272: Chapter 272 The Vast Snowfield, Heavenly Demon Mountain

Chu Sheng retracted the Zhu Xian Sword Formation, the four zhu xian swords hovering at his sides, their Sword Qi restrained but not returned to their sheaths.

He stared at the Lord of the River, his gaze like a blade.

"How will you help me?" His voice was not loud, but it was heavy.

The Lord of the River stood up from the ruins, brushing the dust off his body, the bitter smile on his face not yet fully faded.

He glanced at Jiang Ling, and Jiang Ling, understanding, stepped aside.

The soul-form Cultivators in the small town also dispersed one after another, and soon, only Chu Sheng and the Lord of the River remained around the ruins.

The Lord of the River found a relatively flat stone in the ruins to sit on and pointed to the spot opposite him.

"Sit."

Chu Sheng did not sit; he stood there, arms crossed, looking down at him from a position of superiority.

The Lord of the River did not mind and began to speak on his own.

"Do you know what lies at the end of the Duanhun River?" he asked.

Chu Sheng said, "I do not know."

"Ten Thousand Mile Snowy Plains." The Lord of the River's voice was very soft, as if he were telling a distant dream. "Above the snowy plains lies the Tianmo Mountain."

Chu Sheng's pupils constricted sharply.

Tianmo Mountain.

That was the place where the Heavenly Demon Ancestor was born, and it was also where he vanished.

The Old Grandfather had mentioned it, but no one knew the specific location.

"You know where the Tianmo Mountain is?" Chu Sheng's voice was somewhat tight.

The Lord of the River nodded, then shook his head.

"I know the general direction, but I cannot enter. The Tianmo Mountain is not a fixed mountain; it drifts within the Void Realm, sometimes appearing in the Northern Region, sometimes in the Central Region. Without the guidance of the Heavenly Demon Body, no one can find it."

He paused, looking at Chu Sheng with deep eyes.

"But you possess the Heavenly Demon Body. You are the successor of the Heavenly Demon Ancestor. You can find it."

Chu Sheng was silent for a moment, then said, "Even if I find the Tianmo Mountain, so what? The Heavenly Demon Ancestor's Legacy has already been divided into seven parts, with Pride, Greed, Gluttony, Sloth... each occupying one. The lust within me is merely one of them."

The Lord of the River laughed.

That smile carried a hint of mockery, a hint of helplessness, and a hint of something Chu Sheng could not understand.

"Seven Legacies? That was just a smokescreen the Heavenly Demon Ancestor deliberately spread."

Chu Sheng was stunned.

The Lord of the River continued, "Before the Heavenly Demon Ancestor vanished, he divided his life's cultivation into seven parts and passed them out in the form of seven Legacies. But that was not all of it. The true core was left by him at the Tianmo Mountain."

"Why would he do that?" Chu Sheng asked.

The Lord of the River shook his head. "No one knows. Some say he wanted to see who could collect them all, some say he was screening for a successor, and others say... he never died at all, but was just waiting for the right moment."

Chu Sheng's heart sank.

He recalled the scene of Greed, and remembered that the residual power of Gluttony was still rampaging in the Golden Pasture.

If the seven Legacies were just a smokescreen, then the true Heavenly Demon Legacy...

"You want me to go to the Tianmo Mountain?" Chu Sheng asked.

The Lord of the River nodded. "I have been trapped at the bottom of the Duanhun River for thousands of years, and I have done nothing else but one thing—study the movement patterns of the Tianmo Mountain. I have already calculated the time and place of its next appearance in the Northern Region."

"When? Where?"

The Lord of the River held up three fingers. "Three years from now. At the end of the Duanhun River, in the deepest part of the Ten Thousand Mile Snowy Plains."

Chu Sheng was silent for a long time.

He stared into the Lord of the River's deep eyes, trying to find traces of a lie.

But he found none.

"Why are you telling me this?" Chu Sheng asked. "If you help me, you must be after something."

The Lord of the River gave a bitter smile. "What I am after is freedom. And..." He glanced at his daughter standing in the distance, "her safety."

Chu Sheng said, "Are you not afraid that after I become the Demon Lord, I will turn my back on you and refuse to acknowledge our agreement?"

The Lord of the River laughed. "I am. But I have no better choice."

He stood up, walked to Chu Sheng, and extended his hand.

"I have lived for thousands of years and have seen countless Prodigies. Greed, Gluttony... every one of them was stronger than you are now. But they all had one problem—they were too impatient. Impatient to become stronger, impatient to claim supremacy, impatient to devour everything."

"You are different. You have patience, you have calculation, and you have principles. You do not kill the innocent indiscriminately, and you do not bully the weak. You will save a stranger, and you will risk your life for a promise."

"That is exactly what I am betting on."

Chu Sheng looked at his extended hand but did not take it.

"Are you not afraid of losing the bet?"

The Lord of the River said, "If I lose, at worst, I will be trapped for another few thousand years. I am already used to it anyway."

Chu Sheng was silent for a moment, then extended his hand and grasped the Lord of the River's hand.

The two clasped hands, as if sealing an ancient contract.

"Three years from now, I will take you to the Tianmo Mountain," the Lord of the River said. "But before that, you must first get me out of here."

Chu Sheng released his hand and nodded.

He turned around and looked at the light shield that was still faintly glowing above the small town.

The Seal of the Wanxiang Pavilion Old Ancestor had weakened significantly after thousands of years.

His Zhu Xian Sword Formation should be able to break it.

"Step back," Chu Sheng said.

The Lord of the River pulled Jiang Ling and retreated to the edge of the small town.

The soul-form Cultivators hiding in the houses scurried further into the depths.

Chu Sheng took a deep breath, and all four zhu xian swords were unsheathed simultaneously.

Dark golden Sword Qi lit up the darkness, like four meteors streaking across the night sky.

The sword array unfolded, and the Sword Qi, like a tide, crashed toward the light shield.

Boom—

The entire small town trembled.

Densely packed cracks appeared on the light shield, spreading in all directions like a spiderweb.

Chu Sheng gritted his teeth, pushing his spiritual power to the limit.

The pressure of the Zhu Xian Sword Formation grew heavier, and the cracks in the light shield grew larger.

Finally, with a deafening roar, the light shield shattered.

The fragments turned into specks of light that filled the sky, dissipating into the darkness.

The Seal was broken.

The Lord of the River stood in the ruins, watching the shattered light shield, his eyes somewhat red.

He had waited for thousands of years and had finally waited for this day.

The Lord of the River's daughter supported her father's arm, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Chu Sheng returned his swords to their sheaths, turned around, and looked at the Lord of the River.

"The Seal is broken. You are free now."

The Lord of the River took a deep breath and exhaled that foul air.

He bowed deeply to Chu Sheng.

"Thank you." His voice was somewhat choked with emotion.

Chu Sheng waved his hand. "Do not thank me. See you at the Tianmo Mountain in three years."

He turned and walked toward the outside of the small town.

After walking a few steps, he stopped and said without looking back, "Jiang Ling, do not steal my sword next time. If there is a next time, I will not be this polite."

The Lord of the River's daughter lowered her head, not daring to look at him.

The Lord of the River watched Chu Sheng's back disappear into the darkness, silent for a long time.

Then he whispered, "This person is even more terrifying than I imagined."

Jiang Ling looked up at her father. "Father, can he really become the Demon Lord?"

The Lord of the River did not answer.

He only looked in the direction where Chu Sheng had vanished, his gaze deep.

"Perhaps he can. Perhaps he cannot." His voice was very soft. "But regardless of whether he can or not, I have placed my bet."

Jiang Ling did not ask again.

She supported her father and slowly walked into the depths of the small town.