Chapter 474 - 456: There Is a Better Sword

Chapter 474: Chapter 456: There Is a Better Sword

"You two have other ideas about the Demon Saint Pearl?"

Bai Zichen’s gaze swept across their faces. In his memory, Master Qingmu was magnanimous and responsible, while Master Hei Shui was decisive and principled.

They weren’t the type to be indecisive, to waver on a matter that had already been settled.

"To be honest, True Monarch Bai, the Demon Saint Pearl is indeed useless to Human Race Cultivators like us. The Five Elements Sect is a mere Core Formation Level Sect. We have neither the need nor the right to think and act from the grand perspective of the two races, stubbornly hiding the Demon Saint Pearl to sever the Qingqiu Death Sea’s bloodline."

Master Hei Shui’s thoughts were clear; he was obviously not acting out of spite.

"It’s just that the Ancestor once mentioned that the Demon Saint Pearl is also the key to a Medicine Garden Secret Realm. Inside, there are numerous Thousand-Year-Old Spirit Grasses, Ten Thousand Years Spirit Plants, and even a Nascent Soul Fruit. That Secret Realm has no fixed location; it drifts at random. Unfortunately, after the Ancestor returned to the Sect, he couldn’t even maintain his Nascent Soul Body. He passed away from his grievous injuries a few years later. We, his descendants, have been useless. One needs a Nascent Soul Cultivation to even sense the Medicine Garden Secret Realm, so we’ve never been able to make the journey."

"If you agree to join us, True Monarch Bai, we can combine our strengths to explore the Medicine Garden Secret Realm. We’ll split everything we find fifty-fifty."

’So that’s how it is...’

Bai Zichen tapped his fingers lightly. No wonder the two were wavering. When the sole hope for the Great Dao was laid before them, how many could remain indifferent?

The Nascent Soul Fruit was the main ingredient for refining the Nascent Soul Pill, a Spirit Pill that every Core Formation True Man dreamed of. The two True Men of the Five Elements Sect clearly still harbored a sliver of hope for advancing on the Great Dao.

But given their age, what they actually needed most wasn’t the Nascent Soul Pill, but a Realm-Breaking Spiritual Pill like the Tribulation Crossing Pill.

Otherwise, even with a Nascent Soul Pill in hand, they would likely exhaust their lifespan before they could even cultivate to Core Formation Perfection.

"A Medicine Garden Secret Realm is indeed tempting, but we’re talking about the Qingqiu Death Sea... In this world, besides the Moral Sect, which sect would dare claim they could defeat it?"

If there really was a Medicine Garden Secret Realm that hadn’t been opened in a long time, even if Bai Zichen himself had no use for the Nascent Soul Fruit, there would surely be a large quantity of other spirit grasses over a thousand years old inside.

There might even be rare flowers and exotic herbs useful to Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

Facing the wrath of the Qingqiu Death Sea for a mere Medicine Garden Secret Realm.

It came back to the same point: unless you had the Moral Sect backing you.

Besides, the Five Elements Ancestor was already heavily injured back then. He might not have known the full story about the Demon Saint Pearl being able to open the secret realm.

If a spare Demon Saint Pearl could be the key, there was no reason the genuine one couldn’t.

Perhaps the Qingqiu Death Sea regularly entered that Medicine Garden Secret Realm to harvest it. By the time you got in, you might only find bare Spirit Plants and immature Spirit Medicines.

"True Monarch Bai makes a good point. We were being too naive... Our Sect has no connection to the Moral Sect, and it’s too late to try and latch on to them now."

Master Hei Shui’s expression darkened. He knew in his heart that the chances were slim, but their desire for Longevity and Vision made them cling to one last hope.

After chatting for a few more moments, the two rose to take their leave.

"Junior Brother, not having a Nascent Soul Fruit doesn’t mean reaching Nascent Soul is hopeless. Didn’t the two True Monarchs of the Qingfeng Sect succeed in Shattering Core and Transforming into Nascent Soul without the help of any elixirs?"

After walking down from Red Fire Peak in silence, Master Qingmu finally spoke to comfort his junior brother beside him.

After all, he had been delayed for a century by the chronic ailment of the Demon Fire. Even if he resumed his path, Master Qingmu’s chances of reaching Nascent Soul were minuscule.

In comparison, Master Hei Shui’s chances were a bit higher.

"Ge Cang and Bai Zichen... those two True Monarchs are peerless talents, destined for greatness. I am far from their level... The Northern Domain is a cold, barren, and remote land. The Qingfeng Sect had never even produced a single Nascent Soul in its history, which makes their achievement all the more incredible." 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

Master Hei Shui shook his head slightly. Only a cultivator who had faced countless setbacks at the Core Formation Stage bottleneck, with no path forward in sight, could truly appreciate how terrifyingly difficult it was to reach Nascent Soul at just over a hundred years old.

"But one thing is certain: I won’t give up before I die of old age. Even if I am to die, I’ll die facing a Celestial Tribulation... And if our generation can’t do it, then among the next generation of disciples, or the one after that, someone will surely succeed."

"By the way, didn’t we agree to give the Tier Three Snow Forged Sword from our Sect to True Monarch Bai as thanks for his great kindness in saving our Sect from peril? Junior Brother, why didn’t you mention it before we left?"

Seeing that his junior brother hadn’t lost his fighting spirit, Master Qingmu felt a sense of relief.

"We offered a Tier Three Flying Sword as a reward because it was the only presentable one in our Sect’s treasury, not because his favor is only worth a single Snow Forged Sword. But he just gifted us a scroll of the Five Elements Qi Gathering Method. If we now offer the Snow Forged Sword, it feels... off. It’s as if we’re using the sword to cancel out the favor of the Cultivation Technique he gave us."

Master Hei Shui’s expression turned serious as he tightened his grip on the Jade Scroll in his hand.

"I’m going to find Brother Houtu right now and explain the whole situation to him. Our two sects, regardless of which is stronger or weaker, have always looked out for each other. We have never been in a situation where we only accept help without giving anything in return. Over time, that would naturally sour our relationship, making us seem like a vassal."

"We must present a gift of corresponding value in return to maintain our Sect’s proper standing."

"Our Sect was never known for its Sword Dao. The Snow Forged was brought back by a Peak Master several hundred years ago and donated to the Sect’s treasury before he passed away. Ordinary Treasures won’t catch the eye of a Nascent Soul True Monarch, and we have no Flying Sword better than the Snow Forged."

Master Qingmu agreed deeply, already trying to recall what other presentable Treasures they had in their treasury.

"Who said our Sect doesn’t have a better Flying Sword? Have you forgotten that Great Divine Technique, Senior Brother? If one can master it, its Divine Light is like a thread, unstoppable, and can transform into the Five Elements Divine Sword. Back then, the Ancestor relied on this Divine Technique to dominate the Southern Domain and seize the foundation at Two Realms Mountain from the hands of several other True Monarchs."

Master Hei Shui calmly delivered this Earth-Shattering news.

"Is... is that feasible?"

Master Qingmu was clearly stunned, standing frozen on the spot as he spoke.

"Why not? This Divine Technique isn’t even part of a Cultivation Technique; it can be cultivated separately. It’s said to be the bane of all Five Elements Magic and Five Elements items in the world, yet for thousands of years, not a single one of the many Sect Cultivators has been able to reproduce the divine might it had in the Ancestor’s hands. In terms of value, is it truly superior to the Desolate God Stealing Sun Technique, which everyone can cultivate and which benefits the entire Sect?"

Master Hei Shui calmly retorted.

"That may be so, but this is... too hard to accept all at once..."

"Then the three of us will discuss it and make a decision."

The two of them each used an Escape Technique and headed toward Thick Earth Peak.

* * *

Wisps of the Power of Void queued up, waiting for Refinement. He didn’t have to endure endless boredom high in the heavens like other Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

Up there, one’s only companions all day were the rampaging Gang Wind, pieces of Outer Heaven Meteorite Iron that were opened with great expectation only to prove worthless, and multicolored Cosmic Light Beams.

Occasionally, a cluster of Great Sun Celestial Fire would fall, incinerating everything in that space, including the air itself.

It wasn’t just mental torment. The crucial part was that during the long wait for the Power of Void to appear, one couldn’t even refine nature’s spiritual energy due to the special environment.

If he really had to stay high in the heavens for several decades, it would be a complete waste of all those years of Cultivation time for him.

Bai Zichen formed a seal with his hands. A Fire Dragon soared into the sky behind him, resonating with the Spirit Land on Red Fire Peak. The Fire Element Spiritual Energy of the entire mountain peak seemed to cheer and dance.

The Spiritual Qi provided by the Tier Four Spirit Land wasn’t enough; he had to draw in the Spiritual Qi from the entire mountain.

Inside the cave, the Fire Element Spiritual Energy was so dense that it formed a fire cloud, pressing down with a dark glow.

For anyone with a Cultivation below the Core Formation Stage, being in such an environment wasn’t a place of cultivation; every breath was a potent poison.

Their bodies couldn’t withstand such pure Fire Element Spiritual Energy at all. Their meridians would burst instantly, and the Magical Power within them would ignite, burning everything to ashes.

Even a Core Formation True Man could only stay for a short while. After more than ten breaths, their Golden Core would surely be filled with crimson filaments of energy that they couldn’t possibly refine and absorb in time.

Above his head sat a cross-legged Nascent Soul Xiaobai, with a miniature Fire Dragon swinging its tail.

The two Fire Dragons devoured the Fire Element Spiritual Energy simultaneously. Each time they raised their heads and let out a dragon’s cry, they would blast the fire cloud to shreds, scattering it like clumps of torn cotton.

With such an external environment, coupled with the Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture cultivated to Perfection, the work of refining the Power of Void—a task that consumed both Heart Power and True Essence—didn’t stop for even a moment.

With the Refinement of each wisp of the Power of Void, his Realm expanded abruptly, its scope soon exceeding the size of the Spirit Land.

’I’ve discovered a slight difference. If I were capturing the Power of Void myself, I would have to refine each wisp on the spot as I caught it. Only by using a Space Spiritual Object to draw in so much at once can I achieve this kind of continuous, uninterrupted process.’

There were, of course, benefits to being able to refine the Power of Void continuously.

It allowed every single trace of the Power of Void to be utilized perfectly, without any waste.

If he were to refine it wisp by wisp, there would inevitably be some loss and waste.

One hundred zhang, five hundred zhang, one thousand zhang... all the way to eighteen li, all of the Power of Void was refined.

An empty Nascent Soul Realm was formed, waiting for its master to cultivate it and manifest the Great Dao within.

With a roar, the two Fire Dragons, one large and one small, rushed into the Realm, dyeing the blank expanse with its first splash of crimson.

’There really is Spiritual Qi in the Realm, but it’s extremely faint, not even reaching Tier Entry levels. However, if I can find a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Object like an Eye of the Spirit Spring or a Spirit Wood Heart and place it in the Realm, I can quickly improve this situation. Of course, the most important thing is still the manifestation of the Great Dao, giving my Realm its own Celestial Dao.’

Nascent Soul Xiaobai hopped and also entered the Realm.

As for subsequent development, some Nascent Soul True Monarchs turned their Realm into their own trump card, one that could have a decisive effect during Combat.

A considerable number of others, however, simply used their Realm as a Storage Magical Treasure.

No matter where they went, they could travel stylishly empty-handed.

What followed would be a long process of learning and progressing, step by step, toward the kind of Realm a Nascent Soul Old Monster would have.

Normally, the Realm of Early-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivators was around ten li in scope.

Only when their Cultivation deepened and they were Breaking Realm could they expand it again, refining new Void Spiritual Power into it.

When Bai Zichen was refining the last two wisps of the Power of Void, he could clearly feel the strain, and the scope of his Realm increased by only a negligible fraction.

He already knew that he had reached his limit.

’I can start thinking about how to build my Realm now...’

Nascent Soul Xiaobai returned to his Dantian Qi Sea. Bai Zichen opened his eyes, and the two dragons circled once before disappearing into his Realm.

The strange phenomenon of the fire cloud, which had persisted for many days, finally ceased, and Red Fire Peak returned to its usual tranquility.