The First Immortal of Destiny

Following a series of transitions and changes, the cultivation world of the Red Flame Zone had been initially forged into a single entity!

Former Riverside Sect cultivators firmly held the core power of the new Red Flame Sect, followed by The Four Great Sects, and finally, other cultivation forces and the Marine Race.

The current internal structure of the Red Flame Sect could be glimpsed from the origins of its top-level figures. Yuan Heming, Situ Huo, and Ming Cang served as the three Deputy Sect Masters. They hailed from the Riverside Sect, the Heaven Sword Sect (one of The Four Great Sects), and the Marine Race of the Immortal Burial Sea, respectively. Above them presided Shen Mo, the Divine Bridge Realm Sect Master, who also originated from the Riverside Sect.

Among the nine peaks and one lake under its jurisdiction, the Peak Masters of the four Main Peaks were all from the Riverside Sect.

Chen Mengze was the Peak Master of Green Cloud Peak.

Jin Chinian was the Peak Master of Rising Sun Peak.

Yuan Jing was the Peak Master of Jade Peak.

Jiang Lingfeng was the Peak Master of Milky Way Peak.

After Chen Mengze formed her Golden Core, she had been promoted to Supreme Elder of the Riverside Sect. However, this venerable position was replaced by the ”Purple Robe Elder,” a role similar in nature but with virtually no real power. Consequently, she was appointed Peak Master of Green Cloud Peak, which fulfilled Shen Mo’s original vision.

Despite the short time since Green Cloud Peak’s establishment, it had impressively risen to become the foremost among the peaks. After all, its first Peak Master was Shen Mo, who had also chosen the Daoist title ”Qingyun Immortal Master” and even named his cave paradise after it. It was no surprise that Green Cloud Peak’s status rose accordingly.

Today, although most disciples within Green Cloud Peak were still from the Bloody Fiend lineage, an increasing number of the sect’s prodigies chose to join this peak. Its prestige and influence far surpassed that of Rising Sun Peak decades ago!

Jiang Lingfeng, the second Peak Master of Green Cloud Peak, was transferred to become the Peak Master of Milky Way Peak. This peak was originally known as Stars Peak, but its name was changed due to a clash with Seven Stars Peak.

Zhou Shili, the original Peak Master of Stars Peak, had lost contact with the sect during the drastic changes in heaven and earth. So many years had passed, and there was still no news of him. With the Teleportation Array and communication methods long restored to normal, it was highly probable that he had fallen.

Shen Mo, grateful for his past mentorship, specifically used the Divination Treasure Mirror to perform a divination regarding his life, death, and whereabouts. The divination, however, revealed a state of chaos, as if ”Zhou Shili” had never existed in the world. It was difficult to determine if he was alive or dead. Regardless, he was undoubtedly in some unfathomably mysterious location, or perhaps involved with an expert at or above the Sixth Dao Realm. Shen Mo had encountered a similar situation when divining for the patriarch Feng Daogu.

Conversely, Shen Mo deduced that Gongsun Jiuru and Yang Xuan, who had also lost contact, had not fallen. They were not trapped in the Heavenly Demon Realm but were located in a remote area of the Primordial Realm. It would take him several years to find them. Once he refined the forbidden land and departed the Primordial Realm, his perspective would broaden considerably. At that time, he could attempt to retrieve them, along with other immortal sect cultivators exploring the Heavenly Demon Realm, and bring them back to Green Cloud Cave.

「Back to the main topic.」

Jiang Lingfeng and Jin Chinian had not yet formed their Golden Cores and had been stuck at the peak of the Spirit Sea Realm for many years. Considering that other Golden Core Realm cultivators could only be appointed as ”Purple Robe Elders,” the fact that these two held the high positions of Peak Masters was indeed difficult for many to accept. However, both Jiang Lingfeng and Jin Chinian had the backing of Shen Mo—the Divine Bridge Realm Heavenly Monarch, Master of the cave paradise, and the first Sect Master of the Red Flame Sect. Consequently, even if Golden Core Realm cultivators not from the Riverside Sect disagreed, they had to suppress their dissatisfaction.

There was no need to elaborate much on Jiang Lingfeng. A deep bond had been forged between her and Shen Mo ever since she ventured out to sea in search of Yuan Chengshan and encountered the Suspended Fairy Mountain. Moreover, when most disciples of the Riverside Sect were trapped in the Mountain River Realm, she did her utmost to protect Zhao Lingyin and her disciple amidst a foul and chaotic situation. Furthermore, whether Shen Mo persuaded her to become Hall Master of the Affairs Hall or later appointed her as Peak Master of Milky Way Peak, Jiang Lingfeng never uttered a word of complaint. Given these circumstances, Shen Mo would certainly not allow the sect to strip her of her Peak Master position and assign her merely as a Deputy Peak Master.

As for Jin Chinian, the former Hall Master of the Enforcement Hall, he seemingly had little connection with Shen Mo. Yet, he had secretly protected Shen Mo during his earlier, more vulnerable days. At that time, Shen Mo’s burgeoning prominence had attracted the wary attention of the Immortal Clan forces within the Riverside Sect. Led by the Tian Clan, these forces attempted to disrupt Shen Mo’s ascent before he could open his Spirit Sea, aiming to completely crush his future prospects. Not long after, the members of the Tian and Shi Families within the Riverside Sect faced challenges from Elder Shentu Gui. At that time, Shentu Gui was merely an ordinary elder in the Enforcement Hall, lacking the strength or authority to compel the Immortal Clan forces to yield. However, behind Elder Shentu Gui stood Jin Chinian, who also came from a commoner background.

When Shen Mo formed his Golden Core, he leveraged his immense contributions to forcefully cleanse the sect’s internal structure. Remembering past kindnesses, he helped Jin Chinian ascend to the position of Peak Master of Rising Sun Peak and promoted Shentu Gui to Deputy Hall Master of the Enforcement Hall. Therefore, Shen Mo would not permit the newly formed Red Flame Sect’s upper echelons to meddle with Jin Chinian’s position as Peak Master of Rising Sun Peak.

Of course, maintaining such a stance indefinitely was bound to invite resentment. Fortunately, with the consolidation of various factions’ resources into the Red Flame Sect, numerous previously undisclosed Heavenly Materials, Earthly Treasures, and secret core formation techniques from these powers also found their way into the sect’s Treasure Hall.

Supported by these resources, and perhaps influenced by Shen Mo’s ascension to Divine Bridge Heavenly Monarch, Jiang Lingfeng, Jin Chinian, and many other peak Spirit Sea Realm cultivators from various factions began to show signs of impending Golden Core formation. Once they formed their Golden Cores, their positions as Peak Masters would be firmly secured.

Should they still fail, Shen Mo possessed the Enlightenment Pill elixir recipe, obtained from the ancient battlefield of immortals and demons. This pill could aid in the transformation of their Essence and Qi, thereby helping them condense a Golden Core.

Shen Mo was currently raising a large number of demons, several of which were Class IV great demons, suitable for cultivating the ingredients for the Enlightenment Pill. However, Enlightenment Pills cultivated using either evil cultivators or demons would inevitably be tainted. This contamination prevented a perfect transformation of a cultivator’s Essence and Qi. Relying on such a pill to achieve a middle-grade or high-grade Golden Core was virtually impossible; at best, one could only hope to condense a low-grade Golden Core in their Dantian.

Of course, for the many cultivators who remained stuck at the peak of the Spirit Sea Realm for their entire lives, unable to condense a Golden Core through their own efforts, the Enlightenment Pill could still prove useful.

Shen Mo had already instructed Wu Gong and other Alchemy Path cultivators to begin refining Enlightenment Pills.

After the establishment of the Red Flame Sect, most immortal sect cultivators and rogue cultivators in the Red Flame Zone proficient in elixirs, talismans, artifacts, and arrays had become Red Flame Sect members. Wu Gong, Zhao Lingyin’s Master, was no longer an alien minister but had been reassigned as a Yellow Robe Elder. He remained responsible for refining elixirs, but his status, position, and the authority he wielded were far greater than before. Unfortunately, his cultivation Realm was still somewhat low. He would need to dedicate more years and accumulate further merit before having a chance at promotion to ”Purple Robe Elder.”

As for Yuan Jing, the Peak Master of Jade Peak, he, similar to Chen Mengze, had also stepped down from the position of Supreme Elder. Jade Peak was originally Bright Moon Peak. Because its name clashed with Profound Moon Peak, it was changed. Thus, after many twists and turns, Yuan Jing once again became the master of this peak.