Chapter 483 - 464: Still Daring to Make a Last Stand

Chapter 483: Chapter 464: Still Daring to Make a Last Stand

Using a Soul Search on a Nascent Soul True Monarch was an entirely different matter than using one on a Core Formation True Man.

A Nascent Soul was formed by cultivating one’s Primordial Spirit until it manifested as an infant.

Even if a Nascent Soul True Monarch was unconscious, their Primordial Spirit would spontaneously form a protective barrier that a Soul Searching Technique could not easily penetrate.

The Taiwu Soul Searching and Soul Cutting Technique differed from ordinary, brutal Soul Searching Techniques. It guided the subject, causing them to unknowingly recall their most profound memories.

The scenes replayed, allowing Bai Zichen to "read" through these experiences.

Xin Youhuang’s small Nascent Soul face was contorted in agony. Golden fluid flowed from his eyes, nose, and mouth as he convulsed madly.

He was the genius in whom the Xin Clan had placed high hopes, yet after reaching Foundation Establishment, his cultivation stagnated. He was surpassed by the other disciples one by one...

During a Sect trial, he intentionally leaked his group’s information to the Red Flame Sect.

This led to the deaths of the three most promising Core Formation Seeds of the Hundred Skills Sect during that trial.

Xin Youhuang escaped with his life and was praised by the Sect for his vigilance and caution. His ranking among the Foundation Establishment Disciples shot up...

After countless hardships and innumerable struggles, both open and hidden, he finally obtained a Core Formation Spiritual Object and successfully formed his Golden Core.

He then schemed against one of his own clansmen, stole his fortuitous opportunity, and smoothly cultivated to Core Formation Perfection...

Further on, as the memories approached the stage of Shattering the Core and Transforming into a Nascent Soul, the images shook violently and became fragmented.

A Heaven-Shattering, Earth-Destroying whirlwind swept everything up, tearing it all to shreds.

Had Bai Zichen not reacted quickly and withdrawn his Divine Sense, he would have lost that wisp of Divine Thought as well.

Xin Youhuang’s Nascent Soul looked as if it had encountered something utterly terrifying. Its eyes shot wide open, and with a loud cry, it melted into a puddle of golden liquid.

’Did I trigger some kind of Forbidden restriction, or is the Taiwu Soul Searching and Soul Cutting Technique still unable to bypass the innate defenses of a Nascent Soul...’

Bai Zichen fell silent. This was his most unsuccessful Soul Search yet.

Aside from learning about the sordid deeds of Xin Youhuang’s past, he had gained no secrets about the Hundred Skills Sect, its Secret Vault, or any other valuable information.

’Even his personal belongings were obliterated when his soul perished, vanishing along with his Realm... If not for that valuable opportunity he stole from his own kinsman after Core Formation, I might have come away empty-handed.’

Xin Youhuang had nothing of value on his person. Even if he had been carrying a storage pouch, it would have been annihilated the moment his Dharma Aspect self-destructed.

As for a Realm, it couldn’t be stabilized like a Grotto Heaven. It would collapse within a short period after its master’s death.

Only someone possessing Grotto Heaven Power could temporarily sustain such a Realm or salvage any items left inside it during its collapse.

Of all the memories obtained through the Taiwu Soul Searching and Soul Cutting Technique, only one segment held any real value.

Several hundred years ago, Xin Youhuang had only just reached the Early-Stage Core Formation and was utterly unremarkable among the Core Formation True Men of the Hundred Skills Sect.

In terms of both his cultivation speed and his displayed talent, he was a far cry from showing any potential for reaching the Nascent Soul stage.

There were dozens of Core Formation True Men in the Hundred Skills Sect with a better chance of reaching the Nascent Soul stage; Xin Youhuang wasn’t even considered.

At that time, there was another Core Formation True Man within the Xin Clan. He was a late bloomer, unremarkable in his youth, but after turning thirty, he experienced a sudden enlightenment, and his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds.

Xin Youhuang was a close kinsman and deliberately cultivated a decent relationship with him.

The Hundred Skills Sect was divided into many factions. Two Core Formation True Men teaming up would greatly increase their influence, and after all, a bond of blood was far more reliable than one between ordinary sect-mates.

Xin Youhuang spent a full thirty years gaining his clansman’s trust while secretly investigating the true reason for his rapid cultivation progress.

He waited for his clansman to leave the Sect, then staged a chance encounter on the road and launched a surprise attack. After disguising the scene to look like the work of a Tribulation Cultivator, he "inherited" his clansman’s fortuitous opportunity.

It was a deep stone cavern surrounded by Ziwei Celestial Fire, turning it into a Desolate Land that no cultivator had ever managed to enter.

The Xin Clan cultivator had once been hunting a poisonous moth and had carelessly stumbled into the fiery expanse. By a strange twist of fate, he managed to find the correct path through.

Inside the stone cavern were natural stalactites from which a drop of Earth Spirit Milk would form every ten years. Consuming it caused one’s cultivation to advance greatly.

This man, and later Xin Youhuang, both relied on the Earth Spirit Milk for their rapid cultivation growth.

’It’s a pity I discovered this so late. Earth Spirit Milk has a negligible effect on Nascent Soul Cultivators. Still, it can be refined into other elixirs. When a Core Formation Cultivator consumes it, there’s no erysipelas or other side effects. It’s a supreme, natural Spiritual Object for advancing one’s cultivation.’

Bai Zichen sighed with some regret. If he had obtained Earth Spirit Milk back when he was at the Core Formation stage, he might have reached the Nascent Soul stage twenty or thirty years sooner.

’But even if I don’t use it myself, it would be extremely valuable for trade. There isn’t a single Core Formation Cultivator who wouldn’t want Earth Spirit Milk.’

As for the map to navigate the Ziwei Celestial Fire outside the cavern, he hadn’t obtained it from the Soul Search.

The paper map had most likely been reduced to ash along with Xin Youhuang’s body.

However, he wasn’t discouraged. His Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture and Five Crystal Glaze Body already gave him an extremely high resistance to fire.

More importantly, he had also forged the Sun Element Copper Bone, which was said to be impervious to Celestial Fire, allowing one to pass through it unhindered.

Among the famous Celestial Fires in the Cultivation Realm, the Ziwei Celestial Fire was known for being immensely powerful, violent, and untamable.

But Bai Zichen had faith in his Sun Element Copper Bone and believed he could enter the stone cavern without issue.

Gazing at the ravaged battlefield, Bai Zichen thought for a moment. He took the two drops of Essence Blood he had extracted from Xin Youhuang’s body before incinerating it and let them fall into his Celestial Illusion Bracelet.

His physical form shifted, and in an instant, he had transformed into the deceased Xin Youhuang.

’Not bad. I look just like Xin Youhuang, inside and out. Let’s see if I can infiltrate Wanfu Mountain... If I can clean out the Hundred Skills Sect’s Secret Vault, it’ll be far more profitable than robbing a single cultivator!’

’Xin Youhuang’ flew slowly toward the Mountain Gate, putting on the appearance of being heavily injured.

"Hurry and open the array to let me in! I’ve already killed Feng Yishan of the Celestial Heart Sect!"

The Hundred Skills Sect disciples guarding the mountain were so intimidated by the fierce expression on ’Xin Youhuang’ outside the array that they opened the Grand Array without asking a single question.

Not a single disciple dared to question the enraged Nascent Soul Ancestor about why he, who had unrestricted access throughout the Sect, would even need them to open the Grand Array.

These disciples had personally seen Xin Youhuang leave the Sect and had even heard him instruct them that he was going to meet with Feng Yishan of the Celestial Heart Sect.

He had told everyone to be prepared to support his retreat at a moment’s notice.

The battle just now had been incredibly intense; it was impossible for the cultivators on Wanfu Mountain to have missed it.

Furthermore, the three Dharma Aspects formed from the Ancestors’ Relics were astonishingly powerful. No one believed that Xin Youhuang, armed with the Sect’s ultimate trump card, could possibly lose to a Body Cultivator of the same level.

The idea that he could have exhausted all his means, been killed, his soul extinguished, and then been replaced by an imposter in such a short amount of time—no one would have even considered it.

On Wanfu Mountain, the Tier Four Array opened a circular gap, large enough for several people to pass through.

’Xin Youhuang’ stormed into the array, but the moment his foot touched the ground inside, a series of sharp, piercing alarms blared.

The array began to close rapidly, intending to trap the intruder.

"Something’s wrong, that’s not Ancestor Xin! The Identity Token verification failed! He’s a villain using a Transformation Technique to try and infiltrate our Sect!"

A blond Core Formation True Man was the first to realize and shouted a loud warning.

True Disciples and those of higher status would leave behind some of their Essence Blood to create a Lifebound Soul Lamp, which was kept within the Sect.

This was part of a system where nearly every disciple had a Sect Token for easy identity verification.

Even a body transformed using the real person’s Essence Blood could never resonate with the Lifebound Soul Lamp kept in the Everlasting Hall.

"Silence!"

Bai Zichen glared at the blond Core Formation True Man. Sword Light flared, and the man’s head flew into the air.

"You stand guard here and don’t let this array close. Only with a secure escape route can I plunder this Nascent Soul Major Sect with peace of mind!"

He gently patted his Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword. Thunder Radiance seeped into the air, transforming into a vast Thunder Sea that forcibly halted the Grand Array’s advance.

The Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword was exceptionally Spiritual, and as it was his Lifebound Flying Sword, this task naturally fell to it.

With Xin Youhuang dead, there were few cultivators remaining in the Hundred Skills Sect who could withstand even a single strike from his sword.

His only concern was the possibility of being trapped inside the array, which would force him to confront the entire Grand Array alone.

Bai Zichen flew directly toward the Hundred Skills Sect’s vault, its location fresh in his mind from the Soul Search. At first, cultivators along his path tried to intercept him.

But without a visible flicker of Sword Light, blood blossomed on the foreheads of these courageous Hundred Skills Sect disciples, and they collapsed one after another.

Whether they were Foundation Establishment Cultivators or Core Formation True Men made no difference; not a single one lasted for more than a breath.

After hundreds of disciples died in this bizarre manner, the cultivators of the Hundred Skills Sect were finally terrified into submission, clearing a wide path before him.

Wherever he walked, the cultivators there scattered like frightened birds and beasts.

"Who are you, impersonating our Ancestor and slaughtering our disciples! If you retreat now, our Sect will be magnanimous and let this matter rest without holding you responsible!"

The Hundred Skills Sect reacted quickly. By the time Bai Zichen reached the vault, a large group of disciples had already assembled into an array to confront him.

A Late-Stage Core Formation Elder took the lead, accompanied by three other Core Formation True Men and several hundred disciples, all forming a powerful Battle Array.

"If you persist in this folly, you will face our thunderous wrath!"

"Heh heh... Even Xin Youhuang died by my hand. Let’s see what other tricks the Hundred Skills Sect has up its sleeve!"

Bai Zichen paid no heed to the cultivator’s blustering words. A beam of Moonlight Sword Light shot out, descending straight into the center of the Battle Array.

A brilliantly colored toad materialized at the center of the Battle Array. It croaked twice and collided with the Sword Light.

BOOM!

The Battle Array, unleashed at full strength, reached a power level that was infinitesimally close to the Nascent Soul Level, creating a massive explosion in the air.

But before Bai Zichen, this level of power was still woefully insufficient.

All the cultivators in this Battle Array practiced a specific, corresponding Gu Technique, each of them raising one or even several Poisonous Toads.

When they activated the Battle Array, their Gu Insects linked together, converging to form a Gu King that was somewhere between Tier Three and Tier Four in power.

The chilling Moonlight Sword Light didn’t linger after the initial collision. It wheeled around in a half-circle and slashed down at the Poisonous Toad’s head.

The five-colored toad shrieked in pain as venom of all colors splattered out, rapidly corroding everything it touched and melting large holes in the ground.

The Moonlight Sword Light changed tactics, playing to its strengths instead of engaging the Battle Array in a direct, rigid confrontation.

It struck from unexpected angles, each slash faster than the last. In the blink of an eye, the poisonous toad was riddled with holes, looking like a torn rag.

"Quickly, summon the next Gu Insect!"

The cultivators within the Hundred Skills Sect’s Battle Array were visibly thrown into a panic.

The leading Core Formation Perfection cultivator roared and abandoned control of the five-colored toad.

A three-foot-long Centipede crawled up his arm. He crushed it with a single finger, and its Divine Soul was sucked into the array.

The other disciples quickly followed suit, sacrificing the various Centipede Demon Insects they had raised. In an instant, another lifelike Centipede materialized in the air.