Chapter 624: Blossoming and Bearing Fruit (Part 2)

A moment ago, the Snow Lotus had been unleashing the power of a Great True Monarch. Now, it had vanished as if it were all just an illusion.

‘Overwhelming the enemy with force and crushing them with power shouldn’t be the entirety of the Sword Dao… As long as I choose the right Sword Intent, propping up a crumbling tower with a single beam isn’t an impossible feat.’

Bai Zichen sheathed his sword and stood tall, his heart overflowing with intense joy.

It wasn’t because he had defeated the Ten Thousand Years Snow Lotus, but because he had made great strides in the Sword Dao, reaching a completely new level of understanding.

The Swordsmanship that had been forming in his mind now had a rough outline after this battle.

Perhaps in a few years, a Swordsmanship that was uniquely his would truly be born.

Bai Zichen descended from his Sword Light and landed firmly on Qii Mountain, admiring the Immortal Reception Platform with great interest.

The mountain peak, once covered by the Snow Lotus’s roots, was now bare. Only the forearm-sized pits dotting the ground proved that the special Spirit Plant had once existed.

With a beckoning gesture, the gray lotus seed shot into his palm with a WHOOSH.

It was unremarkable, its surface coarse. When he touched it, a chill pierced straight to his heart.

It appeared to have no Spiritual Qi at all, looking just like the most ordinary Mortal Grade lotus seed.

But having personally witnessed the Ten Thousand Years Snow Lotus bloom and wither to produce this seed, Bai Zichen knew for a fact that it could not be an ordinary object.

It had been a Tier Four Top-Grade Spirit Plant to begin with. After fusing with two generations of Holy Lotus Sect members and devouring the flesh and blood of countless Cultivators during the Sect war, it was not far from reaching Tier Five.

Most importantly, whether due to its unique species or various fortuitous encounters during its growth, the Snow Lotus had arrived at the threshold of becoming an Innate Spiritual Root.

For such a Spirit Plant, which had been influenced by his Sword Intent to bloom and bear fruit, the single lotus seed that contained its entire essence had a high chance of advancing even further.

One could say that in the entire Cultivation Realm, this was a Top-Tier Spirit Seed that could be counted among the most famous.

‘If I had some spare Earth, perhaps I could plant this lotus seed and see if it can cultivate a true Innate Spiritual Root…’

The gray lotus seed looked like a mundane object; perhaps it was a Divine Object concealing its nature, or maybe it required a specific environment to be awakened.

If he could really grow the legendary Innate Spiritual Root, it would be a truly great thing for Bai Zichen.

For True Monarch Jiulian and Qu Yang, the grade of the Ten Thousand Years Snow Lotus was too high for them to control. After fusing with it, they faced all sorts of restrictions, and it even turned the tables to dominate them.

But for Bai Zichen, he wouldn’t be overthrown by a mere lotus flower; he would only feel that the Spirit Plant wasn’t powerful enough.

As he walked to the front of the Immortal Reception Platform, not a single Holy Lotus Sect disciple came forward to stop him. They had all been scared witless by the previous battle.

Even their Sect Leader, Qu Yang, who had been regarded as invincible on Qii Mountain, had been defeated. The remaining Holy Lotus Sect Cultivators were either weeping bitterly or standing in stunned silence.

Everyone knew that the Holy Lotus Sect, which had dominated Liang Country for ten thousand years, had reached the end of its road.

Even if all the disciples banded together, they couldn’t even touch the hem of this Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator’s robes. It was no longer a question of whether they had the courage to resist.

‘When I was young, I first learned of Liang Country’s Holy Land, the Holy Lotus Sect of Qii Mountain, in my Clan’s study hall… Back then, I never would have imagined that two hundred-odd years later, I would be the one standing here, putting an end to the Holy Lotus Sect.’

Bai Zichen sighed with emotion as he gazed at the Immortal Reception Platform, which was said to be ninety percent similar to the true Ascension Platform.

It took several hundred years to construct this building. Construction began during the time of the Holy Lotus Sect’s first Nascent Soul True Monarch and was only formally completed during the reign of the second.

Just for the outer walls, dozens of quarries were exhausted to gather over a million jade stones of uniform color.

Walking inside, Spiritual Qi was visible to the naked eye, rolling in like layers of thin mist and gathering within the Immortal Reception Platform.

‘A Tier Four Top-Grade Spiritual Land…’

Bai Zichen took a deep breath and felt the True Essence within his body stir with activity.

The Cave Profound Godslaying Sword Scripture began to stir eagerly, sensing a place where it could feast to its heart’s content.

‘No wonder the Snow Lotus could produce Tier Five Spiritual Liquid. I’ve never seen such a high Spiritual Energy Concentration. With the amplification from the Immortal Reception Platform, it’s nearly at the level of Tier Five Spiritual Energy—so dense it’s almost tangible.’

Bai Zichen reached out with his left hand and closed his fingers in the densest part of the mist. The vapor scattered, dissipating into rings of fog.

If he were to move his sanctum here, his Cultivation speed would increase by another huge margin.

For an ordinary Nascent Soul Technique, the effect might not be as significant. However, his exceedingly tyrannical Cave Profound Godslaying Sword Scripture was perpetually insatiable, meaning it could make full use of a Tier Four Top-Grade Spiritual Land.

He would only know the precise effects after he completed a full Circulation of his technique here.

This astronomically expensive Immortal Reception Platform, besides gathering Spiritual Qi, had another major function: it could help resist the Nascent Soul Celestial Tribulation.

It could basically block one of the later strikes of the Ninefold Divine Thunder, making it equivalent to a reusable Tribulation Crossing Secret Treasure.

But compared to a true Ascension Platform, which could establish a stable channel between realms and help a Divinity Transformation Great Power ascend to the Earth Immortal Realm, it was still far too inferior.

“Even the Demon Lotus couldn’t finish you… Your luck is truly something else… *Gurgle*… I curse you! Sixty years after the Holy Lotus Sect is destroyed, it will be the Qingfeng Sect’s turn!”

Qu Yang wasn’t quite dead yet. He coughed as he spoke, blood and bits of organs spilling from between his fingers.

His chest was ripped open, revealing that his internal organs were nearly gone. The surrounding flesh had taken on the texture of tree bark, and there was barely any blood left.

The moment he finished speaking, he took a Five-Inch Golden Nail in his remaining left hand, slammed his palm down on his head, and his breath ceased.

His eyes were wide open. His face and body, twisted and tortured by the fusion with the Snow Lotus, were mangled beyond recognition, bearing no trace of his former magnificent presence.

‘I didn’t expect him to regain his clarity right before death… A clean end, at least. It saves him from a Soul Search.’

Bai Zichen could see that the Snow Lotus had long since hollowed out Qu Yang’s Essence and vitality. Even if he hadn’t killed himself, he wouldn’t have lived for much longer.

‘This does, however, make taking over Qii Mountain a bit more troublesome. I can’t let any Holy Lotus Sect Cultivators escape with treasures.’

‘Well now, someone discerning and sensible. Bold, too, daring to take a gamble…’

Bai Zichen had already extended his Divine Sense to its absolute limit to prevent any Holy Lotus Sect disciples from scattering and fleeing. He had already noticed a Core Formation Cultivator on the path to the Immortal Reception Platform.

“Come in. Since you’re already here, why wait outside?”

Elder Hong scrambled into the main hall, dropping to his knees from a distance and prostrating himself fully. “Hong Xuan of the Holy Lotus Sect has long admired the Qingfeng Sect… Knowing that True Monarch Bai himself has come, this disciple is overjoyed.”

“What were your responsibilities in the Holy Lotus Sect?”

Behind the spot where Qu Yang had been sitting was a massive, ten-zhang-long wall of shelves filled with Jade Scrolls. Bai Zichen waved a hand, forcefully shattering the Forbidden seals on them, and collected them all.

‘Regardless of what they recorded, the contents of any Jade Scroll placed here would surely not be trivial.’

‘For a Sect like Qingfeng Sect, which lacked a deep heritage and was, all told, not even two thousand years old, these would be immensely valuable for filling the gaps in its foundation.’

“This disciple was responsible for the Market, disciple stipends, Secret Realm output, and Battle Arrays. However, with the Market destroyed and control over the Lotus Secret Realm lost, those two areas of responsibility are now effectively nonexistent.”

Elder Hong answered truthfully, without a moment’s hesitation.

“I heard the Holy Lotus Sect also has a Medicine Garden Secret Realm. How could you have nothing to do?”

‘Having someone willing to surrender is a good thing. It’s the fastest way to understand the Holy Lotus Sect and Qii Mountain.’

‘In the future, when it comes to taking over, sorting through the spoils, and converting this place into my own sanctum, the help of such a person will be indispensable.’

‘Otherwise, taking over Qii Mountain alone would consume most of the Qingfeng Sect’s energy. Where would they find the time to dispatch the Law Enforcement Hall to sweep through Central Province, round up all the Tribulation Cultivators, and restore the old order?’

“True Monarch may not be aware, but the Medicine Garden Secret Realm has always been managed separately from the other Secret Realms in the Holy Lotus Sect… Because of its great importance, it is overseen by a dedicated Core Formation Elder.”

Elder Hong explained hurriedly. Fearing Bai Zichen wouldn’t believe him, he even brought up his own master.

“True Monarch Bai may not know this, but this disciple’s master once served as the Holy Lotus Sect’s Foreign Affairs Elder and shared a deep friendship with True Monarch Ge Cang. Many days ago, this disciple had already dispatched a subordinate to sneak out of Qii Mountain and deliver a letter to your esteemed Sect, hoping you would rescue the people of Central Province from their torment.”

“There’s such a history between us? Rise and speak.”

Bai Zichen’s heart stirred. ‘If what this man says is true—that his master was the one who, against all opposition, gave Senior Brother Ge Cang the spot to enter the Lotus Secret Realm—then the Qingfeng Sect truly does owe them a favor.’

‘Intending to surrender before Qii Mountain fell is fundamentally different from pledging allegiance only after seeing Qu Yang die and the Holy Lotus Sect’s destruction become a foregone conclusion.’