The First Immortal of Destiny

Shen Mo had once considered using the Mountain River Dungeon as his place of Dao attainment, relying on the Soaring Serpent and the Bizarre Dragon to withstand Lin Zhaozai.

However, after consulting with Big Moro Yao, he dismissed this idea.

Those at the Heavenly Monarch level had all achieved their own ”Dao.” Regardless of whether their Dao path was high or low, once they attained their Dao, they became difficult to influence by external factors and could, to some extent, resist the power of anomalous transformation. The life radiation of the Soaring Serpent and Bizarre Dragon, the fusion of the Jade Flower Sect’s longevity flesh with Evil Spirits, and the assimilating power of heaven and earth experienced when a forbidden land descends upon a new world—these are all similar kinds of alien powers. For cultivators at the Divine Bridge Realm or Class V creatures, these are not things that would invariably result in death upon contact.

If Shen Mo were to insist on attempting to reach the Divine Bridge Realm within the Mountain River Realm, the chances of stopping Lin Zhaozai would be extremely slim. Instead, he might awaken the Soaring Serpent and the Bizarre Dragon. At that point, Lin Zhaozai, Shen Mo himself, and even Big Moro Flower Fairy who would come to protect his Dao attainment, would all face fatal disaster.

After weighing the pros and cons, Shen Mo ultimately chose the Riverside Sect’s mountain gate as his place of Dao attainment and set up the Formation on Chong’a Mountain to deal with external tribulations.

Firstly, a higher-level Mountain Protection Formation would be sufficient for the Riverside Sect to withstand stronger tribulations, be they natural disasters or man-made calamities. Secondly, during his Dao attainment, he could draw upon the power of the entire sect, having enough Spirit Stones and disciples to maintain the Great Formation’s operation through their Mana.

Yuan Heming, Zhou Zhiwei, and Yuan Jing—the three Golden Core Realm cultivators—along with Yuan Qingshi, Jin Chinian, Jiang Lingfeng, and other high-ranking members of the Sect, were all aware of the inner details of this matter. They had all stated that the entire Sect would fully support him. Even if there were some dissenting voices, they were drowned out by the overwhelming chorus of earnest support, rendering them insignificant.

Generally speaking, the relationship between a major immortal sect in the cultivation world and its strongest member was one of ”shared glory and shared loss.” For instance, the Seven Stars Altar, one of The Four Great Sects, initially had some reservations about the Riverside Sect’s expansion of its sect gates and its Formation Prohibitions. After all, Yu State had been the core sphere of influence for the Seven Stars Altar for a thousand years, and the Riverside Sect was an external power. However, as soon as Shen Mo returned, the patriarch of the Seven Stars Altar rushed to visit and dared not mention the matter again.

This was the case even when Shen Mo only possessed combat power comparable to the peak of the Golden Core Realm. If he could successfully construct the Divine Bridge this time and achieve the esteemed status of a Heavenly Monarch, it would bring immense benefits to the entire Riverside Sect and all its disciples, including Yuan Heming and the other Golden Core Realm patriarchs.

For the Riverside Sect, it would immediately ascend to become the bellwether of the cultivation world in the Red Flame Country, with the other three of The Four Great Sects only able to follow its lead. For the disciples, the benefits would be countless, both tangible and intangible. These included insights from his Dao attainment, the Heavenly Monarch’s protection against external tribulations, a higher status in the cultivation world, the ability to earn more cultivation resources by leveraging the Heavenly Monarch’s prestige, access to higher-class magic and cultivation methods, and so on.

Of course, one could not expect all disciples to fully grasp the greater picture. The reason Shen Mo could command such authority within the Riverside Sect was mainly due to his personal strength and the results of his many years spent ”cultivating his network of supporters.”

Originally, the strongest person in the Riverside Sect was Patriarch Yuan Heming, who was at the middle-stage of the Golden Core Realm. His Yuan Family also benefited considerably from this and had been the foremost wealthy sect within the Riverside Sect for many years. However, Shen Mo’s strength now far surpassed Yuan Heming’s. To put it bluntly, if anyone dared to oppose his arrangements for the Dao attainment tribulation, Shen Mo could capture or kill them outright, Patriarch Yuan Heming included.

Furthermore, during the drastic changes in Heaven and Earth, many high-ranking members of the Sect had disappeared or perished. Shen Mo had also conducted a purge by rectifying discipline with clear decrees and punishments, eliminating a group of corrupt elements. He then promoted many of ”his own people” to high positions: Jin Chinian as Peak Master of Rising Sun Peak, Jiang Lingfeng as Peak Master of Green Cloud Peak, Guo Xun as Hall Master of the Enforcement Hall, and Chen Mengze as Hall Master of the Affairs Hall, among others. When the Sect held high-level meetings to make major decisions, naturally, no one would dare to sing a contrary tune.

In summary, when Shen Mo was reorganizing and enhancing the Riverside Sect’s Mountain Protection Formation, he encountered almost no resistance. A large amount of stored spiritual materials were poured into it like flowing water, which also greatly improved his mastery of the Array Path. Over time, the Formation Prohibition veiling Chong’a Mountain finally reached a level of power where it could withstand the continuous attacks of an early-stage Class V Flower Fairy. Shen Mo was still strengthening the Formation’s power, striving to elevate it another level before his breakthrough.

「...」

In the mountains, there is no reckoning of years; a thousand years can pass as if in a trance.

In the blink of an eye, fourteen years had passed since Shen Mo returned to Chong’a Mountain. Fourteen cycles of spring to autumn; it seemed everything had changed, yet also that nothing had changed at all.

What changed were the mundane affairs of the mortal world; what remained unchanged was a heart tirelessly pursuing the Dao.

「This day, in the Vacuous Realm.」

Shen Mo sat cross-legged in his Jade Cave, eyes slightly closed, observing the Destiny Panel.

After all these years of cultivation, I’ve finally cultivated the Mixed Yuan Qi Technique to Extreme Perfection. I also used the ’Performance Martial Arts’ Destiny to deduce it further. With the aid of Samadhi True Fire, Enlightenment Tea, and Senior Sister Chen’s Natural Qi, the time needed to cultivate to the peak of the Golden Core Realm was reduced from my initial estimate of fifty years to thirty-six. Now, only twenty-six years have passed, and I’ve already touched the threshold of this realm! Once I upgrade the Basic Destiny ’Vitality’ to Orange quality, I can attempt to break through to the late-stage of the Golden Core Realm and enter the Peak Realm.

[Destinied Lord: Shen Mo]

[Vitality: Divine Fetus]

[Talent: Extremely Rare]

[Destiny: Starry]

[Appearance: Moon-like]

[Wisdom: Foresighted]

[Fate: ???]

[Lifespan: ???]

Of the five Basic Destinies that could be upgraded with Destiny Points, apart from ’Talent’ which was Orange quality, the remaining four were all Purple quality. As for the Destiny Points needed for upgrades, Shen Mo had accumulated a considerable amount over these years.

[Destiny Points: 8,471.]

When he was traveling through the Heaven Patrolling Zone and exploring opportunities in the ancient battlefield of immortals and demons, the number of Destiny Points he obtained each year was relatively large. However, since returning to Chong’a Mountain and focusing on his cultivation, the Destiny Points he earned had drastically reduced. The Destiny Points earned from his secluded cultivation over these fourteen years accounted for only a small portion, far less than the harvest from the previous twelve years.

If I were to go all out and invest all my Destiny Points into upgrading ’Talent’, it should be possible to promote it to the Gold quality ’Born Immortal’. However, when I upgraded it to ’Extremely Rare’, omens of tribulation were triggered. If I upgrade it again, this world will no longer just send down celestial phenomena as warnings; it will directly unleash a true heavenly tribulation to kill me. Right now, I don’t have the strength to face such a heavenly tribulation. It won’t be too late to try upgrading ’Talent’ after I construct the Divine Bridge and achieve the esteemed status of a Heavenly Monarch! Once I attain my Dao, even if the tribulation of heaven and earth comes to kill me, I will have the confidence to resist it...

Thinking this, Shen Mo decisively invested his Destiny Points into upgrading the Basic Destiny of ’Vitality’.