Zhu Xuanji smiled and said, “I don’t mean anything else, I just hope that General Shen can lend a hand in the future.”
“The Xuanwu 51 Outpost is the closest to the Vermilion Bird 51 Outpost. If another eighth-rank demon beast appears next time, I hope General Shen, on account of this drop of Blackwater Profound Essence, will help if you can.”
“If you encounter a danger that’s too much to handle and really can’t help, that’s fine too.”
These words were already very considerate.
Help if you can, and if you really can’t, no one will force you.
Obviously, Zhu Xuanji didn’t put on any airs of a senior, but instead made the request to Shen Mo as an equal.
Shen Mo nodded slightly. “I agree.”
“From now on, I’ll visit the outposts established by Vermilion Bird Fortress often.”
Naturally, he accepted Zhu Xuanji’s request.
Before, he didn’t have much excuse to frequently come and take advantage of Ye Yan, but now he had one.
He could completely come over often under the pretext of joint defense.
Moreover, no one would raise any objections.
Because Zhu Xuanji had paid a price to invite Shen Mo!
Having such a living, breathing Dharma Manifestation Realm expert come help every few days—people would be overjoyed. Who could ask for more?
Upon hearing Shen Mo’s words, Zhu Xuanji was overjoyed.
For a Dharma Manifestation Realm expert, this promise carried plenty of weight.
Zhu Xuanji broke into a bright smile. “Good, then let’s not be so distant. I’ll call you Brother Shen, and you can call me Sister. How about that?”
Zhu Xuanji: “…Just call me Sister Xuan.”
“Alright, Sister Xuan.”
After chatting for a while longer, Zhu Xuanji, Xiong Ling, and Bai Jue finally took their leave.
Xiong Ling and Bai Jue had to return to their respective outposts to stand guard.
Zhu Xuanji, meanwhile, was busy searching for the rare materials needed for her breakthrough.
No one could afford to be idle.
After they left, the Vermilion Bird 51 Outpost became busy once more.
Treating the wounded, clearing the ruins… each task proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Vermilion Bird Fortress might have been the weakest among all the fortresses,
But the morale and fighting spirit of the Demon Suppression Guards remained.
Now that Zhu Xuanji had returned, the Demon Suppression Guards of Vermilion Bird Fortress were even more motivated.
Such a minor setback would never defeat them.
Shen Mo looked at Ye Yan with a half-smile. “Commander Ye, General Zhu thinks highly of you.”
Ye Yan forced a smile. “For now, I’ve just managed to catch General Zhu’s attention.”
Shen Mo waved his hand. “Commander Ye, I’ll leave the restoration and reorganization of the outpost to you.”
With that, he lightly tapped the ground and disappeared like a gust of wind.
Ye Yan watched Shen Mo’s figure disappear into the distance and sighed quietly.
In his mind, Lin Dongtian said softly, “Shen Mo will be coming often from now on…”
Ye Yan gave a bitter smile. “What can we do? After all, he was personally invited by Zhu Xuanji.”
“Besides, for ordinary Demon Suppression Guards, having a Dharma Manifestation Realm expert visit frequently is something to be happy about.”
Lin Dongtian fell silent.
Clearly, he had nothing more to say either.
“For now, we’ll just have to take things one step at a time.”
“I need to go out often in search of opportunities and must find the visualization diagram most suitable for me as soon as possible.”
Ye Yan clenched his fists.
His spiritual power cultivation had already reached the peak of the Divine Palace Realm; he could start condensing his Dharma Manifestation at any time.
What he lacked now was a supreme-grade, heaven-rank visualization diagram suitable for himself.
Time flew by, and another three years passed.
During these years, the Demon Suppression Guards made rapid progress in exploring the fifth layer of the Demon Suppression Sea.
Powerful fortresses like Blood God Fortress and Panlong Fortress managed to establish seven outposts each within just three years.
Xuanwu Fortress was slightly inferior, having set up five outposts.
At this rate, in just another two or three months, the entire fifth layer would be fully explored.
When that time came, preparations to explore the sixth layer would begin.
At the top of the high tower.
Shen Mo sat quietly reading the “Mystical Arts of Spiritual Treasure Talismans.”
However, the few incessant voices around him clearly didn’t intend to let him peacefully comprehend this text.
“When we crossed the void back then, why did you leave on your own! If not for you, the master wouldn’t have been injured resisting the void erosion!”
“I told you long ago, the Martial Ancestor abandoned us. Why don’t you listen? If he hadn’t thrown us away, would I have left him?”
“Nonsense! The master didn’t abandon us! He just needed us to resist the void erosion!”
“You foolish artifact spirit, if he wanted to find us, he would have done so already. Why would he wait until now? When he went to the Grand World and used us to resist the void erosion, do you remember how much that hurt? You’ve forgotten it all?”
“I don’t care. The master was always the best to us. In my whole life, I only ever acknowledged him as my master!”
“Hehehe, watching you two argue is so entertaining. Come on, argue more! Make it even louder!”
A deep and a crisp voice quarreled endlessly.
There was also another voice just enjoying the chaos.
After a while, as the two continued to bicker, another line of text floated around Shen Mo.
“Tch, in my opinion, this so-called Martial Ancestor is nothing compared to my dad.”
Shen Mo raised his eyebrow. “Quiet. All of you, quiet.”
Only then did the voices subside.
But it seemed like they were still muttering.
Shen Mo couldn’t help but rub his forehead.
He’d once snatched Ye Yan’s opportunity, bringing back the broken fragments of the Earthsplitter Armor. At first, he only wanted to test what kind of resonance and power the Earthsplitter Armor and the Heaven-Opening Sword might generate together.
Who could have expected that the artifact spirit of the Earthsplitter Armor, “Heiyan,” after so many ages, still hadn’t completely faded away?
When Shen Mo obtained the fragments and tossed them into his storage ring,
As soon as he returned to the outpost, he noticed something strange.
The fragments of the Earthsplitter Armor forcibly absorbed a piece of Starlight Stone.
Then, in less than a day, the artifact spirit that had slumbered for years suddenly awoke.
When the artifact spirit of the Heaven-Opening Sword, Ziling, discovered Heiyan, she immediately started hurling insults.
Ever since these two artifact spirits met again, their arguments had never stopped.
As for the troublemaking spirit, that was Tai Er, the naturally rebellious artifact spirit of the Taiyi Demon Armor.
In the past, Tai Er was quite afraid of the Nine Nether Iceflame and rarely spoke loudly.
Ziling didn’t want to interact with Shen Mo, so she rarely spoke either.
Usually, only Sui Xing would circle around Shen Mo, calling him “dad” all the time.
But now that Heiyan had arrived,
It was like a giant boulder thrown into a tranquil lake.
Waves surged, and the noise never stopped.
“New master, from now on you’re my new master, please accept me!” Heiyan said respectfully.
Shen Mo looked puzzled. “Why do you want to recognize me as your master so badly?”
Heiyan replied earnestly, “Last time, when the Martial Ancestor used us artifact spirits as shields to cross the void, I endured immense pain.”
“After leaving the Martial Ancestor, I told myself that no matter who I met next, I’d acknowledge them as my master!”
Shen Mo nodded slightly.
This artifact spirit, Heiyan, seemed honest and dependable.
He might be worth using.
“All right, I accept.”
“But I want to know—what kind of resonance is there between the Heaven-Opening Sword and the Earthsplitter Armor?”
Shen Mo spoke calmly.
Ziling shrieked, “Don’t tell him!”
Heiyan ignored her and replied respectfully, “I know. The Heaven-Opening Sword’s ability is to convert blood energy into blood essence.”
“The Earthsplitter Armor’s ability is to convert spiritual power into spiritual essence.”
“When the two resonate, blood essence and spiritual essence can be fused together, forming an extremely powerful force.”
“The Martial Ancestor called it the ‘Heaven and Earth Blood Spirit Light.’”
“The Heaven and Earth Blood Spirit Light is incredibly strong in battle. The Martial Ancestor said it was comparable to a full-force blow from a mid-tier Saint-rank martial skill.”
“But what’s even more amazing is that it can be used to sense the void.”
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