Above the Nine Heavens

In a desolate region of the Primordial World where the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was thin, Shi Mo sat in meditation deep within a main spiritual vein beneath a barren mountain, his body flickering with a faint golden light.

In the branching veins surrounding him, over a dozen Earth-Core Fire Dragons were absorbing the rapidly surging power of the earth to replenish their own consumption.

Before long, Shi Mo finished his cultivation and could not help but knit his brows slightly:

Although my cultivation and magic power have improved significantly, I have no idea what the current cultivation levels of other practitioners in the Primordial World are. I am ultimately working behind closed doors, and I do not even know if the Dao Ancestor Hongjun has attained sainthood and begun preaching yet!

Just as Shi Mo was thinking this, an invisible, vast, and profound aura suddenly rippled across the entire Primordial World, causing his entire body to jolt. The dozen Earth-Core Fire Dragons that had been absorbing the earth's spiritual energy were all startled awake at once.

In an instant, accompanied by the mysterious and profound aura that had suddenly appeared in the Primordial World, purple energy rose, auspicious light stretched for ten thousand zhang, and auspicious clouds rolled. The rich and surging spiritual energy of heaven and earth poured toward billions of living beings. All creatures received immense benefits, leading to great advancements in their cultivation and the awakening of countless minds.

"Is this? The aura of a saint? The fluctuation of attaining sainthood? Is it Hongjun? Or has Nuwa attained sainthood?"

Feeling that vast and profound aura that brought a sense of oppression, Shi Mo could not help but feel suspicious and uneasy.

Immediately following this, an ancient and ethereal voice, imbued with an inexplicable majesty, spread throughout the Primordial World:

"I am Hongjun. Today, I have attained the Dao and become a saint. In one thousand years, I shall preach in the Purple Heaven Palace beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens. Those with affinity may come to listen."

"Hongjun? Hongjun has actually just attained sainthood?" Shi Mo, somewhat astonished, felt his eyes light up:

That is great! It seems I did not arrive too late; I still have a chance to go to the Purple Heaven Palace to listen to the sermon. However, the Purple Heaven Palace is located in the chaos beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens. Do I currently have the ability to reach it safely?

Thinking of this, Shi Mo knitted his brows slightly and decisively left the underground spiritual vein, emerging onto the surface.

"Whether I can reach the Purple Heaven Palace or not, I must at least try. It is better to be early than late; I shall set off immediately!"

Having made up his mind, Shi Mo soared into the sky, flying toward the Nine Heavens.

"This is my first time flying this high! No wonder everyone envies immortals and wants to become one; this feeling of roaming the Nine Heavens is truly wonderful."

As Shi Mo flew with the wind, he caught sight of a mountain range in the distant horizon that stood out like a pillar supporting the sky:

"Connecting heaven and earth, what a magnificent and precipitous mountain range. This must be the backbone of the Primordial World, Mount Buzhou, right?"

Although curious, Shi Mo did not have the time to explore Mount Buzhou just yet. He continued to fly toward the Nine Heavens, passing through layer after layer of clouds, yet he still felt that the sky of the Primordial World was impossibly far away.

In myths and legends, the Immortal World has thirty-three heavens. They say it is above the Nine Heavens, but I wonder if these Nine Heavens are within the Thirty-Three Heavens?

Lost in thought, Shi Mo flew for a long time until he finally reached a region where the clouds were thin and violent gale winds raged.

Struggling to stabilize his body amidst the gales, Shi Mo felt the winds raging around him and could not help but mutter:

"Could this be the legendary Nine Heavens Gale Layer? Once I pass through this area, the true Immortal World should not be far off, right?"

"This wind is truly strong, but it is of no use against me."

After flying for a distance through the gales, Shi Mo moved his mind and summoned the Wind-Fixing Pearl. Instantly, the surrounding gales vanished as if they had never existed.

Soaring upward, Shi Mo easily passed through the Nine Heavens Gale Layer and soon arrived in a world filled with immortal mist, where colorful clouds spread out like a carpet.

"Is this the Immortal World? It is so quiet!" Shi Mo looked around with curiosity. Under the brilliant light in the distance, he could see many floating peaks and island-like lands, and even a river winding into the distance.

Just as Shi Mo was admiring the beautiful scenery of the Immortal World in wonder, the clouds and mist in the distance suddenly dissipated, revealing a dark red figure.

The man appeared middle-aged, dressed in dark red Daoist robes with long blood-colored hair and a gloomy expression. He looked like the embodiment of darkness itself; as soon as he appeared, the surrounding light seemed to dim.

However, at this moment, the gloomy middle-aged man in dark red robes was staring at Shi Mo with burning greed, as if looking at a peerless treasure: "Boy, hand over that spiritual treasure you have!"

The moment the gloomy middle-aged man in dark red robes appeared, the invisible, surging, and oppressive aura he brought with him shocked Shi Mo. Now, hearing what he said, Shi Mo's expression changed, and his heart sank slightly:

He actually wants my Wind-Fixing Pearl? It seems that when I used the Wind-Fixing Pearl just now, he sensed the fluctuation of its aura. Is this guy a bloodhound? How could he so easily sense the aura fluctuations of a spiritual treasure!

"What? You refuse? Do you want to force my hand?" The middle-aged man in dark red robes curled his lips into a cruel arc.

"Who are you?" Shi Mo asked with a frown. Although this person's aura was much stronger than his own, Shi Mo would not easily bow his head and hand over the Wind-Fixing Pearl.

"Then go to hell!" The middle-aged man in dark red robes could not be bothered to waste more words on Shi Mo. A black divine sword suddenly appeared before him, and then the sword transformed into a gray-black beam of light, slashing fiercely toward Shi Mo.

Facing the sword light that arrived in the blink of an eye, filled with a sharp and deathly aura, Shi Mo's expression changed as he hurriedly summoned the Wind-Fixing Pearl.

Clang. As soon as the Wind-Fixing Pearl appeared, its invisible power caused the space to stagnate and all surrounding energy fluctuations to vanish. However, the sword light still tore through space and struck the Wind-Fixing Pearl with a fierce blow.

Sshh. Even with the obstruction of the Wind-Fixing Pearl, the aftermath of the sharp sword energy still landed on Shi Mo, leaving a white mark on his chest.

Yet, even though it was an attack that barely broke the skin, an invisible death energy invaded Shi Mo's body, making him feel weak and causing a sharp, painful sensation in his chest. Even the circulation of his magic power became sluggish.

Hum. At the same time, the violently vibrating Wind-Fixing Pearl retreated into Shi Mo's body, leaving him feeling numb all over. A cold, chilling aura invaded his body, and he could even feel the coldness penetrating his soul.

Secretly alarmed, Shi Mo was sent flying backward, falling directly out of the Nine Heavens Gale Layer.

Just as the cold-eyed middle-aged man in dark red robes was about to pursue and kill him, another sharp and swift aura suddenly approached, and an invisible, icy chill permeated the air, as if the space itself were about to freeze:

"Minghe, this is not a place for you to act recklessly!"

"Kunpeng?" The middle-aged man in dark red robes turned his head abruptly to see a massive creature flying from afar, its wings like clouds hanging from the sky, resembling a giant roc. He could not help but frown.

Immediately afterward, two exceptionally hot auras descended, causing the clouds and mist in the sky to dissipate significantly. Dazzling light scattered, as if two suns had suddenly appeared.