The First Immortal of Destiny

Fairy Pei Yu was a rare Proud Disciple of the Profound Moon School, a talent seen perhaps once a century.

Decades ago, she was critically injured in a demonic catastrophe and corrupted by a Native Heaven Demon, transforming into a mutated Heavenly Demon.

When the Heavenly Demon channel opened again, it appeared in the Wolf Howling Ridge with a Wolf Demon, an old man, and a middle-aged man—three major demon heads—along with a host of low-class Heavenly Demons. They constructed a Demonic Cave, attempting to unleash a terrifying Demon Tide.

Later, after continuous bloody battles involving Shen Mo, Wei Ye (Sect Master of Gold Toad Tower), and Jiang Sheng (Sect Master of Thriving Gold Sect), these four demon heads were either slain or driven away.

That Wolf Heavenly Demon was the Fire Spitting Wolf King from the wolf packs of the Yuzhao Mountain Range in Yue State. Shen Mo slew it on the spot and refined it into a Demon Soul General. Now, it has advanced to Class IV and is rampantly capturing and killing the remaining Heavenly Demons in the Near Sea Demon Cave.

However, the Pei Yu Heavenly Demon, the old man Heavenly Demon, and the middle-aged Heavenly Demon escaped this realm and returned to the Heavenly Demon Realm.

Later, when Shen Mo visited Golden Turtle Island to negotiate an alliance with the Marine Race, hundreds of Class III demon heads attacked. Among them were ”Fairy Pei Yu” and a middle-aged Heavenly Demon named ”Guidao.”

During the ensuing chase, Guidao, the Heavenly Demon who was originally a disciple of the Dark Soul Sect, also died under Shen Mo’s sword, contributing to him a Sacrificial Magic called the Withering Pursuit Soul Palm.

During the world-altering upheaval when a large part of Qing State was devoured by the Soaring Serpent Bizarre Dragon, the two fellow Daoists, Wei Ye and Jiang Sheng, were likely swallowed into the serpent’s belly along with the mountain gates of Gold Toad Tower and Thriving Gold Sect.

Thus, aside from the old Heavenly Demon, whose whereabouts were unknown, only Shen Mo and the Pei Yu Heavenly Demon remained of the main combatants from the Wolf Howling Ridge battle years ago.

Back then, it only possessed cultivation at the early-stage of Class III. When seen again on Golden Turtle Island, it was only at the middle-stage of Class III.

Unexpectedly, it had now not only advanced to Class IV but had also become the most powerful demon head in the entire Near Sea Demon Cave.

”Shen Mo of the Riverside Sect, we meet again.”

The Pei Yu Heavenly Demon’s face was grim. It spoke through gritted teeth, ”You are not of my kind! How have you cultivated so quickly? To possess such terrifying power... it’s truly infuriating!”

The hatred it harbored for Shen Mo was almost tangible, twisting and churning with its Demonic Qi.

During their first encounter at Wolf Howling Ridge, it had been severely beaten by Shen Mo.

Old grudges were now compounded by new grievances. Originally, it would have advanced to the rank of a Class V Big Heavenly Demon within a few years, but Shen Mo’s arrival had forcibly interrupted this process.

The world-altering upheaval not only greatly impacted the native creatures of the Red Flame Zone but was also a major catastrophe for the invading Heavenly Demons.

The Black Mountain Demon Suppression Cave was enveloped by an anomaly from the Ghost Nation Ruins. Furthermore, half of the Near Sea Demon Cave was crushed into the seabed by a Four-eyed Giant.

What made these high-rank Heavenly Demons even more helpless was the complete severing of the connection between the Mortal Realm (Primordial Realm) and the Heavenly Demon Realm. All Heavenly Demon channels—whether actively maintained in the depths of the two major Demonic Caves or sealed by the cultivation world of the Red Flame Zone—were annihilated almost instantly.

The Heavenly Demon race also attempted to join forces with the Outer Zone Demons that had descended upon this realm. However, due to their characteristic of Demon-corrupting sentient beings, even Outer Zone Demons like the Thousand-eyed, Human-faced Willow, and Smoke Demon races were quite wary of them.

Coupled with human cultivators constantly causing them trouble, a large number of low-class Heavenly Demons perished without replenishment. Moreover, the Demonic Caves lacked a Class V Big Heavenly Demon to contend with other Outer Zone races.

It could be said that the Heavenly Demons remaining in the Red Flame Zone were having an extremely hard time.

Therefore, after discussion among all high-rank Heavenly Demons in the Near Sea Demon Cave, they decided to pool the strength of their entire race to cultivate a Class V powerhouse.

The Pei Yu Heavenly Demon was the chosen one. Regardless of their own strength, other Heavenly Demons would not consume the flesh and blood of creatures they captured and killed. Instead, they would deliver it to the Pei Yu Heavenly Demon to enhance its Realm. This was how it managed to grow to such an extent despite the scarcity of blood food.

In a few more years, it would successfully advance to Class V.

At that time, the Heavenly Demons in the Near Sea Demon Cave would face an entirely new situation.

Offensively, they could ally with other Outer Zone Demons to carve up the Red Flame Zone, slaughtering vast numbers of humans (both cultivators and mortals), demonic beasts, and Marine Race members to bolster the strength of the Heavenly Demon clan.

Defensively, they could transform the Near Sea Demon Cave into a forbidden land and relocate to other Withering Realms to find blood food. Once more Class V, or even Class VI, Big Heavenly Demons emerged, they could then move the forbidden land back to the Mortal Realm (Primordial Realm).

However, all these plans came to a halt the moment Shen Mo arrived. How could the Pei Yu Heavenly Demon not hate him for it?

Of course, for the Pei Yu Heavenly Demon, killing Shen Mo would immediately resolve this existential crisis.

Once the Soul Refining Flag lost its master, those powerful Demon Soul Generals would retreat into the artifact. The cultivators stationed at the Sea State outpost would be no match for the Heavenly Demons, great and small, and would become mere blood food for them.

Perhaps, by consuming the flesh and blood essence of these cultivators and the Evil-eating Centipede, it could complete its final accumulation and advance to become a Class V Big Heavenly Demon!

...

Shen Mo pointed to the Demon Soul General of the Fire Spitting Wolf King, which was hunting other Heavenly Demons. He chuckled softly and said, ”Do you still remember this old companion of yours? It won’t be long before your fate is the same as its. Surrender to my blood flag and serve me!”

”I will use your soul and flesh to achieve my supreme demonic path! Kill!” screamed the Pei Yu Heavenly Demon, transforming into a silver streak of fire and charging toward Shen Mo.

Shen Mo stood motionless. He raised his Taiyi Sword high and slashed down...

Universal Demon Slaying!

Having witnessed the terror of this sword technique in the Demonic Cave, the Pei Yu Heavenly Demon dared not meet it head-on. It immediately unleashed a brilliant silver radiance, which formed a waning Bright Moon to intercept the terrifying sword Qi.

Years ago, it had used a similar technique to dispel Shen Mo’s Universal Sword Qi.

The moonlight shimmered, unleashing an endless lunar glow that surged towards the sword light. However, the instant this glow touched the sword light, it was extinguished, like a tiny spark caught in a torrential downpour.

SLICE!

The waning Bright Moon was cloven in two by the sword light. It instantly dimmed, then shattered and fell from mid-air.

Its momentum undiminished, the sword light tore through layers of Spells and defensive magic treasures, directly slashing through the silver flame that was the Pei Yu Heavenly Demon.

In the next instant, viscous, oil-like demonic blood sprayed out, polluting the entire sea region. An unending torrent of Demonic Qi erupted, forming a swirling vortex of baleful energy.

When the sword Qi finally dissipated, the Pei Yu Heavenly Demon’s figure froze in mid-air. It stared in disbelief at the ghastly wound on its body. The gash, carved by the sword Qi, slanted down from its left shoulder to its right hip. Its internal organs, so different from those of humans, were almost entirely obliterated, leaving a gaping cavity through which one could see the other side.

For a peak Class IV Big Heavenly Demon, such an injury was not immediately fatal. However, being so grievously wounded in a single strike nearly shattered the Pei Yu Heavenly Demon’s demonic heart and conviction. The blow to its will was no less severe than the damage to its demonic form.

How could this be?

The Pei Yu Heavenly Demon glanced down at its wound, then up at Shen Mo, who hadn’t moved a single step. Abruptly, it flared its demonic primal intent, transforming into a silver streak tinged with murky light, and fled into the distance.