Chapter 997: Consolidating Forces and Strengthening the Immortal Mountain

Chapter 997: Chapter 997: Consolidating Forces and Strengthening the Immortal Mountain

The dozen or so great cultivators from the Torch Dragon Mountain Range, upon seeing countless Heavenly Demons subdued, gathered together and then their escaping light flew towards the skies above Yinsu Mountain.

The person with the highest cultivation among them appeared to be a young girl of thirteen or fourteen years old. After exchanging some words with the group, she stepped forward, representing the over hundred cultivation forces of Torch Dragon Mountain and billions of mortal cultivators, to express gratitude to Shen Mo: "Without your intervention, millions from both the immortal and mortal realms on Yinsu Mountain might have perished, and we, the ones struggling to survive, would eventually fall victim to those Heavenly Demons sooner or later! Your great kindness and benevolence will always be remembered by us. This Storage Bracelet contains some spiritual items and resources. Though it cannot begin to repay a fraction of your kindness, it represents our sincere intentions. We hope you will accept it with a smile!"

Shen Mo accepted the Storage Bracelet, quickly inspecting its contents with his sense, before casually placing it into the Sword Zone.

Inside, the spiritual plants, herbs, and mineral deposits were piled into several small mountains, equivalent to Red Flame Sect’s income for two months, which was indeed extremely abundant;

As Torch Dragon Mountain was relatively impoverished, these spiritual resources were likely the valuable possessions accumulated over many years by the three Formless and ten Divine Bridge cultivators present, making the gesture both heavy in significance and rich in sentiment!

Seeing Shen Mo accept the gift of thanks, the girl revealed a light-hearted expression on her face. She then introduced herself and the identities of others briefly, before cautiously inquiring about Shen Mo’s origins and purpose here.

During the conversation, the Jade Spring Fairy stood beside Shen Mo.

However, she used spells to conceal her presence, so neither the girl nor anyone else realized that a True Immortal was present.

...

The girl’s name was Shi Nianyao, and she was the Palace Master of Heaven Phoenix Palace in the Torch Dragon Mountain Range. Though she appeared thirteen or fourteen years old, her actual age exceeded three thousand years. With an exceptional talent that allowed her to cultivate rapidly, she had maintained this youthful appearance; additionally, Shen Mo learned that she was also a Dreamland cultivator and recognized her from previous encounters in Dreamland after seeing her conjure her Dreamland form.

With this connection, Shi Nianyao felt much more at ease with Shen Mo than before.

"Fellow Daoist Qingyun seeks to capture a Class VI Demon-corrupted True Dragon? Then you should venture deeper inside. Due to their immense potential, Demon-corrupted True Dragons are highly regarded by Seventh-Order Great Demons. The areas they prey upon are filled with dense Spiritual Qi and thriving paths of immortality, so they disregard remote places like the Torch Dragon Mountain Range, which is why traces of Demon-corrupted True Dragons are rare here!" Shi Nianyao, having learned Shen Mo’s intentions, thought briefly before advising him.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Shi, for informing me." Shen Mo cupped his hands towards Shi Nianyao, pondering for a moment before continuing, "Though I have cleared the Heavenly Demons from this place, it won’t be long before others swarm in from various regions. Take advantage of this respite and hurry to pack up and relocate!"

Upon hearing this, a hint of hesitation flashed across Shi Nianyao’s face, and she sighed, "Though the Immortal Realm is vast, we have no idea where to relocate!"

"Torch Dragon Mountain has hundreds of forces, and both mortal and cultivator populations exceed a billion. Proper relocation requires a sizable territory! Currently, the west and north of Dongjie Continent are unstable. Other peaceful places with Immortal Mountain Blessed Lands are either occupied by other immortal path forces or infested with demons and monsters. Securing a place would entail bloody battles."

"If we set out for another immortal continent, the dangers encountered during the migration alone would suffice for the majority from both immortal and mortal realms to perish or be injured..."

Among the thirteen Divine Bridge Realm and Formless Realm great cultivators in the Torch Dragon Mountain Range, not one had successfully established their cave paradise. Had they a cave paradise, they would have retreated there during the initial outbreak of the disaster and wouldn’t have held out desperately until now; thus, even if they wish to migrate away now, it remains perilous with uncertain prospects!

Shen Mo’s eyes gleamed slightly, as he said with a smile: "I just happen to know a good place where you can settle."

What he referred to as a "good place" was naturally Five Dragon Mountain on Phoenix Continent. As of now, the mountain housed several forces and creatures, mainly composed of four parts.

The first part consisted of Shen Mo’s direct line—Red Flame Sect members and mortals residing within Green Cloud Cave—mostly creatures from Chiyan Realm of Primordial Realm, including marine demon cultivators from Immortal Burial Sea, as well as other alien tribe protectors he had collected over recent years!

The second part, akin to Azure Heaven Cave, was where various forces leased grounds to establish sects, cultivate spiritual medicines, and mine resources, maintaining only a "rental" relationship with Red Flame Sect, requiring merely the timely payment of spiritual resources.

The third part was composed of billions of creatures captured by Shen Mo from Bliss Island in Cangwu Continent. Decimated over time by the Smoke Demon tribe, be they human immortals or other congenial alien tribes, their dispositions had become irrevocably twisted and defiled, resulting in them being imprisoned in Five Dragon Mountain to mine, providing resources for constructing the barrier between two realms and arranging the Stars Circulation Array.

Over two hundred years passed, and nearly all mortals, who were the most numerous, had died of old age, leaving about three hundred million creatures either as evil cultivators or alien tribes with long lifespans, doomed to mine at Five Dragon Mountain until death.

The fourth part was the millions under the jurisdiction of Heaven Patrolling Temple.

Even though Five Dragon Mountain had recently welcomed Heaven Patrolling Temple, many areas on the mountain remained empty and somewhat lonely, easily accommodating the billions from both the immortal and mortal realms of Torch Dragon Mountain.

The more cultivation forces and immortal populations Five Dragon Mountain attracts, the more prosperous and thriving the immortal path becomes, potentially providing Red Flame Sect with greater income.

Additionally, the Torch Dragon Mountain Range had three Formless Immortal Masters, including Shi Nianyao, who was a late-stage Formless cultivator, along with one at the middle-stage and another at the early-stage; should they accept the same terms as Heaven Patrolling Temple and embrace protection under Shen Mo’s wing, he could augment his available power even further!

Upon hearing Shen Mo’s proposal, Shi Nianyao immediately consulted with the other twelve great cultivators using her sense, and it was less than an hour before they reached a consensus.

"We are willing to migrate to Five Dragon Mountain, seeking refuge under your wing!"

Had Shen Mo been merely an intermediate-stage Formless cultivator, it would have been impossible for Shi Nianyao and the others to agree easily, as ostensibly Shi Nianyao’s cultivation surpassed his. Why would she willingly attach herself to another?

Yet Shen Mo had previously exhibited powers far beyond the Formless Realm, leading Shi Nianyao and the others to never regard him as one of the same tier, which is why, upon Shen Mo offering to bring them back to Five Dragon Mountain, they accepted without much hesitation.

Immediately, Shi Nianyao and the others returned to their respective sects and began preparing for the migration to Five Dragon Mountain.

Meanwhile, Shen Mo’s gaze turned to the Jade Spring Fairy beside him, questioning, "I came to Dongjie Continent to capture the Demon-corrupted True Dragon for artifact refining; Fairy, for what purpose have you come here?"