Chapter 486 - 467: Taking Stock of the Gains

Chapter 486: Chapter 467: Taking Stock of the Gains

Yu Baichan had been a Core Formation True Man when he left the Hundred Skills Sect, and at the time, all pretenses had been utterly shattered.

He had been prepared to leave Dian Country and head for the nations further south to live out his days.

That region still had a primordial, untamed feel to it, with numerous Insect Beasts occupying the mountains and few signs of human life.

As long as one had enough strength, it was easy to seize territory.

Who would have thought that after only a few years in Dian Country, while fleeing for his life from pursuers, he would stumble into a mire, fall into a tomb, and obtain the legacy of an Ancient Insect Cultivator?

He learned the three volumes of the Gu Scripture and acquired dozens of insect eggs.

Although most of these eggs had lost their vitality, Yu Baichan ultimately managed to cultivate three Golden Silkworm Gu.

With these, he became a famous Gu Technique Loose Immortal in the Southern Domain, successfully reached the Nascent Soul realm, and even earned the moniker "Three Extremes Gu Immortal."

The three Golden Silkworm Gu in his possession each had the strength of the Core Formation Perfection stage. They feared neither fire nor water, were impervious to metal and stone, and were extremely difficult to kill.

He also had a swarm of Tier Three Green-Scaled Scorpions, numbering over a hundred, that struck terror into the hearts of all who heard of them.

The last of his "three extremes" was a mysterious Gu Insect that no one had ever seen, known only to possess Tier Four strength.

Relying on his powerful army of Gu Insects, Yu Baichan became one of the most prominent Loose Cultivators in the Southern Domain. Many Sects had extended an olive branch, offering him the position of Supreme Elder, but he had politely refused them all.

Xin Youhuang had once secretly humbled himself, trying to invite Yu Baichan back, but he had received no response whatsoever.

At the very least, however, it allowed the lineage of Yu Baichan’s martial nephew to establish contact with him.

"Ancestor Xin has passed away, and more than half of the Sect’s Elders have fallen! If Ancestor Yu doesn’t return, I’m afraid the Sect won’t be able to survive!"

The Cultivators of the Hundred Skills Sect knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly to the ethereal, green-smoked figure in the air.

"Such grievous casualties... I really don’t know how Xin Youhuang led the Sect. Even in death, I doubt he has the face to meet the ancestors!"

Yu Baichan sneered, but his heart leaped as he pressed for more information.

"Tell me everything in detail. What exactly happened? How did you manage to provoke that Northern Domain Sword Cultivator? I heard of him back when I was in Nan Chu. They say several Sword Cultivation Sects in the Central Domain are waiting for him to visit so they can challenge him to a sword duel. It’s unlikely his reputation is undeserved."

With Xin Youhuang dead and nearly half of the Hundred Skills Sect’s Core Formation True Man backbone wiped out, this was the perfect opportunity for Yu Baichan to return to the Sect—the timing, the place, and the people were all aligned.

With his strength, plus the few Direct Disciples he had taken in over the years, there was no one left in the Hundred Skills Sect who could possibly oppose him.

He hadn’t been willing to return before because he would have only been a Supreme Elder in name, with the real power remaining in Xin Youhuang’s hands.

But the situation now was entirely different.

"What a bunch of idiots! Lording it over others in this tiny country for so long, they actually dared to underestimate a true genius of the world!"

After hearing the full story, Yu Baichan was fuming, unable to believe that the same sect brothers who had once forced him out could act with such reckless stupidity.

It just went to show that it was necessary to get out and see the world more. Living like a frog in a well, one unconsciously develops the habit of not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth.

If he hadn’t traveled the Central Domain for a century after mastering his Gu Techniques, broadening his horizons, he never would have known that such astonishingly brilliant Cultivators existed in the Cultivation Realm.

Even though they were both in the Early-Stage Nascent Soul realm, Yu Baichan hadn’t lasted ten sword strikes against that genius Sword Monarch from the Five Phoenix Sword Sect before he felt the aura of death.

Even his strongest trump card was nearly sliced in two by a flash of Sword Light.

Fortunately, it had only been a Combat match with a wager. He was representing a friend’s Sect, with the ownership of a large Spirit Stone Ore Vein hanging on the outcome.

After his defeat, his opponent had sheathed his sword and stopped, not pressing the attack to kill.

But it had left a deep-seated fear of Sword Cultivators in his heart.

"Knowing full well that he had only just reached the Nascent Soul realm and could already fight one against three, forcing three cultivators of the same tier to flee for their lives, should have made it clear that the rumors were true! At a minimum, he’s an Unparalleled Sword Cultivator on the path to becoming a Great True Monarch. And you still dared to go after the Sect under his protection afterward? The key is that you even sent messages, exposing your intentions! Don’t they understand the simple principle that carelessness leads to ruin? The Hundred Skills Sect is lucky to have survived this long before meeting disaster!"

Railing against Xin Youhuang from start to finish, Yu Baichan felt an immense sense of satisfaction.

At the same time, he felt there were no hidden dangers in returning to take over the Hundred Skills Sect. That Northern Domain Sword Cultivator, no matter how you looked at it, was not the type to remain in Dian Country for long.

As long as he knew his place and improved relations with the Five Elements Sect, Xin Youhuang’s life would be enough to appease the man’s anger. The deterrent effect, he believed, would also be sufficient.

"Take stock of the Sect’s losses. Don’t worry about petty opportunists hearing the news and trying to cause trouble... This phantom projection of mine can last for three days without taking action, which is long enough for my true self to return."

"We will obey the Ancestor’s decree!"

The spirits of the Hundred Skills Sect disciples soared. At such a critical juncture, having a Nascent Soul True Monarch willing to return to the Sect was a powerful shot in the arm for their shattered confidence.

"What did you say? The Secret Vault is completely empty?! What a bunch of absolute trash!"

Several hours later, when he received the list of losses, Yu Baichan lost his composure and roared in fury. The terrifying pressure of a Nascent Soul True Monarch swept through the area.

Even though it was just a phantom projection summoned by a Secret Technique, it sent the kneeling Cultivators below sprawling, their legs trembling uncontrollably.

...

’Making an example of the Hundred Skills Sect should be enough this time. For the next hundred years, no one will dare to have designs on the Five Elements Sect... As for a hundred years from now, if I’m still alive, I believe a single word from me will be enough to quell any turmoil.’

Back at the Five Elements Sect, Bai Zichen had left a handwritten letter.

In it, he stated directly that if the Five Elements Sect produced a Sword Dao genius in the future, they were welcome to seek him out at Black Mountain for guidance.

He also added that they need not worry about retaliation from the several Nascent Soul Major Sects of Dian Country.

Regarding the matter of having someone perform the Refining of the Nascent Soul Fruit into a Nascent Soul Pill, he stressed that they must choose a reliable Pill Master and not fall into someone else’s trap.

A Spirit Pill of the Nascent Soul Pill’s caliber was enough to tempt even a Tier Four Alchemist, who might be moved to act on selfish thoughts.

If that happened, they could just give you the excuse that the Alchemy failed and walk away with your Nascent Soul Fruit, and there would be nothing you could say.

After all, no Pill Master would ever promise a one-hundred-percent success rate for Alchemy. Even with elixirs they specialized in, there was always a chance of failure during Refining, let alone for a High-Tier Elixir like the Nascent Soul Pill.

No matter how sterling a Pill Master’s reputation, you could never be sure they wouldn’t swindle you; you could only place your trust in their integrity and character.

This was also why, despite the enormous cost and the fact that it was far less cost-effective than simply hiring someone for Opening the Furnace and Refining Pills, all the Major Sects still insisted on training their own Pill Masters.

The Five Elements Sect was located in the Southern Domain and had seen its share of dirty, underhanded dealings; it was impossible they didn’t know about the dark side of this business.

Bai Zichen was simply worried that their desperation for a Nascent Soul Pill would cloud their judgment, causing them to rush the process and choose the wrong Pill Master to refine the Spirit Pill.

After all, even he had no confidence he could ever obtain another Spiritual Object like the Nascent Soul Fruit.

And even if he did get another one in the future, he would have to prioritize the Core Formation True Men of his own Sect.

For the Five Elements Sect, this was truly a once-in-a-lifetime, heaven-sent opportunity.

He picked a random, deserted mountain and began to sort through his haul from the Hundred Skills Sect’s Secret Vault, setting aside anything useful to him.

’This stone... it seems to be a Spirit Eye Stone?’

Among the dozens of strange objects on the lowest level of the Secret Vault, many were ungraded and had no obvious purpose, but their unusual textures marked them as anything but ordinary.

Bai Zichen hadn’t had time to examine them closely before, but now, as he studied them one by one, he really did find a few good things.

Like the smooth, palm-sized stone in his hand. Its surface was covered in concentric, dark patterns that gave off a faint glimmer under the sunlight.

Furthermore, faint wisps of Spiritual Qi were emanating from the stone.

’That’s right, it’s a naturally formed Spirit Eye Object. To think the Hundred Skills Sect had one in their collection and never used it. This is quite the windfall for me...’

This type of Spirit Eye Object usually appeared at the core of a Spirit Vein, at the very center where Spiritual Qi converged.

They were tangible, materialized products born from nature’s spiritual energy.

It was just like the Eye of the Spirit Spring in Ten Thousand Immortals Creek in Hejian County, which was the spot with the highest Spiritual Energy Concentration in the entire Spirit Vein.

But the Qingfeng Sect now had many Tier Three Spirit Veins, and even a Tier Four Spirit Vein like Flame Mountain, yet they possessed only a single Spirit Eye Object.

This showed that the formation of such rare items was not entirely dependent on the tier of the Spirit Vein; other factors were also at play.

A Spirit Eye Object could be moved to a new location to increase the speed of Spiritual Qi convergence by several tenths, but its other function was to accelerate the evolution of a Realm.

A Grotto Heaven World was a small world with little difference from the main world.

It had its own celestial bodies that rose and set, and it generated its own Spiritual Qi.

The Grotto Heaven of a Great Power could accommodate tens of thousands of Cultivators, allowing them to live normal lives, be born, grow old, fall sick, die, and pursue their Cultivation.

And these Spirit Eye Objects could be refined into a Realm to speed up its evolution.

Little by little, this would cause the Spiritual Qi within the Realm to gradually become abundant.

’Unfortunately, its grade isn’t very high. It probably grew out of a Tier Three Spirit Vein... Perfect, I’ll see how it works. I was originally planning to dig up the Eye of the Spirit Spring from Ten Thousand Immortals Creek the next time I returned to the Sect to experiment with.’

As for the remaining strange objects, apart from a few black stones that he couldn’t make heads or tails of, he could roughly identify the rest.

There were several humanoid sculptures, faceless and smeared with an eerie, colored oil.

Even though long ages had passed and the oil’s vibrant color had faded, just a few glances were enough for the hue to saturate his mind. When he looked at other objects, he would see illusions, with that same shade of oil automatically superimposed over them.

They were likely Magical Artifacts used by cultivators of the Witch Priest and Curse Killing paths, which had lost their Magical Power over the long course of time.

The path of the Witch Priest flourished in the primeval, barbaric era, with scattered legacies remaining in Ancient Times.

After that, it vanished into the River of Time.

Not knowing the function of these sinister Magical Artifacts, Bai Zichen specifically added two extra Forbidden seals to them.

There were also several pieces of Beast Hide, on which were painted lifelike Insect Beasts. Though they were only images, they gave him a feeling of overwhelming pressure.

’This is the mature form of the Golden Silkworm Gu, the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, with strength comparable to Early-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivators... This is a Hundred-Eyed Celestial Centipede, and all one hundred pairs of its compound eyes are open on both sides. Could a Hundred-Eyed Celestial Centipede that has mastered a hundred types of Divine Light truly exist? What Tier would that even be?’

Every piece of Beast Hide depicted a top-tier Insect Gu, but as he reached the last one, Bai Zichen began to doubt whether they had truly appeared in the Cultivation Realm, or if they were merely a product of the creator’s imagination.

’A pair of Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu did appear tens of thousands of years ago, and there have been Hundred-Eyed Celestial Centipedes with over twenty types of Divine Light. It’s theoretically possible for one to open all one hundred of its eyes... But this Tier Four Spring and Autumn Cicada with six wings is just something made up by a few historians of Ancient Times! It’s absolutely impossible for such a Spirit Insect to exist in the Cultivation Realm!’

As darlings of time, the Spring and Autumn Cicadas were Spirit Insects that crawled out of the River of Time, and each one possessed a slight ability to manipulate time.

But such a Heaven-Defying ability incurred heavenly jealousy. Not only were they incredibly rare, but they could also only reach a maximum of Tier Three Low Grade.

Their fragile bodies could not withstand the erosion of the Power of Time; taking even one step further would mean the end of their lifespan.

Therefore, Tier Three Low Grade was the absolute limit for a Spring and Autumn Cicada.

This was already the accepted consensus in the Cultivation Realm, with multiple Great True Monarchs having expressed the same opinion.

And yet, on the Beast Hide before his very eyes, there appeared the image of a Tier Four Six-Winged Spring and Autumn Cicada—a creature thought to be pure fiction.

Judging by the state of the Beast Hide, its creation far predated the emergence of this consensus.

Could it be that during the Ancient Era, a Tier Four Spring and Autumn Cicada had truly appeared in the world, been witnessed by someone, and then painted onto this Beast Hide?