NOVEL NEXT Chapter 772: Such a Dangerous Place Must Be Opened by the Strongest
Shen Mo gave a slight nod. "Not bad."
He turned to another man. "And you, what is your name?"
The middle-aged man bowed respectfully. "Honored Saint General, my ancestor was Zhu Xuanji."
Shen Mo nodded.
Zhu Xuanji had once been the Demon-Suppressing General of the Vermilion Bird Fortress, long hidden among the demon race. Because of this, the fortress had remained leaderless until Zhu Xuanji finally revealed himself. With one decisive strike, he had gravely wounded the demons of the Demon-Suppressing Sea.
"And where is Zhu Xuanji now?" Shen Mo asked.
The middle-aged man gave a bitter smile. "More than four hundred years ago, my ancestor reached the end of his lifespan and passed away."
Thinking of the past, Shen Mo felt a surge of emotion. His old companions were all gone; what stood before him now were only their descendants.
He did not ask further. To press on would only deepen the loneliness in his heart.
Shen Mo's voice was calm. "I have returned to the Ancient Province not for glory, but to wipe out the demon race."
Zhong Li and the others looked puzzled. "Saint General, the Demon-Suppressing Sea has long been purged of demons. Why do you say this?"
Shen Mo shook his head. "Beneath this sea, demons still remain—older and stronger than any you have ever faced.
"These fortresses cannot protect you. Leave at once."
Zhong Li and the others immediately agreed. None thought to remain stubbornly in their posts, imagining they could guard the Saint General.
To them, Shen Mo was a man who could traverse the void freely, stepping between realms as he pleased. His cultivation had surely reached heights they could not even comprehend.
How could they presume to guard him?
Better to retreat quickly and leave him space to act.
Within a single day, the Demon-Suppressing Fortresses were completely evacuated.
Ten mighty bastions now stood alone around the sea, like colossal ancient corpses. Their mission was finished, yet they still seemed to watch in silence, unwilling to move.
Fu Zu and Jiu Yin came to stand beside Shen Mo.
"Over a hundred thousand people evacuated in a single day, without a trace left behind. There are capable men among them," Fu Zu said with quiet admiration.
Jiu Yin gave him a sidelong glance. "What, thinking of taking another disciple?"
Fu Zu sneered. "Not your concern."
Shen Mo's voice grew solemn. "Fu Zu, bring out the Ancestral Demon Finger Bone."
Fu Zu nodded and threw the bone into the air.
The finger bone surged forward as though it yearned for home, pointing unerringly to the heart of the Demon-Suppressing Sea.
The group gave chase.
Before long, the finger bone halted at the very center.
It slashed through the air, and instantly a rift in the void split open.
From within poured an ancient, evil aura—the unmistakable breath of the Ancestral Demon Soil.
Shen Mo shouted, "Hold it down! Do not let it return!"
All of them struck at once. Only after exhausting immense effort did they manage to pin the finger bone in place.
With that, the gateway to the Ancestral Demon Soil was truly opened.
Yet before this dark and ominous unknown, each of them felt a natural fear rise in their hearts.
Even Shen Mo was no exception.
When he glanced at his own life panel and those of his companions, all he saw was a mass of question marks.
Xiang Yuan spoke gravely. "I propose we wait.
"When the Great Wilderness Venerate, the Martial Ancestor, and the Flame Emperor return, we can enter together."
Long Gui nodded firmly.
Such a dangerous place must be opened by the strongest.
None among them could claim to be the most powerful of their age.
But if someone like the Great Wilderness Venerate were here, their hearts would be far more at ease.
Shen Mo drew in a deep breath and spoke in a solemn voice. "The world often says that when the sky falls, the tallest shoulders will hold it up.
"But in truth, the sky always collapses first upon the smallest."
"The Great Wilderness Venerate, the Martial Ancestor, and the Flame Emperor may receive the message, but they are still at the edge of the cosmos. Who knows how long it will take them to return?
"Meanwhile, the demons may already have caught wind of this news."
"I believe sooner is better than later, swifter is better than slow. I, Shen Mo, am willing to be the first to enter the Ancestral Demon Soil!"
His words left everyone shaken.
None expected that he would declare such resolve.
Fu Zu spoke gravely. "If one so young as you dares to enter the Ancestral Demon Soil first, how could I, Fu Zu, not follow? If word spread that your supposed teacher held back, would that not be a laughingstock?"
Jiu Yin snorted coldly. "Don't pretend a relationship that does not exist. He never once called you teacher. Shen Mo, I will go with you!"
Long Gui and Xiang Yuan exchanged a glance, then nodded heavily. "We will go as well."
Shen Mo felt warmth stir in his chest. "Good. My thanks to you all."
With that, he inhaled deeply and stepped into the void rift.
Jiu Yin, Fu Zu, Long Gui, and Xiang Yuan followed right behind.
Shen Mo immediately felt the world spin. Countless strange and dazzling visions swept over him.
One instant he felt as though he would be torn into endless fragments. The next, crushed into a speck of dust.
One instant he burned under endless fire. The next, he was sealed in bitter ice.
Countless changes overlapped, countless Daos revealed themselves.
It was endlessly long, yet as fleeting as a blink.
In the blink of an eye, Shen Mo found himself standing on solid ground.
The land was a dull gray-black. The sights around him were bizarre and absurd.
Waterfalls cascaded upward into the sky, crashing into clouds like waves.
Flames burned steadily within the sea.
Beasts walked in the heavens, while birds hopped across the earth.
Trees rooted themselves in metal, while the soil boiled like a cauldron.
All of it defied reason. None of it resembled the real world.
Shen Mo looked at the beasts and birds. Their panels too showed nothing but question marks.
Clearly, they were also tainted by the influence of the Ancestral Demon.
Anything touched by that presence—whether man or beast—could not be read.
The beasts rushed toward him, but when they drew near, they suddenly scattered in terror, as though beholding a monstrous killer.
Shen Mo frowned in surprise.
He turned back and found his path of entry had already vanished. Fu Zu, Jiu Yin, and the others were nowhere to be seen.
It was as if they existed in different times and spaces entirely.
"How strange… truly strange," Shen Mo murmured in thought.
Just then, a figure appeared ahead.
From behind, it looked just like Xiang Yuan.
Shen Mo stepped forward, but before he could reach him, Xiang Yuan let out a scream. A colossal sword materialized from nothingness and cleaved him in two.
When Shen Mo hurried forward, no trace of Xiang Yuan remained.
Before he could think further, two more cries sounded.
This time it was Jiu Yin and Fu Zu, crushed to pulp by a massive hand that appeared out of nowhere.
A shout from behind urged Shen Mo to run.
He turned to see two middle-aged men, torn apart by a horde of giant beasts.
Though he had never met them, he recognized their faces from portraits.
They were the Flame Emperor and the Martial Ancestor.
High above, a sigh drifted down.
Shen Mo looked up to see a tall, gaunt figure watching him silently.
He too recognized this man.
It was the Great Wilderness Venerate.