The First Immortal of Destiny-Chapter 512: Causes and Consequences_1

Faced with this sudden situation, the other evil cultivators and creatures from the Outer Zone present all tensed, preparing for combat.

However, none of them made a move except for the Smoke Demon at the main seat, a peak Class III entity.

This was to be expected; these Demons and evil beings were innately cruel and cold-hearted. Perhaps they might have offered some assistance if it were their own kin.

But Li Zhong the Heavenly Demon was merely a stranger who had come to trade.

Why would they risk offending a peak Spirit Sea Realm evil cultivator to help an unrelated creature from an alien tribe?

As for the Smoke Demon that did make a move, it only did so out of obligation as the host.

When Shen Mo activated the Soul Refining Flag, that Smoke Demon had conjured a thin layer of black smoke defense before Li Zhong the Heavenly Demon. However, it was torn to shreds by the blood-red light in the very first exchange.

Once Li Zhong the Heavenly Demon was swept away and refined, the peak Class III Smoke Demon made no further moves.

After a deathly silence, the three-headed Smoke Demon on the main seat underwent a transformation; its smoke-like body twisted and shifted, resolving into three distinct figures: a middle-aged man, and a young man and woman.

"You, new friend, don’t you think you owe us an explanation?"

The middle-aged man, transformed from the peak Class III Smoke Demon, had an ugly expression as he coldly demanded.

The other Demons also began to clamor. They appeared to be seeking justice for Li Zhong the Heavenly Demon, but their true intention was to discern Shen Mo’s motives, lest they become collateral damage later.

The din was incredibly loud, filled with the languages of various races. However, thanks to the touch of Divine Sense embedded in their voices, he had no trouble understanding them.

Shen Mo’s eyes were slightly closed; he paid them no mind for the moment.

He then performed the Soul Searching Spell, examining the residual memories of the newly refined Demon Soul General.

As Shen Mo had expected, Li Zhong not only knew he possessed an evil cultivator’s magic artifact but had even seen him wielding the Soul Refining Flag with his own eyes.

Several years ago, while Shen Mo was slaying Demons on the Tianshan Mountain battlefield, Li Zhong had been nearby and witnessed him capture and refine a Heavenly Demon.

Although it wasn’t a major transgression for disciples of an immortal sect to possess one or two evil cultivator magic artifacts, it was hardly something honorable to admit, nor could it be openly discussed.

Out of goodwill, Li Zhong had chosen not to approach him and had pretended not to see anything.

At that time, Shen Mo’s Cultivation Realm was lower than Li Zhong’s, and the range of his sense was also inferior.

Consequently, Shen Mo had never detected Li Zhong’s presence, and Li Zhong never mentioned the incident to him afterward.

Li Zhong’s actions could be considered quite righteous. Even up to his death, he never revealed this matter to anyone.

However, shortly after the cataclysmic changes in the world, Li Zhong, who had been slaying Heavenly Demons and gathering resources for his advancement in the Black Mountain Demon Suppression Cave near Heishan Town, was unexpectedly injured by a Class III Soul Ghost. After exhausting all his means to escape, he unfortunately stumbled upon a group of Native Heaven Demons that had not returned to the demonic cave and were scattered outside.

Subsequently, Li Zhong was Demon-corrupted by the most powerful Heavenly Demon in that group.

The high-class Heavenly Demons near Heishan Town had all retreated into the demonic cave. With no stronger entity to control it, this Foreign Realm Demon, having inherited Li Zhong’s soul memories, took advantage of the chaos among the Immortal Path forces to roam around, devouring mortals and weak creatures.

After Demon-corrupting other creatures and becoming a mutated Heavenly Demon, it also overcame the restriction that prevented Native Heaven Demons from advancing to Class III.

Coupled with Li Zhong’s solid foundation and his Cultivation Realm already approaching the Spirit Sea Realm, it didn’t take long for this Heavenly Demon to reach Class III. Thereafter, it rampaged, devouring blood meals, until it reached the middle-stage of Class III.

However, for the past two years, with the Red Flame Zone in utter chaos, it wasn’t easy for it to devour enough blood meals to advance to Class IV.

Most of the defenseless mortals and weak cultivators had already been captured, devoured, or slaughtered by evil cultivators and creatures from the Outer Zone. Those still alive were either under the protection of human cities, immortal Sects, and creatures of the moderate faction from the Outer Zone, or they had been rounded up and were being raised like livestock by Demons and monsters from the Outer Zone.

Regardless of the situation, a mere middle-stage Class III Heavenly Demon like itself could not encroach upon them.

Thus, upon hearing news of the Demon Assembly, it had rushed to Golden Light Ridge, hoping to trade for some blood meals to strengthen itself. Failing that, it could also secretly devour some weaker creatures, including, but not limited to, evil cultivators and Outer Zone Demons.

Then, it came to participate in this small-circle trading meet, only to run into a baleful star like Shen Mo... One could only say that its rise and fall were both matters of luck.

Because this mutated Heavenly Demon had inherited everything from Li Zhong, the moment it saw Shen Mo and the Soul Refining Flag, it recalled a scene from Li Zhong’s memories.

However, Shen Mo had altered his physical appearance and soul aura, leaving it momentarily puzzled and slow to react. Coupled with the ’carefree and unable to keep secrets’ aspect of Li Zhong’s personality it had inherited, Shen Mo noticed its unusual behavior.

Finally, Shen Mo struck with lightning speed, severely injuring it and refining it into a Demon Soul General.

Having sorted out the cause and effect, Shen Mo sighed softly in his heart.

Li Zhong was merely one of the many sect members who had perished in recent years.

This was not even counting the period of the demon scourge. Merely when the Soaring Serpent and Bizarre Dragon descended upon Qing State, any Sect Disciples who were training or performing tasks in that region and failed to return to the sect mountain to enter the Jade Pool Realm in time were all devoured by the Soaring Serpent.

Furthermore, during the cataclysmic upheaval, the Life and Death of Riverside Sect members in other major states remained unknown. In any case, not many sect members successfully reached the subsidiary courtyard at Chong’a Mountain.

Moreover, it wasn’t just the inner and outer disciples and Elders of the Riverside Sect; three of the sect’s four Supreme Elders had also lost contact.

Yuan Heming was trapped in the Jade Pool Realm and should be unharmed. Feng Daogu was lost in the ever-expanding and increasingly terrifying Abandoned Ghost Zone. Gongsun Jiuru also vanished after entering the Heavenly Demon Realm. The Life and Death of these two patriarchs were uncertain.

With another sigh, Shen Mo swept away all the distracting thoughts from his mind, lest the three-headed Smoke Demon or the other Demons present sniff out anything unusual.

If I hadn’t acted so decisively, this Heavenly Demon that had Demon-corrupted Li Zhong would surely have questioned my identity. Once it caused a scene, I’m afraid I would have had to act prematurely!

Shen Mo wasn’t afraid of revealing his true identity here. With his strength, he could slaughter every Demon present.

However, doing so would undoubtedly alert the great demon at the summit of Golden Light Ridge. He would then be in an even more perilous situation. Even if not killed outright, escaping unscathed would be immensely difficult.

This would inevitably disrupt my subsequent plans for a killing spree, thereby further impacting my critical Core Formation!

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Shen Mo opened his half-closed eyes. He cast a cold glance at the Smoke Demon in the main seat, still in the guise of a middle-aged man. Then, he shook the Soul Refining Flag, releasing several peak Class III Mutated Demon Soul Generals: the Ghost Bride, Master Hong Jue, the Green-skinned Ghost, and the Gold Piercing Ghost.

Only then did he coldly utter, "I hold a grudge against the Celestial Demon Clan. This explanation... are you satisfied with it?"

As he spoke, the Ghost Bride and the other formidable Demon Soul Generals emanated complex and terrifying auras, unleashing silent, soul-chilling roars.

Witnessing this, all the Demons present instantly fell silent, as quiet as cicadas in winter.