Chapter 290: Not Out of Desire, But to Prevent Treasure from Gathering Dust

Shen Mo gazed eastward, deep in thought. “If I remember correctly, Ye Yan left behind several fortuitous opportunities in Yu Prefecture.”

Originally, before Ye Yan could reach the Divine Transformation stage, he would remain in the Jade Cauldron Sect, competing with Xiao Fan for the position of Young Sect Master.

After his defeat, realizing the immense power of the Ten Thousand Demon Nation, he betrayed the Jade Cauldron Sect and joined their ranks.

During that time, Ye Yan stayed in Yu Prefecture, reaping various opportunities.

Now, however, his predetermined fate had been altered by Shen Mo.

Xiao Fan had not become a disciple of the Jade Cauldron Sect.

Ye Yan had also betrayed the Jade Cauldron Sect and headed south to the Ten Thousand Demon Nation before reaching the Divine Transformation stage.

As a result, those opportunities were now unclaimed.

As Ye Yan’s “close friend,” Shen Mo certainly wouldn’t let those treasures go to waste.

Yes, it was mainly to prevent them from gathering dust.

Absolutely not because he wanted them for himself.

“However, these opportunities will only appear at specific times. I’ll have to wait a bit.”

Shen Mo composed himself and returned to his residence, beginning a secluded session to refine the Pure Nascent Soul Transformation Pill.

A Year Later

Shen Mo left the Jade Cauldron Sect and traveled to Chiron Prefecture, east of Taishan Prefecture.

Chiron Prefecture was home to a picturesque lake called Chiron Lake.

Just days before Shen Mo’s arrival, a brilliant light emanated from the lake’s depths, its shimmering waves attracting many cultivators in search of treasure.

Among them were disciples from the Three Sects and One King.

Shen Mo, donning a mask to conceal his identity, blended into the crowd.

Using his life panel, he managed to enter the ruins beneath Chiron Lake ahead of everyone else.

Deep in the ruins, he found a Pure Yang Fruit that had just ripened.

Although it was a fruit, its temperature was so extreme that even Divine Transformation cultivators found it difficult to consume.

Shen Mo didn’t intend to use the Pure Yang Fruit for himself.

Instead, it was meant to aid in refining the Solar Essence Fire.

Recently, the Solar Essence Fire had already refined the Thousand-Year Core of Earthfire and the Solar Essence Stone.

Its size and intensity had grown significantly, but it was still just a “flame” and far from the “blazing fire” of something like the Green Lotus Core Flame.

Without refining rare treasures, transitioning the flame from a spark to a blaze would take at least a hundred years.

And that was while it resided within Shen Mo’s dantian.

In the natural environment, the process would take several dozen times longer.

The Pure Yang Fruit, however, was one of the few treasures capable of accelerating this process.

Although it would only provide a small boost, Shen Mo didn’t mind.

Every small step adds up.

With enough opportunities like the Pure Yang Fruit, the Solar Essence Fire would soon complete its transformation.

A day after Shen Mo discreetly left Chiron Lake, someone stumbled into the ruins beneath the lake.

However, the Pure Yang Fruit was long gone, taken by Shen Mo.

The cultivators, finding nothing, could only leave disappointed.

Another Year Later

Shen Mo traveled to Flying Cloud Prefecture, north of Taishan Prefecture.

This area was resource-poor and overrun by demonic beasts, a lawless land ignored by the Jade Cauldron Sect, the Supreme Purity Sect, and the Pill River Sect.

Over time, it had become a gathering place for rogue cultivators.

In the past year, a powerful wolf king had appeared in Flying Cloud Prefecture.

Leading its pack, it roamed like the wind, wreaking havoc and slaughtering everything in its path.

Even the most powerful sect in Flying Cloud Prefecture was defeated by the wolf king and its pack.

In desperation, the local cultivators pooled their resources to hire the Three Sects and One King for assistance.

Elders from the Supreme Purity Sect and the Pill River Sect attempted to intervene.

However, the wolf king’s instincts were incredibly sharp.

The lucky ones managed to return alive, but the unfortunate ones perished under its claws.

Since then, few sect disciples dared to accept the commission.

After all, the rewards didn’t justify the risks. Who would risk their lives for such a task?

Once again, Shen Mo donned his mask. Guided by his life panel, he quickly located the wolf king and its lair.

The wolf king was indeed powerful, but its strength lay primarily in its unmatched speed and mobility.

Once Shen Mo located the wolf king’s lair, the creature was as good as trapped.

In a single night, Shen Mo annihilated the wolf king and its pack.

He extracted a fifth-tier demon crystal from the wolf king’s body.

Additionally, in the depths of the lair, he discovered a sixth-tier demon crystal and several storage rings.

The storage rings had belonged to unlucky rogue cultivators who had fallen prey to the wolf pack.

Though the items within the rings were plentiful, their quality was mediocre.

Still, since he was already there, Shen Mo decided not to leave empty-handed.

He swept all the contents into his own storage ring.

The sixth-tier demon crystal, however, was the most valuable treasure.

This crystal was the spoils of the wolf king’s rampage through Flying Cloud Prefecture, including its conquest of the region’s strongest sect, Flying Cloud Sect.

The wolf king hadn’t yet had the chance to refine it.

Now, it belonged to Shen Mo.

Previously, Shen Mo had obtained the Nine Revolutions Pill Dao Codex in the Fire Pill Palace. The codex contained not only alchemy techniques but also artifact refinement techniques, including the art of crystal refinement.

The sixth-tier demon crystal was a perfect material to integrate into his Two Yi Sword.

Enhancing the Two Yi Sword with this crystal would be akin to adding an entirely new sword to its arsenal.

Once completed, Shen Mo’s usage of Yang Sword Qi, Yin Sword Qi, or Two Yi Sword Qi would gain a significant power boost.

A few days after Shen Mo left the lair, some fortunate rogue cultivators stumbled upon it.

However, by the time they arrived, the corpses of the wolf king and its pack had been reduced to skeletal remains, long devoured by other beasts.

Finding no treasure, the cultivators left disappointed.

Dragon Snake Mountain.

Shen Mo sat cross-legged in his residence, observing his dantian internally.

As expected, after fully refining the Pure Yang Fruit, the Solar Essence Fire had grown significantly, taking up more space.

The Green Lotus Core Flame’s attitude toward this small flame had shifted dramatically, from condescension to equal respect, and even a touch of deference.

After all, the inherent nature of the Solar Essence Fire was far superior.

The Green Lotus Core Flame simply could not compete.

Shen Mo felt a genuine sense of joy.

However, it was a bittersweet happiness.

With the Solar Essence Fire’s growth, maintaining the dynamic balance between the two flames when using the Great Desolation Starfall technique would once again require careful adjustments.

Fortunately, thanks to previous experience, he could now recalibrate the balance much faster.

Three Days Later.

Shen Mo exhaled deeply as he examined the Two Yi Sword before him.

The crystal refinement process was a success.

Using the techniques from the Nine Revolutions Pill Dao Codex, he had seamlessly integrated the sixth-tier demon crystal into the Two Yi Sword without any issues.

He scrutinized the sword, which appeared nearly identical to its previous form, except for a crystal embedded in the hilt.

But when he infused it with spiritual energy, the sword revealed its true transformation.

A shadowy image of a sword appeared both above and below the Two Yi Sword—one black and one white—perfectly aligned with the sword’s dual nature.

Shen Mo tested the Yang Sword Qi and Yin Sword Qi.

Immediately, he noticed a dramatic increase in power.

The black and white sword shadows doubled the sword’s effectiveness, effectively tripling the power of each technique.

Every sword strike now carried the force of three.

Shen Mo’s delight was uncontainable.

The progress he had made over the past two years far exceeded his expectations.

He was now just one step away from reaching the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.

His spiritual tools, techniques, and combat skills were nearing perfection.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Madara Web Novel