Chapter 410 - 408: Ancient Tribulation Crossing Method

'This place is already thousands of miles from Burial Immortal Valley. Even if someone sensed the disturbance from the River of Time, it would be impossible for them to track me here in such a short time.'

Bai Zichen flew on his sword all the way into the Beiyuan Territory, where he casually found a barren mountain and landed.

The Spiritual Qi was thin, the ground nothing but hard-packed yellow sand. With barely any vegetation, it was a place even Loose Cultivators would scorn.

A flash of Sword Light carved a stone chamber out of the mountainside to serve as his temporary base.

He had left in a hurry, partly because he was worried about the Ancient Demon that had vanished in Burial Immortal Valley, and partly because he feared the commotion caused by the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword would attract other Cultivators.

'No matter how much it was weakened by the Demon Refining Array, the Ancient Demon is fundamentally an existence that surpasses this world's limits. Surely Du Heng couldn't have refined it...'

If Du Heng truly had the ability to accomplish what so many Ancient Great Powers could not, he wouldn't have been so easily defeated by the two Great True Monarchs from Celestial Punishment Peak.

That was why Bai Zichen hadn't wanted to stay in Burial Immortal Valley for a moment longer.

He kept feeling as if the Ancient Demon would burst from the ground and pounce on him at any second.

This was the second time he had activated the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword. Compared to the first time against True Monarch Jiulian, his control over the sword was much more fluid, and his comprehension of the Power of Time had deepened.

It wasn't that the power of the Sword of Time itself had increased significantly, but that his mastery over unleashing and retracting the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword had ascended to a new level.

Since his opponent was only a rather unusual Late-Stage Core Formation Cultivator, the River of Time had appeared for just a moment before dissipating, striking the Du Family cultivator's past and future simultaneously.

However, the Time Path, unlike other Great Dao True Intents, was exceedingly sensitive.

If any other Nascent Soul True Monarchs were within a few hundred miles, they would instantly realize that a Cultivator was borrowing the Power of Time.

Other Great Daos could be mistaken for the might of heaven and earth—a natural phenomenon.

He didn't know how the intelligence reports of those Nascent Soul Major Sects described the Great Dao True Intent he had comprehended.

But with Shi Chengdong and Suihan True Monarch as witnesses, the matter was likely no longer a secret; those Nascent Soul Major Sects must have learned something about it.

They simply wouldn't guess that his sword strike came from the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword, rather than his own comprehension of the Time True Intent.

'Whatever. I need to reach the Nascent Soul Realm first. I just have this unsettling feeling deep down... Don't tell me someone is plotting against me...?'

Bai Zichen recalled True Monarch Yuan's attitude toward him on Celestial Punishment Peak, and a cloud of doubt drifted through his mind.

In any case, now that he had the Five Crystal Divine Iron, he just needed to successfully cultivate the Five Crystal Glaze Body. Then, even when the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword was hidden away and nurturing, he would still have a fighting chance against a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

He might as well cover his tracks, keep a low profile, and wander the Endless Sea of Suffering for a time.

Once he reached Core Formation Perfection, he would break through to the Nascent Soul Realm.

Then, he would finally be free as a bird in the vast sky, no longer needing to worry about attacks from the open or from the shadows.

With his future path clear, Bai Zichen relaxed. The gloom in his heart lifted, and he finally had the presence of mind to examine the few items left behind by the Du Family cultivator.

'Is this it? He's dirt poor. If Du Heng was pinning his hopes of reviving the Du Family on this kid, why did he only give him this paltry collection...?'

The Sword Light had only managed to retrieve a piece of beast hide, a Jade Scroll, and a Jade Bottle.

There wasn't a single storage-type artifact, which greatly disappointed him.

'Could he have left his storage bag somewhere else in Burial Immortal Valley and only carried the most essential items with him?'

This Du Family Core Formation Cultivator had clearly lived in Burial Immortal Valley for some time, using its unique environment to cultivate the True Demon Holy Body.

His familiarity with Burial Immortal Valley was surely beyond that of any other Cultivator, so he had likely hidden his storage bag in a secret location.

He had just been in too much of a hurry to search the valley, possibly missing out on several Top-Grade Spirit Stones.

'The Six Desires True Demon Scripture... Blood Refining Creatures... Blood Sacrifice World... The True Demon Holy Body, thirty-six Divine Techniques, the Seventy-Two Transformations...'

This Beast Hide was clearly no ordinary object. The moment he picked it up, he could feel a faint pressure emanating from it.

It had to be the hide of a Tier Four Great Demon to withstand the legacy of this Cultivation Technique, along with the bizarre script and cultivation diagrams inscribed upon it.

Even though Bai Zichen couldn't read a single character, as his gaze swept over the hide, its contents simply appeared in his mind.

His True Essence even began to circulate unconsciously along the cultivation path of the Six Desires True Demon Scripture, and he felt as though his very blood was about to ignite.

SLAP!

Bai Zichen snapped the Beast Hide shut. All the Flying Swords in his Dantian Qi Sea vibrated in unison, and their clear ringing cry shocked him back to his senses.

'What a sinister Cultivation Technique. No wonder the Moral Sect's policy toward legacies from the Demon Realm is to kill on sight, leaving no room for negotiation...'

A Cultivator with even slightly weaker willpower would be helplessly drawn in the very instant they saw the Six Desires True Demon Scripture, unable to pull themselves free.

Bai Zichen could resist not only due to his Sword Heart Clarity, but also because he firmly believed that he didn't need to convert to the Demon Path; he could reach the Divinity Transformation Realm on his own.

It was a level of confidence that likely no one else in the entire Cultivation Realm possessed.

Even Great True Monarch Hongfa might not possess such unwavering self-assurance.

This was the true foundation of his ability to reject the Six Desires True Demon Scripture. Any other Cultivator, one who had been stuck at a bottleneck for years, watching their lifespan dwindle away, would find it nearly impossible to resist this technique, no matter how resolute their mind or how strong their willpower.

Judging from the contents of the Beast Hide, the Six Desires True Demon Scripture had no cultivation difficulty to speak of.

As long as one converted to the True Demon Holy Body, they would be considered a member of the Demon Realm.

Then, by performing Blood Refining on creatures from an Otherworld, one could directly devour their Essence. The speed of one's Cultivation progress would be astronomical, reaching a new level every day.

Concepts like refining nature's spiritual energy or breaking through Realm bottlenecks simply didn't exist before the Divinity Transformation Realm.

With such a temptation placed before them, how many could resist, even knowing that cultivating the Six Desires True Demon Scripture would make them a public enemy of the Cultivation Realm, condemned by all?

The only barrier to entry was the step of transforming oneself into a True Demon Holy Body.

Without a Great Power on the level of a Demon Venerable to directly infuse them with power and alter their constitution, forging the True Demon Holy Body was exceedingly difficult. Even in the Demon Realm, it was considered a top-tier Sacred Body.

'I wonder how Du Heng and that Core Formation Cultivator managed to attain the True Demon Holy Body. It must be connected to the Ancient Demon...'

After some thought, Bai Zichen found a box and put the Beast Hide away.

This Cultivation Technique was useless to him, offering not even a sliver of insight.

He was quite interested in cultivating each of the thirty-six Divine Techniques and the Seventy-Two Transformations.

Unfortunately, the prerequisite was possessing the True Demon Holy Body, so they were naturally out of his reach.

'I'll look at it again after I reach the Nascent Soul Realm. By then, I might be able to resist its influence and study it with a calm mind...'

Bai Zichen picked up the Jade Scroll. After sweeping his Divine Sense through it, the corners of his mouth lifted into a slight smile.

'The Cave Profound Disaster Relief and Demon Extermination Scripture... Excellent. This is truly excellent!'

The Jade Scroll recorded this Ancient Technique, which was, to his surprise, a Secret Technique for dispelling one's Heart Demon.

The Du Family's ability to produce one Nascent Soul True Monarch after another was inextricably linked to this Cave Profound Disaster Relief and Demon Extermination Scripture.

'Find a place where water vapor is abundant and yin winds converge. At dawn, when the sun first rises, collect a wisp of Purple Qi. However, only the Purple Qi from the Double Ninth Festival each year is effective. Collect a total of thirty-six wisps, then refine them according to the Ancient Technique, and they will transform into a streak of Demon Extermination Purple Light... It sweeps away Outer Demons and prevents Heart Demons from arising. With this Demon Extermination Purple Light, one can increase their chances of passing the Heart Demon Tribulation by thirty percent.'

The Zengguang Du Family had relied on this very Ancient Technique, allowing their Core Formation True Men to only worry about the Thunder Tribulation during their Tribulation Crossing, as the Heart Demon trial became an easy pass.

'This method is just time-consuming; the cultivation itself isn't difficult. It even marks the location for collecting the Purple Qi... This way, I'll have the Demon Extermination Purple Light for the Heart Demon Tribulation and the Acquired Thunder God Pearl for the Celestial Thunder Tribulation. As long as I reach Core Formation Perfection, I can immediately begin Shattering my Core and Transforming into a Nascent Soul!'

Bai Zichen read the Cave Profound Disaster Relief and Demon Extermination Scripture several times over and let out a hearty laugh.

He had originally felt that his gains from the trip to Zengguang Immortal City were lacking, but with this Ancient Technique in hand, it was more than enough, even if he had obtained no other treasures.

Not only could he use it for himself, but it could also become a Sect Level Secret Technique for the Qingfeng Sect.

In the future, Sect Disciples would have the Desolate God Stealing Sun Technique to break through to Core Formation, and the Cave Profound Disaster Relief and Demon Extermination Scripture for Shattering the Core and Transforming into a Nascent Soul.

Their foundation might still be lacking compared to other Nascent Soul Major Sects, but they would certainly no longer fall behind when it came to breakthroughs between Great Realms.

Many Perfect Core Formation True Men gave up on attempting to reach the Nascent Soul Realm precisely because they didn't have enough lifespan remaining to prepare the two Secret Treasures required to withstand the Celestial Tribulation.

If they tried to force it, they would face certain death. It was better to simply live out their final hundred years in peace.

But with the Cave Profound Disaster Relief and Demon Extermination Scripture, those older Perfect Core Formation Cultivators might now have a different choice.

As for the final Jade Bottle, Bai Zichen didn't have high hopes. But when he went to open the stopper, he was surprised to find a full twelve Forbidden seals on it.

He reached out and swiped a hand across the bottle's mouth, breaking all the seals, and poured out a crimson Spirit Pill the size of a longan.

The crimson Spirit Pill's body was marked with six Golden Patterns that constantly shifted and morphed. A scorching heat rolled off it, withering the wild grass outside the stone chamber.

"The Sun Six Wu Divine Essence Pill!"

The instant he broke the seals, information about the Spirit Pill, including its purpose, flooded into Bai Zichen's mind.

It seemed that one of the twelve seals wasn't meant to lock in Spiritual Qi or keep out Insects, but to transmit information about the pill to its future owner.

He had long ago heard of this Tier Four Top-Grade Spirit Pill from Master Zhu of the Danxia Sect. Its Pill Formula was said to have been lost, and no one in the Cultivation Realm was capable of Refining it anymore.

Any Cultivator suffering from Demonic Possession or afflicted by the lingering poison of a Demon Skill would be instantly cured upon consuming this Spirit Pill.

The Du Family's Core Formation True Man was cultivating the Six Desires True Demon Scripture. Du Heng must have worried that his descendant's Cultivation was insufficient and that he would lose control of himself and his Spiritual Wisdom, so he prepared this Spirit Pill for him.

It just went to show that Zengguang Immortal City, having accumulated the wealth of four nations and hosted the Ten Thousand Immortals Ceremony, had no telling how many treasures hidden within its vaults.

A pity it had all fallen into the hands of Celestial Punishment Peak.

However, considering that Du Heng had managed to hide a Core Formation junior with the potential to reach the Nascent Soul Realm hundreds of years ago, keeping him concealed as a trump card...

...it was highly likely that he had transferred a portion of the Immortal City's treasures to a secret location long ago.

'With this Spirit Pill, Master Qingmu's hidden injuries can finally be cured completely! He'll no longer have to suffer the daily torment of that Demon Fire's poison!'

Bai Zichen quickly and carefully put the Sun Six Wu Divine Essence Pill away. If he lost this Tier Four Top-Grade Spiritual Pill, he truly had no idea where he would ever find another.