterns on his body surface. In the center of his dantian, a golden core the size of a pigeon egg hummed and trembled.

A faint phantom of a nascent soul floated in the Purple Mansion.

The afterglow of breaking through to the peak of the Core Formation stage still lingered around him, and even the mud beneath his feet was steamed by the surging spiritual energy, sending up wisps of green smoke.

boom!

A loud bang erupted inside Lin An's body.

It worked!

Lin An successfully broke through the cultivation bottleneck that had been stagnating, and reached the peak of the Core Formation stage in one fell swoop.

He immediately exuded an incomparably powerful aura.

Golden light now shimmered in his originally dark eyes, as if they contained boundless power.

The demons of Black Cloud Mountain seemed to have noticed Lin An's unusual behavior at this moment.

Their attacks became even more ferocious, but they were no longer able to pose a threat to Lin An.

Lin An wielded the Nine-Turn Demon-Slaying Blade, moving with unparalleled ease, and slaughtered all the remaining demons.

After the battle, Lin An slowly put away the Nine Revolutions Demon-Slaying Blade.

When the Nine-Turn Demon-Slaying Blade was sheathed, it emitted a hissing sound.

"This Nine-Turn Demon-Slaying Blade has had its fill of food and drink with me!"

Looking at the devastated battlefield around him, Lin An was filled with emotion.

This chaotic battle not only made him more aware of the dangers of Black Cloud Mountain, but also greatly enhanced his strength.

After breaking through to the peak of the Core Formation stage, Lin An's aura became even more formidable as he continued to advance deeper into Black Cloud Mountain.

The ground beneath their feet became increasingly muddy, each step feeling like walking through a swamp, making a "sizzling" sound.

The surrounding trees became increasingly twisted, their branches bared and claws, as if they were about to launch an attack at any moment.

As he ventured deeper, the surrounding environment became increasingly bizarre.

Every now and then, black mist rises from the ground, and faint, mournful cries can be heard from within it, as if countless wronged souls are lamenting.

After walking for a while, Lin An realized that he seemed to have stepped into a demon's lair.

Demons kept emerging from all directions.

These demons came in various forms; some were enormous, wielding huge spiked clubs that created a whistling sound with each swing.

Some are small in size, darting through the woods like lightning, spewing poisonous mist from their mouths.

Lin An couldn't help but wonder, when Xu Shan first came here, was he also constantly attacked by demons like this?

He carefully recalled Xu Shan's description and observed the endless tide of demons before him, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.

Xu Shan's strength was far inferior to his own. If he were to face such a dense and powerful attack from demons, it would be impossible for him to safely enter and leave Black Cloud Mountain.

His gaze sharpened, and he suddenly realized that these demons were likely being controlled by someone.

To verify his guess, Lin An began to pay attention to the patterns of the demons' movements during the battle.

He discovered that these demons, though seemingly attacking madly, were actually quite effective.

But in reality, their movements seem to be guided by some kind of force.

Whenever he tried to break through in a certain direction, more demons would surge from that direction, blocking his way.

Lin An was certain that there must be a powerful force controlling everything behind the scenes.

He knew that if he didn't find the mastermind behind it all, he would be trapped in this endless siege of demons forever.

At that time, even with the Nine Revolutions Demon-Slaying Blade and the Devouring System, he would probably still be unable to escape death.

So, while fighting the demons, he used his spiritual sense to carefully search for every trace of aura around him.

His spiritual awareness spread like an invisible net throughout the gloomy mountain forest, leaving no corner untouched.

In a fierce battle, Lin An killed a giant Vajra Demon Bear.

Just as the Vajra Demon Bear fell, he keenly sensed a faint spiritual fluctuation coming from the depths of the forest.

This fluctuation was extremely subtle; if his spiritual sense hadn't far surpassed that of ordinary people, he wouldn't have been able to detect it at all.

Lin An's lips curled up slightly, revealing a confident smile.

He knew he had finally found a clue.

Following the faint spiritual fluctuations, Lin An struggled forward through the perilous mountain forest.

Along the way, he continuously fought off the hordes of demons that surged towards him.

The Nine-Turn Demon-Slaying Blade in his hand was stained red with blood, exuding a chilling killing intent.

At this moment, his body was brimming with spiritual energy.

His peak Core Formation level strength gave him more composure when facing these demons.

As they drew closer, the mental fluctuations grew stronger, and Lin An's heartbeat quickened involuntarily.

He knew he was getting closer and closer to the mastermind behind everything.

Finally, beneath a rocky mountainside, he discovered a hidden cave.

The cave was shrouded in a layer of black mist, and a pungent, putrid stench permeated the entrance, as if it were the gateway to hell.

Lin An took a deep breath to calm his excitement.

Gripping the Nine-Turn Demon-Slaying Blade tightly, he cautiously entered the cave.

The cave was dark and damp, with eerie green light flickering on the walls.

It was as if countless eyes were watching him.

The ground was uneven, covered with sharp rocks and foul-smelling puddles.

Lin An proceeded along the cave, taking each step with extreme caution.

He unleashed his full spiritual awareness, alerting himself to every movement around him.

Suddenly, a low, guttural laugh echoed from ahead, reverberating through the cave and sending chills down one's spine.

"Kid, I didn't expect you to get this far. It's beyond my expectations."

A cold voice came from deep within the cave.

As a black mist surged, a figure in black robes slowly appeared.

The black-robed man's face was hidden in the darkness, with only a pair of eyes emitting a ghostly green light that exuded endless chill.

Lin An stared intently, and a surge of intense anger welled up within him.

He looked directly into the black-robed man's eyes without fear.

He raised the Nine-Turn Demon-Slaying Blade high in his hand, the black light on the blade growing ever stronger, as if it were about to devour the entire cave.

"Who are you? Have I offended you in any way? Why are you helping Xu Shan?"

Lin An stared coldly at the black-robed man hidden deep within the dark cave, whose only visible feature was a pair of hawk-like eyes.

He wanted to find out the origin of this man in black robes.

"Cancan...you are not qualified to know my identity yet!"

The man in black robes stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Lin An with disdain.

Lin An's sharp eyes swept over the runes on the black-robed man's sleeves.

He felt like he had seen the texture of this rune somewhere before.

This...this is an extraterrestrial demon?

Lin An murmured, "Extraterrestrial demons... Legend has it that there are twelve branches of extraterrestrial demons, one of which infiltrated the Great Qian Kingdom. I never expected to encounter them here..."

Upon hearing Lin An's words, the man in black's pupils constricted sharply: "I didn't expect you to guess my identity. It seems I truly cannot let you live!"

"Evil spirit, enough nonsense, prepare to die!"

Lin An shouted loudly, his voice echoing through the cave, carrying boundless power and determination.

His spiritual energy surged wildly, transforming into a golden halo that surrounded him.

It stood out brightly in the dark and damp cave.

A mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips, his eyes filled with disdain for the man in black robes, as if he were looking at an insignificant ant.

"Hmph, you think you can control all of this? You so-called extraterrestrial demons are nothing but cowardly rats hiding in the shadows!"

Lin An's voice was icy cold.

With utter contempt, it lingered in every corner of the cave.

His steps were steady and powerful as he approached the man in black robes step by step, each step seemingly striking the man's heart.

The Nine-Turn Demon-Slaying Blade in his hand trembled slightly, emitting a low hum, as if it too was eager to drink the blood of this evil spirit.

"Today is your death day!"

Lin An's words were firm and resolute, filled with powerful confidence.

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly swung his knife.

A black blade of light, carrying earth-shattering power, hurtled towards the man in black robes like a black lightning bolt.