The First Immortal of Destiny

Shen Mo had traveled thousands upon thousands of miles to the Heaven Patrolling Zone with two main objectives.

The first was, naturally, to seek opportunities to strengthen his own foundation, thereby advancing his Cultivation Realm.

The second was to gain a deep understanding of the situation in the Heaven Patrolling Zone and, if conditions were favorable, lay the groundwork for the Riverside Sect’s eventual migration to this zone.

The former was undoubtedly the more important of the two.

In the cultivation world, sufficient strength could resolve nearly any intractable problem.

If Shen Mo possessed the power to overwhelmingly crush a Heavenly Monarch of the Divine Bridge Realm, he wouldn’t be facing such troubles now. He could simply relocate the Riverside Sect and then subjugate the Heaven Patrolling Temple.

If he were a Class VII existence, it went without saying that even the Soaring Serpent entrenched in the Linjiang Mountain Range would have been cooked into snake soup!

Of course, even with the Destiny Panel, cultivation was by no means an overnight endeavor, and he was currently incapable of forcing a solution through sheer power.

Especially after advancing to the middle-stage of the Golden Core Realm, his Cultivation Realm had all but stagnated.

His actual combat strength, however, was still increasing. After all, he possessed the [Martial Performance]Destiny, which allowed him to continue deepening his mastery in various magic and martial arts.

As for his auxiliary professions—alchemy, talisman crafting, artifact forging, and array formations—his progress was quite satisfactory. This was due to obtaining all the secret scrolls and collections of the Riverside Sect and benefiting from the uniquely advantageous environment of the Heaven Patrolling Zone.

[Destinied Lord: Shen Mo]

[Cultivation: Middle-stage Golden Core Realm]

[Talisman Path: Grade IV (7,163/9,000)]

[Alchemy Path: Grade V (1,185/12,000)]

[Forge: Grade V (495/12,000)]

[Array Path: Grade III (3,770/6,000)]

His Alchemy Path and Forging attainment had both reached Grade V; his Talisman Path was not far from Grade IV.

His Array Path was the sole exception. Apart from setting up formations on the Heaven Patrolling Boat House and constructing the Mountain Protection Array on Chong’a Mountain, he had few other opportunities to practice. Since advancing from Grade II to Grade III, his skills in this area had remained largely unused for a long time.

Only now do I truly understand the difficulties Patriarch Yuan and the others faced!

To watch time slip away while one’s cultivation level shows not the slightest increase… what a helpless feeling.

If only I could be like the Mutant Demon Soul General, continuously advancing my cultivation merely by devouring the flesh and blood of living creatures…

The moment this thought surfaced, Shen Mo became alert. He immediately formed hand seals and chanted an incantation, bolstering himself with the Azure Dragon Stars Heart Palm.

As the vivid and incredibly agile phantom of the Heart Moon Fox merged into his Daoist body and mind, Shen Mo’s thoughts instantly cleared. He then couldn’t help but shake his head and give a bitter smile.

The Path Heart shows the slightest flaw, and the backlash from the Soul Refining Flag immediately follows…

It truly tolerates no negligence whatsoever!

A Demon Soul General within the flag had advanced to Class IV, rendering this Evil Magic artifact even more uncanny and potent.

Although Shen Mo had restructured the Demon Soul General Sequence—using demons to control other demons and thereby greatly reducing its backlash power—it still exerted a subtle influence on him.

Whenever his cultivation stagnated and he grew impatient, this influence would exploit the opening, instilling Demonic thoughts in his mind…

If Shen Mo failed to notice this and allowed it to fester, his disposition would inevitably become twisted over time, a corruption of his true nature. He might even stray onto a malevolent path, eventually becoming an evil cultivator controlled by the Soul Refining Flag!

To keep one’s Path Heart as clear as a mirror, it always needs to be polished.

Suppressing the distracting thoughts in his heart, Shen Mo offered a middle-grade Spirit Stone to his [Martial Performance]Destiny, allowing the Martial Performance Body to continue cultivating magic and martial arts.

He himself then took out the Fire Chi Cauldron, the Green Lotus Flame, and various spiritual medicinal materials, and began the process of refining a batch of Grade V Elixirs.

「...」

With each grade increase in an Elixir, the time required for its refinement would multiply several times.

For instance, Zhao Lingyin needed only two to three Shichen to refine a batch of Grade II Elixirs, but crafting Grade III Elixirs required a full day and night of effort.

To refine Grade IV Elixirs, it was often necessary to go several days and nights without sleep!

Other Alchemists with lesser talent, spirit flames, or techniques than her took even longer to refine a batch of Elixirs.

Even if Shen Mo could use the Destiny Panel to instantly maximize his proficiency with Elixirs he had already learned, significantly reducing the refinement time, concocting a batch of Grade V Elixirs would still take ten to fifteen days.

In the half-year he had been residing on Wangxian Mountain, he had only managed to refine seven batches of Grade V Elixirs; most of his time was spent concocting Grade III and Grade IV Elixirs.

This was one reason why his progress in these auxiliary professions had slowed as he advanced to higher grades.

While he was engaged in alchemy, he would hang a ”Do Not Disturb” Jade tablet outside his cave mansion, informing any visiting cultivators or those seeking to purchase Elixirs that they would need to wait patiently.

One day, just as he completed the refinement of a batch of Grade V Dreamy Birth Pills and lifted the Prohibition around his cave mansion, a captivatingly sweet voice drifted in.

”Fellow Daoist Shen... Lady Scarlet has come to call. I hope you will grant me an audience!”

As Shen Mo extended his spiritual sense, he ”saw” a stunningly beautiful woman dressed in a vibrant red, feathered gown standing at the entrance to his cave mansion. Her eyes crinkled with a warm smile.

The cultivators seeking Elixirs, who had been waiting for Shen Mo to emerge from his seclusion, were unceremoniously pushed to one side, so intimidated they scarcely dared to breathe.

”So, it is Lady Scarlet gracing me with her presence! Your visit truly makes my humble cave mansion shine!” Shen Mo personally welcomed her inside and poured her some recently acquired high-grade spiritual tea.

Lady Scarlet, like Shen Mo, was a middle-stage Golden Core Realm cultivator.

She had been residing on Wangxian Mountain for over a century and owned numerous prosperous shops and businesses scattered throughout the market town’s immortal workshop.

Moreover, Lady Scarlet also possessed some knowledge of the Alchemy Path and was a Grade III Alchemist.

When Shen Mo first arrived at Wangxian Mountain, she had visited him.

As ”Master Shen’s” reputation in Elixir refinement gradually spread, her visits became more frequent, often to consult him on matters concerning the Alchemy Path.

Shen Mo, in turn, also frequently procured various spiritual materials and resources through her shops.

Through these repeated interactions, Shen Mo had become quite familiar with her, considering her one of the few friends he had on Wangxian Mountain who was at a similar cultivation level.

After spending a long time on Wangxian Mountain, Shen Mo had heard a few things about Lady Scarlet’s background.

Rumor had it that she was the mistress of a high-ranking figure within the LiMountain Elixir Sect, their involvement dating back to when she was still in the Spirit Sea Realm. Her successful advancement to the Golden Core Realm was said to be inseparable from the patronage of this influential individual from the LiMountain Elixir Sect.

Furthermore, many of the businesses and shops under her name were reportedly owned by that same high-ranking figure from the Elixir Sect; Lady Scarlet was merely managing them nominally on his behalf.

Due to this connection, while cultivators on Wangxian Mountain might whisper criticisms about her in private, they all outwardly treated her with a degree of reverence.

After all, Wangxian Mountain, this entire cultivator gathering place, fell under the jurisdiction of the LiMountain Elixir Sect!

Shen Mo, however, harbored no particular judgment towards her. Anyone capable of cultivating to the middle-stage Golden Core Realm was undoubtedly a paragon among their peers. In a place like the Red Flame Zone, such individuals could establish their own sects and be revered as founding patriarchs.

As for the kind of life she chose to live, as long as it didn’t adversely affect him, he wouldn’t presume to judge.

”Lady Scarlet, have you come today because you’ve encountered some difficulties in the Alchemy Path that you wish to discuss with me?” Shen Mo poured himself a cup of spiritual tea as well, inquiring as he savored its fragrance.

Lady Scarlet smiled enchantingly. When she spoke, her voice was so luscious and captivating it seemed to melt one’s very bones, a sound that ordinary people would find exceedingly difficult to resist.

”Lady Scarlet’s visit today isn’t about alchemy or anything of the sort!”