The First Immortal of Destiny

Both Chen Mengze and Ming Yu were Golden Core Realm (Class IV, the fourth Dao Realm) powerhouses. Their five senses were exceptionally sharp, so naturally, they detected Shen Mo’s arrival.

However, they had already unleashed their True Fire. Even after ignoring Yuan Heming and Ming Cang’s advice, they still didn’t stop when faced with Shen Mo’s thought transmission...

”HUMPH.”

”You two thought I wouldn’t severely punish you.”

”So, you’re presuming on my favor and acting spoiled, is that it?” As Shen Mo communicated through thought transmission, he huffed disapprovingly.

Upon seeing that Chen Mengze and Ming Yu were still ignoring him, Shen Mo no longer wasted words. He immediately used the ”Constellation Great Hand Seal” technique, made a series of seals, and let out a low shout, ”Southern Vermilion Bird Seven Mansions, Palm, Well!”

The next instant, two towering, lifelike ancient exotic beasts, Jingmu An, roared out from between his palms.

Shen Mo, a Divine Bridge Immortal Master, could casually cast a spell that would draw upon the boundless spiritual Qi of the Immortal Realm and be augmented by earthly tribulations. Not to mention, he had already achieved Extremely Perfection in this Constellation Great Hand Seal technique and further deduced it with [Martial Performance], making its divine might unfathomable.

The Jingmu An, with their cultivation method’s foundation as their soul, Immortal Realm spiritual Qi as their flesh and blood, and the Immortal Master’s will as their spirit, attacked the hovering Chen Mengze and Ming Yu from left and right. In an instant, they transformed into two formidable spell-prisons, trapping the pair.

At this point, as long as Shen Mo’s intent did not disperse, these two spell-prisons could exist for a thousand years, just like the sword Qi left by Senior Gu Song on Tianshan Mountain in Zhong State.

Even a Divine Bridge Immortal Master with a slightly weaker cultivation level would find it difficult to break these prisons and escape; Chen Mengze and Ming Yu had no choice but to be captured!

Shen Mo beckoned, drawing the two spell-prisons, along with the two women, before him. He spoke calmly, ”So... you two fought all the way from the Fairyland to Five Dragon Mountain over a matter concerning your disciples?”

He knew about their strained relationship.

Back in the Red Flame Zone, Ming Yu had never had much contact or affinity with Chen Mengze. During those years when Ming Yu and Zhao Lingyin were trapped in the Mountain River Dungeon, Chen Mengze, due to her trip to the Extremely Northern Zone for cultivation, avoided the disaster of the Soaring Serpent and wasn’t trapped in the dungeon with them.

Recently, Ming Yu and Zhao Lingyin had become sworn sisters. Shen Mo, being Ming Yu’s elder brother and Zhao Lingyin’s Dao companion, had grown up with Chen Mengze since childhood.

Ming Yu had witnessed their ambiguous relationship and had always been critical of it. No matter how she looked at it, she found Chen Mengze disagreeable.

These were the personal reasons.

The relationship between Chen Mengze and Ming Yu quickly deteriorated after they respectively assumed the positions of Green Cloud Peak Master and Ascending Lake Master.

Today’s Green Cloud Peak had a large number of elite disciples who cultivated the Bloody Fiend lineage. Even if they were not from the Wando Archipelago’s Bloody Fiend Sect, those who mainly cultivated the ”Dragon Elephant Blood Fiend Body” would choose to join Green Cloud Peak for further cultivation after advancing to the Inner Door.

Former disciples from the Bloody Fiend School relied on hunting fierce sea beasts to cultivate this method. Even after leaving the Wando Archipelago, they often needed to slay demonic beasts, taking their flesh, blood, and soul essence to advance their cultivation. This naturally incurred the disdain of the Marine Race disciples.

Furthermore, the members of Green Cloud Peak, from top to bottom, considered themselves Shen Mo’s direct line. Their disdain for the Marine Race far exceeded that of the other Main Peaks like Rising Sun Peak, Jade Peak, and Milky Way Peak; they even regarded Marine Race creatures as mere sea beasts...

Just in these few years, there had been over ten incidents of Green Cloud Peak disciples secretly hunting Marine Race members for cultivation.

Although the disciples who violated the sect rules were swiftly punished by the Enforcement Hall, the repeated occurrence of such vile acts led to a deep-seated grudge between Green Cloud Peak and Ascending Lake. Consequently, the relationship between Chen Mengze, the Green Cloud Peak Master, and Ming Yu, the Ascending Lake Master, drastically worsened.

This particular brawl also stemmed from disputes among their respective disciples.

After the Red Flame Sect’s vanguard cleared new territories, resource-gathering teams would follow. These teams, dispatched by the Red Flame Sect, would consist of elite disciples from the nine peaks and one lake.

The purpose was certainly good. On one hand, it allowed the sect’s core members to foster camaraderie amidst competition. On the other hand, the disciples from each lineage had their own strengths. For example, Green Cloud Peak disciples practicing the Bloody Fiend Technique had strong vitality; Heaven Sword Peak disciples possessed exceptional proficiency in the Sword Path; Seven Stars Peak disciples were adept at conducting rituals and casting spells; Ghost Corpse Peak disciples could command powerful Ghouls; and Ascending Lake disciples were skilled at navigating rivers and seas. This diversity enabled them to handle various environments and dangers, allowing for more efficient gathering of spiritual items.

The problem originated with one such gathering team. In a mountain stream wider than any great river, they discovered a spiritual spring called the ”Xuanyin Soul Nurturing Spring,” a top-grade spiritual item, a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure.

Logically, a Marine Race disciple from Ascending Lake should have been assigned to retrieve it, as it was most appropriate.

However, disciples from Green Cloud Peak, eager to claim the merit, snatched the task. Their highest-ranking member present, a late-stage Qi Gathering Realm disciple, then used Water Avoiding Magic to dive into the mountain stream.

As a result, concealed within this unnamed mountain stream was a late-stage Class III River Demon. It had been using the Xuanyin Soul Nurturing Spring as bait to lure other extraordinary creatures, preying on them for sustenance. The disciple who entered the water was swallowed by the Class III River Demon before they could even struggle much!

The other disciples in the team tried to fight back while looking for a chance to escape. By the time a Red Robed Elder from the Red Flame Sect received the disciples’ distress call and rushed to the scene, most of them had been injured by the River Demon, and more than ten had perished in its stomach.

The Class III River Demon, along with the Xuanyin Soul Nurturing Spring, then vanished downstream without a trace.

Subsequently, the Green Cloud Peak disciples discovered that while the Ascending Lake disciples were also injured, none had perished. Hence, they accused the Ascending Lake disciples of knowing beforehand that a Class III River Demon was hidden at the bottom of the mountain stream. They claimed this was why the Ascending Lake disciples didn’t stop the late-stage Qi Gathering disciple from Green Cloud Peak from taking over the task, suspecting them of maliciously plotting against their fellow sect members!

Naturally, the Marine Race disciples from Ascending Lake refused to be scapegoats. They began arguing with the Green Cloud Peak disciples, and the dispute escalated into a fierce brawl. Those who had sustained few injuries while fighting the River Demon ended up severely wounded in this conflict between fellow sect members.

Normally, this matter should have been handed over to the Enforcement Hall for investigation. Whether there was any foul play could have been easily determined using a Heart Asking Talisman or Soul Search techniques. Once the truth was clarified, those responsible could be judged and punished accordingly!

However, before the Enforcement Hall could deliver a verdict, Chen Mengze and Ming Yu, fueled by this incident and their past grievances, started a massive fight. They fought all the way from the Green Cloud Cave to the Five Dragon Mountain in the Outer Realm. This caused the situation to escalate dramatically, becoming increasingly convoluted.

The two women, now imprisoned by Shen Mo’s spell, remained silent, their thoughts unknown.

Knowing the ins and outs of the matter, Shen Mo sighed.

No wonder Yuan Heming and Ming Cang were both reluctant to intervene, and Situ Huo had taken an aloof approach.

Even for Shen Mo to handle personally, it was quite a thorny issue...

The matter not only concerned the sect’s rules regarding merits, demerits, rewards, and punishments for its disciples but also touched upon the greatest underlying problem within the sect. Furthermore, it was entangled with the past grievances between Chen Mengze and Ming Yu!