Chapter 389 - 387: Prospects of the 2 Great Sword Intents

Chapter 389: Chapter 387: Prospects of the 2 Great Sword Intents

In the Liang Country Cultivation Realm, there were only two publicly known Medicine Garden Secret Realms: one belonging to the Holy Lotus Sect, and one to the Danxia Sect.

The Danxia Sect’s Medicine Garden Secret Realm was far inferior to the Holy Lotus Sect’s in terms of both scale and its effect on accelerating Spirit Grass growth.

It could only be used to grow a few of the most in-demand Spirit Grasses, cultivated to a thousand years of age, which was barely enough to meet the Sect’s needs.

Bai Zichen had successively slain several Tier Three Demon Beasts, taking control of the Spirit Veins at Golden Light Mountain, Lengcuo Lake, and Cold Crow Gorge.

These were all Spirit Veins roughly the same size as Celestial Thunder Cliff, with a range that couldn’t compare at all to the waters of Feiyue Lake.

If fully developed, each Spirit Vein could accommodate a thousand disciples and add numerous assets to the Spirit Field Hall and Spiritual Ore Hall.

’Two Tier Three Demon Pills, some Demon Beast Materials, and the contribution for donating the Spirit Veins have pushed my Sect Contribution past five hundred thousand again.’

Bai Zichen watched the Sect Contribution Points on his Identity Token jump rapidly. This didn’t even include the subsequent profits from those assets.

This just went to show that any Core Formation True Man had countless ways to earn Sect Contribution.

Moreover, he slaughtered Tier Three Demon Beasts as easily as killing chickens, and he turned over nearly all of his gains to the Sect, so his Contribution Points naturally skyrocketed.

The Qingfeng Sect’s situation was special. Ge Cang and Bai Zichen’s strength so far outstripped their fellow sect members that it had basically become a one-sided contribution from them.

The chances of a Sect Disciple offering a Spiritual Object that could help the two Ancestors were incredibly low. At most, they could run errands and perform manual labor.

’One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws is no longer just about a peerlessly sharp and deadly Sword Light... It’s the condensation of Sword Silk, it’s breaking a surface with a single point, it’s annihilation and deconstruction.’

A swathe of Moonlight flowed over Bai Zichen’s hand like a Spiritual Spring. When he ran his fingers through it, he scooped up nothing but air.

If Refining Sword into Silk represented the ultimate killing power of the Sword Dao, then One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws was an elevation built upon that foundation.

Sword Light Division, on the other hand, represented the infinite derivations of the Sword Dao, exhausting all possibilities of change.

The next step, One Sword Births Ten Thousand Techniques, did not focus on destructive power. It was about vibrant life, the reshaping of earth, water, fire, and wind, and the evolution of all things within the World in the Sword.

At this point, the Sword Dao reached Perfection, with no further path forward.

Throughout history, the most brilliant and talented Sword Cultivators had all stopped here.

They would look around, lost, their path forward severed.

Only the Banished Immortals from the Upper Realm could execute even more exquisite and magnificent Swordsmanship, every ray of Sword Light containing incredible Divine Techniques.

However, One Sword Births Ten Thousand Techniques and the evolution of the World in the Sword was a subject that could be explored indefinitely.

Any single path of Swordsmanship could be studied for hundreds of years.

The long lifespan of a Divinity Transformation Sword Cultivator was only enough to take a few steps down the road of One Sword Births Ten Thousand Techniques.

The unclear path ahead did not cause much panic.

Everyone believed that as long as they could achieve Ascension to the Upper Realm, there would be new Sword Dao Realms to practice.

In the Cultivation Realm, this situation only changed when the Taibai Sword Sect burst onto the scene.

Its founding Ancestor, the Taibai Sword Monarch, had slain a Demon Venerable from the Upper Realm in three strokes, establishing his magnificent reputation and proving his status as the First Sword Cultivator of his era.

That Demon Venerable was a supreme expert who had made his name during the Middle Ancient Era, and had once escaped with ease after killing several of his assailants while being besieged by multiple Divinity Transformation Great Powers.

Later, because the Ascension Platform had vanished, he was unable to return to the Upper Realm and had managed to eke out an existence for tens of thousands of years using a Secret Technique.

But before the Taibai Sword Monarch, he seemed fragile, and the Demon Path Secret Techniques he was so proud of were completely eclipsed by the Sword Light.

The Taibai Sword Monarch created the Sword Sect’s Fundamental Great Method, the Cave Profound Godslaying Sword Scripture, laying the foundation for the Sect’s glorious future.

After cultivating to Divinity Transformation Perfection, he shattered a spatial node with his sword, forcibly traversed the void, and achieved Ascension to the Upper Realm without an Ascension Platform.

The Taibai Sword Sect’s Second Generation Divinity Transformation Sword Cultivator built upon the work of his predecessor and innovatively proposed the Five Realms of Sword Dao, showing a clear path for all the Sword Cultivators in the world.

By fusing the Great Dao True Intent into one’s Sword Light, every strike would contain the Power of the Great Dao, forging a brand-new path.

Although no Sword Cultivator had ever truly reached this Realm, a few supreme Sword Cultivators had found shortcuts, like the Star River Sword Monarch’s mastery of the Starry Sky True Intent, which indirectly proved this path was viable.

It was just that in tens of thousands of years, not a single Sword Cultivator had been outstanding enough to complete the One Sword Births Ten Thousand Techniques Realm and still have enough time left to study the fusion of Great Dao True Intent.

Aside from the one inheritance of the Starry Sky True Intent hidden within the True Understanding of Sword Dao, every practitioner of the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword was a potential inheritor of the Time True Intent.

However, the Fish Dragon Sect was not famous for its Swordsmanship, and there were no Sword Cultivators among its several Nascent Soul True Monarchs. They simply regarded the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword as a Supreme Time Divine Power.

No one had ever thought of pursuing it in the direction of Sword Intent.

For Bai Zichen, if he ever reached the stage of One Sword Births Ten Thousand Techniques, both Sword Intents would be bright paths with limitless futures.

The Starry Sky Sword Intent could imitate the movements of celestial bodies, the rising and falling of stars, and the reversal of the Milky Way.

One could glimpse the potential of this fused Sword Intent from the power of the Star River Sword Array.

As for the Time Sword Intent, it went without saying. It was the most mysterious and unfathomable True Intent in the Cultivation Realm, bar none.

The Sword of Time—every strike aged its target.

Even a Profound Turtle Great Demon with a ten-thousand-year lifespan couldn’t withstand a single round of Time Sword Light or the scouring of the River of Time.

With a light tap of his finger, a Moonlight Sword Thread shot out with a ZZT. It burrowed into the ground as if piercing tofu, disappearing to an unknown depth before dissipating.

A tiny hole appeared on the surface, and a ball of Earth Fire erupted, its flames soaring.

’A Tier Four Flying Sword is truly different. I’ve been using Low-Tier Flying Swords to fight so much lately that I’d almost forgotten the sharpness of Moon Xuan... Just ten percent of its power pierced the earth’s crust. At full power under my Sword Control, wouldn’t it plunge straight into the Earth’s Lungs?’

After his Sword Dao Realm had greatly increased, Bai Zichen had to go through a process of re-familiarizing himself with the Moon Xuan Sword.

Otherwise, if he encountered an evenly matched opponent, he would surely be at a disadvantage.

He unrolled the map of Black Mountain Demon Beasts, scanned it, and his gaze landed on an ancient tree. Then, using Sword Control, he soared into the sky and flew off.

...

Zengguang Immortal City. Its walls were boundless, standing hundreds of feet tall.

Deep within the ethereal clouds and mist, strings of Pearl Palaces and Shell Palaces and towering stacks of palatial pavilions were all protected by rising Forbidden wards, covered in layers of Treasure Light.

The city gates, usually bustling with traffic and crowds, were now so deserted you could hear a pin drop, with not a single person in sight.

The Grand Array was active, circulating a chilling, murderous aura that made people unconsciously hold their breath and adopt a solemn expression.

"Old Monk, is this the countermeasure you were talking about?"

The Blood God Son cradled the Abi Heavenly Prison Demon Sword, a sneer on his face and a chill in his voice.

"We’ve besieged this Immortal City for half a year and launched two waves of attacks. Besides losing two warships and five Lotus Platforms, you’ve also sent dozens of your disciples to their deaths, and we haven’t even budged the Immortal City’s Array one bit."

"Amitabha Buddha. I did not expect Zengguang Immortal City to have arrays within arrays... Three Tier Four Grand Arrays. Even if Cultivator Du doesn’t act, it will be difficult to breach."

A benevolent-looking old monk was riding backward on a Five-Colored Spirit Deer, his face etched with an expression of grief.

"The disciples who died did so to vanquish demons and have gone to the Pure Land Buddha Country. They will naturally be able to go before the Buddha and enjoy peace in their next lives... I have already contacted a True Monarch from the Moral Sect. It won’t be long before an army arrives to eliminate the demons."

This old monk was none other than the Riding Deer Arhat, a Supreme Elder of one of the Dharma Aspect Sect’s lineages.

His own strength was unknown to the public; all they knew was that he had cultivated the Tongue of the Lotus Divine Technique to the absolute peak of perfection.

His mount, the Five-Colored Spirit Deer, had been persuaded by his Tongue of the Lotus to willingly come to him and become his Lifebound Spiritual Beast.

This was a Tier Four Low-Grade Great Demon that had already achieved Transformation, yet it was willing to reveal its original form to serve as a mount for a member of the Human Race.

This was also the origin of the title, "Riding Deer Arhat."

This ability led all Cultivators to believe that the Riding Deer Arhat was far more than he seemed, and not as simple as the Mid-Stage Nascent Soul he appeared to be.

True Monarch Tang Fei, with his Cultivation Realm combined with the Supreme Profound White-Haired Sword, was the undisputed First Sword Cultivator of the Northern Domain. The only reason he couldn’t secure the position of the Northern Domain’s number one expert was precisely because of the Riding Deer Arhat’s existence.

Of course, it now seemed that Du Heng had been hiding his true strength; otherwise, this master of the Immortal City would be the number one expert in the Northern Domain.

The kind of undisputed number one who was leagues above everyone else.

"The Moral Sect... I wonder which True Monarch will lead them? Will the Peak Master of Celestial Punishment Peak be present?"

The Blood God Son perked up and asked with a serious expression.

Able to exclusively occupy one of the Central Domain Three Countries, it was no exaggeration to call the Moral Sect the number one sect in the world.

Other Super Major Sects would certainly disagree, but they couldn’t find sufficient grounds to refute this claim.

After all, if the Moral Sect was excluded, the other Super Major Sects were even less qualified for the title of the world’s number one sect.

One could only say that after the Taibai Sword Sect, no true hegemon had ever appeared in the Cultivation Realm—no sect that held undisputed leadership.

At most, they held some advantages over other Super Major Sects, but it was far from enough to create a significant gap in standing.

That day, the Blood God Son had chased while Du Heng fled. Faced with the Sword Control speed of the Abi Heavenly Prison Demon Sword, who could possibly escape?

The Blood God Son only held a slight advantage; wanting to capture his opponent was pure wishful thinking.

Later on, as Du Heng slowly recovered his spent True Essence, the two were basically at a stalemate.

When his opponent fled back into the range of Zengguang Immortal City, the Blood God Son immediately halted his pursuit, giving up on avenging his junior brother by himself.

Before such a colossal Immortal City, any Cultivator would feel small and powerless.

Unless one was a Divinity Transformation Great Power, who could muster the heroic ambition to think of overthrowing it single-handedly?

Before long, the Blood God Son was joined by the members of the Dharma Aspect Sect. The Tianhe Sword Sect, which was closer to Zengguang Immortal City, was unable to participate in the siege due to the fall of True Monarch Tang Fei.

In the meantime, Nascent Soul True Monarchs like Shi Chengdong of the Celestial Principle Sect and Elder Shibi of the No-Life Sect came and went, only saying that they would definitely be present for the final assault on Zengguang Immortal City.

Eradicating the heritage of the True Demons from the Demon Realm was the unshirkable duty of every Cultivator in the Cultivation Realm.

But during the most arduous phase of besieging the Immortal City, they didn’t show up themselves, nor did their Sects dispatch any Cultivators.

It was obvious they didn’t want to put in the effort but still wanted to get a piece of the plunder from Zengguang Immortal City at the final moment.

Everyone knew that Zengguang Immortal City commanded a strategic location and traded with all corners of the world; a sea of Spirit Stones flowed into the Immortal City.

Even a Super Major Sect, in terms of ordinary Treasures and Spirit Stones alone, was not necessarily a match for Zengguang Immortal City.

What Nascent Soul True Monarch would be willing to give up such a juicy prize?

The Dharma Aspect Sect was very proactive in this matter. Besides the Riding Deer Arhat, there was also the Flower-Picking Arhat, who had witnessed the incident firsthand, and the Tota Arhat, who despised evil and was unswerving once he set his sights on a target.

The three Nascent Soul True Monarchs formed a team, and the Riding Deer Arhat even brought an heirloom Buddha Treasure from the Dharma Aspect Sect—a Tier Four Top-Grade Spiritual Treasure.

Accompanied by over a thousand Dharma Aspect Sect disciples, they had been at the foot of the Immortal City for several months now.