Chapter 605: Really Dead This Time

This was a monumental feat that even past Divinity Transformation cultivators of the Human Race had failed to achieve.

‘But what did he mean by an Asura Clan Demon Venerable before he died… Could there really be a powerful Demon Venerable hidden in the Human World, merely in a deep slumber after being severely wounded by a Banished Immortal from the Upper Realm?’

Bai Zichen’s good mood from killing the Blood Demon was quickly soured by this news.

Once his standing was high enough, perhaps he could request relevant information from the Moral Sect to find out just how many of these ancient beings from the Upper Realm were still in the Cultivation Realm.

Furthermore, the thought that the Taibai Sword Sect might be a target for both the Celestial Demons and Ancient Demons made his heart sink.

He hadn’t even dealt with the Ao Family’s Divinity Transformation cultivator and the Dragon Monarch from the Demon Race, and now he had provoked two even more terrifying enemies.

‘These Celestial Demons and Ancient Demons should just obediently die… I can feel a chaotic era approaching. The time I have left to cultivate in peace is dwindling.’

A sense of urgency washed over Bai Zichen, making him feel as though he had returned to his days in the Core Formation Era.

Back then, neither he nor Brother Ge Cang had reached Core Formation, yet they faced the constant threat of the Blood God Son returning to Liang Country to kill them after reaching the Nascent Soul realm.

‘But times are different now. Back then, Brother Ge had to use the Pink Crystal Shattering Jade Technique to destroy his own Body Refining foundation, fighting a Nascent Soul Cultivator at the cost of severing all his meridians. Now, the Sect has me. No matter how chaotic the world becomes, I will hold up a Pure Land in Black Mountain. After all, aren’t all these years of arduous cultivation for the sake of protecting what must be protected?’

The dead Blood Demon left behind no spoils. Presumably, anything that could be melted was refined into his body, while everything else was tossed into the Blood Sea.

After cleaning up the battlefield, Bai Zichen resumed his Sword Flight, though he was more cautious than before.

…

「The Northern Domain. Black Mountain County, Liang Country.」

For the past century, the Cultivation Realm of Liang Country could hardly be called peaceful.

First and foremost was the war between the Celestial Principle Sect and the Holy Lotus Sect. It had dragged on for far too long, and the price paid by both sides had become unacceptable.

The Celestial Principle Sect had already seized a Tier Four Spirit Vein outside of Liang Country. The sect that owned it was exposed to have had their Nascent Soul Ancestor pass away decades ago.

They had kept the death a secret, fearing that others would take advantage of their vulnerability.

But over time, suspicions arose, and their secret was eventually discovered.

This sect was newly founded, and the deceased Nascent Soul Ancestor was its patriarch. With their backbone gone, only two Core Formation True Men remained.

The Celestial Principle Sect and the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons joined forces—one took the land, the other seized the wealth. They broke through the Mountain Gate in just three days.

The entire sect, young and old, was annihilated. Not a single person was left alive.

Ever since the Five Phoenix Sword Sect had taken their Spirit Mountain, forcing them to leave their homeland and settle in the Northern Domain, the Celestial Principle Sect’s way of doing things had changed drastically over the years.

They no longer acted as they had in the Central Domain, always pinning their hopes on negotiations, asking for mediation, or, as a last resort, settling things through Combat.

They had begun to adapt to the rules of the Northern Domain, becoming more direct and ruthless. It was a world where the weak were prey for the strong and the winner took all.

Now that the Celestial Principle Sect had a Tier Four Spirit Vein, there was no longer a compelling reason for them to conquer the tough nut that was the Holy Lotus Sect.

However, the prolonged sect war had cost the Celestial Principle Sect too much blood. Even Grand Elder Yan Rulong had died at the foot of Qii Mountain.

Admittedly, a major reason for this was that the Grand Elder, whose life was already nearing its end, wanted to contribute one last time and recklessly charged the enemy’s formation, giving Qu Yang the opportunity to slay him.

But this incident ignited the fury of the entire Celestial Principle Sect. The frustration of being far from their homeland and the deaths of their fellow disciples in the Holy Lotus Sect’s Grand Array all erupted at once.

Even Shi Chengdong, as a Nascent Soul Ancestor, couldn’t order the Sect Disciples to retreat immediately. He could only continue the assault on Qii Mountain with an army fueled by grief and rage.

By this point, the Holy Lotus Sect had lost all its territory; even of the Qii Mountain Range, only the core peak remained.

Qu Yang had used a Secret Technique to merge with a Tier Four Top-Grade Snow Lotus. As long as he remained on this mountain peak, he could unleash power no weaker than Shi Chengdong’s.

Although the Holy Lotus Sect had lost ninety percent of its territory and all its resources had been seized by the Celestial Principle Sect, as long as the main peak was not lost, the Sect Leader was still alive, and most of the Core Formation Elders and True Disciples were preserved, it was hard to say they were completely defeated.

Of course, without a source of new blood, the Holy Lotus Sect would face a crisis of having no successors within a century.

But it was hard to say whether the Celestial Principle Sect had the will, or rather the strength, to sustain the sect war for another hundred years.

Shi Chengdong had already invested too much time in the Holy Lotus Sect. If this continued, he would end up spending the rest of his limited lifespan on it. He was truly in a position where it was difficult to back down.

Besides this, Elder Feng Moyun of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect had returned after achieving the Nascent Soul realm.

Although he made only a brief appearance before going into seclusion again, it was enough.

The Ten Thousand Beasts Sect reclaimed all its lost territory and even expanded outward, annihilating the two sects that had hit them the hardest when they were down, making an example of them.

In contrast, the other two Nascent Soul Major Sects were much quieter, not engaged in constant warfare.

The Ice Soul Palace seemed content to remain in the Ten Thousand Miles Icefield with no plans for expansion, and its disciples remained low-key.

The up-and-coming Qingfeng Sect was initially dazzling. Not just in Liang Country, but throughout the entire Northern Domain, people heard the news and flocked to the Qingfeng Market to establish connections.

But at this crucial point in their rapid development, both of the Qingfeng Sect’s Nascent Soul True Monarchs had left to travel the Central Domain. They had been gone for nearly a century with no word.

The Northern Domain was a desolate and cold land, and few merchant caravans traveled to and from the Central Domain. News from the Central Domain was typically delayed by eight to ten years.

After the war between the Human and Demon Races broke out, information became even more scarce. Most resources were diverted to the Jishui Camp, and even fewer people traveled to the Northern Domain.

Gradually, rumors began to circulate in Liang Country.

Some said the two Nascent Soul True Monarchs of the Qingfeng Sect had run into trouble in the Central Domain, clashed with cultivators from a Super Sect, and were defeated and injured.

Others claimed they had entered some Ancient Ruins, fell into a forbidden trap, and were too gravely injured to recover.

The most outrageous rumor, which kept up with current events, said that Ge Cang and Bai Zichen had encountered a Transformed Great Demon, were defeated and killed in a great battle, and would never return.

All sorts of these detailed and vivid rumors found a receptive audience in the Northern Domain Cultivation Realm.

Within the Qingfeng Sect, the few Core Formation True Men naturally knew that the two Ancestors’ Soul Lamps were burning brightly, indicating they were alive and well.

After a couple of announcements to the lower-level disciples, the panic was quelled.

But outside of Black Mountain and Hejian counties, discordant voices began to emerge among the vassal forces that had pledged allegiance to them.

It was clear that the Qingfeng Sect’s control over them was beginning to wane.

The annual tributes began to arrive late or in smaller amounts.

They didn’t dare to openly defy the will of their Upper Sect.

But behind the scenes, secretly colluding with other Nascent Soul Major Sects and seeking new patrons became a common occurrence.

In the end, Liang Country was simply too small; it was a bit crowded for four Nascent Soul Major Sects.

In the past, the Holy Lotus Sect was the only clear Upper Sect, and occupying the most prosperous Central Province was enough to support it.

Now, with the Celestial Principle Sect and the Holy Lotus Sect fighting for years in the Central Province, the output of many Ore Veins, Spirit Wood Fields, Spirit Lakes, and Medicine Gardens has been severely affected.

This meant that four provinces’ worth of territory were now supporting four Nascent Soul Major Sects.

How could Cultivation Resources not be tight? The situation was even more pitiful for the Core Formation Level Sects and Cultivation Families below them.

‘I can’t believe this unheard-of Liang Country actually has four Nascent Soul Sects… If you include the Holy Lotus Sect, you could even count it as five!’

Carrying a bamboo basket on his back, the youthful-looking Lin Shan gazed around, curious about everything in this unfamiliar place.

“We’ve arrived. Junior Brother Lin, you must be careful with your words and actions from now on. We were invited by True Monarch Bai to cultivate Spirit Rice. This is a tremendous opportunity. You must not harbor any sense of superiority just because you come from the Central Domain. You could unintentionally offend True Monarch Bai’s fellow sect members without even realizing it.”

Elder Baii, still looking like an old farmer, put away a Spirit Ship shaped like a stalk of grain and pounded his lower back.

They had been told they only needed to reach Black Mountain within ten years, but they intended to curry favor with the Time Sword Monarch, a man with limitless potential who was already recognized as having the makings of a Divinity Transformation cultivator. How could they possibly arrive right on the deadline?

They had made ample preparations, even bringing with them the twelve volumes of Jade Books left by the Divine Wood Sect’s founding Ancestor from the Upper Realm. They were afraid they might encounter an intractable problem while cultivating the Spirit Rice and hoped they might find a solution within the books.

As a result, they arrived in Liang Country a full several years ahead of schedule.

They didn’t rush to ascend Black Mountain. Since there was still plenty of time, they decided to learn about the local situation before paying their visit.

About the time it takes an incense stick to burn, a Wind Shuttle flew out from Black Mountain. Several Cultivators landed before the two Core Formation True Men from the distant Divine Wood Sect.