In the blink of an eye, two years had gone by.
Ye Yan was walking past Shen Mo’s residence with a few Demon Suppression Guards.
Behind him, the guards were whispering among themselves.
"General Shen hasn’t left that courtyard in ages."
"Yeah, he didn’t even show up at Commander Ye’s celebration banquet."
"He’s probably been cultivating the whole time. Still, skipping Commander Ye’s celebration is a bit disrespectful."
"Exactly, they’re both in the Dharma Manifestation Realm—what makes one more noble than the other?"
Ye Yan heard their words and felt a twinge of satisfaction.
Six months ago, Zhu Xuanji had personally hosted a grand celebration for him at the Vermilion Bird Fortress.
Every Demon Suppression Fortress sent at least one general to attend.
At that very banquet, Zhu Xuanji publicly announced him as the future lord of Vermilion Bird Fortress.
All he needed now was enough military merit to be promoted to the rank of Earth General, and the title would be his in name and fact.
Generals like Zhang Longxiang, Tang Jinglong, and Ao Qin all toasted him warmly, showing great approval for this promising junior.
But Shen Mo didn’t show up.
That had left a lingering irritation in Ye Yan’s heart.
He had climbed step by step to become a Heaven-rank Demon Suppression Guard, finally stepping into the Dharma Manifestation Realm.
Just a bit more military merit, and he would become a true Demon Suppression General.
Why wouldn’t Shen Mo even give him a glance?
Did he still see him as that insignificant little commander from the past?
But now, half a year had passed, and Ye Yan’s emotions had settled.
He didn’t care what others thought.
He only cared about whether he could become stronger.
"I’m surrounded by fortune and opportunities. I even got my hands on a treasure that lets me traverse the void—what do you have to compare with me?"
Ye Yan smiled faintly and strode confidently past Shen Mo’s courtyard with his trusted subordinates.
Inside the courtyard—
Shen Mo suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of brilliance shooting through them.
He looked inward toward his divine palace.
The five Dharma Manifestations were now at their peak state.
Their outlines were sharp and lifelike.
It was as if, at any moment, they could break free from the walls, roar into the heavens, and overturn the universe.
Peak of the Dharma Manifestation Realm!
In just a year and a half, after refining five Golden Jade Pellets, he had finally stepped into the peak of the Dharma Manifestation Realm!
Faster than he had expected.
"If not for the Demon-Suppressing Thunder Stone and Molten Gold Mud that Zhu Xuanji sent me, my progress would never have been this rapid."
Shen Mo looked at the last remaining Golden Jade Pellet and smiled.
"This one—send it secretly to Zhang Longxiang. He’s helped me so much. He deserves this gift."
"Zhang Longxiang is resolute and unyielding. He’ll be able to endure the pain of refining the Golden Jade Pellet."
Shen Mo nodded slightly.
Zhang Longxiang was a good man and worthy of such a sacred pill.
A flash of light appeared around him—Sui Xing, Blackrock, and Tai Er had all gathered by his side.
Blackrock’s form was now solid and stable.
Shen Mo looked at him and nodded in approval.
Before entering seclusion, he had intercepted all of Ye Yan’s upcoming fortunes, taking the Saint-tier spiritual weapon fragment and the broken Void Shuttle for himself.
He had originally planned to refine the fragment into the Heaven-Slaying Sword Codex.
Unfortunately, the Saint-tier item was armor—not suitable for the sword codex.
As for the Taiyi Demon Armor...
Tai Er hadn’t exactly done anything commendable lately, so Shen Mo had no intention of rewarding him.
After much thought, he refined the fragment into the Earth-Cleaving Armor instead.
Blackrock was a dependable and trustworthy artifact spirit.
He was the perfect recipient for this reward.
The Saint-tier spiritual weapon fragment held immense power.
Once it was refined, the Earth-Cleaving Armor repaired itself completely, no longer needing the missing fragments it once lacked.
With the armor whole again, Blackrock’s form as its spirit also became fully solidified.
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