Innate Immortal Seed

Chapter 377: Chapter 375: Abi Heavenly Prison Demon Sword

’No matter how talented or full of potential a mere Core Formation Cultivator is, there’s a fundamental difference between them and a Nascent Soul Cultivator...’

Zengguang Immortal City connected four nations, served as a hub for the Northern Domain’s Loose Cultivators, and was a major commercial center.

This gave it an innate advantage in gathering intelligence within the Cultivation Realm, leaving few secrets in the Northern Domain hidden from its grasp.

A detailed dossier on Bai Zichen’s life had long since been compiled and placed on the desk of the Du Family’s Core Formation elder in charge of information gathering.

After he defied the odds and slayed True Monarch Jiulian, his name came to Du Heng’s attention. The intelligence level on him was raised to the highest priority, so detailed that it even recorded deeds Bai Zichen himself had likely forgotten.

Previously, Du Heng had vaguely sensed that Bai Zichen posed a threat to him. He guessed it was due to a Supreme Sword Technique, the same one that had killed True Monarch Jiulian, who had died from a moment of carelessness under the Flying Sword.

That was why he had created distance, intending to secure victory with the might of the Demon Dragon Awl, a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure. He saw no risk of the tables being turned.

Two Tier Four Flying Swords had undergone a bizarre transformation, achieving an effect close to that of a Tier Five Flying Sword. Several Nascent Soul True Monarchs had thrown themselves into the fray one after another, using every trick they had.

None of that had surprised Du Heng. What astonished him was that Bai Zichen had remained completely unharmed under the Demon Dragon Awl’s attack, his state of Dual Swords Unification totally unaffected.

’The Demon Dragon Awl contains a Shockwave True Intent that even Nascent Soul Cultivators find hard to resist... Even if others were sharing the pressure, a single aftershock should have been enough to shatter every bone in his body.’

’It’s impossible. How could a Sword Cultivator’s physical body be tougher than a Nascent Soul Body Refining Cultivator’s? Or perhaps he has a Treasure that can resist the Great Dao True Intent of a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure... That’s even more absurd. You might as well tell me Bai Zichen is the reincarnation of an Upper Realm True Immortal!’

A black river unfurled around Du Heng, emerging from the void and flowing back into it.

The river was composed entirely of Profound Nether Heavy Water. It flowed slowly, emitting a muffled, thunderous roar that seemed to shake the very heavens.

Each section of the river weighed an immeasurable amount, so heavy that it caused the Nascent Soul Realm to sink, and even Du Heng’s movements became sluggish.

The Zengguang Du Family had spent most of its vast, sea-like accumulation of Spirit Stones, gathered over several generations, on this black river.

When it came to Profound Nether Heavy Water, Zengguang Immortal City accepted all comers. As long as someone showed up and named a price, they bought every last drop.

If the quantity was large enough, one could even obtain VIP status in Zengguang Immortal City, granting them special privileges within the city.

There was a rumor in the Cultivation Realm that ninety percent of all Profound Nether Heavy Water in the world ended up in Zengguang Immortal City. Even the Du Family itself didn’t know the exact quantity they had stored.

Today, Du Heng revealed this secret to the world, forcibly refining the Profound Nether Heavy Water into a black river that stretched for dozens of miles.

At this moment, the black river was shrinking at a visible rate. Countless drops of Profound Nether Heavy Water were being burned, transforming into ink-like pearls that adhered to the right hand Du Heng used to grip the Demon Dragon Awl.

Meanwhile, the True Demon Avatar behind him released its thousand-zhang Fatian Xiangdi form. Maintaining that state would have exhausted its True Demon Qi in short order.

He lifted the captive Master Cheng Tuo and slammed him against the Demon Dragon Awl. The famous Nascent Soul Loose Cultivator from Great Phoenix didn’t even let out a cry of agony before suffering complete Divine Soul Annihilation.

His physical body was sucked dry and his Nascent Soul dissolved, completely and utterly consumed by the Demon Treasure from head to toe.

The Artifact Spirit of the Demon Dragon Awl conveyed a wave of pleasure, its cooperation improving slightly as a monstrous demonic intent gathered once more.

If he had any other choice, Du Heng would not have used the flesh and Divine Soul of a Nascent Soul True Monarch to stimulate the Demon Dragon Awl again. He would have definitely chosen to let his Outer Body Incarnation absorb it to break through to the Late-Stage Nascent Soul sooner.

Otherwise, if the Demon Dragon Awl were to fully awaken again, it would be even more impossible for him to control and wield this Demon Treasure with his current strength.

”This is the place. Who killed my junior brother!”

Suddenly, a crimson trail appeared on the horizon. Though it was still thousands of miles away, a voice filled with the stench of blood echoed out.

The pinpoint of a Blood Shadow quickly spread into a patch, then coalesced into a mass, finally becoming a bolt of crimson lightning that tore across the sky.

The Blood Shadow took the form of a handsome, middle-aged man with a sinister expression. His eyes were like a viper’s, and a mere glance from him made one’s skin tingle with pain.

”The Blood Curse Mark is on you. It seems you are the one who killed my junior brother...”

The middle-aged man’s gaze fell upon Du Heng, or more precisely, upon the True Demon Avatar behind him.

”Who are you? Perhaps there is a misunderstanding between us.”

Du Heng’s expression was grave. The newcomer was at the same Mid-Stage Nascent Soul Realm as his original body.

He wouldn’t have given an ordinary Mid-Stage Nascent Soul cultivator a second thought, seeing them only as more fuel for his growth.

But this man exuded an extremely dangerous aura. Even his True Demon Avatar sensed an evenly matched opponent.

This told him that the newcomer was another Cultivator whose true strength could not be judged by their Cultivation Realm, which was why he adopted a more cautious attitude and didn’t attack immediately.

”There’s no mistake. My junior brother was arrogant and conceited, thinking his talent surpassed my own, wanting to make a name for himself all alone... But this Blood Curse Mark was the first Magic I ever taught him, and it’s the first Magic that all disciples of the Blood Sea Sect must master. All our masters taught us not to expect the Sect to avenge us. However, a Blood Curse Mark cast from the heart before death contains a trace of your purest Essence Blood. Its Refinement allows the one who finds it to possess all the bloodlines you’ve collected in your entire life.”

The middle-aged man seemed to be reminiscing, a faint, mocking smile on his lips.

”Tell me, for those of us who see blood as the source of everything, who spend our entire lives chasing after powerful bloodlines, how could we possibly not act upon seeing a Blood Curse Mark? My junior brother was still obedient back then. I told him to practice the Blood Curse Mark Technique properly, and he diligently studied it for two full years.”

”You know, the Blood Curse Mark on you is so thick that I could see it from thousands of li away. And that’s not even counting the fact that it was guiding me...”

The middle-aged man slowly raised a Blood-Colored Long Sword. Wisps of bloody threads drifted from it, pointing toward the True Demon Avatar.

”Blood Sea Sect... You’re Blood God True Man’s senior brother?”

Du Heng’s expression changed drastically. He thought of Blood God True Man—a man he had taken a full six months to kill, even with a clear advantage and without continuously using the Demon Dragon Awl.

Before he died, Blood God True Man had glared at him with venomous eyes, saying he would wait for his senior brother to come and take his life.

”Oh? So you admit it... Remember, the one who will take your life is Blood God Son of the Blood Sea Sect!”

With a flick of the long sword in his hand, the blood light dispersed, revealing a Flying Sword with an abyssal aura that felt faintly similar to the Demon Dragon Awl.

”Didn’t Blood God True Monarch call himself Blood God Son? Where did another Blood God Son come from!”

Du Heng was on high alert. His Demon Body avatar turned, its focus shifting completely to the newly arrived middle-aged man.

Only after the blood light faded did the flying sword reveal its true edge. It was another Tier Five Flying Sword.

Unlike the newly forged Life-Killing Demon Sword, this one had clearly been refined in its wielder’s hands for a long time, allowing him to control it with ease.

”’Blood God Son’ is the title for our Sect’s Leader. Every successor can use it... My Junior Brother was truly lawless in the Northern Domain, completely disregarding the Sect’s rules.”

The true Blood God Son drew his sword and swung. For the first time in ten thousand years, the Abi Heavenly Prison Demon Sword left the Sect’s Blood Sea. With a single slash, the heavens and earth lost their color.

For a moment, nothing existed but this Demon Light; all other colors vanished.

Everything within a hundred-li radius turned to shades of gray and white, frozen in time.

Only when the Sword Light passed did things return to normal, reverting to their previous state.

Du Heng had no time to think. He met the attack with his fully charged Demon Dragon Awl. After an earth-shattering BOOM, both he and his True Demon Avatar were forced back several steps.

His right hand, which held the Demon Dragon Awl, was dripping with blood, while the right hand of his Demon Body had vanished, severed directly by the Abi Heavenly Prison Demon Sword.

”A treasure of the Demon Realm! Your Flying Sword is also from the Demon Realm!”

The moment the two Demon Treasures collided, Du Heng understood the source of the strange familiarity. The Demonic Qi emanating from the Abi Heavenly Prison Demon Sword was not something a Demon Path Cultivator from the Human World could cultivate. Only a Supreme Treasure born in the Demon Realm would possess it.

Although Blood God Son was not a Sword Cultivator, the Abi Heavenly Prison Demon Sword in his hands could only unleash less than half the power expected of a Tier Five Flying Sword.

But his fundamental mastery of a Tier Five Flying Sword immediately gave him an advantage over the not-fully-awakened Demon Dragon Awl.

Even with his Outer Body Incarnation making it two against one, Du Heng couldn’t gain an advantage. He had even suffered a setback because he hadn’t expected his opponent’s Flying Sword to also be from the Demon Realm.

”What, is a treasure from the Demon Realm so rare? The source of my Sect’s Blood Sea is in the Demon Realm. This Demon Sword has been at its core since the day the Blood Sea was born.”

The Blood Sea Sect’s Hundred Demons Blood Sea Technique originated when its founding patriarch found a ’blood skin’ in the Blood Sea, upon which was recorded the Blood God Scripture, a legacy from the Demon Realm.

That patriarch resisted temptation and did not practice the fast-acting but immensely powerful Blood God Scripture. Instead, he used it as a foundation to create a path suitable for Cultivators of the Human World.

Successive patriarchs of the Blood Sea Sect improved upon it, eventually creating the Hundred Demons Blood Sea Technique of today.

Blood God Son had seen through the True Demon Holy Body at a glance. Pitting Demon Treasure against Demon Treasure, he used the Abi Heavenly Prison Demon Sword to sever one of the Demon Body’s arms.

Du Heng remained silent. With a wave of his wide sleeve, thirty-six Array Banners flew out from Meili Snow Peak and into his sleeve-robe.

Transforming into a streak of Demon Light, he immediately fled, decisive and swift, not even leaving behind a single threatening word.

The True Demon Avatar used the Thousand Miles Soaring Light Divine Power. Its two demonic legs strode out, and it sprinted frantically in the opposite direction of the main body.

Blood God Son glanced in both directions, then transformed into a mass of Blood Shadow and continued his pursuit of the main body.

He completely ignored the Outer Body Incarnation that carried the Blood Curse Mark.

’In a single day, I’ve seen two Tier Five Flying Swords and a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure... When did the Cultivation Realm become so flooded with Tier Five Treasures?’

Bai Zichen watched the traces of the two top-tier experts disappear, leaving only terrifying marks of destruction on the Snow Peak and a group of Nascent Soul True Monarchs staring at each other in bewilderment.

In the blink of an eye, the situation had shifted from everyone fighting for their lives against Du Heng to him fleeing in disarray.

The dramatic turn of events left even the worldly and experienced Nascent Soul True Monarchs feeling emotional.

”The Blood Sea Sect is in the Southern Domain, right? I never expected Blood God True Monarch’s senior brother to be so powerful... Even though it’s thanks to his Tier Five Flying Sword, being able to achieve Refinement and subdue a Treasure of that grade is a skill in itself.”

As a Sword Cultivator, Yann Yuanzai couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy for the Tier Five Flying Sword.

This was especially true when he saw that Blood God Son, who clearly knew nothing about the Sword Dao, could still make a Tier Five Demon Sword submit and wield it as crudely as a fire poker.

His envy reached its peak.