CHAPTER 359: CHAPTER 359 ENCOUNTER_1

Of course, if it weren’t for Shen Mo and Ming Yu, people like Wei Ye, who wanted to profit from trading, could only scrape up some leftovers from the Five Great Sects. How could they have connected with Demon Lord Ming Cang and successfully opened up this avenue of wealth? Therefore, Wei Ye and the others saw nothing wrong with them taking a share of the profits without contributing anything. Besides, this was the condition proposed by Demon Lord Ming Cang!

Shen Mo was also pleased with this arrangement. Who would complain about earning too many Spirit Stones?

Currently, his sources of income were mainly fourfold.

The first was his monthly stipend from the Riverside Sect. As a core disciple candidate, he received monthly resources equivalent to one thousand low-grade Spirit Stones.

The second was dividends from businesses under his name, such as Baodan Pavilion.

The third was the Spirit Stones earned from selling finished elixirs, talismans, and magic artifacts. Although the majority was supplied to the shops under his name, this income was separate from the shops’ revenue; otherwise, wouldn’t he essentially be working for Shopkeeper Qian?

The fourth source was the merit of slaying demons gained from vanquishing Heavenly Demons in the Lower Realm. He could exchange this merit at the Demon Slaying Hall for a large quantity of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, or for low and middle-grade Spirit Stones.

Now, he had another source of income. The Spirit Stones and resources earned would ultimately be converted into Shen Mo’s unparalleled strength!

「...」

In front of the Purple Heaven Palace.

The Teleportation Array flickered with spirit light. In the next moment, Shen Mo and Ming Yu stepped out from the center of the stone altar. Returning with them to the Riverside Sect were more than ten inner disciples who had journeyed to the Immortal Burial Sea to slay demons. During the teleportation intervals, they showed Shen Mo profound respect. After all, his cultivation and status had surpassed those of ordinary inner disciples.

The first thing Shen Mo did upon returning to the sect was to take Ming Yu to the Deacon Hall to collect her identity jade pendant. According to the rules of the Riverside Sect, big demons like Ming Yu, who were not Spirit Pets, were not allowed to enter the sect grounds at all, let alone move freely within the Riverside Sect. However, Ming Yu’s status was special, being the daughter of Demon Lord Ming Cang. After Shen Mo consulted Peak Master Zhou Shili, the sect’s upper echelons granted her the status of an ’alien minister.’ Aside from some important and restricted areas, she could move freely in other zones.

As for Ming Yu’s accommodations, Shen Mo didn’t need to worry. She could use her Skill, The Smallest and The Largest, to hide within a separate, miniature space. When leaving the Immortal Burial Sea, Ming Yu had deliberately filled The Smallest Space with seawater, along with various marine creatures like fish, shrimp, turtles, crabs, and spiritual algae. This was to prevent discomfort from an extended stay on land.

To make contacting her easier, Shen Mo had specifically used his merit of slaying demons to exchange for a pair of top-grade profound-level Sound Transmission Conches from the Demon Slaying Hall in Dingbo City. Similar to Sound Transmission Talismans, but much more powerful! If Shen Mo encountered danger in the Outer Realm, or if he needed to find her for other matters, he could communicate with her through this conch.

"Brother, with your strength, why are you content with living in such a simple cave mansion?"

Upon returning to the Inner Door cave mansion, Clam Girl Ming Yu surveyed the surroundings and felt a little indignant on Shen Mo’s behalf.

"A mountain needn’t be high; it’s famous if an immortal resides there," Shen Mo replied with a smile.

After advancing to the Spirit Sea Realm, he gained the right to completely rebuild his cave mansion. However, his current cave mansion was adequate for his living and cultivation needs, so he couldn’t be bothered with the hassle of renovating. At most, he would find another Formation to conceal his cave mansion, preventing constant disturbances from other inner disciples.

"I have to go somewhere else. Will you come with me? Or do you want to explore on your own?"

Converted to human years, although Ming Yu was still a young woman of sixteen, her actual strength was at the middle-stage of Class III. She was currently in the heartland of the Riverside Sect. In the entire cultivation world of the Red Flame Country, few places were safer than this, so Shen Mo naturally didn’t worry about her safety.

"Brother, are you going to see your sweetheart? Then I’ll go too."

During their time together, Ming Yu had heard Shen Mo speak of Zhao Lingyin. Naturally, her curiosity was piqued, and she longed to see this person for herself.

"Mm. Then let’s go!"

「...」

Spirit Gathering Peak, Lake Heart Cottage.

When Zhao Lingyin learned of Shen Mo’s impending arrival, her thoughts grew unsettled. As a result, the batch of Grade III Elixirs she was refining yielded several substandard ones. After sorting the elixirs of varying quality, she decided against restarting the furnace. Instead, she meticulously tidied up, then leaned against the railing, waiting quietly.

Not long after, two streaks of escaping light flew in from the distance. One, naturally, was the person she longed for. The other exuded an overwhelming Demonic Aura and a watery luminescence, causing Zhao Lingyin to frown slightly. She was uncertain if this was a big demon Spirit Pet newly acquired by Shen Mo.

The two streaks of light landed one after the other before Zhao Lingyin, revealing the figures of Shen Mo and Clam Girl Ming Yu.

「...」

"So... Ming Yu acknowledges you as her sworn brother and will follow you to learn the forging method?"

In Zhao Lingyin’s boudoir, she nestled in Shen Mo’s arms, her crimson lips parting softly as she spoke. As for Clam Girl Ming Yu, she had been left outside to wander around Spirit Gathering Peak by herself.

Shen Mo recounted his journey to the Immortal Burial Sea to Zhao Lingyin. This included his accidental encounter with their fellow disciple Liu Qing, the slaying of the Evil Python Shen Gao, and his confrontation with Shen Lei, the big demon, at the Alliance Hall. He also mentioned the banquet hosted by Demon Lord Ming Cang and, consequently, Ming Yu’s situation.

"Yes. Ming Yu’s Skills are quite formidable and will be very useful in the future."

"Moreover, she possesses a unique talent for crafting bead-like magic artifacts... She is truly a promising talent."

Shen Mo didn’t elaborate, but Zhao Lingyin understood his meaning and nodded slightly.

As they spoke, Shen Mo inhaled the faint, sweet fragrance of spiritual medicine from her body, and a warmth spread through his heart. His hands grew bold, and he savored the soft, fragrant woman in his embrace. Even though it wasn’t the first time she had been so intimate with Shen Mo, Zhao Lingyin still felt a little shy, her delicate ears tinged with a rosy blush.

"Your enchanting beauty makes me forget to eat," Shen Mo whispered.

"Hm?"

Zhao Lingyin let out a soft gasp. Just as she lifted her gaze, Shen Mo fiercely bit her delicate, dewy red lips...

Dusk was their tryst, and the stars shone brightly overhead.

After an unknowable length of time, the two resumed their serious conversation.

"Now that you’re back at the sect, you should be able to stay for a while longer, right?"

"That’s uncertain. The demon scourge is currently raging, and within the Riverside Sect, Spirit Sea Realm cultivators like us rarely have much leisure time." Shen Mo helped Zhao Lingyin gently arrange her hair, speaking with a smile, "However, I’ve just returned from the Immortal Burial Sea. The sect shouldn’t assign me any major tasks for a while."

"In a few days, I need to go to Hongye City. I’ll bring Qian Xiaofeng, Shopkeeper Qian’s daughter, to the Riverside Sect for cultivation in the outer door."

"Afterward, I’ll enter seclusion for a period and attempt to advance to the Second Layer of the Spirit Sea Realm!"

"If the sect hasn’t assigned me a mission by then, I will challenge Tian Zhiyu of the Tian Family and seize his ninth core disciple position."

Hall Master Yuan Chengshan of the Immortal Welcoming Hall hadn’t been confirmed dead. Otherwise, a core disciple would be vying for his position, which would naturally vacate one seat. In that scenario, the process for competing for a core disciple position would also change.

Currently, it wasn’t so complicated; he just needed to challenge Tian Zhiyu, the ninth core disciple, and step over him to claim his spot.

As for the few core disciple candidates from previous years, they lacked even the spirit to challenge the lowest-ranking among them. Shen Mo certainly wasn’t afraid of them.