Chapter 364 - 362: Completing the Star Luo Swordsmanship

Chapter 364: Chapter 362: Completing the Star Luo Swordsmanship

A sky full of stars, a resplendent Milky Way.

Inside the pavilion, eight beams of Sword Light occupied the corners, giving rise to countless transformations as brilliant points of light flickered in and out of existence.

In the silent night, it was as if the celestial dust had been pulled down to the mortal world, scattered like pieces on a chessboard.

It was dreamlike and fantastical, a magnificent and dazzling sight.

The Sword Light was contained yet potent. With every circulation, it generated thousands upon thousands of starlights.

In the end, it formed a celestial river of stars, operating without rest.

Within this serene and beautiful river of stars lay a terrifying power. It swirled the mist-like Spiritual Qi, making it seem as if layers of fine gauze were wrapping around the stars.

The river of stars expanded to its absolute limit, encompassing every star in the sky, unable to go any further before it collapsed with a great ROAR.

The Sword Light scattered, resembling a breathtakingly beautiful meteor shower.

The world returned to its original state, as if the celestial river of stars had been nothing but an illusion that had never occurred.

’With my current ability, I’ve already pushed my inference of the Star Luo Swordsmanship to its limit. Any further, and it will involve Sword Intent...’

The eight Flying Swords returned to the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box like a flock of birds to their nest. Bai Zichen let out a long breath, which shot out several dozen feet.

The Sect Disciples had built this Observatory Pavilion according to his wishes. It had three floors, with the top floor open to the air, offering a panoramic view of the night sky.

He usually observed the constellations at night and sought Sword Comprehension in this very Observatory Pavilion.

The Star Luo Swordsmanship was created by a mere Foundation Establishment Cultivator. No matter how stunning his Sword Dao Talent was, he was limited by his Cultivation, so it inevitably had many shortcomings.

To be precise, they weren’t shortcomings so much as empty spaces, filled with endless, untapped potential.

When his successors stood on his shoulders and examined it from a higher perspective, they could naturally advance the Star Luo Swordsmanship by a great leap.

Moreover, Bai Zichen had also comprehended the Sword Array left by the Star River Sword Monarch and was trying to grasp the Starry Sky Sword Intent.

Although he had not yet succeeded, he had gained a deep understanding of this type of Swordsmanship, which was based on the vast constellations and simulated the wonders of celestial movement.

The revised Bai Family Star Luo Swordsmanship didn’t diminish the style of the original. In some areas, it even innovated, ultimately combining the strengths of both.

’The Naihe Sect might not be famous for its Sword Dao, but a Sect of its level surely wouldn’t lack Nascent Soul Sword Cultivators. Why has no one completed the Star Luo Swordsmanship... Or is it that all Swordsmanship included in the True Enlightenment Sword Technique must be original and cannot be edited or improved by others?’

Unable to figure it out, Bai Zichen decided not to get bogged down in the details and refocused his attention on his own Sword Dao.

Over the past five years, the time he invested in his Sword Dao had increased dramatically.

His greatest achievement was completing the Star Luo Swordsmanship, which in turn deepened his understanding of the Starry Sky Sword Intent.

’The True Understanding of Sword Dao contains the complete Sword Array, the Star River Sword Monarch’s insights, and even the secrets to the Refinement of a Tier Four Flying Sword. But it never explains how he comprehended the Starry Sky Sword Intent and applied it to the Star River Sword Array... The opportunity for enlightenment comes only once. If I fail, finding another chance will be like looking for a needle in a haystack.’

True Sword Intent refers to integrating the Great Dao True Intent into one’s Swordsmanship, where every single move can invoke the Power of the Great Dao.

This was the method of classifying the Sword Dao proposed by the Taibai Sword Sect. Its highest state, the Fifth Realm, was something not even Divinity Transformation Sword Cultivators had achieved.

This required a Cultivator to not just comprehend and borrow the Great Dao True Intent, but to control and command it, in order to imbue every sword strike with the Power of the Great Dao.

The Star River Sword Monarch’s final Sword Dao Realm was limited to Sword Light Division; he never even reached One Sword Births Ten Thousand Techniques, let alone merging with the Great Dao True Intent.

So it was impossible that he comprehended the Starry Sky Sword Intent out of thin air. The most likely possibility was that, like Bai Zichen, he had gained it from another source.

Bai Zichen had successfully received two Sword Intent inheritances before the Sword Mark Jade Disc in the Sword Tomb Secret Realm. The Star River Sword Monarch must have had a similar fortuitous encounter, directly comprehending the Starry Sky Sword Intent through an inheritance item from an Ancient Great Power, which was how the Star River Sword Array came to be.

In the vast Cultivation Realm, the difficulty of finding another inheritance of the Starry Sky Sword Intent was immense. It was hard to say if a second one even existed in the world.

The most feasible option was to seize the opportunity left behind by the Star River Sword Monarch. A wisp of Starry Sky Sword Intent was sealed within the True Understanding of Sword Dao. Only by shattering the diagram that demonstrated the Sword Array’s transformations could one receive the chance to inherit the Starry Sky Sword Intent.

He had only sensed this after mastering the Refining Sword into Silk Realm and rereading the gossamer-thin True Understanding of Sword Dao.

Previously, his Sword Dao Realm was too low to even notice that the pages of the True Understanding of Sword Dao contained a hidden Grotto Heaven.

However, the Star River Sword Monarch himself had received a predecessor’s inheritance and had not comprehended the Starry Sky Sword Intent on his own. The inheritance he left behind would be much weaker than the original.

It was just like Bai Zichen; if he wanted to pass down the Heaven-Opening Sword Intent to his descendants in the future, unless he had truly mastered it, he too could only leave behind a faint wisp of Sword Intent.

For a successor receiving this kind of Sword Intent inheritance, the difficulty of comprehension would be dozens of times higher than directly receiving it from the Ancient Great Power.

Therefore, until he was fully confident, he would not break the seal on the True Understanding of Sword Dao, lest he waste this rare opportunity.

"Master, there are several Sect letters that require your personal attention."

In the distance, Ma Ruoxi, dressed in martial attire with her hair in a high ponytail, ran up the Observatory Pavilion with her long, powerful legs.

"Ruoxi, have you familiarized yourself with the Sword Qi Thunder Sound Realm? Don’t let miscellaneous duties delay your Cultivation."

Bai Zichen took the stack of documents and inquired with concern.

After discovering Ma Ruoxi’s outstanding Sword Dao Talent, he had brought her directly to Flame Mountain, making her the first of his four disciples to be taught personally by his side.

He even waived the ten-year observation period for a Registered Disciple that his previous three disciples had gone through, taking her on directly as a Direct Disciple to serve by his side.

Ma Ruoxi lived up to his expectations. In just a few short years, she reached the Second Realm of Sword Dao and broke through to the Sword Qi Thunder Sound Realm.

Her Cultivation of the Star Luo Swordsmanship also progressed by leaps and bounds, a stark contrast to Tong Huan from years ago.

"Thank you for your concern, Master. I can now wield the Sword Qi Thunder Sound at will, and I am trying to make every strike of my Star Luo Swordsmanship be accompanied by the sound of thunder."

Ma Ruoxi raised her head proudly, revealing a fair, swan-like neck.

"I plan to meet up with my third senior sister in a few days to hunt a Tier Two Demon Beast and test my Swordsmanship in actual combat."

"Curb your pride and impatience. How can you become a top-tier Sword Cultivator if you wear your emotions on your sleeve like this!"

Facing her master’s scolding, Ma Ruoxi lowered her head and agreed, playfully sticking out her tongue.

’The Demon Extermination Alliance has officially disbanded. Aside from three Sects that still harbor an unquenchable hatred for the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect and have declared an eternal feud, the other Sects have all ceased their activities...’

’The Blood God True Monarch is still nowhere to be found, but there’s no sign of any Nascent Soul True Monarch making a move within Liang Country...’

’Zengguang Immortal City has suddenly announced to the world that it will hold the Ten Thousand Immortals Ceremony in ten years, with a Tier Four Top Grade Celestial Dust Pill as the final, show-stopping auction item...’

None of these three matters actually required any instructions from Bai Zichen. They were simply major events related to the Qingfeng Sect, reported to keep Ancestor Bai informed.

The Demon Extermination Alliance was an organization temporarily established to resist the Blood Demon Sect. With the Blood God True Monarch missing again and the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect having slaughtered the Blood Demon Sect from top to bottom, the alliance no longer had a reason to exist.

Not even two months later, fighting had already broken out over the territory left behind by the Blood Demon Sect, and a Foundation Establishment Cultivator had even died.

Everyone tacitly stopped acting under the name of the Demon Extermination Alliance. The proposal to join forces against the Blood Demon Sect’s accomplice, the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, received little enthusiastic response.

The Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, once the second-ranked Sect in Liang Country, no longer held its former prominent status while surrounded by several Nascent Soul powers. However, it still possessed a sufficient advantage in terms of Core Formation combat strength.

Five Core Formation True Men, nine Tier Three Spirit Beasts, and a powerhouse like Fang Tiancheng at Core Formation Perfection were more than enough to intimidate the vast majority of Core Formation Sects.

Furthermore, after the Danxia Sect and the Hundred Flowers Sect—both Vassal Sects of the Qingfeng Sect—received secret orders from their Upper Sect and explicitly stated they would not participate in the alliance meeting to deal with the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, the joint army could not be formed at all.

With the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect weathering this storm, he had repaid his debt to Fang Tiancheng and fulfilled his duty as an ally.

’There are no signs of a battle involving the Blood God True Monarch anywhere in Liang Country, or even in the surrounding regions. That’s strange... It’s not possible that someone instantly defeated and captured the Blood God True Monarch without him even having a chance to retaliate. That would be too terrifying.’

The Hundred Demons Blood Sea Technique was a famous Top-Tier Cultivation Technique in the Cultivation Realm. Because he had encountered it once before, Bai Zichen had specifically researched information about it.

Later, because the Blood God True Monarch became a dark cloud hanging over his head, his understanding of it became even more detailed.

Cultivators who practiced this Cultivation Technique, especially after reaching Nascent Soul and completing the Refinement of a Blood River, possessed bizarre Divine Techniques and nearly invincible life-preserving abilities.

As long as the Blood River is not dry, the body will not perish.

As long as they prepared countermeasures in advance, they could easily perform legendary Great Divine Techniques like Blood Rebirth.

After all these years, there was still no news of the Blood God True Monarch, which could only mean that all his countermeasures had failed.

The person capable of this would have to be a top-tier figure even among Great True Monarchs. There were only a few such individuals in the entire Cultivation Realm, and the probability of one appearing incognito in Liang Country just to deal with the Blood God True Monarch was low.

If Fang Tiancheng could truly contact such a figure, he wouldn’t have had to suffer in silence for so many years.

It seemed that what Fang Tiancheng had told True Monarch Ge Cang was true on this point: the Blood God True Monarch had indeed been trapped within a Forbidden formation.

This would explain why the aftershocks of a battle between two Nascent Soul True Monarchs were concealed, and it would have also prevented the Hundred Demons Blood God Technique from unleashing its most crucial Divine Techniques.

The last piece of news, however, was indeed related to Bai Zichen.

The Ten Thousand Immortals Ceremony was a grand auction held by Zengguang Immortal City. It was held at least a century apart, and each one was a major event in the Cultivation Realm.

Besides Cultivators from the Northern Domain, Cultivators from the other Four Domains would attend, including High-Tier Cultivators from the Outer Sea.

The entry requirement for this auction was the Core Formation Realm, and a double-digit number of Nascent Soul True Monarchs would be in attendance.

Only with such a long interval did Zengguang Immortal City have enough time and energy to gather Treasures that could entice Nascent Soul True Monarchs to come out of their seclusion just to attend the so-called Ten Thousand Immortals Ceremony.

The starting items at the auction were Top-Grade Magical Treasures and Tier Four Spiritual Objects. These were Treasures that would drive people mad in the outside world, but at the Ten Thousand Immortals Ceremony, they could only serve as opening acts.

In past Ten Thousand Immortals Ceremonies, even Nascent Soul Pills, Tribulation Crossing Secret Treasures, and Spiritual Treasures had appeared.

And this time, the Celestial Dust Pill brought out by the Du Family held a fatal attraction for all Nascent Soul True Monarchs, as it could assist with a Cultivation Breakthrough for anyone below the Late-Stage Nascent Soul realm.

Even an increased probability of just ten percent was enough to drive those Early-Stage Nascent Soul and Mid-Stage Nascent Soul True Monarchs who had been stuck for centuries into a frenzy.

’They’re suddenly holding the Ten Thousand Immortals Ceremony without any prior warning. Didn’t news usually spread twenty or thirty years in advance?’

Bai Zichen had no use for the Celestial Dust Pill yet. Even after reaching Nascent Soul, he probably wouldn’t have to worry about Realm bottlenecks until he reached Nascent Soul Perfection.

But other Treasures at the Ten Thousand Immortals Ceremony, such as Secret Treasures that could defend against Heart Demons, Tier Three Flying Swords, and the like, were all worth bidding on.