Chapter 115 – The Horn of Counterattack

It was proven that the unregistered spell formula 【Demon Binding】 could indeed subdue Phantom Demons, turning them into the caster’s slaves.

The heart-wrenching pain was only one reason; more importantly, once the Spirit Power spear of 【Demon Binding】 was activated, it would absorb the blood within the Phantom Demon’s body.

This was what truly terrified all Phantom Demons.

After all, they were a race that fed on blood and regarded it as their source of power. The pursuit of blood was their instinct and their desire. Therefore, when individuals of the same kind evolved into higher-ranking Phantom Demons with superior Bloodlines, they often chose to submit.

Developed based on these traits, the 【Demon Binding】 spell formula, specifically designed to restrain Phantom Demons, precisely targeted their weaknesses, forcing them to choose submission.

And this also meant that Su Ming’s 【Demon Binding】 was complete.

With a prototype to reference and the heightened spiritual insight Su Ming gained after activating his Vision Mark, he successfully refined the 【Demon Binding】 spell formula, making it truly his own.

Although the spell formula still had room for improvement—such as slight sluggishness in its operation, structural aspects that could be further optimized to reduce Spirit Power consumption and increase output, and various other minor issues—at the very least, the execution of the spell formula was successful.

In that case…

“I must take this opportunity to significantly boost my combat power.”

With this thought in mind, Su Ming, accompanied by the Scaled Horn Demon Mutant, began roaming the battlefield as he had in the morning.

This time, Su Ming aimed not only to collect various Phantom Demon materials but also to seek out targets worthy of being subdued with 【Demon Binding】, thereby enriching his envisioned Phantom Demon Legion.

His targets, as previously considered, ignored less prominent combatants like Screaming Demons, Corrosive Water Demons, Ambush Shadow Demons, and Blade Demons, focusing directly on formidable beings such as Trolls and Scaled Horn Demons.

Surprisingly, thanks to the wide-open Spirit Demon Abyss Entrance, even though higher-ranking Phantom Demons were blocked at the front Defense Line and unable to advance, many lower-ranking Phantom Demons slipped through and reached this area. Among them were Trolls and Scaled Horn Demons, which Su Ming had targeted, and even Crow Fall Demons and Swamp Demons.

These were two other Phantom Demons renowned for their exceptional combat prowess.

Swamp Demons were Phantom Demons that inhabited swamps and marshes. They resembled snakes but possessed two sharp claws, moved with astonishing speed, and their claws carried miasma that could corrode flesh upon mere contact, making them deeply feared by human Professionals.

Crow Fall Demons, on the other hand, were Phantom Demons resembling crows with three legs, similar to the legendary Yatagarasu. They flew at incredible speeds, and their cries could affect the mind, causing mental confusion. Like Screaming Demons, they were flying Phantom Demons, but their threat level far exceeded that of Screaming Demons, making them monstrous terrors to humans.

The combat power of these two Phantom Demons, like that of Trolls and Scaled Horn Demons, was considered among the strongest of the lower-ranking Phantom Demons.

Unless they were mutants, the strength of other lower-ranking Phantom Demons paled in comparison to them, as different as clouds and mud.Take the Screaming Demon and the Scaled Horn Demon for comparison. The former is a target that even students who haven’t reached Professional level can team up to subdue. The mission to hunt this Phantom Demon in the Demon Hunter Academy is only rated C-Rank in difficulty.

The latter, however, is a terrifying enemy that even Three-Star Professionals must take seriously. A single misstep could lead to mental derangement, being devoured unknowingly. If a mission to hunt such a Phantom Demon appeared in the Demon Hunter Academy, its difficulty would undoubtedly be the highest S-Rank.

With the number of subdued Phantom Demons limited by his own Spirit Power and unable to increase significantly, Su Ming naturally wanted to select such powerful Phantom Demons for subjugation as much as possible.

The process went quite smoothly.

After awakening the Vision Mark, Su Ming’s Sorcerer strength had entered the Four-Star rank. Though he still couldn’t compare to veteran Four-Star Sorcerers, he was ultimately an Upper-Rank Professional. Combined with his Hunter strength, which had steadily reached the Three-Star rank due to the transformation of his Nightmare Species Bloodline, and unique powers like the Silver Arm, even the most troublesome lower-rank Phantom Demons were nothing to him.

Moreover, Su Ming had a Scaled Horn Demon Mutant by his side. Working together, they could easily achieve victory even when facing multiple Phantom Demons.

In the end, Su Ming successfully subdued three Troll Demons, three Swamp Demons, three Scaled Horn Demons, and four more Scaled Horn Demons.

Adding the original Scaled Horn Demon Mutant, Su Ming now commanded a total of fourteen Phantom Demons, each possessing strength comparable to Three-Star Professionals or even posing a threat to them.

Such a force was no less powerful than a small to medium-sized Hunter Family.

Even the private army under Xu Qianqian’s command, or the Family Hunters that Xu Yanyan brought from the Xu Family, might not necessarily surpass these fourteen Phantom Demons in terms of pure combat power.

After all, not all of their subordinates necessarily possessed Three-Star strength—there were quite a few Two-Star Professionals among them.

The Phantom Demons Su Ming had subdued happened to be particularly troublesome existences among the lower-rank Phantom Demons—either possessing great strength, astonishing defense, threatening miasma, or capable of causing mental derangement. Even Three-Star Professionals would find them difficult to handle.

Especially that Scaled Horn Demon Mutant—for lower-rank Professionals, it was absolutely equivalent to a mini-boss level existence.

In situations where upper-rank Phantom Demons and Upper-Rank Professionals weren’t present, such combat power was quite fearsome.

With this Phantom Demon Legion, much of the pressure in Su Ming’s heart dissipated.

“I’ve finally developed the capability to cause trouble for those major Families and powerful factions.”

Unfortunately, for the sake of his Spirit Power, Su Ming couldn’t continue subjugating without restraint.

Maintaining the Spirit Power spikes for these fourteen Phantom Demons already occupied a portion of his Spirit Power. Adding more might affect his ability to cast Spirit Arts and diminish his strength as a Sorcerer.

Su Ming didn’t want his combat power impaired.

It’s important to note that using the Vision Mark also consumed substantial Spirit Power. That Su Ming could still reserve idle Spirit Power for other uses while considering his combat capabilities was already quite remarkable.

Other Sorcerers didn’t possess as much Spirit Power as Su Ming.

Even Four-Star Sorcerers were no exception.

“Never mind, this is enough.”Su Ming didn’t dwell too much on this aspect, contentedly ceasing his harassment of other Phantom Demons.

He casually tossed the Phantom Demons he had subdued onto the battlefield, letting them deal with other Phantom Demons to collect materials for him, before returning to the camp.

From then on, Su Ming’s activities followed a three-point cycle: fighting on the frontline, resting in his room, and taking opportunities to venture out to gather Phantom Demon materials.

An Zijin, Yao Beibei, Lei Hao, Ye Bai, and others remained unaware of Su Ming’s numerous covert activities. They simply thought Su Ming was like them, exhausting himself both physically and mentally in the defense line mission, still that ordinary, unremarkable student from the Academy, completely oblivious to Su Ming’s transformation.

Thus, the second Twilight Hour since the opening of the Spirit Demon Abyss Entrance arrived, as dusk fell once more.

Just as twilight descended, tremendously good news came from the furthest frontline, causing everyone to cheer.

“The Spirit Demon Abyss Entrance has been successfully sealed.”

The big shots of the Sorcerer Guild had ultimately not disappointed, successfully using the [Distant Abyss Gate] to seal the Spirit Demon Abyss Entrance.

With this, the Spirit Demon Abyss Entrance was sealed, and Phantom Demons no longer manifested in the world.

The Phantom Demon army that had come to the present world lost their reinforcements, completely trapped within Huaming District.

And this meant one thing.

“The horn for counterattack has sounded.”

……

Simultaneously.

While the Spirit Demon Abyss Entrance was sealed, lifting the spirits of everyone in Longyao City, with all cheering and defense line personnel preparing to counterattack the Phantom Demons, a person slowly walked through a remote battlefield not far from the Spirit Demon Abyss Entrance.

He glanced toward the direction of the Spirit Demon Abyss Entrance.

There, the entrance that had previously appeared like a black hole in the Void Realm had now completely disappeared.

The Phantom Demon army, isolated and without support, was finally being encircled and systematically eliminated by Longyao City’s Professionals.

Fierce battles continued, even intensifying, giving a sense that the final outcome was approaching.

Of course, the newcomer didn’t care about this.

He only cared about whether his mission could be completed.

Picking up his phone, this person dialed a number and, the moment the call connected, reported his mission completion status.

“I left that cub in the present world, though I failed to capture it.”

He succinctly reported the result.

As for the process, that was no longer important.

“Good.” The person on the other end replied in a voice filled with ruthlessness. “Leaving it behind is enough. As long as it doesn’t escape back to the Spirit Demon Abyss, it won’t escape our surveillance.”

Such a cub still held value for further utilization.

However, there wasn’t without bad news.

“I accidentally injured it. Is that a problem?”

This statement made the person on the other end of the phone frown.

“Injured?” the other party said gravely. “How serious is the injury?”

“Quite serious, but I was careful to hold back. Given the Phantom Demon’s regenerative abilities, it should recover quickly.” The speaker said indifferently. “Unfortunately, its blood energy has been damaged. Until it recovers, even if we capture it, we won’t be able to use it to extract the Bloodline.””…Forget it.” After a moment of silence, the person on the other end sighed and said, “Anyway, it’s not us who need its Bloodline. Though it’s a bit regrettable, let those who want it deal with the trouble.”

“Provided that cub doesn’t get killed prematurely,” the person holding the phone said with schadenfreude. “If other Phantom Demons or Professionals discover and casually slaughter it, that would be truly unfortunate.”

“That’s none of our concern,” the other person replied. “Since you’ve completed the mission, return now. The ritual is about to begin.”

Hearing this, the person’s eyes lit up, and their expression became animated.

“Finally starting?” he muttered. “I can’t wait any longer.”

“Neither can I,” the other person responded. “Soon, we’ll have our wish fulfilled.”

With that, the other party hung up.

The person put away his phone and glanced at the battlefield.

“The people of Longyao City have done quite well, actually managing to survive this war.”

“Unfortunately, it’s ultimately futile.”

“Sooner or later, this world will belong to us.”

“Sooner or later…”

Leaving these words behind, the figure on the battlefield gradually faded into the distance until disappearing completely.

……

Against the horizon, an ice-blue figure swept past, causing continuous ripples to form on the water’s surface, stirring circles of waves.

Enveloped in mist, this figure left trails of dripping blood wherever it passed.

Yet it dared not stop, continuing to flee swiftly into the distance.

Its direction was precisely north.

(End of Chapter)