Chapter 417 - 414: The Unexpected Water Mansion

Chapter 417: Chapter 414: The Unexpected Water Mansion

If Bai Zichen hadn’t been mistaken, the true realm of that impulsive, short-tempered, and arrogant young cultivator in white robes was not the Early-Stage Core Formation it appeared to be.

The instant his final sword strike came down, Chen Ze parried it, and a vast, powerful True Essence flashed for a fleeting moment—but Bai Zichen still caught it.

He was clearly at Late-Stage Core Formation, having hidden his cultivation to get close to Shen Moqun.

He had almost fooled Bai Zichen himself.

’I haven’t cultivated any Spiritual Eye Techniques, so my Divine Sense alone often fails me... Elder Shen is running around trying to rope in outside cultivators to explore that Cave Mansion. I wonder what expression he’ll make when he finds out the cultivator at his side is actually a Late-Stage Core Formation Cultivator.’

Bai Zichen increasingly felt that there was something strange about Shen Moqun’s invitation; there had to be a secret unknown to outsiders.

But he was just a Core Formation True Man from a clan, yet he dared to invite two cultivators of the same realm at once.

’If he really harbored ill intentions, where did he get the confidence to take on both of us? Even just going by our apparent cultivation levels.’

’And if I’m not mistaken, that man is cultivating the Dragon Transformation Scripture!’

Bai Zichen’s expression grew serious. He possessed the complete Dragon Transformation Scripture and had studied it in depth, as he had once considered making it his main cultivation method after reaching the Nascent Soul realm.

Many cultivation techniques could grant a vast, inexhaustible True Essence and a powerful physique.

But for Water Element Spiritual Energy to spontaneously gather around the cultivator and produce all sorts of miraculous phenomena during all-out combat—this was a telltale sign of someone who cultivated the Dragon Transformation Scripture.

Even after he was defeated and fled, waves had followed him within the Water Eye, churning the surface until it was murky.

Considering all these points, he had an intuitive feeling that the man was indeed cultivating the Dragon Transformation Scripture.

’Could he be a cultivator from the Youlong Sect or one of those other sects? To have such a young Late-Stage Core Formation Cultivator... It’s a good thing I changed my appearance. Even if the Youlong Sect fully investigated what happened back then and suspected me of taking the Holy Beast Essence Blood, they’d have no way of knowing that the Su Wuming of today is actually Bai Zichen of the Qingfeng Sect.’

If Chen Ze was merely hiding his cultivation level to plot against Shen Moqun, it would have nothing to do with Bai Zichen.

But if this man was from one of the sects of the Ten Thousand Stars Islands, he would be a great potential enemy.

The Youlong Sect and the four other sects had betrayed their master for personal gain, growing strong and prosperous on the corpse of the Fish Dragon Sect. Of course, the Dragon Monarch’s support had been indispensable.

These sects were even more zealous than the Dragon Monarch himself in hunting down the so-called remnants of the Fish Dragon Sect.

One could say that the Dragon Monarch, being after the Holy Beast Essence Blood, hadn’t initially paid much attention to the few lineages that had escaped the Fish Dragon Sect.

It wasn’t until he failed to find the Holy Beast Essence Blood and realized it had likely fallen into the hands of the Fish Dragon Sect’s remnants that he solemnly issued the order to hunt them down, vowing to take back the Holy Beast Essence Blood.

But those five sects wanted to truly and utterly annihilate the Fish Dragon Sect, ensuring not a single heir survived.

If the Fish Dragon Sect were to rise from the ashes and regain its strength, they would be the first to panic.

These sects were well aware that even if the Fish Dragon Sect produced another Nascent Soul True Monarch, taking on the Dragon Monarch would still be an impossible dream.

But if the Fish Dragon Sect didn’t try to reclaim the Ten Thousand Stars Islands and focused solely on taking bloody revenge against the traitors, the Youlong Sect and the others would struggle to survive.

Ever since his path was solidified by the insights gained from the Pill Discussion, Bai Zichen had acquired a new skill.

When holding the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword, he could roughly sense a person’s remaining lifespan.

In the Cultivation Realm, a cultivator’s appearance was never a reliable indicator of their age.

However, Chen Ze had over three hundred years of life left, making him only slightly older than Bai Zichen himself, yet he already possessed a Late-Stage Core Formation cultivation. He would be considered a top-tier cultivation genius anywhere.

’If a cultivator like this, with a significant chance of reaching the Nascent Soul realm, is from the Youlong Sect, then I can’t let him leave the Great Wild Marsh alive.’

’There’s another possibility. In the Cultivation Realm, besides me and the sects of the Ten Thousand Stars Islands, the only others who have the Dragon Transformation Scripture are the five main lineages that fled the Fish Dragon Sect!’

Bai Zichen suddenly recalled Li Hansi, the heir of the Profound Clarity Lineage who had died by his hand. All five of the Fish Dragon Sect’s main lineages possessed the legacy of the Dragon Transformation Scripture.

Since Li Hansi had managed to cultivate to Core Formation Perfection before his death, it was perfectly normal for a young man with Chen Ze’s level of cultivation to emerge from one of the other lineages.

When they fled Hornless Dragon Island, the five main lineages not only took a great number of treasures, but they also subsequently opened many of the sect’s hidden caches along the coast, acquiring valuable cultivation resources.

With ten thousand years of accumulated resources concentrated on just a few cultivators, aside from lacking the Spirit Land on Hornless Dragon Island, their cultivation conditions were even better than what the Core Disciples of the Fish Dragon Sect had enjoyed in their prime.

’The other four lineages have no conflict with the Ancestor, and we didn’t flee together. I don’t care if they’re after the Water Mansion or secretly gathering allies to counterattack the Ten Thousand Stars Islands, as long as they stay out of my way... The more of a scene they make, the better. It’ll even help draw the Outer Sea’s attention away from me.’

A gloomy green copper coin landed in Bai Zichen’s palm. He tossed it a few times before putting it away and resuming his refinement of the dark red ore.

He had already put a contingency in place for this matter; now he just had to wait and see how things developed.

For now, it was better to focus on his own cultivation. Two layers of the dark red ore’s outer shell had already melted, revealing a reddish-gold material within.

Under the refinement of his Pill Fire, it radiated an uncanny, gilded-bronze light. No matter how intensely it was heated, it absorbed every last bit of the thermal energy.

He was fifty percent sure this was the Sun Golden Copper he had been searching for.

To be certain, however, he had to refine the entire ore further, melting away all impurities until only the pure Spiritual Material remained.

Another month passed. Late one night, around 9:00 PM, Bai Zichen abruptly opened his eyes, roused from his deep meditation.

He tossed the gloomy green copper coin in his hand. The Copper Plate Divine Calculation activated, and the coin landed steadily, pointing in a specific direction: due east, and downwards.

’Excellent. I really did leave a True Essence Mark on him. Even though it’s being blocked by a secret technique and I can’t sense it right now, it still provided a significant parameter for the Copper Plate Divine Calculation. It actually managed to compute such a clear answer, no longer vague like before!’

When he had fought Chen Ze that day, Bai Zichen had used the moment his final sword strike dispersed the Water Dragon—sending water splashing everywhere—to place a wisp of True Essence on Shen Moqun’s robes.

The man was only at the Early-Stage Core Formation realm. Compared to Chen Ze, who was at Late-Stage Core Formation, he was far easier to track without being discovered.

The only purpose of this True Essence Mark was to give him a faint sense of the target’s general direction, even from a hundred li away.

Tonight, however, he had first sensed the True Essence Mark enter the range of his Divine Sense, only for it to vanish immediately. Either it had been discovered and dispelled, or a secret technique was concealing all of its fluctuations.

The latter was more likely.

Knowing Shen Moqun was nearby, he immediately used the Copper Plate Divine Calculation to divine the location.

’I can’t believe the Water Mansion is so close to my Water Eye. No wonder he tried to recruit me over and over. With me occupying this spot, it would be impossible for him to slip by unnoticed... It seems that after Chen Ze joined him, they acquired a secret technique for Concealing Breath and Qi and decided to try entering the Water Mansion right under my nose.’

After a moment’s thought, Bai Zichen took out the Mystical Immortal Gauze and draped it over himself. His figure slowly faded from view.

He flew eastward across the water’s surface, leaving no ripples or traces behind.

...

"Young Friend, are you sure this secret technique of yours is reliable?" Elder Shen and Chen Ze, each encased in a large bubble and bobbing forward through the water, spoke via Sound Transmission. "That Su Wuming up there has vicious swordsmanship. He claims to have no interest in the Water Mansion, but if he finds out about us, he’ll definitely try to stick his nose in."

"Don’t worry," a flicker of impatience passed through Chen Ze’s eyes as he explained. "We’ll stop forty li away. Even the Divine Sense of a Perfect Core Formation Cultivator can barely reach this far. Then, we’ll proceed using the secret technique... My Innate Cyan Water Origin Membrane is a secret technique passed down in my family. Besides being time-consuming and difficult to use, it has all sorts of marvelous applications for moving through water."

"Forget about a Divine Sense scan; not even Visual and Auditory Techniques or an Illusion-Breaking Spiritual Eye could detect us in the water. All sound and True Essence fluctuations will be completely cut off."

"That’s good to hear. Young Friend, your family background must be truly profound to have such a secret technique."

Elder Shen nodded again and again, his face a mask of envy.

"It’s all thanks to you this time, Young Friend. Otherwise, with that man occupying the Water Eye, we would have missed our chance to enter the Water Mansion again... Once the entrance rotates underground, we’d have to wait two full 60-year cycles for it to face outward again."

As they spoke, their bubbles traveled for several li, finally reaching a section of the lakebed dense with seaweed.

Elder Shen formed a hand technique and calculated silently for a moment before speaking. "This way! Follow me!"

He took a few steps to the left and ducked into the seaweed, and the two bubbles disappeared from sight.

There was a fissure hidden beneath the seaweed. The two of them proceeded through the darkness for several hundred paces when light suddenly bloomed ahead. The indistinct outline of a Water Mansion emerged from the gloom, coming into view.

The Water Bead in Elder Shen’s hand flared with light, casting a milky-white spiritual glow in all directions. It illuminated the 360 Han White Jade Railings that enclosed the Water Mansion’s outer perimeter, as well as the towering Coiled Dragon Golden Pillars flanking it.

"Young Friend, this is the Water Mansion of True Monarch Wuu Sanzang."

"It’s magnificent. I never thought a relatively unknown Nascent Soul True Monarch could construct such a Cave Mansion..."

Chen Ze seemed stunned by the sight before him, looking somewhat dazed.

"Heh. This old man has researched this for many years and discovered something peculiar," a smile spread across Elder Shen’s old face, his expression flickering in the white light of the Water Bead. "Years ago, this Cave Mansion suddenly appeared in the Great Wild Marsh. There are no records of any large-scale construction projects or mobilized cultivators. A Water Mansion of this magnitude isn’t something one person could build; it would take thousands of cultivators working for decades."

"So, I speculate that this Water Mansion wasn’t built by Wuu Sanzang at all. Or, to be more precise, the main structure wasn’t his work. Wuu Sanzang simply made some repairs and additions."

"Your speculation is not without merit, Fellow Daoist Shen," Chen Ze nodded slightly. "Please make your move, Fellow Daoist, and open the Water Mansion."

"Alright, I’ll begin the spell now. But those two Town Spirit Beasts are no pushovers. I’ll have to rely heavily on your strength, Young Friend."

After he finished speaking, Elder Shen glanced back at the pitch-black channel behind them, then released two millstone-sized White Jade Spiders from the Spirit Beast Bag at his waist.

"Heh heh. These two little darlings of mine are only Tier Two Top Grade, but they possess a special ability to spin webs with incredible speed... If anyone comes up behind us, no matter what kind of concealment technique they use, they’ll trip the webs. I’ll know instantly, so you don’t have to worry about anyone tailing us, hoping to be the fisherman who reaps all the rewards."

Just as he said, the two long-legged White Jade Spiders began frantically spitting silk, quickly weaving several layers of webbing across the channel’s entrance.