Chapter 505 - 486: Mistaken, Yet Not Mistaken

Chapter 505: Chapter 486: Mistaken, Yet Not Mistaken

"A Mid-Stage Nascent Soul cultivator... No, you’re a Tier Four Mid-Grade Demon Beast!"

Bai Zichen’s Divine Sense could extend as far as one hundred and twenty miles. This person had been tailing him from a hundred miles away. It was unclear whether they were taking precautions against detection or were simply confident in their Tracking Divine Power.

A previous sweep had only revealed the True Essence fluctuations of a Mid-Stage Nascent Soul. Only now, upon closer inspection, could he discern the faint Demon Power on the yellow-haired cultivator, which was nearly indistinguishable from that of the Human Race.

"You’ve discovered it now, but it’s too late!"

The yellow-haired cultivator waved his hand, summoning an Exquisite Treasure Pagoda. It was eight-sided, six-storied, and hung with countless Treasure Beads.

The moment it appeared, it caused heaven and earth to tremble, separating the clear from the muddy.

The Exquisite Treasure Pagoda grew into a pillar that held up the sky, and its thousands of Treasure Beads scattered into the air, connecting to form a net.

As light and shadow shifted, a binding force filled the world, and an invisible weight descended upon him.

"A Void Spiritual Treasure?"

Bai Zichen’s expression was strange. He could feel that this space was completely sealed and locked down; even if he abandoned his physical body and fled with just his Nascent Soul, he would not be able to escape.

This power, similar to the lockdown of a Grotto Heaven, was being generated by that Exquisite Treasure Pagoda.

It was a Void Spiritual Treasure, one of the rarest treasures in the Cultivation Realm.

Only a Spirit Treasure Level item could create a nearly independent space, blocking all Teleportation Techniques and Void Divine Techniques.

Even Divinity Transformation Cultivators had a great need for Void Spiritual Treasures.

In the current era without an Ascension Platform, cultivating to Divinity Transformation Perfection and then using one’s own strength to forcibly open a spatial node, traverse a Void Passage, and achieve Ascension to the Upper Realm was the stuff of myths and legends.

Setting aside whether the current environment even allowed one to have enough lifespan to cultivate to Divinity Transformation Perfection...

Even with such unparalleled cultivation, the absolute peak of the Human World, forcibly crossing a Void Passage was still an endeavor with a slim chance of survival.

The terror of the spatial turbulence was beyond what any words could describe.

The few Divinity Transformation Great Powers in the history of the Cultivation Realm who had successfully ascended without the help of an Ascension Platform were all dominant figures of their era, their strength touching the threshold of the Void Refining Realm.

Only by also having a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure Level Void Treasure for protection, on top of maximum-level fortune, could one perform such a Heaven-Defying feat.

When a Void Spiritual Treasure encountered spatial turbulence, it would most likely only last for a few breaths before completely shattering.

But often, that single moment could be the difference between life and death.

When forcibly crossing a Void Passage, any extra bit of certainty was a good thing.

For those Divinity Transformation Perfection Great Powers standing at the pinnacle of this world, they would collect as many Void Spiritual Treasures as possible on the eve of their Tribulation Crossing, even if only for peace of mind.

Whether the Ascension was a success or a failure, these Void Spiritual Treasures would never return.

This had led to the number of Void Spiritual Treasures in the Cultivation Realm dwindling over time.

"I originally planned to see where you were going, follow the trail to its source, and wipe out all you remnants in one fell swoop... I never expected you to be so vigilant. I wasn’t even using my Divine Sense, just tailing you from afar with my innate scent-tracking Divine Ability, yet you still discovered me."

The yellow-haired cultivator thought that Bai Zichen had deliberately stopped because he had sensed something amiss, never imagining that he was simply overjoyed at the unexpected discovery of three Water Element Top-Grade Spirit Stones.

"But once I capture your Nascent Soul and take it back to slowly ’prepare’ it, any restrictions you’ve placed in your Sea of Consciousness will be useless against my Celestial Demon Search God Skill. Remember this: the one sending you on your way is the great Ao Zhe!"

A Tier Four Mid-Grade Great Demon facing an Early-Stage Nascent Soul cultivator already held a natural advantage in terms of cultivation.

For a Transformed Great Demon to be able to produce a Void Spiritual Treasure was further proof of its extraordinary background. It was different from the Cyan Simurgh and the White Ape in the Black Mountain Range, which were Demon Beasts that relied solely on their bloodline inheritance and innate talent.

It hailed from an established Demon Race power with a mature structure, completely different from a lone, rogue Great Demon; the treasures it possessed and the Divine Techniques it had learned were far superior.

It didn’t have to rely solely on its bloodline inheritance, which limited a demon to practicing only the Divine Power Secret Techniques from its memories and using crude Artifact Refining Skills to forge its own Magical Treasures.

With the Void Spiritual Treasure sealing off all possibility of escape, it was no wonder Ao Zhe appeared so confident, wearing an expression that said he had Bai Zichen right where he wanted him.

Nascent Soul True Monarchs were difficult to kill, their greatest advantage being the ability of their Nascent Soul to escape its body, traverse the void, and travel a thousand miles in an instant.

Once this ability was nullified by a Great True Monarch’s Grotto Heaven Power or a Void Spiritual Treasure, a Nascent Soul True Monarch had no special means of survival.

"Do you come from the Qingqiu Death Sea or Lankao Mountain? I don’t believe I’ve ever offended you, so why are you trying to hunt me down and kill me?"

Bai Zichen had a faint guess in his heart, but he still feigned ignorance and asked.

"Neither! You remnant of the Fish Dragon Sect should have been wiped out completely hundreds of years ago! The fact that you’ve lived this long and even succeeded in forming a Nascent Soul is already an act of mercy from the Demon Saint. You’ve been allowed to see the scenery of this world for far too long!"

Before Ao Zhe’s voice had even faded, his hands blurred, and the Black Gold Long Spear was in his grasp. With a dragon’s roar, he unleashed countless spear shadows.

Each spear shadow was like a roaring Flood Dragon wreathed in Black Flame. They abruptly crossed the distance, the tips of the spears aiming for his glabella, chest, and limbs.

Before they even reached him, the Black Flame burned through the void, causing Bai Zichen’s brow to twitch as alarm bells rang in his mind.

’It’s a Top-Grade Spiritual Treasure! An attack that my Five Crystal Glaze Body cannot withstand!’ His body had automatically reacted to warn him.

DING! DING! DING!

A clap of thunder flashed out of thin air, striking the countless spear tips and shattering the Black Flame Flood Dragons into nothingness.

The Black Flame tried to creep along the Sword Light and burn the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword, but the Thunder Radiance flickering on the blade’s body completely dispelled it.

"A Tier Four Flying Sword! Aren’t you a Body Refining Cultivator? Since when were you also a Sword Cultivator?"

Ao Zhe was aghast. His ever-victorious Top-Grade Spiritual Treasure, the Demon Dragon Spear, had been effortlessly blocked by a Flying Sword. Only a Tier Four Flying Sword could do that.

And from the fluency of the Sword Light’s movement, it was clear he wasn’t some lucky cultivator who had stumbled upon a High-Tier Flying Sword but had little attainment in the Sword Dao.

Otherwise, with such a clear disparity in cultivation, it would have been impossible to break the Flood Dragon Spear Shadow so easily.

"A remnant of the Fish Dragon Sect... I was wondering who it was. So you’re from the Demon Race of the Star Constellation Sea. And the Qingqiu Death Sea sending the Blood God True Monarch to ambush and kill me... it seems you were the one pulling the strings behind that as well?"

Bai Zichen’s mind cleared, and he connected all the causes and effects.

For some unknown reason, Ao Zhe of the Star Constellation Sea had come to the Qingqiu Death Sea. Upon learning of Bai Zichen’s existence, he had Qingqiu Mountain commission the Blood God True Monarch to kill him.

When no reply came, Ao Zhe had personally gone to the Blood Sea Sect to demand an explanation, only to stumble upon the Joyful Sect’s attack on the mountain.

There, he saw ’Li Hansi’ displaying his might. Apparently, this successor of the Profound Clarity Lineage was also on the Star Constellation Sea’s watchlist.

Ao Zhe discovered that the Fish Dragon Sect remnant on his list had actually reached the Nascent Soul realm, so he tracked him, preparing to follow the trail to the Fish Dragon Sect’s lair and eradicate them root and stem.

One could only say that Ao Zhe had the wrong person, and yet, not entirely the wrong person.

"Blood God True Monarch? You’re not Li Hansi, you’re that Bai Zichen!"

Ao Zhe’s expression changed drastically. He looked as if he were facing a great enemy, shedding his careless and arrogant demeanor.

"No wonder you have a Tier Four Flying Sword... Don’t think that just because you escaped from the Blood God True Monarch, you can do the same with me. If I hadn’t been in the Qingqiu Grotto Heaven and unable to leave when I heard the news, I would have come for your life personally long ago. Hand over the Holy Beast Essence Blood, and I’ll grant you the mercy of a complete corpse!"

Dragon horns protruded from his forehead, and his body swelled, stretching his loose Daoist Robe taut.

Ao Zhe, whose Transformation had been so perfect he was identical to a human, was now using his full power, finally revealing some of his demonic features. At the same time, his dense Demon Power could no longer be suppressed and surged to the heavens.

"Why would I run? I should be thanking you for your Void Spiritual Treasure. Otherwise, if you revealed your true form and fled frantically, I wouldn’t be able to catch you... Unlike now. You’ve trapped me, but you’ve also trapped yourself inside this pagoda. The space is already sealed, and it can’t be undone in a moment’s notice."

Bai Zichen let out a sneer. He had originally wanted to find out about the Qingqiu Death Sea’s subsequent actions through other channels.

Looking at it this way, since the matter originated with the Star Constellation Sea, it had little to do with the Qingqiu Death Sea.

He didn’t believe for a second that this Ao Zhe would tell the Divinity Transformation Demon Lord of Qingqiu Mountain about the Holy Beast Essence Blood. If he did, he’d be flayed alive by the Dragon Monarch upon his return.

He must have found some other pretext to request the help of the Qingqiu Dead Sea Great Demon.

"Oh, right. I forgot to tell you something. I didn’t escape from the Blood God True Monarch. He was lucky to escape from me with his life... a pity that, in the end, the Blood God True Monarch didn’t survive anyway."

"Alarmist nonsense! Do you think I’d believe you?!"

Ao Zhe thrust his Coiling Dragon Black Gold Spear forward. Thousands of spear shadows merged into a single line, a dragon of Black Flame that scorched the earth in its path.

Bai Zichen smiled inexplicably. He abandoned his sword, not bothering to block, and reached out directly toward the Black Flame.

To Ao Zhe’s expression of utter horror, the Black Flame wrapped around Bai Zichen’s palm. But before it could even expand to his forearm, a Platinum Radiant Flame rose up and lunged at the Black Flame.

The Black Flame was enveloped and then vanished, as if it had been absorbed into his skin.

"How... how is that possible... Even my own physical body wouldn’t dare to take that flame head-on! My Dragon Scales would be burned through! On what grounds can a mere Human Race cultivator withstand it?!"

Ao Zhe roared in frustration.

But who was to blame? By attacking with the Black Flame of his Coiling Dragon Black Gold Spear, he had played right into Bai Zichen’s hands. He would have been better off with his earlier spear shadow attack.

His Great Sun Yuan Copper Bone was the natural nemesis of Fire Element damage, and he himself could absorb and emit Pure Yang True Fire. This Black Flame was no different from a tickle.

Seeing his Top-Grade Spiritual Treasure rendered ineffective, Ao Zhe rolled on the ground and revealed his true form: a Black Dragon over a hundred zhang long from head to tail.

Waving its twin claws, it charged straight at him, relying on the formidable physical body of the Dragon Race.

At the same time, it opened its mouth and spewed forth a torrent, as if a dam had burst, instantly creating a vast marshland.

"Perfect! Let me test the strength of my physique and see how different it is from a Tier Four Mid-Grade Dragon Beast with its powerful bloodline!"

Bai Zichen laughed heartily, transforming into a Fire Dragon. With a flick of its tail, it surged forward to meet the charge.

Judging by size alone, the Fire Dragon was only half as large as the Black Dragon. But its head was crowned with magnificent horns and its body was wrapped in golden threads. Though it was clearly a Human Race Cultivator transformed by a Cultivation Technique, it possessed an even nobler aura.

They collided back and forth several times, their dragon bodies clashing without any pretense—the most direct kind of physical impact.

After a short while, blood splattered across the sky, and Dragon Scales rained down, falling from the high altitude into the marshland below.

The Fire Dragon then spewed out gouts of Pure Yang True Fire, boiling the entire marshland and sending up a thick steam that obscured their vision.

The original Fire Dragon would certainly have been no match for this Tier Four Mid-Grade Black Dragon. However, the fusion with the Holy Beast Aura had caused the Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture to sublimate once more, giving him the capital to contend with a Transformed Great Demon of the Dragon Race.