Chapter 520 Return to Heavenly Sword Ridge
Stepping into the Soul Devouring Abyss marks the beginning of three perilous situations.
There are no roads here, only jagged rocks, year-round poisonous fog, and ferocious beasts lurking in the shadows.
An ordinary person who takes one step will be shattered to pieces.
But for Shen Mo and Hua Tianyou, this was just their way home.
However, Shen Mo's pace was surprisingly fast.
He didn't turn around, but his urgency burned like an invisible fire around him.
That was not indifference to danger, but rather the longing of a wanderer for his homeland, and the concern of a sect leader for his sect.
Two years have passed. Murong Qing and Situ Meng in the Central Plains, the Heavenly Demon God Sect in Tianjian Ridge... his heart has already flown across thousands of mountains and rivers.
Hua Tianyou followed closely behind, fine beads of sweat already appearing on his forehead.
The demon totem on its back had become a heavy burden as the journey progressed.
It was like a sponge soaked with water, slowing down Hua Tianyou's pace as his physical strength was depleted.
As he crossed a poisonous swamp, he paused slightly, the mud beneath his feet nearly swallowing him whole.
In the blink of an eye, a dark figure appeared beside him like a ghost.
It's Shen Mo.
He didn't speak, he just extended his hand.
It was gently placed on the Demon Totem strap on Hua Tianyou's back.
"Master..." Hua Tianyou was startled and was about to refuse.
But Shen Mo's actions left no room for doubt.
A gentle yet irresistible force came, and the Heavenly Demon Totem slid off Hua Tianyou's back and landed steadily on Shen Mo's shoulder.
In an instant, Shen Mo's figure paused slightly, and then his imposing aura rose even higher!
"Walk."
A single word, as powerful as metal striking the ground.
Despite carrying the totem and the origins of the Heavenly Demon God Sect, Shen Mo's pace did not slow down; instead, he moved as if on flat ground, as fast as a black lightning bolt tearing through space.
Hua Tianyou looked at the tall figure in front of him. The heavy totem on Shen Mo's back seemed to have become a miniature mountain. Instead of crushing him, it merged with him and became a force that could move the world.
He got it.
The lord's urgency was not for himself, but so that he could bring the Heavenly Demon Totem back to the sect as soon as possible.
The wind whistled in my ears.
The chill of the Soul Devouring Abyss and the peril of the desperate situation vanished before this figure, so eager to return home.
One person carries the mountains and rivers on their back, while another follows the stars.
In this desolate place, two figures are rushing towards their eastern homeland at top speed.
......
Having crossed the Soul Devouring Abyss, an endless snowfield lay ahead.
It's bitterly cold here. Every breath feels like swallowing a handful of ice shards, which freeze into frost flowers in your lungs.
The sky was leaden gray, pressing down low, making Shen Mo and Hua Tianyou's figures appear as small as ants.
Shen Mo walked in front, carrying the enormous Heavenly Demon Totem on his back like a moving black stone tablet.
The wind on the snowfield cut his face, but left no mark.
His gaze remained fixed on the north; his eyes held no snow, only the flames of homecoming.
Hua Tianyou followed closely behind, watching his lord's footprints in the snow—each step reaching his ankles, yet never hesitating. That figure seemed not to be walking a road, but rather cutting a river to return home.
"Heavenly Demon Lord, stay close."
Shen Mo's voice was carried away by the wind, yet it carried an undeniable power.
He suddenly accelerated, his figure turning into a black line on the snowfield, leaving no trace on the snow, as if the snowfield was not an obstacle, but a cloud flowing beneath his feet.
They didn't stop for a moment throughout their journey across the snowfield.
When the last snowfield was left behind, an endless desert stretched before us.
The yellow sand was scorching hot, and the sun was blazing overhead.
Unlike the deathly stillness of the snowfield, this is a forbidden zone for life, where every grain of sand is burning.
Sandworms crawl underground, making a teeth-grinding, grinding sound.
However, for Shen Mo, who carries the Heavenly Demon Totem, this place is just another whetstone.
Hua Tianyou watched as Shen Mo's back rose up in the blazing sun, a faint layer of black mist rising from it—that was the demonic energy resisting the intense heat.
He was deeply moved: the heavy totem that his lord carried seemed to have become a tool for cultivation, not crushing him, but instead bringing him closer to the true meaning of martial arts with every step.
Night finally fell.
The desert night was bitterly cold, the wind biting like a knife. Shen Mo stopped and looked up at the starry sky.
There were no words, yet there was an indescribable tranquility.
As the eastern horizon begins to lighten with the first hint of dawn, the morning light pierces the darkness.
Just as dawn broke and night fell, Shen Mo whispered, "We've arrived at Tianjian Ridge."
Hua Tianyou suddenly looked up.
In the distance, on the horizon where the sky meets the earth, a dark blue silhouette pierces the morning mist like a sharp sword, soaring straight into the sky!
That's Tianjian Ridge.
Unlike the gentle, rounded mountains of the far west, it is filled with a murderous aura.
The mountain range is as sharp as a sword, with peaks upon peaks. Amidst the swirling clouds and mist, the ancient and magnificent palace complex—the Heavenly Demon God Sect—can be vaguely seen on the mountainside in the distance.
The morning light shone on the highest peak, as if gilding it with a golden sword-like gleam.
Shen Mo's breath hitched slightly at that moment.
That wasn't fatigue, but excitement.
Two years have passed, thousands of miles away, through bloodshed and turmoil, and finally... I'm back.
"Walk!"
With a low shout, Shen Mo's figure moved like a black lightning bolt, carrying the force of wind and thunder, rushing towards the direction of Tianjian Ridge!
Hua Tianyou followed closely behind, naturally feeling extremely excited as well.
As dusk settled over the towering cliffs of Tianjian Ridge, three streaks of light shot out from the Moon Demon Pavilion, Flame Demon Pavilion, and Blood Demon Pavilion, the sound of their robes tearing through the air startling crows on the cliffside.
The news of the Heavenly Demon God's return to his sect was like a spark falling into a still lake; before the ripples even appeared, the waves had already subsided.
Inside the Heavenly Demon Palace, Shen Mo's black robe was still slightly dusty, and the chill of the extreme west wind and sand lingered on his shoulders, yet his fingertips were as steady as a rock as he stroked the blue ox at his waist.
The palace doors swung open, and the three Demon Lords and the twelve Venerables entered with their heads bowed. Their robes swept across the steps, and without a moment's hesitation, they all knelt on one knee. Their armor struck the ground, producing a deafening roar that reverberated throughout the palace.
"Greetings, Heavenly Demon God!"
The voices were unified, filled with unprecedented awe and fervor.
Shen Mo's gaze slowly swept over the crowd below, finally landing on Hua Tianyou beside him.
Hua Tianyou understood, stepped forward, and gently placed the Heavenly Demon Totem he was carrying in front of the hall.
"Get up, everyone."
Shen Mo's voice was calm and even, yet it struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.
"Everyone," Shen Mo began, his voice suddenly rising, carrying an overwhelming aura, "the far west has now come under the wing of my Heavenly Demon God Sect and has been renamed 'Tianxuan Kingdom'."
Upon hearing this, everyone present gasped.
Although they had guessed that Shen Mo had successfully avenged Hua Tianyou, they never expected that Shen Mo would also conquer the entire far west.
"However," Shen Mo changed the subject, his gaze flashing like lightning as he swept towards the endless, desolate mountain range outside the hall, "the natural barrier remains. The vast canyons, the endless yellow sands, the endless snowfields... these three perilous places are still natural barriers separating us from the Tianxuan Kingdom."
He stood up, his black robe fluttering even without wind, and an invisible pressure emanated from him.
"My mind is made up; I will clear this path!"
Shen Mo's finger lightly touched the air, as if touching an invisible map: "I need a safe, unobstructed path. Not for conquest, but for spreading the teachings, so that the banner of the Heavenly Demon God Sect may be planted in every corner of the far west!"