The First Immortal of Destiny

The eighth year since the Green Cloud Cave descended upon Five Dragon Mountain.

This year, Shen Mo was two years away from completely reversing the reclamation process back into the cave paradise. Once complete, he could retrieve it and move it from Five Dragon Mountain.

This year, a majority of the areas on the slopes of South Slope Mountain were occupied by the demons of the Hou Corpse Cave. Other forces, be they demons or cultivators, either died, surrendered, or fled.

This year, the Hou Corpse Cave gained three more Class V great demons, one of which was Fairy Pei Yu, controlled by Shen Mo. After consuming enough blood food, she had ascended to a Class V Big Heavenly Demon.

This year, Tiger Demon King Shan Hao had elevated the scale of the God Slaying Array to the 300,000-mark, causing a large number of demons to start infiltrating the safe zones surrounding the Green Cloud Cave.

After a series of persuasions, explorations, conflicts, and bloody battles, the Hou Corpse Cave assembled an army of 500,000 and deployed three God Slaying Arrays. A 300,000-scale big array was positioned in the center, with two 100,000-scale big arrays to its left and right. This signaled a comprehensive attack on the Green Cloud Cave!

The Green Cloud Cave was located on the mountainside.

For a time, the Demon Cloud billowed, and the Demonic Aura surged to the heavens!

Shen Mo and Daoxuan Immortal Master stood above the clouds, overlooking the great demon camp of the Hou Corpse Cave, their faces showing grave expressions.

”Having traversed the entire Eastern Slope of Five Dragon Mountain, all the Immortal Masters of my race whom I encountered have either fled Five Dragon Mountain with their Sect Disciples or are decisively defending their Dungeon cave mansions, refusing to emerge. I have failed the heavy duty entrusted to me by fellow daoist Qingyun, not securing a single strong reinforcement!” Daoxuan sighed, speaking with a hint of self-reproach.

Along with Daoxuan’s reinforcements, there were also over a thousand disciples from the Azure Heaven Cave, all of considerable strength. They had joined numerous disciples from the Red Flame Sect stationed within the Mountain Protection Array outside the cave mansion.

Originally, Daoxuan had planned to bring all his students and disciples here to aid the Red Flame Sect in defending against the demons of the Hou Corpse Cave.

However, Shen Mo had politely refused Daoxuan’s well-intentioned decision on the spot. Shen Mo had recently shared the God Slaying Array, which he had reverse-engineered, with the Azure Heaven Cave. Their cultivators, not yet proficient in its use, could hardly contribute significantly in a large-scale battle due to their insufficient strength.

”Those who managed to flee Five Dragon Mountain made a wise decision. But those who remain holed up in their Dungeons are making a grave mistake.”

”The six great demons from the Hou Corpse Cave are no weaker in cultivation and strength than us Divine Bridge Immortal Masters. Even if these people hole up at their Dungeon’s entrance, the demons could still detect the Dungeon’s existence and shatter the entire Dungeon from elsewhere!”

”When that happens, both our kind and the immortals and mortals residing in the Dungeons will fall into the hands of the demons, who outnumber us many times over, and suffer a tragic fate...” Shen Mo’s face remained calm, revealing little disappointment.

He was referring to the scenario those Human Race Immortal Masters would face if the Green Cloud Cave proved unable to resist the Hou Corpse Cave, and the demons therein began to wreak havoc on the East Slope of Five Dragon Mountain.

If all went smoothly, the Hou Corpse Cave’s demon forces would vanish after two years, but there was no telling what the situation would be like by then.

The True Immortal behind the Hou Corpse Cave might abandon the attempt to occupy Five Dragon Mountain; or might nurture other great demons to continue the Hou Corpse Cave’s unfinished mission; or, due to some significant change, might descend directly and personally subjugate the various forces on Five Dragon Mountain!

Only in the first scenario would the other Human Race forces, who were decisively holed up in their Dungeons, achieve a favorable outcome.

But as long as that True Immortal did not give up on Five Dragon Mountain, they would eventually face the scenario Shen Mo described. Even if they ultimately surrendered, they might still be used by that True Immortal to set up or become Blood Sacrifices for the God Slaying Array!

These words were actually spoken for Immortal Master Daoxuan to hear.

Following that, Shen Mo took out a jade slip from the Sword Zone and handed it to Daoxuan Immortal Master.

”This is...”

”The method to create a cave paradise, as well as to refine spatial treasures!”

When Immortal Master Daoxuan received the jade slip, his expression turned joyful as his sense scanned it, but then joy turned to bewilderment. ”Fellow daoist, you’re gifting such a precious item to me? Is it to facilitate my escape from Five Dragon Mountain with the immortals and mortals of Azure Heaven Cave?”

Shen Mo nodded, replying, ”Even if we manage to repel, or even annihilate, the Hou Corpse Cave demon forces, the True Immortal backing them may not necessarily give up.”

”Two years from now, I will leave Five Dragon Mountain with the entire Fairyland. You should also make preparations in advance. Two years is enough time for you to create a cave paradise. If you cannot manage that, you must refine enough spatial treasures to avoid being unable to take the creatures of Azure Heaven Cave with you when the time comes!”

The information contained in his words was immense. Immortal Master Daoxuan was stunned for a moment. After processing this information, he took a deep look at Shen Mo before immersing his consciousness to comprehend the two methods on the jade slip.

「Several days later.」

The demons of the Hou Corpse Cave launched a fierce attack on the Green Cloud Cave.

Tiger Demon King Shan Hao, Fox Demon Intellectual Pei Wanchen, Pig Demon Heisha, Demon-corrupted cultivator Pei Yu, as well as the two Class V great demons they had recently subdued, all appeared. Of the three God Slaying Arrays, the large 300,000-scale array possessed power comparable to a middle-stage Class V expert, while the two 100,000-scale arrays wielded the might of early-stage Class V experts!

The battle began with the force of a roaring tide.

Shan Hao did not personally appear but had Pei Wanchen, Heisha, Pei Yu, and the other two of the five great demons lead the three Creation Arrays in a fierce assault on the Mountain Protection Array guarding the outskirts of the Green Cloud Cave.

Even at this point, Shen Mo had not yet deployed the two God Slaying Arrays constructed with Demon Soul Generals and Red Flame Sect Members. Instead, he had the Red Flame Sect and Azure Heaven Cave disciples rely on the powerful outer arrays to resist the Hou Corpse Cave demons’ assault!

Although the Metal Array could not be moved, its defensive and offensive power was not inferior to the Creation Array.

The Mountain Protection Array deployed by the entire Riverside Sect in the past possessed the strength to withstand the attacks of the evil Immortal Master Lin Zhaozai and the enlightenment tribulation lightning. Over these years, the Red Flame Sect, having absorbed the Lifeless Sect and many Array Path cultivators, had significantly improved its overall Array Path proficiency. The arrays deployed around the periphery, constructed with considerable manpower and resources, were even stronger than the formation that had once enveloped the Riverside Sect’s mountain gate!

As long as there were enough Spirit Stones and cultivators to continuously supply these big arrays with Mana, they could withstand the siege of several Class V great demons for several months.

When the array base of one of the big arrays was damaged and on the brink of collapse, the cultivators inside could be directly teleported to another Mountain Protection Array through the Teleportation Array embedded within. Even if all the outer arrays were breached, the Mountain Protection Array enveloping the Green Cloud Cave could still impede the Hou Corpse Cave demons’ offensive!

In addition, Shen Mo and Immortal Master Daoxuan did not sit idly by; they constantly moved in and out of the big arrays, engaging the Class V great demons from the Hou Corpse Cave.

Therefore, although the battle between the two sides was extremely fierce from the start, very few cultivators or demons actually perished.

Instead, after a few days of fierce fighting at the beginning, the situation entered a stalemate...