CHAPTER 354: CHAPTER 354: THE RETURN HOME_1

The return journey went rather smoothly!

Shen Mo still released the Demon Soul Generals, allowing them to hunt Savage Sea Beasts in the distant seas on their own. His contact with Horse Groom Lv had also been severed. He could no longer perceive the state of this Demon Soul General through the banner, though the mark on its surface still shone brightly. This indicated that Horse Groom Lv still maintained a subtle connection with it and was not completely beyond its control!

Regarding this backup plan, Shen Mo maintained a laissez-faire attitude. On this trip, his ’Carefree’ sword intent had been honed, becoming more profound and clear, and his Forging skill had also advanced to Grade IV. His gains were already substantial.

Having the Demon Soul General Horse Groom Lv attempt to construct the ancient array on the magic altar was merely an adherence to the principle of ’a thief never leaves empty-handed.’

Even if it fails... in the future, when Shen Mo’s cultivation Realm is higher, he can attempt to cross the Immortal Burial Sea and visit the other side! Whether it’s a bit sooner or later doesn’t truly matter.

Although the Sect Master, Peak Masters, and other higher-ups of the Riverside Sect were quite keen on this matter, they currently couldn’t spare any stronger experts for this endeavor. Moreover, the distant sea is the true Immortal Burial Sea. Even for the Golden Core Realm, traversing the unknown, perilous waters could not be guaranteed to be completely safe. Even if the demonic calamity subsides, it remains unknown whether the Supreme Elders would be willing to risk venturing into the Foreign Zone.

「A month later」

A large ship carrying Shen Mo and the others appeared in the waters ruled by Demon King Ming Cang.

The current war situation did not differ much from two months ago. What was different was that in the coastal waters of the Immortal Burial Sea, the number of Human Cultivators accompanied by the Marine Race was greater than before.

Shen Mo had not returned to his sect for a long time, ever since serving as the Deputy Envoy on a visit to the Marine Race. The battle had reached a stalemate, and he had killed enough Class III demon heads.

He planned to return to the mountain first! There are many important matters that should be put on the agenda. For example: competing for a core position, retrieving the Yin-Yang jade disk from Dasheng Mountain, and making a hundred-year agreement with Zhao Lingyin...

"Big Brother, we’ve arrived. My mother’s palace is in this sea area," Ming Yu, the Clam Girl, said to Shen Mo after knocking on the door and entering.

Upon learning that his treasured daughter Ming Yu had acknowledged Shen Mo as her sworn brother and was learning the method of forging from him, Demon King Ming Cang had insistently invited Shen Mo to his underwater palace. He claimed it was to host a banquet... But Shen Mo knew that this Class IV Demon King wanted to assess his abilities and character, to see if he was qualified to be Ming Yu’s sworn brother, and to verify if he was a person with ulterior motives!

Indeed, Shen Mo was interested in Ming Yu’s ’The Smallest and The Largest’ Skill, as well as her talent in forging bead-like magic artifacts. But apart from wanting to recruit her to his side, he harbored no other malicious intentions.

Therefore, faced with Demon King Ming Cang’s "enthusiastic" invitation, Shen Mo did not refuse. He had specifically instructed the large ship to make a slight detour on its return journey to pass through Demon King Ming Cang’s territory.

"Fellow Daoist Wei... Fellow Daoist Gongsun, I am going to accept Demon King Ming Cang’s invitation, so I must take my leave now!" Shen Mo said politely.

As soon as he finished, Wei Ye, Sect Master of the Gold Toad Tower, looked flustered and asked somewhat sheepishly, "Fellow Daoist Shen, Fellow Daoist Ming Yu, can the four of us accompany you to visit Demon King Ming Cang?"

It turned out that Wei Ye and the others had gained nothing from the Sword Tomb Dungeon, so they had turned their attention to the Marine Race. Before the demonic calamity, although Human Cultivators and the Marine Race were in constant conflict, occasional trade still occurred. Now that the two sides had formed an alliance, interactions had become more frequent. Both parties possessed items coveted by the other, and resources flowed more freely than in the past.

Of course, given the situation in the cultivation world of Red Flame Country, the Five Great Sects undoubtedly took the lion’s share. However, factions with connections could still get a piece of the pie. Even the four shops under Shen Mo’s name, such as Baodan Pavilion, managed by Shopkeeper Qian, sold talismans, elixirs, and other items specifically targeting Heavenly Demons to Dingbo City. From there, other merchants and cultivators resold them to the Marine Race. At the same time, they had also gathered many treasures from the sea!

Wei Ye and E Xun, both sect masters, had to consider the financial prospects of their sects. Gongsun Yan, though a rogue cultivator, was even more lacking in cultivation resources than they were. Thus, they also wanted to seize this opportunity to gain some benefits, to cover the losses from building the large ship, and incidentally, to make the costly vessel somewhat useful.

Upon learning that Shen Mo had been invited by Demon King Ming Cang, Wei Ye was urged by the other three to ask Shen Mo and Ming Yu for this favor. If they could get into the good graces of the Demon King, wouldn’t they earn a lot of Spirit Stones?

"This..." Shen Mo looked troubled, his gaze shifting to Ming Yu, the Clam Girl.

Ming Yu, however, did not hesitate much and readily agreed, "My mother is most hospitable. If you fellow daoists wish to come, it naturally won’t be a problem."

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Ming Yu!" Wei Ye and the others were overjoyed, thanking Ming Yu profusely. The actual main guest of Demon King Ming Cang’s invitation was completely forgotten by them.

After Wei Ye gave some instructions, more than ten disciples from the Gold Toad Tower steered the large ship slowly towards Sea State. This place was not far from the coast. As long as they steered clear of Demon King Lin Gu’s territory, they wouldn’t need to worry about encountering Heavenly Demons. Moreover, Shen Mo and the others, capable of Riding the Clouds, could fly directly back to Sea State after the banquet, without needing to cross the sea by ship again.

"The Seven Mansions of the White Tiger of the West—Can Palm! Enact!" Shen Mo formed a seal, and the phantom of the Canshui Monkey materialized from his hand. A flash of spirit light transformed into a strange aura that enveloped him. Then, he retracted his escaping light and plunged headfirst into the water.

Protected by this aura, as if covered by a tough film of water, the seawater could not wet his body.

Wei Ye, E Xun, Shi Hongyi, and Gongsun Yan each had their own water-repelling methods. Whether by casting magic, using a magic artifact, or activating a talisman, they entered the sea one after another, following Ming Yu, the Clam Girl, as they swam towards Demon King Ming Cang’s palace.

Once in the water, Ming Yu reverted to her true Crystal Clam form. With a gentle flap of her two shimmering clam shells, she propelled herself forward many li.

Apart from Shen Mo, even E Xun, who was at the middle-stage of the Spirit Sea Realm, struggled to keep up. As for Wei Ye and the other two, they were left even further behind after a short while.

Fortunately, Ming Yu noticed this. The face that peered out from her clam shell showed a hint of apology, and she slowed her pace.

This small detail alone showed that the water-repelling methods of E Xun, Wei Ye, and the others were far less advanced than Shen Mo’s Can Palm!

After swimming for several hundred li, an incredibly dreamlike underwater city appeared before their eyes. Even the most common dwellings were constructed from colorful corals, shells of various shapes, and finely polished Crystal Stones. The surroundings were adorned with a wide variety of strange sea grasses, creating a beautiful scene that was hardly inferior to mountain landscapes.

The Demon King Palace in the center was even more magnificent, with roofs like fish scales and halls like those of dragons, gates of purple cowrie shells and chambers of pearl! It was incredibly beautiful and resplendent, exuding an air of majesty and grandeur.

SWOOSH!

Undercurrents surged as the powerful Marine Race experts guarding the Demon King Palace swam out from the palace gates to meet Shen Mo and his group.