Chapter 421 - 388: The 9th True Inheritor

Chapter 421: Chapter 388: The 9th True Inheritor

The refining of the Heavenly Deceit Pill was uneventful.

Beneath this calm, the Golden Core True Master whom he once had to look up to was reduced to a swirling mass of chaotic crimson as Chu Mu extracted his Divine Soul and Golden Core, bit by bit, as easily as slaughtering a chicken or a dog.

This crimson mass churned within the Pill Furnace. At times, it would twist into a savage human face; at others, it would become a miniature Flood Dragon, roaring and ramming against the furnace walls.

But under the immense power of the Sword Dao Nascent Soul, all these desperate, last-ditch struggles were futile.

As the struggles weakened, the Forbidden God Seal slowly merged into the crimson mass until they were indistinguishable. A single crimson Elixir Pill gradually took shape within the Pill Furnace.

When the last wisp of True Flame dissipated, Chu Mu finally let his tense heart settle.

He waved a hand, and the furnace lid levitated. A roiling black gas surged out, roaring like a Flood Dragon. The surging gas rushed straight for Chu Mu.

Chu Mu remained unperturbed. Just then, a cold snort was heard. A flash of sword light appeared, and the roiling black gas was instantly annihilated.

"Sir, I have successfully completed the task!"

Chu Mu bowed respectfully and presented the Elixir.

"Not bad."

The middle-aged man nodded. He flipped his hand over, revealing an exquisite Jade Box. He placed the Elixir inside and sealed the box.

As the man flipped his hand again, a Token shot toward Chu Mu.

"Carry this Token. It will keep you safe."

With that, the man’s figure flickered. A fleeting afterimage flashed past, and he vanished without a trace.

Chu Mu looked down at the Token in his hand. It was flawlessly white, looking like neither jade nor iron. As he held it, a faint, cool sensation seeped into his body.

Under this cool sensation, the anxiety in his heart seemed to slowly dissipate, and he felt an inexplicable sense of calm.

His Magical Power, which had grown slightly agitated from refining the Heavenly Deceit Pill, calmed as if caressed by a spring breeze.

With his Artifact Refining Skill, it wasn’t hard to tell which Spiritual Material produced such an effect.

’Tier Three Upper Grade Spiritual Material... Qingning Stone.’

Chu Mu pursed his lips, his gaze flickering as he stared at the ancient characters on the front of the Token. He seemed resigned, yet also accepting.

The words "Longevity True Inheritor" were inscribed on the front, and the word "Ninth" was on the back.

’Longevity Sect... Ninth True Inheritor...’

Chu Mu pondered for a moment, then hesitated no longer. He extended his Divine Sense into the Token. In the blink of an eye, the unowned Ninth True Inheritance Order was imprinted with his Divine Soul Aura.

At the same time, the Token’s functions became clear within his Divine Sense Perception.

It was a small information terminal, much like the Contract Contact Order he had used back in Jingmen, which displayed clear information.

However, likely due to the extreme distance from the Longevity Sect, it couldn’t receive any information from them. The Token’s functions were limited, and all the projected interfaces were blank.

Only the identity information page was visible.

Chu Mu.

Ninth True Inheritor of the Longevity Sect.

Just a few simple words, yet they held profound meaning.

Chu Mu let out a long, heavy breath. With a distant look in his eyes, he couldn’t help but laugh self-deprecatingly.

’This... might not be so bad after all.’

He was in the Vast Sea, while the Longevity Sect was far away in the Northern Border.

There was unlikely to be much interaction between them in the short term.

Even if there was, he wasn’t bound by anything. It was just a title he could take or leave.

By the time any close interaction became necessary, he would likely have already reached the Golden Core realm. At that point, it wouldn’t be a restriction anyway.

’With this title...’

’...that vast, sea-like Scripture Pavilion, the deep heritage of tens of thousands of years...’

’A blessing in disguise...’

Chu Mu chuckled softly, his expression unreadable, neither happy nor sad. He turned and walked out of the main hall.

Outside the hall, Fu Song was waiting anxiously. Seeing Chu Mu emerge, he hurried forward and asked impatiently:

"Fellow Daoist, was the refining a success...?"

Although the gloom of being trapped had lifted, Chu Mu had absolutely no goodwill for Fu Song, the man who had dragged him into this pitfall.

If he hadn’t run into this Sword Dao Nascent Soul with whom he had an indirect connection, his fate would have been dire.

After all, the implications of both the Heavenly Deceit Pill’s refining and the Forbidden God Seal were self-evident.

If the situation hadn’t forbidden it, given his personality, he would have killed Fu Song right then and there just to vent his anger.

For now, he had been lucky to escape this deathtrap.

’As for Fu Song, he’d better pray for his own good fortune.’

...

Returning to his chambers, he found the atmosphere had changed completely.

With the Sword Dao Nascent Soul’s guarantee and the Ninth True Inheritance Order, the chance of anything happening to him at this Deep Sea Base was now slim.

Chu Mu sat leaning against the window, a Jade Scroll in hand. Bit by bit, he recorded the information he had observed about the Forbidden God Seal onto the scroll.

Recording the several hundred words of text and images onto the Jade Scroll should have only taken a moment, but this time, it took him nearly a full hour before he slowly set the scroll down.

He lifted a finger, and Magical Power flowed. Amidst faint, shimmering fluctuations, a pattern appeared in the air. The pattern then shifted, stroke by stroke, until a faint, indistinct Inscription materialized.

Suddenly, the Inscription seemed to destabilize. It flickered violently, and then, as if with a deafening roar from the void, it shattered and was annihilated, sending out a wave of Spiritual Qi.

Chu Mu flicked his sleeve and clenched his fingertips, suppressing and extinguishing the surging wave of Spiritual Qi.

He paused in thought, then lifted his finger and began to sketch again. Lines crisscrossed, glowing with a faint fluorescence, and the prototype of an Inscription once again appeared.

In the end, the interwoven prototype of the Inscription seemed to touch upon some taboo. It flickered abruptly and was instantly extinguished.

Undaunted, Chu Mu flicked his sleeve and began sketching the Inscription once more...

This process continued for nearly two hours—sketching the Inscription, only for it to be annihilated, over and over again.

Chu Mu’s brows furrowed, unable to hide his regret.

He had figured out the structure of the Forbidden God Seal, but he had no understanding of its underlying system. The "Forbidden God Seal" he replicated was a mere copy of its form without its spirit, rendering it useless.

’Forget it...’

He shook his head and casually placed the Jade Scroll into his Storage Space. With a distant look, the events of the past few days resurfaced in his mind.

’From making the deal with Fu Song to coming out to sea to this base...’

’The core elements are clearly the Heavenly Deceit Pill and the Forbidden God Seal.’

’The Heavenly Deceit Pill was refined using Celestial Cloud True Master of the Vast Sea Chen Family as the main material.’

’In other words, Yun Xiao Trading House—or rather, the Longevity Sect—is preparing a grand deception to impersonate the Chen Family’s Celestial Cloud True Master...’

’And considering the Forbidden God Seal, the relationship between the Longevity Sect and Yun Xiao Trading House is undoubtedly strange.’

’One thing is certain: Celestial Cloud True Master was not captured by Yun Xiao Trading House, but by that Sword Dao Nascent Soul.’

’This means the possibility I suspected—that Yun Xiao Trading House has a Nascent Soul Great Power—is low.’

’Even if they did, this entire affair revolving around the Heavenly Deceit Pill has been directed by the Longevity Sect from start to finish.’

’The appearance of the Forbidden God Seal also seems to indicate that the Longevity Sect, or perhaps that Sword Dao Nascent Soul, doesn’t trust Yun Xiao Trading House. Or rather, they need a more reliable... shackle?’

’If I connect this to the chaos in the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World these past few years, the Vast Sea Chen Family’s playing both sides, and their undisguised intent to reap the benefits...’

’...the reason for this Heavenly Deceit Pill affair becomes quite clear.’

’Yun Xiao Trading House is likely a hidden pawn planted by the Longevity Sect in the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World. Of course, it’s also possible that Yun Xiao Trading House is ambitious, unwilling to be so thoroughly suppressed by the Chen Family, and actively sought out the Longevity Sect for cooperation.’

’The Heavenly Deceit Pill must be a hidden move by the Longevity Sect to stir up trouble in the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World.’

’After all, ever since the turmoil in the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World began, the Vast Sea Chen Family’s vacillation not only caused the Righteous Alliance to suffer great losses, but also left the Longevity Sect feeling utterly frustrated.’

’It even directly led to the current tripartite stalemate in the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World.’

’It’s obviously impossible for the Righteous Alliance or the Longevity Sect to remain friendly with the Vast Sea Chen Family.’

’Working against them in the shadows is only to be expected...’

Chu Mu rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

’A Sword Dao Nascent Soul personally showing up, the fall of one Golden Core Perfection cultivator, a grand deception involving another Golden Core Perfection cultivator...’

’With such a major move, the peace in the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World probably won’t last much longer...’

...