The First Immortal of Destiny-Chapter 533 Departure_1
WHOOSH!
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Streams of murky Demonic Qi, swirling around Universe Bags, magic treasures, and extraordinary organs, landed before Shen Mo, swiftly piling up into a small hill.
Without taking time for a detailed inspection, he swept all the spiritual items into his Universe Bag. The numerous other Universe Bags and storage treasures were sent into Flower Fairy Ami’s Golden Flowery Realm for later sorting and examination.
The Soul Generals, having delivered their spoils, turned back under Shen Mo’s command to engage the eight great demons about thirty miles away.
Ghost Bride and the other ten Class IV Demon Soul Generals were already locked in a fierce battle with them. However, having only recently advanced to Class IV, while several of the great demons had reached the middle-stage of Class IV, they found themselves struggling immensely, even with ten against eight.
Fortunately, as the remaining five hundred-plus Soul Generals gradually joined the fray, the situation reached a tense stalemate.
However, Demon Soul Generals below Class III were killed almost instantly upon engagement, unable even to create a diversion. Shen Mo didn’t bother expending True Yuan to resummon them.
"Miss Mi, let’s go!" Shen Mo said after a moment’s thought, raising his sleeve and speaking to Flower Fairy Ami within.
Currently, Flower Fairy Ami was still strenuously supporting the Mother Tree Green Leaf, striving to maintain the Spell that had manifested the towering tree. Hearing Shen Mo, she chirped questioningly, "Aren’t we going to wait until the Evil Demons retreat before we leave?"
Shen Mo shook his head. He immediately summoned a faint golden escaping light and flew north, not forgetting to explain his reasons to Mi.
Firstly, the "Core-forming blessed land" at Golden Light Ridge had fulfilled its purpose.
After several large-scale exterminations, tens of thousands of evil cultivators and Outer Zone Demons had fallen directly or indirectly by his hand. The remaining low-class Evil Demons were routed and in disarray; hunted by the righteous path forces, they were either dead or had fled, no longer capable of posing a significant threat.
The malicious fire in his heart, like floating dust that had obscured his Path Heart, was now cleansed... His future Core Formation, and the subsequent transformation of his Essence and Qi, would then approach perfection, with few flaws!
Secondly, wielding the might of the Soul Refining Flag, he had slain one Class IV great demon and tied down eight others. This was achievement enough.
In the Class IV confrontations, with the Evil Demon side now short nine great demons, it would no longer be able to exert the same crushing pressure on the righteous path cultivators—including the patriarchs of the immortal sects at the Golden Core Realm and the Class IV creatures from the Outer Zone—as before.
Additionally, the lower-class Evil Demons had suffered devastating casualties. In such circumstances, their ambitions to breach Yan Tianjing and establish their Demon Kingdom had been utterly bankrupted!
As for the Protectors within the forbidden land of the Demon forces, Shen Mo was unclear on their deeper intentions and currently lacked the ability to intervene. But he inwardly suspected that events would not proceed as smoothly as they anticipated. They had expended great effort, gathering hundreds of thousands of evil cultivators and Outer Zone Demons at Golden Light Ridge with the intention of establishing a Demon Kingdom. All of this must have been an important step in realizing their deeper schemes. Now that this had been completely thwarted, they would probably choose other ways to compensate for this loss.
However, these matters aren’t truly important for me right now. One acts according to one’s strength. I haven’t even achieved my Golden Core yet. Worrying needlessly will only add to my troubles and bring no benefits. It’s best left for the Protector of the moderate faction’s forbidden land to handle!
Lastly, the defensive Spell manifested by the Mother Tree Green Leaf could not be sustained indefinitely.
If they didn’t leave now, once the towering tree withered, he and Flower Fairy Ami would be surrounded by Class IV great demons. Even with the Soul Refining Flag and ten Class IV Demon Soul Generals, he could not guarantee their safety. At that point, he might be forced to use another charge of the Spell within the Mother Tree Green Leaf, which would be far too wasteful.
Moreover, the battle at the Class IV level was still ongoing, and the righteous path forces would continue hunting down low-class Evil Demons for a very long time. It would be impossible for Golden Light Ridge to return to its former tranquility in less than ten days to half a month.
Lingering here offers no benefits, only adding unnecessary risks to myself!
He had implanted the Soul Splitting Magic into the Soul Bodies of Ghost Bride and the other Class IV Demon Soul Generals. This allowed him to control them from nearly twenty-five hundred miles away as they fought the great demons, ensuring his own safety while keeping the eight great demons entangled.
「...」
Two and a half Shichen later, Shen Mo appeared outside a city on the northern border of Zhong State.
The great tree that had shielded him from the elements, shortly after they left the battlefield, first devolved from a towering tree into a small sapling, then from a sapling into a seed, which flew back into the Mother Tree Green Leaf. According to Mi, much of this Spell’s power remained; it could still be activated once or twice more!
At this moment, Shen Mo still held the Soul Refining Flag, from which a river of blood surged, giving him a rather menacing appearance.
Seeing him, the cultivators guarding the city were immediately on high alert. They mistakenly assumed he was a powerful evil cultivator who had fled from Golden Light Ridge. Consequently, they not only kept the city gates closed but also reinforced the City Protection Array!
"I am Shen Mo, Peak Master of Green Cloud Peak of the Riverside Sect," Shen Mo announced. "Whoever is in charge here, please come out and speak!"
Left with no alternative, Shen Mo had to declare his identity to the city’s defenders. He couldn’t stow away the Soul Refining Flag just yet, as he needed this blood flag and the Soul Splitting Magic to control Ghost Bride and the other Demon Soul Generals in their fight against the great demons.
After a short while, an old man with a full head of white hair, accompanied by a few young cultivators, appeared atop the city wall, observing Shen Mo through the grand array. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
The white-haired old man was not wearing immortal sect attire, indicating he was likely from one of this city’s Cultivating Families. He was at the middle-stage of the Spirit Sea Realm. Compared to regions dominated by the Five Great Sects, like Qing State, the Cultivating Families in Zhong State’s cities were stronger, so it was not surprising for the one in charge here to possess such a cultivation Realm.
However, the young men and women beside him caught Shen Mo’s attention; they were wearing the attire of Outer Disciples of the Riverside Sect.
It is indeed Peak Master Shen! they thought, recognizing him.
"Disciples Yan Zhuang and Zhou Ping’er... We greet Peak Master Shen."
After a brief exchange, Shen Mo learned that these Outer Disciples had been training in Zhong State before the world’s upheaval. When the Teleportation Array failed, their low cultivation strength had left them stranded in Zhong State. Later, with Evil Demons rampaging across the land, they fled from place to place, eventually arriving in this city.
After Shen Mo stated his identity, the white-haired old man had called them over to help verify it. Furthermore, the Bone Viewing Mirror hanging on the city wall began to glow with a faint, clear light, which it cast upon Shen Mo to determine if he was Demon-corrupted by a Heavenly Demon.
"There’s no need for such trouble," Shen Mo stated. "I will not be entering the city."
"I have rescued over a hundred thousand living beings from Golden Light Ridge," he went on, "including human cultivators and mortals, as well as Outer Zone creatures."
"In a few days, I am going to a dangerous place, and it’s not convenient to bring them with me. I wish to arrange for them to settle in this city. Would that be convenient?"
As he spoke, Flower Fairy Ami flew out from his sleeve. With a wave of her small hand, she manifested the Golden Flowery Realm. Accompanied by a soft, spreading halo, mortals, cultivators, and Outer Zone creatures emerged one after another from the shimmering light.
