The First Immortal of Destiny

Days flew by in the blink of an eye.

In a room filled with the aroma of medicine, the languidly charming Zhao Lingyin sat before a water light mirror conjured by a spell. Shen Mo, dressed in plain clothes, stood behind her, combing her waterfall-like black hair. Truly, what a beauty she was, with vibrant makeup and a golden hairpin adorning her high, side-swept chignon!

”These past few days, with constant wind and rain outside, you’ve been preoccupied with me. Aren’t you worried about gossiping tongues?” Zhao Lingyin turned her face slightly, gently stroking the back of Shen Mo’s hand, her expression a mix of playful reproach and delight.

Shen Mo put down the comb, bent over, and pecked her on the cheek. He smiled and replied, ”I’ve done everything that needed to be done. Moreover, given my current strength and status, even if I were utterly captivated by your beauty, who would dare to criticize me?”

After paying respects to the ancestral tablets of past generations, Shen Mo and Patriarch Yuan Heming jointly held a high-level conference. During this meeting, Shen Mo handed over his Identity Token, the Green Cloud Sword, and other items, formally relinquishing his position as Peak Master of Green Cloud Peak and assuming the role of the fifth Supreme Elder of the Riverside Sect.

Speaking of which, the Green Cloud Sword, a low-grade spiritual level magic sword, had not yet met a worthy master. During his usual magic duels and fights, Shen Mo preferred the Demon Slaying Sword he himself had forged and nurtured. When near the Soaring Serpent and Bizarre Dragon, magic artifacts with gnosis could not be used. Consequently, the Green Cloud Sword, along with the Demon Slaying Sword, the Soul Snatching Needle, the Soul Refining Flag, and other items, were stored in the Golden Flowery Realm. This, in turn, gave the profound level, top-grade Thunderstroke Sword an opportunity to display its prowess. Shen Mo had barely used this Spirit Sword since acquiring it at the peak’s founding ceremony. Therefore, he felt no reluctance in transferring the sword to be inherited by the next Peak Master of Green Cloud Peak. On the contrary, the Sword Spirit of the Green Cloud Sword was jubilant, celebrating that it would no longer have to lie in the Universe Bag collecting dust!

Afterward, Shen Mo received the coronet, robe, footwear, belt, and jade tablet exclusive to Supreme Elders. Given the special circumstances, all ceremonies were kept simple. Whether a celebratory ceremony would be held after they left the Mountain River Dungeon depended on Shen Mo’s own wishes. In Shen Mo’s view, such a ceremony held little significance. Whether it was held or not, his strength, status, and accomplishments were undeniable. Conversely, the ceremony to become Dao companions with Zhao Lingyin needed to be a grand affair—the more ceremonious and magnificent, the better! Firstly, it was to make up for having delayed this matter for so long and to console Zhao Lingyin for the grievances she had endured. Secondly, such a grand and festive ceremony could help dispel the gloomy atmosphere enveloping the Riverside Sect!

Shen Mo’s arrival had brought everyone hope of escape, but it also brought grim news from the Outer Realm. Originally, when the Soaring Serpent and Bizarre Dragon first descended, all the Sect Disciples had been relocated into the Mountain River Dungeon. Thus, although they knew the situation in the Outer Realm was dire, they were unaware of the specifics. Now, everyone in the Dungeon knew: the Soaring Serpent had swallowed more than half of Qing State, along with billions of immortals and mortals. For a time, most of the Sect Disciples were plunged into sorrow and grief. The Riverside Sect had been rooted in Qing State for a thousand years, and many disciples were natives of the region. Even if they were not from prominent immortal sect families, most of their relatives, friends, and loved ones resided within Qing State’s borders. For them, this was undoubtedly devastating news.

For instance, Shen Mo’s Direct Disciple, Qian Xiaofeng, suffered such a loss: her father, Shopkeeper Qian; her elder brother, Qian Xiaohu; and the Qian Family based in Green Sheep City had all been swallowed by the Soaring Serpent. Upon hearing this news, she cried inconsolably, moving onlookers to pity. Besides offering words of comfort, Shen Mo had no other way to help. He could only hope she would overcome this shadow of grief as soon as possible.

As for the thought of disemboweling the Soaring Serpent Bizarre Dragon, he hadn’t mentioned it to anyone. After all, this Bizarre Dragon was a being at the Sixth Order Peak. Even though my cultivation is advancing at an incredibly fast pace without any bottlenecks, reaching an equivalent realm would still take a considerable amount of time. Who knows what other changes might occur in the interim! Instead of giving them an elusive hope, it’s better to let them face the bleak reality head-on. One day, if my strength truly reaches the point where I can slay the Soaring Serpent Bizarre Dragon, then I will slice open its belly and see if Shopkeeper Qian, Qian Xiaohu, and the other creatures are dead or alive!

Additionally, having received Shen Mo’s orders, Jin Chinian, leading a group of enforcer cultivators from the Enforcement Hall, initiated a storm of accountability within the sect’s middle and upper echelons. The outer disciples of the Body Tempering Realm, limited by their cultivation levels, had found it difficult to truly participate in the sect’s internal strife over the past few years, so they were temporarily unaffected. A thorough investigation concerning them would be conducted after leaving the Dungeon. However, many were implicated, including inner disciples, elites of the four Main Peaks, elders of various peaks and halls, Deputy Hall Masters, core disciples, and even Hall Master-level figures. Among those from the Qi Gathering Realm up to, but not including, the Golden Core Realm—the sect’s pillars—a full three-tenths were apprehended by the Enforcement Hall!

Of these, one-tenth had actively stirred up trouble and committed evil deeds over the past three years, acting as the primary instigators in various conflicts. Their crimes included, but were not limited to: plotting against fellow sect members, assault and murder, committing various crimes and offenses, molesting female disciples, tyrannizing others, abusing power and neglecting duties, and subverting sect discipline! All these Sect Disciples were unforgivable culprits. According to sect law, none of them, not even someone as distinguished as Tian Zhaoquan, the Hall Master of the Affairs Hall, could escape death. The remaining two-tenths had committed relatively minor offenses and were to be punished to varying degrees.

With numerous mid-to-high-level members being stripped of their positions due to their crimes, many important and critical posts became temporarily vacant. In a high-level meeting, Shen Mo, wielding the authority of a newly-promoted Supreme Elder and leveraging the merit of having rescued the Sect Disciples, rapidly promoted those close to him. This was also done to prevent Zhao Lingyin and others dear to him from ever again facing the kind of predicament they had endured previously.

For example, Jiang Lingfeng, the core disciple ranked second, was the ideal candidate to succeed as Hall Master of the Affairs Hall. With Shen Mo’s persuasion, she finally agreed to take the position. Had she declined as she had previously, the post would likely have fallen to another core disciple. The Enforcement Hall, which had covertly sheltered Shen Mo from troubles during his more obscure days and had deliberately made trouble for the Immortal Faction, had not participated in any disputes during these three years. Its Hall Master, Jin Chinian, would take over as the Sunrise Peak Master after concluding his current responsibilities. Meanwhile, Elder Shentu Gui, whose position had changed several times, would be promoted to Deputy Hall Master of the Enforcement Hall.

The vacant position of Enforcement Hall Master would be filled by Guo Xun, formerly the sixth-ranked core disciple. Although he hailed from the Guo Clan, he had spent the past few years in secluded, intensive cultivation and had not involved himself in the numerous disputes between the Immortal and mundane factions within the sect, nor in those among the four Main Peaks. Occasionally, when he could, he had offered assistance to Zhao Lingyin and her disciples, Chen An, Qian Xiaofeng, and others who were under considerable pressure. Constrained by sect law, Shen Mo had to choose from among the core disciples and couldn’t forcibly promote others closer to him into such high positions. Guo Xun was barely acceptable in his eyes from the available core disciples. As for Ji Susu, the former fourth-ranked core disciple from Rising Sun Peak, and Tang Guangsi, the former fifth-ranked core disciple also from Rising Sun Peak, they were implicated by Tang Lv and were currently facing repercussions for their offenses; whether they could retain their core disciple status was still uncertain.

Beyond that, the position of Peak Master of Green Cloud Peak also remained vacant, with no one appointed to succeed temporarily. This was a small, selfish desire on Shen Mo’s part; he wanted to wait until Chen Mengze achieved core disciple status and then promote her to this position.