The First Immortal of Destiny

A secluded valley in the Spirit Deer Mountain Range. A grass hut, a Spirit Field, and a clear spring composed a picturesque and refreshing scene. This was Lady Yu’s secluded cultivation sanctuary!

Inside the hut, Shen Mo sat opposite Lady Yu. Spiritual tea and fruits were laid out on the table before them; he was essentially a guest of honor.

The Clear Spirit Qi he had previously shown Lady Yu was supremely pure and rich.

Although Zuoli Country also had its own ’Clear Spirit Qi,’ albeit by a different name, it was similar to the situation in the Primordial Realm. Their version, supposedly a top-grade spiritual item, consisted of mere wisps of pure Clear Spirit Qi heavily diluted with large amounts of the breath of Primal Spirit. The difference compared to Shen Mo’s pure sample was like night and day; it truly didn’t seem like an item from this realm.

This single strand of Immortal Qi alone made Lady Yu sixty percent convinced of Shen Mo’s claim of originating from the Immortal Realm.

Afterwards, Shen Mo showed her a large quantity of extraordinary spiritual materials and curiosities from the Universal Realm, the likes of which had never been seen in Zuoli Country.

With such compelling evidence, coupled with the undeniable uniqueness of his own existence, Lady Yu found herself compelled to believe even Shen Mo’s most outlandish claims. After Shen Mo assured her he meant no harm, Lady Yu invited him into her secluded grass hut.

Although the grass hut appeared exceedingly simple, the materials used in its construction were priceless immortal bamboo and spiritual grass, which significantly aided cultivation.

The spiritual tea and fruits served to Shen Mo were no ordinary fare either; they were the finest top-grade spiritual items in Zuoli Country!

”I found myself lost and ended up in this place, and I know very little about the cultivation world of Zuoli Country,” Shen Mo said, taking a sip of spiritual tea. ”May I ask, Fellow Daoist Yu, are there any cultivators in Zuoli Country who have reached the Formless Realm?”

As before, he dared not casually consume spiritual items from within the Evil Spirit’s domain; the spiritual tea he was currently drinking had been brought from the Outer Realm.

”Formless Realm cultivators?”

”I have never heard of such an existence, nor is there any record of it in the ancient texts,” Lady Yu replied.

”Someone like myself, already at the peak of this world’s cultivators and enjoying a lifespan of 3,000 years—this is the very state that millions of cultivators in Zuoli Country passionately pursue! Before meeting you, Fellow Daoist Shen, I didn’t even know what the Dao Realm above the Divine Bridge was called, much less what marvels it held.”

Lady Yu, her hands cultivated to a pure, jade-like whiteness, refilled Shen Mo’s cup. She appeared composed and graceful, yet her tone betrayed an excitement she could hardly suppress.

”Oh...”

A faint, meaningful smile touched Shen Mo’s lips as he continued, ”Since Fellow Daoist Yu is already among the most powerful in this mortal realm, why not leave Zuoli Country and explore other places? Perhaps you could experience different vistas, and your cultivation level might ascend to new heights.”

Though they were conversing casually, Shen Mo was, in fact, trying to understand the worldview of a native powerhouse like Lady Yu, and her perception of this ’mirage.’

Perhaps, from a different perspective, he could discern a flaw in the Evil Spirit’s domain!

”Fellow Daoist Shen, please don’t jest. The territory of Zuoli Country already encompasses the very limits of heaven and earth; it is the entirety of the cosmos.”

”Haven’t you tried it, Fellow Daoist? No matter which direction we travel at full speed, we eventually return from the opposite side. Even if we expend all our mana and fly straight beyond the Ninth Heaven, after ten days to half a month, we still find ourselves returning to the ground.”

”Besides detaching from this realm entirely, how could one possibly leave Zuoli Country to go elsewhere? If not for this, why would I be so overjoyed upon learning that you are from the Immortal Realm, Fellow Daoist? Ah, yes! What kind of world is this Immortal Realm you speak of, and how did you come to be here?”

Curiosity, excitement, anticipation, and apprehension, among other complex emotions, swirled in Lady Yu’s turquoise eyes. After her brief explanation, she eagerly posed the questions that had been weighing on her mind.

Shen Mo smiled faintly, not explaining how he had arrived in Zuoli Country. Instead, he directly began to describe what he had seen and heard after his Ascension to the Immortal Realm. He even occasionally engraved scenes of the Immortal Realm onto a jade slip for Lady Yu to peruse.

Through Shen Mo’s vivid descriptions, a boundless world teeming with powerful experts, dense immortal energy, and abundant spiritual materials gradually unfolded before Lady Yu.

Soon, Lady Yu’s mind was profoundly shaken, unable to compose herself. Her turquoise eyes rippled with endless fascination, and her expression became one of utter enchantment.

A vaster cultivation world, more profound cultivation methods and Daoist techniques, richer spiritual item resources, higher Cultivation Realms... These were temptations that anyone dedicated to cultivation and the pursuit of the Dao would find nearly impossible to resist!

Even though, in Shen Mo’s eyes and according to the judgment of ”Insight into All Beings,” Lady Yu was not a ’living creature’; however, under the rules and order of the Evil Spirit’s domain, she was indistinguishable from a true living creature. Naturally, she too would yearn for the Immortal Realm and seek ’breaking through and ascending’ at all costs!

Noticing the intensifying fervor in Lady Yu’s eyes, Shen Mo leisurely sipped his spiritual tea and fell silent.

At that, a look of wistful longing appeared on Lady Yu’s face. After composing herself, she made a deep bow to Shen Mo and sincerely inquired about the method of ’Ascension’!

The great undertaking is accomplished!

Shen Mo sighed inwardly, taking a long, relieved breath.

Prior to this, he had speculated that the Evil Spirit might impose some restriction on the Divine Bridge Realm Immortal Masters within its domain, preventing them from even conceiving the desire to leave.

Now, judging by Lady Yu’s reaction, it seemed he had overthought the matter.

Facing Lady Yu’s earnest inquiries, Shen Mo was in no rush to impart the method of ’refining forbidden land and perceiving and descending into other realms.’ Instead, he tactfully demurred with various excuses, skillfully stringing her along.

This wasn’t to say Shen Mo was being deliberately deceitful. Even the Tang monk, on his quest for the true scriptures, had to endure eighty-one tribulations. Though Shen Mo was no Buddhist cultivator, the underlying principle was similar.

If he were to impart the ’method of Ascension’ to Lady Yu too easily, she might become suspicious upon receiving it, questioning his true motives and the authenticity of the method, thereby creating unnecessary complications.

It wasn’t until a month later that Shen Mo, feigning to be moved by Lady Yu’s sincerity, ’inadvertently’ revealed that he did indeed possess the ’method of Ascension.’ However, he proposed a stringent condition: if Lady Yu wished to obtain this profound magic, she would have to exchange her Mechanic Path cultivation methods and techniques for it.

The Mechanic Path was a Trivial Path. Not only would creatures from other worlds fail to meet its cultivation requirements, but even those who mastered it could only unleash its considerable power within the ’Artificial Realm.’ Moreover, that realm had already completely withered and been absorbed into the Death Ghost Realm. In the Universal Realm or other worlds, this path and its methods were of mediocre strength, placing its practitioners a tier below even an average Immortal Master who had achieved a Great Path. Shen Mo had no intention of studying this path in depth.

Its greatest utility to him would be merely to enrich his experience and broaden his knowledge, offering only slight benefits to his future cultivation.

Shen Mo had proposed such a condition merely to create a plausible pretext, a way to keep Lady Yu invested while smoothly imparting the ’method of Ascension’ to her.