Sea State, Dingbo City.

Similar to Tianshan City, the Teleportation Array of the Five Great Sects was set up within the city.

As the array's radiance flashed, a dozen figures stepped out. Shen Mo was among them. The others were inner disciples of the Riverside Sect who had rushed to Sea State to slay demons.

Where was the demonic infestation most severe in the Red Flame Country?

The first place was Heishan Town, just a hundred miles away from the Ghost Nation Ruins where You State and Jing State intersected. The Heavenly Demon channel was open beneath Heishan Town. Just as the demonic infestation began to emerge, over one hundred thousand common disciples and family cultivators in Heishan Town were Demon-corrupted and devoured, leaving the town desolate. This had given rise to several powerful Third-order Heavenly Demons!

Normally, with the Ghost Corpse School in You State and the Heaven Sword Sect in Jing State, even if Heishan Town fell, the demonic infestation would not have become unstoppable. Unfortunately, not far from this location lay the Ghost Nation Ruins! Relying solely on the Ghost Corpse School and the Heaven Sword Sect, they simply could not stop a large number of Heavenly Demons from surging into the Ghost Nation Ruins. After countless beings were Demon-corrupted and innumerable Soul Ghosts were devoured, a terrifying Demon Tide had erupted!

Fortunately, the sources of Heavenly Demons in other regions had not become significant. The Ghost Corpse School and the Heaven Sword Sect, having mobilized their forces, managed to withstand the first wave of the Demon Tide with the support of the other Three Major Sects and various allied forces. Many powerful individuals in the Spirit Sea Realm and elite cultivators in the Qi Gathering Realm from the Riverside Sect had gone to the Heishan Town battlefield.

Currently, both sides were in a stalemate. The cultivators were constantly exterminating the primal Heavenly Demons that had just crossed over from the Heavenly Demon Realm. Meanwhile, the Heavenly Demons that had already entered the Ghost Nation Ruins were rampaging across an area hundreds of miles wide, continuously assaulting the defensive lines established by the cultivators.

Luckily, within the Ghost Nation Ruins, there were also a considerable number of formidable ghosts similar to Ghost General Zhang Taian! Facing this enemy of all living beings, these powerful ghosts would not simply wait for death. Instead, they rose to besiege the endless Heavenly Demons that had invaded the ruins, intending to annihilate and completely expel them. Currently, no one knew how the situation would ultimately develop.

The other location was in Sea State, or rather, in the Immortal Burial Sea, an oceanic region not far from Sea State. In the Immortal Burial Sea, the number of demonic beasts was no less than the Soul Ghosts in the Ghost Nation Ruins. Moreover, their coordination was not as organized as that found within the cultivation world. One of the Heavenly Demon channels had coincidentally opened on the seabed, not far from the coast. Decades ago, during the Demon Disaster, Sea State had been untouched by demonic shadows. Neither the common sea beasts nor the big demons of the sea had witnessed how terrifying Heavenly Demons could be. As a result, the situation soon worsened.

Much like the Ghost Nation Ruins, numerous sea beasts were Demon-corrupted and devoured. This led to the Heavenly Demons growing uncontrollably powerful, posing a threat of spreading to Sea State and even other major states. Third-order demonic beasts possessed gnosis comparable to cultivators. Upon realizing that their strength alone was insufficient to contain the Demon Tide, they became inclined to ally with Human Cultivators. If the Immortal Burial Sea were to be fully occupied by Heavenly Demons, it was feared they might give rise to numerous Class IV mutated Heavenly Demons... Thus, the Five Great Sects naturally would not oppose an alliance with the big demons of the sea. This led to the dispatch of envoys such as Shen Mo.

Each of the Five Great Sects would send one chief envoy and two deputy envoys, totaling fifteen powerful individuals in the Spirit Sea Realm for the visit. Though it appeared to be a grand delegation, it was, in reality, a preliminary exploratory mission. The highest-ranking members among them held positions, at most, comparable to the Hall Master of the Riverside Sect's Immortal Welcoming Hall. The Riverside Sect's Immortal Welcoming Hall was specifically responsible for receiving guests and managing diplomatic exchanges and negotiations with the other Four Great Sects, smaller immortal sects, and various other factions. The Hall Master, Yuan Chengshan, hailed from the same clan as Sect Master Yuan Qingshi; both were members of the Yuan Immortal Family. He was also a man of great diplomatic skill, adept at forging connections and strategic maneuvering. As the chief envoy for the mission to the Monster Zone, his status was quite fitting.

The other deputy envoy was the third-ranked among the Nine Core Disciples, a cultivator named Yu Yan. This individual possessed the Fire Spirit Body, a fact Shen Mo had heard of previously. Yu Yan's Master was Yuan Jing, the Peak Master of Bright Moon Peak. Like Shen Mo, he originated from a common background, without the backing of a wealthy immortal family. In comparison, Shen Mo's status as a core disciple candidate seemed somewhat inconspicuous.

None of the three envoys—the chief and the two deputies—were Peak Masters of the Three Peaks or the Sect Master himself. This was, of course, to leave room for maneuver in future negotiations. After all, if high-ranking sect officials were directly involved, it would be awkward for the sect's upper echelons to engage in heated arguments over many matters without losing face. Furthermore, if initial talks faltered, it would also be easier for the sect's leadership to intervene and mediate later!

Although the envoy members had been decided a month prior, Shen Mo had been delayed for some time due to his closed-door cultivation in the Dungeon and his subsequent promotion celebration. Consequently, Yuan Chengshan, the Hall Master of the Immortal Welcoming Hall, and Yu Yan, the third-ranked core disciple, had already departed for Sea State.

After taking out his Fengshui jade slip and glancing at it, Shen Mo took to the sky, transforming into a streak of escaping light and flew towards the pre-arranged island. This attracted envious gazes from many of the Qi Gathering Realm and Body Tempering Realm cultivators within Dingbo City.

Having opened his Spirit Sea, Shen Mo no longer needed to rely on Sword Escape for flight. Simply by stimulating the Mana within his body and executing the Ride the Cloud magic, his flight speed was already no slower than that of Sword Escape. With the additional boost from his 'Control Wind' Skill, his speed was astonishingly fast!

Along the way, Shen Mo surveyed the scenery below while also focusing part of his attention on the Destiny Panel. Two new entries had appeared on the martial arts and cultivation method page.

One of them was the 'Soar Cloud Immortal Method,' a profound level, top-grade cultivation method. Its name and specific characteristics might vary, but this type of magic was something almost all Spirit Sea Realm cultivators had to learn. Otherwise, without a Flying Escape cultivation method for propulsion and enhancement, they could only hover in mid-air. They couldn't roam the azure heavens and would ultimately still need to control magic artifacts like Qi Gathering Realm cultivators to travel freely.

The other was a spiritual level, low-grade main cultivation method: the 'Mixed Yuan Qi Technique.' It was similar in nature to the 'Heavenly Origin Technique' and the 'Purple Mansion Heart Scripture,' both being methods for breathing and guiding Qi! However, the efficacy of the 'Mixed Yuan Qi Technique' was far superior to the other two. Shen Mo had only used [Martial Performance] to cultivate it to the 'Senior' stage. Yet, its efficiency in guiding and refining Qi was no less than that of the 'Purple Mansion Heart Scripture' at the 'Integration' stage!

Of course, my 'Purple Mansion Heart Scripture' has already reached the 'Epic' stage, so, for the short term, this cultivation method's effects are still better. But, as my mastery of the 'Mixed Yuan Qi Technique' deepens, it won't be long before it surpasses and replaces the 'Purple Mansion Heart Scripture'.

Additionally, Shen Mo had two profound level cultivation methods he had yet to claim.

I haven't decided yet what kind of magic I want to cultivate. It's not too late to leave them for now and claim them later!

As Shen Mo's escaping light drew closer to the Immortal Burial Sea, a progressively stronger briny, damp scent filled his nostrils. His gaze and spiritual sense also detected numerous cultivators from various factions darting across the sea's surface, engaged in bloody battles with Sea Beasts that frequently erupted from the water. These Sea Beasts, of myriad bizarre forms, were all Demon-corrupted demonic beasts, their Demonic Aura intermingled with dense Demonic Qi. There were also normal Sea Beasts, their Demonic Aura pure and powerful, locked in fierce combat with the Demon-corrupted demonic beasts.

However, both the cultivators and the normal Sea Beasts maintained a tacit understanding, each fighting their own battles without interfering with one another. This was understandable. After all, in previous years, many cultivators had profited by slaying Sea Beasts. Now, although both sides faced a common enemy, with no alliance yet established, it was commendable enough that they weren't backstabbing each other. How could they so easily join hands to slay demons?

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