Innate Immortal Seed

Chapter 255: Chapter 253: Supreme Qingwei Sword Box

Following the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo, the Moon Xuan Sword also flew out, transforming into a ball of moonlight that danced around the Sword Box.

It wasn’t bold enough to fly directly inside, merely hovering outside, eager to try.

Then it returned to Bai Zichen’s side, coiling around his wrist and spinning, changing into various moonlit sword ornaments.

’Go on, go on. I can’t play favorites and leave you out here to watch your big brother enjoy all the benefits inside...’

The Moon Xuan Sword conveyed a similar deep longing to enter the Sword Box, but it was too timid to approach.

Only after receiving its master’s approval did its moonlight flow like water. It chose a ball of Pure Qi next to the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo and slipped inside.

’It seems that when the Sword Box belonged to that Upper Realm Sword Immortal, not just any Flying Sword could enter... A Tier Four Flying Sword like the Moon Xuan Sword, at the very least, didn’t meet the standard, while the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo must have been a regular.’

The thought alone was staggering. If one ball of Pure Qi corresponded to one Flying Sword...

...didn’t that mean the Upper Realm Sword Immortal, at his peak, possessed thirty-six Tier Five Flying Swords, or perhaps even more?

Bai Zichen tentatively channeled another stream of True Essence into the box. To his surprise, he refined it with ease, encountering no resistance whatsoever.

Several hours later, a cold, emotionless stream of information was transmitted to him.

Supreme Qingwei Sword Box, a Celestial Treasure, capable of holding a maximum of thirty-six Flying Swords.

Its inner space was forged from a wisp of Clear Spirit Qi from the dawn of the Great Thousand Realms. Flying Swords placed within the box will slowly increase in power without active refinement.

The energy cost to control any Flying Sword housed within the box is reduced to one percent of the normal amount.

Furthermore, the Sword Light gains the ”As Clear as Daylight” talent. When combined with Sword Heart Clarity, nothing can hide from its glow, rendering all invisibility and concealment techniques useless.

Of course, this last effect depends on the tier of the Flying Sword.

This meant that when he wielded the Moon Xuan Sword, not even a Nascent Soul True Monarch could conceal their presence from him.

The Secret Realm had existed solely to sustain the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box. Only after the Spiritual Qi in the realm collapsed did the box begin to draw power from the Flying Swords instead.

Those shattered Flying Swords stuck in the ground had all been at least Tier Four Flying Swords back in Ancient Times.

Even the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo had continuously dropped in tier after being drained for tens of thousands of years.

’A Celestial Treasure... what level of Magical Treasure is this? I’ve never even heard of it mentioned in any records...’

In the underground palace of the Transmission Hall, Bai Zichen had learned that above Tier Four Spiritual Treasures were Tier Five Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasures.

It went without saying that their power was countless times greater than a Tier Four Spiritual Treasure. The crucial difference was their extraordinary sentience; they could hold simple conversations with their masters.

Anything higher was not of this world.

He only knew that before Ancient Times, the strongest treasures wielded by those born with Great Divine Techniques were called Heaven-Opening Spiritual Treasures, each a physical manifestation of the Heaven and Earth Dao.

They could only be formed in that primordial era, evolving from the Spiritual Objects generated during the Creation of Heaven and Earth.

Treasures at the level of a Heaven-Opening Spiritual Treasure had nothing to do with Artifact Refining Skills; they could not be forged or improved by Acquired means.

Their quality depended entirely on how many Great Dao Laws the Spiritual Object contained, and whether its vessel was a Spiritual Object born at the dawn of the world.

But even the Ancient Texts brought back by the Qingfeng Sect’s founding patriarch from the far side of the Outer Sea never once mentioned the words ”Celestial Treasure.”

Of course, none of that was important. The crucial part was the reduction of energy cost to one percent for controlling the Flying Swords within the box. That fact alone shook him to his core.

’If that’s the case, doesn’t it mean I might be able to master the Star River Sword Array even without the Taibai Sword Sect’s fundamental Cultivation Technique?’

The True Understanding of Sword Dao from the Taibai Sword Sect that Bai Zichen had obtained also included the Star River Sword Array. It required twelve Flying Swords to form the array, which drew upon a vast Starry Sky Sword Intent.

Once formed, the Sword Array could operate endlessly and without pause.

It was a supreme tool for killing enemies of a higher tier and fighting many at once. During the era when the Taibai Sword Sect reigned supreme, it was said to be second only to the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Demon Extinguishing Sword Formation.

Furthermore, the Star River Sword Array was a relatively recent creation with immense room for improvement. The Taibai Sword Sect even believed it had the potential to evolve into a peerless Sword Array on par with the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Demon Extinguishing Sword Formation.

For those who were not disciples of the Taibai Sword Sect, the greatest obstacle to using such a Heaven-Defying Sword Array was being unable to supply the enormous amount of Magical Power it required.

Other difficulties, such as gathering twelve Flying Swords or comprehending the Starry Sky Sword Intent, paled in comparison and became secondary concerns.

When controlling Flying Swords, the Magical Power consumption increased exponentially with each additional sword.

Therefore, Dual Swords Unification was the absolute limit for the vast majority of Sword Cultivators.

Even with a Cultivation Technique like the Celestial River Technique, which specialized in maximizing one’s Magical Power reserves, the absolute limit was to simultaneously control four Flying Swords.

In all the world, only the Taibai Sword Sect’s Fundamental Great Method allowed one to refine Lifebound Flying Swords without limit, thereby bypassing this restriction.

This allowed the cultivators of the Taibai Sword Sect to develop several legendary Sword Arrays that shook the ages.

They started with three to five Flying Swords, with arrays like the Seven Swords United’s Seven Cultivators’ Qianyuan Sword, and the nine-sword set, the Nine Revolutions Heaven-Burning Sword... For a time, Taibai Sword Sect cultivators became obsessed with the quantity of Flying Swords, each trying to wield more than the last.

This trend lasted for several thousand years before it was gradually abandoned.

Everyone gradually realized that the way of the Flying Sword was not a simple competition of quantity; wielding more swords did not necessarily make one stronger.

True Sword Dao Powerhouses valued quality over quantity, and the trend eventually returned to a more sensible path.

The Star River Sword Array, however, was a technique that emerged from this trend and became a truly powerful, lasting Sword Array.

It was precisely because of this restriction that Bai Zichen hadn’t been overly excited after obtaining the Star River Sword Array, nor had he made any serious effort to master it.

He knew that without the Taibai Sword Sect’s fundamental Cultivation Technique, he would never be able to form the Star River Sword Array, even if he fully comprehended the Starry Sky Sword Intent.

But now, the appearance of the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box gave him a glimmer of hope.

’The Flying Swords in the box only require one percent of my True Essence to control... but even under these conditions, I can still only manage to control nine swords at once.’

With a quick mental calculation, Bai Zichen could imagine the terrifying amount of True Essence required as the number of Flying Swords multiplied.

’Even with my Lifebound Flying Sword, I’m still two swords short... Do I have to switch to a Cultivation Technique like the Celestial River Technique, or just wait and spend the time to refine two more Lifebound Flying Swords?’

Although he was still a step away, he was already quite satisfied.

He was still a long way from gathering twelve Tier Three Flying Swords, he hadn’t comprehended the Starry Sky Sword Intent in the slightest, and he had barely even studied the Star River Sword Array.

Who knew how long it would take to gather twelve suitable Flying Swords? By then, he might have found a solution anyway.

At the very least, being just one step away gave him hope of one day succeeding in the Array Formation.

It was no longer like before, when the Star River Sword Array was nothing more than an unattainable illusion, something that had nothing to do with him no matter how powerful it was.

”Hah!”

Bai Zichen summoned the Moon Xuan Sword and found, just as he’d expected, that he felt no strain at all while controlling the Tier Four Flying Sword.

The Moonlight Sword Light flickered, its length changing unpredictably, creating a sense of haunting beauty and serenity.

’Not bad. I’m still a long way from forming the Star River Sword Array, but controlling a single Flying Sword is child’s play for the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box... This has transformed my situation. I’ve gone from only having enough power for three to five strikes with the Moon Xuan Sword to being able to wield it as a conventional weapon.’

He could hardly wait to find a target to test out his sword.

He wanted to see just how much power an unrestrained, unshackled Tier Four Flying Sword could unleash in his hands.

The moonlight retracted, dancing restlessly on Bai Zichen’s fingertip, exceptionally lively.

He could feel that the Moon Xuan Sword, having moved into the Sword Box, was utterly content.

If the Moon Xuan Sword had previously obeyed his commands out of respect for the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo’s high opinion of him...

...then from this moment forward, it submitted to him wholeheartedly and would obey his every command without question.

Once the Moon Xuan Sword flew back into the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box, Bai Zichen made a quick hand seal. The box snapped shut and was drawn back into his body.

Once inside his Dantian Qi Sea, the Sword Box lay there quietly, orbited by thirty-six balls of Pure Qi.

Two of the balls of Pure Qi now contained Flying Swords, and they had sunk down just a fraction.

’It’s strange. The Supreme Qingwei Sword Box is a Treasure on at least the same level as the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo, so why does it feel like it has no spiritual nature? It feels like an inanimate object...’

Bai Zichen pondered this for only a moment before giving up on the idea of investigating further.

How could a mere Core Formation Cultivator like him possibly fathom the origins of a treasure grade like ”Celestial Treasure,” a term he had never even heard before?

Delving into it would only bring him unnecessary trouble.

「Several months later」

As Bai Zichen completed a full circulation of the Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture and ended his cultivation session, he noticed two new messages on his Sect Token.

He checked the time, got up, straightened his Daoist Robe, and summoned the Seeking Truth Ship, heading straight for Cyan Bull Valley.

With the Seeking Truth Ship’s speed, he would arrive in just over an hour.

Along the way, he startled several Demon Beasts that roared and gave chase, but they were quickly left in the dust.

Outside Cyan Bull Valley, battle flags waved and the smoke of war billowed.

Battle Arrays advanced steadily under the cover of floating warships, with dozens of tall, imposing Yellow Turban Strongmen at the vanguard, clearing a path before them.

At the entrance to Cyan Bull Valley, the army of human Cultivators clashed with hordes of Demon Beasts in a brutal, bloody slaughter.

Warriors on both sides fell in droves, their bodies piling up so high they quickly narrowed the entrance to the valley.

’The casualties will be too heavy if this continues; the Sect can’t sustain these kinds of losses. It all depends on what plans Gu Xisheng has in place.’

Bai Zichen landed the Seeking Truth Ship on a nearby mountaintop and had already sent a Divine Sense transmission to Wei Dao.

If he and Wei Dao were to intervene, they could indeed wipe out the vast hordes of Tier Two bull-like Demon Beasts in an instant.

But neither of them would do so.

Core Formation True Men were not nursemaids for the Sect’s other cultivators. If they had to intervene at every turn, what was the point of having a pioneering army?

Furthermore, they were deep within Black Mountain, and with a Tier Three Demon King confirmed to be residing in the valley, it was all the more critical to conserve their strength. They would not act rashly until the true master of this place revealed itself.

Who knew if there might be an unexpected twist? What if Cyan Bull Valley actually housed two Demon Kings, waiting to launch a devastating surprise attack the moment a Core Formation True Man revealed an opening while clearing out the lesser Demon Beasts?

Of course, that was an extreme scenario, but it was certain that no Core Formation True Man would place themselves in such a precarious position.

”Brother Luoo, I must ask you to act,” Gu Xisheng said.

Gu Xisheng handed a Talisman to Luoo Qiuzhen, who stood beside him. On it was an illustration of an ancient Vajra Scepter.

As the Sect Leader of the Qingfeng Sect, he was entitled to select an ancestral treasure from the Secret Hall.

In special circumstances like this pioneering war, his status as Sect Leader allowed him to borrow additional Magical Treasures as needed.

The Talisman in his hand was the Talisman Treasure he had selected for the final battle. This one was special, however—it was a True Talisman Treasure, created from a Top-Grade Magical Treasure.

This referred to a Talisman Treasure that possessed forty percent of the original Magical Treasure’s power and could only be created from it a single time.

With his Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivation, Gu Xisheng couldn’t unleash its full potential, so he had to entrust it to Luoo Qiuzhen, who was at the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment.

Luoo Qiuzhen’s Daoist Robe billowed without a wind, and the arcane Talismans painted on it began to float. Having worked with Talismans his entire life, he was equally familiar with Talisman Treasures.

The Talisman instantly burst into flames. A gigantic Vajra Scepter appeared above Luoo Qiuzhen’s head, rapidly drawing in all the surrounding Spiritual Qi.