Chapter 406 - 404: A Fleeting Life Seeks Transcendence

Chapter 406: Chapter 404: A Fleeting Life Seeks Transcendence

"Master Bai, for your magnanimity, we thank you again. We will surely remember this."

Suo Qian estimated that the Spiritual Objects taken were worth at most half of the total. He felt that Bai Zichen must have been looking out for them on account of True Monarch Tang Fei, intentionally letting them have the rest.

He bowed once more before, as the representative of the Tianhe Sword Sect, collecting all the remaining items into his storage bag.

’Although the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect has cut ties with our Sect, they have continued to deliver the promised Clear Spirit Jade Marrow... I wonder if their Sect will be able to continue its legacy after this, and who will end up with the Core Formation Spiritual Object Secret Realm?’

There were not many Cultivators in the Qingfeng Sect at Foundation Establishment Perfection who were qualified to use the Clear Spirit Jade Marrow. They hadn’t even used up their current share, so there was no need to covet more.

On the other hand, they would take any and all Foundation Establishment Pills they could get; no amount was too much for them to use.

If Bai Zichen hadn’t slain several Tier Three Demon Kings and used their Demon Pills for refining while honing his Swordsmanship, their situation would have been dire. With their supply of Thousand-Year-Old Golden Crown Lingzhi cut off, the Foundation Establishment Pills refined from the scarce main ingredients acquired through other channels were simply not enough for the Sect Disciples.

If these eighteen Foundation Establishment Pills were put on the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall’s exchange list without any restrictions, the Sect Disciples would claim them all within a month.

For this reason, the Elder Council had even issued a new rule, stipulating that only disciples at Qi Refining Great Perfection could exchange for them.

This was to prevent wealthy disciples whose Cultivation was not yet high enough from snatching up a Foundation Establishment Pill, wasting the opportunity.

As for the two Dragon Scales, they must have come from a Tier Four Great Demon of the Dragon Race. Although they were just ordinary scales and not true scales, they were still rare Spiritual Materials.

Bai Zichen currently had no need for Dragon Scales to refine any Flying Sword Treasures, but the thought of the Outer Sea Dragon Lord piqued his interest in taking the item.

As for the dark red ore that seemed to have been burning for ten thousand years, he weighed it thoughtfully in his hand a couple of times, found an ornate Jade Box to store it in carefully, and even added two Talismans to seal it.

’If this is really the Spiritual Material I think it is, then it will be of great use to me. My gains from entering the Immortal City this time can already be called perfect.’

It wouldn’t matter if he gained nothing else.

"Master Bai, what should we do next? Should we continue searching the inner city, or head to the Heaven-Reaching Immortal Pagoda?"

Suo Qian was even more respectful, his attitude now completely that of one addressing a Nascent Soul Elder.

The Heaven-Reaching Immortal Pagoda was originally Du Heng’s residence. It was the very core of the Immortal City and the location of the final Tier Four Array.

The remaining Direct Lineage members of the Du Family were surely hiding inside the Heaven-Reaching Immortal Pagoda.

The culmination of Zengguang Immortal City’s ten thousand years of history—Treasures that would make even a Nascent Soul True Monarch’s eyes turn red with envy—could only be there.

"A Tier Four Array is not something we can shake. Perhaps we should..."

Just as Bai Zichen was about to point in a direction, a massive BOOM echoed as if the sky had been pierced, and a patch of light appeared in the once-dark heavens.

Rain poured down in a torrent, but before it even hit the ground, he realized something was wrong. The speed at which the rain was falling was off.

"It’s Profound Nether Heavy Water!"

The spectacle of a Spirit Water, where a single drop weighed a thousand jin, crashing down from high above was witnessed at that moment.

Fist-sized raindrops easily smashed through all the palaces. Countless tall pavilions, terraces, and carved railings were all destroyed within a mere ten breaths’ time.

Each drop of Profound Nether Heavy Water that hit the ground created a pit several zhang deep. The entire river of Profound Nether Heavy Water crashed down out of control, creating a force so mighty that even a Nascent Soul True Monarch would pale.

Fortunately, the falling Profound Nether Heavy Water seemed to be uncontrolled, scattering evenly. Otherwise, it could have wiped a whole area clean of everything.

Even so, the disciples of Celestial Punishment Peak and the Taixu Dao Soldiers, who formed the main force, suffered heavy casualties, falling in droves.

Anyone below Core Formation who was hit was instantly turned into a meat paste.

Even a Core Formation Cultivator would be in mortal danger if they were unlucky enough to be struck by a dense cluster of Profound Nether Heavy Water.

"It seems Du Heng can’t hold on any longer; even his lifebound Profound Nether Heavy Water has dispersed... To have lasted so long against two Great True Monarchs and a crowd of Nascent Soul True Monarchs is already shocking enough!"

Bai Zichen unleashed his Moonlight Sword Light and flew upward against the torrent. Any Profound Nether Heavy Water that came near was pierced by his sword, posing no obstacle.

He ascended only a hundred zhang, enough to get a clearer view of the changing situation above.

Du Heng had managed to hold on for so long, which was somewhat beyond his expectations.

He had originally thought that since Du Heng’s greatest reliance, the True Demon Holy Body avatar, had been captured by Great True Monarch Hongfa, his main body would have been defeated long ago.

He hadn’t expected Du Heng’s ferocity to remain undiminished even when facing such a lineup.

Aside from Great True Monarch Meng Kang, the other Nascent Soul Cultivators had to combine the strength of at least three or four people to withstand a blow from his bare hands.

But no matter how Heaven-Defying his Divine Techniques were, defeat was inevitable; he was only desperately holding on.

Du Heng directly shattered the river of Profound Nether Heavy Water, forcing back the circle of Nascent Soul Cultivators. At the same time, an infant holding the Demon Dragon Awl leaped out from his Celestial Spiritual Skull.

It was stark naked, fair, and tender, an exact replica of him. It sprayed a mouthful of Lifebound True Essence onto the Demon Dragon Awl, awakening the Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure.

The Nascent Soul immediately weakened, shrinking by a full size and appearing dejected.

If he wanted to live, he could only rely on the Demon Dragon Awl. None of his other Divine Techniques could break the stalemate.

His original physical body, the True Demon Avatar he had spent countless efforts to create—all could be abandoned.

As long as he could preserve his life, Du Heng could transform himself into a Demon Body in the future. Having a physical body wasn’t that important.

He could just find a random body to possess—not even needing to seize it, to avoid attracting attention. As long as he laid low for a few decades to recover his strength, he could build up his power and stir up trouble in the Human World once again.

"Trying to run? Have you asked my Treasure Fan for permission!"

Meng Kang shouted, applying the Nine Chapters of Celestial Constitution to himself. Each Chapter added a buffing effect as his Celestial Measuring Jade Ruler teleported behind Du Heng, enveloping the entire space. Invisible constraints bound Du Heng’s fleeing Nascent Soul.

The Jade Ruler slammed down hard, sending Du Heng’s snarling Nascent Soul tumbling and knocking it right out of the void.

This gave the other Nascent Soul True Monarchs time to react. They all cast Anti-Space Techniques, cutting off any possibility of using Divine Techniques like Void Instant Teleportation.

Everyone was secretly relieved. They hadn’t expected that even at his absolute limit, Du Heng had almost managed to escape.

Firstly, once a Nascent Soul True Monarch was willing to abandon their physical body, their remaining Nascent Soul was extremely difficult to kill. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so few Nascent Soul True Monarchs in the Cultivation Realm who perished on the spot.

Secondly, there was the power of a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure. The Demon Dragon Awl wasn’t even a Flying Escape Treasure, yet it had almost carried him out of the encirclement.

Meng Kang swallowed the blood in his mouth. His Sea of Consciousness roiled as if heaven and earth had been overturned.

The Celestial Measuring Jade Ruler flew back into his hand. It was crystal clear, with lifelike carvings of Immortal Birds and Exotic Beasts. There were also eight black lines that seemed to frame all things under heaven.

Yet right in the center was a thumb-sized hole, causing the Spiritual Treasure’s Spiritual Power to drain away rapidly.

This damage was the result of taking a direct hit from the Demon Dragon Awl in order to stop Du Heng.

The Five-Fire Seven-Bird Fan was an ancestral Treasure passed down through the generations of Celestial Punishment Peak; it did not belong to Meng Kang alone.

In fact, if not for Great True Monarch Hongfa having his own path and future, with no use for this Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure, the right to use the Five-Fire Seven-Bird Fan would never have fallen into his hands.

Therefore, the Celestial Measuring Jade Ruler was Meng Kang’s true Lifebound Magical Treasure.

Now that it was damaged, a shaken mind and a turbulent Sea of Consciousness were minor consequences. This was an injury inflicted by a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure, after all.

"Du Heng, cease your struggles!"

Meng Kang rallied his spirits and locked his gaze on the Nascent Soul. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Demon Dragon Awl dim once more.

"Bind your own hands and give up your resistance. You can still reduce the slaughter and leave behind a trace of the Du Family’s bloodline..."

Black patterns had already covered the feet of Du Heng’s Nascent Soul and were spreading toward its stomach. Just as it was about to speak...

...a large fissure split open in the void. A headless Demon Body fell from it, crashing right onto the Heaven-Reaching Immortal Pagoda and causing the Tier Four Array to dim.

Great True Monarch Hongfa, holding a ceremonial staff in one hand and the head of the True Demon Avatar in the other, tossed the head down in front of Du Heng.

"Good, good, good!"

Du Heng was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Truly worthy of being the Cultivator in the Cultivation Realm with the greatest hope of reaching the Divinity Transformation Realm! To be able to slay my True Demon Avatar in just a few hours! With such skill, even in Ancient Times, you wouldn’t be much inferior to the figures from legends and tales!"

The True Demon Avatar had been pulled into another dimension by Great True Monarch Hongfa, and Du Heng had been unable to sense its condition.

But the True Demon Holy Body was known as the top Sacred Body in the Demon Realm for survival, with its thirty-six Divine Techniques and Seventy-Two Transformations, making it practically Immortal and Undying.

Otherwise, that Ancient Demon wouldn’t have merely been defeated, rather than truly killed, when besieged by so many Divinity Transformation Great Powers.

Even when the most outstanding Cultivators of that era gathered, with the participation of a Banished Immortal from the Upper Realm, they had no way to kill the Ancient Demon directly. They could only use the Demon Refining Array to suppress it deeply while continuously refining and weakening it.

Therefore, Du Heng had been fully confident in his True Demon Avatar and had never considered the possibility of a swift defeat.

But the facts were laid bare before him. One had to understand that Great True Monarch Hongfa had accomplished this with his own strength, without a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure in hand.

Knowing there was no escape, Du Heng instead sat down cross-legged. The vicious hatred on his face vanished, replaced by an expression of absolute peace.

His gaze swept across the entirety of Zengguang Immortal City, lingered on the Heaven-Reaching Immortal Pagoda for a few breaths, then looked off into the distance before finally returning to the scene before him.

"Hongfa, your talent is several times greater than mine. When you one day discover that the path to Ascension is closed and eternal life is hopeless, remember to also switch your Cultivation to the True Demon Holy Body... With your aptitude, you should be able to master it with ease!"

Du Heng chuckled twice, not bothering to look at the group of Nascent Soul True Monarchs whose expressions had changed drastically.

"The Zhong surname reigned supreme, a glory of ten thousand years. The Du Family has now enjoyed its glory to the fullest; our destiny has reached its end... I have no regrets about making this gamble!"

"What nonsense are you spouting? How could Brother Hongfa follow you in cultivating a Demon Realm legacy!"

Meng Kang roared and was about to attack Du Heng.

"A thousand years of the past are like smoke, looking back is like a dream. On both sides of the Great Dao lies the Sea of Suffering. A life adrift, seeking transcendence... Unattainable, unattainable!"

With a smile, Du Heng raised the Demon Dragon Awl, startling everyone into retreating, afraid that he still had one last trump card to take them all down with him.

But he only stabbed himself fiercely. The Demon Dragon Awl pierced through the Nascent Soul, instantly sucking it dry. Only the Demon Treasure remained, flashing with Spirit Light as it flickered, about to escape Zengguang Immortal City.

A green branch descended and struck the Demon Dragon Awl, causing it to turn around and fall obediently back into Great True Monarch Hongfa’s hand.