Cleaning up the battlefield was not something Shen Mo needed to do personally.
After slaying Ji Xuan, he left the Sea of Demon Suppression and made his way back toward the Xuanwu Fortress.
The moment he resurfaced from the sea, he felt a vast and ancient will approaching him.
Shen Mo closed his eyes.
Everything around him seemed to fade into nothingness.
Before him appeared a colossal presence.
It had no form—its shape was impossible to perceive.
Yet he could sense it clearly: it was there, and it was everywhere.
Previously, it had remained unseen—now, it had revealed itself.
There was no doubt.
This was the will of Heaven.
The will of this world.
Shen Mo reached out his hand.
In an instant, he established contact with the will of Heaven.
That moment, he felt as if he had traversed the entirety of this world.
His consciousness began to rise, soaring ever higher, until it left the boundaries of this realm.
What he saw was a raging, chaotic black current—endless like a great river, yet wildly disordered.
Looking down, the world he came from glowed faintly with golden light, shielded from the devouring current.
All around was pitch black, not a glimmer of light in any direction.
As though this world was the only lonely island in the vast void.
Then, a flash of comprehension struck Shen Mo.
He suddenly looked toward a certain direction.
In that moment, he sensed the faintest of connections—something new, something just now awakened.
His consciousness swiftly returned to his physical body.
In the blink of an eye, he had truly become the Child of Heaven of this world.
So long as he wished it, he could appear anywhere in this realm.
With a single thought, the world spun before him.
In a flash, Shen Mo appeared in Qingshan City—tens of millions of li away from the Sea of Demon Suppression.
This was where he had been born.
An ordinary Nirvana Realm cultivator could never traverse such a distance.
But a Nirvana Realm cultivator who was the Child of Heaven could—by relying on the will of Heaven and his own cultivation.
Shen Mo willed again.
Qingxuan Sect, Jade Cauldron Sect, Myriad Demon Nation...
No place in the world was beyond his reach.
A surge of exhilaration rose in Shen Mo's heart.
This was the true meaning of cultivation—the freedom to roam, unshackled and sovereign!
At that moment, a grand, ancient voice suddenly resounded.
Not just in Shen Mo's ears—
But in the ears of every sentient being within this world.
From the southernmost seas to the northernmost peaks, from the far east to the distant west—
Whether human, monster, or flood dragon—
Regardless of what they were doing,
At that instant, all of them instinctively paused and listened.
The vast, ancient voice spoke slowly.
"Ji Xuan, first Human Emperor, joint lord of the three clans, slayer of the Undying Demon Emperor, once meritorious in suppressing the demon race."
"However, Ji Xuan sought to use the Undying Demon Emperor's body to rebuild his foundation. As the Child of Heaven, he established ten Demon Suppression Fortresses to limit the rise of human, monster, flood dragon, and demon cultivators."
"To cross the void, he planned to slaughter all living beings of this world, extracting their souls."
"Such crimes are beyond count."
"Shen Mo, Demon Suppression General of the Demon Suppression Fortress, slew Ji Xuan, turned the tide, rescued all living beings from peril, and established an unparalleled legacy!"
"Shen Mo!"
That name resounded across the Eight Desolations and Four Seas.
It echoed within the hearts of every living being.
Many did not know what had happened.
But having been born into this world, they instinctively recognized—the voice came from the will of Heaven.
By slaying Ji Xuan, Shen Mo had saved every soul from their destined demise.
This was supreme merit.
From this day forth, attacking Shen Mo was akin to attacking this world itself.
To oppose Shen Mo… was to stand against Heaven itself.
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