The First Immortal of Destiny

If I don't get enough Mana to replenish my reserves, I won't be able to hold on. I'll either be devoured by these minor Heavenly Demons until not even scraps of me are left, or the Soul Refining Flag's immense Spiritual Qi demand will drain me dry.

In truth, it wasn't that he had made a mistake or failed to prepare enough spiritual medicine for his journey. Under normal circumstances, no one could have anticipated such a situation. One box of Qi Restoring Pills contained fifty pills, so two boxes amounted to one hundred. This was already a massive quantity. Even if all the Mana in Shen Mo's Dantian were exhausted, this amount would be enough to fully replenish him ten times. Who could have predicted that even such an astronomical reserve wouldn't be enough?

I can't just sit here and wait for death!

Projecting his sense into the Universe Bag, he began frantically searching through his stored spiritual medicine, looking for something suitable to use. After a thorough scan, Shen Mo's heart sank deeper into despair. Most of the Elixirs he had refined had already been sold at the Market for Spirit Stones before he set out. The remaining Elixirs mostly lacked the potency to restore a significant amount of Mana in a short time.

That's right! I took three treasures from the Spirit Treasury earlier, and one of them was a Jade Vase of Elixirs whose effects I haven't had time to check!

He suddenly remembered this, as if grasping onto a final lifeline, and projected his sense toward it.

Please, don't let me down!

Taking out the Jade Vase, Shen Mo had barely opened it when an indescribable medicinal fragrance wafted into his nostrils. The Mana rapidly depleting within him actually showed signs of slight recovery at that moment.

Just a whiff of the medicinal fragrance has such an effect; this Elixir must be extraordinary!

He quickly took out the Elixirs.

Inside the Jade Vase were three pills, pale green in color and brimming with vitality. Not only was a misty aura coiling around the Elixirs, but there were also three clearly visible pill patterns on each.

This is... the Green Wood Qi Transformation Pill!

If he hadn't studied the King of Medicine's Guidebook, Shen Mo's insight and knowledge would have been insufficient to recognize this Elixir. Thanks to the precious tome gifted by the Tower Spirit, he could identify many spiritual medicines and Elixirs at a glance. Upon recognizing it as the Green Wood Qi Transformation Pill, Shen Mo's face instantly lit up with ecstatic joy. This pill was a Grade III top-level Elixir, and its effect was to assist in cultivation as it contained a large amount of Mana. Normally, it was used by Spirit Sea Realm cultivators.

Three Green Wood Qi Transformation Pills, and supreme-quality ones with three patterns at that! The Mana they contained will definitely be enough to cover my consumption!

With this thought, Shen Mo felt greatly reassured and quickly swallowed one of them.

"Hmm..."

As soon as the Elixir entered his body, Shen Mo felt a scorching heat spread throughout him. Immediately afterward, an immensely vast amount of Mana was continuously released, making Shen Mo feel as if his body was about to burst. At this moment, his body swelled, his veins bulged like coiled dragons, and his face was flushed crimson from the pressure. The medicinal power contained within a Grade III top-level Elixir, suitable for Spirit Sea Realm cultivators, was not something a cultivator at the initial Qi Gathering Realm could withstand. If he hadn't cultivated the Dragon-shaped Undead Body, and if he hadn't opened three major Dantians during his Qi Gathering, making his Qi Sea space far exceed that of his peers, his body would have exploded the instant the Elixir entered him.

"Hoo!"

Exhaling a long breath, he forcibly suppressed the surging Mana and began to channel it into the Soul Refining Flag at an even faster rate.

BUZZ!

The spirit light of the Soul Refining Flag flared another three inches, and its speed of refining the minor Heavenly Demons accelerated further.

The time it takes for an incense stick to burn passed. When the power of the final two talismans also dissipated, Shen Mo found himself surrounded by a plethora of minor Heavenly Demons from all directions. He no longer needed to worry about being torn to shreds by these Heavenly Demons. During this time, he had already refined over thirty minor Heavenly Demons. The total number of minor Heavenly Demons chasing Shen Mo was just over one hundred; he had refined a third of them. Although the remaining number was still large, Shen Mo now had the means and confidence to have these minor Heavenly Demons protect him tightly, while he continued to use the Soul Refining Flag to endlessly devour their souls.

GURGLE!

When the Mana within his body gradually calmed, Shen Mo consumed the second Green Wood Qi Transformation Pill. Waving the Soul Refining Flag, he ceaselessly devoured and refined these minor Heavenly Demons.

「Three Shichen later.」

Shen Mo had already flown hundreds of miles on his sword, only about eighty miles away from the Riverside Sect. At this moment, Shen Mo had already refined and subjugated over ninety minor Heavenly Demons with the Soul Refining Flag. The few minor Heavenly Demons still rushing to gnaw him to the bone no longer presented the overwhelming, terrifying spectacle they once had.

"Crush them for me!"

Shen Mo subtly beckoned with the flag, and all the Heavenly Demon Flag Souls swarmed out, surrounding and slaughtering the remaining few Heavenly Demons. After a brief struggle, they were all annihilated.

Seeing this, Shen Mo finally broke into a wild laugh. Escaping from the jaws of death...

After this ordeal, he had finally survived a situation that had seemed like certain death. It seemed that not only would he return to the sect alive, but he had also turned misfortune into good fortune.

I've tamed ninety-four minor Heavenly Demons... Each one possesses the strength of the Qi Gathering Realm!

As he gazed at the densely packed Heavenly Demon Soul Generals floating in the surrounding void, his smile grew even wider. It was a pity about the remaining six minor Heavenly Demons. His Mana was completely depleted, and he could no longer support their refinement, so he had to let these Flag Souls kill them. But this was of little significance.

With over ninety Flag Souls, if I encounter a dangerous situation in the future, I can take out this Soul Refining Flag and wield it with all my might. I fear even late-stage Qi Gathering Realm cultivators might not be able to handle me!

Before today, Shen Mo's Soul Refining Flag had only collected one Flag Soul. Its power was limited to the Soul Refining Flag's own strength enhancement, far from being considered fully refined. But this time, Shen Mo had reaped a bountiful harvest.

The sect is almost here. I'd better put away the Soul Refining Flag first!

When Shen Mo saw the sect gates drawing nearer, he recalled all the Flag Souls and returned the Soul Refining Flag to his Universe Bag. To avoid arousing suspicion from the sect, he still feigned a staggered and wretched appearance.

"Quick... quickly take me to see the Sect Master, the Supreme Elders, and the Peak Masters! I, Shen Mo, an inner disciple, have urgent matters to report!"

Upon reaching the sect entrance, Shen Mo shouted directly at several disciples guarding the mountain.

"See... see the Sect Master? The Supreme Elders?"

The disciples guarding the mountain were about to verify the returning disciple's identity when they heard Shen Mo's words and were left dumbfounded.

What on earth is going on?

「At the Longevity Hall of the Riverside Sect.」

Sect Master Yuan Qingshi stood at the forefront. On his left and right were four white-bearded elders in red robes. These four were the Supreme Elders of the Riverside Sect, who usually cultivated in the sect's Dungeons and were rarely seen. Yet today, they had all appeared.

Besides the Supreme Elders, Tang Lv, Yuan Jing, and Zhou Shili—the Peak Masters of the Sun, Moon, and Star Peaks—were also present in the hall. It could be said that all the higher-ups of the Riverside Sect had gathered today. Their gazes were all fixed on the two figures kneeling before the hall: Shen Mo and Lu Ming.

Only these two had managed to escape. They brought back news that would shock the entire cultivation world of Red Flame Country: the seal on the Heavenly Demon passage had failed. The Foreign Realm Demons were about to descend upon the mortal realm once more!