Born with immortal seed

Chapter 147 Supreme Elder

"In my opinion, we can give them a drop... The Hundred Flowers Sect is adept at social maneuvering, and its female disciples have extensive social connections and close relationships with many Core Formation forces."

Master Fire Crow stroked his sparse goatee, thinking of the graceful figure and captivating eyes of Master Yu of the Hundred Flowers Sect, and the flames in his sleeves burned even brighter.

"How could the Hundred Flowers Sect be qualified to request the Pure Spirit Jade Marrow? Senior Brother Fire Crow, don't speak up for her just because your concubine comes from the Hundred Flowers Sect."

Upon hearing this, Black Wind Master became anxious, his fat face jiggling.

“I remember that the Hundred Flowers Sect does not have a single Core Formation cultivator in charge at present. The sect leader is just a pseudo-Core Formation cultivator... It would have been fine two hundred years ago, but how can he be worthy of a drop of Pure Spirit Jade Marrow now?”

"Hmph, I heard that a fellow cultivator who has reached the Core Formation stage came to visit you today. Which sect has tried to obtain the Pure Spirit Jade Marrow by following your lead?"

Master Huoya was so angry that he blew his beard and glared at his junior brother, whom he usually looked down on, who exposed his true nature.

"There is a... Senior Brother Fang, who is Fellow Daoist Yang from the Qingfeng Sect, who wants to request three drops of Pure Spirit Jade Marrow."

"What audacity! Three drops!"

Master Huoya's face twitched, and he said disdainfully, "A remote sect in a remote corner, a country bumpkin from a small place, yet your appetite is as big as the Holy Lotus Sect's!"

"That's not fair. Qingfeng Sect is a sect with a well-established lineage. For thousands of years, it has never failed to produce a Core Formation True Person. And its cultivation methods are still orthodox Taoist..."

Master Heifeng knew that Master Yang's request was a bit excessive, but in order to identify the miraculous elixir, he said awkwardly.

"What a load of bull! We were beaten down by the Ghost Spirit Sect years ago, and even the resources in our sect's heartland were looted!"

Master Huoya clearly looked down on the Qingfeng Sect.

"Or we could simply follow Senior Brother Feng's idea and seal away the Pure Spirit Jade Marrow, no longer selling it to the outside world... lest the secret realm disappears in a few hundred years and our own disciples have no spiritual materials left to use for Core Formation!"

Senior Brother Feng is the only Core Formation cultivator left in the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.

He is currently in seclusion in the Cave of Ten Thousand Beasts, attempting to break through to the late stage of Core Formation.

He is the most conservative person among all the Core Formation True Persons of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect in terms of the method of disposing of the Pure Spirit Jade Marrow.

When the secret realm of the Myriad Beasts Sect was first brought under its control, it would condense a hundred drops of Pure Spirit Jade Marrow every sixty years.

The Myriad Beasts Sect certainly couldn't consume such a large number of Core Formation spiritual items.

They would take it out and exchange it with other forces for sale, and eventually it became a common practice to sell it for only 20,000 spirit stones per drop.

However, the target of the sale must be chosen by the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, and a favor will be owed to them.

Originally, everything went smoothly. Given the size of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, the number of Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivators in each sixty-year cycle was less than ten.

The excess Pure Jade Essence flowed to the five states and seventy-two counties of Liang Kingdom, and even cultivators from other countries traveled millions of miles just to obtain a Core Formation Spiritual Object.

However, three hundred years ago, the secret realm of the Core Formation spiritual object, which the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect regarded as a treasure, encountered a problem.

That year, the yield of Qingling Jade Marrow decreased to eighty drops.

One hundred and twenty years later, the drop decreased again to only sixty drops.

The last time the secret realm opened, only forty drops of Pure Jade Marrow remained.

Based on the extensive research and speculation of the four Core Formation cultivators, there is only one conclusion: this secret realm, a thousand years after its discovery, is on the verge of collapse.

If we collect the Pure Spirit Jade Marrow four or five more times, the entire secret realm will completely collapse, turning into fragments that drift away in the spatial turbulence.

This is the reason why the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect became increasingly anxious about the Pure Spirit Jade Marrow, and thus developed two sets of purchasing standards.

If it weren't for the fact that the Qingling Jade Marrow could only be preserved for a maximum of sixty years, Master Feng's idea would have been approved long ago.

All the Pure Spirit Jade Marrow produced in the secret realm was collected, not a single drop was leaked out, and it was used only by the disciples of the Myriad Beasts Sect.

"Alright, what's with all the arguing between you fellow disciples!"

Fang Tiansheng spoke slowly, his voice like muffled thunder, echoing throughout the hall.

This Supreme Elder of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect had a lion-like face and a broad nose. His silver-white hair and beard were a messy clump, but his skin was as smooth as a baby's.

"I will find a way to save the secret realm. I found a way to save it at the Holy Lotus Sect... but we are still missing two key items. If we can find them, we can postpone the collapse of the secret realm by at least three hundred years!"

“Junior brother, you can directly reject the Hundred Flowers Sect’s offer. Black Wind is right about something. A mere fake Core cultivator dares to ask for Pure Spirit Jade Marrow… What do you mean by having extensive connections? If a disciple of the Hundred Flowers Sect were to become a Nascent Soul True Monarch’s concubine, I might give them some face.”

"Also, you should rein in your temper and not be too obsessed with women... Since there is no hope for the mid-stage of Core Formation in the short term, you should go down and guide the younger generation more. There are six Foundation Establishment Perfection students in this year's class, who will all try to form Core in the next thirty years. You should spend more time teaching them the secrets of Core Formation."

"I've remembered what you said, senior brother. I will definitely change."

Fire Crow Master lowered his head, Fang Tiansheng's spittle flew onto his face, but he didn't wipe it off, not daring to show the slightest temper of a Core Formation Master.

Fang Tiansheng was older than Master Yang and was considered the patriarch of all the cultivators in the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.

However, because he cultivated the Spirit Control Scripture, relied on the power of his natal spirit beast, the Golden Earth Dragon, and took various longevity pills, he could live to be eight hundred years old.

He is not yet 500 years old and still has plenty of time to break through to the Nascent Soul realm.

"As for the Qingfeng Sect, it's just a stubborn sect that doesn't really belong... They can't let go of their pride in claiming to be the orthodox sect of Taoism, yet they want to adapt to the local atmosphere. You can tell from their True Inheritance Trials. They test the disciples' aptitude and character, and then end with a contest of strength. What's the point?"

The Ten Thousand Beasts Sect selects its true disciples solely based on their strength.

Regardless of personal strength or the strength of one's companion spirit beast, as long as one can fight one's way out, one is qualified to become a true disciple.

However, this position of true successor is not secure; every two years, a newcomer can challenge it.

Fang Tiansheng seemed to know a lot about the Qingfeng Sect, having done his homework on even the smallest details, and knew some of the real inside stories.

"The founder of Qingfeng Sect crossed the sea and established a foundation in Liang Kingdom, which has been nearly two thousand years ago. If it weren't for the disciples who have emerged in every generation to support the sect, the lineage would have been broken long ago."

"However, Ge Cang has the potential to become a Nascent Soul cultivator... If he successfully transforms into a Nascent Soul cultivator, the Qingfeng Sect will likely prosper greatly!"

"Senior Brother Fang, a few years ago there was a lot of talk about how Ge Cang single-handedly defeated four Core Formation cultivators from the Ghost Spirit Sect. How much of that is true?"

Master Fire Crow asked curiously, as he was confident that he could defeat any cultivator from the Ghost Spirit Sect if he were to fight them alone.

His natal spirit beast, Ding Huo Shen Ya, collected lamplight, candlelight, and the lights of countless homes, refining them into an inextinguishable true fire with the characteristic of never fading.

Although it is not as effective as some true fires in restraining evil spirits and having extra lethality against demonic cultivators, the darker and colder the environment, the more it can activate the Ding Fire Divine Crow's divine power.

But when facing two opponents, the result can only be a draw.

Facing four opponents alone, Master Fire Crow was certain that his only option was to flee. He was fairly confident that he could save his life by relying on his Fire Crow supernatural powers.

He absolutely refused to believe that a cultivator from a remote sect could achieve such an astonishing feat.

There must be some exaggeration or inaccuracy in this.

For example, Ge Cang used some powerful, one-time-use rare treasure to scare away several Core Formation cultivators from the Ghost Spirit Sect.

How much of it is true?

Fang Tiansheng raised his voice, thunder rumbling in his chest, and said with disgust, "I see you are really indulging in women and have lost your mind... If it weren't for those few demonic brats from the Ghost Spirit Sect running away quickly, every single one of them would have been annihilated by Ge Cang!"

"The Nine Lotus True Monarch told me personally that this young man's talent is so exceptional that even within their Holy Lotus Sect, he would be considered a once-in-a-century talent. Crucially, his supernatural abilities are extremely effective against demonic cultivators. Even if I were to take him down, I might not be as fast as him!"

"Black Wind, go and tell the fellow Daoists of the Azure Maple Sect that we can give them one drop... no, three drops of Pure Spirit Jade Marrow!"

Fang Tiansheng remembered something and changed his mind.

“But I want him to personally promise you that he owes my Ten Thousand Beasts Sect two favors… one to Qingfeng Sect, and one to Ge Cang personally. That Fellow Daoist Yang is Ge Cang’s senior brother, so he should be able to make the decision for him.”

"As long as he agrees, you must immediately take my token to the secret realm and retrieve three drops of Pure Spirit Jade Marrow for him!"

"Although I look down on the awkward style of the Qingfeng Sect, they are the most trustworthy... As long as we let them owe us a favor, we don't have to worry about not being able to get it back one day."

"Understood, Senior Brother Fang."

Even Black Wind Master hadn't expected that Fang Tiansheng would agree to Master Yang's excessive demands.

Originally, he thought that if he could get a drop of Pure Jade Marrow, he would have fulfilled Master Yang's request and had the face to ask for the Tongue Detection Elixir.

When his two junior brothers had left the Hall of Ten Thousand Beasts, leaving only Fang Tiansheng, he closed his eyes, looking slightly tired.

"According to the Holy Lotus Sect, Ge Cang will definitely be included in this Lotus Life Secret Realm... We'll have someone pass on a message to them, telling them to keep an eye out for spatial artifacts. With Junior Brother Feng and Ge Cang on board, the chances of any spatial artifacts appearing this time falling into their hands are quite high."

As one of the few great cultivators in Liang Kingdom, Fang Tiansheng knew that many things were not secrets to him.

"If I can find a Void Stone, I'll go to Zengguang Immortal City and bid on a piece of fourth-grade Breath Soil. With the help of a fourth-grade array master, consolidating the secret realm for three hundred years won't be a problem!"

Three hundred years means that this secret realm of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect can yield five more Core Formation spiritual items.

Even at the lowest rate of forty drops of Pure Jade Marrow per session, that's a full two hundred portions of Core Formation spiritual items.

It's worth paying any price for it.

"My old friend is getting old, he only has a hundred or two hundred years left at most... I'm confident I can reach the peak of the third tier, but how am I supposed to take the leap to the fourth tier spirit beast stage!"

The deeper one cultivates the Spirit Control Scripture, the closer the bond between the cultivator and their natal spirit beast becomes.

When Fang Tiansheng first formed his core, it was the Golden Devouring Earth Dragon that propelled his cultivation forward.

Now, the situation has reversed, and Fang Tiansheng is being dragged down by the cultivation level of his natal spirit beast.

The Devouring Gold Earth Dragon carries a trace of true dragon blood, making its advancement to the fourth rank even more difficult than that of ordinary spirit beasts.

It's definitely too late using conventional methods.

Fang Tiansheng learned a secret from the Nine Lotus True Monarch: thousands of years ago, the Golden Light Dragon, a spirit beast of a Nascent Soul True Monarch in the Northern Yuan, successfully accumulated perfect energy after consuming a grain of Five Crystal Divine Iron, and passed the Transformation Tribulation, becoming a fourth-order spirit beast.

As spirit beasts possessing dragon blood and sharing a fondness for devouring metal ores, this secret is of great reference value.

"Five-grade divine iron... In the vast world of cultivation, where else can such a fifth-grade spiritual material be hidden..."

Compared to the Core Formation Realm, which was in danger of collapsing, Fang Tiansheng was even more anxious about the uncertain path to his own cultivation.

(End of this chapter)