The First Immortal of Destiny

Chapter 468: Chapter 468: A Surge of Desires_1

The vast nature’s spiritual energy surged into Shen Mo’s body like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea.

With the enhancement of the ”Flawless” Skill, all the Poisonous Demonic Qi and turbid filth contained in the Spiritual Qi were expunged. So much of it accumulated around him that The Smallest Space filled with a colorful, nebulous fog, creating a dreamlike scene!

Although the colors were beautiful, they were a concentration of Poisonous Demonic Qi and Gu Cancer. A mere touch by an ordinary person would cause their flesh to rot and bring instant death!

Even while breaking through, Zhao Lingyin couldn’t compete with Shen Mo in absorbing nature’s spiritual energy. The Elixir she had taken beforehand failed to supply the vast amount of Mana required to open her Spirit Sea.

Once the Spiritual Qi was cut off, her aura instantly weakened, showing signs of a failed breakthrough and a regression in her Realm...

Upon seeing this, Shen Mo dared not delay.

He opened his mouth and inhaled the Primal Spirit from a one-foot radius around him. Instead of refining it into his own True Yuan using the ”Mixed Yuan Qi Technique,” he circulated it once through his Dao Body and exhaled it directly. It flowed into Zhao Lingyin’s mouth like a stream from a spring.

The drastic change in the Spiritual Qi environment caused Zhao Lingyin some discomfort. Her brows furrowed, she made a soft, nasal sound of distress, and her pretty face flushed an abnormal red.

Soon, however, her complexion returned to normal, and she instinctively began to refine the Primal Spirit into her own True Yuan!

A moment later, the nature’s spiritual energy surging into The Smallest Space suddenly cleared. Although it still contained some poisonous and turbid qi, it had returned to the typical level found in the cultivation world of the Red Flame Country.

Shen Mo realized Ming Yu had already returned to their temporary dwelling with The Smallest Space.

At this point, Shen Mo was no longer needed as a protective magic treasure. However, he was concerned that the repeated environmental changes would affect Zhao Lingyin’s breakthrough.

Therefore, he did not stop. He continued to act as a transfer point for the Spiritual Qi, relying on his higher Cultivation Realm and the ”Flawless” Skill to provide Zhao Lingyin with a continuous supply of pure Primal Spirit!

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Mo suddenly sensed a faint aroma of spiritual medicine emanating from deep within Zhao Lingyin’s Dao Body and soul.

He had smelled this kind of fragrance more than once...

This time, however, it was more distinct, more alluring—even making Shen Mo’s mouth water, as if a spiritual medicine with millennia of potency lay before him!

In a sense, neither Shen Mo nor Zhao Lingyin were ordinary mortals anymore.

This was especially true for Shen Mo. Possessing multiple Skills, his extraordinary qualities far surpassed those of ordinary people. With the ”Spirit Devouring” Skill, he could even chew and swallow tough Spirit Stones to absorb their Spiritual Qi; anything containing spiritual essence could become his sustenance.

This unexpected ’appetite’ was also influenced by the ”Spirit Devouring” Skill. It was one of the Six Desires: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and thought.

Living beings are plagued by these Six Desires at every moment!

The difference was that a cultivator’s Six Desires were even more intense, requiring an unshakeable Path Heart to coordinate and suppress them.

If these desires controlled them, sooner or later, they would fall onto an evil path, becoming an evil cultivator—a demon head acting solely on personal preference and desire!

Immediately, Shen Mo focused his mind, intending to use his ”Carefree” sword intent to sever this abnormal desire...

Who would have thought that even as his sword intent radiated intensely, this desire was not only unsevered but grew stronger. It even evolved from a simple desire for taste into numerous complex desires!

He longed for Zhao Lingyin’s myriad charms, yearned to hear her melodious voice, desired to hold her and feel her soft, warm jade-like body... All sorts of sensual thoughts arose, impossible to sever, impossible to untangle.

What’s happening? With my Path Heart’s level, how can I be so helplessly mired in these desires?

Amidst the burgeoning distracting thoughts, Shen Mo still maintained a thread of clarity in his soul and could not help but question himself deeply!

His gaze somewhat hazy and lost, he looked at Zhao Lingyin. He found that at some unknown point, she had opened her eyes. They were filled with shyness and charm, bewitchingly alluring... Her state was hardly better than his own.

Instantly, Shen Mo knew he had been affected by Zhao Lingyin’s breakthrough!

When a cultivator breaks through a major Realm, they often encounter the ’Three Disasters and Six Tribulations.’ A Heart Demon stirring trouble and a profusion of distracting thoughts are common hurdles.

Originally, Zhao Lingyin’s Path Heart was dedicated to the Alchemy Path, and her cultivation had progressed smoothly.

However, Shen Mo’s appearance had caused a slight crack in her Path Heart. Over time, this crack not only failed to mend but grew larger!

Ordinarily, this would not have been a major issue. However, during the opening of the Spirit Sea, many past unresolved matters would erupt simultaneously.

At this moment, Zhao Lingyin’s affection for him had become a major obstacle to her breakthrough.

In such a situation, she would either fail to open her Spirit Sea, and they would later need to address and resolve these feelings—for instance, by becoming Dao companions early on, enjoying the pleasures of intimacy, and then attempting the breakthrough again after some time;

Or, she would have to use great wisdom and willpower to see through the fog of desire and forcibly overcome this difficult pass...

Shen Mo, in order to provide Zhao Lingyin with a better environment for her breakthrough, had acted as a conduit for Spiritual Qi. In doing so, his own vital energy had inadvertently become closely linked with hers!

And as it happened, Shen Mo also held deep affection for Zhao Lingyin... Thus, it was like a dry tinder pile meeting a spark; it instantly burst into flames, difficult to extinguish by ordinary means.

If Zhao Lingyin had already successfully opened her Spirit Sea, Shen Mo wouldn’t need to be overly concerned; he could have simply gone with the flow and indulged in romance with her.

But at this moment, she was at the critical point of her breakthrough...

If she succumbed to these desires and distracting thoughts, this breakthrough would undoubtedly end in failure!

Furthermore, if she tried to open her Spirit Sea again in the future, today’s events would become a huge flaw in her Path Heart, and the difficulty of breaking through would increase exponentially.

”My love...” Zhao Lingyin murmured, her eyes hazy. Her delicate body, fragrant with spiritual medicine, fell into Shen Mo’s embrace.

At this point, Shen Mo was on the verge of complete surrender, but the final thread of clarity in his soul allowed him to barely execute the Heart Palm!

A lifelike phantom of the Heart Moon Fox entered each of their bodies. The Heart Palm, a technique associated with the Eastern Azure Dragon Stars, has the power to suppress the Heart Demon.

Zhao Lingyin’s expression cleared momentarily, but she quickly reverted to her previous state, obviously still deeply ensnared...

Shen Mo, on the other hand, shuddered. The desires and distracting thoughts in his mind calmed considerably. Simultaneously, his past experiences—cultivating, seeking the Path, practicing the sword, slaying enemies, and more—flashed through his mind like scenes in a revolving lantern!

He would use his past experiences, his state of mind, and his realizations to question his own heart, to interrogate his very self!

The ”Carefree” sword intent permeating his being also began to resonate with this resolve. His will, like a blade, constantly strove to sever all distracting thoughts, seeking to restore clarity to the lake of his heart.

SWISH!

SWISH! SWISH!

Outsiders could not hear it, but Shen Mo could perceive the desires in his heart being constantly cut down by his heart sword, like weeds.