Chapter 787: Progression (I)

On Redcloud Island, Cao Hongchang shook his head regretfully. "Fang Mo took most of the valuable resources with him."

That old fellow, Fang Mo, had always been cautious by nature and kept his valuable cultivation resources on him at virtually all times. Even the Library Pavilion contained mostly manuals of inferior cultivation techniques. Lin Zheyu briefly looked through them and quickly lost interest. As for the treasures and resources Fang Mo had carried with him, the destruction of his storage space during his self-detonation had caused them to be swallowed by spatial rifts.

Lin Zheyu found this somewhat regrettable. If the entire fortune of a mid-stage Nascent Soul realm expert were converted into spirit stones and then exchanged for Formation Hall contribution points, it would probably be worth four or five thousand points.

Lin Zheyu set down the jade slip containing a cultivation technique and said calmly, "Are you certain Fang Mo's Dao companion in the Hidden Moon Sect will not be a problem? I will not remain here for long."

He felt no guilt whatsoever over killing Fang Mo. More than 99% of the cultivators who made their way in the Chaotic Star Sea were no good. In the words of Cao Hongchang and Wu Di, that fellow had been nothing but a hypocrite. He presented himself as a righteous cultivator who stood up for rogue cultivators, while secretly suppressing anyone who opposed him and exploiting rogue cultivators. Wu Di, who had started as a rogue cultivator, had experienced this firsthand.

"She is nothing to worry about. She does not have the final say in the Hidden Moon Sect. Besides, she only barely broke through to the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm. She is not particularly strong, and I can handle her alone," Cao Hongchang said dismissively. He narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze around the area, a trace of gravity appearing in them.

"What we need to worry about is the faction behind Fang Mo. Given the current state of the world, apart from a handful of cultivation systems such as demonic cultivation and martial cultivation, rogue cultivators of the Immortal Dao cannot produce experts above the Golden Core realm," Cao Hongchang said slowly.

After entering Redcloud Island, he searched everywhere for information regarding Fang Mo's origins and the faction backing him. Unfortunately, he had found nothing. It was as though Fang Mo had truly been an ordinary rogue cultivator, which was utterly impossible.

Lin Zheyu glanced at Cao Hongchang and said unconcernedly, "Oh? Yet you still chose to make a move against him?"

The Evilheart Sect had merely been an unintended gain for Lin Zheyu. He did not attach much importance to it. Even if the Evilheart Sect were completely destroyed, he would only find it somewhat regrettable. If possible, he would destroy its enemies along the way. If not, he would simply let the matter go. That was all. Therefore, when Cao Hongchang had decided to make a move against Fang Mo, Lin Zheyu had agreed without hesitation.

"On the surface, the Chaotic Star Sea lies outside the sphere of influence of both Great Wei and the Eastern Sea sea clans, making it a place where all sorts gather. In truth, however, it is jointly controlled by both sides. Fang Mo appeared to be backed by some demon god cult, but he concealed it so deeply that I could not uncover which one." Cao Hongchang continued calmly, "As long as they are not affiliated with either Great Wei or the Eastern Sea sea clans, they cannot stir up much trouble in the Chaotic Star Sea."

Among the experts above the Golden Core realm in the Chaotic Star Sea who publicly claimed to be rogue cultivators, apart from demonic cultivators and those backed by Great Wei or the sea clans, almost all came from other demon god cults or powerful factions that wielded the power of faith.

Although these factions were powerful, they did not dare openly dispatch too many experts to interfere in the affairs of the Chaotic Star Sea. Otherwise, they would undoubtedly provoke a fierce response from Great Wei and the Eastern Sea sea clans.

Seeing that Cao Hongchang knew what he was doing, Lin Zheyu stopped concerning himself with the matter. He had no desire to involve himself too deeply in the Evilheart Sect's affairs. What mattered to him were the cultivation resources it could provide. As for everything else, he did not wish to devote too much time or effort to it. Otherwise, he would be putting the cart before the horse.

***

After searching throughout Redcloud Island, Lin Zheyu found no dharma treasures or resources that caught his eye. He spoke briefly with Cao Hongchang, left all matters concerning Redcloud Island in his hands, and returned to the Evilheart Sect.

Within the Evilheart Sect's headquarters, Lin Zheyu sat in the cultivation chamber beneath the sect's main hall. This chamber controlled all the formations and restrictions throughout the Evilheart Sect, allowing him to detect the slightest disturbance immediately.

My strength is still somewhat lacking... Besides not having mastered short-range teleportation, I also lack a sufficiently powerful offensive technique, Lin Zheyu thought.

He reviewed the battle against Fang Mo in his mind. Through this battle, he had gained a clearer understanding of his own strength. Among mid-stage Nascent Soul realm rogue cultivators, Lin Zheyu's strength should be considered average. Among the geniuses of the top sects, however, he would probably rank in the lower-middle range.

His defensive capabilities far surpassed his overall strength. When combined with his formidable recovery and vitality, even a late-stage Nascent Soul realm cultivator would find it difficult to pose much of a threat to him.

In terms of overall combat ability, Lin Zheyu should still rank among the best mid-stage Nascent Soul realm geniuses of the top sects. Of course, that was without taking a Nascent Soul realm cultivator's short-range teleportation into account.

The quality of one's secret arts matters more than their number. For now, the Seven Absolute Sabers is sufficient. Cultivating other techniques to the same level would require enormous amounts of time, energy, and Origin Force. There is no need to waste Origin Force on that.

My primary objective at this stage is to find a way to break free of the remaining four shackles. Before that, however, I need to master the short-range teleportation ability of Nascent Soul realm cultivators and close that gap between us. Otherwise, no matter how strong I become, it will still be difficult for me to kill a Nascent Soul realm cultivator on my own, Lin Zheyu thought.

The short-range teleportation ability of Nascent Soul realm cultivators was simply too overpowered. Whether in battle or while fleeing, it could play an enormous role. Without Cao Hongchang's assistance in this battle, Lin Zheyu would never have been able to prevent Fang Mo from escaping, much less kill him. If he had to wait until he broke free of the remaining four shackles and formed a Martial Dao Body before he could master teleportation, there was no telling how long that would take.

The further one progressed, the more difficult it became to break free of the Heavenly Dao's shackles. This was especially true for someone like Lin Zheyu, whose foundation was terrifyingly profound. Having broken free of only three shackles, he already possessed strength comparable to a mid-stage Nascent Soul realm expert. The difficulty he faced in breaking free of the Heavenly Dao's shackles was even more astonishing. He even suspected that if he broke free of every shackle on his body, his strength might reach the threshold of the Deity Transformation realm.

As for truly rivaling a Deity Transformation realm expert, Lin Zheyu did not dare entertain such a fantasy. After the Golden Core realm, every advancement through a major realm brought a complete transformation in strength. A vast gulf separated peak Golden Core realm cultivators from experts who had only just advanced to the Nascent Soul realm. Only the rarest prodigious cultivators could cross an entire major realm and accomplish the extraordinary feat of challenging a Nascent Soul realm expert.

Even then, they could only succeed through a fortunate combination of circumstances. Otherwise, no matter how powerful a Golden Core realm cultivator might be, they could not threaten a Nascent Soul realm expert who had mastered teleportation.

Lin Zheyu understood this all too well. Yet he had never heard any tales of a peak Nascent Soul realm expert challenging a Deity Transformation realm powerhouse. Even ordinary cultivators could master the divine ability of short-range teleportation upon advancing to the Nascent Soul realm.

What, then, of those at the Deity Transformation realm? Deity Transformation realm powerhouses and ordinary cultivators no longer existed on the same plane.

The Deity Transformation realm was a fearsome realm whose cultivators could truly be called gods, a divine domain reached only after a cultivator underwent the ultimate transformation and ascension. No matter how confident Lin Zheyu was, he did not dare imagine that breaking free of all his shackles would allow him to reach that realm. At most, he would merely touch the threshold of the Deity Transformation realm.

"Hopefully, I can find an opportunity to master teleportation this time!" Lin Zheyu murmured.