The First Immortal of Destiny

Chapter 211: Chapter 211: Li Zhong of Stars Peak_1

Tianshan City.

Ten miles to the southwest.

A surge of sword Qi erupted from the ground. As dirt and rocks flew, a deep, well-like hole appeared in the earth.

Immediately, two figures on flying swords shot out from the opening, one after the other.

It was Shen Mo and Zhao Lingyin.

After four Shichens of arduous digging, they had finally reached the vicinity of Tianshan City.

Along the way, the Heavenly Demon Wan Wu had been tenaciously pursuing them.

Zhao Lingyin led the way, while Shen Mo, from behind, repeatedly blocked their path by collapsing the stone tunnel, narrowly preventing them from being overtaken.

During their journey, they even stumbled upon an underground tomb palace.

The tomb chamber was immense, guarded by layers of prohibitions on the outside. It must have been the burial site of some powerful expert.

However, with the demon head hot on their heels, Shen Mo didn’t even release his Spirit Storage Rat to investigate inside.

About half an hour ago, Shen Mo had received a talisman message from Lu Ming. It stated that powerful cultivators from the Five Great Sects had arrived with a large contingent of disciples and had joined the battlefield.

This allowed Shen Mo to breathe a sigh of relief.

Even with the Teleportation Array saving them travel time, the ability of the Five Great Sects to organize their forces so quickly and rush to Tianshan Mountain to slay demons indicated that the Red Flame Country had not suffered a large-scale demon calamity.

Subsequently, using the group feature of his Sound Transmitting Talisman, Shen Mo contacted a senior brother from Stars Peak who was at the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm.

Senior Brother Li Zhong should be nearby!

Shen Mo activated his Flawless Dharma Eye and scanned his surroundings. He soon spotted three streaks of light flying in their direction.

WHOOSH!

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

A moment later, three immortal sect disciples halted their flying swords and landed before Shen Mo and Zhao Lingyin.

”Junior Brother Mo, it’s wonderful that you’re unharmed!”

”To sweep aside the disciples of other immortal sects and even break the record set by Fairy Pei Yu—with such talent and strength...”

”If you had fallen to that demon head, the Peak Master would have gone berserk.”

The one leading them was Li Zhong, an inner disciple of the Riverside Sect and an elite of Stars Peak who had cultivated to Layer IX of the Qi Gathering Realm.

He was powerfully built, with a broad face and large ears. His eyes, though not overly large, were bright and full of spirit.

He wasn’t wearing the sect’s formal attire, only a simple suit of leather armor.

His two brawny arms were bare, giving him a remarkably rugged and uninhibited appearance.

Like Senior Sister Yao Ting, Shen Mo had met this Senior Brother Li at a disciple gathering on the peak and had a vivid memory of him.

”Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother Li! And these two are...” Shen Mo quickly offered his respects, interrupting Li Zhong’s ceaseless chatter.

Li Zhong smacked his lips, as if he hadn’t finished speaking.

Then, he turned and began making introductions for Shen Mo.

”These two are friends of mine from outside the sect!”

”This is Shangguan Jie, a disciple of the Heaven Sword Sect, at Layer VIII of the Qi Gathering Realm. His swordplay is exceptionally sharp!”

Shen Mo greeted him accordingly.

However, Shangguan Jie seemed to hold considerable prejudice against him, merely offering a cold snort—a very impolite gesture.

Shen Mo didn’t take it to heart.

After all, not long ago, he had thoroughly defeated Meng Sanchi, the prodigy of the Heaven Sword Sect. This caused the Heaven Sword Sect to only rank third in the Tianshan Mountain rankings.

”And this is Song Fang, a disciple from the Profound Moon School!”

”Don’t let her Qi Gathering Layer VII cultivation fool you; her strength is not to be underestimated. She excels in the art of formations.”

”We absolutely need her to deal with the Second-order Pinnacle Heavenly Demon!”

Song Fang of the Profound Moon School, unlike Shangguan Jie, was amiable. She smiled and returned Shen Mo’s greeting.

Just after introducing his two friends to Shen Mo and Zhao Lingyin, Li Zhong suddenly grinned, pointing at Shen Mo, and said to Shangguan Jie and Song Fang with great pride, ”This is Shen Mo!

”An inner disciple from my Riverside Sect, Stars Peak.

”A few Shichens ago, he defeated the prodigies of other immortal sects...

”When climbing the Tianshan Mountain stone steps, he ascended seven hundred and thirty-six steps in one go!

”Do you know what this means? Fairy Pei Yu back then...”

Before Li Zhong could finish, a fierce palm strike from Song Fang landed on the back of his head.

CLANG!

The impact sounded as if her palm had struck a thick iron bell.

Li Zhong’s head didn’t even wobble, but he knew Song Fang disapproved and sheepishly shut his mouth.

At this point, Shen Mo roughly understood why Shangguan Jie regarded him so coldly. It seemed this Senior Brother Li had been diligently sowing discord along their journey! Every sentence he uttered managed to poke at the sore spots of the Heaven Sword Sect and the Profound Moon School. The fact that Shangguan Jie and Song Fang had tolerated it until now probably just meant they couldn’t defeat Li Zhong!

Thankfully, Song Fang’s slap had cut short Li Zhong’s incessant boasting.

Shen Mo seized the opportunity to quickly update them on Heavenly Demon Wan Wu’s situation.

Next, Song Fang nodded to the group.

She then began to plant small flags around the well’s opening, connecting them with a golden Spiritual Liquid.

Li Zhong and Shangguan Jie also positioned themselves near the opening, awaiting the appearance of Heavenly Demon Wan Wu.

Seeing their methodical preparations, Shen Mo finally felt a measure of reassurance.

Though he knew Li Zhong, he wasn’t deeply familiar with his character. He certainly hadn’t known this Senior Brother Li was so ”unrestrained”!

Shen Mo turned to the beautiful woman beside him and said with a smile, ”Senior Sister Lingyin... Ahem... I need to help Senior Brother Li and the others deal with the demon head!

”Lingyin, head back to Tianshan City first, so you don’t get caught in the battle!

”After we slay this Heavenly Demon, I will find you in the city.”

Zhao Lingyin’s cheeks flushed slightly, but her eyes, shimmering like a celestial lake, were incredibly clear and bright.

She nodded, then took a jade box from her Universe Bag and pressed it into Shen Mo’s hand.

Shen Mo opened the jade box. Inside were several Elixir bottles, all Grade III Elixirs for restoring Mana and nourishing the soul. There were even five Exorcism Origin Pills for eliminating pill’s poison!

A quick count revealed thirty to forty pills in total!

Earlier, while they were tunneling underground, she hadn’t allowed Shen Mo to consume Grade II Elixirs.

She had said that high-grade Elixirs had better effects and their pill’s poison was easier to eradicate.

Then she had taken out over twenty Grade III Elixirs for Shen Mo to consume.

Now that she was returning to Tianshan City, she had taken out all the Grade III Elixirs she possessed.

Shen Mo couldn’t help but smile bitterly. ”Are you trying to fatten me up like a pig?”

”I still have over ten Elixirs left. You should take these Elixirs and exchange them for magic artifacts...”

Shen Mo paused, his words trailing off. He originally intended to say that with the impending demon calamity, the world was becoming increasingly unsettled. He wanted Zhao Lingyin to exchange for more powerful magic artifacts, magic arts, and martial arts skills to significantly enhance her strength. But on second thought, he realized she wasn’t lacking such external items at all.

The emerald jade sword in Zhao Lingyin’s hand was a top-grade profound level Flying Sword, and it even possessed the ’Life-snatching’ Sword Intent.

The swordplay she occasionally displayed was also a top-tier magic art from the sect, of a grade far surpassing his Supreme Clarity Sword Technique.

In her Mind Sea, the Treasure Soul Cauldron protected her soul; it vaguely surpassed the profound level, possessing a hint of a Spiritual Artifact’s aura.

Furthermore, her seemingly ordinary Alchemist robe was also a top-grade profound level magic robe.

The auspicious cloud boots on her feet, the jade belt around her waist, and even the red silk ribbon used to tie her hair were all high-grade magic artifacts.

She possessed a top-grade Alchemy Cauldron and even several types of Earthly Fire...