The First Immortal of Destiny

However, everyone knew deep down that today’s events were inextricably linked to the Sunrise Peak Master.

Indeed, beyond the initial period of transition into the Mountain River Realm, the subsequent overt and covert struggles between the four Main Peaks, the Immortal forces, and the mundane forces were also fueled by him behind the scenes!

The only thing was, as the master of a peak, Tang Lv didn’t have to personally intervene in many matters. A slight hint of his intention was enough, and there would always be someone else taking the trouble to push things forward... Hence, he rarely left any traces, giving people no grounds to accuse him.

Unless Tang Lv admitted it himself, relying solely on conjecture was not enough to apprehend him under sect law.

Of course, Shen Mo could also use his superior Cultivation Realm to forcefully subdue him.

But doing so would turn his previous statements, and the sect’s laws and rules, into a colossal joke. This was contrary to his original intent!

Tang Lv saw this point, and his expression relaxed a bit. He laughed, ”Peak Master Shen, you’ve killed people and vented your anger. It’s about time you stopped.”

”When Patriarch Yuan emerges from seclusion, discussing with us a method to enter and exit the Dungeon is the most pressing matter at hand.”

”What do you think?”

As soon as those words were spoken, all the Sect Disciples present, including Sect Master Yuan Qingshi, looked towards Shen Mo.

Being trapped in the Mountain River Realm was a situation that made people truly desperate. Even those who had reached the Golden Core Realm could not get free. Now that Shen Mo had entered unscathed, it indicated he also had a way to leave, naturally making it everyone’s primary concern.

Who would have expected Shen Mo to shake his head, calmly stating, ”I have a method to bring all the disciples out, but for now, it is not urgent.”

”Now that the abscess has been lanced, how can we not eradicate the source of the disease?”

”Hall Master Jin?”

Jin Chinian, holding the Immortal Binding Rope, immediately acknowledged.

Then, Shen Mo continued to ask, ”According to sect regulations, what is the punishment for forcibly Soul Searching a fellow disciple?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Peak Master Tang Lv of Rising Sun Peak’s complexion drastically changed. Instantly, a mass of spirit light surged from him and transformed into an escaping light, heading towards the place where Patriarch Yuan Heming was in seclusion.

Before he could escape a short distance, Shen Mo let out a cold snort, unleashing a War Palm towards him.

Instantly, a lifelike Doumu Xie with bright, spirited eyes appeared beside the escaping light Tang Lv had transformed into. It let out a sharp cry and fiercely rammed its horn into Tang Lv.

The escaping light shattered, and Tang Lv’s figure plummeted to the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust.

With Shen Mo’s advancement to the Golden Core Realm, the power and effects of his various cultivation methods had increased severalfold. The Constellation Great Hand Seal was no exception. Its War Palm technique, derived from the Dou (Battle) Constellation of the Northern Black Tortoise’s Seven Constellations, could conjure a phantom of a Doumu Xie. It used its horn to gore others; any creature struck by it, if guilty of evil deeds, would immediately fall into a weakened state!

It was nearly impossible to find a being of pure goodness among the creatures in the world.

Thus, once struck by this Palm, even Golden Core Realm cultivators and Class IV powerhouses would be weakened for a time, let alone Tang Lv, who was merely half a step into the Golden Core Realm!

In the next moment, the Immortal Binding Rope, personally refined by Shen Mo, flew out, bundling up the fallen Tang Lv and dragging him back before the crowd.

After that, before Jin Chinian could answer, Shen Mo cast the Soul Searching Spell.

The massive and terrifying soul power, guided by the method recorded in the Divine Soul Contemplation Scripture, swept towards Tang Lv.

It had to be said that as the Sunrise Peak Master of the Riverside Sect, even though he had yet to condense a Golden Core, his soul was incredibly dense and solid, far surpassing those of the same Realm. It was not much inferior to that of slightly weaker Class IV creatures.

Alas, Tang Lv had first been struck by the Palm and was then bound by the Immortal Binding Rope, which imprisoned his soul and True Yuan. He was utterly unable to resist Shen Mo’s Soul Searching Spell.

A short while later, Shen Mo took out a jade slip, pressed it to his forehead, and engraved all the memories obtained from the Soul Search into it.

As he expected, Tang Lv had secretly committed numerous vile acts, not only during his time trapped in the Mountain River Realm, but even nefarious deeds performed before he became a Peak Master were uncovered. Some incidents were from so long ago that even Tang Lv’s own memories were somewhat blurred, but under the Soul Searching Spell, not a single detail was missed.

”Here. This should be enough to substantiate his crimes. Handle it according to sect regulations,” Shen Mo said, handing the jade slip to Jin Chinian.

At this moment, Jin Chinian, Sect Master Yuan Qingshi, the various Hall Masters, and the other senior members present all looked somewhat troubled.

Which cultivator didn’t have some dark secrets they desperately wanted to keep hidden? If Shen Mo could Soul Search a Peak Master today, what guarantee was there that such methods wouldn’t be used on others in the future?

Shen Mo understood this point perfectly. If their roles were reversed, he too wouldn’t want someone with a significantly stronger Cultivation Realm prying into his private thoughts.

Subsequently, he directed his gaze at Jin Chinian.

His meaning was clear: he wanted the Enforcement Hall Master to answer the question he had posed earlier.

Having just examined the jade slip in his hand, Jin Chinian was so astonished that he froze momentarily. Snapping back to his senses, he hurriedly replied, ”Reporting to the Patriarch, to use the Soul Searching Spell on a fellow disciple without cause, according to sect regulations, warrants the punishment of a thousand swords piercing the heart!”

”However, the Patriarch’s actions were justified. And judging from the memories within Peak Master Tang’s soul, he was not wronged.”

”So...”

Before he could finish, Shen Mo interrupted, ”No more excuses! I will accept the punishment of a thousand swords piercing the heart!”

This act served both as an example to others and as a means to uphold the authority of sect law. At the same time, it sent a signal to Sect Master Yuan, the various Hall Masters, and others: he would not treat his fellow sect members as mere tools, arbitrarily Soul Searching them to probe their memories. Otherwise, he himself would face the same cruel torment he faced today—a thousand swords piercing the heart!

Just then, Shen Mo’s expression flickered. He received a mental message from Patriarch Yuan Heming. After a brief exchange of Divine Senses, Patriarch Yuan Heming backed down and said no more.

A thoughtful expression flickered across Shen Mo’s face, soon replaced by a faint smile.

”Hall Master Jin, all Law Enforcement Disciples, I grant you five days to thoroughly investigate all violations of sect law that have occurred these past three years…”

”As for the outer disciples, we will deal with them after leaving the Dungeon. The investigation should focus on inner disciples, the elite disciples of the three Main Peaks, and other Spirit Sea Realm disciples.”

”After five days, I will undergo punishment along with them!”

Immediately, Jin Chinian, Shentu Gui, and the Enforcement Hall cultivators present stepped forward to receive the order. ”We shall humbly obey the decree!”

Having settled this, Shen Mo had initially intended to catch up with old acquaintances and friends, and share some tender moments with Zhao Lingyin. However, he couldn’t ignore the expectant gazes of Sect Master Yuan Qingshi and the others.

He asked Zhao Lingyin and the others to wait a moment, then conjured an escaping light and flew with Yuan Qingshi, the various Hall Masters, and the other high-ranking members towards the temporary council hall built within the Dungeon.

Patriarch Yuan Heming, clad in a red robe, his hair and beard completely white, had already ended his three-year seclusion and was waiting quietly at the entrance of the council hall.