Wandering Swordsman |

Hearing this, Shen Mo was slightly taken aback, then waved his hand: "Brother Lü, Brother Tu, there's no need to be so polite. Within this Demon Refining Mountain, we're all in the same boat, why bother with hierarchy?"

However, Lü Yan and Tu Yuliang were clearly determined. They led the disciples of the Blood Demon Pavilion and the Flame Demon Pavilion, immediately kneeling before Shen Mo and saying in unison, "Captain Shen, we are willing to serve you as our master, obey your commands from now on, and swear our loyalty to the death!"

This scene shocked everyone present, especially the disciples of the Moon Demon Pavilion, who had not expected things to develop to this point.

Shen Mo's heart skipped a beat. He looked at Lü Yan and Tu Yuliang, as well as the kneeling disciples behind them, and a complex emotion welled up inside him. On one hand, he was gratified by the loyalty shown by the two, but on the other hand, his heart was filled with doubt.

Shen Mo's gaze swept back and forth between Lü Yan and Tu Yuliang, trying to find the answer in their expressions. He pondered to himself: he came from the Moon Demon Pavilion, while the Flame Demon Pavilion and Blood Demon Pavilion had colluded many times and were at odds with the Moon Demon Pavilion. Now that they were so decisively expressing their loyalty, could they have other motives?

Just as Shen Mo was lost in thought, Lü Yan seemed to sense his doubts and spoke first, explaining, "Brother Shen, I know you must have many questions in your mind right now." Lü Yan's voice was deep and firm, "Although there are indeed some disagreements between the Three Demon Pavilions, whether openly or secretly, we are ultimately all part of the Heavenly Demon God Sect. Right now, the threat in the Demon Refining Mountain is far more urgent than any internal strife. And the strength you have shown makes you the most likely person to lead us out of this predicament."

Tu Yuliang then added, "That's right, Brother Shen. In this Demon Refining Mountain, everyone faces a life-or-death test. Your performance just now gave us hope; you are the most likely person to become the next Heavenly Demon God. That's why we made this choice."

Upon hearing this, Shen Mo was slightly taken aback. He carefully observed the two men's eyes and found that there was indeed a hint of sincerity in them.

Despite this, Shen Mo remained wary. He knew that trust in the martial world took time to build. But he also knew that the current situation didn't allow him much hesitation. If he could truly unite everyone in the Three Demon Pavilion from the bottom of their hearts, perhaps it could bring about a different possibility for the future.

In fact, both Lü Yan and Tu Yuliang had other ideas.

Lu Yan pondered: 'Shen Mo can now rival the Demon Lord even at full strength. So, in four years, his power will reach unprecedented heights, making him a true Heavenly Demon God. I'll swear allegiance now, demonstrating the Flame Demon Pavilion's stance. After leaving Demon Refining Mountain, I'll persuade my grandfather to abandon his plans to conquer all directions. Perhaps this way, we can preserve the Flame Demon Pavilion's current power.'

Tu Yuliang believed that although he was the Blood Demon Lord's disciple, there was no guarantee that the Blood Demon Lord wouldn't abandon him one day. Therefore, before Shen Mo became the Heavenly Demon God, he swore allegiance. That way, he wouldn't have to worry about being abandoned by the Blood Demon Lord and losing his life.

Shen Mo took a deep breath, slowly stepped forward, and helped Lü Yan and Tu Yuliang to their feet. "Please rise," Shen Mo said gently, "Since you are both willing to follow me, let's face the challenges ahead together."

Lu Yan and Tu Yuliang exchanged a glance, then stood up, their faces showing relieved smiles. "Thank you for your kindness, my lord. We will never let you down," Lu Yan said solemnly.

"From now on, we will obey our lord's every command and swear to be loyal to him to the death." Tu Yuliang nodded in agreement.

Shen Mo nodded, his doubts easing slightly. He understood that maintaining team cohesion was paramount; only by working together could they improve their survival rate within the Demon Refining Mountain.

Just then, the surrounding air seemed to grow even calmer, as if even the wind had stopped. Shen Mo looked around and saw everyone staring at him expectantly, his heart filled with mixed emotions. At this moment, a thought formed in Shen Mo's mind. If he became the Heavenly Demon God, the Heavenly Demon God Sect would be his greatest support. Then, when he appeared before Murong Qing again, he would no longer be a rogue with no background. Thinking of this, Shen Mo made up his mind. Whether it was to stop the Flame Demon Lord or to have a powerful backer to face the Murong family, he must become the new Heavenly Demon God of the Heavenly Demon God Sect.

Afterwards, Shen Mo led everyone to sit together and began to discuss the next course of action.

However, Lu Yan did not sit down to discuss it. Instead, he walked around the circular plaza, his brows furrowed, as if searching for some clue.

Suddenly, his gaze fell on a piece of floorboard at the edge of the square. That piece of floorboard was different from the others; it was covered with those special characters. A thought struck Lü Yan, and he immediately summoned Tu Yuliang.

As Tu Yuliang joined in, the others followed. Then, under Lü Yan's guidance, everyone who recognized some of these characters began to study them intently.

After some effort, everyone pieced together what they knew and translated part of the message: "This circular plaza is called the Beast King's Altar. A hundred years after the death of the Demon-Refining Beast King, a new Demon-Refining Beast will come here again to become the new Demon-Refining Beast King..."

The translated information made everyone's expressions turn serious.

"It seems that the demon beast we just encountered was not an ordinary demon-refining beast, but a demon-refining beast king!" Lu Yan said in a low voice, a hint of shock in his eyes.

"That's right," Tu Yuliang nodded, "and according to the contents here, it seems that the Demon Refining Beast King is guarding this square. As for what it is guarding, we can't recognize the text after that."

At this moment, Shen Mo listened to their conversation from the side, sighing inwardly. If Su Ming were here, he would definitely be able to decipher everything.

Afterwards, everyone continued to search the square carefully based on the clues they had just deciphered, seemingly trying to find out what the Demon-Refining Beast King was guarding.

......

However, after searching for a long time, no valuable clues were found.

As everyone prepared to leave and return to the outside of the valley, the atmosphere became exceptionally heavy. Everyone knew that three ferocious demon-refining beasts awaited them outside the passage, and a fierce battle was inevitable.

The group returned to the outside through the passage, where they were greeted by the three enormous demon-refining beasts. Although everyone was prepared for battle, they still felt considerable pressure looking at the demon-refining beasts in front of them.

Just as the three demon-refining beasts were about to pounce and attack, Shen Mo, who was originally in the middle of the group, immediately rushed to the front of the group.

When the three demon-refining beasts saw Shen Mo, they acted as if they had seen a ghost and immediately turned and fled. This scene left everyone completely baffled.