Innate Immortal Seed

Though ecstatic about obtaining the Five Crystal Divine Iron, Bai Zichen did not let his guard down.

This was the land that sealed the Ancient Demon. Du Heng had meddled here, using this place to cultivate his True Demon Holy Body, which introduced many uncertain dangers.

If the Five Crystal Divine Iron hadn’t been so important, he would never have ventured into such a place.

The darkness came with a strange suddenness, without any fluctuation of True Essence.

All light was stolen away. His five senses were sealed—he could not see, hear, or smell.

His Spiritual Sense blared with warnings, a prickling on his back. In the darkness, a few points of cold light struck like silent vipers.

The Moon Xuan Sword leaped up on its own and slashed into the darkness, followed by a storm of metallic clashes.

A tremendous, unending force transmitted from the Flying Sword, catching Bai Zichen off guard. He suffered a small setback, stumbling back several steps.

”Hm?”

A surprised and doubtful cry came from the darkness, clearly shocked that a seemingly guaranteed ambush had failed.

After that single sound, a terrible silence returned to the darkness.

If not for the lingering darkness, one might have suspected the attacker had already fled.

”Only the Core Formation Realm, Core Formation Perfection at most... How is that possible!”

Bai Zichen exclaimed in shock. Although the cold light contained immense power, the True Essence attached to it was only at the Core Formation level.

But it was exceptionally strange—layered and relentless, with a corrosive and piercing intent that made his blood boil.

He had never expected someone with equal or even weaker Cultivation to be able to force him back. How could he not be astonished?

The Supreme Qingwei Sword Box flew out. With a tap, the Moon Xuan Sword shot into it, scattering Moonlight across the surroundings.

But in this deepest darkness, the silvery-white Moonlight couldn’t even be seen. It was like smearing a layer of silver-gray onto a pool of black ink.

It was still a stretch of Chaos, dark as night.

’Under my As Clear as Daylight, no technique of a grade lower than the Moon Xuan Sword should be able to hide its tracks or conceal its form... This person is only in the Core Formation Realm. Could he have cultivated a Tier Five Secret Technique, or be wielding a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure?!’

With his five senses stripped away, Bai Zichen simply closed his eyes. He focused solely on perceiving the information fed back by the Moonlight Sword Light, which was faithfully reflected on the mirror in his heart.

’This doesn’t seem like the effect of a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure. It’s more like the application of a Great Dao True Intent...’

A moonless, starless sky. Boundless darkness cloaked the earth, and all was silent.

Bai Zichen could clearly hear his own powerful heartbeat. The feeling of powerlessness from when he first stepped onto the path of Cultivation washed over him once more.

Ever since his Foundation Establishment, the advantages of his Cultivation and Breaking Realms had truly manifested. He also understood his Sword Dao Talent, and had never suffered a loss against anyone in the same Realm.

His so-called caution, like walking on thin ice, and his reverence were always directed upwards. He had never truly taken a fellow Core Formation Cultivator seriously.

He hadn’t lingered in Zengguang Immortal City and had come directly to Burial Immortal Valley because he feared that after the Du Family’s destruction, someone might grow curious about the relationship between Du Heng and the Ancient Demon and come here to investigate.

If Nascent Soul Cultivators began frequenting this area in the future, or if cultivators from Celestial Punishment Peak decided to reinforce the Ancient Restriction and seal off the entire Burial Immortal Valley, that would be a real problem.

He never expected that after smoothly obtaining the Five Crystal Divine Iron, he would fall into an ambush by a Core Formation Cultivator.

This level of application of the Night True Intent had already surpassed that of many Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

SWISH!

Three traces appeared on the clear mirror in his mind. Although his Divine Sense detected nothing, Bai Zichen still unhesitatingly activated three Thunder Sound Swords to meet them.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Three streaks of Thunder Radiance flashed, but the accompanying roar of thunder seemed to be absorbed by the night, not spreading at all.

In the fleeting glimpse from the clash of Sword Light, the image was reflected in perfect detail on the mirror lake of his heart. They were three slender finger bones, with a thin layer of flesh still clinging to them.

”Using fingers to refine swords... I feel like I’ve heard of this Divine Technique somewhere... It’s one of the thirty-six Divine Techniques of the True Demon Holy Body!”

Bai Zichen glanced down at the three Thunder Sound Swords. Their blades were clearly cracked, their Spiritual Qi heavily damaged.

Without a hint of regret, he recalled the Thunder Sound Swords into the box, then summoned a Formless Sword and a Qingfeng Sword to his sides.

Not only did the Pure Qi within the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box have the ability to repair Flying Swords, but the Thunder Sound Swords, being made of bamboo, could be mended with the Sword Nurturing Technique.

The three Thunder Sound Swords were all but destroyed, but the three finger bones had not escaped unscathed either.

Blasted by the three streaks of Thunder Radiance, the final image showed the finger bones cracking and sending fragments flying.

”How is this possible!”

That voice, impossible to distinguish as male or female, old or young, sounded again. Even without seeing the person, one could imagine their furious and exasperated expression.

Two more finger bones stabbed forward. Now fully prepared, Bai Zichen slashed with his dual swords, severing both finger bones directly.

The Qingfeng Sword even nimbly leaped away, spun around, and returned to his hand, completely unscathed.

Only the Formless Sword was lost, but it was replaced by the White Bone Cold Light Sword.

”Refining these finger bones isn’t easy, is it? Does it take ten years to make one, or twenty?”

Bai Zichen sneered with his eyes closed, taunting the cultivator in the darkness.

”Why don’t you take a guess? Do you have more fingers, or do I have more Flying Swords in my bag!”

The cultivator in the darkness seemed stunned by his action of summoning one Flying Sword after another, and there was no movement for a long time.

The stalemate lasted for several hours. In mid-air, the Moon Xuan trembled, seemingly unable to sustain the prolonged consumption of True Essence, and the silvery-white Moonlight in the darkness wavered.

WHOOSH!

A black shadow, like a viper in the dark, had patiently waited for an opportunity. It merged with the night and shot forward.

PFFT!

The black shadow felt its Demon Treasure pierce its opponent’s chest, the sensation of blood splattering, and a cruel smile spread across its face.

’A prodigy destined for Divinity Transformation, a genius of the Sword Dao, one of Wisdom and Blessings Dual Cultivation, with a smooth path on the Great Dao...’

’But what good are all those accolades? In the face of this Spiritual Treasure, a replica of the Demon Dragon Awl, being pierced through is no different from how anyone else dies.’

’By absorbing the Essence of such a peerless genius, my True Demon Holy Body will surely reach true Perfection, rivaling my own Ancestor. I’ll even inherit this person’s terrifyingly large number of Flying Swords.’

The smile lasted only for a breath before the shadow realized something was wrong. The Fake Demon Dragon Awl had hit the target, but it hadn’t pierced through his body.

Nor did it feel the pure True Demon Qi, converted from flesh and blood Essence, that usually transmitted from the Demon Treasure after killing a cultivator.

”Finally caught you!”

A crimson glaze of light erupted from Bai Zichen’s body. With the Platinum Glaze Fire clinging to his palm, he grabbed the Demon Cone.

The five colors of the crystal burst forth from his fractured bones, which miraculously healed. Flesh grew back rapidly, effectively imprisoning the Demon Cone within his body.

At the same time, the Platinum Glaze Fire burned furiously, blocking the True Demon Qi’s corrosion of his flesh and blood.

”To die by this sword is your honor!”

A ball of Thunder Radiance shot out from the Sword Box, transitioning from absolute stillness to extreme motion in the span of a finger snap.

The Qing Emperor Longevity Sword swung for the second time. Accompanied by a Power of Time even greater than the first, the River of Time reappeared.

With a single sweep, the shadow that had been fused with the night and impossible to attack was thrown out, tumbling to the ground.

A head of black hair instantly turned white, and his facial skin wrinkled and folded, turning him into a decrepit old man.

Between his features, one could still see a slight resemblance to Du Heng.

”Hah... hah... what is... what Divine Technique is this...”

After taking a hit from the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword, this cultivator was actually still hanging on by a thread, not having died immediately.

His throat sounded like a leaking bellows. His hands, like chicken claws, waved feebly in the air as he stared at the sky with a dazed, disbelieving gaze.

The darkness that had enveloped the area rapidly receded, revealing a sky where demonic clouds roiled but vision was now normal.

”I was saving this sword for a Nascent Soul True Monarch. I never thought I’d use it on a Core Formation Cultivator. You’ll have plenty to brag about when you get to the Underworld...”

His hand, covered in the Platinum Glaze Flame, violently pulled the Demon Cone from his chest. The already-healed flesh was torn open again, and blood gushed like a spring, sending waves of excruciating pain through him.

This person possessed a Spiritual Treasure similar to the Demon Dragon Awl, his comprehension of the Great Dao True Intent had reached the Nascent Soul Level, and he had all sorts of powerful Divine Techniques.

It made Bai Zichen unwilling to continue tangling with him, so he had directly unleashed his strongest strike to sever time itself.

As expected, even with his comprehension of the Night True Intent and having cultivated what seemed to be a True Demon Holy Body, he was still powerless against the Green Longevity Sword.

By the time Bai Zichen walked over to the man, the dying cultivator’s aura had completely vanished. He had died from the exhaustion of his lifespan.

’It seems that even with over two hundred years of lifespan remaining, getting hit by the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword is no small matter... This man might have had two hundred and some-odd years left, but two hundred years of his lifespan were drained in an instant. The Power of Time continued to work on him, so it’s normal for his remaining few years to pass in a matter of breaths or the time it takes an incense stick to burn.’

Bai Zichen glanced at the Demon Cone in his hand. Its design was identical to the Demon Dragon Awl, but the power it radiated was on a completely different level.

Burned by his Platinum Glaze Flame, this Low-Grade Spiritual Treasure couldn’t even struggle. Its bit of spirituality hid deep within the Spiritual Treasure, not daring to show itself.

He applied a layer of restriction with the Platinum Glaze Flame, then stored it in his sleeve for safekeeping.

He himself had no use for this Demon Treasure. But it was a Spiritual Treasure, after all. If he put it in his storage bag and its spirituality recovered, it could easily destroy all the other items inside.

To him, it was an extremely expensive but useless item.

’Was this a contingency plan left by Du Heng? Knowing his chances of survival against Celestial Punishment Peak were slim, he arranged for a Core Formation True Man from his family to also cultivate the True Demon Holy Body, and even prepared a replica Spiritual Treasure...’

Looking at the corpse on the ground, Bai Zichen could only make such a guess.

’It’s a good thing I ran into him. Otherwise, how could any other Core Formation Cultivator have handled him? In just a few years, he would have reached Nascent Soul... Once the main force of Celestial Punishment Peak withdrew and their attention was no longer on the Northern Domain, he could have devoured a few Nascent Soul True Monarchs and quickly become a second Du Heng!’

He had already witnessed the growth speed of the True Demon Holy Body from Du Heng’s True Demon Avatar.

Since this person was chosen by Du Heng and left in Burial Immortal Valley as a hidden pawn, he must have been extremely suited for cultivating the True Demon Holy Body.

Considering his comprehension of the Night True Intent, if left to develop, he probably could have reached Late-Stage Nascent Soul within a century.

Furthermore, with the True Demon Holy Body’s thirty-six Divine Techniques and Seventy-Two Transformations, he would have definitely become a powerhouse with astonishing combat strength, capable of dominating his peers.

Unfortunately, Du Heng’s secret plan had come to an abrupt end before it even truly began.

’Celestial Punishment Peak clearly checked everyone. All the Du Family’s Core Formation True Men, including disciples with other surnames and Honored Guest Elders, were killed without exception... Yet a Late-Stage Core Formation Cultivator pops up here. It seems the Du Family had this planned long ago; this wasn’t some idea that came up in the last hundred years.’

A ball of Platinum Glaze Flame and a ball of Spirit Fire burned the Du Family’s last hope on the ground to smithereens, from the inside out.

Bai Zichen gathered the few items the man had left behind and quickly departed by Sword Control, lest he run into any other cultivators.