Chapter 1043: The Truth

Chapter 1043: Chapter 1043: The Truth

The "enemy" appearing outside the Mountain Protection Array was merely a Spirit Sea Realm cultivator, so Lu Ming didn’t waste mana, only striking out with a thunderbolt enough to obliterate a Golden Core!

Shen Mo used a sword technique from the Universe Sword Guildbook specifically designed against thunder-type magic, shattering the lightning arc, but his inner mana was mostly consumed; after all, this body is not his Gecko False Body, even if both Dao Body and mana have undergone pollution and transformation through his primal power, it cannot immediately ascend to Golden Core Realm or Divine Bridge Realm.

Seeing the lightning arc dispersed, Lu Ming intended to strike with another thunder technique, but a familiar voice suddenly echoed in his mind, and seeing the "enemy" before him using Red Flame Sect swordplay, he immediately crushed the purple lightning arc in his palm!

His sense swept out, thoroughly examining the body Shen Mo possessed inside and out, his face changed drastically: "Sect Master... Why have you come too? Did you perish in this demonic realm?"

"It’s a long story, we’ll talk after entering the array!"

Shen Mo had a premonition that the identity of "Artifact Hall Elder Yang Ai" still held significant use, and nearby were several Divine Bridge Immortal Masters from Celestial Feather Sect who would sense him with a glance.

"This..."

Lu Ming hesitated a bit, aware that within the demonic realm, anything bizarre and strange could happen, and no one could guarantee the person before him was indeed Shen Mo.

Deliberating repeatedly, he apologized, then conjured a lightning arc rope to securely bind Shen Mo!

Threads of lightning power infiltrated his body, restraining Shen Mo’s entire form, dispersing the mana in his chakra and Qi Sea. Seeing Lu Ming being so cautious, Shen Mo wasn’t the least bit resentful, actually feeling quite gratified, for the more careful they were within the demonic realm, the more hope they had of walking out alive.

The Longevity Hall of the outer mountain gate hadn’t fallen into demonic realm hands, and Lu Ming and other sect leaders treated the Evil Punishing Hall as a temporary council hall.

After Shen Mo entered the Mountain Protection Array, he was naturally "invited" to the Evil Punishing Hall where, shortly after, Ming Cang, Jiang Lingfeng, Feng Wushuang, and Thunder Corpse Master all came upon hearing the news, wanting to verify whether the sect master suddenly appearing was indeed him or an evil spirit at work!

Facing the doubts of everyone, Shen Mo recounted his previous experiences meticulously, showcasing Red Flame Sect’s magic and martial arts repeatedly... It took several verification methods to dispel about seventy percent of Lu Ming and the others’ doubts.

That was enough, after all, the body Shen Mo "possessed" had limited power, and aside from knowledge and strategy for dealing with the evil spirits, his help to everyone was limited.

Moreover, he hadn’t entered the demonic realm in his real body, so he couldn’t use "Insight into All Beings" to determine if the Red Flame disciples before him were dead or alive; they were likely dead the moment they fell into the demonic realm but continued to "live" in some strange manner within, similar to Lady Yu in the Zuoli Country’s demonic realm.

"We are in a perilous demonic realm and must proceed with caution, please forgive us, Sect Master!"

Ming Cang was the Deputy Sect Master, holding the highest status among the five Divine Bridges, personally untying the lightning arc rope from Shen Mo, apologetically explaining.

"No problem!"

Shen Mo waved a hand, then inquired about their experience falling into the demonic realm.

The demonic realm arrived silently without warning, so they noticed nothing unusual, and upon realizing, found that part of the outer mountain gate and tens of thousands of disciples were in the Feather Realm!

Because the mountain gate had the Earth Yuan Array and Mountain Protection Array for dual defense, even a True Immortal couldn’t send them along with part of the mountain gate to the Lower Realm quietly, thus they deduced they had fallen into the demonic realm; upon investigation, they found this place indistinguishable from a real world, hence they mobilized all disciples to construct a small Mountain Protection Array for defense.

Early last month, disciples from the dominant Celestial Feather Sect of this realm discovered them, deeming them demons descending from the Outer Zone, and quickly amassed a large number of elite disciples—even Divine Bridge Immortal Masters—to Crying Bamboo Ridge for a siege.

Both sides clashed repeatedly in over a month until Shen Mo’s arrival!

"Perhaps... Whenever a demonic realm descends, the areas it covers turn into so-called forbidden zones, and creatures falling into the demonic realm naturally become Outer Zone demons."

Shen Mo’s eyes sparkled, forming a general hypothesis on the characteristics of this "Celestial Feather Sect demonic realm."

He was not chosen by the demonic realm, entering by his own Gecko False Body, lacking a complete Daoist body and mind unlike the Red Flame Sect members, so he was simply an exception.

Normally, once this demonic realm descends upon Five Dragon Mountain, parts of the outer mountain gate covered by it naturally transform into "forbidden lands," "forbidden zones," until the local natives completely break through the forbidden zones and annihilate the "Outer Zone demons," like Ming Cang, Lu Ming, and others... Then the outer mountain gate integrates into this realm, and Ming Cang and others would thoroughly perish, taking the outer mountain gate as part of the demonic realm!

In other words, Ming Cang and the others are most likely still truly alive, rather than becoming strange existences like Lady Yu.

Subsequently, Shen Mo explained to Ming Cang and the others, discussing the relationship between the will of heaven and earth, cosmic will, cultivator tribulations, and the demonic realm, including the Zuoli Country demonic realm, leaving them astounded.

"May I ask Sect Master, how should we create a ’variable’ to disrupt the balance of the demonic realm?" Ming Cang pondered before asking.

"Demonic realms are unpredictable and bizarre, I cannot determine what constitutes a ’variable’ either."

Shen Mo shook his head wryly, continuing, "However, the Celestial Feather Sect, its Sect Master Spirit Feather Master, and their ambitions of creating a ’True Immortal’ might be a great focal point!"

Hearing this, Ming Cang and the others looked invigorated but confused.

"This matter, we must begin from the true Feather Realm..."

Shen Mo began speaking seriously about his discoveries over the past three months.

After capturing Celestial Feather Sect cultivators alive, Ming Cang and others also conducted Soul Searches on these natives, gaining considerable intelligence on the Feather Realm, but failing to connect all the information; yet Shen Mo, possessing higher cultivation and having experienced several demonic realms, could identify key issues among the myriad threads. His explanations brought a sense of clarity to Ming Cang and the others!

The true Feather Realm had long decayed into ruin, falling into the Death Ghost Realm.

This demonic realm emerged from the Feather Realm’s will of heaven and earth, twisted and distorted by strong, converging sentiments of fear, reluctance, resentment, curses, struggles, resistance, and survival amidst the realm’s decay, decomposition, and descent.

However, its will of heaven and earth seemed to have fully escaped the Death Ghost Realm, displaying extraordinary completeness and thickness, effectively acting as the ghost of the realm!

Now, what Shen Mo and Ming Cang were experiencing should echo a scene from nine million years ago in Feather Realm, repeating countless times throughout the demonic realm’s descents...