Wandering Swordsman |

As the severed fingers were reattached to their original cut surfaces, Shen Mo increased his power. The six people felt a burning sensation at their wounds, as if a powerful force was repairing their bodies. A moment later, Shen Mo withdrew his power, and the severed fingers were perfectly reattached, with almost no scars visible.

Everyone was greatly shocked, especially Tu Yuliang. Before entering the Demon Refining Mountain, his severed arm, cut off by the Blood Demon Lord, had taken a full two days for a highly skilled physician from the Heavenly Demon God Sect to reattach. Yet Shen Mo had reattached his severed finger in the blink of an eye.

"Although the severed finger has been reattached, I used demonic energy to seal off its energy channels. From now on, it can only serve as decoration; the finger will not be able to move," Shen Mo said calmly.

Upon hearing this, the six showed no displeasure, but immediately knelt down again to express their gratitude: "Thank you, Heavenly Demon God, for your grace in rebirth!"

Although their fingers couldn't regain their function, this was still a better outcome than they had ever imagined. Everyone was filled with admiration and gratitude for Shen Mo. They knew that with such a leader as the new Heavenly Demon God, the future was sure to be full of hope.

......

Shen Mo led the group out of the cave. He exuded an aura of awe, as if each step he took resonated deeply with everyone. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled patterns on the ground, highlighting his resolute stride and profound gaze. Behind him followed Lü Yan, Yue Linglong, Hua Tianyou, Tu Yuliang, and two others, each with a different expression on their face—some filled with admiration, others with loyalty, and still others with deep gratitude.

Outside the cave, Xie Xin had already gathered everyone around it. When they saw Shen Mo leading Yue Linglong, Hua Tianyou, and the others out, the tense atmosphere instantly relaxed.

Standing in the crowd, Su Ming's eyes flashed with sudden realization. He seemed to understand something, quickly stepping forward and kneeling before Shen Mo: "Su Ming pays respects to the Heavenly Demon God." His voice was firm and powerful, conveying an undeniable determination. This action immediately attracted the attention of those around him, who quickly followed suit, kneeling down in unison and shouting, "Pay respects to the Heavenly Demon God!"

In an instant, the entire scene became electrifying. Countless eyes were fixed on Shen Mo, every face filled with reverence and awe. An unprecedented atmosphere of unity permeated the air, as if everyone was bound together by an invisible force. Even the wind seemed to stop, making way for this moment.

"Greetings, Heavenly Demon God!" The shouts of the crowd rose and fell, echoing throughout the valley and lingering for a long time. The awe-inspiring sound seemed to pierce the clouds, announcing the arrival of a new era.

He looked around, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces, feeling the passion and trust in their hearts. "Get up, all of you." Shen Mo's voice was deep and powerful, yet warm. "From this day forward, all of us here will be the new strength of the Heavenly Demon God Sect, creating our own era!" Hearing this, everyone stood up, tears of excitement glistening in their eyes. Witnessing the birth of a new generation of Heavenly Demon Gods would be a source of pride for them for the rest of their lives.

......

Three months later, Su Ming had almost finished translating the symbols on the seven blue stones of the cave as instructed by Shen Mo. However, there were still some symbols that even Su Ming could not recognize, making it possible to only roughly understand some of the content.

On a quiet night, only a few specks of luminescent stones emitted a faint blue light within the cave, illuminating the focused silhouettes of the two figures. Shen Mo stood to one side, his brows furrowed, his gaze fixed on Su Ming's fingers as they slid across the ancient inscriptions.

"When Li Er discovered that this place was rich in spiritual energy and suitable for cultivation, he built his cultivation cave here." Su Ming's voice was deep and focused, as if he were communicating with an ancient master across time. "Furthermore, after his soul became a saint, he placed it here to continue his cultivation and ascend to immortality. His physical body served as the core of the entire Demon Refining Mountain Formation, gathering the spiritual energy of the entire Demon Refining Mountain to aid his soul in its continued cultivation."

As Su Ming finished speaking, a look of shock flashed in Shen Mo's eyes. "So, the dense demonic energy in this cave was all attracted by the great formation?" His voice was filled with disbelief.

Su Ming nodded and continued, "Not only that, the Demon-Refining Beasts were also created within this great formation to protect Demon-Refining Mountain and to devour the souls of those who died on Demon-Refining Mountain to nourish the formation."

Upon hearing this, Shen Mo suddenly realized that the reason Hei Yan was wary of the Demon-Refining Beast King's aura within him was because the Demon-Refining Beast King could actually devour souls. He pondered this silently, his eyes becoming profound.

Just as the two were immersed in the shock brought by the information recorded on the bluestone slab, Su Ming suddenly stopped translating and said with solemn respect, "There is another section, which was added later, supplemented by the first Heavenly Demon - Xuan Yuan Ling, who founded the Heavenly Demon God Sect."

Shen Mo immediately focused his mind and gestured for Su Ming to continue reciting the supplementary information recorded on the bluestone:

"The Heavenly Demon God Sect's posthumous precepts: Except when a new Heavenly Demon God is to be chosen, no one may approach within a hundred feet of the Demon Refining Mountain's walls at any other time. Furthermore, one must not cross the Heavenly Demon Mountain walls, or one will die at the hands of the dried corpse created after the death of the first Demon Lord who was responsible for guarding the Demon Refining Mountain." Su Ming translated each word carefully, his tone gradually becoming solemn. "Furthermore, if any descendant of the Heavenly Demon God Sect comes here and practices the Heaven-Defying Divine Art - Heavenly Scroll - for one year within this space, a wisp of indelible Heavenly Demon Qi will be generated in their dantian. However, it is crucial that this Heavenly Demon Qi be infused into the central lampstand, lest one perish and perish."

Upon hearing this, Shen Mo felt a surge of emotion. He finally understood why the dried corpse he had encountered by the wall was the first Demon Lord of the Heavenly Demon God Sect. Those bodies that had turned into dried corpses must have been created by the first Heavenly Demon God using some method, so that they could forever guard the Demon Refining Mountain.

At this moment, the air inside the cave seemed to grow even heavier, each breath seemingly telling a story of a distant and mysterious history. Shen Mo closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down and experience the secrets of the Demon Refining Mountain recorded on the bluestone.

......

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it's the eve of the opening of the entrance to the Demon Refining Mountain.

At this moment, an indescribable atmosphere of excitement permeated the entire Demon Refining Mountain, as if even the air itself was trembling in anticipation of the impending changes.

After five years of training at Demon Refining Mountain, everyone's strength has made a qualitative leap, especially Yue Linglong and Lü Yan. With Shen Mo's help, they even obtained the Heavenly Demon Qi, and their strength has now reached the level of the Twelve Venerables.

Unfortunately, in the five years that followed, Shen Mo was unable to find the 108th Heavenly Demon Totem, which remained their only regret. Even so, everyone was immersed in the joy of leaving Demon Refining Mountain, as if the future held infinite possibilities.