Chapter 1039: Formulating Countermeasures, Entering the Evil Spirit

Chapter 1039: Chapter 1039: Formulating Countermeasures, Entering the Evil Spirit

However, the situation was still unclear, and Cao Ren, Chen Mengze, Flower Fairy Yao, Lady Scarlet, and others couldn’t be of much help.

Shen Mo instructed Cao Ren, Chen Mengze, and other sect disciples returning one after another to the mountain gate, to join others from the outer mountain gate and enter the Green Cloud Cave to avoid disaster. No one was allowed to leave without his consent; as for Yao, Lady Scarlet, and other non-Chi Yan direct line members, he couldn’t let them into the cave, so after a quick explanation of the situation, he sent them back.

Soon, the large outer mountain gate became deserted, leaving only Shen Mo standing outside the Evil Spirit.

He then contacted Jade Spring Fairy and Guan Ling to see if they had any means to save Ming Cang and others. Before long, Guan Ling’s figure emerged, and Jade Spring Fairy also hurried over from Five Dragon Mountain. They both attempted their methods but found themselves helpless.

"This path of the world seems to be a complete will of heaven and earth, not an ordinary Evil Spirit. As a fairy, I can only expel it..."

Before Jade Spring Fairy finished speaking, Guan Ling interrupted, "I can send this Evil Spirit into the Death Ghost Realm!"

At its root, the Evil Spirit is actually the residual echo of the will of heaven and earth in one realm, originating from the same source as the universe consciousness.

Regardless of its scale, its essence remains unchanged, not bound by spells, not trapped by the Great Path. If one encounters a weak Evil Spirit, such as the Heaven Patrolling Boat House Evil Spirit or the Water Ghost Evil Spirit, ordinary cultivators can suppress and expel it. However, encountering a strong Evil Spirit is a different matter, and only Heavenly Immortals dare to speak of eliminating it!

Jade Spring Fairy and Guan Ling were unable to rescue people from the Evil Spirit, which was quite expected.

Though according to their discussion, whether they expel it or send it to the Death Ghost Realm, those trapped such as Ming Cang, Jiang Lingfeng, Fan Ying, Lu Ming, and other sect members can’t be saved.

If expelled, those trapped would drift with the Evil Spirit to another place and ultimately merge with it; if sent to the Death Ghost Realm, they would likely become Death Ghosts alongside the distorted will of heaven and earth, with no path to salvation!

"Thank you both, fellow daoists. I’ll first send in a false body to see the situation before making a decision!"

As he spoke, Shen Mo activated the "Three-Headed Six-Armed True Immortal Technique"; his left hand grew a sixth finger, and with a flash of sword light, the finger was severed. With the activation of the "Gecko Divine Skill," it transformed into a lifelike false body, its cultivation at the Divine Bridge Realm. If needed, it could unleash power second only to Shen Mo’s real body in a short time!

Some seemingly unsolvable Evil Spirits can be countered by understanding their operational mechanics, rendering them full of loopholes.

For example, the Suspended Fairy Mountain Evil Spirit that Shen Mo and Jiang Lingfeng encountered previously—once one saw or sensed this Evil Spirit, they would be captured by it. Their True Yuan senses would be imprisoned, even after leaving Suspended Fairy Mountain. Within a certain range, simply thinking of the mountain or related memories would pull them back to the foot of the mountain, until they became part of the Evil Spirit.

Later, Shen Mo and Jiang Lingfeng forced themselves away from the Suspended Fairy Mountain using a bottle of Grade V Dreamy Birth Pills by shutting down their five senses, leading to their soul’s Nirvana.

However, when Shen Mo crossed the Formless Tribulation, this Evil Spirit returned to haunt him, nearly killing him under the tribulations!

Similarly, the Evil Spirit of Zuoli Country in the Artificial Realm had Shen Mo, Qin Zhen, the Silver-haired Child, and Kang Haoxiu trapped inside. Shen Mo then transmitted the "Ascension to Another Realm method" to Lady Yu, breaking the Evil Spirit’s imprisonment in Zuoli Country and successfully escaping.

Because of this, Shen Mo formed a significant cause and effect with Lady Yu, ultimately aiding her soul’s reincarnation into Yu Qingning!

Another such spirit, the Dharma-talking Thirteen Immortals Evil Spirit, forced those who heard it to confront queries concerning the Great Path.

If one neither agreed nor understood their path, and attempted to refute using their understanding of the Great Path, it felt like bearing the weight of billions of Immortal Mountains, sinking into a boundless bitter sea, never to transcend; yet answering according to their tattle and prate also ensnared one into their path. Though it could pass the bitter sea, the heart and mind would be distorted and corrupted, with unpredictable consequences. It could trigger the Three Disasters and Six Tribulations, halt one’s cultivation, or even lead to one’s demise!

The best approach was not to listen to these "Immortals’" teachings from the start, dismiss them as noise from the heart and mind, and avoid contemplating their doctrine to safely traverse the bitter sea.

If the Evil Spirit at the outer mountain gate had similar characteristics, perhaps Shen Mo could repeat the technique, undermining it and rescuing those sect members trapped within.

But it couldn’t be done from outside; he could only enter the Evil Spirit to treat its issues...

Upon learning Shen Mo’s intentions, both Jade Spring Fairy and Guan Ling wanted to dissuade him. After all, the Evil Spirit was treacherous, potentially affecting his real body through the false body.

"I have the Special Destiny of Danger Perception; if anything happens, I can sense it early and cut off my connection with the false body!" Shen Mo thought to himself. However, because this concerned his greatest secret, even when Guan Ling vaguely sensed it during their venture into the Death Jaw Dungeon years ago, he wouldn’t confess it to her or Jade Spring Fairy directly.

Seeing Shen Mo’s determination, Jade Spring Fairy and Guan Ling stopped trying to persuade him.

He then wore Danger Perception and Uncommon Victory, splitting his consciousness to control the Gecko False Body, sending it into the Evil Spirit.

To Shen Mo, the existence of the false body was like an additional hand, controlled to perform spells, feeling objects’ touch; sensations like cold and warmth could all be relayed directly to his mind. The difference was, this "hand" contained a part of his primal Essence and Qi and could utilize Mana to cast spells, with its five senses receiving more external information, allowing it to do more!

No matter what, both real body and false body are one; what the false body knows and feels, the real body also knows and feels.

However, when Shen Mo’s false body crossed into the area covered by the Evil Spirit, it felt as if his soul was suddenly stretched, causing his mind great discomfort. He perceived that upon entering the Evil Spirit, the false body seemed to disintegrate, yet hadn’t entirely vanished.

Afterward, the consciousness in the false body, with its five senses, received external information at varying speeds, suggesting different time flows on either side.

These strange sensations made Shen Mo extremely uncomfortable, feeling like his whole being was being torn apart!

Thus, Shen Mo focused most of his consciousness on the false body, leaving only a small portion in his real body to sense external threats, gradually adapting to it this way.

...

In a clean, bright room, Shen Mo suddenly opened his eyes.

He then noticed a new memory in his mind that didn’t belong to him!

"My physical body seems off, too."

Shen Mo examined his Dao Body inside and out with his sense, discovering that this body wasn’t his Gecko False Body. He immediately cast a spell to conjure a water light mirror, and gazing at the unfamiliar middle-aged man in the mirror, he fell into deep thought.