Chapter 471 - 453: Demon Saint Pearl (2)

Chapter 471: Chapter 453: Demon Saint Pearl (2)

Fengg Yishan’s expression turned serious, and he spoke with a tone of warning.

Bai Zichen watched Fengg Yishan’s departing back in silence. ’It seems a great power really has its sights set on the Five Elements Sect.’

’To make three Nascent Soul Sects willingly act as pawns... there are probably only a handful of powers in the entire Southern Domain capable of that.’

’What did Fengg Yishan mean by that? Was he trying to get on my good side, to make me owe him a favor?’

Of the three, Fengg Yishan was slightly stronger, mainly because his Nascent Soul Realm was more powerful.

This proved that back when he broke through, his Refinement of the Power of Void and his grasp of the Great Dao True Intent were both a cut above the others.

Judging by the refinement of Fengg Yishan’s True Essence, he was likely not far from the Peak of Early-Stage Nascent Soul.

"We are eternally grateful for your immense kindness, Senior... I am Houtu of the Five Elements Sect, here with my two junior brothers to express our gratitude. May we ask where you hail from, Senior? Are you perhaps an old acquaintance of our sect’s Ancestor?"

A flash of Spirit Light from the Five Elements Annihilation Array teleported Master Houtu and the other two out, and they bowed respectfully to pay their respects.

During the battle earlier, when a Nascent Soul True Monarch suddenly appeared, they hadn’t known if he was friend or foe. They didn’t dare offer assistance and could only focus on defending the sect.

In other words, a Combat at the Nascent Soul Level was not something they could interfere with. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Even if they had wanted to use the remaining lethal restrictions of the Five Elements Annihilation Array, the distance was too great. The combatants were moving too erratically in the heat of battle, and without a Tier Four Array Master, the Five Elements Sect had no confidence they could control who the attacks would ultimately strike.

Only a Tier Four Array Master could truly unleash the mysteries of a Tier Four Grand Array. A Forbidden could lock onto a target’s Divine Thought, making it impossible for even a Nascent Soul True Monarch to dodge easily.

"Master Houtu, there’s no need for such ceremony. Our two sects are inextricably linked and have always watched over one another. It was only natural that I would intervene."

Bai Zichen made a lifting gesture, and an invisible force prevented the three from completing their bow.

Master Qingmu felt the gentle yet irresistible force on his knees. The voice sounded familiar, and he couldn’t help but look up. He was completely stunned. "You’re Little Friend Bai... no, True Monarch Bai."

Master Hei Shui was equally dumbfounded. His usual somber and placid expression gave way to such shock that his jaw nearly hit the floor.

"True Monarch Bai, you’re... Bai from the Qingfeng Sect? We hadn’t yet received the joyous news of your breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm. Please forgive our ignorance."

Master Houtu froze for a moment before it dawned on him.

The Five Elements Sect’s ways were out of sync with the rest of the Southern Domain, so they had no real allies to speak of.

Their only true ally was the Qingfeng Sect, far in the Northern Domain.

Over the millennium, the two had helped each other on many occasions and maintained a close relationship.

It was only in recent years that the gap in power and status between the two sects widened rapidly, all because of an exceptionally talented cultivator named Ge Cang.

The most recent intelligence they’d received from the Qingfeng Sect mentioned a cultivator with overflowing Sword Dao Talent named Bai Zichen, who was already at the Mid-Stage Core Formation Realm despite his young age.

At the time, Master Houtu and his two junior brothers had remarked on how fortunes turn like a wheel. After several centuries of lying low, the Qingfeng Sect seemed to be finally cashing in on all its accumulated luck.

But they never imagined that by their next meeting, Bai Zichen would already be a Nascent Soul Elder.

By their calculations, he was only just over a hundred years old when he achieved his Nascent Soul.

Forget the Northern Domain—even in the Central Domain, Master Houtu couldn’t think of a single True Monarch who had reached the Nascent Soul Realm at a younger age.

Great True Monarch Hongfa of the Moral Sect, known as the number one person below the Divinity Transformation Realm, was already two hundred years old when he achieved his Nascent Soul.

Individuals who reached the Nascent Soul Realm in just over a century were figures primarily from before the Middle Ancient era—Banished Immortals descending to the world, remnants of ancient Great Powers, living myths and legends.

Hundred Days Foundation Establishment, Ten Years of Core Formation, Nascent Soul within a 60-Year Cycle.

Such was the progression spoken of in the legends of the Moral Sect’s most famous Ancestor, True Monarch Xianhua, who successfully achieved Ascension.

True Monarch Xianhua, who rose to prominence after the Demon-Sealing War, was known as the beacon of hope for the Human Race during the last years of the Ancient Times.

He single-handedly led the Human Race Cultivators to resist the Demon Race, Outer Demons, and Divine Descendants.

He expanded the Human Race’s tiny territory, carving it out into the vast expanse known today as the Central Domain.

"Our two sects share a deep bond, and Master Qingmu and Master Hei Shui in particular have done my sect a great service. There is no need for such formality. We can speak as peers."

Bai Zichen could see their awkward formality and spoke to put them at ease.

"I always knew you were destined for greatness, True Monarch Bai, but your achievements today are still shocking... With True Monarch Ge and you, the Qingfeng Sect’s rise to become the number one sect in the Northern Domain is only a matter of time."

Master Qingmu let out a soft sigh of relief. It was always somewhat awkward to be surpassed by a junior, especially by such an enormous margin.

"Please, True Monarch Bai, enter our sect."

The Five Elements Annihilation Array was deactivated, finally revealing the five peaks of Two Realms Mountain.

There was no hierarchy among the five peaks; whichever peak the current Sect Leader hailed from would temporarily become the main peak.

Bai Zichen followed the three up Thick Earth Peak and into a spacious hall, where they all took their seats according to status.

"How did the Five Elements Sect provoke those three sects, leading three Nascent Soul True Monarchs to join forces and attack Two Realms Mountain?"

Bai Zichen was direct. From what Fengg Yishan had said, he knew this matter would not be easily resolved.

’If I want to eliminate this threat to the Five Elements Sect for good, rather than just helping them weather the storm, I have to find the source of the problem.’

"To be frank, True Monarch Bai, those three sects want to destroy our sect for a Treasure called the Demon Saint Pearl..."

The relationship between their two sects was exceptional, and Bai Zichen had just saved the Five Elements Sect from peril, so Master Houtu did not hide the truth and began to tell the whole story.

With his signature Great Five Elements Annihilation Divine Light, the Five Elements Ancestor Master’s status in the Southern Domain was once comparable to that of today’s Blood God Son. He was seen as a promising candidate to reach the Divinity Transformation Realm.

But the Five Elements Holy Body was both a blessing and a curse.

This Sacred Body allowed the Five Elements Ancestor Master to reach the Mid-Stage Nascent Soul Realm, but it also erected an impossible hurdle for his breakthrough to Divinity Transformation.

When other cultivators break through to Divinity Transformation, they channel Grotto Heaven Power. Their Divine Thought solidifies, allowing them to control the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power and, for a short time, even alter the laws of an area with their own Great Dao True Intent.

However, because their cultivation path had been too smooth, a possessor of the Five Elements Sacred Body had to make up for everything at the Nascent Soul Perfection Realm.

Only by achieving Five Elements Unity and Divine Form Union could one cross this Celestial Chasm.

But Five Elements Unity was something even a Divinity Transformation Great Power would only consider when trying to break through to the Void Refining Realm of the Upper Realm. It was far beyond the limits of what a Nascent Soul Cultivator could comprehend.

After making numerous inquiries, the Five Elements Ancestor learned that a so-called Heavenly Creation Divine Object, which could aid in refining the Five Elements, was located in the Qingqiu Death Sea. He risked his life to enter the sea in search of it.

He survived countless perils but never found the Heavenly Creation Divine Object. Instead, he unexpectedly came away with a Demon Saint Pearl.

It was said that this item was passed down from a Demon Saint of the Celestial Demon Realm and possessed the incredible ability to purify bloodlines and sublimate one’s fundamental essence.

Although it couldn’t directly enhance a member of the Demon Race’s strength, their potential would increase by leaps and bounds.

It was precisely because of this Demon Saint Pearl that the Qingqiu Death Sea, without recruiting from other demon clans and relying solely on its own people, firmly established its position as a Demon Race Sacred Land.

The rulers of the Qingqiu Death Sea, the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Race, have produced multiple Tier Four Great Demons in every generation; the Demon Saint Pearl surely played a significant role in that success.

The Demon Saint Pearl that the Five Elements Ancestor took was likely a spare. It remained in the sect’s treasury for thousands of years, untouched and safe.

Then, several decades ago, a rumor began to circulate that a Tier Four Peak Great Demon from the Qingqiu Death Sea had attempted to break through to the Divinity Transformation Realm and failed at the last moment.

At first, everyone dismissed it as a false rumor, but then a gloomy rain fell continuously around the Qingqiu Death Sea for forty-nine straight days.

A well-learned cultivator pointed out that this was the external manifestation that occurs after a Great True Monarch perishes.

If a Divinity Transformation Great Power were to pass away, it would be even more dramatic: heaven and earth would grieve in unison, the sun and moon would weep, and the mountains and rivers would shed tears.

The effects would be felt for a thousand miles around, even causing anomalies in the operation of the world’s laws.

"Our guess is that when that Great Demon attempted to break through to Divinity Transformation, it couldn’t withstand the Grotto Heaven Power and was assimilated by the void. It’s highly likely that the primary Demon Saint Pearl was on its body at the time and was swept away by the turbulent void currents."

"Otherwise, there’s no way to explain why the Qingqiu Death Sea paid us no mind for so long. The moment this incident occurred, trouble came knocking. They even risked universal condemnation by using Human Race Cultivators to destroy a Human Race Sect."

If the Demon Saint Pearl held by the Five Elements Sect had truly become the last of its kind in the Cultivation Realm, it’s no wonder the Qingqiu Death Sea would stop at nothing to get it.

This relates to the very continuation and survival of the Qingqiu Death Sea, making it a feud equivalent to obstructing one’s path on the Great Dao. The fact that they had to resort to using a Human Race Nascent Soul Sect to act on their behalf shows just how powerful the Moral Sect’s deterrence is.

After all, the last time the Celestial Punishment Peak Master took action, it was precisely because an Eight-Tailed Demon Fox from the Qingqiu Death Sea was slaughtering human-demon hybrids to collect their Essence Blood. He was ultimately executed on the spot.