The First Immortal of Destiny

Chapter 389: Chapter 389 Victim and Apprentice_1

When the scene before him gradually faded, Shen Mo ”saw” Cao Ren’s soul materialize. At this moment, his soul was enveloped by a strange, clear light. Based on the implications of the previous images, Shen Mo did not think this was a bad thing.

”Shen Mo?”

Cao Ren, enveloped in the clear light, suddenly called out using his soul power.

Shen Mo responded with a thought. Then, he heard him continue, ”I’m sorry about what happened just now.”

”Thank you for the opportunity you brought me. This jade slip hides the legacy and some origin power of Senior Xiang Shengtian! Currently, he has accepted me as his Direct Disciple through the remnant of his soul left on the jade slip. Master Xiang... was also a victim of the [Transforming Dragon Curse]!”

”However, before he obtained this curse, he had already cultivated to the Golden Core Realm. Because his Realm had stagnated, he tried to cultivate this evil curse.”

”Accidentally, he discovered the truth behind this curse. While his soul entered the Qingming Zone, constantly advancing his Cultivation Realm, he was also deciphering its mysteries, gathering cultivation methods and exotic treasures from the world to combat the transformation power.”

Hearing this, Shen Mo couldn’t help but ask curiously, ”Did Senior Xiang succeed?”

From what he had just seen, it was clear that this senior, Xiang Shengtian, indeed possessed the ability to confront the spiritual treasure magic artifact, the Dragon Rearing Pool. His mind was clear, and he had not degenerated into a muddled dragon beast. Moreover, he wasn’t easily captured by the Dragon Rearing Pool; instead, he managed to damage it in several places. However, in the final scene, Xiang Shengtian was still clamped by a slender white pillar and thrown into the pool. He had no choice but to dive headfirst, crashing into the edge of the Dragon Rearing Pool and dying.

Cao Ren’s soul was silent for a moment before he transmitted his thoughts: ”Master... one could say he succeeded, but not entirely.”

”After countless years of arduous trials, by a stroke of fortune, he finally cultivated a strange Demonic Qi. This Demonic Qi replaced the True Yuan Mana in his body that had begun to transform. At the same time, he was able to maintain his gnosis and no longer continued to transform into a dragon beast.”

”But... just as you saw earlier.”

”The Dragon Rearing Pool still came after him, intending to capture and rear Master. By then, Master’s cultivation and strength had reached new heights; even the spiritual treasure magic artifact, the Dragon Rearing Pool, was no match for him. However, its owner, that terrifying existence that rears dragons for food... merely used a pair of chopsticks to beat Master so thoroughly he had no power to resist. Master had no choice but to die to escape the fate of being reared.”

”Even so, Master’s remains were still made into a delicious dish and consumed by the master of the Dragon Rearing Pool.”

Although Cao Ren’s tone was calm, Shen Mo detected the hatred and fear hidden in his words!

It’s not hard to understand. Anyone who learns of the malicious intent hidden within the [Transforming Dragon Curse] would hate its originator to the bone.

As for fear... even a peerless expert like Xiang Shengtian couldn’t escape the fate of becoming food. Even if Cao Ren received his legacy, his end might not be much better!

”If one stops cultivating the [Transforming Dragon Curse] and no longer transforms into a dragon, can they avoid being sought by the Dragon Rearing Pool?” Shen Mo asked with his Divine Sense.

”I’m afraid not!” There was a hint of helplessness in Cao Ren’s tone. ”After Master cultivated that strange Demonic Qi and stopped transforming, he never practiced this curse again!”

”For the first hundred years, things were peaceful! But later, the Dragon Rearing Pool still found Master without any warning.”

”After escaping this spiritual treasure’s capture for the first time, Master deliberately took in a few senior brothers and sisters who could cultivate the [Transforming Dragon Curse].”

”He only let them cultivate to the initial stage, then had them stop practicing this curse. He also taught them the method of cultivating the strange Demonic Qi to prevent their minds from being twisted and to stop them from involuntarily having their souls wander into the Qingming Zone!”

”Only a few decades later, those senior brothers and sisters were captured by the Dragon Rearing Pool one after another. They cultivated continuously in the Dragon Rearing Pool until they completely transformed into dragon beasts.”

”Several of the strange dragons my Master killed in the final battle were those very senior brothers and sisters transformed...”

Hearing this, Shen Mo couldn’t help but shudder.

So, even those who haven’t fully transformed into dragon beasts will be captured by the spiritual treasure magic artifact, the Dragon Rearing Pool. My previous attempt to cultivate the [Transforming Dragon Curse] was undoubtedly playing with fire!

My recent run of good fortune has made my mindset and actions considerably more reckless. I must take this as a warning and remain vigilant at all times in the future, to avoid capsizing in the gutter... Shen Mo reflected, silently admonishing himself.

At the same time, he was also relieved that he didn’t meet the conditions to cultivate the [Transforming Dragon Curse] and thus hadn’t unknowingly established a connection with the Dragon Rearing Pool. Otherwise, he might have been captured by the Dragon Rearing Pool long before his cultivation level was sufficient to contend with that unknown entity!

More than a Shichen passed after Shen Mo’s soul power withdrew from Cao Ren’s Mind Sea before Cao Ren finally opened his eyes.

At this time, his eyes had regained their clarity, drastically different from before, with no trace of hostility remaining.

Furthermore, Cao Ren’s cultivation had also advanced from Layer V of the Qi Gathering Realm to Layer VI. This was clearly due to the influence of Xiang Shengtian’s remaining origin power boosting his Realm.

Shen Mo didn’t immediately remove the Immortal Binding Rope. Instead, he used various methods to painstakingly verify multiple times that Cao Ren had indeed returned to normal.

Seeing this, Cao Shanyue was, as expected, moved to tears of gratitude in his thanks.

”Uncle Shanyue, there’s no need to thank me. It’s Cao Ren’s own good fortune,” Shen Mo said. As he spoke, he cast a Soul Curse, sending it into Cao Shanyue’s Mind Sea, almost erasing his soul memories concerning the [Transforming Dragon Curse].

Cao Ren watched from the side, not stopping Shen Mo’s actions.

He knew clearly in his heart that if Cao Shanyue inadvertently spread this method and endangered other disciples, the Riverside Sect would certainly not let the matter rest.

Only when Cao Shanyue fell unconscious, bleeding from his nose and mouth, did Shen Mo turn his head and ask, ”What are your plans?”

They hadn’t told Cao Shanyue the truth: once Cao Ren cultivated the [Transforming Dragon Curse], he was destined for a future calamity!

”I’ll continue cultivating this curse!”

Cao Ren sighed, but his expression quickly became resolute again.

”Either way, even if I stop cultivating the [Transforming Dragon Curse], I ultimately can’t escape capture by the Dragon Rearing Pool. The only way is to continue to have my soul enter the Qingming Zone and keep increasing my strength... so that when that day comes, I’ll have the power to contend with it! Rather than live in constant fear in the Qi Gathering Realm, I’d rather be like my Master: if the Dragon Rearing Pool comes for me, I’ll smash a few holes in it. That way, I won’t have wasted Master’s legacy!”

Afterward, Cao Ren transcribed the method his Master, Xiang Shengtian, had used to cultivate the strange Demonic Qi onto a jade slip and gave it to Shen Mo. This was a small compensation for his loss of the Blue Jade Slip.

However, this method could only be cultivated by those who had practiced the [Transforming Dragon Curse]. Thus, it wasn’t very useful to Shen Mo!