The First Immortal of Destiny

Struggling!

Struggling!

...

Without a doubt.

This was the most arduous battle Shen Mo had faced since he began his cultivation!

It was also the battle with the greatest disparity in strength.

Fighting so desperately, even now, Shen Mo still couldn't see any chance of victory.

Elixirs and talismans were exhausted.

Mana was depleted.

Shen Mo could no longer summon the Soul Generals from the Soul Refining Flag.

The fire-attribute Flying Sword in his hand had snapped in two.

The Nine-Extreme Crystal Sand had been diminished by half, its power greatly reduced.

The Blue Soul magic robe and the Red Carp inner armor were both tattered and torn, no longer able to provide much defense.

Even his robust physique, comparable to that of a demonic beast, was covered in gruesome wounds.

It was a shocking sight!

But Shen Mo's gaze grew increasingly fervent.

The various scenes after he entered Tianshun Country kept resurfacing in his mind.

Slaying evil ghosts in Horse Head Village, sharing drinks with Zhang Taian on the walls of the Capital City, plundering the Treasure Hall of the Defense Division, rampaging among tens of thousands of vicious ghosts... and now, this deadly battle with the Heaven Abandoned Ghost King!

The accumulated emotions and insights surged through his mind.

During your bloody battle with the Heaven Abandoned Ghost King, past experiences, encounters, and insights have surfaced in your mind, leading to your unexpected comprehension of the "Carefree" Sword Intent.

Carefree Sword Intent?

Shen Mo was momentarily stunned but quickly collected himself.

That was it. What he had always pursued was to be Carefree in both space and time. To go wherever he pleased, to live for as long as he wished!

However, since entering the Abandoned Ghost Zone, another realization had gradually formed in his heart.

In Horse Head Village, the villagers struggled desperately to survive, even resorting to cannibalism, yet he had done nothing.

There were many similar villages, many similar scenes.

Apart from slaying a few ghosts, he was powerless to change anything.

When Tianshun Country completely devolved into a Ghost Zone, he could only watch helplessly, lacking the strength to achieve what he truly desired.

Being besieged and attacked by myriad ghosts, hunted down and battered by the Heaven Abandoned Ghost King—these things made him feel utterly constrained.

All of this... prevented him from being truly Carefree!

He yearned for a sword that could slay ghosts, exterminate demons, and cut away all the vexation in his heart.

Sword Intent: Carefree!

...

The Heaven Abandoned Ghost King, its hands stained with fresh blood and gore, seemed to sense something as well.

It scoffed.

Its figure materialized within ten feet of Shen Mo. It reached out, its claw imbued with a golden ghostly qi, and snatched at Shen Mo's head.

With a thought from Shen Mo, the Dragon Sparrow Sword, riddled with cracks and notches, flew into his hand.

BUZZ!

The blade of the Dragon Sparrow Sword erupted with strange and powerful fluctuations.

A beam of Sword Light, like a white silken ribbon, flared to life.

Wreathed in Nether Fire.

Dazzling, like the noonday sun!

It slashed down abruptly at the Heaven Abandoned Ghost King, who was mere inches away.

SHLICK!

The Sword Light cleaved through the potent ghostly qi, sending one of its ghostly claws flying.

The Heaven Abandoned Ghost King suffered damage even more grievous than from Shen Mo's previous sneak attack with the sword.

Besides its severed hand, a massive sword gash was torn across its chest and abdomen. Golden ghostly qi continuously spewed from the wound.

After a considerable time, it finally managed to staunch the bleeding and forcefully seal the wound.

Its severed ghost claw also grew back.

"Hmph! Is this all the skill you have left?"

"Then die for this King!"

A cruel smile appeared on the Heaven Abandoned Ghost King's face. Its fingers, like blades, gripped Shen Mo's face tightly.

At this moment, Shen Mo had no strength left to resist.

Even the Dragon Sparrow Sword, Shen Mo's long-time companion, completely shattered into fragments after bearing the force of that final sword technique.

Shen Mo had, in fact, anticipated this outcome.

Even though he had comprehended his own sword intent, he still couldn't bridge the vast disparity in power between himself and the Heaven Abandoned Ghost King.

It was just like Geng Zheng, the disciple of the Heaven Sword Sect. He too had comprehended the Punish Demons Sword Intent early on, yet Shen Mo had still pressed him to the ground and thrashed him soundly.

Only now, he was the one being pinned down and thrashed!

SQUEAK! SQUEAK!

A fiery red figure darted out from Shen Mo's waist.

It was indeed that little fellow, the Spirit Storage Rat.

Shen Mo sensed he was about to die at the hands of the Heaven Abandoned Ghost King, so he willed the Imprisonment on his Spirit Pet Bag open.

With his Divine Sense, he urged it to flee for its life.

Even if it had to subsist on half-ghost, half-demonic demonic beasts, that would be better than starving to death inside the Spirit Pet Bag.

Unexpectedly, however, as soon as the Spirit Storage Rat emerged, it showed no intention of escaping.

It rushed straight forward and bit down hard on one of the Heaven Abandoned Ghost King's claws.

The Spirit Storage Rat was only a middle-stage Class II demonic beast; its sharp teeth alone could inflict no real harm on the Heaven Abandoned Ghost King.

It only managed to bite off a wisp of golden ghostly qi.

However, this action further infuriated the Heaven Abandoned Ghost King.

Being injured by a living cultivator was one thing, but now even a plump rat dared to bite it!

The Heaven Abandoned Ghost King grabbed the Spirit Storage Rat with its other hand.

Its fingers slowly tightened, intending to squeeze both master and servant until they burst.

"Master, it hurts so much," it whimpered, "Waaaah..."

"Why must you suffer so?" Shen Mo's Divine Sense communication was growing faint.

CREAK!

GROAN!

A strange sound, like metal deforming.

Even though Shen Mo's Dragon Body, cultivated through the Dragon Elephant Blood Fiend Body technique, was nearing Perfection, he still couldn't withstand the colossal strength of the Ghost King's claws.

Just as he was dazed and on the verge of death, his mind suddenly sharpened.

He felt as if the entire world of the Abandoned Ghost Zone had flipped over.

The sky became the ground, and the ground became the sky.

Even Space-Time seemed to be in disarray.

Shen Mo watched as the Heaven Abandoned Ghost King before him seemed to stretch, its body elongating for several miles.

Yet, its hand still gripped him and the Spirit Storage Rat.

SWOOSH!

Squeezing out the last dregs of Mana from his body, Shen Mo, relying on his demonic beast-like physique, tore himself free from the ghostly claw.

He then snatched the Spirit Storage Rat from its other claw.

He tried to stuff it back into the Spirit Pet Bag but found he couldn't open it at all right now.

He couldn't even open his Universe Bag.

He had no choice but to stuff the Spirit Storage Rat into his sleeve.

At the same time, his vision began to distort and warp.

It was as if concepts of size, proximity, and orientation had all become jumbled.

Through this bizarre perspective, Shen Mo saw four incomparably potent auras rise from the four corners of heaven and earth.

A Dao Sword!

A Ghoul!

A Lunar Wheel!

A gleam of Starlight!

With Shen Mo's visual acuity, he naturally couldn't perceive the entirety of the Abandoned Ghost Zone.

Yet, amidst the distortion of Space-Time, he inexplicably saw these four presences that dominated the four extremities simultaneously.

Masters of the Golden Core Realm? Or perhaps even stronger?

Blood still streamed from Shen Mo's mouth and nose, but his mind was fixed on those four terrifying auras.

But he hadn't even reached the Spirit Sea Realm, so he naturally couldn't judge the true extent of power wielded by these experts who had unintentionally saved his life.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

The Dao Sword unleashed a terrifying Sword Light.

The Ghoul, colossal enough to prop up the heavens, roared in fury.

The Lunar Wheel and the starlight blazed with dazzling radiance, illuminating the Ghost Zone.

Nearly all the Soul Ghosts, including the Heaven Abandoned Ghost King, began to howl in unison.

Their ghostly wails were filled with resentment, unwillingness, and terror.

However, they were completely powerless to stop these experts of the four extremities from unleashing their might.

As heaven and earth overturned, that peculiar yet distinct notification surfaced in Shen Mo's mind once more.

He had passed through Death Jaw!

A jade slip materialized out of thin air in his hand.

Shen Mo hadn't even detected the slightest anomaly. When he came to his senses, he found himself already at the entrance pass of Death Jaw.

Before his eyes were the concerned faces of Chen Mengze, Jiang Yingying, and the others.