The First Immortal of Destiny-Chapter 476: True or False_1
Hearing Elder Chu Zhen’s explanation, coupled with the information gathered earlier, Shen Mo had gained a decent understanding of today’s events.
Figures on the level of Immortal Sect Patriarchs had more or less sensed the intent behind the unnamed Heavenly Monarch’s construction of this tomb. Hence, they took advantage of the situation and sent their respective elites to excavate this tomb as per the original plan.
Moreover, they might not have known what kind of changes would occur after the core of the tomb was deciphered, but that did not stop them from planning ahead. Among these preparations, the beam of Illusionary Mirror light in Elder Chu Zhen’s hand was a core object.
As the excavation deepened and information continuously flowed back to the Five Great Sects, these Immortal Sect Patriarchs gained an increasingly clearer idea of the Heavenly Monarch’s predictive ability and his true intentions.
After learning that the Corpse Spirit could predict danger, the Immortal Sect Patriarchs, through Chu Zhen, sent the Illusionary Mirror here. With its power of turning illusion into reality, they interfered with the Corpse Spirit’s methods of prediction.
This sort of magic that peeked into heaven’s secrets seemed fantastic, but it also had great restrictions.
In addition to the need to sacrifice Lifespan and fortune, those using it could only peek at a faint shadow from future scrolls; they could not explore events in their entirety.
After all, the more distant the scroll they perceived, the larger its range, and the more detailed it was, the more terrifying the personal consumption of energy would be. Constant pursuit of this extreme meant that even the long-lived Corpse Spirit risked dying of old age in an instant.
Perhaps the Heavenly Monarch, or the Corpse Spirit, had early on ’peeked’ at the threat of Golden Core Realm powerhouses. It then decided to kill Chou Jiuyian and destroy the temporary magic altar as soon as Chou Jiuyian began to set it up.
Things developed as it had planned, with Chou Jiuyian and the magic altar both turned into a cloud of dust under its attack.
But it did not know that the scene of "killing Chou Jiuyian, destroying the altar, and preventing the Golden Core Realm powerhouses from rushing to this place immediately" was merely a false image projected by the Illusionary Mirror.
The first time Chou Jiuyian faced the fatal attack, he indeed almost died, surviving only by using a substitution-type magic artifact. Afterwards, Elder Chu Zhen of the Profound Moon School utilized the beam of Illusionary Mirror light. Thanks to this mirror’s characteristics, a beam of its light transformed into the Illusionary Mirror’s main body, deceiving the Corpse Spirit with a false image. This made the Corpse Spirit overconfident and less cautious.
Subsequently, Chou Jiuyian successfully set up the Temporary Teleportation Altar and brought a few well-prepared patriarchs over.
What followed was the scene witnessed by Shen Mo, the Yuxin Sword Master, and the others.
Among the Golden Core Realm patriarchs of the Five Great Sects, there must be someone who surpasses Xuanzhu Zi in divination! Otherwise, this interconnected plan could not be explained by mere coincidence. Shen Mo thought to himself.
For various reasons—perhaps to avoid alerting the enemy, or to lure out the Corpse Spirit—Shen Mo and the other cultivators had all become chess pieces on the board.
The ones moving the pieces were the patriarchs of each Immortal Sect.
Even though it had been for the sake of securing a future for the cultivation world of Red Flame Country, this feeling of not being in control of his own fate made him quite uncomfortable.
This feeling intensified his determination to reach the Golden Core Realm as soon as possible.
Even though he was now a high-ranking member of the Riverside Sect, his status second only to a few people such as the four patriarchs and the Sect Master, when all the layers of pretense were torn away, the cultivation world is ultimately a place where strength is paramount.
This point, whether in an Immortal Sect or in Cultivating Families, whether in ancient times or today, is always an indisputable truth.
Shen Mo’s gaze fell on the corpses of disciples like Xuanzhu Zi at the Star Observation Deck.
After a long silence, he sighed softly.
"The patriarchs are pursuing the evil spirit of the corpse and have entered its cave paradise. At present, we are of no use..."
"You should all properly collect the remains and possessions of your respective sect’s disciples and leave this place as soon as possible."
"This is to avoid becoming collateral damage!"
Overall, Shen Mo believed that the five Immortal Sect Patriarchs could successfully subdue the Corpse Spirit. Still, it was always better to be safe than sorry. If the Corpse Spirit managed to evade the pursuit of the patriarchs, it might vent its anger on Shen Mo and the others who had left the tomb early.
"What Fellow Daoist Shen says is correct!"
Chou Jiuyian from the Seven Stars Altar, whose life-saving measures were almost exhausted, did not want to stay a moment longer.
After swiftly collecting the remains and possessions of Xuanzhu Zi and the others, he flew out of the tomb.
The Yuxin Sword Master, the Giant Corpse Master, and Elder Chu Zhen were all significantly injured but still capable of movement. After hastily treating their injuries with elixirs and cultivation methods, they also collected the remains and belongings of their respective sect’s disciples.
Two members of the Riverside Sect had also fallen victim to the Corpse Spirit; both were late-stage Qi Gathering disciples.
One was an elite from Rising Sun Peak, known for his talent in forging. The other was a disciple from Stars Peak—a collateral relative of Elder Ji who was studying the Array Path.
After carefully collecting their remains and items like their Universe Bags, Shen Mo activated his escaping light and entered the tomb passage.
Before long, Shen Mo caught up with Zhao Lingyin and her disciple, Clam Girl Ming Yu, Elder Guo Baige, and others.
All were in the Spirit Sea Realm, but there were no traces of Qi Gathering disciples.
Upon inquiry, it was discovered that Ming Yu had used The Smallest and The Largest to gather all the Qi Gathering disciples, who were slower at artifact controlling, into a small pocket dimension.
This way, the speed at which the team returned to Five Poisons City was greatly increased.
When Shen Mo rejoined the group, everyone in the Spirit Sea Realm was eager to hear news about the Corpse Spirit. Shen Mo didn’t hide anything and shared the subsequent developments with them, though he touched upon some unfavorable conjectures only briefly.
Soon, Shen Mo and his party returned to Five Poisons City. They politely declined the warm hospitality of the Five Poisons Cult’s upper echelons and returned to the Riverside Sect’s mountain gate via the Teleportation Array.
After handling a series of follow-up matters, Shen Mo felt a rare sense of physical and mental fatigue.
Instead of returning to Guanyun Mansion, he went directly to the Lake Heart Cottage on Spirit Gathering Peak.
Zhao Lingyin had just broken through to the Spirit Sea Realm and was still in the stage of consolidating her cultivation. Shen Mo naturally refrained from any intimacy, merely inhaling her refreshing scent as they lay in an embrace and slept.
「Three days later.」
Shen Mo was summoned to Longevity Hall for a discussion.
The scene inside the hall was much like before. Those with tasks at hand were absent, but almost all high-ranking members currently within the sect had arrived.
Of the four Supreme Elders, three were present, as on previous days. The patriarch who had infiltrated the Heavenly Demon Realm was still missing, unable even to project his image and voice into the Water Light Mirror.
As the meeting began, Shen Mo learned that the Heavenly Monarch Corpse Spirit had been subdued by the patriarchs of the Five Great Sects and taken back to the Ghost Corpse School.
Soon, it would be transformed into a formidable Ghoul by the Ghost Corpse School’s corpse refining methods, through repeated heavenly sacrifices. During this process, other Immortal Sect Patriarchs would also act to place prohibitions within its body.
"Peak Master Shen, you did a fine job with this mission, commendable indeed!" said one of the patriarchs who had participated in subduing the Corpse Spirit.
