Innate Immortal Seed

Chapter 430: Chapter 426: Where Did Such a Strong Body Refining Cultivator Come From?

After Ao Xuangling, a monk in hempen robes took the stage. He was gaunt and emaciated, his face etched with a look of perpetual suffering.

The moment he stood on the peak, lotuses bloomed beneath his feet and a halo of Buddha Light materialized above his head, shimmering with golden radiance.

Without even making a move, he relied on the dense Buddha Light to block the attacks of the opposing Core Formation True Man, causing only ripples to spread across its surface.

He simply let the reflective force of his Buddha Light wear down three consecutive opponents until they were exhausted, all while maintaining his signature expression—a smile tinged with sorrow.

Gradually, the other Core Formation True Men realized the hemp-robed monk’s power was unfathomable and abandoned any thought of challenging him.

By the time he had won five matches in a row, a dead silence had fallen. No one dared to answer the call.

”He must be from the Ascetic Monk lineage of the Dharma Aspect Sect. They don’t refine Magical Treasures or cultivate Divine Techniques. Unlike traditional Buddhist Cultivators who focus on their Primordial Spirit and cast their bodies aside like worn-out shoes... they use their physical bodies as rafts. Incorruptible and indestructible, their bodies can ferry them down the great river of the Great Dao, ever onward.”

Yan Rulong’s expression was impassive. He hadn’t expected his words to become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Of the six slots, three were taken by Beiyuan and one by a cultivator from the Immortal City.

In the past, the Holy Lotus Sect had almost always chosen from among the Core Formation True Men of Liang Country, rarely looking beyond its borders.

Now, facing the onslaught from the other three countries and Zengguang Immortal City, the native Core Formation True Men of Liang Country were struggling to compete.

The most outstanding group of Core Formation True Men had already been invited by the Holy Lotus Sect during the previous two times the Secret Realm opened.

Those who still had their entry qualifications generally didn’t have very high Cultivation.

The fifth slot fell to a Core Formation Sword Cultivator from the Sun Concealing Sword Sect, finally winning some prestige for the Cultivation Realm of Liang Country.

However, he was covered in wounds. He had even used several Sword Talismans, playing all his trump cards and ending the final bout of Combat in a state of near-mutual destruction.

Leaning on his sword, he forced himself to collapse a single breath later than his opponent.

But with such grievous injuries, it would be impossible for him to explore and hunt for treasures even if he entered the Lotus Secret Realm. The slot would most likely be wasted.

With only one slot left, the atmosphere grew several degrees more tense.

In the subsequent bouts of Combat, the blows were heavier. Cultivators fought to the very last moment, even at the risk of severe injury.

The remaining Core Formation True Men were all of similar strength, so even the victors would have their True Essence greatly depleted and would likely sustain some injuries.

Achieving a winning streak had become even more difficult.

For many of these Core Formation True Men, the Lotus Secret Realm was something they had never imagined they would have any connection to.

Now that they had a chance to enter, they were naturally willing to risk everything for it.

A young man with a high-bridged nose and thin lips slowly flew to the summit. His features gave off a fierce and unapproachable air.

”Even an Early-Stage Core Formation Cultivator thinks my True Essence is depleted and wants to come up here for an easy win?”

The Mid-Stage Core Formation Cultivator from the Divine Slaughter Sect seemed to feel insulted. His eyes turned cold as he decided to use a ruthless move to intimidate the others.

With his strength, he certainly couldn’t win ten matches in a row. His only choice was to establish his dominance in this fight, using a bloody outcome to reduce the number of potential challengers.

If he only had to focus on dealing with the two remaining Mid-Stage Core Formation Cultivators, he might actually have a chance of winning.

An astonishing amount of Evil Qi erupted from the man’s body, coiling like dragons and pythons around a seal in his hand.

The seal seemed to teleport above the young man’s head, rapidly expanding to the size of a small mountain. The four Flower Bird Talismanic symbols inscribed on its base began to glow one after another.

The next moment, a brilliant light shot into the sky as four Evil Beasts—a dragon, a serpent, a tiger, and a leopard—charged in from four directions.

The Evil Beasts roared repeatedly, generating invisible shackles. Everything in the space before them seemed to sink into a mire, making movement incredibly difficult.

At the same time, the seal overhead descended with the force of ten thousand tons, aiming to crush the cultivator below into a bloody pulp.

The Divine Slaughter Sect cultivator revealed a cruel smile. The four Evil Beasts would immobilize the target while the seal delivered the killing blow. This combination had never failed him; three Core Formation True Men had already fallen to this technique.

Condensing Evil Qi was not easy. It required staying in an Earth Evil Yin Vein day and night, enduring the torment of the Evil Qi invading one’s body.

Furthermore, according to the Divine Slaughter Sect’s Cultivation method, one had to combine Evil Qi from different Earth Evil Yin Veins to make it truly potent.

If not for the fact that each activation required at least ten years to re-condense the Evil Qi, this ability alone would allow him to defeat many Late-Stage Core Formation Cultivators.

’Using this against a mere Early-Stage Core Formation Cultivator is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut,’ he thought. ’It should be more than enough to intimidate everyone.’

BOOM!

With a tremendous bang, the gigantic seal was stopped by a single palm, unable to descend another inch.

Four fist-shadows flew out, and the four Evil Beasts—the dragon, serpent, tiger, and leopard—were instantly blasted into nothingness. When the dust settled, they were gone.

”This... how is this possible...”

The Divine Slaughter Sect cultivator looked on in a daze. A Core Formation True Man with rich experience in Combat was actually at a loss for what to do.

’My Lifebound Magical Treasure combined with my Evil Qi Divine Technique can unleash power comparable to the Late-Stage Core Formation Realm in an instant,’ he thought, bewildered. ’Dealing with an Early-Stage Core Formation Cultivator should have been effortless.’

But what was he seeing now? A single palm holding up the gigantic seal, and four punches annihilating all his Evil Beasts.

The young man formed his left hand into a fist and began to hammer it against the bottom of the seal, blow after blow.

The four Flower Bird Talismanic symbols seemed to wail and cry. With a strange sound like something being peeled away layer by layer, the seal was sent flying far into the distance.

”What kind of Body Refining Cultivator are you? I’ve never seen anyone like you in Liang Country!”

”Well, today you have...”

Bai Zichen let out a low shout. The True Essence in his body roared like a great river.

Even without using any additional Divine Techniques, the physical strength of his Five Crystal Glaze Body was on a level that could crush anyone in the Core Formation Stage.

This was the Five Crystal Glaze Body—a physique recorded to be able to shake heaven and earth, a body impervious to all techniques!

It was a Five Crystal Glaze Body that could fight above its realm, one that could possess the combat power of a Nascent Soul without needing the Pink Crystal Shattering Jade technique!

Under a torrential storm of punches, the gigantic seal was battered so severely it was nearly beaten back into scrap metal, showing signs of heavy damage.

He had originally planned to use an unfamiliar Flying Sword for the Combat, but the appearance of another Sword Dao powerhouse in Liang Country would too easily lead people to think of Bai Zichen.

To distance the identity of ’Su Wuming’ from Bai Zichen, he had simply abandoned his sword and chosen to face his enemies with nothing but his bare hands.

Who would ever imagine that Bai Zichen, a man famous for his Flying Swords and hailed as the number one genius in Sword Dao Talent, was secretly a Body Refining Cultivator who could tear apart dragons and serpents with his bare hands?

CRACK!

The Divine Slaughter Sect’s Core Formation Cultivator harbored malicious intent, but every Magical Treasure he summoned was sent flying by a single punch; some were even snapped in two.

His head was smashed open by a fist, and a splash of red and white matter splattered across the ground, conveniently avoiding Bai Zichen.

Bai Zichen had sensed clear killing intent from him. Since that was the case, he showed no mercy.

The second Core Formation True Man, knowing his opponent was a terrifying Body Refining Cultivator, had clearly made preparations before taking the stage.

The Magical Treasure he used was a set of Black Gold Nails, specifically designed to break through the defenses of traditional Body Refining Cultivators.

If even a single one of the long Black Gold Nails managed to break the skin, the victim’s blood and qi would gush out uncontrollably.

It was like a sturdy raft; even the smallest hole would continuously widen under the pressure of the air rushing out from within.

TING!

Two fingers caught one of the Black Gold Nails. It was three inches long, shimmered with a faint, cold light, and was unimaginably sharp.

He rolled it in his palm, and the Black Gold Nail was bent into a hook shape before he casually tossed it to the ground.

With a wave of his hand, the nails flying toward him fell to the ground like kites with their strings cut.

For a moment, the crisp sound of metal clattering filled the air.

”Where in Liang Country did such a powerful Body Refining Cultivator come from!”

Le Zheng’s eyes widened, and he began to wonder if there was something wrong with his vision.

”You should say the entire Northern Domain. I’ve never heard of such a young and powerful Body Refiner... Judging by his physical strength, he could rival a Perfect Core Formation Cultivator. It’s like he just sprang out of the ground!”

”He’s not in my records, either. It’s highly likely he isn’t from the Northern Domain. There’s no need to watch anymore. Among the remaining group, there isn’t a single Core Formation True Man who can even break his defense. Even if he ran out of True Essence, he could crush most cultivators with his physical body alone. The last slot can only go to him. There won’t be any surprises.”

As soon as Yan Rulong finished speaking, he saw ’Su Wuming’ shatter the Defensive Magical Treasure with a single punch, sending the cultivator flying backward.

He slammed violently into a mountain wall hundreds of yards away and was buried under a pile of rubble.

Another cultivator from the Dharma Aspect Sect ascended the peak, manifesting a Vajra Elephant and relying on his powerful Buddha Light for defense.

But after just a few punches, his Buddha Light dimmed and began to waver precariously.

The once-confident Core Formation True Man from the Dharma Aspect Sect turned pale as gold leaf. He could only watch in horror as his Buddhist Divine Power, renowned for its defense and endurance, suddenly proved to be strong on the outside but weak on the inside.