Chapter 422 - 419: The Second Tier 4 Flying Sword

Chapter 422: Chapter 419: The Second Tier 4 Flying Sword

"He can actually resist the lure of the Overseas Immortal Mansion. Could he have another opportunity to reach the Nascent Soul Realm?"

The elder Kong brother watched the sword light disappear into the distance and sighed, but then a hint of confusion crossed his mind.

’I remember this Junior Martial Uncle Li isn’t much younger than Master. Even if he has taken a lot of Life-Extending Elixirs, he should be at an age where he’s due to pass away from natural causes... Yet he’s so calm and unhurried about opening the Overseas Immortal Mansion. Isn’t he afraid of suddenly dying and causing the Immortal Mansion to be lost at the bottom of the sea forever?’

"Besides the Holy Beast Essence Blood, the Profound Clarity Lineage’s most precious treasure is the Qing King Medicine Pill. He certainly brought one with him when he left Hornless Dragon Island. He must have consumed that Spirit Pill. Combined with other Life-Extending Elixirs, his lifespan far exceeds that of an ordinary Core Formation True Man, which is why he can rest easy and take things slowly."

Chen Ze put away his long bronze battle-axe, his gaze profound as he looked down at the Water Mansion below.

Leaving the Water Mansion in what amounted to a retreat dealt a severe blow to his ever-present pride.

They hadn’t even put up a basic fight, immediately assuming the being that crawled out of the Underworld Nether Coffin was something they couldn’t handle.

Especially when combined with what Elder Shen had said earlier—if the one in the coffin was Wuu Sanzang, a Cultivator who had died tens of thousands of years ago, suddenly reviving... the very thought was horrifying.

"The Qing King Medicine Pill! Among all life-extending elixirs in the Cultivation Realm, it ranks in the top three! A single pill can extend one’s life by one hundred and eighty years!"

Back on Hornless Dragon Island, Chen Ze’s status was akin to a lineage master, so it was only natural that he knew more secrets than the Kong brothers.

One hundred and eighty years was a period of time that couldn’t be ignored, even for a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

With that much extra lifespan, a Cultivator’s fate could be completely changed.

One who was originally stuck at a bottleneck, quietly awaiting their end, would have a high chance of making a breakthrough and reaching the next Realm.

Every time the Qing King Medicine Pill appeared, it would incite a mad scramble throughout the Cultivation Realm, especially among those ancient, withered Nascent Soul Old Monsters.

The temptation of one hundred and eighty extra years of life was enough to make them willingly empty their entire fortunes.

"Senior Brothers, let’s go wipe out the Shen Family now. The wealth their clan has accumulated over generations will serve as a fine contribution to restoring the Sect... I will go visit the disciples from the various Hidden Veins. When we fight our way back to the Ten Thousand Stars Islands in the future, every extra Cultivator is another bit of strength!"

Chen Ze quickly swept away his negative emotions and threw himself back into the great cause of restoring the Fish Dragon Sect.

"Afterward, I will return to my Cave Mansion on Lankao Mountain and await Junior Martial Uncle Li’s arrival... Judging by his strength, it’s highly likely he has already achieved Great Success in the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword. With us working together, retaking the Ten Thousand Stars Islands will be a piece of cake!"

"The Qing Emperor Longevity Sword, the number one Supreme Divine Technique in our Sect, and even in the entire Outer Sea! I wonder if we’ll ever have the chance to learn it..."

The Kong brothers were lost in longing. They had heard their master speak of this Divine Technique no less than a thousand times since they were children.

Unfortunately, the five main lineages had fled in different directions, and the Holy Beast Essence Blood was now in the hands of the Profound Clarity Lineage. Although the heirs of the other four lineages had the complete three Secret Techniques and knew the Cultivation method, their Wood God Skill had not mutated, making it impossible for them to even attempt the first step.

"Junior Martial Uncle Li is stronger than me and has the Holy Beast Essence Blood. It’s only right that we continue to honor the Kongming Lineage as the Fish Dragon Lord... When we rebuild the Sect on Hornless Dragon Island in the future, he will be the master of the Fish Dragon Sect’s revival. He will naturally continue the old rules and bestow the Holy Beast Aura upon the Core Disciples of each lineage."

Chen Ze spoke as if it were a matter of course, clearly believing it from the bottom of his heart. It didn’t seem like an act.

...

Bai Zichen flew for a hundred li before descending from his sword light. He changed into a Daoist robe and returned to the stone platform in the guise of Su Wuming.

’I wonder if Chen Ze will guess the connection between my two personas. The odds of two Sword Dao masters appearing in the Great Wild Marsh at the same time are quite low... But it doesn’t matter even if he’s suspicious. After all, the identity token passed verification, and I have the Profound Clarity Lineage’s Cultivation Technique inheritance and even the Holy Beast Essence Blood in my possession. Who can say I’m not the heir of the main lineage!’

He landed silently on the stone platform. The events of the night had far exceeded his imagination.

’Long slumber in life, eternal life after death... White Bone True Man said the Underworld Nether Coffin is basically a giant vortex. Once you step inside, there’s no possibility of escape.’

Great Powers who hoped to be reincarnated through the Underworld Nether Coffin and chose to pass away within it would have a sliver of their Divine Thought preserved due to the coffin’s unique properties.

But when the Divine Thoughts of countless Great Powers mixed, clashed, and merged, they formed an indescribable monster, like a completely new life form gestated by the Underworld Nether Coffin.

When a suitable body entered the coffin, those Divine Thoughts would choose whether or not it was a fitting vessel for their descent into the world.

White Bone True Man stated directly in his notes that the key reason he was able to leave the Underworld Nether Coffin with his consciousness intact was that his strength was ’just right’—neither too strong nor too weak.

Those tyrannical Divine Thoughts that had wandered for tens of thousands of years had looked down on his frail physical body and let him go.

Yet he was also much stronger than the other Core Formation True Men in the Ghost Spirit Sect’s history, which allowed him to resist the corrosion of the Nether Qi in the coffin and transform into the White Bone True Demon Body.

Of course, in the end, he was still killed by Ge Cang.

’Was it a Core Formation Cultivator lured here by Elder Shen and placed in the Underworld Nether Coffin, or did a body prepared within the Water Mansion itself awaken?’

A Cultivator revived from the Underworld wasn’t necessarily overwhelmingly powerful, but dealing with one would certainly require him to use all his trump cards, making it impossible to maintain the persona of ’Li Hansi’.

’Anyway, I’ll be in the Great Wild Marsh for another twenty-something years. When that monster emerges from the Water Mansion, I’ll go and slay it. I can’t very well let it bring disaster to the entire area.’

A monster reborn from the Underworld Nether Coffin would be at least as strong as the White Bone True Man. In the Great Wild Marsh, it could be said to be unstoppable.

If he truly ignored it, it could slaughter the so-called two sects and three families clean, turning the entire Great Wild Marsh into a dead zone.

’In comparison, the Outer Sea Immortal Mansion is still not as important as reaching the Nascent Soul Realm... Venturing millions of li into the Outer Sea would be like serving myself up on a platter to the Dragon Monarch. I’ll wait until I achieve the Nascent Soul Realm and have enough power to protect myself before I explore the Immortal Mansion. No matter what surprises I encounter then, I’ll be able to handle them.’

Opening the Immortal Mansion required all five main lineages; none could be missing. He didn’t have to worry about the other Fish Dragon Sect Cultivators abandoning him and taking the treasure for themselves.

Seeing the sky begin to lighten, Bai Zichen closed his eyes and began his first session of refining nature’s spiritual energy for the day.

In the days that followed, the Great Wild Marsh grew chaotic. Scenes of Cultivators chasing and killing each other became common, and corpses were washed away by the currents.

On the two worst days, large patches of the water were dyed red, attracting dense schools of fish.

The young Cultivator from the Huang Family whom he had met upon arriving in the Great Wild Marsh came to visit him. Only then did he learn that several mysterious Cultivators had broken into the Beihe Shen Family’s clan grounds, killed several Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and plundered the clan’s treasury.

And since the Shen Family Master, Shen Moqun, had not appeared, everyone suspected that the Core Formation True Man had already fallen.

Gradually, Loose Cultivators began to organize and raid the Shen Family, triggering a series of bloody battles.

Huang Tingguang successfully broke through to the Eighth-Layer Qi Refining Realm and began to be heavily cultivated by his family.

Bai Zichen told him that he could come and report if anything major happened in the Great Wild Marsh, but not to bother him with trivial matters.

In return, he offered corrections on the Cultivation Technique Huang Tingguang was practicing.

This basic Qi Refining Technique was far from profound. It had three obvious errors in the way it circulated Magical Power, which wasted thirty percent of the Spiritual Qi one refined.

Bai Zichen’s casual guidance was like a supreme treasure to Huang Tingguang, who now knew he had met a true expert.

After kowtowing repeatedly, he respectfully withdrew.

The conflict gradually subsided. It was said that the Yinchuan Zhang Family had taken action, decisively killing more than a dozen Tribulation Cultivators and intimidating the restless Loose Cultivators.

They also took seventy percent of the Spirit Lands, fisheries, and mines owned by the Beihe Shen Family and distributed them, allowing the Shens to retain only the territory a normal Foundation Establishment Clan should have.

Several surrounding Cultivation Families benefited, and since the Shen Family accepted this outcome, the matter was considered closed.

Another five quiet years passed on the stone platform, disturbed only by a Tier Two Python that recklessly intruded and a team of Loose Cultivators who stubbornly insisted on pressing forward.

The former ended up in a pot of stewed snake soup, while the latter—whether on someone’s orders or for their own reasons—insisted on approaching the Water Eye.

Warnings were useless. After they stepped within a hundred-zhang radius, a flash of Sword Light circled them, and their heads were separated from their bodies.

After that, the news that an unknown Core Formation True Man had taken up residence on the stone platform by the Water Eye, and that the area within a hundred zhang was now a forbidden zone, spread quickly. Few Cultivators appeared nearby after that.

In the mechanical repetition of year after year, Bai Zichen began to study the Beast Taming Technique and Puppetry.

He soon discovered that the art of Puppetry was no less complex than the Artifact Refining Art, and even required a higher degree of creativity.

It was another skill that required a huge investment of time and had to be a primary focus to achieve great things.

The Beast Taming Technique, on the other hand, focused more on affinity and communication with Demon Beasts. A powerful Beast Master could not only form contracts with Spirit Beasts but also understand the habits of various types of Spirit Beasts and raise entire colonies of them.

The best among them could even help Spirit Beasts advance in tier.

Bai Zichen didn’t expect to become an outstanding Beast Master; he just wanted to learn a little more.

His Spirit Beast, Genggeng, received top-tier treatment, but its growth rate in no way suggested it was the offspring of a Tier Three Demon Beast, let alone one whose paternal lineage came from an even higher-tier bloodline.

However, treasure-hunting Spirit Beasts were rare to begin with. Genggeng had enormous potential and would be of great use once it became a Tier Three Spirit Beast.

"A disturbance in the Sword Box?"

On this day, Bai Zichen was looking through a Jade Scroll on the Beast Taming Technique when he noticed the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box in his Dantian Qi Sea begin to vibrate violently. He hastily summoned it out before him.

The Sword Box unfolded, revealing a great change within.

Originally, there were thirty-six wisps of Pure Qi, each corresponding to a slot for thirty-six Flying Swords. But at this moment, all the Flying Swords, including the Moon Xuan Sword, were clustered together in a pile.

All the slots and all the Pure Qi had been given over to a single flying sword: the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword, which was currently surging and roaring as countless bolts of lightning gathered within it.

The thirty-six wisps of Pure Qi scrambled to drill into the Thunder Sword Body, causing the flying sword to be in a constant state of turmoil, its body of coalesced lightning and thunder radiance morphing into all sorts of shapes.

Its power soared, and a supreme, destructive aura emanated from the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword, causing the other Flying Swords to lower their proud hilts and huddle tightly together.

"They’re afraid. Yes, that’s exactly it—fear!"

Bai Zichen could sense the rudimentary emotions of the Tier Three Flying Swords. As Top-Grade Magical Treasures, they all possessed a basic level of Spirituality.

What’s more, the longer they remained in the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box, nurtured by that wisp of Clear Spirit Qi from the dawn of the Great Thousand Realms, the more the power and Spirituality of the Flying Swords slowly increased.

Only the Moon Xuan Sword was joyous and jubilant, showing intense excitement.

"The Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword is ascending to become a Tier Four Flying Sword!"

All the strange phenomena finally made Bai Zichen realize what was happening.

This flying sword from the Upper Realm Sword Immortal Secret Realm had originally fallen from a High Tier, becoming a Tier Three Sword Embryo.

After obtaining it, he had nourished it in his Dantian day after day. More importantly, he had activated the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box, which had elevated its recovery speed to another level.

Finally, today, it was turning back into a Tier Four Flying Sword!