Chapter 449 - 439: The Mastermind (Part 2)

Chapter 449: Chapter 439: The Mastermind (Part 2)

The broadly built Core Formation elder pulled the corners of his mouth into a smile, but his expression was so stiff that it looked rather bizarre.

"You’re only a Late-Stage Core Formation cultivator, same as me... As for this opportunity to reach the Nascent Soul Realm, why haven’t you taken it for yourself?"

The Core Formation Demon Cultivator was capricious. Because he practiced the Suppression Spell, he would often hear faint, repeating chants from a Witch Priest whenever he entered Meditation.

The voices seemed to travel through time, coming from the distant past, and were impossible to block out.

While this had allowed him to master the bizarrely powerful Suppression Spell, it had also left him mentally fractured and prone to nonsensical muttering.

However, when the Witch Priest’s chants subsided, he reverted to the same calm and cruel Core Formation Demon Cultivator he had always been.

"An opportunity to reach the Nascent Soul Realm is incredibly precious. My master has his own plans!"

A flicker of shame and anger crossed the elder’s eyes as he flashed a Token in his hand.

"Fellow Daoist, since you are from the Eastern Domain, you should understand what this represents and know that my master indeed has the power to make this happen."

"I need a guarantee. If things go south, I must be able to retreat to the Outer Sea immediately... If that Bai Zichen becomes a True Monarch, handing his disciple over to you means burning my bridges completely. I’ll never be able to leave the Sea of Suffering again."

The Core Formation Demon Cultivator mused for a long time before speaking slowly.

"Rest assured. The Star Constellation Sea always honors its promises, and we are especially generous with rewards for those who serve us well..."

The elder’s delight was written all over his face as he clapped his hands and laughed.

...

The life of a Core Formation Cultivator, even with Bai Zichen compressing less than half of its fragments, was still indescribably vast.

A Cultivator of the same Realm would need several days to absorb it all and would suffer from an aching, bloated Sea of Consciousness due to the overwhelming influx of information.

But there is a qualitative difference between a Nascent Soul True Monarch and a Core Formation True Man, let alone someone like Bai Zichen, whose Divine Sense was much stronger than his peers.

The life experiences he was viewing were fast-forwarded a million-fold. To a Nascent Soul cultivator, this immense amount of information was nothing; he absorbed it all.

’Star Constellation Sea... True Dragon Decree...’

Bai Zichen had long since discovered Huo Feiyan wasn’t in the Nine Nether Cave, but he hadn’t expected their conversation to reveal the shadowy force targeting the Qingfeng Sect.

The True Dragon Decree was the token of the Star Constellation Sea from the Outer Sea, possessing the power to command the Demon Beasts of the ocean.

However, once a Demon Beast reached Tier Three, its Spiritual Wisdom would increase, and the effectiveness of the True Dragon Decree would diminish significantly.

To a Tier Four Shapeshifting Great Demon, the so-called True Dragon Decree was nothing more than a piece of scrap metal. Whether they chose to acknowledge it depended entirely on who was holding it.

’The Dragon Monarch already knows I have the Holy Beast Essence Blood. But since he’s of the Demon Race, he can’t easily set foot on the mainland, so he sent his subordinate Cultivators to stir up trouble first?’

Bai Zichen’s expression grew solemn. The feeling of having everything under his control, which he’d had since reaching the Nascent Soul Realm, was beginning to fade.

It was already extremely difficult to kill a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

Furthermore, there were no Late-Stage Nascent Soul Great True Monarchs in the Northern Domain. As long as he didn’t willingly walk into a trap, there was truly nothing that could threaten him.

In fact, if a trap wasn’t strong enough, he could even turn the tables and injure his ambushers.

With his Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword and Five Crystal Glaze Body, he could sweep away all opposition, provided a Great True Monarch didn’t intervene.

Even if someone brought out a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure, Bai Zichen wouldn’t be overly concerned.

Under the stimulation of a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure, the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword’s growth and recovery might even reach a new level. It could potentially become a Tier Five Flying Sword ahead of schedule, without even needing an infusion of Grotto Heaven Power.

But the Dragon Monarch was different. He was an opponent who posed a genuine threat.

’When the Fish Dragon Sect was destroyed hundreds of years ago, the Dragon Monarch was already Tier Four Top Grade. It’s likely grown even stronger since then... And as the overlord of the overseas Demon Race, it possesses a True Dragon Bloodline. Its power can’t be judged by its Tier alone. I fear that even two or three Cultivators of the same Tier would be no match for it.’

The Holy Beast Essence Blood was tied to the Dragon Monarch’s hope of advancing to Tier Five and becoming the supreme ruler of this world. This meant there was no room for negotiation between them.

The feud born from obstructing one’s path to power is greater than that of murdering one’s parents; it is an enmity that can never be resolved.

Likewise, Bai Zichen could never hand over the Holy Beast Essence Blood. Even though he had already mastered the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword and no longer needed the Cyan Dragon Aura to mutate his Wood God Skill, the mere fact that the Holy Beast Essence Blood could transform his Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture and further improve the aptitude of his Fire Spiritual Root made it immensely valuable to him.

Besides, the uses of the Holy Beast Essence Blood went far beyond that; he had currently tapped into less than one percent of its potential.

’The Dragon Monarch fears the Divinity Transformation Cultivators of the Human Race and doesn’t dare step onto the mainland. Ironically, those Super Sects have become my greatest shield. It’s impossible for a few Human Race Cultivators who’ve defected to the Star Constellation Sea to actually deal with me. At most, they can only harass me, like they did this time, or try to affect my Sect from the shadows.’

He had originally planned to use Li Hansi’s identity to infiltrate one of the Fish Dragon Sect’s five main lineage succession teams and travel to the Outer Sea to open that Immortal Mountain.

But looking at the situation now, the risk was far too great.

No matter how arrogant he might be, he didn’t believe he could get the better of the Dragon Monarch.

His greatest trump card, the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword, could be used twice, but the resulting loss of four hundred years of life force was far from enough to seriously injure a Tier Four Dragon Beast.

Furthermore, the Dragon Monarch would have the home-field advantage, making him as formidable as a tiger with wings. He could also mobilize various Tier Four Great Demons from across the sea for support.

At that point, there would be no escape. He would be walking right into the Dragon Monarch’s jaws.

’I’d better avoid even the coastal areas of the Eastern Domain. If I were the Dragon Monarch and discovered the target I’d been obsessed with was so close, I’d probably risk it all, come ashore, and snatch my prize. The Divinity Transformation Cultivators spend all their time in their Grotto Heaven Secret Realms. By the time they even realized what was happening, it would be far too late!’