Chapter 185: Am I Really Less Important Than the Eternal Life Flower to Him?
After the great battle, the area beneath Spirit Beast Mountain was a mess.
Corpses littered the ground.
Most of them were cultivators from the Divine Sword Sect.
In comparison, the casualties from Azure Profound Sect and Verdant Vine Sect were minimal.
This, however, was to be expected.
After all, Luo Chaotian had been severely wounded by Shen Mo, and this was witnessed by all the cultivators present.
The morale of both sides naturally shifted.
Even in such circumstances, the fact that the Divine Sword Sect still managed to leave behind a group of death warriors to cover the retreat of Luo Chaotian, Ouyang Cang, and other core members demonstrated the depth of their standing as the number one sect in Xuanjing Prefecture.
Shen Mo gazed into the distance.
The cultivators of the Divine Sword Sect had already vanished beyond the horizon.
He didn't continue the pursuit.
After all, his spiritual power was not infinite, and his fight with Luo Chaotian had drained quite a bit of it.
Additionally, both his demonic arm armor and chest armor had consumed three blood packs.
To use them again, he would need to refill the blood packs.
It was rather troublesome.
There was also the issue of the Divine Sword Sect's backup plan.
Through Luo Chaotian's life panel, Shen Mo saw that the moment Luo Chaotian was seriously injured, Ouyang Cang had immediately used a sound transmission jade to contact the sect, requesting that the retired sect master of the Divine Sword Sect come out of seclusion.
If Shen Mo had recklessly pursued them, he would have certainly fallen into their trap.
With these factors combined, Shen Mo decided not to chase after them, allowing Luo Chaotian and the others to flee.
"We won! We won!"
Liu Menghu suddenly shouted.
His entire body seemed to be straining, as if he wanted to release all the frustration of the past three months in one go.
"We won! The Divine Sword Sect was defeated!"
The cultivators of the Verdant Vine Sect were ecstatic.
They hugged each other, tears of joy streaming down their faces.
Rejoicing in their narrow escape from death.
Shen Mo waved his hand, and Wei Xiongtie and the others immediately began clearing the battlefield.
The rogue cultivators were very tactful, not daring to touch the corpses of Core Formation stage cultivators, nor the bodies of those from Azure Profound Sect or Verdant Vine Sect.
Their survival instinct told them not to offend any sect, especially one that had emerged from a battle unscathed.
Mo Yuheng wiped away her tears and quickly stepped forward, bowing deeply to Shen Mo.
"Young Sect Master Shen, thank you. If not for you, we…"
Shen Mo smiled slightly, "If you're thanking me, you need to show it."
The words of gratitude Mo Yuheng had prepared got stuck in her throat, and she couldn't say another word.
Couldn't he at least wait for her to finish thanking him?!
"What do you want?" Mo Yuheng took a deep breath and asked.
Shen Mo looked her up and down.
His gaze made Mo Yuheng feel uneasy.
She bit her alluring red lips. "If you want me, it's not entirely impossible…"
"I want the White Serpent Flower, Wine God Peony, Eternal Life Flower, Sacred Sun Stamen… any of these."
Shen Mo cut her off, listing several rare treasures as if he were ordering from a menu.
Among them, aside from the Eternal Life Flower and Sacred Sun Stamen, the others were highly sought-after treasures by Core Formation stage cultivators to enhance their Golden Cores, and they were extremely rare.
The Sacred Sun Stamen, however, was one of the treasures recorded in the Hell Flame Destruction Scripture, used to grow a nine-tier lotus seat.
Shen Mo knew Mo Yuheng didn't have it, and mentioning it was merely a ruse to hide his true intentions.
Mo Yuheng's body trembled, her expression a mix of embarrassment and anger.
After a long moment, she muttered quietly, "I've never heard of most of those, but I do have an Eternal Life Flower, which I found just a few days ago."
"I was planning to give it to my father…"
Shen Mo waved his hand, "I know, the Verdant Vine Sect's cultivation method requires at least four rare treasures to nurture a Nascent Soul."
"Judging by your expression, it's obvious you're missing enough treasures."
If the Eternal Life Flower happened to be the fourth treasure, then Mo Yuheng would certainly be unwilling to give it up. She would rush to deliver it to Mo Hanshan to help him nurture a Nascent Soul.
Even though the success rate wouldn't be high, they would still try.
After all, becoming a Nascent Soul stage cultivator would immediately change the fate of the struggling Verdant Vine Sect and even alter the balance of power in Xuanjing Prefecture.
"I'll take you there."
Mo Yuheng motioned for Shen Mo to follow.
Shen Mo nodded.
The two entered Spirit Beast Mountain, passing through a cave that led into a dark and damp underground passage.
Before long, Mo Yuheng guided Shen Mo to a concealed cave.
In the cave was a small puddle.
Inside the puddle lay a skeleton, stark white in color.
From the skull of the skeleton, a pure white, holy flower had grown.
This was the Eternal Life Flower.
It only grew from the remains of Nascent Soul stage cultivators.
"Excellent!"
Shen Mo's expression brightened, and he bowed deeply to the unknown Nascent Soul stage senior before stepping forward.
Shen Mo carefully took the Eternal Life Flower, along with the skull it had grown from.
The Eternal Life Flower would wither within ten breaths if removed from the bones.
Shen Mo, having thoroughly studied various sect records and being knowledgeable about treasures below heavenly grade, naturally would not make such a basic mistake.
Just as Shen Mo was about to leave, Mo Yuheng quickly spoke up.
"Luo Chaotian is seriously injured, and the Divine Sword Sect has lost more than ten Core Formation stage elders. Their morale is severely damaged."
"Now is the perfect time to counterattack!"
"When will Qingxuan Sect make its move?"
Shen Mo shook his head. "Have you forgotten about the Divine Sword Sect's ancestors?"
"From what I know, the Divine Sword Sect has at least four ancestors, one of whom is Luo Chaotian's master, the former sect master of the Divine Sword Sect."
"The moment that person comes out of seclusion, they'll immediately stabilize the Divine Sword Sect."
Mo Yuheng fell silent. "You're right."
Shen Mo waved his hand. "When the time for the counterattack comes, I'll let you know."
"Fine, I'll be waiting for that day!" Mo Yuheng replied.
She then watched as Shen Mo left.
"This guy… ever since he laid eyes on the Eternal Life Flower, he hasn't looked at me again."
"Am I really less important to him than an Eternal Life Flower?" Mo Yuheng muttered bitterly.
...
The Divine Sword Sect had launched a surprise attack on Spirit Beast Mountain, followed closely by the Qingxuan Sect.
In the battle between Shen Mo and Luo Chaotian, Shen Mo emerged unscathed, while Luo Chaotian was gravely injured.
This news spread quickly through the mouths of rogue cultivators.
It spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of Xuanjing Prefecture, and even the neighboring Jiande and Jinshan Prefectures.
In the government office of Giant River City.
After hearing Luo Shuanghan's report on the battle, a rare expression of surprise appeared on Ji Shilong's face.
Astonishment.
He was genuinely astonished.
He hadn't expected that Shen Mo, whom he regarded as nothing more than a pawn, had grown so powerful.
This pawn was now showing signs of becoming a player in his own right.
"Are you worried about Luo Chaotian? Or the Divine Sword Sect?" Ji Shilong glanced at Luo Shuanghan, noticing the concern on his face.
Luo Shuanghan smiled helplessly. "Ever since I confirmed that he's my father, I can't help but feel this way…"
Ji Shilong waved his hand dismissively. "There's no need to worry. The advantage still lies with the Divine Sword Sect."
Luo Shuanghan was stunned. "What do you mean by that, Lord Ji?"
Ji Shilong sat down and took a large gulp of cold tea. "Just wait. Within a month, we'll be attending a celebration at the Divine Sword Sect."
Luo Shuanghan was puzzled. "A celebration? What kind of celebration?"
Ji Shilong smiled mysteriously. "You'll find out when the time comes."
...
Back at the Qingxuan Sect.
Shen Mo didn't immediately refine the Eternal Life Flower. Instead, he checked his life panel.
According to destiny, this Eternal Life Flower was meant to be obtained by Luo Chaotian, who would then offer it to the former sect master of the Divine Sword Sect to help him cultivate a Seven-Lotus Nascent Soul.
But now that the Eternal Life Flower was gone, how would fate unfold?
[Recent Development: In one month, you will be forced to attend the Divine Sword Sect's Six-Lotus Nascent Soul celebration. At the celebration, there will be Nascent Soul stage ancestors from the Shangqing Sect and the Yuding Sect.
After the celebration, unable to resist the pressure from the Shangqing Sect's Nascent Soul ancestors, you will be captured alive by the Divine Sword Sect. Later, you will be saved by Ji Shilong, who will subdue your spirit and take you in as a death warrior under his command.]
Shen Mo raised an eyebrow.
So that's how it is.
Without the Eternal Life Flower, they could only form a Six-Lotus Nascent Soul instead of Seven.
Though it was just a difference of one lotus, the reduction in power was significant.
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