Innate Immortal Seed

Chapter 298: Chapter 296: Considering Taking a Disciple

More than twenty Foundation Establishment Cultivators and around fifteen hundred Qi Refining Disciples surrounded Ten Thousand Ghosts Creek, launching a frenzied assault on the Ten Thousand Ghosts Fierce Soul Array.

Several towering Dragon Tiger Warriors pounded on the Array with their fists, feet, or iron pestles, sending ripples across the Ten Thousand Ghosts Fierce Soul Array.

Not a single one of the Core Formation Level Ghost Kings that had made the Array famous appeared. It was only maintaining the basic power of a Tier Three Array.

What was strange was that within the Ghost Spirit Sect, the number of both Foundation Establishment Cultivators and Qi Refining Disciples was several times that of this attacking force, whose mismatched and colorful attire clearly marked them as a hodgepodge of different powers.

Furthermore, fighting on their home turf, they could summon thousands of Tier Two demonic creatures at any moment.

A single counterattack would be enough to easily annihilate these enemies.

But aside from the sounds of the attackers, the whole of Ten Thousand Ghosts Creek was terrifyingly silent.

It was as if there wasn’t a single living person inside the Grand Array, rather than it being the infamous lair of Liang Country’s renowned Demon Path Sect.

Even with an assault of this intensity, it was unlikely they could break the Tier Three Array even if they attacked for a year and a half.

However, over time, the psychological pressure on the cultivators inside the Array would be immense.

”Charge! We’ll only have a chance to live if we slaughter all these Black Mountain Cultivators!”

From within the Ten Thousand Ghosts Fierce Soul Array, several hundred cultivators surged out, escorting a Golden Armor Corpse. After being sated with fresh blood, it was driven to charge forward on pure instinct.

With so few people, the Black Mountain Alliance Army’s encirclement of the entire Ten Thousand Ghosts Creek was bound to be sparse.

With the Golden Armor Corpse, equivalent to an Early-Stage Core Formation cultivator, leading the charge, the three or four hundred people formed a single wave and instantly broke through the defensive line.

The Clan Cultivators immediately revealed their weak combat will, retreating one after another and exposing a massive gap.

”Qingfeng Sect disciples, follow me and stop the enemy!”

Lii Guizhen cried out, and two Foundation Establishment Cultivators along with dozens of Qi Refining Disciples followed him to meet the charge.

At the same time, he threw out a Tier Three Dragon Tiger Warrior Talisman that the Sect had bestowed upon him before his departure. A Dragon Tiger Warrior the size of a small hill erupted from the ground, blocking the Golden Armor Corpse’s path.

Neither creature displayed Magic; they both relied on the might of their physical Divine Techniques.

Their fists and feet clashed, kicking up waves of air. The ground seemed to tremble as if in a minor earthquake, sending dirt and rocks flying.

The disciples represented by Lii Guizhen had all grown up in an era where the Qingfeng Sect had shed its past weakness and was now suppressing the Ghost Spirit Sect.

Although they didn’t have a blood feud with the Ghost Spirit Sect, and few had seen their elders or sect brothers die directly at the hands of Demon Path Cultivators, their pride in the Sect and their self-confidence far surpassed that of the older generation of disciples.

In the eyes of Lii Guizhen and the others, the Qingfeng Sect had two candidates for True Monarch who truly had a chance of reaching the Nascent Soul stage.

Even the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect was, at best, on par with their own Sect in terms of development potential.

A mere Ghost Spirit Sect, completely suppressed by their two Ancestors, actually dared to provoke them time and again.

The only reason such a Sect had survived to this day was because the Ancestors were merciful and had shown them extraordinary grace.

This new generation of Foundation Establishment Elders advocated for an aggressive, uncompromising stance during Sect discussions.

In response to the tight supply of Cultivation Resources, their solution was either to initiate wars of expansion or to march on external territories.

Because their positions were not high enough, they had yet to truly influence the Sect’s policies.

But their influence among the Qi Refining Disciples was immense, and their momentum grew stronger by the day.

Now, facing a counterattack from Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators who outnumbered them several times over, not a single one of them retreated. Instead, they formed an array to resist.

”You dare block me? You’re courting death!”

From head to toe, this person didn’t have a single patch of healthy flesh; over ninety percent of their skin was wrapped in white bandages.

The exposed parts were rotten and decayed, looking as if they could fall off at any moment.

The bandages shattered, and a large, bluish-black hand slammed down toward Lii Guizhen’s head.

Lii Guizhen sensed that this person had a Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivation. Before the large hand even landed, the bloody, foul stench wafting from it made him dizzy.

”Hmph!”

A small, azure cauldron flew out, pulsating with arcs of Thunder Radiance. As bolts of lightning flashed, the air was purified, and the Demonic Qi was swept away.

As a cultivator with a Thunder Spiritual Root, although Lii Guizhen had not been able to become Ancestor Bai’s disciple as he wished, the level of training he received had always been among the top tier of True Disciples.

Furthermore, he was driven enough to achieve Foundation Establishment without even needing a Foundation Establishment Pill. With his Clan sponsoring some Spirit Stones, he had purchased a Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact that was exceptionally compatible with his elemental affinity.

The giant, gory hand was struck by the Thunder Radiance from the Small Cauldron, and a thick plume of black smoke sizzled as it burned.

Its flesh charred black and flaked off, leaving only a bare, ink-black bone.

His path blocked, the bandaged Demon Cultivator spat out a mouthful of corpse Qi in a fit of rage, causing the small, yellowish-green dagger in his other hand to flare with Spirit Light.

At the same time, another Ghost Spirit Sect Foundation Establishment Cultivator joined the fray. With a shake of his Hundred Ghosts Banner, a black wind howled and Evil Ghosts materialized.

Attacked from two sides, Lii Guizhen found the situation dire and felt the very real threat of death.

Yet he did not retreat a single step. Two Talismans slipped from his sleeves, both painted with images of Divine Thunder Bombarding the Head and a Thunder Serpent Frenzy.

He slapped the Talismans onto his arms. Azure Thunder Radiance flashed and poured into his body.

Bolstered by the power of the Talismans, Lii Guizhen’s Magical Power temporarily surged to a level equivalent to the Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment.

His face fearless, he unleashed several feet of Thunder Radiance from his palms, engaging both Demon Cultivators separately. ℯ

SWOOSH!

A beam of White Bone Sword Light descended as if from the Nine Celestial heavens. It sliced through the battlefield as easily as cutting tofu before leisurely withdrawing.

Several Ghost Spirit Sect Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators had no time to react. The fierce hope of fighting their way to survival was frozen on their faces as a tiny sword-hole appeared on each of their foreheads, extinguishing their life force.

The Golden Armor Corpse, impervious to blades and harder than refined iron, swayed. A thin line appeared on its head and extended downwards.

Without a single Blood Pearl being shed, it split cleanly in two down the middle and collapsed with a CRASH.

”Facing danger without fear and daring to fight to the death are virtues... but you must also know when to be flexible. Don’t throw your life away for nothing.”

The cool, detached voice seemed to come from the Nine Celestial heavens above, transmitted in a focused line of sound.

”Thank you for saving me, True Man! This disciple will redouble his efforts to meet your requirements for accepting a disciple soon!”

A fervent look appeared in Lii Guizhen’s eyes. ’Who else but Ancestor Bai could possess such mighty Sword Light?’

The Seeking Truth Ship hovered thirty thousand feet in the air. From there, Bai Zichen could take in the entirety of Ten Thousand Ghosts Creek. The White Bone Cold Light Sword returned to his body, leaping into its Sword Box.

He wasn’t concerned about these Foundation Establishment Cultivators. He just needed to ensure Fairy Taohua was killed and her lineage severed.

Even if the Ghost Spirit Sect had other tricks up its sleeve, like having sent out disciples in advance to lie low as a Hidden Vein for the future, he wouldn’t be concerned.

At most, it would be a few Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators. What kind of trouble could they possibly stir up?

Besides, with the Ghost Spirit Sect destroyed and the Qingfeng Sect remaining powerful, how long could these stray Demon Cultivators hold on to their initial ambition of restoring their Sect?

Most would likely choose to hide their identities, flee Hejian County, and simply seek a way to survive.

If the Qingfeng Sect disciples couldn’t even handle such minor troubles, then Master Bai would have to consider replacing the Sect’s upper echelons.

He had only intervened to prevent excessive losses among the Sect Disciples, especially since there were several young Foundation Establishment Elders among them.

They had all reached Foundation Establishment within the last thirty years and had bright futures. It was even possible a Core Formation True Man might emerge from their ranks.

’This Lii Guizhen’s aptitude is quite good. In just a few more years, he’ll be at the peak of the Early-Stage Foundation Establishment... Even without any special opportunities, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to reach Foundation Establishment Perfection by cultivating in the unique environment of Celestial Thunder Cliff.’

This disciple with an Abnormal Spiritual Root had come with the sole purpose of becoming Bai Zichen’s apprentice from his very first day in the Sect. Otherwise, with the aptitude of a Thunder Spiritual Root, he wouldn’t have needed to travel thousands of miles to Black Mountain; he could have become a True Disciple in any Core Formation Level Sect.

Even Tong Huan had mentioned it to Bai Zichen several times, mainly because he felt his own strength was insufficient to uphold the master’s reputation and that he was embarrassing the Sect when he was outside.

With a genius junior brother like Lii Guizhen, he would have a presentable candidate when Core Formation True Men compared the merits of their disciples in the future.

Although Bai Zichen hadn’t officially accepted Lii Guizhen as a disciple, he had made an exception, permitting him to cultivate beneath the Celestial Thunder Wall and harness the residual Thunderbolt Power there.

The Celestial Thunder Wall had been bombarded by Celestial Thunder for tens of thousands of years, altering the nature’s spiritual energy and even the geology of the area.

Only cultivators with a Thunder Spiritual Root could cultivate here, and for them, the results were twice as effective for half the effort.

If any other disciple were to come here, even one with a much higher Cultivation than Lii Guizhen, they would be unable to absorb the frenzied and tyrannical Spiritual Qi for their own use.

’A disciple with a chance to reach Core Formation is indeed worth considering... but I feel he’s better suited as Brother Ge’s disciple, not mine.’

He thought of Master Ge Cang’s Qiantian Primordial Yang Divine Thunder Net; even Qi Yue had only managed to learn the basics.

If there were a disciple with the aptitude of a Thunder Spiritual Root and an exceptional talent for Thunder Skills, it would be just as good for them to inherit his lineage of Divine Thunder.

’I’ll think about it later. I’m not even a hundred years old, which is considered the prime of life even for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator... and Brother Ge doesn’t seem to be three hundred yet either. He’s in his prime, so there’s no urgent need to consider an heir for his legacy.’

Bai Zichen set aside the matter of Lii Guizhen and turned his attention back to the two storage bags in his hands, which had belonged to the Core Formation True Men from the Holy Lotus Sect.

Both were Top-Grade Storage Bags. Speaking of which, he had never bought a single one, yet he had quite a few of them on his person now.

Ever since Meng Shigui from the Youlong Sect ”contributed” the first Top-Grade Storage Bag, they had been coming in one after another. He hadn’t had to worry about storage items since.

This was mainly because the number of Core Formation True Men Bai Zichen had slain in just a few decades was terrifyingly high, almost rivaling the total number of Core Formation True Men in the entire Liang Country Cultivation Realm who had died from accidents, excluding his own kills.

Almost every single one had contributed a Top-Grade Storage Bag and a large amount of Cultivation Resources to him.

Generally speaking, unless the difference in Cultivation between two Core Formation True Men was too great, the weaker party would still have a chance to escape even if they were outmatched.

After all, everyone had the trump card of detonating their Golden Core. Unless one was confident they could survive a Golden Core’s explosion unscathed, or could instantly kill their opponent without giving them time to detonate it, they would not press their pursuit too aggressively, lest they get caught in the blast and lose their own life.

Relying on the advantage of his Flying Sword, Bai Zichen had possessed the strength to fight above his level ever since he first reached Core Formation.

With the Moon Xuan Sword in hand, any attempt by an enemy to flee using an Escape Technique became a futile hope.

Aside from the Star Escape, which he had yet to witness, the Cloud Escape allowed one to disperse and reform at will to dissolve attacks, while the Thunder Escape was unpredictable and almost like short-range teleportation.

But in terms of raw tunneling speed, none of them could compare to a Tier Four Flying Sword.

Even a Top-Grade Flying Magical Treasure specializing in Flying Escape would be left in the dust by the Moon Xuan Sword’s speed.

This meant that as long as he gained the upper hand, it was impossible for anyone to escape from him.

’These two storage bags are identical. I can’t even tell which one belonged to whom... Surely the net worth of a Core Formation True Man from the Holy Lotus Sect can’t be too shabby.’

After several days of repeated cleansing, Bai Zichen had used his powerful Divine Sense and the most conventional method to successfully erase the imprints left by the previous owners.

He swept his consciousness across the vast space within the Top-Grade Storage Bag. The items inside were laid bare, and he quickly sorted them into several major categories in his mind.

’Not many Spirit Stones. It seems Top-Grade Spirit Stones are a rare find for most Core Formation True Men. I’ve opened so many storage bags and still haven’t seen a single one...’

Combined, the two storage bags contained forty-six Top-Grade Spirit Stones and over a thousand scattered Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Bai Zichen transferred them all into a storage bag specifically for holding Spirit Stones to avoid confusion when he needed to withdraw them.