Chapter 299: Chapter 297: News of the Tier-4 Flying Sword
’Two Tribulation Crossing Pills. They’re useless to me, so I’ll deposit them in the Secret Hall... When Senior Brother Wei and Junior Sister Zhou need them, I’ll just have them use Sect Contribution to redeem them directly.’
Bai Zichen first looked inside two white Jade Bottles and found the realm-breaking Tribulation Crossing Pills he had seen at the Pill King Conference.
This pill is most effective for Early-Stage Core Formation Cultivators.
Taking two pills in succession would, under normal circumstances, guarantee a successful breakthrough.
There were also eight cyan Jade Bottles, each containing a single, lotus-seed-shaped elixir that gave off a faint, pleasant scent.
’These seem to be the Nine Revolutions Jade Lotus Pills, exclusive to the Holy Lotus Sect. Their effect is similar to the Guangling Pill... I’ll have Han Qing inspect them later. If the elixirs are intact and free of Erysipelas, they could save me a great deal of time in my Cultivation.’
There were also two Top-Grade Magical Treasures, three Mid-Grade Magical Treasures, and countless miscellaneous items.
’A *Complete Translation of the Flower Bird Talisman*... This is excellent. It’ll keep me from being unable to decipher a Flower Bird Talisman’s meaning even when it’s right in front of my face.’
Bai Zichen pulled a yellowed ancient text from the pile of miscellaneous items. Its pages were as thin as a cicada’s wings yet remarkably tough, like they were made from the hide of a Demon Beast.
It recorded the specific meanings of over a hundred characters from the Flower Bird Talismanic Text. Each entry showed a single talismanic character, followed by several pages of lengthy descriptions.
As a common script from Ancient Times, the Flower Bird Talismanic Text inherently possessed might. It was the origin of the Talisman Dao and held immense research value.
A Cultivator who wished to make a name for themselves in the Talisman Dao had to conduct in-depth research into the Flower Bird Talismanic Text; otherwise, it was nearly impossible to achieve great success.
It was safe to say that only a Nascent Soul Major Sect like the Holy Lotus Sect would possess such a legacy.
They had the manpower and resources to collect relics from Ancient Times, and then spend hundreds or even thousands of years comparing and verifying them to produce a volume like this one.
After quickly flipping through a few pages, he suddenly realized two of the talismanic characters looked very familiar. He must have seen them recently.
’Not the characters on the Inheritance Stele. Something more recent... The broken Ancient Bronze Tripod Leg.’
After a long moment of contemplation, Bai Zichen retrieved the Ancient Bronze Broken Leg from his storage bag. The two talismanic characters on it perfectly matched the illustrations on one of the pages in the middle of the ancient text.
’Overseas Immortal Mountain, at the end of the Water Eye, boundless shifting sands, a thousand-foot glacier... These two talismanic characters aren’t consecutive. There’s something missing in between, which makes it hard to understand.’
By comparing it with the ancient text and making a few educated guesses, he could only surmise that the Ancient Bronze Broken Leg was originally a Treasure from the Outer Sea that had somehow found its way to Black Mountain.
However, none of the locations mentioned were islands familiar to Bai Zichen, nor were they mentioned in the legacy he had obtained from the Fish Dragon Sect.
It was very likely that the so-called Immortal Mountain was deep in the Outer Sea, far beyond the knowledge of ordinary Cultivators.
His first attempt at translating the Flower Bird Talismanic Text ended in failure, yielding no results.
But Bai Zichen wasn’t discouraged in the slightest. On the contrary, he carefully put away the *Complete Translation of the Flower Bird Talisman* for safekeeping.
He even decided that upon returning to the Sect, he would have disciples make an exact copy and place the replica on the highest floor of the Transmission Hall.
An item like this was what truly deepened the Qingfeng Sect’s foundation.
Whenever one entered an Ancient Secret Realm or ruins, or came across Magical Treasures passed down from that era, the Flower Bird Talismanic Text was always involved.
This ancient text would prove to be incredibly useful in the future.
Having found such a treasure in an unassuming pile of items, Bai Zichen’s interest was piqued, and he continued his treasure hunt.
He found several Cultivation Techniques, each with unique strengths suited for niche Cultivators, all of which could be cultivated to the Core Formation Stage.
There were also two scrolls of notes on the Core Formation experience. They didn’t touch upon the Pill Discussion or the Great Dao, merely recounting ordinary experiences of breaking through to Core Formation.
’I’ll just put these in the Transmission Hall. As the number of Sect Disciples grows, someone is bound to find them useful... These notes are much more suitable for the average person. My generation was an exception; three of us achieved Pill Discussion before even reaching Core Formation.’
Even Wei Dao, who seemed dim in the brilliant light of Master Ge Cang and Bai Zichen, would be considered an exceptionally brilliant talent in any other Core Formation Level Sect.
At his age, it wasn’t entirely out of the question for him to reach the Nascent Soul realm.
Therefore, his Core Formation experience wasn’t a suitable reference for ordinary disciples.
For example, Qi Yue, the disciple currently most likely to reach Core Formation in the Qingfeng Sect, had no intention of even attempting to achieve Pill Discussion.
’An *Inventory of Treasures in the Lotus Secret Realm and How to Obtain Them*... What a pity. Before all this, I’d definitely have been qualified to receive an invitation from the Holy Lotus Sect for a spot in the Secret Realm.’
Bai Zichen found another interesting book and, casually flipping through it, discovered several treasures that interested him.
’But with our current relationship, hoping the Holy Lotus Sect will give me a spot is less likely than me finding another spatially stable Secret Realm in Black Mountain.’
The Lotus Secret Realm has extremely high strength requirements for its participants, and each Core Formation True Man can only enter once in their entire life.
Therefore, each time the Secret Realm opened, the Holy Lotus Sect would release a few slots, offering them to disciples from allied sects in other countries and to outstanding Core Formation True Men from the Liang Country Cultivation Realm.
People like Master Ge Cang and Feng Moyun of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect had both been invited to participate in the Lotus Secret Realm.
And both had reaped priceless Treasures from within the Secret Realm.
’A Twin Lotus Heart. Consuming it directly can extend one’s life by a full sixty years... When combined with ingredients like Ten Thousand Years Longevity Grass and Immortal Bright Sand, it can be used in the Refining of the legendary Tier Four Top-Grade Green King Medicine Pill. A single one of those extends life by one hundred and eighty years!’
Bai Zichen was dumbfounded. He hadn’t expected the Lotus Secret Realm to contain such a Life-Extending Spiritual Object.
However, in the several thousand years since the Holy Lotus Sect’s ancestors took control of the Lotus Secret Realm, only a single Twin Lotus Heart had ever been found. By contrast, there were records of Nascent Soul Spiritual Objects being found three or four times.
’It’s a good thing they only ever found one. If the Holy Lotus Sect managed to refine another batch of Qing King Medicine Pills and True Monarch Jiulian gained an extra hundred and eighty years of life, it would be an absolute catastrophe for the Qingfeng Sect.’
Even if the Holy Lotus Sect couldn’t gather the materials to refine the Qing King Medicine Pill, True Monarch Jiulian could cooperate with other Nascent Soul Level powers.
With the most crucial ingredient, the Twin Lotus Heart, in hand, he would have no trouble gathering the other Spiritual Materials or finding an Alchemy Grandmaster willing to perform the refining.
One hundred and eighty years was not a short period of time, even for a Nascent Soul True Monarch.
’In the Lotus Secret Realm, there’s a suspected Tier Four Flying Sword... A Core Formation True Man once saw a Dragon-Like Sword Light flash by, but it was too fast to pursue. Based on its speed and the power it exuded, it’s almost certainly a Tier Four Flying Sword.’
Bai Zichen put down the book inventorying the treasures, and an idea began to form in his mind.
’The minimum requirement to enter the Lotus Secret Realm is a Core Formation Cultivation... For it to leave a Core Formation True Man sighing in its wake, it must be a Tier Four Flying Sword, one that has gained Spiritual awareness and is unwilling to accept a master. If I could get in, I might have a chance to claim it.’
He never thought that in addition to top-tier Life-Extending Spiritual Objects, Nascent Soul Spiritual Objects, Exotic Stones for comprehending the Great Dao’s True Intent, and all sorts of other rare treasures, the Lotus Secret Realm would also hide a Tier Four Flying Sword.
This piqued Bai Zichen’s interest to the absolute maximum.
The Spiritual awareness of a Tier Four Flying Sword was far stronger than that of an ordinary Spiritual Treasure. After all, it was equivalent to a Top-Grade Spiritual Treasure, just a single step away from the legendary Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasures.
In the Sword Tomb Secret Realm, for instance, the Supreme Profound White-Haired Sword had willingly submitted, won over by True Monarch Tianhe’s exceptional Sword Dao Talent.
Judging by how well the Xing Yao Sword later coordinated with Yann Yuanzai, it had probably grown weary of its lonely existence in the Sword Tomb and simply wanted to get out and see the world, so it chose a Sword Master who was relatively pleasing to the eye.
As for the Moon Xuan Sword, it had simply sensed the aura of its old ’big brother’ and eagerly scurried over to pledge its allegiance.
The Lotus Secret Realm was a stable environment with abundant Spiritual Qi. A Tier Four Flying Sword inside would have no fear of its tier being Demoted. As long as it was unwilling, no one could force it to accept a master.
Bai Zichen was self-aware. He knew his Sword Dao Talent was nowhere near that of True Monarch Tianhe, who had earned the true submission of the Supreme Profound White-Haired Sword.
But he had a great advantage that no other Sword Cultivator in the world could match: the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box.
Judging from the Moon Xuan Sword’s reaction, only Tier Five Flying Swords had been worthy of entering the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box under its previous master.
For a flying sword, residing in the Sword Box was like being permanently immersed in Sword Tempering Spirit Water.
Of course, this wasn’t the common Tier Two or Tier Three variety found in the Cultivation Realm. Judging by its effects, it was likely equivalent to Tier Five Sword Tempering Spirit Water.
Even the depletion of the Moon Xuan Sword’s Origin Power could be quickly restored by the nourishment of the Sword Box’s Pure Qi.
If he could just get in front of that Tier Four Flying Sword and reveal the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box, he refused to believe it wouldn’t be tempted.
’I don’t have a chance now, but what if True Monarch Jiulian passes away and Brother Ge becomes a Nascent Soul True Monarch...? In any case, entry to the Lotus Secret Realm is restricted to those with a Core Formation Cultivation, so it’s nearly impossible for anyone to have taken the Tier Four Flying Sword. I’ll just consider it to be in storage for now.’
With that thought, Bai Zichen’s mood lightened considerably.
As he continued to rummage through the miscellaneous items for useful treasures, no one from the Ghost Spirit Sect dared to charge out of Ten Thousand Ghosts Creek.
They all knew a Core Formation Sword Cultivator was waiting high above. Who would dare stick their neck out to test him?
Did they really think they could outrun a Tier Four Flying Sword?
"Master Bai, I am willing to cede Ten Thousand Ghosts Creek to your esteemed sect! I only ask that you allow me and my fellow disciples to leave... I can swear a Dao Heart Oath to never again set foot in Hejian County as long as I live!"
A slender figure flew up, but she remained within the protective barrier of the Ten Thousand Ghosts Fierce Soul Array, her voice carrying via Sound Transmission.
However, Fairy Taohua didn’t know Bai Zichen’s precise location. Her words fell upon the ears of the Cultivators from both sects, and the resulting effect on morale—bolstering one side while demoralizing the other—was easy to imagine.
"Getting away unscathed at this point? You wish... I swore an oath before my elder’s spirit tablet to see the Ghost Spirit Sect destroyed, its legacy utterly severed. If you sever your own heart meridian and commit suicide in front of your array, I might just allow your Divine Soul to disperse on its own and seek its chance at Reincarnation."
Bai Zichen sneered. He couldn’t even be bothered to leave the Seeking Truth Ship as his voice boomed out.
"You’ve gone too far! Then come and try it! I’d like to see you break our Sect’s Grand Array!"
Fairy Taohua’s face went deathly pale. She spat out a final threat and her figure vanished.
Bai Zichen remained perfectly at ease. He neither made a move himself nor ordered the Black Mountain Cultivators to change their strategy, allowing them to continue their half-hearted attacks against the Ten Thousand Ghosts Fierce Soul Array.
「Two more days passed.」
The Black Mountain army gathered outside Ten Thousand Ghosts Creek continued to swell in number.
These were the forces that had completed their various assignments, wiping out the Cultivators at the Ghost Spirit Sect’s branch outposts, seizing their assets, and then redirecting their remaining strength here.
The gathered number had exceeded fifty Foundation Establishment Cultivators and nearly four thousand Qi Refining Disciples.
Meanwhile, Wei Dao, leading his two other disciples—everyone but Wei Chuming—was personally visiting the Cultivation Families of Hejian County one by one.
Any die-hard vassals of the Ghost Spirit Sect were exterminated without a second word, their clans wiped out.
As for the Clans with less intimate ties, he employed a carrot-and-stick approach, demanding they immediately declare their allegiance and take decisive action.
Along the way, six or seven Cultivation Families had already been razed to the ground, their entire clans wiped out due to their past misdeeds and their origins with the Ghost Spirit Sect.
For a long time after, the Cultivation Families of Hejian County would pale at the mere mention of Wei Dao’s name.