Chapter 909: Causes and Pros and Cons
After Jade Spring Fairy explained the situation clearly, the atmosphere of the banquet instantly became serious.
Heading to the lair of a Demon True Immortal to clear out its minions is not the same as campaigning against the Corpse Mountain Range... The Hollow Venerable has operated in his cave paradise for hundreds of thousands of years, who knows what dangers lurk inside. One misstep could cost one’s life!
Jade Spring Fairy, with her clear and astute mind, naturally saw through everyone’s doubts and calmly began to speak again.
For everyone’s safety, she promised to grant each participant a wisp of Taihua Mirror Light. If they encounter an unforeseeable and life-threatening danger, they can activate the mirror light to instantaneously escape the demonic nest through the Mirror Realm; however, as she needs to keep the Taihua Mirror by her side to repel enemies, the cultivators cannot traverse and teleport freely through the Mirror Realm as before. Once they escape, they cannot re-enter the Hollow Venerable’s cave paradise!
Furthermore, they need not worry about the rewards from this venture.
Apart from personal spoils from slaying Class V and VI demons, once the demonic nest is completely eradicated, Jade Spring Fairy will distribute resources hoarded by the Hollow Venerable and his clan over hundreds of thousands of years to everyone...
"How do you find it, fellow daoist?" Qin Zhen secretly communicated with Shen Mo.
"Though there is some risk, it is entirely within acceptable limits. Moreover, if this venture is successful, the rewards will be immensely lucrative!" Shen Mo replied, contemplating in his heart.
To him, spiritual resources were enticing, but they were not the primary motivator.
More importantly, he had unresolved grievances with the Hollow Venerable and deeply desired to eliminate this Demon True Immortal, resolving this hidden threat once and for all...
Should the Hollow Venerable escape again, not only would Jade Spring Fairy have a headache, but he, too, would be plagued by the need to be perpetually on guard against this mortal enemy!
Even though Shen Mo had now achieved the Formless Realm, in the eyes of a True Immortal, a Formless Immortal Master was still a "mortal" compared to an Immortal. The gap was even more insurmountable than the distance between the Body Tempering Realm and the Golden Core Realm, one that couldn’t be bridged by more advanced magical expertise or more powerful combat methods.
Moreover, the Hollow Venerable had cultivated for hundreds of thousands of years, and the levels of his magical skills and various fighting techniques exceeded ordinary imagination and might not necessarily be inferior to his own.
Relying solely on Shen Mo’s power, even if the Hollow Venerable had "fallen" multiple times and his power after resurrection was greatly diminished, he would find it challenging to contend against him;
unless he himself also became a True Immortal, but that was not feasible in the short term. No matter how rapidly his cultivation progressed, it would require time to steadily elevate his cultivation level, and he could not achieve such a leap in an instant!
If one day the Hollow Venerable came looking for him to resolve past grievances, he might face disaster and fall... Therefore, in the matter of "thoroughly eradicating this Demon True Immortal," Shen Mo and Jade Spring Fairy stood on the same ground, and both emotionally and rationally, he should lend her a helping hand!
...
Jade Spring Fairy did not intend to coerce the crowd of Immortal Masters; after explaining the matter she remained silent, allowing the cultivators to weigh the pros and cons themselves.
Subsequently, the banquet resumed its previous atmosphere until the guests had their fill and dispersed!
Shen Mo did not leave with the others but stayed behind, planning to use the merits he earned from the campaign to request Jade Spring Fairy to teach him the ways of the Dao.
"Qingyun Immortal Master?"
Jade Spring Fairy’s body was veiled with immortal light, making Shen Mo unable to discern her features;
yet he could feel her gaze upon him, and suddenly her voice resonated in his ears.
"Fairy!" Shen Mo stood up and offered a bow.
"During the previous campaign against the Corpse Mountain Range, you contributed significantly and even slew a Class VI demon, which is truly remarkable. It wasn’t in vain that I intervened back then to save you from the clutches of that evil demon, the Hollow Venerable!" While speaking, Jade Spring Fairy pointed her finger, causing the wine jug before her to float up, personally pouring Shen Mo a cup of spiritual wine.
Shen Mo lifted the wine cup and drank it in one gulp, his face showing an expression of excited gratitude, and he spoke from his heart: "Thank you, Fairy, for saving me from peril and gifting me the True Immortal’s Finger to shield me from the perception of two formidable enemies. Now that you plan to conduct slaughter, I will certainly not spare my meager strength in assisting you to utterly annihilate the Hollow Venerable!"
Upon hearing this, Jade Spring Fairy’s emotions seemed to stir;
every movement she made affected the field of power around them, and although Shen Mo did not see her face, he felt a refreshing sensation like a spring breeze, realizing that her face must be lit up with a smile at that moment.
As Shen Mo gazed at her blurry visage, his heart was filled with curiosity about what a real fairy’s smile would truly look like?
But Jade Spring Fairy never revealed her true form... it wasn’t for the sake of feigning mystery or authority, but out of consideration for others; creatures below the seventh Dao Realm, once witnessing her true body and visage, had a great probability of having their understanding of the Great Path distorted by her existence!
After achieving the Formless Realm, Shen Mo also faced similar concerns.
When he interacted with cultivators below the Divine Bridge Realm, he had to carefully restrain his own aura to prevent others from being mutated by the life radiation he emitted.
However, unlike with powerful evil demons like the Soaring Serpent and Hollow Venerable, even if someone were influenced by Shen Mo’s field, they wouldn’t morph into monstrous demons and monsters; after all, Shen Mo cultivated the righteous path without such malevolent tendencies. Those influenced by him would merely have their own path distorted, leading to rapid progress in cultivation before reaching an impasse at "building the Divine Bridge," with no further advancement!
When cultivating "The Sutra of Cloudy and Rainy from Wushan" with his dao companion Zhao Lingyin, Shen Mo had to remain vigilant, fearing he might inadvertently hinder Zhao Lingyin’s path.
Fortunately, given Zhao Lingyin’s current progress in cultivation, the day of building the Divine Bridge wasn’t far off. Once she stepped into the Divine Bridge Realm, her resistance to foreign life force fields, radiative mutations, and various other powers would greatly strengthen; then they could act freely without much concern.
Shen Mo retracted his wandering thoughts and slightly diverted his gaze from Jade Spring Fairy;
though curious, he knew he shouldn’t forcefully gaze upon the visage of a True Immortal, thus had no intention of using the [Method Eye Candle Wisp] to observe!
Soon, the feeling of spring breeze faded.
Jade Spring Fairy’s voice was heard once more, leisurely speaking: "From Taihua, I learned that you have accumulated two hundred thousand merits and wish to hear me personally impart the Dao before achieving the Formless Realm."
"Unfortunately, I was trapped in that ineffable land by the Hollow Venerable’s plot and only now have managed to escape after being delayed for thirty years! Now that you’ve entered the Formless Realm, do you still wish to exchange your merits to hear my teachings, or are you looking to redeem other treasures?"
Shen Mo cupped his hands in response, without hesitation: "Fairy, be discerning. I stepped into the Formless Realm less than ten years ago, and my understanding of cultivation at this stage is unclear. If I am fortunate enough to hear the Fairy’s teachings, I would surely benefit greatly. A year later, when accompanying the Fairy to the devil’s lair, I could contribute even more strength!"