The First Immortal of Destiny

This thought, once born, resonated through Heaven and Earth!

Thick, leaden layers of dark, ominous clouds, tinged with an eerie blood-red light, enveloped the entire sky. Light State and several surrounding major states were instantly plunged from daylight into darkness.

BOOM!

RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

Dazzling bolts of lightning fiercely tore through the sky, momentarily turning the black heavens back into brilliant daylight.

Then, rain poured down as if rivers were overturning, furiously hammering the ground, borne on the roaring gales. It was a torrential downpour, and devastation was everywhere!

But it did not stop there. The downpour began to mix with hard, fist-sized hailstones. At first, only a few scattered stones fell, but then the rain gradually lessened, completely replaced by a terrifying, sky-covering deluge of hail. It shattered hard rocks on impact and gouged countless craters into the ground.

Soon, snowflakes as large as goose feathers began to fall, mingling with the hail. They carried the roar of The Heavens and the groans of the earth, rampaging with wanton cruelty!

Within just a few breaths, thunder, gales, torrential rain, hail, and heavy snow took turns to ravage the land. These extremely abnormal celestial phenomena proclaimed the ”Wrath” of the ”Heaven’s Will.” The ”Heavens,” an amalgamation of the consciousness of all things, is not a living creature. To describe it as ”angry” might not be entirely accurate, but at this moment, Shen Mo distinctly felt the undisguised malice this world held for him!

With the celestial phenomena so terrifying, the state of the earth was no better.

Inside the Spiritless Land in Light State, subterranean magma seethed as if boiling. Terrifying pillars of fire and searing globs of lava erupted intermittently, hurtling towards Shen Mo, who stood at the very edge.

Beyond this scarred landscape, whether it was majestic mountain peaks, rushing rivers, forests, grasslands, birds, beasts, fish, or insects—even a single grain of sand or a stray weed—everything exuded a subtle aura of danger.

If he were to step into such an environment, boulders might roll down to crush him, venomous snakes or Gu insects might attack him, or vines and stalks might trip him…

Yet, in the face of all this, Shen Mo remained extraordinarily calm!

If this world were likened to a peerless expert, then Shen Mo’s preceding thoughts and intentions were akin to declaring his unyielding stance before this very expert.

Most peak Golden Core Realm cultivators, when pursuing their ”Great Path” and reasoning with the ”will of heaven and earth,” would tread with extreme caution. They feared their attitude might offend this peerless power. Consequently, they would try to understand its temperament and desires. On this basis, they would persuade it and strike a bargain, seeking its permission to step into the Divine Bridge Realm and ascend to a more formidable existence.

Those who had embarked on this ”reasoning” process but had not yet reached a complete accord were considered half step to Heavenly Monarchs or quasi-Class V existences.

Once they successfully negotiated with the ”will of heaven and earth,” making it their own path, they were considered to have truly erected the Divine Bridge and become genuine Heavenly Monarch level beings!

Currently, Shen Mo’s cultivation level was already comparable to a half step to Heavenly Monarch, similar to Lady Scarlet’s biological father, Duanmu Yuan.

However, he had not yet erected his Divine Bridge.

Merely expressing his stance to the ”will of heaven and earth” had already incited the ”Heavens’” fury…

This was enough to show just how ”audacious” the path he sought to achieve was. When he truly erected his Divine Bridge, the tribulations he would face would be terrifying beyond ordinary imagination!

After all, neither the second path chosen by most Heavenly Monarchs, ”I attest to His Path,” nor the first path chosen by a few extraordinary existences, ”I attest to My Path,” was as domineering as the third path: ”He attests to My Path.”

The first two were tantamount to submitting to ”The Heavens” or serving the ”will of heaven and earth”; at best, they were equal to it.

The latter, however, placed one above the ”will of heaven and earth.” It involved using supreme power and ultimate principles to forcibly compel the ”will of heaven and earth” to yield and accept one’s ascension to Heavenly Monarch!

Even cultivators of the same rank would find it hard to tolerate others coercing them or placing themselves above them.

How much more so for the lofty, vast, and profound ”Heavens”?

Shen Mo unfurled the Green Cloud Umbrella, deflecting all the gales, torrential rain, hail, snow, fire pillars, and lava.

Then, with a mere thought, a pair of enormous wings, wreathed in mist, astral winds, and thunder light, erupted from his back. The majestic Cloud Thunder Wings made Shen Mo resemble a Demon God descended upon the mortal realm. If he also possessed three heads and six arms, he would likely appear more like a true Deity than the celestial statues worshipped by mortals in the Red Flame Country.

CRACKLE!

Amidst the surging winds and clouds, with lightning flashing and thunder roaring, Shen Mo powerfully flapped his Cloud Thunder Wings. He transformed into a fleeting shadow, streaking towards Chong’a Mountain in Yu State.

During his years of wandering, he had already gained some understanding of how to erect the Divine Bridge.

Now, with the ”Heaven’s Wrath” raging, unforeseen troubles could arise. It was best to return to the sect quickly, rely on the Mountain Protection Array, and with the help of Flower Fairy and Big Moro, attempt to advance as soon as possible!

In this extreme weather, a maelstrom of gales, lightning, rain, and snow, Shen Mo was not hindered in the slightest. Instead, the power of his Cloud Thunder Wings surged. His flight speed far surpassed that of the Ride the Cloud Immortal Law, only a fraction slower than the Sword Escape Skill, and it placed far less strain on his soul than using Sword Escape.

「More than half a day later」

Shen Mo arrived at Chong’a Mountain.

The extreme weather—rain, snow, and hail—did not dissipate when he left Light State. Instead, it seemed to latch onto him tenaciously. No matter where Shen Mo flew, the weather in that location would turn foul in an instant.

This abnormal, extreme weather persisted for over three months in Yu State and several neighboring major states.

Rivers swelled, and floodwaters transformed several nearby states into virtual marshlands. Collapsing mountains triggered mudslides that engulfed numerous manors. Forests, trees, and crops in the fields were all submerged, creating a vast number of refugees.

This compelled the cultivation forces of various states to intervene, managing the floodwaters and aiding the displaced.

The devastation in Yu State was even more severe compared to other major states. In a short time, countless towns and villages were destroyed. Tens of millions of mortals were either displaced or perished in the natural disaster.

Under Shen Mo’s decree, the Riverside Sect dispatched almost all its members, except for disciples who had joined only a few years prior, to combat this natural catastrophe.

Additionally, other local powers such as the Seven Stars Altar, smaller immortal sects, and Cultivating Families also contributed significantly. Even from the forbidden land of Fairy Flower Valley, over ten thousand Flower Fairies emerged. They flitted gracefully through the alternating rain, snow, hail, gales, and violent thunderstorms, helping the common mortals endure the calamity.

Compared to the vast ”will of heaven and earth,” the collective will of the living beings in one, or even several, states of the Red Flame Zone was minuscule. Its influence was so negligible that it could not even make ”The Heavens” reduce the rainfall by a single drop.

Perhaps, this was the so-called ”heaven and earth are merciless.”

「Inside the Riverside Sect.」

Shen Mo’s immense spiritual sense swept out, taking in the sights of more than half of Yu State.

A flicker of pity crossed his eyes. Then, he looked up at the sky. Through the thick, blood-red, leaden clouds, he seemed to perceive a cold and emotionless face!

”Are you forcing me to erect the Divine Bridge right now? Then I shall…”

”As you wish!”

The moment his words fell, a terrifying aura erupted from Shen Mo, an aura so potent it could shock Heaven and Earth, and make ghosts and gods tremble!