The First Immortal of Destiny-Chapter 603: Meeting Yang Chengxiong Again_1
Lady Scarlet and the others were seriously injured. However, Shen Mo had been measured in his use of force; their current injuries were primarily from the residual effects of the Sword Array.
Fortunately, before entering the ancient battlefield of immortals and demons, they had prepared commonly used Elixirs. After taking and refining them, it wasn’t long before they were mostly recovered.
However, their Universe Bags now each contained an extra bottle of spiritual Elixir gifted by Shen Mo. This inevitably made them extremely curious about what had truly transpired inside the Demon-Suppressing Tower...
After two days, the group once again boarded Lady Scarlet’s Fleeting Boat and headed towards the next fortuitous location!
Shen Mo sat cross-legged in the cabin, his consciousness connected through the Soul Refining Flag and the Soul Splitting Rune to the Demon Soul Generals he had released.
Originally, nearly two hundred Demon Soul Generals had been searching for various spiritual items and opportunities across a vast expanse, some over a thousand miles away and extending for tens of thousands of miles. Now, only just over a hundred remained, as almost half had "perished" in the various dangers of the ancient battlefield or been slain by cultivators.
In front of Lady Scarlet and the others, Shen Mo couldn’t easily re-condense them.
Fortunately, the dispatched Class IV Demon Soul Generals hadn’t "fallen," and had also gathered numerous spiritual plants, mineral deposits, and other spiritual items, waiting for Shen Mo to find an opportune moment to retrieve them.
Just then, a soul mark on the Soul Refining Flag, which had been dim for many years, suddenly began to shine.
Hmm? Is this... the mark of Horse Groom Lv? Shen Mo exclaimed internally in surprise and immediately manipulated the Soul Refining Flag to sense its location!
Years ago, Shen Mo had left the Possession Ghost, Horse Groom Lv, in the Heaven Patrolling Zone. He used it to possess Yang Chengxiong, a disciple of the Taiyi Sword Alliance, to secretly construct a Teleportation Array. Later, Horse Groom Lv developed self-awareness and formed a strange symbiotic relationship with Yang Chengxiong. To completely break free from Shen Mo’s control, he set a deadly trap to lure Shen Mo, intending to kill him and seize the Soul Refining Flag!
However, Yang Chengxiong, or rather Horse Groom Lv, possessed mediocre abilities. Not only did he fail to kill Shen Mo as he wished, but Shen Mo also wiped out all the helpers he had enlisted. Afterward, he brazenly reported the matter to the Taiyi Sword Alliance, which led to the Heaven Patrolling Temple pursuing Shen Mo for a long time!
After Shen Mo teleported away from the Heaven Patrolling Zone following that incident, he paid it no further mind.
Unexpectedly.
This time, upon returning to the Heaven Patrolling Zone and after staying on Wangxian Mountain for nearly a year, the Soul Refining Flag hadn’t detected its presence. Yet now, in this ancient battlefield of immortals and demons, he had unexpectedly encountered it.
If it was just an old grudge, Shen Mo wouldn’t be so petty as to need to seek revenge. However, the connection between the Soul Refining Flag and its Soul Generals is mutual. Shen Mo can sense Yang Chengxiong (Horse Groom Lv), and likewise, it could also sense that the Soul Refining Flag and its master, Shen Mo, had reappeared in the Heaven Patrolling Zone. Once this news reached the Taiyi Sword Alliance and the Heaven Patrolling Temple, it would undoubtedly lead to more trouble!
"Fellow Daoist Scarlet... you all proceed to the next fortuitous location first. I have something to attend to and will leave for a while. I will rejoin you all in a few days." Shen Mo abruptly stood up, a flash of murderous intent flickered in his eyes, quickly concealed by his usual expression.
"That’s not entirely out of the question, but..."
Lady Scarlet, who was focused on maneuvering the Fleeting Boat, looked up at Shen Mo in surprise. She hesitated before saying, "But with all communication methods currently unusable, how will you find us after you leave?"
"Why don’t I tell you the location of the next fortuitous spot? You can head there directly then!"
Shen Mo, however, took out the Ghost Soul Flower powder and a Special Medicinal Powder. He then detailed the uses of both items to the five of them.
"Once marked by the scent of this substance, even if we are separated for some reason, we can follow the fragrance to find each other..."
After everyone had applied a layer of the Ghost Soul Flower powder, Shen Mo nodded to Lady Scarlet, then transformed into a streak of golden escaping light and sped towards the direction where he sensed Yang Chengxiong.
A moment after Shen Mo departed, Song Han suddenly spoke, "Fellow Daoists, have you felt anything unusual in the presence of this Fellow Daoist Shen?"
"What do you mean by that?" Fu Jianghuo’s expression shifted slightly as he pressed.
"For some reason, ever since waking up outside the mountain pass, I’ve had this subtle feeling of awe towards Fellow Daoist Shen, as if I were facing a deeply hidden senior expert." Song Han explained with an odd expression, "Is it possible..."
"Previously, we obtained a great fortuitous opportunity in the Demon-Suppressing Tower, and it all ended up in Fellow Daoist Shen’s possession."
"And the injuries we suffered, along with our lost soul memories, are all connected to him!"
It must be said, Song Han’s intuition was rather astounding, even managing to guess half the truth of the matter.
However, he had no hard evidence. Combined with the fact that the erased soul memories could not be recovered no matter what, he could only remain suspicious and unable to reach a firm conclusion.
"This is all based on the unusual feeling in your heart, a subjective judgment. I find it highly improbable!" Peng Lexiao retorted. "If Fellow Daoist Shen truly possessed such capabilities, why wouldn’t he have killed us all to prevent future complications?"
"If it was for the information on fortuitous encounters that Lady Scarlet knows, he could have used a Soul Search technique to obtain it earlier... There would have been no need to spare our lives, much less continue traveling with us."
Upon saying this, Peng Lexiao paused. The thought that Shen Mo had indeed made an excuse to leave caused a flicker of doubt in his mind.
A peculiar glint flashed in Lady Scarlet’s eyes as she said charmingly, "Even if what Fellow Daoist Song says is true, Fellow Daoist Shen hasn’t harmed us. It shouldn’t be a major issue."
"Besides, if he truly possesses such terrifying methods, what could we possibly do?"
"If Fellow Daoist Shen rejoins us at the next fortuitous location, it would be best for us to feign ignorance. Who knows, we might even avoid many dangers and obtain our opportunities more smoothly."
Song Han frowned, weighing the matter in his mind, and finally came to a decision.
"Lady Scarlet, Fellow Daoist Fu, Fellow Daoists Lexiao and Leyao... My apologies!"
"I still trust my intuition more. I don’t wish to travel with someone so mysterious and unpredictable, lest I end up as mere cannon fodder."
"Let us part ways here. We can share drinks and conversation again when we return to Wangxian Mountain!"
Saying this, Song Han activated his Immortal Law, summoned his escaping light, and departed from the Fleeting Boat.
It appeared he intended to brave the perils of this ancient battlefield of immortals and demons all by himself!
Unable to persuade him to stay, the others could only watch him depart. Only Lady Scarlet, Fu Jianghuo, and the Peng Siblings remained on the Fleeting Boat.
「 」
Thousands of miles away, Shen Mo was completely unaware of the events taking place on the Fleeting Boat.
He had believed his actions this time were flawless. However, in the cultivation world, there are too many extraordinary individuals. Who could have guessed that Song Han, merely based on an unusual feeling, would deduce that he was the ’mastermind’ behind it all!
Of course, Shen Mo already knew the information about all the fortuitous locations, so he wasn’t particularly concerned whether Lady Scarlet and the others suspected him. If they continued to treat him as before, Shen Mo wouldn’t mind continuing to explore various fortuitous locations with them; as long as it wasn’t an opportunity for enlightenment, everything else was negotiable. After all, this information had come from Lady Scarlet, and she had invited everyone to brave the storms together. If they became wary of him, Shen Mo wouldn’t force them to act together. Traveling alone was also an option, and he wouldn’t even need to share any of the benefits or opportunities he obtained.
After flying for another two to three thousand miles, Shen Mo halted before a volcanic cluster.
Ahead, dense, poisonous smoke permeated for countless miles. Terrifying pillars of fire erupted into the sky, seeming to nearly burn through the heavens themselves.
