Innate Immortal Seed

Chapter 328: Chapter 326: A Crippled Cultivation Technique Is Also a Good Thing

”Are you True Monarch Shi of the Celestial Principle Sect?”

This Nascent Soul True Monarch was unfamiliar, but Bai Zichen had seen Qu Yang standing behind him. One look at his robes and demeanor, and the newcomer’s identity was obvious.

”I am indeed Shi. Little Friend Bai, you are truly skilled... To have reached such a level of Great Dao True Intent while in the Core Formation Realm is worthy of special regard, no matter the path—to say nothing of the Power of Time.”

Shi Chengdong tossed the dazed and stupefied Qu Yang aside, paying him no further mind. He sized up the young man before him with great curiosity.

He had only ever heard about the history of the two Core Formation True Men of the Qingfeng Sect from others; he had never seen them in person.

But in the information he had gathered, Master Ge Cang was always the more dazzling one. The descriptions of Bai Zichen mainly focused on his outstanding strength and astonishing Sword Dao Talent.

Based on the files, however, that certainly wasn’t as shocking as Master Ge Cang’s Void and Reality True Meaning.

After all, that meant the most crucial gate to the Nascent Soul Realm had already opened for him.

But today, Shi Chengdong discovered that everyone had been outrageously wrong.

This Bai Zichen’s talent was likely even more terrifying than True Monarch Kurong’s. To have reached such a level of control over the Power of Time during the Core Formation Stage... what he would be like after reaching the Nascent Soul Realm was completely unimaginable.

It was a pity he was born in Liang Country. If he were in the Central Domain, he would have long since become the Saint Heir of a Super Major Sect, his name shaking the world. Predecessors would have pointed out the clearest path for him toward Divinity Transformation.

Shi Chengdong was unaware that a Supreme Divine Technique like the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword existed in the world, which led to his misjudgment.

He mistook the Power of Time displayed by the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword—a technique Bai Zichen could only use after a hundred years of nurturing—as Bai Zichen’s own comprehension of the Great Dao.

This misunderstanding directly inflated Bai Zichen’s perceived talent in the Time Path by a thousandfold.

The reason he had appeared in person was that he couldn’t suppress his curiosity and wanted to meet this Core Formation Cultivator up close.

’If things go well, right now I’m talking to the next Kurong Sword Monarch... no, perhaps even a future Divinity Transformation Great Power!’

Shi Chengdong was startled by his own bold thought. It had been nearly a thousand years since a Divinity Transformation Great Power had been born in the Cultivation Realm.

Almost all High-Tier Cultivators agreed that ever since the Ascension Platform had vanished, not only could Upper Realm Immortals no longer descend, but the Ascension of this realm’s cultivators had become little more than a suicidal fantasy.

Not a single Divinity Transformation Great Power who had attempted to cross the void to the Upper Realm on their own had managed to send back even a few words through the tokens they left behind.

At the same time, the interval between the appearance of Divinity Transformation Great Powers was constantly lengthening.

An extremist view had already emerged in the Cultivation Realm: in a few thousand years, the highest cultivation in this world might stop at the Nascent Soul Realm, and even Divinity Transformation would become a legend.

”True Monarch, you praise me too much. It was but a minor gain...”

Bai Zichen knew the other party had misunderstood, but he saw no need to explain.

It was better to let the other party remain wary. If they learned that under normal circumstances he could only use that sword once every hundred years, they might get other ideas.

As it was now, their inability to gauge his true depth was an invisible deterrent.

’Besides, no one has made the connection to the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword. It seems the reputations of the Outer Sea Sects just don’t travel far inland.’

If it had been a sect from the Central Domain with such a Divine Technique in its legacy, news would have long since spread throughout the world, and it would have been studied and countered by all cultivators.

Then again, even if news of the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword did leak, he wasn’t really concerned about Core Formation Level Sects like the Youlong Sect.

As long as he didn’t provoke the Dragon Monarch, what kind of force could a few Core Formation Level Sects possibly send across countless countries to trek all the way to the Black Mountain Range?

”True Monarch, you’re traveling with the Saint Heir of the Holy Lotus Sect. Surely you’re not here to stand up for True Monarch Jiulian?”

”Little Friend Bai, please don’t misunderstand. My acquaintance with Fellow Daoist Jiulian was merely a passing one. I was only entrusted to come and bear witness... I merely wish to trade on my age and ask for a favor: let him take Fellow Daoist Jiulian’s body back to the sect, so the disciples of the Holy Lotus Sect have someone to pay their respects to.”

In his speech, Shi Chengdong treated Bai Zichen entirely as a cultivator of the same generation.

Looking at Bai Zichen, whose five fingers were loosely gripping his sword hilt, and Master Ge Cang, whose face was resolute and fearless in the face of death, he didn’t mention the words ”Black Mountain” at all, as if he had truly traveled a thousand miles just to act as a witness and intermediary.

Qu Yang was over there stammering, but Shi Chengdong had long since sealed his tongue, rendering him unable to speak a word.

The Sword of Time, which ignored one’s cultivation and suppressed them with the Great Dao.

The tyrannical Secret Technique that granted combat power equivalent to the Early-Stage Nascent Soul.

Combined, these two would make even a Mid-Stage Nascent Soul cultivator tremble.

Even if there was a ninety percent chance these two couldn’t use those ultimate techniques again, Shi Chengdong didn’t want to take the risk.

Besides, Black Mountain wasn’t the only ownerless Tier Four Spirit Land in the Northern Domain. The main reason they had chosen it back then was because of the possibility of ruins left behind by an Ancient Sword Immortal.

With True Monarch Jiulian dead, there was no fundamental conflict between the Celestial Principle Sect and the Qingfeng Sect. There was even a possibility of turning from enemies into friends.

”Matters of Liang Country are not for outsiders to meddle in... This Elder Daoist feels that since True Monarch Jiulian was the one who crossed the border to attack first, his dead body is naturally a spoil of war for the Qingfeng Sect. That includes all his treasures; there is absolutely no need to return them to the Holy Lotus Sect.”

A gust of wind and snow blew past, and a Daoist whose face appeared both old and young floated down, riding an Ice Phoenix.

Although his aura was weaker than Shi Chengdong’s, he was still a genuine Nascent Soul True Monarch.

”Suihan... Suihan True Monarch... Congratulations, True Monarch, on ascending to the Nascent Soul Realm.”

Master Ge Cang hadn’t expected Suihan True Monarch to successfully form his Nascent Soul at such an age. It was completely beyond everyone’s expectations.

The Liang Country Cultivation Realm had long since crossed this old relic off the list of Core Formation True Men who had a chance of reaching the Nascent Soul Realm.

Although there was no definite age limit for forming a Nascent Soul, attempting it at such an advanced age greatly increased the risks of the Tribulation Crossing.

Suihan True Monarch had actually arrived a little earlier than True Monarch Jiulian, but he had hesitated for a moment because he hadn’t yet figured out what excuse to use to demand the Earth God Sand.

He and Ancestor Yang were cultivators of the same era. They had traveled together several times, and he had heard Ancestor Yang mention how precious the Earth God Sand was.

No matter which cultivator it was, it was impossible that they would trade away such a trump-card Secret Treasure.

He was contemplating whether to offer one of the Ice Soul Palace’s treasures in exchange for the Earth God Sand, or to display the might of a Nascent Soul True Monarch and command the Qingfeng Sect to hand over the Divine Sand.

Suihan True Monarch was also thinking about competing with the Holy Lotus Sect in the future. He wanted to rope in the Qingfeng Sect as a subordinate force and did not wish to make an enemy of them directly.

In that moment of delay, he sensed True Monarch Jiulian’s arrival.

He quickly used a Spiritual Treasure to hide his figure and slipped into the Ten Thousand Feet Gang Wind Layer, where he witnessed the entire event.

He had originally planned to intervene at the critical moment and stop True Monarch Jiulian. That would have both displayed his own strength and placed the Qingfeng Sect in his debt, allowing him to logically request the Earth God Sand as a reward.

But the scenes that followed made his jaw drop.

First, Master Ge Cang displayed strength no weaker than an Early-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator, putting up a spectacular fight against True Monarch Jiulian.

What came next was even more outrageous. An unfamiliar Core Formation Cultivator from the Qingfeng Sect appeared and killed True Monarch Jiulian with a single sword strike.

A chill ran down Suihan True Monarch’s spine. He simultaneously realized how wise he had been not to rely on his Nascent Soul Realm to forcefully demand the Earth God Sand.

Otherwise, he would be the one lying on the ground right now.

Seeing the Nascent Soul True Monarch from the Celestial Principle Sect appear, Suihan True Monarch no longer hid himself, directly activating his Spirit Light and flying out from the Gang Wind Layer.

”Dry bones in a grave, old and decrepit...”

Shi Chengdong merely glanced at him before looking away, full of disdain. ”Little Friend Bai, what are your thoughts?”

Hearing this assessment, Suihan True Monarch felt a nameless rage flare up, which he managed to suppress with great difficulty.

’I feel as if I formed my Nascent Soul for nothing. I had no confidence in defeating those Core Formation cultivators, and against Shi Chengdong of the Celestial Principle Sect, I would be completely crushed in every aspect.’

”My Qingfeng Sect is an orthodox Daoist Sect. We will naturally help prepare the body for burial... But if the Holy Lotus Sect wants the body back, they’ll have to show some sincere atonement, won’t they?”

Bai Zichen was equally shocked by the sudden appearance of Suihan True Monarch.

For the past several thousand years, the Liang Country Cultivation Realm had, in most cases, only had a single Nascent Soul True Monarch. Sometimes, there were even periods with none at all.

He had gone to great lengths to deal with one True Monarch Jiulian using the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword, only for the vacancy to be immediately filled by the visiting Sect Leader of the Celestial Principle Sect and Suihan True Monarch.

With this, the Holy Lotus Sect, which was bound to shrink its territory without a Nascent Soul True Monarch presiding over it, would see its vacated resources mostly seized by the Celestial Principle Sect and the Ice Soul Sect.

The tripartite balance of power remained unchanged.

”Good. With these words from you, Little Friend Bai, I have enough to report back to the Holy Lotus Sect.”

Shi Chengdong nodded, picked up Qu Yang, and left Black Mountain without another word.

A wise man does not stand by a perilous wall. Although he looked down on Suihan True Monarch, the man was, after all, a Nascent Soul Cultivator who had genuinely passed the Celestial Tribulation. The aura of Celestial Thunder on him was obvious.

With this man standing on the Qingfeng Sect’s side, any ideas he might have had were now impossible to realize.

”Be careful of the Holy Lotus Sect’s retaliation. They have quite a few Secret Treasures... But never mind. With the strength of you two, it should be the Holy Lotus Sect that’s worried.”

The Holy Lotus Sect had forced his own sect to remain on the Ten Thousand Miles Icefield for generation after generation. Suihan True Monarch’s hatred for them was not shallow.

”If you have the time, you can come to the icefield for this old Daoist’s Nascent Soul Ceremony... I believe that in just a few years, this old Daoist will have to turn around and attend the celebrations for you two.”

”Since Suihan True Monarch has invited us, how could we be so discourteous as to refuse?”

Master Ge Cang accepted. The Qingfeng Sect and the Ice Soul Sect had an innate basis for becoming allies.

The two sects were situated in different corners of Liang Country, and now they shared a common enemy.

Suihan True Monarch exchanged a few more pleasantries, mostly praising Bai Zichen’s limitless future, but he never once mentioned the true purpose of his trip: the Earth God Sand.

「On the Cloud Platform.」

From the descent of the Nascent Soul True Monarchs, which felt like the sky was falling and the earth was sundering, to the clouds parting and the crisis being resolved, only a short quarter of an hour had passed.

Many Qingfeng Sect disciples hadn’t even processed what had happened before they were informed that the crisis was over. At the same time, a new notice appeared on their Sect Tokens.

Crisis averted. Return to the Sect immediately.

Wei Dao first looked at Master Ge Cang, then at Bai Zichen, and finally let out a long sigh.

”Junior Brother Bai, I feel like I’m still in a dream. You actually managed to perform a Nascent Soul Reversal Cut as a Core Formation cultivator...”

”It was a special case. I can’t use it whenever I want.”

Bai Zichen offered a brief explanation, lest his fellow sect members think he had truly mastered a method to casually deal with Nascent Soul True Monarchs and make aggressive moves in the Sect’s future development.

”I know. It’s only normal for such a Heaven-Defying Divine Power to have numerous restrictions.”

Just moments ago, Wei Dao had been steeling himself to perish with the Sect and ensure the continuation of its legacy. Now, after such a stunning reversal, he was whipsawed between profound shock and overwhelming joy.

”Brother Ge, will the crippling of your Five Crystal Glaze Body affect your path to the Nascent Soul Realm?”

Bai Zichen looked over with some concern. Master Ge Cang had dominated the Core Formation Realm by relying on two things: the Qiantian Primordial Yang Divine Thunder Net and the Five Crystal Glaze Body.

Now that half of his abilities were crippled, he was worried it would affect his future on the path of the Great Dao.

”Don’t worry. This old man will use this opportunity to be reborn from the ashes...”

Master Ge Cang was nonchalant, not taking the matter to heart at all. Though his face was deathly pale and he was extremely weak, his eyes shone with a divine light.

”The Five Crystal Glaze Body was never a good match for this old man’s Great Dao, but I have relied on it heavily on my cultivation path... Having this Body Refining Technique crippled might actually be a good thing for my future path.”

”On the path of the Great Dao, more is not always better when it comes to these foundational techniques... One must be able to add, but one must also be willing to subtract.”

Bai Zichen fell into thought. If one’s chosen Great Dao path conflicted with their Basic Cultivation Technique, unable to blend together seamlessly, it would indeed pose a problem.

For an ordinary cultivator, it might not matter, but for people like him and Master Ge Cang who aspired to walk far along the Great Dao, even a powerful Body Refining Technique on the level of the Five Crystal Glaze Body had to be relinquished if it hindered their path.