Chapter 332: Chapter 330: Chain Reaction
Qi Yue wasn’t surprised that his identity had been exposed. In Beiyuan, the No-Life Sect was a veritable behemoth.
As the first Demon Path Major Sect to arrive in the Northern Domain, it had always been rooted in Beiyuan. If it weren’t for their mortal enemy, the Dharma Aspect Sect, the No-Life Sect’s sphere of influence would be much larger.
It wasn’t difficult for a Core Formation True Man from the No-Life Sect to investigate his background.
’It’s just a bit strange. After all this time, why suddenly ask about Bai Zichen?’
’Could it be that Ancestor Bai has done something else earth-shattering recently?’
"You’re at Foundation Establishment Perfection. I presume you’re traveling the world seeking an opportunity for Core Formation?"
The plain-robed Daoist glanced at Qi Yue and said, "Begin your attempt at Core Formation now. If you succeed, I’ll let you leave... If you fail, you’ll become fertilizer for the back garden."
"Now? Here?"
Qi Yue was dumbfounded. He never expected to hear such a demand.
"I have little patience. If I don’t see the Core Formation phenomenon within a month, I will make you understand a fate worse than death."
The plain-robed Daoist said no more and turned to leave.
"Junior Martial Uncle Jiang, my master invites you to appreciate flowers with him next month... The eighteen Beauty Flowers he has raised are now mature and ready for picking."
A chubby, pale-faced child flew to the mountaintop and presented a gilt-edged invitation to the plain-robed Daoist. The cover was inscribed with the large words: ’For Junior Martial Brother Jiang Yuhua to open personally.’
"Go back and tell your master that I happen to be at a critical juncture in my Cultivation of a Divine Technique and cannot attend... After I have mastered it, I will definitely pay him a personal visit."
Jiang Yuhua dismissed the child and sat alone in the bamboo forest.
When he had been stuck at a bottleneck, he went to the Liang Country’s Cultivation Realm and served as an Honored Guest Elder for the Blood Demon Sect for a few years.
Later, when he had accumulated enough and showed signs of Breaking Realm, he returned to his own Sect.
Having just broken through to Core Formation Perfection a few years ago, he wasn’t considered the most valued Cultivator in the No-Life Sect. After all, ahead of him was a Saint Heir who had reached Core Formation Perfection at a much younger age.
But he was still considered a promising candidate for the Nascent Soul realm, worthy of the Sect investing resources in his breakthrough.
At his age, he wasn’t considered too old among Core Formation True Men, and he still had great potential.
When the latest issue of the Northern Domain’s newsletter arrived, Jiang Yuhua was completely stunned.
Back then, he and the Ghost Spirit Sect had been crushing the Qingfeng Sect. If not for the enemy’s unexpected reinforcements, they would have taken Feiyue Lake long ago.
He had never heard of the Qingfeng Sect having any expert other than Master Ge Cang. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been suppressed by the Ghost Spirit Sect for a century, to the point where their Sect was almost completely sealed off.
This could only mean one thing: this Bai Zichen, who had performed the Nascent Soul Reversal Cut, had grown rapidly in the last few decades.
Jiang Yuhua was forcing Qi Yue to attempt Core Formation because he wanted to observe the Qingfeng Sect’s Fundamental Great Method through the Core Formation phenomenon and understand why it produced such astonishing results.
As for Soul Searching Techniques, most sects had countermeasures.
They would have various Forbidden restrictions that would ensure the most crucial information in a disciple’s Sea of Consciousness would be automatically deleted if they were subjected to a Soul Search.
The No-Life Sect’s Cultivation Techniques were exceedingly profound. He was merely curious and had no real intention of switching to the Qingfeng Sect’s techniques. So, he simply forced Qi Yue to attempt Core Formation, hoping to glimpse a few of its subtleties during the process.
A few days later, countless wisps of nature’s spiritual energy gathered in the sky. Balls of lightning leaped and flickered, and the sky grew dim.
This was the Core Formation phenomenon triggered by Qi Yue officially beginning his breakthrough attempt.
Jiang Yuhua shot to his feet. He was curious how the Qingfeng Sect could produce such a Heaven-Defying Core Formation True Man. However, he had no time to go to Liang Country at the moment, so he could only try to find a spark of inspiration through Bai Zichen’s fellow disciple.
"If this kid represents the average standard of a Qingfeng Sect Core Formation Seed, then there’s no point in observing... I really don’t know what kind of methods could give someone the power to perform a Nascent Soul Reversal Cut at the Core Formation Realm. How enviable!"
Jiang Yuhua only watched for a moment before looking away, clasping his hands behind his back as he gazed toward the highest peak.
With his sharp eye, he could naturally tell that Qi Yue hadn’t even formed a Pill Discussion, and the Core Formation phenomenon showed no particular wonders.
He had originally wanted to get a glimpse of the Qingfeng Sect’s Core Formation True Man’s methods. From the looks of it, Bai Zichen’s success was due to his own personal opportunities and his Swordsmanship Divine, having little to do with his Sect’s Cultivation Technique.
...
「Tianhe Sword Sect, Sword Mountain.」
"Are you certain? Once you set foot on this path, there is no turning back. Don’t let external events affect your state of mind. You must proceed at your own pace..."
True Monarch Tang Fei’s expression was grave, a look he wouldn’t even have when facing a Nascent Soul Level opponent.
"My mind is made up. It’s related to the news, but that’s not the primary reason."
Yann Yuanzai scanned the entire Sword Mountain, then laughed and strode forward.
"I’ve been stuck at Core Formation Perfection for so many years. All aspects of my Cultivation have reached a state of perfection. Why must I wait for a Magical Treasure that can resist Celestial Thunder? In every other respect, I already surpass ninety percent of the Perfect Core Formation Cultivators in the Cultivation Realm. The longer I wait, the more my fighting spirit dwindles."
"Besides, with the Xing Yao in hand, the Heart Demon Tribulation won’t be too difficult. I just need to focus all my energy on the Celestial Thunder Tribulation."
He held his longsword horizontally. Countless tiny specks of starlight scattered from it, and seven Treasure Beads on the hilt formed the Big Dipper, shining as brightly as the stars.
The Tier Four Xing Yao Sword. After so many years of Refinement and nurturing a bond with it, Yann Yuanzai could now mostly control the Flying Sword.
This sword came with a Divine Technique, Jade Light Body Protection, which could draw upon the Jade Pool Divine Light to form a Brocade Robe, rendering him impervious to all evil.
In terms of sheer defensive power, it wasn’t a top-tier Divine Technique, but it could resist Outer Demons, preventing them from stirring up one’s Heart Demon during Tribulation Crossing.
With this effect alone, the Xing Yao Sword was worthy of its title as a Tier Four Flying Sword.
The major event that had recently occurred in Liang Country sent shockwaves through the entire Tianhe Sword Sect when the news reached Beiyuan.
That junior who had been acknowledged by the Moon Xuan Sword had converted his talent and potential into strength so quickly. Even the high-ranking members of the Tianhe Sword Sect who thought highly of him were still utterly shocked.
Yann Yuanzai, especially, was influenced by this and decided to wait no longer, beginning the process of Shattering Core and Transforming into Nascent Soul.
"Good. I will wait for you here. Rest assured... I’d like to see if any demons or ghouls dare to make a move at a time like this."
Tang Fei watched Yann Yuanzai walk into the secret chamber, then let out a long cry and ordered the Sect’s Array to be activated to its maximum power.
At the same time, a pure white Flying Sword shot from his mind into the sky, serving as his eyes to survey the surroundings.
The Tier Four Supreme White Headed Sword. Having been refined by three successive generations of the Tianhe Sword Sect’s Nascent Soul True Monarchs, it had become the Sect’s true legacy Supreme Treasure.
No matter how powerful a Core Formation Cultivator was, they were extremely vulnerable during their Tribulation Crossing. It was easy for outsiders to interfere and affect the process of manifesting the Nascent Soul.
Cultivators from a Sect had their fellow disciples as support and were much safer crossing their tribulation within the Sect’s grounds.
They just had to be careful that no one seized the opportunity to attack the Sect’s Array at this critical moment, which could cause fluctuations in the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi and affect the person undergoing the tribulation.
For Loose Cultivators, this process was even more perilous.
Their only options were to set up an Array or find a sworn friend whom they could entrust with their life to act as a Guardian.
The Tianhe Sword Sect held a relatively transcendent status in Beiyuan, guarding the path to Liang Country and Frost Country.
The Sect’s overall strength was inferior to the Dharma Aspect Sect and the No-Life Sect. It was only because of True Monarch Tang Fei’s superior strength that they could be considered on par.
But at the Nascent Soul level, the disparity in numbers was too great, forcing them to make concessions when competing for certain interests.
If Yann Yuanzai could successfully form a Nascent Soul, however, it would be a completely different story.
A Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator wielding the Tier Four Xing Yao Sword could not be regarded as an ordinary, newly-advanced Nascent Soul. Their strength would be enough to change the situation in Beiyuan.
Therefore, Tang Fei dared not be careless. Just because they had no grudges on a normal day didn’t mean enemies wouldn’t strike at this juncture to obstruct Yann Yuanzai’s Nascent Soul Path.
"Sword Slashes the Nascent Soul... Even at the realm of One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws, that’s impossible. At most, one could force back Jiulian... It can’t be that he’s already touched upon Sword Light Division at the Core Formation Realm, can it?"
As a Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator, Tang Fei himself had only reached the Perfection stage of Refining Sword into Silk. He was constantly perfecting his One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws and was still a long way from Sword Light Division.
This was precisely why he couldn’t comprehend what kind of Swordsmanship could achieve a reversal cut on a Nascent Soul.
He could only sigh. ’The Moon Xuan Sword has good taste. It’s a Tier Four Flying Sword, after all.’
’To have chosen and acknowledged its master when Bai Zichen was only in the Foundation Establishment Stage... it picked a real rising star.’
...
「Burial Immortal Valley.」
The place was nothing like its former self. Demonic Qi roiled, and visibility was less than ten feet.
If one extended their Divine Sense, it would be instantly devoured by the valley’s malevolent demonic will, which might even trace it back to contaminate the source.
Standing far outside the valley, one could periodically hear a terrifying roar that seemed to emanate from the abyss.
There were also sounds of heavy impacts and the dragging of iron chains, and the entire valley trembled with them.
At first, some Cultivators worried that the Ancient Demon would break through the Forbidden and reappear in the world of mortals.
Decades passed with no change to the outskirts of the Burial Immortal Valley. Several nearby Nascent Soul True Monarchs reached an agreement to take turns monitoring the area, confirming that the Ancient Demon showed no signs of escaping.
Only then did they relax. The Forbidden laid down by the Ancient Great Power was truly extraordinary.
Even after so many tens of thousands of years, it still retained its power to suppress the demon.
Amidst the incredibly pure Demonic Qi, a figure strolled leisurely. With a wave of its hand, it smashed two Demonized Demon Beasts into dust.
"They were originally Tier Two Demon Beasts, but after Demonization, they can reach Tier Three... They just have no Spiritual Wisdom, and besides their physical bodies, they show no signs of any Divine Techniques."
The figure showed no discomfort in the Demonic Qi. Instead, it greedily devoured the pure Demonic Qi, causing its once-somewhat-illusory body to solidify.
"Such captivating power. Gravely wounded by an Ancient Immortal and then subjected to the Refinement of the Demon Refining Array for over a hundred thousand years, yet it still possesses strength equivalent to the late-stage Nascent Soul realm... If the restraints were removed, it could probably return to the Divinity Transformation Realm in an instant."
Two sky-supporting giant hands propped open a massive fissure at the bottom of the valley. Every moment, the Demon Patterns on the backs of the hands would burn and crumble, only to regenerate.
A demon head the size of a small mountain poked out halfway. If it moved any further, countless crystal chains would appear in the air, glowing with multicolored light. Even the Ancient Demon could not withstand it and howled in pain.
The crystal chains seared large wounds onto its indigo-blue skin, forcing the demon head to retract immediately.
Only after forcing out every speck of the multicolored light and its wounds had healed would the Ancient Demon resume its cyclical ramming against the Forbidden.
"Pathetic. So what if it’s an Ancient Demon from the Upper Realm? After more than a hundred thousand years of Refinement, it has become a mere beast with power but no mind..."
Merely a hundred zhang from the Ancient Demon, the mysterious figure radiated an astonishing pressure, floating in mid-air as a black mass of light.
"Why not help me break through my bottleneck and become the True Demon of this realm!"