Chapter 626: You Remind Me of a Friend I Once Knew

Shen Mo had quite a few old Earth-rank spirit artifacts on hand, most of which were no longer of any use to him.

Take, for example, the spirit sword “Yin-Yang Blades.”

Rather than letting it sit idle, it was better to sell it at the market.

The Sun and Moon Sect had done an excellent job designing the Sun and Moon Market to win over cultivators.

For high-status cultivators like Shen Mo, selling items required no personal involvement—he could simply entrust the task to a Sun and Moon Sect cultivator.

The sect would only take a small commission from the sale.

What Shen Mo hadn’t expected was that Shi Tianhao himself would personally deliver the spirit stones to him.

“Island Lord Shen, the item has been delivered, so I’ll take my leave.”

Shi Tianhao wore a courteous expression, as if this were his first time meeting Shen Mo.

Shen Mo smiled and nodded, then suddenly asked, “May I ask your name, Fellow Daoist? You remind me of a friend I once knew.”

Upon hearing this, Shi Tianhao’s heart skipped violently, though he showed no sign of it on his face. “My name is Hao Tianshi.”

“The world is vast and full of wonders. It’s not surprising if I resemble one of your friends.”

He grumbled inwardly.

His disguise this time was thorough, completely altering his appearance.

He had even made a point of strolling around in front of Song Zhenfei, Liu Yuntian, and the others.

None of them had recognized him.

They even smiled and invited him for tea.

He was confident that Shen Mo would be equally clueless.

Shen Mo gave a faint smile. “Perhaps.”

He immediately opened Hao Tianshi’s Life Panel.

Before his eyes, a flood of recent fortunes flashed by.

Shen Mo raised an eyebrow.

Truly, those with sky-defying fate are built differently.

The amount of fortune here was staggering!

Shi Tianhao felt a chill crawl up his back under Shen Mo’s gaze.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being seen through.

It was far too unsettling.

He had clearly changed his face and identity.

Clearly, Shen Mo hadn’t figured out he was actually Shi Tianhao.

So why was he looking at him like that?

That gaze—was just like before!

Shi Tianhao took a deep breath and forced a smile. “Since the item has been delivered, I’ll take my leave.”

With that, he turned and left without another word, not wanting to linger a second longer.

He had accepted this delivery task specifically to assess Shen Mo’s current cultivation and strength.

If the opportunity arose, he had even considered using his “Hao Tianshi” identity to get closer to Shen Mo—opening up to him and becoming a trusted new friend.

That way, it would be much easier to make a move on Shen Mo inside the Cangqing Grotto-Heaven and reclaim the golden page.

But now, he had no desire to stay.

Shen Mo’s eyes were far too terrifying.

It was as if they had seen right through him.

…

A few days later.

At night.

Within Great Sun Island, azure light erupted once again.

This time, the pillar of light shot straight into the heavens, radiating a formidable dragon’s might.

It was far more grand and imposing than the last time.

Countless cultivators were startled awake,

Among them were even Nirvana Realm experts with eighty or ninety Dao patterns.

Shen Mo had only been half asleep.

Now he suddenly awoke.

But it wasn’t the dragon might or pillar of light that woke him.

It was the golden pages in his storage ring.

The two golden pages within had become like burning coals in his hand.

They trembled continuously, scalding hot,

Emitting a strong green glow.

They seemed to be resonating with the green pillar of light above Great Sun Island.

If Shen Mo hadn’t gripped them tightly, they would likely have flown off on their own the very next second.

“It’s time.”

Shen Mo immediately got up and followed the guidance of the golden pages.

His figure skimmed across the dark sea, diving into the waters below.

A short while later, he arrived at a reef beneath the surface.

At first glance, the area seemed completely unremarkable.

But guided by the golden pages, Shen Mo discovered a hidden passage.

He followed the path deeper and deeper.

Eventually, a green light screen appeared before him.

A small azure dragon coiled within the light screen.

Dragon might spread throughout the area.

Sea beasts that had been swimming nearby were instantly shattered by the overwhelming pressure, reduced to mangled flesh.

Shen Mo too felt an oppressive weight, like Mount Tai pressing down upon him.

This kind of pressure could only come from a Supreme Realm cultivator!

Slightly startled, Shen Mo immediately brought out the golden page and held it in front of him.

The pressure lightened at once.

Taking advantage of the reprieve, he crossed the distance and passed through the azure light screen.

The moment he passed through, a strange layer of radiance enveloped him.

Like a membrane of water, it wrapped around his entire body.

Shen Mo couldn’t see his surroundings clearly—only felt the world spinning around him.

When his vision finally settled, he found himself standing on a beach.

In front of him stretched a vast, boundless sea.

A sea breeze blew into his face.

However…

The sea was black.

The wind reeked of rot and blood.

The entire ocean was far from bright skies and gentle breezes—it was filled with demonic energy and deathly stillness.

It looked nothing like the so-called “Spirit Sea” that Song Zhenfei had described.

Even so, Shen Mo was not surprised.

Because he had already spotted clues from Shi Tianhao’s Life Panel and his own.

This Cangqing Grotto-Heaven had long since been tainted by demonic energy.

The reason why the Sanctum of Ten Thousand Phenomena, which typically avoided conflict, had shown up here was clear: to suppress the demonic outbreak.

“Fortunately, my martial skills and strange flames are highly effective against demons.”

“Even if I run into demonized creatures, I won’t be afraid in the slightest.”

“But the same might not be true for other cultivators.”

Shen Mo gave a faint smile and followed the path toward a fortune he had previously marked—flying northeast.

There was something there. A treasure that, once obtained, would make him unstoppable within this grotto-heaven—

The Azure Dragon Ark.

This artifact could only be used within the Spirit Sea of the grotto.

By riding the Azure Dragon Ark, one could sail the waves and move swiftly.

Without it, he would have to rely solely on spiritual energy or blood essence to cross the sea.

Not only would his speed drop significantly, but he would also face countless dangers.

The sea beasts within this Spirit Sea were all ferocious creatures that Supreme Cangqing had captured from the outside world.

Now, after being corrupted by demonic energy, they had become demonized monsters—bloodthirsty, violent, and extremely aggressive.

They would never spare a single lifeform that entered their territory.

…

Elsewhere—

Yin Zanghua’s world spun violently.

When her vision cleared, she found herself standing on soft sand.

“So this is the Cangqing Grotto-Heaven? Why has it become like this?”

Seeing the demonic taint pervading the area, Yin Zanghua’s brows furrowed deeply.

Sharp as she was, she instantly understood why the Sanctum of Ten Thousand Phenomena had sent people here as well.

“The Cangqing Grotto-Heaven being corrupted by demonic energy… Whether this is a blessing or a curse, it’s hard to say…”

She gave a slight shake of her head and began searching the area.

As one of the eighteen lords of the Xuan Yin Grotto-Heaven, she naturally knew that in this first trial—Crossing the Spirit Sea—there was a special item that could help.

As long as one could find an Azure Dragon Ark, they could cross the Spirit Sea at top speed and reach the second trial.

…

Yue Xinglou shook his head, trying to shake off the dizziness clouding his mind.

Only then did he realize he was standing atop the surface of a pitch-black sea.

Just as he appeared, several vicious, bloodthirsty purple-black demon beasts rushed toward him!

With a single glance, his heart trembled violently.

These three sea beasts were absolutely massive—

Each one nearly the size of a small moving mountain!

“Demonized sea beasts with eighty Dao patterns? Three of them?!”

Yue Xinglou’s mind reeled. He didn’t dare think further—he turned and fled at once.

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