Chapter 599: Unexpected Change on the Return Journey (Part 2)

“Forget it, I’ll go with you. My lineage’s Spirit Eye technique is peerless in this region, but the side effects are severe. If this goes on, I’ll go blind sooner or later. My master said there’s Divine Water in the Immortal Mansion that can cure eye diseases. I just hope it’s true…”

The Cultivator from the Guanming Lineage wore a pained expression. A closer look revealed that the whites of his eyes overshadowed the pupils, and he was already losing his focus.

After venting their frustrations, the other two also chose to join.

Given their talent and the resources at hand, the Core Formation Realm was likely the end of their cultivation journey.

As for the Nascent Soul Realm, it was something they couldn’t even dream of without a heaven-defying opportunity.

Future disciples would surely have it harder with each generation, as many of the resources brought from the Fish Dragon Sect had already been used on themselves.

Whether for their own sakes or to continue their lineage, they had to cling to the Overseas Immortal Mansion as their last hope.

“According to Junior Martial Uncle Li’s movements, he either returned to the Immortal City belonging to the Five Thunders Sect or headed toward the Northern Domain… We’ll split into two groups. Regardless of our success, we will meet back here in ten years to discuss our next move.”

Chen Ze closed the map in his hand and assigned the two routes based on his Spiritual Sense.

…

‘Come to think of it, it’s been almost seventy years since I left Black Mountain… I wonder how the Northern Domain is doing, and how many new Core Formation Cultivators the Sect has gained.’

A streak of Lone Swan Sword Light sped through the sky, tens of thousands of feet in the air, far beyond the sight of ordinary Cultivators.

Refining the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword into his Lifebound Flying Sword was truly Bai Zichen’s wisest decision.

Back then, it was just a Tier Three Sword Embryo, not yet restored to its sword form, and its spirituality was on the verge of dissipating completely.

Fortunately, Bai Zichen appeared, and the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword, at the end of its rope, took the initiative to choose him as its master.

He, in turn, had done his utmost, nurturing the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword with all his might from the very beginning. There was always a place for it within the Spirit Lake of liquefied Magical Power in his Dantian Qi Sea.

Later, after reaching Core Formation, the very first thing he did was refine it into his Lifebound Magical Treasure.

The deep bond they had forged when it was at its weakest, coupled with the fact that Xiaozhi’s Tier was still low at the time, allowed it to smoothly become his Lifebound Object.

Otherwise, had he waited until it recovered to Tier Four, the difficulty of its Refinement would have increased exponentially.

The flight speed achieved by riding the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword had greatly shortened the distance between the Five Domains for Bai Zichen.

In just four or five months, he could cross two domains and return to the familiar Northern Domain.

High up in the sky, he felt the surrounding Gang Wind howl. Eruptions of Great Sun Celestial Fire illuminated vast areas with a white-hot glare, as if small suns were exploding.

Yet he was still a great distance from the legendary feat of piercing the sky and arriving beyond the Nine Celestial Heavens.

The fragile Celestial Membrane above seemed both present and illusory—within reach one moment, yet as distant as the horizon the next.

A Divinity Transformation Great Power could send their Primordial Spirit out past the Celestial Membrane, travel beyond the Nine Celestial Heavens, and gather Cosmic Light Beams and Outer Heaven Meteorite Iron.

This was thousands of times more efficient than hiding in the Gang Wind layer, waiting for the occasional treasure to fall from Outer Heaven.

It was akin to an untouched, open-pit Ore Vein that anyone who could reach it could plunder at will.

That was why every Divinity Transformation Great Power was as wealthy as a nation; the fortune of a single one could rival the ten-thousand-year accumulation of a Nascent Soul Major Sect.

Any sect that produced a Divinity Transformation Great Power could, within a century, grow from a third-rate sect into one that could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a Super Sect.

Nascent Soul True Monarchs, however, could not do this. First, they were limited by their Realm. The seemingly fragile Celestial Membrane was, in fact, a manifestation of the Laws of Heaven and Earth in the Human World, as well as the first line of defense against Outer Celestial Demons.

Furthermore, take shattered celestial bodies for example. When a meteorite the size of several prefectures hurtled toward the Cultivation Realm, the Celestial Membrane would block it, reducing it to one percent of its original size.

Otherwise, giant Outer Heaven Meteorites would frequently rain down, and this Cultivation Realm would have been destroyed long ago.

Earth Veins would be shattered, Earth Core Poison Fire would erupt, and the Spiritual Qi in the air would become toxic.

Even those who survived the initial impact would slowly perish.

Even Great True Monarchs were helpless before the Celestial Membrane.

The second reason was a lack of strength.

If the skies tens of thousands of feet high were perilous for Core Formation Cultivators—who could be torn to shreds by Gang Wind or incinerated into a dried husk by a Great Sun Celestial Fire Beam at any moment—then beyond the Nine Celestial Heavens, every direct blast of a Cosmic Light Beam revealed the terror of the boundless cosmos, and meteorite fragments as large as celestial bodies would make even a Nascent Soul True Monarch realize their own insignificance.

Only Divinity Transformation Cultivators, who could send out their Primordial Spirit defended by a Lifebound Magical Treasure and travel as they pleased, possessed the power to protect themselves there.

‘I have a feeling… that I don’t need to wait until Divinity Transformation. As long as I’m fast enough, I should be able to break through the Celestial Membrane and go beyond the Nine Celestial Heavens…’

At first, Bai Zichen dismissed it as an illusion caused by his extreme speed.

It was like the feeling of invincibility one gets right after a breakthrough when their True Essence surges—it would pass soon enough.

However, he then received a feeling from the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword itself, an emotion of eagerness.

It was as if, in Xiaozhi’s memory, it had passed through the Celestial Membrane many times before.

As the personal sword of an Upper Realm Sword Immortal, its journeys beyond the Nine Celestial Heavens must have been at the hands of its previous master.

The Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword transmitted an image: it was being wielded by a Sword Immortal, who, with a single motion, cleaved a celestial body that filled the entire field of view into 108 pieces.

Not a stellar fragment, but a true, complete star.

Had it fallen into the Human World, even with the Celestial Membrane to blunt the impact, the resulting shockwaves would have created an earthquake felt across all Five Domains. The ensuing dust and smoke would have been enough to plunge the entire Cultivation Realm into darkness for years.

The Sword Immortal ignored the shattered celestial body. Where the star’s center had once been, a Star Core now floated quietly.

The Star Core was like a black hole, constantly devouring the surrounding light, leaving only a distorted, seven-colored halo in its wake.

‘Perhaps Xiaozhi is special because of its Tier, allowing me to break through the membrane early with my Lifebound Flying Sword, without reaching the Divinity Transformation Realm… As for the required flight speed, I should be able to achieve it by cultivating to Nascent Soul Perfection or when the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword returns to Tier Five.’

Beyond the Nine Celestial Heavens lay an unguarded treasure trove. If he could just set foot there, a few trips would be enough to give him a fortune second to none among Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

Moreover, if he could travel there in his physical body with the help of his Lifebound Flying Sword, the amount of treasure he could bring back each time would be on a completely different order of magnitude.

Being able to physically haul loot was a completely different concept from using a Primordial Spirit, which could only transport lightweight Spiritual Materials.

Just as Bai Zichen was focused on his journey, contemplating when he might achieve this grand ambition, a gust of Gang Wind swirled before him, and a vast crimson light hidden within it suddenly enveloped him.

Plunging into the viscous crimson light, his speed immediately dropped by more than half. He lost all sense of direction; no matter which way he flew, he was surrounded by a world of blood-red light.

‘Damn it! Someone is ambushing me on my way back to the Northern Domain. Who could possibly have the ability to predict my path…’

Bai Zichen was inwardly shaken. To think they could bypass his Divine Sense and trap him so silently.

Only the most elite of Great True Monarchs, taking advantage of the unique environment within the Gang Wind layer, could accomplish such a feat.

If this was a deliberate ambush, the thought was terrifying.

He himself hadn’t even set a fixed time for his return; he had only set out after successfully refining the Hundred Poison Green Scale Bone.

‘Good. Both strikes of the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword are hidden and ready. They can be unleashed at any moment… Even if you’re at Nascent Soul Perfection, we’ll see if you have the lifespan to withstand my complete Qing Emperor Longevity Sword!’

Bai Zichen steeled his resolve. If worst came to worst, he would burn a hundred years of his lifespan to unleash the True Green Emperor Longevity Sword.

He was young, anyway. He refused to believe any other Great True Monarch at Nascent Soul Perfection could outlast him in a clash of life force.

“Heheheh, finally, a Nascent Soul Cultivator. This master was starving… Do not resist. Let me devour you. Become a member of the Blood Demon Race and attain eternal life!”

The crimson light roiled and coalesced into a giant, featureless face—no eyes, no nose, no mouth.

Only the cold, sinister voice emanated from all directions within the crimson light. It was a sound so piercing that anyone below the Nascent Soul Realm would have likely fainted on the spot.

‘Hm? So this isn’t an ambush specifically for me, but just a random trap laid high in the sky for any passing Nascent Soul Cultivator… No, wait. Why does the scent of this crimson light feel so familiar?’

Realizing he had only stumbled into the ambush by chance, Bai Zichen calmed down. He was no longer on high alert, ready to burn his lifespan to activate the True Green Emperor Longevity Sword at a moment’s notice.

If this mysterious cultivator within the crimson light was going to treat him as an ordinary Nascent Soul True Monarch, then he wouldn’t mind slaying a Nascent Soul Demon Cultivator and eliminating a scourge on his way back to the Northern Domain.