The First Immortal of Destiny

This battle skill cultivation method should be fully named "Great Four Palaces and Twenti-eight Constellations Palm." Based on the twenty-eight constellations and the four cardinal directions, this is a low-grade spiritual level skill refined and perfected by successive Peak Masters of Stars Peak. Moreover, it is the first spiritual level cultivation method Shen Mo has ever acquired from the Riverside Sect.

It corresponds to the level of magic artifacts. Magic and battle skills also have profound, spiritual, treasure, and immortal levels. Although the cultivation world often names cultivation methods of all grades with grand titles like 'Magic', 'Treasured Tomes', and 'Immortal Scriptures', most of these are baseless boasts. Eighty to ninety percent of them are profound level skills.

The 'Constellation Great Hand Seal' is different; it is a genuine spiritual level cultivation method. The biggest difference from profound level methods is that it contains spirituality within the technique. It is said that if one cultivates to a profoundly deep level and launches a magical attack, it can transform into a creature, somewhat like the concept of 'Casting Beans into Soldiers'.

In the secular world, many swindling Daoists who deceive the wealthy often boast of their 'Casting Beans into Soldiers' Skill. However, these are mostly illusions! If such an ability truly existed, its possessor would undoubtedly be a renowned figure in the cultivation world, like Zhou Shili, the Peak Master of Stars Peak in the Riverside Sect. Why then would they need to toil in the mortal world, struggling to earn worldly gold and silver?

Why did the Peak Master transmit this technique to me rather than to Lu Ming?

While Shen Mo was thrilled, he was also somewhat puzzled. Although, during his time on the Hanging Rock Platform, the Peak Master had intended to make him a Direct Disciple. But after returning from the depths of Tianshan Mountain, he had not brought up the matter again! Yet now, he had transmitted to Shen Mo this 'Constellation Great Hand Seal', a skill clearly meant for an heir. This move... really... left Shen Mo somewhat baffled!

No matter, I should push these thoughts aside and focus on cultivating this technique to the entry-level first.

Shen Mo suppressed his doubts, activated his Special Destiny [Martial Performance], and at the same time, pressed the jade slip to his forehead. The cultivation method and jade slip had a Prohibition set by the Peak Master! Once this method was committed to memory via his sense, the jade slip would self-destruct to prevent it from falling into the hands of other cultivators.

PUFF!

After a moment, the jade slip in his hand split into two pieces. Shen Mo shook his head, feeling a wave of dizziness and his head throbbing. The hand seals, pithy mantras, the method of circulating Mana, and other information contained in the 'Constellation Great Hand Seal' were extremely numerous and complicated. If Shen Mo's sense hadn't been stronger than that of an average middle-stage Qi Gathering cultivator, he probably wouldn't have been able to smoothly memorize all its intricacies.

Let's begin!

As a hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones were reduced to dust and powder, the Martial Performance Body began to simulate cultivation!

「...」

「Three days later,」 Shen Mo, riding the Thunderstroke Sword, flew out of Tianshan City. If anyone paid close attention, they would notice that his sword-riding speed varied, sometimes fast, sometimes slow. When slow, his speed was comparable to that of a late-stage Qi Gathering cultivator! When fast, his figure would flicker, appearing in the distance in the blink of an eye, like a flash of green lightning—incredibly terrifying!

As I expected, controlling the Thunderstroke Sword while also being empowered by the Violent Speed method of the 'Sword Control Spirit Technique', my current flying speed is enough to intercept a Second-Order Pinnacle Heavenly Demon! Those two demon heads who escaped last time won't be so lucky if they encounter me again!

With these thoughts, Shen Mo had already arrived at the Tianshan battlefield. Activating his Flawless Dharma Eye, Shen Mo's vision elevated infinitely, and he immediately began to search carefully.

「A moment later.」 His figure flashed, turning into a beam of light and crashing headfirst into an area dense with demonic shadows. With a flick of his large sleeves, seven Dao swords shot out, trembling, instantly setting up a formidable killing array. The Red Heaven Gold had been refined into the last sword embryo; with the complete formation of the Kaiyang Dao Sword, the power of the Sword Array also exponentially increased. Yet the consumption of his internal Mana did not increase proportionally!

"The Big Dipper Array. Conversion!" Shen Mo shouted softly, manipulating the Dao swords to shift their stellar positions. Instantly, terrifying sword light scattered and whirled, enveloping all the minor Heavenly Demons and Heavenly Demons in this area under its might. Among them were twenty or thirty mid-stage Second-Order Heavenly Demons, and the number of early-stage Second-Order Heavenly Demons surpassed a hundred. However, under the might of the Sword Array, all were treated equally; in the next moment, they were crushed into dregs by the overwhelming sword light!

Not bad! It's much more powerful than before.

Shen Mo smiled as he put away the Sword Array, then collected the hundreds of remaining demonic breaths into his identification jade pendant. These traces of breath were the proof of his merit of slaying demon.

Not far away, there were quite a few cultivators in the Qi Gathering Realm. Grouped in threes and fives, they resisted the Heavenly Demons' siege while also managing to slay many of them. Originally, they had intended to sweep this area clear of Heavenly Demons, but Shen Mo had suddenly intervened. As sword light filled their vision, they felt their pressure lighten, only to discover that the Heavenly Demons here had been mostly annihilated. Feeling dissatisfied, they all flew over on their swords, intending to argue with Shen Mo.

"Fellow daoist, what you've done is not quite proper…"

"Ah... It's Senior Brother Shen from the Riverside Sect!"

As they drew closer and recognized Shen Mo, they immediately fell silent, not daring to speak rashly.

"There's no shortage of Heavenly Demons. Are you afraid there won't be enough for you to kill?" Shen Mo despised this kind of territorial behavior. They didn't have the strength to clear out the Heavenly Demons themselves, yet they wouldn't allow others to come and slay demon. Where in the world does that make any sense?

"Senior Brother Shen is right to reprimand us. We were wrong!"

"Pardon us, Senior Brother. We disciples from smaller sects rarely get a chance to earn a few Spirit Stones..."

"In our haste, we misspoke. We hope Senior Brother, with your magnanimity, will not take offense!"

Shen Mo didn't press the matter further. He transformed into a streak of azure lightning and disappeared into the distance.

"What an imposing manner! Senior Brothers, Senior Sisters, is this disciple from the Riverside Sect the Direct Disciple of some powerful cultivator?" one of them, who didn't recognize Shen Mo, inquired of the others.

"That's not the case!"

"I haven't heard of Senior Brother Shen taking any powerful expert as his Master," a slightly older cultivator from Gold Toad Tower said, stroking his goatee as he began to show off his knowledge. "However, this Senior Brother Shen is even more extraordinary! At the Tianshan Grand Ceremony, he truly made a name for himself! Not only did he outshine the newly emerging prodigies from the Five Great Sects, but during the mountain-climbing trial, he also ascended to the 736th step. That's a height no newly initiated disciple from any immortal sect has reached for decades! Moreover, according to the demon-slaying ranking compiled by enthusiasts, he's ranked in the top three, behind only two cultivators at the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm. If you had this kind of ability, you could be this imposing too!"

「While the Gold Toad Tower cultivator was speaking,」 Shen Mo's figure had already appeared above a desolate, uninhabited mountain village at the edge of the demonic calamity.

Enemies are truly destined to meet. This time, let's see where you can run!

In an imposing house within the village, a Second-Order Pinnacle primal Heavenly Demon, its aura weak, was continuously absorbing Demonic Qi, attempting to heal its injuries. This demon head was one of the two Heavenly Demons previously injured by Shen Mo that had managed to escape. It had surprisingly avoided the central area of the battlefield and hidden in this desolate region, intending to recover. Later, driven by its demonic nature, it would seek out delicious cultivators to devour. If the opportunity arose, it would Demon-corrupt any formidable cultivator that caught its eye! However, under Shen Mo's Flawless Dharma Eye, its movements were clearly seen.

Perfect. Let me test the power of the 'Constellations Palm'!

Shen Mo did not immediately deploy the Sword Array. Instead, his hands fluttered, forming a series of complex seals, while he silently recited a profound pithy mantra.

"The Eastern Azure Dragon Stars—Horn!"

With Shen Mo completing the final hand seal, a phantom dragon shot out from his hands.

ROAR!

The dragon roared, its cry echoing through the Ninth Heaven. The enormous, ferocious dragon head's dual horns suddenly lit up, and incomparably fearsome thunderbolts erupted and rampaged. It crashed down with a thunderous boom!