Innate Immortal Seed

Chapter 307: Chapter 305: Nascent Soul Tribulation Cultivator

On that day, the three Nascent Soul True Monarchs of the Five Phoenix Sword Sect quietly watched as the Celestial Principle Sect departed, showing no intention of intervening.

For them, successfully claiming the Tier Four Spirit Vein to serve as their junior brother’s new dao field meant their objective had been perfectly achieved.

They cared little for the wealth the Celestial Principle Sect had accumulated over tens of thousands of years.

To the Super Major Sects of the Central Domain, each controlled more than one stable Secret Realm.

Some Treasures that were priceless in the outside world were nothing special in the eyes of a Super Major Sect.

Only Spirit Veins were non-renewable. The ever-increasing number of Cultivators made the territorial crisis in the Central Domain thousands of times more severe than in the surrounding Four Domains.

Nascent Soul True Monarchs had long called for pioneering the Outer Sea, certain that in less than a thousand years, a terrifying war over Spirit Lands would erupt and sweep through all the sects in the Central Domain.

However, to this day, everyone was still more accustomed to seizing living space from their fellow Cultivators rather than facing the mysterious and unknown Outer Sea.

According to the rules of the Central Domain, it was commonplace for a newly ascended Nascent Soul True Monarch to challenge another for their cultivation dao field in a combat duel.

The most that could be said was that the Five Phoenix Sword Sect lacked virtue; several martial brothers had ganged up, completely crushing the Celestial Principle Sect’s will to fight and forcing them to flee directly.

But to pursue and exterminate them, leaving them no way out, would be breaking the rules of the Central Domain’s Cultivation Realm.

The Celestial Principle Sect wasn’t guarding against the Five Phoenix Sword Sect, but rather several mysterious Tribulation Cultivation Organizations in the Central Domain.

These people appeared and disappeared like ghosts, their methods ruthless. It was rumored that Nascent Soul True Monarchs were mixed in among them.

Even after years of joint attacks by several Major Sects, they had never been completely destroyed.

With the entire Celestial Principle Sect migrating, the wealth they carried from tens of thousands of years of accumulation was certainly an astronomical sum.

Furthermore, having left their Mountain Gate, they no longer had the protection of their Sect Grand Array.

Even when facing a behemoth like the Celestial Principle Sect, these Tribulation Cultivation Organizations couldn’t resist the allure of such riches.

Besides, in the white-hot competition of the Central Domain, how could a sect like Celestial Principle, established for tens of thousands of years, not have made a few enemies?

On their long journey, they feared that someone might take advantage of their plight to settle old scores.

The Celestial Principle Sect raised its guard to the highest level and left the Great Li without incident. But just as they were crossing the mountains to enter the Northern Domain, they were attacked from all sides.

The three major Tribulation Cultivation Organizations of the Central Domain had actually joined forces, unprecedentedly targeting a Nascent Soul Sect for a robbery.

The three groups of Tribulation Cultivators poured out in full force, numbering just over two thousand in total—far fewer than the Celestial Principle Sect.

But there wasn’t a single weakling among them; their average strength was much greater than that of the Celestial Principle Sect Disciples.

As expected, there was a Nascent Soul True Monarch among them, wearing a special mask that could block Divine Sense, his appearance like a Celestial Official Divine Envoy from myth and legend.

This person’s strength was on par with the Celestial Principle Sect’s Sect Leader. The two of them flew tens of thousands of feet into the sky, unleashing their full power.

The remaining thousand-plus Tribulation Cultivators, even with over twenty Core Formation True Men in their ranks, stood no chance of breaking through the defense of the Celestial Principle Sect’s five Floating Battleships, which had linked together to form a mobile array.

The amount of Artifact Refining Materials consumed by these five Floating Battleships was astronomical, and the Refining time for each one exceeded a hundred years.

Each vessel was equipped with its own Tier Three Array, powered by Top-Grade Spirit Stones in place of a Spirit Vein, supplemented by a double-digit number of Spirit Eye Marvels, and reinforced with tens of thousands of Restrictions, creating this miraculous product of Artifact Refining.

Not to mention the large-scale Magical Treasures deployed on their decks, such as over a hundred Divine Thunder Pagodas, Taiyi Thunder Light Cannons, and Fire Demon Crossbows.

These were the Celestial Principle Sect’s ”Big Killing Artifacts,” used for conquest and suppressing rebellions, holding the glorious war record of breaching the Mountain Protection Arrays of three Core Formation Level Sects in a single day.

Later, because the Refining was too extravagant and the maintenance costs were unbearable, they had stopped building more after completing the fifth Floating Battleship.

Now, with the five Floating Battleships linked, their five pre-selected, complementary Tier Three Arrays merged seamlessly, effectively forming a Tier Three Top-Grade Array.

At the same time, the large-scale Magical Treasures unleashed their might, blasting dozens of Tribulation Cultivators to death in an instant.

Even a Core Formation Tribulation Cultivator who was singled out and fiercely attacked only managed to escape battered and bruised, his Protective Dharma Treasure nearly shattered by dozens of Thunderlight Cannon blasts.

At this rate, the Celestial Principle Sect could have easily handled not just the alliance of the three mysterious Tribulation Cultivation Organizations, but even twice as many Tribulation Cultivators.

Just as the five Floating Battleships were consolidating their formation and slowly advancing, picking off Tribulation Cultivators from afar with their Fire Demon Crossbows, a gigantic fleshy palm descended from the sky.

Like a Sumeru Mountain, it blotted out the sun as it pressed down directly upon the five Floating Battleships.

The five-colored halo formed by the Tier Three Top-Grade Array actually caved in, emitting an agonized creak.

”Old Ghost Cui, how dare you!”

The Sect Leader of the Celestial Principle Sect roared. Tens of thousands of feet in the sky, the Gang Wind receded and the clouds dispersed.

An Eight Trigrams Array Map descended, spinning and expanding until it was over a dozen acres in size in a flash, intending to envelop the fleshy palm.

”Po Jun Star Monarch, if you continue to block me, you are declaring a war to the death with my Celestial Principle Sect!”

The Celestial Principle Sect’s Sect Leader’s face flushed crimson with rage as a Jade Ruler in front of him forced the two apart.

The masked Nascent Soul Tribulation Cultivator, dressed as a Celestial Official Divine Envoy, remained silent, paying no mind to his opponent’s threat.

He had committed many major crimes, offending six or seven Nascent Soul Sects in the process. Yet, he had managed to keep his identity a secret and even expand his organization despite repeated attempts to corner him. He certainly had his own unique skills.

A pair of antique Bronze Flying Swords appeared in his hands. With a twist of Sword Light, he shattered the invisible wall of air before him and continued to engage the Celestial Principle Sect’s Sect Leader.

...

”It was Cui Xu from the Hundred Puppet Sect?”

It was the first time Yanx Rulong had heard about the battle during the sect’s evacuation from his Sect Leader Uncle.

Ever since they had arrived in Liang Country and requested a place to stay from the Holy Lotus Sect, the Celestial Principle Sect’s Sect Leader, Shi Chengdong, had been in seclusion to recuperate and had not seen anyone.

The Cultivators in the sect only had a limited perspective of the ambush that day; they couldn’t possibly have the same high-level, comprehensive analysis as Shi Chengdong.

”That’s right. The Hundred Puppet Sect has been our enemy for ten thousand years. Back when the Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure appeared, their ancestor was struck by our Ancestor’s ruler. His physical body was destroyed, and only his Nascent Soul escaped... That grudge is not so easily resolved.”

Shi Chengdong had a tall and sturdy build, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, appearing as a young man.

He coughed repeatedly after speaking a single sentence, a pool of dark blood forming in his palm. He was clearly far from fully recovered. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

Ten thousand years ago, news of a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure spread through the Central Domain, and for a time, all Cultivators went mad for it.

From Nascent Soul True Monarchs down to Qi Refining Cultivators, everyone joined the frenzy. Someone had seen the Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure conceal its brilliance after its birth and fly toward a mortal city.

But even after they had practically turned the entire city upside down, there was still no sign of the Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure.

The two Nascent Soul Ancestors from the Celestial Principle Sect and the Hundred Puppet Sect were also unable to resist the lure of the Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure and joined the army of treasure hunters.

In the end, they didn’t find the Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure. Instead, the two of them came into conflict and had a great battle.

Ultimately, the Nascent Soul Ancestor of the Celestial Principle Sect proved superior, forcing the Hundred Puppet Sect’s Ancestor to flee with only his Nascent Soul.

From then on, the two sects became sworn enemies.

Over the ten thousand years, they repeatedly fought and killed one another, layering hatred upon hatred until it became irreconcilable.

And in the end, that Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure had nothing to do with the Celestial Principle Sect.

In the end, it attracted a few old monsters—either Nascent Soul Perfection Great Cultivators or Divinity Transformation Great Powers.

After a world-shaking battle, no one knew who ended up with the Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure. The matter gradually faded from memory, and no one paid it any more mind.

”I took a sword strike from Po Jun Star Monarch just to drag Old Ghost Cui into the battle... But the Floating Battleships were still too weak to face a Nascent Soul True Monarch. He follows the path of the Palm of Heaven and Earth. He forcibly shattered the array and swatted a Floating Battleship out of the sky with a single palm strike.”

Shi Chengdong’s face was grim. He didn’t say how he had managed to escape from the pincer attack of two Nascent Soul True Monarchs, even forcing them to retreat, and lead the remaining Cultivators of the Celestial Principle Sect through the mountains and into the Northern Domain.

But seeing his current condition, he had clearly paid a heavy price.

”How many of our sect’s Disciples made it to Liang Country alive?”

”A little over fourteen thousand. Three of our Core Formation Juniors fell...”

Even three years later, Yanx Rulong’s heart still bled as he gritted his teeth and repeated the shocking casualty figures.

”Two Floating Battleships were swatted to the ground by Cui Xu. The Disciples aboard were almost all killed, obliterated into dust when the battleships exploded.”

”Only two Core Formation True Men managed to escape with their lives, dragging their broken bodies away.”

”The other three Floating Battleships also suffered heavy casualties.”

”When we took stock of our resources, we found that at least one-third of our supplies had been lost.”

”Fortunately, the most important batch of Treasures was stored in Shi Chengdong’s Storage Magical Treasure.”

Such losses were unprecedented, something the Celestial Principle Sect had never experienced since its founding.

”More than half of our Disciples are dead! How will I ever face our sect’s past masters? How can I face my senior brother, who on his deathbed urged me to revitalize the Xiangxin Lineage... Old Ghost Cui! Po Jun Star Monarch! If I do not avenge this, I swear I am no longer a man!”

Shi Chengdong spat out a large mouthful of blood, his face contorted with rage as he pointed to the heavens and swore a hoarse oath.

”Nephew Yanx, why haven’t you taken Black Mountain yet...? This place is merely a Tier Three Spirit Land, which is not conducive to my recovery. Besides, living under another’s roof is not a long-term solution.”

”Reporting to Sect Leader Uncle, this disciple was incompetent and failed to complete the mission.”

Yanx Rulong’s old face flushed red as he recounted, detail by detail, everything that had happened since their group arrived in Liang Country.

”The Qingfeng Sect may only be a Core Formation Level Sect, but they have two incredible Core Formation True Men... I fear that even if we mobilized a large number of our Core Formation Juniors, success wouldn’t be guaranteed. Since our sect has been so Severely Injured, I didn’t dare to act on my own authority in such a major matter.”

’To think such figures exist in the tiny Liang Country...’

Shi Chengdong sighed helplessly and said,

”You can’t be blamed for this. Based on your description, those two would undoubtedly be Core Disciples even in the Celestial Star Sect or the Five Phoenix Sword Sect. They might even be designated as Saint Heirs... You are correct. Our sect cannot afford any more losses.”

”The Holy Lotus Sect has been pressing us frequently, saying they will create an opportunity for us to advance on Black Mountain... I’ve put them off each time by saying we are weary from the journey and need to rest and reorganize.”

Yanx Rulong presented several invitation letters from the Holy Lotus Sect. They were all from True Monarch Jiulian, inviting either Shi Chengdong or the younger Core Formation True Men for a visit.

”Jiulian is unsure about the extent of my injuries and just wants to probe... But it’s true that taking Black Mountain would be difficult for you all on your own.”

Shi Chengdong rubbed the corners of his eyes and spoke. ”I’ll need at least another thirty years before I can fight unhindered. For now, just find any Tier Three Spirit Vein and settle the Sect Disciples there. Staying right under Jiulian’s nose is annoying for me, and it won’t give him any peace of mind either.”