The First Immortal of Destiny

BOOM!

The moment Shen Mo entered the chaotic region of Space-Time turbulence, a fragmented corpse of a demonic beast charged towards him.

Even though half of its body had been shredded by spatial rifts, leaving only the upper half, it still seemed as monumental as a mountain. It continually leaked pure Demonic Aura, signaling that it must have been a Class IV Demon King during its lifetime.

”Universal Wrath Tide!”

The Demon Slaying Sword unleashed a torrent of majestic sword Qi, surging like a furious tide towards the demonic beast’s corpse. In an instant, the corpse was pulverized into countless minute particles of dust, which were then scattered by the winds stirred up by the sword Qi.

All that remained in its original place was a bright yellow, yet somewhat dim, Demon Core.

Shen Mo reached out and seized it. After a quick inspection, he stored it in his Universe Bag.

Although this Demon Core was a remnant of a Class IV Demon King, its origin power was severely depleted and therefore of little value.

However, every little bit counts. Shen Mo, who cultivated the Dragon Elephant Blood Fiend Body, could absorb its residual power and convert it into his own blood essence primality. This could save him one or two Elixirs needed for bolstering his Qi and blood.

Before he could take a good look at his surroundings, his [Danger Perception] Destiny began frantically warning him.

A massive spatial rift, with countless smaller rifts extending from it like a towering tree, barreled towards Shen Mo from behind.

Its speed was a third faster than even Immortal Arts or Sword Light, making it incredibly difficult to anticipate!

In an instant, Shen Mo waved his sleeve, withdrawing the Bronze Phoenix Cart. With a flick of his Demon Slaying Sword, he sent out a streak of Sword Light. Just as the edge of the rift was about to graze him, his figure vanished from the spot.

Only a moment later, he reappeared over a hundred li away, at the location marked by his Demon Slaying Sword.

Although this perilous land is part of the sea, the cultivators of the Heaven Patrolling Zone call it the ’River of the Dead’. The name has a strikingly similar ring to the ’Immortal Burial Sea’!

From what Shen Mo had heard during his time fleeing in the Heaven Patrolling Zone, and from the information Yu Yan had brought back, it was known that this River of the Dead had not appeared after the world’s drastic changes but had existed in the western sea of the Heaven Patrolling Zone since ancient times.

For tens of thousands of years, the remains of creatures, fragments of magic treasures, extraordinary organs of demonic beasts, cultivation methods, jade slips, and other items had been drifting out of the River of the Dead.

Most were creatures from this world or other realms. However, because Space-Time here was so chaotic, it was difficult to determine when they had died or why they had ended up in the River of the Dead.

If there were intact, well-dressed human corpses, one might be able to deduce a thing or two from their attire.

It was said that the corpses floating in the River of the Dead could be traced back as far as thirty thousand years.

While other remains from tens of thousands of years ago would have long decayed into dust, within the chaotic Space-Time of the River of the Dead, some ancient human and demonic beast corpses looked as if they had only just perished.

Because of Yang Chengxiong, a disciple of the Taiyi Sword Alliance, and the Demon Soul General, Horse Groom Lv, Shen Mo had been pursued by Golden Core Realm powerhouses from the Heaven Patrolling Temple for a long time after entering the Heaven Patrolling Zone through a Teleportation Array. Thus, he had no opportunity to personally visit the other side of the River of the Dead in the western sea.

According to Yu Yan, there were over a million cultivators from the Heaven Patrolling Zone on the ”banks” of the River of the Dead. They made a living by salvaging drifting fragments of magic treasures, demonic beast remains, damaged jade slips, and other ”trash,” forming a massive and profitable industry within the Heaven Patrolling Zone.

He and Yuan Jing, after enduring countless hardships and escaping the River of the Dead, had once joined a ”trash”-collecting team, earning cultivation resources this way.

The River of the Dead is so dangerous. Yu Yan and Peak Master Yuan were lucky their emergence point wasn’t far from the western sea of the Heaven Patrolling Zone; otherwise, they would have just become two more dried skeletons in the river.

Shen Mo’s sense spread out over a thousand li.

As far as his eye could see, dense, intersecting spatial rifts, like a vast fishing net, were everywhere. They were erratic and unstable; one moment a rift might be a thousand li away, and the next, it could be tearing towards him.

Fragmented corpses of humans and demonic beasts also drifted within them, appearing ancient and desolate.

As for the temporal turbulence, it could not be directly discerned by sense. One could only indirectly infer whether the flow of time in an area was abnormal by observing the ”trash” floating within it.

For example, if a fresh human or demonic beast corpse suddenly decayed into white bones, or even rotted away completely in a mere instant, this would clearly indicate an abnormal flow of time here.

Alternatively, if clothing and adornments appeared extremely ancient, yet looked as if their owner had just perished, that too would be abnormal!

However, after activating his [Dharma Eyes] Destiny, Shen Mo could perceive more information than ordinary people, allowing him to better evade the surrounding chaotic temporal forces.

...

RUSTLE!

A towering tree sprouted from behind Shen Mo, its branches swaying, blocking the chaotic temporal currents sweeping over from all directions.

In just the blink of an eye, a vast number of its leaves, as if eroded by the passage of long ages, rapidly withered, turning yellow and sere, then fluttered down.

However, propped up by this towering tree, the temporal turbulence, which had seemed like a sealed prison, revealed several gaps.

Essence Light flashed in Shen Mo’s eyes. He immediately slashed out with a Sword Light towards one of the gaps, then activated [Sword Escape], breaking out of the encirclement of temporal turbulence.

Just moments before, to evade several spatial rifts, he had used his [Sword Escape] Skill to instantly travel over a hundred li, only to unexpectedly materialize in an area permeated by invisible and intangible chaotic temporal currents.

If not for the warning from his [Danger Perception] Destiny, Shen Mo feared he would have already been engulfed by the temporal turbulence and died from the exhaustion of his Lifespan!

To make matters worse, spatial rifts were surging in from behind, sealing off his retreat.

Forced into a corner, Shen Mo had no choice but to have Mi activate the Mother Tree’s green leaf, resorting to the defensive Immortal Law that manifested as a towering tree!

The tree-like Immortal Law could not nullify the temporal turbulence. However, as the two forces collided, Shen Mo, using his [Dharma Eyes], could identify the weakest points in the temporal forces.

Once Shen Mo escaped, he found that his Demon Slaying Sword carried a trace of ancient weariness.

As for himself, he had aged three years in an instant!

Thank goodness… After forming the Golden Core, I have a lifespan of a thousand years. Losing three years isn’t a debilitating blow.

But I need to be more cautious from now on!

Otherwise, I will needlessly lose a lot of Lifespan, damage my Dao Body, and ultimately cause irreversible effects on my cultivation.

With a solid foundation, the younger a cultivator is, the easier it is to cultivate.

Take Yuan Jing, for example. He possessed a cultivation at the peak of the Spirit Sea Realm, was about 150 years old, and had a Lifespan of roughly 500 years.

Relatively speaking, his Dao Body and soul were in a state comparable to that of a thirty-year-old in their prime!

If he were caught in chaotic temporal currents and instantly aged by fifty to sixty years, besides a sharp decrease in his Lifespan, it would be as if he had suddenly gone from thirty to forty. His condition would be far worse than before, making it even more difficult for him to achieve the Golden Core Realm in the future.

It is for the same reason that the core disciples of the Riverside Sect are required to open their Spirit Sea before turning forty.

The younger one is, the better their cultivation state, and the greater their potential!

And any lost Lifespan, unless one advances a major Realm and their life essence undergoes a significant sublimation, cannot be recovered.

If Shen Mo wanted to achieve the Heavenly Monarch realm, he absolutely had to pay attention to the chaotic temporal currents around him and try his utmost to avoid losing Lifespan!

After the preceding crisis, Shen Mo became even more cautious. In addition to utilizing his Special Destiny, he also dispersed low-class Demon Soul Generals around him to scout for dangers within Space-Time.