With four layers of divine fortification enveloping him, Lu Changsheng felt completely at ease. Even without considering its offensive potential, the defensive capabilities of divine fortification were outstanding, especially with four layers protecting him.

Now, it wouldn't matter if the Sonic Shock managed to shatter one layer, or even two. Even then, Lu Changsheng would be protected by two layers, and as long as he was alive, he could condense the broken layers again.

That was what made Divine Fortification martial artists so difficult to deal with. The opponent had to either kill them in a single decisive strike, breaking through all their defenses at once, or slowly ground them down layer by layer—and neither way was easy.

Lu Changsheng's gaze sharpened as he released two Domains at once.

"Suppress!"

Darkness swallowed everything as the world shifted. A vast starry sky unfolded, and within that endless expanse, a three-thousand-chi waterfall cut across the void. The two Domains closed in, enveloping the demonic martial artist.

The demonic martial artist had immensely powerful physical bodies, but it lacked mental strength. Under the pressure of the two Domains, his mind trembled violently.

"Ghraaaa!" The demonic martial artist let out a furious cry. It then unleashed another Sonic Shock, but this attack felt different from the last.

The sound carried a strange vibration that pierced straight into the mind. Techniques that targeted the mental level were often the most dangerous, and this one was no exception. Under the relentless soundwaves, Lu Changsheng's Domains quivered, then shattered one after the other.

Lu Changsheng raised an eyebrow. This opponent was trickier to deal with than he had expected. He had not expected an innate ability gained from demonic transformation to actually contend with Domains.

Although the demonic martial artist’s innate ability could not strengthen its own mind, it could disrupt techniques that relied on mental strength. This included Intent, Domains, or anything that could be manifested by the mind. Earlier, the twenty-four Divine Fortification martial artists also collapsed because their minds were struck by the Sonic Shock.

Now, Lu Changsheng also understood why the corpses in Luo County City were mostly intact, appearing as though they had no injuries. It was likely due to this kind of sonic attack. If the shockwave swept through the entire country city, all ordinary people would just collapse without sustaining any visible wounds.

Lu Changsheng did not lose his composure. Fine. Let's see how you can handle four Domains!

Woosh! Rumble...

Within the dark starry sky, towering waves surged one after another, while fierce winds gathered into a raging storm. A total of four Domains now pressed down on the demonic martial artist.

Although the demonic martial artist continued to unleash Sonic Shocks, they could no longer shatter all four of Lu Changsheng’s Domains instantly. At the same time, each time Lu Changsheng's Domains closed in, the shockwaves tore them apart before they could fully take hold.

Neither side gave in, and the clash settled into a tense stalemate.

Schwing!

Finally, Lu Changsheng drew his saber, and a streak of crimson light tore through the void.

With four layers of divine fortification stacked upon him, his physical body had been amplified ninety times over. On top of that, with the support of four Domains, the power from this strike had already far exceeded one hundred thousand cauldrons.

One cauldron was equivalent to one thousand jun of power, which meant that Lu Changsheng's strike, containing one hundred thousand cauldrons of power, was something that defined imagination. He could not think of anyone at the Divine Fortification Realm who could withstand a strike like this.

The demonic martial artist sensed the danger too. It let out a furious roar, and crackling sounds erupted from within its body. Its already towering frame swelled further, expanding past four meters in height. At the same time, a thick and oppressive aura radiated from its entire body.

Lu Changsheng's eyes narrowed. It's undergoing a second demonic transformation!

A second demonic transformation meant this entity would become a second-tier demonic martial artist. Every aspect of its physical body would become several times stronger, sometimes even increasing ten times over. More importantly, it would gain a second innate ability.

Lu Changsheng was not concerned by the physical transformation. No physical body could withstand a strike containing one hundred thousand cauldrons of strength. However, innate abilities were a different matter entirely. They were peculiar and unpredictable, often difficult to understand. Any one of them could pose a real threat.

At the next moment, Lu Changsheng's saber light struck the demonic martial artist. The strike lived up to its power, and with a single blow, the demonic martial artist's massive body was split in two from top to bottom. No matter how strong a being's vitality or regenerative ability, such an injury should mean death.

And yet, what happened next defied all logic. The two halves of the demonic martial artist's body pulled back together as if fused by an unseen force. Flesh reconnected, wounds sealed, and in the blink of an eye, the demonic martial artist stood whole again, completely unharmed. Its aura remained steady, unchanged, as if nothing had happened.

The demonic martial artist let out a sinister smile. "Human, behold my new innate ability, Undying Demonic Body! From now on, no matter what you do, I shall not die!"

Lu Changsheng's gaze hardened. Undying Demonic Body?

Whoosh!

He swung his saber once more. Under the suppression of four Domains, the demonic martial artist was unable to evade; it could only watch as the saber light descended. The blade severed its head this time, sending it tumbling to the ground.

But in the next moment, the severed head rose, returned to the neck, and reattached itself back to the demonic martial artist as if nothing had happened.

Lu Changsheng scoffed. No way a demonic martial artist of the second tier can possess an indestructible body...

Perhaps such a physique did exist, but surely it was not something a second-tier demonic martial artist could actually attain.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Lu Changsheng swung his saber again and again. Several streaks of saber light cut through the demonic martial artist, reducing its body into chunks of flesh. But in the next moment, those chunks fused back together, restoring its four-meter-tall form.

The demonic martial artist sneered. "I told you. With this Undying Demonic Body, you cannot kill me."

Lu Changsheng had to admit that the demonic martial artist before him was difficult to deal with. However, whenever he cut apart his foe's body, he made sure to observe it closely with his Sense Domain. And just like that, he uncovered the secret of the Undying Demonic Body.

"I know that your Undying Demonic Body consumes essence blood," Lu Changsheng said. "You gained an enormous supply of it when you slaughtered Luochang County Town, and that's why you can recover again and again. But once it runs out..."

The demonic martial artist's expression shifted slightly, which confirmed Lu Changsheng's theory.

"So what if you know?" the demonic martial artist scoffed. "Let's see which one runs out first, my demonic essence blood or your strength!"

The demonic martial artist wasn’t afraid at all. Indeed, its essence blood was being consumed to sustain the Undying Demonic Body, but Lu Changsheng was also burning through a lot of energy for his Domains and saber strikes. If this turned into a battle of attrition, the demonic martial artist had no reason to be afraid.

Lu Changsheng made no response. He was aware that if this dragged out, he was at a disadvantage.

He steadied his breath and looked at the towering figure before him. "Your Sonic Shock cannot break through my Domains. Under their suppression, your mind is already being shaken without pause. That is your weakness. Even with Sonic Shock, that weakness remains."

There were many ways to kill, and once a weakness was found, slaying a demonic martial artist was no different from killing a human. For the demonic martial artist, its weakness lay in its lack of mental strength, and when it came to targeting the mind, Domains were not his only weapons.

In the next moment, his mind stirred.

"Sever!"

He unleashed his Heart Sword at once. This time, the Heart Sword was infused with the Nine-Character Mantra, and it carried a powerful effect that shook the mind.

Boom!

The invisible and formless Heart Sword cut directly into the mind of the demonic martial artist.

"AAARGHH!"

The demonic martial artist let out a shrill scream. The pain from its mind being torn apart was overwhelming, almost unbearable.

Lu Changsheng's eyes lit up. It's working!

Without hesitation, he unleashed the Heart Sword again.

The demonic martial artist did not know what exactly the Heart Sword was, only that it was targeting its weakness, so it immediately unleashed its Sonic Shock in response. However, under the suppression of four Domains, the Sonic Shock was weakened against the Domains themselves, and it failed to destroy the Heart Sword.

As such, the demonic martial artist was forced to endure hit after hit. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Graaaah! It hurts! It hurts so much!"

The twenty-four Divine Fortification martial artists exchanged uneasy glances. Those frantic screams, incredibly loud even from afar, sent chills down their spines.

Moments ago, the demonic martial artist had seemed like an invincible opponent. With the Undying Demonic Body, even Lu Changsheng had seemed unable to deal with it. But in the blink of an eye, it had been reduced to this pitiful state.

Meanwhile, Lu Changsheng kept attacking with the Heart Sword, his expression indifferent.

The progression of the Heart Sword had always been slow. Lu Changsheng had never found a way to improve it quickly, and even now, it had not reached thirty percent. The Heart Sword could not be learned from observing nature, and even with a Dao Comprehension Pill, there was no clear path forward.

But now, as his strikes repeatedly cut at the demonic martial artist's mind, a sudden realization dawned on him. The Heart Sword exists to damage an opponent's mental strength, and that's the only reason that I comprehended it. Because of this, I can only sharpen it by continuously clashing with my opponent's mental strength.

With this realization, Lu Changsheng unleashed his Heart Sword without restraint.

"Sever! Sever! Sever!"

Wave after wave of Heart Sword strikes crashed into the mind of the demonic martial artist. Mental strength was its weakness to begin with, and now, pinned down by the Domains, it had nowhere to escape; it could only cry out in pain as each strike landed. Each one cut into its mind, shaving away its mental strength bit by bit.

At last, the final strike fell, severing the last bit of the demonic martial artist's mental strength. It stopped screaming. Its four-meter-tall body stiffened and collapsed to the ground. There was not a single wound on it, yet its lifeforce had completely vanished.

Just like that, the demonic martial artist was dead. Its mental strength had been shattered and erased by the Heart Sword. Without it, death was inevitable.