The First Immortal of Destiny

In the premonitory image from the [Danger Perception] Destiny, no matter how Shen Mo resisted, he was unable to shake this jade pillar-like finger! Even leaving a trace on its surface was impossible. The final image was one of endless void and deathly silence. It signaled that both his Dao Body and soul would be crushed by this finger, resulting in his death and the extinction of his path!

So it has finally come?

Faced with the danger of annihilation, Shen Mo’s expression didn’t change much. He had foreseen this worst outcome when he discovered that a True Immortal was backing the Demon of Hou Corpse Cave. This True Immortal hadn’t revealed his presence when Hou Corpse Cave was destroyed but chose to act against him only now, which Shen Mo found somewhat surprising.

Before the premonitory image could manifest, Shen Mo fully activated the [Sword Escape] Skill!

「...」

Near a mountain several times larger and grander than Five Dragon Mountain, the somewhat battered Demon Slaying Sword, enveloped in Starfall Sword Light, sped towards it!

At this moment, the Demon Slaying Sword let out a joyous cry. Shen Mo’s figure appeared where the flying sword was. He reached out and grasped the Demon Slaying Sword once more.

Over the years, Shen Mo had constantly consumed his Lifespan and fortune, using the Divination Treasure Mirror to predict the outcomes of his choices. Almost all divinations had shown signs of great calamity. However, his last divination, a month ago, indicated that heading northwest would allow him to find good fortune amidst danger!

From Daoxuan Immortal Master, master of Azure Heaven Cave, Shen Mo learned that the Myriad Great Mountains, where Five Dragon Mountain was located, were in the desolate southeastern region of the continent. The closer one journeyed to the northwest, the more prosperous the Immortal Path became.

After Shen Mo finished reverse-refining the Green Cloud Fairyland, he had already intended to travel to a land where the Immortal Path flourished. Coupled with the divination’s guidance, he quickly made his decision. He activated the [Sword Escape] Skill ahead of time, allowing the Demon Slaying Sword, carrying a wisp of Clear Spirit Qi, to depart from Five Dragon Mountain and fly northwest!

Once the Demon Slaying Sword had flown a certain distance, Shen Mo’s connection with this Life-bound Flying Sword grew faint. The remainder of the journey could only be continued under the guidance of the Demon Slaying Sword Spirit’s own gnosis.

Along the way, the Demon Slaying Sword encountered many dangers. Several times, it was nearly forcibly seized, became trapped in perilous forbidden lands from which escape was almost impossible, and endured attacks while passing through the cultivation grounds of powerful experts, among other dangers.

Fortunately, the Demon Slaying Sword Spirit had mastered all the Sword Path cultivation methods Shen Mo knew. It had also advanced to become a high-grade spiritual level magic artifact. With Clear Spirit Qi providing it ample Mana, the Demon Slaying Sword ultimately overcame various crises and flew tens of thousands of miles!

Just moments ago, Shen Mo had foreseen the mortal danger with [Danger Perception] and immediately triggered the latent [Sword Escape] Skill, instantly teleporting to this location.

”Daddy...Daddy...” The Demon Slaying Sword trembled continuously, the Sword Spirit calling out joyfully through their mental connection.

”You’ve worked hard!”

Shen Mo quickly praised the Demon Slaying Sword Spirit, then reached out, retracting it into his Dantian for nourishment.

His attention returned to the Destiny Panel; [Danger Perception] had ceased reacting. The jade pillar-like finger from before, seemingly unshakeable and invulnerable, now felt like an illusion.

Even a True Immortal is not omnipotent or omnipresent!

The Demon Slaying Sword painstakingly flew tens of thousands of miles. If even that couldn’t evade his finger-crushing attack, it would be too much. A trace of relief appeared in Shen Mo’s eyes. He then quickly took out numerous Elixirs for healing and nourishing the soul, stuffing them all into his mouth.

Even though he had entered the Divine Bridge Realm, where his Essence and Qi had become one, and his soul was as robust and formidable as his Dao Body, using the [Sword Escape] Skill to teleport tens of thousands of miles at once had still pushed his soul to the brink of collapse.

Currently, Shen Mo was only managing to keep his soul from disintegrating by using Soul Magic and allowing it to be nourished by the ”Essence” and ”Qi” within his Mana.

To fully recover would require at least half a year of dedicated effort!

After swallowing the Elixirs, the Scorching Sun Soul Phase in his Mind Sea blazed with light, and the pure soil of Green Cloud Peak was restored to its original state. Only then did Shen Mo have the leisure to survey his surroundings.

He was still amidst continuous ranges of hills and high mountains, but the overall terrain was much gentler than that of the Five Dragon Mountain range, and the nature’s spiritual energy was also somewhat richer. The most striking feature, however, was a colossal mountain before him. While the other hills and mountains remained as vast and boundless as the entire realm, this mountain to the northwest was even larger and more magnificent than Five Dragon Mountain!

Vaguely visible on the great mountain’s southeastern slope, from its foot and mountainside up to even above the clouds at mid-level, sat numerous big arrays. Within these big arrays lay densely packed human kingdoms, cities, towns, and the gates of immortal sects. Countless tiny figures of cultivators and extraordinary creatures, emitting faint glows, darted about in the mountain’s forests, along its streams, through its ravines, and amidst its clouds, creating an exceptionally bustling scene.

Even with his five senses and spiritual sense, Shen Mo could not perceive the entirety of this mountain. Yet, this glimpse alone was enough to fill him with immense awe.

Summoning wind, rain, lightning, and thunder to enhance a Skill would be too conspicuous now. Thus, he refrained from activating the [Cloud Thunder Wing]. Instead, he directly employed the [Soar Cloud] Immortal Method, transforming into a streak of golden light and flying towards the foot of this great mountain.

However, when he was still a hundred thousand miles from the mountain’s base, the [Danger Perception] amulet he wore began to warn him frantically once more. The crisis image relayed to his mind was still that of the jade pillar-like Immortal’s finger crushing down on him!

Only an hour had passed from the moment he escaped the finger’s crushing assault to facing this same calamity again.

”Damn it!”

A flicker of terror appeared in Shen Mo’s eyes, but he quickly suppressed it, his expression becoming almost coldly calm.

This isn’t the previous attack following me. It’s that True Immortal behind Hou Corpse Cave! After the first attempt failed, they must have sensed my presence through some unknown means and struck again!

He didn’t launch a hysterical counterattack; the disparity in strength was far too great.

Before a True Immortal, Shen Mo, an early-stage Divine Bridge Realm expert, was as weak as an ant beneath a mortal’s finger—perhaps even less significant. After all, an ant could still wound the mortal intending to crush it with its mandibles. Yet, even if Shen Mo performed a Blood Sacrifice with the Soul Generals Array, even if he unleashed his most powerful strike using Sacrificial Magic, he couldn’t even break the skin of the True Immortal’s Finger!

Therefore, he instantly channeled all his energy into defensive measures. He slashed out with the Taiyi Sword and once again employed the [Sword Escape] Skill, hurtling towards the magnificent mountain before him. This mountain’s Immortal Path is so prosperous; there might be True Immortal-level figures here. The Divination Treasure Mirror showed a sliver of hope, a chance of survival, to the northwest. Perhaps it lies here!

Right now, even an extra instant, an extra thought’s worth of time, is precious.

As he continuously used [Sword Escape] to approach the mountain, Shen Mo activated the [Indestructible Body], raised the Green Cloud Umbrella, produced a defensive talisman, manifested the Palm Seal barrier, and deployed both The Big Dipper Array and the Demon Soul General Creation Array!