Innate Immortal Seed

Chapter 279: Chapter 277: The First Cultivation Family

A million miles from Liang Country, in a gloomy mountain ravine.

Fang Tiancheng leaned against a wall, his face ashen. A fit of harsh coughs forced a mouthful of bloody foam from his lips.

Beside him, the Gold-Devouring Earth Dragon Beast lay listlessly on the ground. Two wounds on its back, each over ten feet long, were so deep the bone was visible.

Blood flowed freely, pooling on the ground beneath it.

With injuries like these, only a beast as tough-hided and full of vitality as a Gold-Devouring Earth Dragon Beast could endure. Any other Tier Three Demon Beast would have been half-dead already.

But even the Gold-Devouring Earth Dragon Beast, renowned for its powerful life force, had lost all its Essence, Qi, and Spirit. It didn’t even have the strength to eat the Five Metals Ore it usually loved, even when placed right before its eyes.

It gasped for breath in great, ragged heaves, like a leaking air bellows. With each rise and fall of its flank, sections of white bone were exposed in its wounds.

”Three at Core Formation Perfection, two at Late-Stage Core Formation. Is a lineup like that enough?”

Fang Tiancheng pressed a hand to his Lifebound Spiritual Beast’s wound, his heart aching. A gush of blood instantly soaked through his robes, turning him into a figure drenched in red.

”Not bad. It barely meets my standards.”

A black shadow flashed, and a blurry, indistinct figure appeared in the air, looking as if a gust of wind could blow it away.

It was bathed in a bloody light. Thousands of mouths writhed and gaped on its body, as if devouring and fusing with something.

Five Cultivators lay on the ground, their auras completely gone. Their faces were peaceful, creating an eerie scene.

”I told you to lure out Ge Cang. He alone would have counted for three... but you refused. If you had listened, you wouldn’t be in this state, and I wouldn’t have been nearly trapped here myself.”

”If we had targeted Ge Cang, I was afraid you wouldn’t have the stomach to finish him!”

Fang Tiancheng sneered. A yellow light flowed from his palm where it touched the Gold-Devouring Earth Dragon Beast.

The Dragon Beast’s wounds began to shrink and heal rapidly, but at the same time, blood seeped through Fang Tiancheng’s own back, revealing a much smaller, identical wound.

The immense pain from his back made Fang Tiancheng stagger and collapse to the ground.

But he held his head high, refusing to bow.

If he hadn’t received news that Blood God True Man had a high chance of reaching the Nascent Soul realm—and would return to Liang Country to perform a blood sacrifice on several sects—he never would have agreed to the shadow’s demands. He would not have come to Frost Country and used a Treasure Map to a Middle Ancient True Monarch’s ruin as bait to lure so many top Core Formation True Men into a trap.

Once something like this was exposed, even as a mere accomplice, he and the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect would be plunged into irredeemable doom.

But if he didn’t risk it all for a chance at survival, facing the Blood God True Man in his current weakened state meant certain death.

”Heh, a mere Late-Stage Core Formation Cultivator can be suppressed with a wave of my hand... I saw the true extent of your abilities in Burial Immortal Valley.”

The black shadow’s voice dripped with disdain as it transformed into a gust of black wind and sped away. Its ethereal voice drifted down from high above.

”If you want the Five Crystal Divine Iron, lure a Nascent Soul True Monarch into a trap within ten years. Contact me the same way... and hurry up. You’re not the only one working for me!”

Fang Tiancheng stared in the direction the shadow had vanished, his eyes fierce, like a wounded lion licking its wounds.

’Targeting a Nascent Soul Cultivator... is he suggesting I lure True Monarch Jiulian into a trap? But the power he’s revealed is only slightly greater than my own. Where does he get the confidence to deal with a Nascent Soul True Monarch?’

Perfect Core Formation Cultivators were hard to find, but ancient powers often had one or two old fossils hidden away.

Fang Tiancheng had used the alternate identity he had created a century ago while roaming the Central Domain. In disguise, he used the promise of a Tier Four Life-Extending Spirit Pill within the Middle Ancient ruins shown on his Treasure Map to attract this group of top-tier Core Formation True Men who were all nearing the end of their lives.

But one could count the number of Nascent Soul True Monarchs in the entire Northern Domain on one hand.

Approaching one rashly would make cooperation impossible, let alone luring them into a trap.

The only possibility was for Fang Tiancheng to appear as his true self, find his old acquaintance True Monarch Jiulian, and present him with an irresistible temptation.

Only then might he be able to fulfill the shadow’s request.

’I’ve been operating under my Central Domain Loose Cultivator identity for a hundred years. I even deliberately created the illusion of both my identities appearing at the same time once. The chances of anyone suspecting my true self are slim.’

The Cultivation Realm of Frost Country saw the disguised Fang Tiancheng as a Loose Cultivator from the Central Domain. Moreover, he possessed a Secret Treasure that could block Divination and Divine Calculation, as well as Karma Secret Techniques.

The probability of anyone tracing him back to his true identity at the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect was extremely low.

But plotting against True Monarch Jiulian was different. Failure, of course, was not an option to be considered.

Detonating his own Golden Core early might be the most painless way to die.

Even if he succeeded, he would still face the Holy Lotus Sect’s insane retaliation.

Fang Tiancheng didn’t believe for a second that the Holy Lotus Sect—a sect with a legacy spanning tens of thousands of years that had produced multiple Nascent Soul True Monarchs—would lack Tier Four methods of its own.

’But with the Five Crystal Divine Iron, old pal has a good chance of becoming a Tier Four Spirit Beast. Then, we can take on either Blood God True Man or the Holy Lotus Sect!’

A fanatical light shone in Fang Tiancheng’s eyes. As long as the Gold-Devouring Earth Dragon Beast broke through to Tier Four, his own lifespan would increase again.

By then, even without a Nascent Soul Pill, he could use the extra time to refine two more Lifebound Magical Treasures to resist the Celestial Tribulation.

Coupled with the feedback his Lifebound Spiritual Beast would provide for his own realm breakthrough, thanks to the Spirit Control Scripture, his chances of reaching the Nascent Soul realm would be over fifty percent.

”Old pal, for our future, it seems we really have to take this risk.”

The Gold-Devouring Earth Dragon Beast tilted its head, affectionately licking Fang Tiancheng’s hands clean of blood.

Fang Tiancheng made up his mind. However, there was no way he would commit such a monumental act based on the shadow’s mere verbal promise of the Five Crystal Divine Iron.

With a wave of his hands, countless golden blades crisscrossed, shredding the five Cultivators on the ground into pieces.

At the same time, he took out another corpse from his storage bag and dealt with it in the same manner, scattering the remains on the ground.

Then, he blasted the ravine with a Magic to cover up the destruction caused by the Gold-Devouring Earth Dragon Beast, and used a Secret Treasure to throw the aura in the ravine into disarray.

After finishing all this, he recalled his Lifebound Spiritual Beast, changed his attire, and left discreetly.

... ℴℴ𝘮

Bai Zichen strolled through the Bamboo Sea, listening to the rustling sound of the wind sweeping through the stalks.

Genggeng scrambled nimbly among the Spiritual Bamboo, grabbing a tender stalk to chew on for a couple of bites before quickly growing tired of it and moving on to a new target.

Suddenly, a particular Spiritual Bamboo before it caught its attention. In its eyes, this one looked especially tender and was brimming with Spiritual Qi.

It immediately leaped onto it, swinging back and forth and causing it to emit a clear, jade-like sound.

Just as it was about to take a bite, a large hand grabbed the scruff of its neck and lifted it into the air.

”You have picky taste, little one, but you can’t eat this... When the mountains are covered with Sacred Sound Bamboo in the future, I’ll let you eat your fill.”

Only five or six Spiritual Bamboo stalks had mutated into Tier Two Sacred Sound Bamboo in total.

Bai Zichen was planning to keep them for seeding, to see if he could get a Thunder Sound Bamboo to sprout.

Even if that failed, he still needed to cultivate several dozen stalks to refine Sound Bamboo Swords.

To speed up the mutation rate of the Spiritual Bamboo, he had even considered expanding the teaching of the Wood God Skill to all Sect Disciples.

But after some thought, he abandoned this tempting idea.

After all, in the eyes of the Black Mountain Cultivators, the Wood God Skill was the Bai Family’s bloodline Magic.

This explained why the Magic only caused the Spiritual Bamboo to mutate and advance when used by Bai Clan Members; if anyone else learned it, it was just an ordinary Support Technique.

But if the Qingfeng Sect Cultivators suddenly gained this ability as well, the ”bloodline Magic” explanation would fall apart on its own.

Within Black Mountain County, with Bai Zichen’s current status, he could naturally suppress any suspicions without fear.

His only fear was that the story would spread as an anecdote and fall into the ears of someone with ill intentions, which would be troublesome.

He didn’t want to provoke his enemies from the Outer Sea while already facing the potential threat of Blood God True Man.

”If any of you have questions about your cultivation, feel free to ask.”

Bai Zichen had finally achieved Great Success in his Five Crystal Permanent Casting Body today, and he was in an excellent mood. He smiled and spoke to the three juniors following behind him.

”Ancestor, I have been at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer for several years but can’t seem to find the opportunity to reach Great Perfection. I’ve even taken two Realm-Breaking Elixirs, but to no effect.”

As the lead Elder of the Bai Family, Bai Xiran had managed the Bai Clan Members on Celestial Thunder Cliff impeccably for several years. There had never been a single incident of clan juniors throwing their weight around because of their connection to the Ancestor and getting into conflicts with Qingfeng Sect disciples.

This was something many Core Formation Ancestors’ own clan members failed to achieve after their sudden rise in status.

”Your foundation is insufficient and your Magical Power is unstable. Even if you rely on the power of elixirs to break through the bottleneck, you won’t have enough Magical Power to advance further... Either change your Cultivation Technique or find a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object that can replenish your Primordial Qi. That should resolve it.”

Bai Zichen couldn’t be bothered to painstakingly diagnose a Qi Refining Cultivator’s bottleneck. He simply took out the Nine Yang Divine Fire Mirror, glanced at her Human Meridian Map, and knew the answer.

”Brother, what about me? What about me?”

Bai Ziying spoke with much less restraint, her tone intimate as she asked.

”Not bad. Aim for Qi Refining Perfection within ten years.”

Bai Zichen glanced at the two siblings with their vastly different temperaments. The younger brother, Bai Ziyu, stood shyly in the back without saying a word. ”Ziyu, if you feel you can’t find a direction for a breakthrough, why not pick up one of the Hundred Skills of Cultivation to adjust your mindset? Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

He naturally gave his younger cousins special attention, instructing Tong Huan to often guide them on his behalf.

At the same time, they wanted for no Cultivation Resources; their supply was even more generous than that of the Sect’s True Disciples.

But by now, a gap in Cultivation had already appeared between the siblings.

Bai Ziying had broken through to the Eighth-Layer Qi Refining last year, while Bai Ziyu had only reached the Qi Refining Seventh Layer a few months ago.

However, Bai Ziyu wasn’t lazy or careless. On the contrary, according to Tong Huan, he was far more hardworking and diligent than the average Sect Disciple.

It could only be attributed to the fact that, despite both having Three Spiritual Roots, there was still a difference in their natural talent and Comprehension.

”Yes... I’ve been practicing the Wood God Skill recently, taking care of three hundred stalks of Profound Ink Bamboo. I’m hoping one of them will mutate into a Sacred Sound Bamboo soon.”

Bai Ziyu’s voice was as quiet as a mosquito’s buzz. He lowered his head as soon as he finished speaking.

Bai Zichen shook his head helplessly. ’With a personality like that in the Cultivation Realm, he’d be eaten alive, with not even his bones left behind.’

’Perhaps staying in the Qingfeng Sect under my protection and living out a peaceful life is the better choice for him.’

”In the future, if any clan members cultivate a Sacred Sound Bamboo and don’t need a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object, let them make a request to exchange it for a corresponding amount of Contribution Points... Anything listed as exchangeable in the Qingfeng Sect, you can also exchange for.”

Bai Zichen considered two things: first, he didn’t have that many Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects on hand, and second, some clan members were still too far from needing to use one anyway.

That being the case, he might as well follow the precedent set during the wilderness reclamation war and with the Inheritance Stele, allowing non-Sect disciples to exchange Contribution Points for various Treasures.

”I will be sure to convey the Ancestor’s grace.”

Bai Xiran was overjoyed. At this rate, every member of the Bai Clan on Celestial Thunder Cliff could accumulate a fortune and would have a good chance of becoming a Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator.

In a few decades, who in Black Mountain could compete with the Bai Family for the title of the number one Cultivation Family?