NOVPUBChapter 488: Clash of Sons of Luck — The Little Fat Sheep Turns Into a Big Fat Sheep
Facing the gazes of the Demon Suppression Guards, Shen Mo remained firm and shook his head.
“Now is not the time to retreat.”
Ying Ye, Tang Zhanmo, Ao Hong, and the others all looked confused.
The current wave of enemies had already been repelled.
But who knew if more would appear?
Why not take the chance to withdraw to the third layer now?
“If I’m not mistaken, such a large commotion from the third layer can only mean the Demon Suppression Generals are clashing with the Great Demons.”
“If we retreat there and run into the generals’ victory, then of course that’s good.”
“But if we run into a victorious Great Demon, wouldn’t that be walking straight to our deaths?”
Shen Mo spoke solemnly, “My suggestion is to stay here and observe the situation.”
After he finished speaking, a heavy silence fell over the group.
He was right.
If they retreated and encountered a victorious Great Demon, they really would be leaping into a pit of fire.
Given the strength of a Great Demon, wiping them out would take no effort at all.
Those Demon Suppression Generals had come to the Demon Suppression Sea to rescue them.
They might already be injured.
If they rushed over now and died pointlessly, they’d be throwing away the generals’ hard-earned efforts.
After a long silence, Tang Zhanmo finally spoke. “Everyone, Commander Shen is right. We should stay here for now.”
Ying Ye and Ao Hong both nodded in agreement.
With these well-known guards taking the lead, many others quickly voiced their support.
Combined with the previous overwhelming victory, morale gradually stabilized.
The centurions led the guards in cleaning up the battlefield.
The corpses of the demons had to be burned quickly to prevent malicious enemies from using them for dark rituals.
As the strongest in the outpost, Shen Mo didn’t need to deal with such tasks.
He returned directly to his quarters.
No one dared utter a single word against it.
As a Dharma Manifestation Realm cultivator, his mere presence brought peace and boosted morale within the outpost.
Compared to that, not helping with cleanup meant little.
“Where’s Lin Dongtian?”
While counting heads, Xiong Yuanshan noticed one of the guards missing and immediately asked aloud.
Counting was essential.
The fortress always ensured generous compensation to the families of fallen guards.
It also confirmed actual casualties.
Hearing his question, the other guards from the Xuanwu Fortress looked at each other in confusion.
None of them knew where Lin Dongtian had gone.
Suddenly, a guard raised his hand and quietly said, “Centurion Xiong… Lin Dongtian went missing yesterday.”
“He said he was going to relieve himself, but never came back.”
Xiong Yuanshan’s brows furrowed.
A deserter.
Clearly, Lin Dongtian had fled the battlefield.
What a disgrace to Xuanwu Fortress.
“I’ll report this directly to the commanders,” Xiong Yuanshan said, waving his hand.
The others all nodded.
They too looked down on deserters.
Outside the outpost, inside a cave—
Lin Dongtian peeked out cautiously.
His sword-like brows were tightly furrowed.
“I thought the Vermilion Bird 41st Outpost wouldn’t last a single day… and yet this is how it ends?”
“Shen Mo actually… broke through to the Dharma Manifestation Realm?”
Deep within his heart, the shadow of Shen Mo was growing unchecked.
Unknowingly, it had almost completely consumed his mind.
“The others must have already realized I deserted. In their eyes, I’m a coward.”
“I can’t stay in Xuanwu Fortress anymore… I might as well change my identity and join another fortress.”
He bit his lip.
He had a secret technique—one he’d never used before.
It could alter his appearance and aura, turning him into an entirely different person.
But it could only be used once in a lifetime.
Now, he hesitated—should he use it?
Just then, he suddenly sensed something—and his heart tensed in alarm.
Whoosh!
A streak of sword light howled through the air.
Lin Dongtian dodged by a hair’s breadth, heart pounding as he stared at the figure before him in shock and confusion.
“Not bad. Just as I thought—you’re someone entangled with luck, just like me.”
The attacker was a handsome young man with a sharp and sinister face.
“If I kill you and seize your fate, I, Ye Yan, will definitely become even stronger.”
Ye Yan licked his lips as sea-blue flames surged from his palm. He lunged forward!
Lin Dongtian’s heart pounded wildly. He activated his martial spirit, fighting while desperately fleeing.
“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”
“When did this lunatic appear? I didn’t even sense him!”
“What is that blue flame in his hand? An eternal flame?!”
Ye Yan saw the martial spirit and his eyes lit up. “Nice… really nice!”
He closed in without hesitation, flinging the sea-blue flames wildly, burning through his spiritual energy like mad.
Lin Dongtian barely brushed against the flame and instantly felt his skin scorching with searing pain.
The agony tore through his nerves.
It nearly made him faint.
Run!
He had to run!
Run at all costs!
He absolutely could not let this lunatic catch him!
…
Shen Mo sat cross-legged on his bed.
Inside his divine palace, the three eternal flames suddenly stirred in unison.
“Hm? An eternal flame’s aura?”
He gave a soft hum.
His gaze turned distant and deep, as if penetrating walls and seeing beyond the city barrier—miles into the distance.
With a piercing gaze, he spotted two figures—one chasing, one fleeing.
The corners of his lips curled.
So that’s what it was.
Ye Yan was hunting Lin Dongtian.
The flame he had sensed earlier was precisely Ye Yan’s eternal flame.
This extraordinary perception was something Shen Mo had gained after condensing the Undying River Dharma Manifestation and greatly strengthening his divine soul.
Within a hundred miles, all life and death were within his awareness.
Even across a thousand miles, the appearance of powerful lifeforms would trigger his senses.
“What eternal flame is that?”
Shen Mo wondered aloud.
“Sea Blue Flame,” came the lazy voice of the Nine Nether Ice Flame from the divine palace. “I’ve heard of it—it’s born deep in the ocean, formed over countless years.”
“You know quite a bit,” Shen Mo chuckled.
But the Nine Nether Ice Flame said no more.
“Dad, I know! I know! The Sea Blue Flame ranks forty-ninth on the Eternal Flame List—it’s one of the lowest-ranked ones!”
Sui Xing darted out excitedly and displayed the message.
Shen Mo nodded slightly.
Rank forty-nine?
Even lower than the Red Lotus Flame.
Since Ye Yan had already obtained it, taking it by force and taming it would be quite the effort.
And if he wanted to cultivate it to rival the Solar Essence Flame or the Red Lotus Flame, it would require immense amounts of refined flame spirits and tempering.
Not worth it.
Instead of going through all that, it would be better to seek out eternal flames that were powerful from the start.
Like those recorded in the Wilderness Flame Scripture—such as the Divine Thunder Flame of the Nine Heavens and the Void Scorching Flame.
The Divine Thunder Flame of the Nine Heavens ranked second, the Void Scorching Flame third, and the Nine Nether Ice Flame fourth.
Those were the true eternal flames worth the time and effort to strengthen.
“Let them fight. It’s nothing but two dogs biting each other.”
“Two sons of luck battling it out—if one devours the other and absorbs his fate, maybe it’ll bring me an even greater opportunity.”
Shen Mo gazed toward their distant clash, a faint smile curving his lips.
Two little fat sheep were about to turn into one.
What a bloody bargain!
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