The First Immortal of Destiny

”Fellow Daoist Shen, Lady Scarlet, this is the core area of our sect’s ancient ruins!” Fu Jianghuo pointed to the huge Formation in the center of the ruins and said expectantly to Shen Mo and Lady Scarlet. ”We have explored most of the outer area and have not found important places such as the sect’s Treasure Hall or cultivation method manuals. Based on this, these important locations must be within this area.

When deciphering the Formation, I hope you won’t hesitate to expend True Yuan!

On behalf of the Clear Heart Sect, I promise that once the task is completed, you can both take a copy of any cultivation method scrolls we find. If there are any magical treasures or spiritual items in the Treasure Hall that you like, you can also have first pick...”

Time flew by, and the Clear Heart Sect had been excavating this ancient sect’s ruins for several years.

During this time, Shen Mo and Lady Scarlet reached an agreement with the Clear Heart Sect. They helped the sect explore the periphery in exchange for keeping most of the discovered items, handing only a portion over to the sect.

The Clear Heart Sect’s amiable approach was not due to the kindness of Fu Jianghuo and the other high-ranking members, but a compromise born of necessity.

These ancient sect ruins were extremely vast, comparable in size to the entire territory of Caiyi Country.

Ordinary sects are usually built against mountains, but this sect’s grounds encompassed a large expanse of mountains and rivers. It could roughly accommodate tens of millions of disciples for their cultivation!

Furthermore, this ruin was not just protected by a single Mountain Protection Array. Instead, countless Formations and prohibitions covered it layer upon layer. Over countless years, these Formations and prohibitions had not collapsed but had evolved and intertwined with the graves of the ancient cultivators, gradually forming an incredibly complex and dangerous environment.

To reach the core area of the ruins and obtain this ancient sect’s most valuable heritage, one first had to clear away the dangers and hidden perils in the outer areas!

Relying solely on the Clear Heart Sect’s own strength, it was almost impossible to clear the peripheral obstacles and enter the core area before the ancient battlefield of immortals and demons completely vanished.

Therefore, besides Shen Mo and Lady Scarlet, the Clear Heart Sect also invited many cultivators who were on good terms with the sect’s high-ranking members to excavate together.

Once a Formation or prohibition was broken, the person who took the initiative could keep all the spoils; they only had to give the Clear Heart Sect some Spirit Stones or other spiritual items based on the value of the spiritual items they obtained.

What the Clear Heart Sect cared about was clearing the obstacles as quickly as possible to obtain the core wealth and inheritance of this ancient immortal sect.

A sect that can accommodate tens of millions of disciples must have an abundance of Spirit Stones, spiritual materials, finished magic artifacts, and so on in its Treasure Hall.

Not to mention the astonishing wealth of countless immortal magic and cultivation methods, and secret scrolls.

If the Clear Heart Sect can fully absorb this inheritance, its foundation would grow to a truly horrifying extent. They might even have a Heavenly Monarch-level figure emerge in the future, making them a top-notch immortal sect on par with the LiMountain Elixir Sect, the True Martial Hall, the Profound Invisible Sect, and other Nine Great Transcendent Sects.

Being able to copy the cultivation method manuals is also a great opportunity for me and the Riverside Sect.

However… When I previously used the Divination Treasure Mirror to calculate, I got a sign of great misfortune. I’m afraid this excavation of the ruins’ core won’t go smoothly!

As Shen Mo looked at the massive Formation enveloping hundreds of miles before him, he couldn’t help but mutter to himself.

From the notes and jade slips excavated so far, it can be ascertained that this ancient sect was called the Jade Flower Sect. In its prime, it had fourteen million disciples and three Heavenly Monarchs at the Divine Bridge Realm.

With such strength and scale, not to mention the Red Flame Zone, even in the Heaven Patrolling Zone, where the Immortal Path was far more prosperous, there wasn’t a single major immortal sect that could compare to it!

But such a huge and powerful ancient sect vanished overnight…

What was even stranger was that, judging from the state of the various relics, it seemed that the Jade Flower Sect did not suffer an external invasion, nor did it face a crisis that necessitated fleeing their location.

The Formations and prohibitions were intact everywhere. In many palaces and buildings, there were still numerous traces of the Jade Flower Sect disciples’ activities, such as cultivation, alchemy, forging, and drawing talisman scrolls. Then, as if they were suddenly swept away by some Great Divine Power, millions of cultivators disappeared without a trace!

What had happened to the cultivators of the Jade Flower Sect so many years ago was truly a mystery that Shen Mo struggled to fathom. Thinking about the hexagram, while he was hopeful, he also found himself on high alert!

BOOM!

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

The other Golden Core Realm cultivators from the Clear Heart Sect, as well as external experts like Shen Mo and Lady Scarlet, had boldly taken action, attempting to shake this core Formation.

Among them, an Elder from the Profound Invisible Sect was continuously calculating something with a Compass, intending to find the array core while the Formation was being attacked, so as to dismantle the Formation more easily.

This man was also a Formation master that the Clear Heart Sect had gone to great lengths to invite. In terms of Array Path accomplishment, he was one or two levels higher than Shen Mo!

Shen Mo had a thought, put on the [Chanjue] Destiny, and then launched the Void Sun Mouse phantom towards the great Formation.

This effort to break the prohibitions took over a month.

Under the command of the Profound Invisible Sect Elder, the cultivators either concentrated their bombardment on a certain part of the great Formation or spread out to shake the Formation individually, making it easier for this Array Path Grandmaster to find the array core when the Formation vibrated.

It had to be said that this person’s Array Path accomplishment was indeed extraordinary; he had successively found one hundred and eight array cores.

Shen Mo, relying on [Method Eye Candle Wisp], observed the Formation’s structure and the process of breaking it, gaining a lot of valuable experience.

The progress bar of the Array Path on his Destiny Panel surged significantly, bringing him to the threshold of promotion. It wouldn’t take long for him to step into the ranks of Grade IV Array Masters!

CRACK!

CRACK! CRACK!

The large Formation covering the core of the ruins fully manifested from its previously invisible state.

It was as if a colorful membrane had been shattered; numerous spiritual marks began to vanish, gradually disintegrating!

BOOM!

After a tremor that shook the earth and mountains, the huge Formation completely collapsed, revealing ancient and magnificent buildings to everyone.

In the next moment, Fu Jianghuo and the other Clear Heart Sect Elders, along with the Golden Core Realm external experts they had invited, all activated their escaping lights and rushed inside.

They weren’t rushing to fight over benefits, as it had already been agreed that both Clear Heart Sect members and the invited experts would receive significant rewards. Rather, after working for so long, everyone was eager to see the fruits of their labor!

However, at this moment, Shen Mo’s expression changed slightly; [Chanjue] Destiny began to warn him frantically.

Immediately, his sense swept out, and he transmitted his voice through Divine Sense, sternly warning the Golden Core Realm cultivators who were flying into the core of the ruins.

However, even though he hadn’t delayed for a moment, he was still a step too late!

BANG!

BANG! BANG!

Each escaping light, as if suddenly drained of all True Yuan, instantly lost its radiance. The people inside fell straight from the sky, plummeting heavily onto the ground. They either shattered white jade slabs or crashed into the mountain rock, stirring up clouds of dust.

With the physical strength of a Golden Core Realm powerhouse, even a fall from a high altitude would not cause any injury.

However... the danger here was far more than just disabling their escaping lights!