Chapter 154: Ensure Demon Armor Benefits and Never Displease Him

Chapter 154: Ensure Demon Armor Benefits and Never Displease Him

Thorny Forest.

Inside a hidden cave.

A middle-aged man sat cross-legged on a stone bed.

Scattered around him were several shriveled corpses.

These bodies had all been cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage, and one of them was even at the Core Formation stage.

Judging from their attire, they came from various sects, including the Heavenly Water Sect, Qingxuan Sect, and Storm Rain Sect.

At this moment, threads of blood energy were leaking from all the corpses, flowing into the middle-aged man's nostrils, further boosting his cultivation.

"Good... good, I've grown stronger again."

"I'm just one step away from reaching the peak of the Core Formation stage!"

"This technique is indeed formidable! If I had obtained it earlier, I would have already broken through to the Core Formation peak!"

He couldn't help but laugh out loud.

His laughter was filled with exhilaration.

"I need more..."

"It's time to kill again. As long as I kill one more Core Formation stage cultivator and absorb his blood energy, I should be able to reach the Core Formation peak!"

He slowly stood up, pondering who his next target should be.

At this moment, a sudden sense of danger surged in his heart.

The middle-aged man instinctively activated his defensive martial technique, summoning a blood-red shield in front of him.

The next instant, a violent explosion echoed.

The formation at the cave entrance was blasted apart.

The cave shook violently, cracks spreading in all directions.

In the blink of an eye, sunlight poured in from the outside, casting onto the man's face.

His pupils contracted instinctively.

Then, a fist wrapped in icy cold energy smashed against his blood shield.

This fist seemed to be made of millennium-old ice.

It sought to freeze everything into shards of ice!

Crack!

The blood shield couldn't withstand the power of the ice fist and shattered on the spot.

The fist didn't lose momentum, smashing straight into the middle-aged man's chest.

The man's eyes widened, filled with disbelief.

"I... who are you..."

He looked at the figure before him, muttering a few words.

Standing under the sunlight, the masked cultivator wearing a fiery-patterned mask remained expressionless. "Second Elder of the Thunderfire Sect, Lu Ren, you're the one I'm here to kill."

Sizzle!

Frost quickly covered Lu Ren's entire body.

Shen Mo stirred his spiritual power once more.

A cracking sound followed.

Lu Ren exploded into countless ice shards.

"Though it was partly due to the element of surprise, he was still a cultivator with one foot in the peak of the Core Formation stage. I didn't expect him to be so easy to kill."

With a casual wave, Shen Mo retrieved Lu Ren's storage ring into his palm, shaking his head.

Clearly, it wasn't that Lu Ren was weak.

After all, there was a Core Formation stage cultivator from the Heavenly Water Sect in this cave who had died at Lu Ren's hands.

The elders of the top five sects of Xuanjing Prefecture were generally stronger than those of other sects due to their superior cultivation techniques, martial skills, and spiritual artifacts.

Despite this, the unfortunate Heavenly Water Sect elder still fell to Lu Ren, proving that Lu Ren's demonic technique was indeed powerful.

"Hmm, not bad. No wonder I couldn't find the fragment of the Forest Sword Art. It turns out it was in this guy's possession."

After carefully searching, Shen Mo found an unexpected item in Lu Ren's storage ring.

It wasn't hard to understand.

Originally, Luo Shuanghan was still searching for traces of "Demon Armor." Half a month later, when passing through the Thorny Forest, he accidentally discovered sword energy soaring into the sky and came here to search for treasure.

In the end, he had a dispute with Xiao Fan, was schemed against, and ultimately missed the fragment of the Forest Sword Art.

However, now that Shen Mo had taken the initiative to appear in Flying Fish City as Demon Armor and had accepted the Heavenly Water Sect's invitation, Luo Shuanghan no longer needed to continue searching for Demon Armor. Instead, he immediately returned to report to the Giant River City Prefecture Yamen.

As a result, this opportunity no longer belonged to Luo Shuanghan.

Fate, once set, had been disrupted by Shen Mo.

This chance finally fell into the hands of the Thunderfire Sect's Second Elder, Lu Ren.

In the future, this person would likely have been killed by Xiao Fan.

"So, this is that demonic technique? Absorbing blood energy from corpses, even shortening one's lifespan. Its power is weak and can't even compare to the Flame Hell Destruction Manual ."

Shen Mo shook his head.

Based on the information provided by Long Tao, the elder of the Heavenly Water Sect:

The Thunderfire Sect's Second Elder, Lu Ren, had stumbled upon this demonic technique by chance and had been unable to stop himself afterward.

A month ago, he killed a fellow elder and fled the Thunderfire Sect to the Thorny Forest, where he then killed the Heavenly Water Sect elder and numerous innocent cultivators.

"It seems like someone is watching me. It should be Long Tao," Shen Mo thought with a half-smile.

With a single punch, he had killed Lu Ren.

The observer immediately retracted his gaze, clearly out of fear.

"Time to collect my reward."

Without lingering, Shen Mo swiftly left.

...

"What? You said he killed Lu Ren with a single punch?"

Zhuang Mochou leaped to her feet in shock when she heard the news from Long Tao.

Beside her, Bai Ziyue's eyes also widened.

He had heard a bit about the strength of the Thunderfire Sect's Second Elder, Lu Ren.

After cultivating the demonic technique, his power had surged even further.

For someone of that level to be killed with just one punch by Demon Armor?

It seemed that Demon Armor's strength had once again improved after killing Lü Xinyue.

Such a cultivation speed was terrifying.

Could this person possibly possess a Heaven-grade constitution?

Zhuang Mochou's eyes glinted with excitement, a joyful expression on her face.

"It seems that Demon Armor's strength is truly remarkable, only half a step weaker than me at most."

"Recruiting him as a guest elder was indeed a wise decision!"

"From now on, Demon Armor will become the sharpest blade in my Heavenly Water Sect's hand!"

Long Tao quickly added a flattery, "The Sect Master is truly wise!"

"Continue assigning him tasks to test his character and stance, but don't force him too much."

"Make sure to offer him enough benefits! We absolutely cannot let him become dissatisfied!" Zhuang Mochou ordered.

"Understood!"

...

In the following months, while Shen Mo appeared to be in seclusion within the Qingxuan Sect, he secretly operated as Demon Armor, completing various tasks for the Heavenly Water Sect.

After a few missions, Shen Mo had fully exhibited Demon Armor's greedy and unprincipled nature, while also reaping many rewards.

The Green Lotus Robe, Green Lotus Crown, and Green Lotus Boots—a complete set of spiritual artifacts—had all fallen into his hands.

This set of spiritual artifacts was invaluable; no one in Xuanjing Prefecture could craft them.

Additionally, while carrying out tasks for the Heavenly Water Sect, he obtained the second and third chapters of the long-lost Green Vine Eight Treasures Manual of the Verdant Vine Sect!

The Verdant Vine Sect's cultivation techniques and martial arts all originated from the Green Vine Eight Treasures Manual. However, 150 years ago, after a young sect master took over, he was manipulated by the Thunderfire Sect and stole the manual.

In the end, the Verdant Vine Sect only managed to recover the first chapter.

As for the second and third chapters, they vanished without a trace.

This loss greatly damaged the Verdant Vine Sect's heritage.

They had to rely on the oral teachings of the older generation of cultivators.

When those old cultivators eventually passed away, the related techniques and martial arts naturally became lost.

With the guidance of his life panel, Shen Mo quickly found the second chapter in a bandit hideout.

Later, following the life panel's hints, he found the Great Rock Python near Black Jade Mountain and discovered the third chapter on its back.

He kept both chapters to himself, not handing them over to the Heavenly Water Sect.

These chapters were obviously crucial bargaining chips.

At critical moments, they would undoubtedly prove useful.

Initially, Shen Mo had thought of comprehending the Green Vine Eight Treasures Manual, but the text in the manual was all jumbled.

Without a special reading method, it was impossible to decipher it.

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