Born with immortal seed

Chapter 397 Earth Mother's Grotto
Official news: The test is complete.

The Qingfeng Sect wanted to extract information from Yu Ziliang in order to formulate a strategy for their future actions.

They were particularly concerned about which Nascent Soul True Lord of the Moral Sect was guarding Zengguang Immortal City.

Being able to subcontract goods along the entire route to Immortal City, even if one only takes a fraction of the profits, adds up to an astonishing figure over a year.

This is enough to put the Qingfeng Sect's development on the fast track again, with enough spirit stones and cultivation resources to complete all the plans from the past hundred years within twenty or thirty years.

Yu Ziliang was amazed by Bai Zichen's talent and also wanted to befriend him, answering almost every question he had.

For a time, the host and guest got along very well.

Wei Dao clapped his hands and had someone bring over the sect's treasured third-grade spiritual wine, personally pouring three cups for himself.

The three of them drank together, the atmosphere was cheerful, and they continued their conversation.

Yu Ziliang is erudite, outstanding, and possesses an extraordinary demeanor in his speech.

He can readily recall various allusions and recount several anecdotes and legends in a captivating manner, making the audience thoroughly enjoy listening.

'As expected of a disciple of a super sect, even a random Core Formation cultivator is remarkable... Regardless of their strength, this gentle and approachable aura is not something just anyone can possess.'

Bai Zichen sighed inwardly, noting that Yu Ziliang was at the mid-stage of Core Formation and had undoubtedly mastered the theory of Core Formation at a very early age.

Judging by his age, he's not too old. He would be a definite Nascent Soul seed in any sect in the Northern Region, and they would nurture him with all their might.

However, in the Moral Sect, he was merely an ordinary true disciple of the Heavenly Punishment Peak.

"Of the three kingdoms in the Central Region, only the Great Zhou has a secret cave that is open to the public... If Fellow Daoist Bai comes to the Great Zhou, don't miss it, it has been open to the public for tens of thousands of years."

Yu Ziliang drank another cup of spirit wine, but when Wei Dao came to pour it for him, he grabbed the wine pot and poured the wine himself.

The cultivation method he practiced required him to walk the path of a hundred lifetimes and refine the mortal world's energy. That's why he changed the past practice of disciples of the Dao lineage who avoided the world and lived in seclusion in their grottoes. He came to Tianfa Peak and even took the initiative to request to take on responsibilities.

The Dongxuan Hundred Generations True Scripture has remained unstudied for tens of thousands of years within the Daoist lineage.

This technique may seem ordinary, but it is actually extremely dangerous. One wrong move and you will be forever condemned to the mortal realm, never to escape again.

However, if one can follow the requirements of the cultivation method and continuously improve one's realm, the refined worldly energy can play a miraculous role when undergoing tribulation.

Inner demons and heavenly tribulations can both be overcome with a flick of the wrist.

"Is there such a good thing?"

Bai Zichen was greatly surprised. If a stable secret realm had been discovered, it should have been acquired by a super sect long ago. How could they allow outsiders to get their hands on it?

If it has been going on for ten thousand years and still has value for exploration, then this hidden paradise must be quite large.

"This place is called Earth Mother Cave Heaven. The spiritual energy in the secret realm is clear and bright. Flowers, vegetables and trees are beautiful and full of vitality. Since it appeared ten thousand years ago, it has been open once every thirty years and there is no limit to the cultivation level of those who enter."

Yu Ziliang himself had entered the Earth Mother Cave once and knew a lot about it.

"The time one can stay in the cave varies depending on their cultivation level. The higher the cultivation level, the longer the stay... Each person can only enter once and must obtain a wisp of the Earth Mother's essence as proof. There are countless spiritual fruits in the cave, many of which are now extinct and hard to find outside, but can be seen everywhere inside."

"Some True Monarchs speculate that this is an extremely special medicinal garden secret realm, where spiritual plants grow and multiply on their own without the need for special care. Many rogue cultivators have earned their first sum of spirit stones by harvesting spiritual fruits from the Earth Mother Cave, which has helped them make great strides on their cultivation path."

"Your clan's opening of the Earth Mother Cave Heaven is an act of immeasurable merit."

Bai Zichen secretly made a mental note that he would definitely go to the Central Region someday and wouldn't miss out on this kind of hidden paradise.

"When our sect's ancestor Huayin was born in the Earth Mother Cave Heaven, he obtained a Heavenly Star Spirit Fruit from it, which was of great benefit to ascending to the Upper Realm... Therefore, before his ascension, the ancestor Huayin established a rule that no cultivator in the world should be prevented from entering the Earth Mother Cave Heaven."

Yu Ziliang looked slightly embarrassed. Having read the sect's secrets, he knew very well that the Moral Sect had originally planned to move the entrance to the Earth Mother Cave back to its own territory.

After numerous attempts, it was discovered that this secret realm was different from others. The entrance to the secret realm had been integrated into the mountains and earth veins, and even a Nascent Soul cultivator could not move it.

Left with no other choice, they simply went ahead and announced that the Earth Mother Cave Heaven was open to all monks, regardless of their status.

There's also an element of praying for the Huayin Ancestor, hoping that this powerful being can successfully traverse the void and ascend to the upper realm.

Although it was a choice made out of necessity, given the control the Moral Sect had over the Great Zhou Dynasty, it was not difficult for them to surround the entrance of the secret realm before each opening and forcibly drive away non-sect cultivators who attempted to enter the cave heaven secret realm.

Once the essence of the Earth Mother is refined, it cannot be transferred; it can only remain within the refiner.

If the Moral Sect so desires, it can ensure that no non-sect cultivator can approach the entrance to the secret realm.

But that would bring neither benefits nor good, and would also incite public outrage.

The opening of the Earth Mother Grotto by the Daode Sect still benefited a large number of lower-level cultivators, giving them the opportunity to obtain spiritual fruits that could change their cultivation path.

At the same time, the Moral Sect also acquired a number of high-level spiritual fruits from these cultivators, filling the gaps in the sect's resources.

After talking for several hours, Bai Zichen and Wei Dao escorted Yu Ziliang out of the mountain gate before returning to the main hall.

"Unexpectedly, the force dealing with Zengguang Immortal City was not the army of the Morality Sect, but the power of the Heavenly Punishment Peak alone... Two Great True Monarchs, four True Monarchs, and over ten thousand cultivators. This force is capable of sweeping across the Northern Region."

Wei Dao sighed. Everyone knew that the Moral Sect was very powerful, but no one expected it to be this powerful.

There was no need for the entire sect to mobilize; one family alone could destroy Zengguang Immortal City.

In Yu Ziliang's words, the other four peaks had little interest in the Northern Region, and suppressing the ancient demons was within the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Punishment Peak.

Even if they can't take Zengguang Immortal City, the Heavenly Punishment Peak Master will step in, and the other main peaks won't have to send troops to support them.

Besides Heavenly Punishment Peak, the other four main peaks each have their own main focus.

The Yangxing Peak was also held back by the Nine Luminaries Cave Heaven, with a large number of disciples trapped inside.

Cun Sifeng's main focus is on the outer sea, where he has been dedicated to opening up paths to other cultivation continents and fighting endlessly against the monsters in the sea.

Wu Bufeng has always been mysterious, studying ancient witchcraft and not practicing the mainstream techniques of today.

The cultivators of this lineage are powerful and unpredictable, often possessing the ability to curse and kill Core Formation cultivators after decades of cultivation.

However, cultivators of this lineage cannot prolong their lives; even the peak master of Wubu Peak has a lifespan that cannot match that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Those who have achieved mastery of cultivation can only extend their lifespan through longevity elixirs, and at most they can live for three or four hundred years.

Huang Tingfeng only cultivates the Great Dao and ignores everything else. He will not touch anything, whether it be killing techniques, mysterious methods, or even the various arts of immortal cultivation.

Each disciple in this lineage is a genius among geniuses in cultivation, with an astonishing speed of advancement in their realm. Each of them forms their core before the age of one hundred and begins to attempt to break through to the nascent soul stage around the age of two hundred.

In terms of research on various cultivation techniques and mastery of the Great Dao, they far surpass other cultivators of the same level.

More than 70% of the commentaries and cultivation insights of the Daode Sect's cultivation methods came from cultivator Huang Tingfeng, who even created several cultivation methods that directly lead to the Nascent Soul stage.

The ultimate goal of all the previous leaders of Huangting Peak was to create a cultivation technique more suitable for the current Nascent Soul stage, rather than simply copying ancient divine techniques.

If Zhou Suqing had been born into the Daode Sect, she would definitely have been a member of Huang Tingfeng and lived a very comfortable life.

With the strength of the Moral Sect, there are enough disciples who protect the path and warriors who are skilled in killing, so there is no need to require every cultivator to be proficient in the way of killing.

"The righteous path is the model of the world, and even the number one sect in the world in a real sense. Its strength is a dimensional blow to the Northern Region... When their sect has been passed down for hundreds of generations and began to dominate the Central Region, the Northern Region was still a desolate wasteland with no people around."

Bai Zichen held the Moral Sect in high esteem, considering it a sect with a history spanning over 200,000 years, whose lineage had remained unbroken and which still stood at the pinnacle of the cultivation world.

This is a matter of great importance, a super sect that can call upon a Nascent Soul expert at any time. It's quite normal for the sect to have supernatural powers in its inheritance that are close to the level of the Azure Emperor's Longevity Sword. It would take the combined efforts of several super sects in the Central Region to curb the development of the Moral Sect.

"If the Morality Sect really takes over Zengguang Immortal City, the sects most affected will be the Nascent Soul sects like the Dharma Aspect Sect and the Wusheng Sect. Our sect is located on the frontier and has limited resources to begin with. We also have to support so many disciples. The cultivation resources we need to sell through the Immortal City each year are so limited... The Dharma Aspect Sect probably didn't expect that inviting the Morality Sect would backfire so badly."

Wei Dao kept the subcontracting issue that Yu Ziliang had mentioned in mind and spoke slowly.

"I wonder what kind of status that Master Yu has on Heavenly Punishment Peak, and how much weight his words carry... If he is the kind of person who is favored by several True Monarchs, then our sect might have a better chance of taking over the subcontracting of the Liang Kingdom's trade route."

"Since the Faxiang Sect invited someone, how could they not have thought of this? They must have already discussed it privately with Tianfa Peak. You just need to see if the Northern Yuan subcontracted sect will be theirs next."

Bai Zichen shook his head. With such a colossal entity entering the Northern Region, the fate of countless cultivators would be changed once again.

The Qingfeng Sect only has two prefectures in Liang Kingdom, which is insignificant in the Northern Region from the sect's perspective, so there is no need to worry about its development space.

The Heavenly River Sword Sect is closest to Zengguang Immortal City, and having lost True Monarch Tang Fei, their future will not be easy.

“Yu Ziliang’s demeanor is not that of an ordinary person; he is definitely not an ordinary disciple… To be entrusted with the task of delivering the visiting card at this time must be a junior disciple favored by the two Great True Lords.”

He had previously tried to subtly inquire about Yu Ziliang's teacher, but the other party smiled but did not answer, and quickly changed the subject.

"If we want to subcontract the trade routes, the sect's reserves of spirit stones are sufficient, but this can't be supported by just a million spirit stones..."

All the sects and immortal cultivation families in Liang Kingdom sold off large quantities of goods, involving astronomical sums of money.

Take the Shennong Sect as an example. Every year, the spiritual rice it sends to Zengguang Immortal City, after being handed over to the Holy Lotus Sect, used by itself, and sold, still amounts to more than one million spirit stones.

There are also several other sects that excel in various cultivation arts, and their bulk purchases and shipments are all at the level of millions of spirit stones.

(End of this chapter)