Born with immortal seed

Chapter 497 A Gathering of True Monarchs
Baimang Mountain is shaped like a giant python, with its head reaching the sky.

Thousands of pillars of light stood tall, and a fourth-order grand formation enveloped the entire mountain range, eradicating mosquitoes and flies.

Occasionally, there would be spectacular displays, with processions stretching for ten miles and adorned with auspicious clouds landing before the mountains.

There were also solitary cultivators who came alone, their swords flashing and sweeping across thousands of miles.

Or auspicious clouds gather, and celestial music and beautiful words purify people's hearts.

The welcoming procession stretched from the foot of the mountain to the summit, with a pair of Core Formation sword cultivators every ten miles, half male and half female, all exceptionally handsome.

"True Lord Wen Feiqing of the Five Thunder Sect has arrived! I present a pair of third-tier Wind and Thunder Swords!"

"Zhang Zishou and Zhuo Xiong, True Monarchs of the Tianxing Sect, have arrived! They present a scroll of the Ancient Sword Scripture as a gift, to congratulate Ancestor Han on his mastery of the sword path and the eternal flourishing of his Great Dao!"

"Shi Bian, a fourth-tier array master from Zhou Tianzong, has arrived! He presents a third-tier sword array diagram and wishes Ancestor Han a long and healthy life!"

……

As guests arrived to offer their congratulations, usually only Nascent Soul True Lords were qualified to have their names recited in front of the mountain.

The Core Formation cultivators appearing at this event were mostly from the Five Phoenix Sword Sect's affiliated forces and its branch sects.

They could only present congratulatory gifts and walk along the path to the main peak.

"So many True Lords! I'm afraid all the important figures from the Great Li and even the entire Central Region have arrived!"

As the eldest daughter of the Mu family of the Nine Blades, Mu Leyao was a noble and precious person in the clan, with her great-grandfather, grandfather, and father all being Core Formation True Persons.

As she grew older, her figure and appearance became more and more beautiful, and many families came to inquire whether she was interested in marriage.

With a background like Mu Leyao's, there was no need to bear the responsibilities of a marriage alliance; she could simply enjoy the company of her family.

The head of the Mu family did not give a direct response, but rejected all marriage proposals that came to their door.

This also includes a junior cultivator who is a Nascent Soul cultivator.

The Mu family of Nine Blades has the confidence to do so, not only because the strength of its five True Immortals makes it a top-tier cultivation family in the Great Li Dynasty.

It was also because an ancestor of the Mu family had a childhood friendship with the Nine-Month True Lord of the Five Thunder Sect and had always taken good care of him.

The rumors were quite detailed, saying that the Mu family was planning to marry Mu Leyao to a holy son of the Five Thunder Sect.

However, there is a clear difference in status and position between Mu Leyao and the holy son of a super sect.

Especially considering that she only showed an average appearance and enjoyed the Mu family's top-tier cultivation resources, she didn't successfully establish her foundation until she was almost forty years old.

Each of the Holy Sons of the Heavenly Thunder Sect possesses a Thunder Dao Spiritual Body, and proportionally, more than half of them have successfully transformed into Nascent Souls.

Such a person, if his Daoist partner is a female cultivator who is even in danger of forming a Core Formation, would have no chance of succeeding, even with the influence of the Great True Monarch of the Ninth Month.

"Grandfather, how come there is another Core Formation cultivator who can also proclaim his name at the foot of the mountain and ascend the mountain via the main path?"

Mu Leyao blinked her eyes and looked at the old man who was being led up the steps by the cultivators of the Five Phoenix Sword Sect. He was carrying a compass the size of a round table on his back, holding a bamboo joint in his hand, and walking with a hunched back.

"Although Master Shi is only at the late stage of Core Formation, his array formation skills are among the top three in the Zhou Tian Sect. Even the Nascent Soul True Monarchs in the sect might not be able to surpass him in array formations... A fourth-tier high-grade array formation master would be treated like a True Monarch anywhere."

The old cultivator from the Mu family, whose eyes were cloudy, led several younger members of the Mu family toward the mountaintop.

These words were spoken not only to Mu Leyao, but also to the other younger members of the clan.

The Mu family may seem glamorous, but as long as they don't produce a Nascent Soul True Monarch, they can't say they've secured their position.

The blessings bestowed by our predecessors will eventually run out.

Cultivation families, due to limitations in the selection of talent and the availability of fresh blood, are certainly not as good as sects in terms of inheritance and development.

Even if there are prodigies who can lead their families to become powerful for a time, establish a vast foundation, and leave behind a top-tier legacy.

But who can guarantee that among the descendants of this bloodline, there will definitely be talented individuals who cultivate to the Nascent Soul realm?

If there is a break in the supply chain, one will fall from the peak and lose everything one has.

Cultivation families with special bloodlines are slightly better off, but they can only guarantee enough manpower at the Core Formation stage; the transformation of the Core into an Infant is still unpredictable and subject to fate.

Otherwise, the Zengguang Du Clan, which produced three Nascent Soul True Monarchs, would not have been once known as the number one family in the world.

The Mu family's greatest aspiration is for a Nascent Soul True Monarch to emerge from among its members, elevating the family's status and allowing younger generations to form Daoist couples with young talents from various sects.

At the same time, the clan members were dispersed and joined different sects to avoid putting all their eggs in one basket.

Thus, the Mu family of Nine Blades continues its bloodline within the family, while its members branch out and spread among various super sects.

As long as the bloodline continues, the Mu family can continue to exist.

Those immortal cultivation families that fantasized about using their own strength to contend with sects have all been lost in the long river of time.

"A fourth-grade high-level formation! The formation master our clan invited last time was only a third-grade high-level one, wasn't he? A whole grade difference, that's terrifying..."

"Yes, I heard last time that a fourth-grade alchemist was serving as a guest elder in the Ten States Merchant Guild, with treatment comparable to that of a Nascent Soul True Monarch... If I were to break through to the fourth grade in any skill, I'd probably get a mention in the family genealogy!"

"More than that, I reckon your lineage will have to start anew with you!"

Several younger members of the Mu family followed behind, whispering among themselves.

Unlike other skills, array formations become increasingly popular as you progress.

Unlike alchemy, where even a first-level alchemist can master three or five commonly used pill formulas and refine practical pills such as Qi-tonifying pills and hemostatic pills.

As long as the success rate of alchemy is guaranteed, alchemists are in high demand from the beginning and can easily find well-paid jobs in small sects or trading companies.

The situation is different for array masters. The art of array formation requires the assistance of divine sense to make it easier to get started, which means that most cultivators only begin to learn array formation knowledge after they have established their foundation.

Even if a few Qi Refining cultivators who are born with strong spiritual sense or have a keen talent for array formations become first-tier array masters, they can basically only set up basic arrays for gathering Qi and concealing breath.

Unlike alchemy, formations are not consumables; once successfully set up, they can be used for a long time.

When people need help, they'd rather spend a few more spirit stones to hire a second-tier array master than a new array master who might fail at setting up an array.

However, once you reach the third or even fourth tier, the status of array masters becomes increasingly higher.

This is especially evident in larger factions.

After all, there are huge differences between the daily construction and maintenance of a third-order or even a fourth-order grand formation, as well as whether there are corresponding formation masters to operate it during wartime.

"The Nine Difficulties Sect has sent Great True Lord Xiang Banshan! He has presented a gift of one hundred catties of Xin Jin meteorite iron, one hundred catties of Taiyi Yuan copper, and one hundred bottles of third-grade sword-tempering spirit water!"

The Five Phoenix Sword Sect cultivators who were greeting guests suddenly froze, their voices trembling as they chanted.

The old cultivator from the Mu family, who had just reached the Core Formation stage, suddenly straightened his back, a glint of light flashing in his cloudy eyes. He exclaimed in surprise, "How is this possible! The Nine Difficulties Sect and the Five Phoenix Sword Sect have a shallow relationship. It would be quite a show of respect for them to send even a Nascent Soul True Monarch. How could it be that True Monarch Xiang himself has come!"

The Great True Lord holds such a high position that even a Nascent Soul cultivator would not appear, which almost represents the limit of the human realm.

The realm is transforming into a grotto-heaven, and it can already mobilize a small amount of grotto-heaven power, giving it an overwhelming combat advantage against those below the late Nascent Soul stage.

In remote and dilapidated regions like the Northern and Western Regions, there isn't even a single Great True Lord.

Even in the Central Region, the Great True Monarch is a decisive top-level force.

They are either diligently cultivating in hopes of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage.

They either have little time left to live, or they rack their brains to seek a next life or to prolong their life.

Staying in seclusion and ignoring worldly affairs is the norm.

Those two Great True Lords of the Heavenly Punishment Peak of the Moral Sect are exceptions; they are the ones who run away at the first sign of evil.

Given the close relationship between the Heavenly Star Sect and the Five Phoenix Sword Sect, the fact that only two Nascent Soul True Monarchs were sent shows that they attach great importance to this matter.

However, since it was Han Chaoxuan's inauguration ceremony for his Daoist temple, and no one had advanced to the late Nascent Soul stage, it wasn't enough for the Great True Monarch of the Heavenly Star Sect to personally attend and offer his congratulations.

Xiang Banshan's arrival was unusual, which caught even the well-trained greeters off guard.

The Five Phoenix Sword Sect must not have known about this beforehand; otherwise, if a Great True Monarch were to arrive, the central gate should have been wide open, and a Nascent Soul True Monarch would have been waiting to greet him at the foot of the mountain.

"They probably aren't here to cause trouble... They might just be passing by and want to pay a visit to Great True Lord Ma You, and maybe stop by to congratulate him on the completion of his temple."

The old cultivator of the Mu family, who had reached the Core Formation stage, had lived a life of ease and comfort, rarely even experiencing life-or-death battles, and had cultivated smoothly to this day.

He had no internal injuries and took good care of himself, which is why he lived to be nearly 500 years old.

Having experienced many events, I have a thorough understanding of the ambiguous relationship between super sects.

If two equally powerful super sects were to clash, it would trigger a terrifying tide that would have a cascading impact on hundreds of millions of lives.

It is very likely that in the end, these two super sects will coexist peacefully, while countless small and medium-sized forces will be crushed and crushed in this storm.

Even a cultivation family of the Nine Blades level like the Mu family, if they get involved, wouldn't be much different from those Foundation Establishment families.

A single thought from a powerful person can destroy everything.

The old cultivator from the Mu family, who had reached the Core Formation stage, walked with much heavier steps, and the wrinkles on his face became even more deep and pronounced.

……

Beautiful mountains and rivers, golden and silver palaces.

Cutting ribbons to make flowers, spreading brocade to make houses, the red and green colors complementing each other, indescribable.

"How magnificent! How many spirit stones and how much manpower must have been used to build this!"

Bai Zichen gazed at Baimang Mountain, his heart filled with countless emotions.

Both being newly established fourth-tier spiritual vein dojos of Nascent Soul cultivators, Flaming Mountain is home to two True Monarchs.

Compared to Baimang Mountain, it's worlds apart, a vast difference.

"I'm afraid Shi Chengdong would be shocked to see this scene when he returns here... The Tianli Sect's mountain gate back then might not even be comparable to a single dojo of the Five Phoenix Sword Sect."

Bai Zichen suppressed his complex emotions, and the light of his sword fell before the mountain.

"Which sect's True Lord are you, Senior? Were you invited here, or are you just passing through to offer your congratulations?"

A fair-skinned, long-legged female cultivator who had reached the Core Formation stage stepped forward to pay her respects. The Nascent Soul True Monarchs on the list had mostly arrived.

Just before the ceremony begins, an unfamiliar True Lord arrives, which will cause great trouble for the master of ceremonies.

Nascent Soul True Monarchs are all assigned specific roles, and they generally know within a few days of sending their invitations to the celebration which ones will attend.

The sudden arrival of someone like Xiang Dazhenjun means that all seating arrangements and itinerary plans will be changed.

The seating arrangements at the ceremony were determined based on a comprehensive consideration of factors such as individual strength, the sect they belonged to, and the closeness or distance of their relationship with the person.

At the same time, care should be taken to avoid having two True Lords with a bad relationship sitting next to each other.

This task is extremely complicated, and only a master of ceremonies who is very familiar with the major powers and the life stories of each True Lord can arrange it properly.

With another temporary Nascent Soul True Lord arriving, the master of ceremonies' job will become exponentially more difficult.

"Bai Zichen of the Qingfeng Sect, it was True Monarch Kuyin who invited me here."

Bai Zichen had no intention of changing his identity or using a pseudonym.

His purpose in coming to White Python Mountain was to make more friends with fellow Daoist True Monarchs and obtain clues about top-tier cultivation techniques.

It would be very difficult for a complete stranger, a Nascent Soul cultivator, to integrate into the group.

He had at least established a friendship with Meng Dongye and had a clear background, so there was no need to worry that he was an ancient demonic cultivator disguised as someone who had infiltrated the area.

Moreover, True Monarch Ge Cang sat down and discussed the Dao with True Monarch Jiunan of the Dahuang River, and won a great victory over his opponent, thus making a name for the Qingfeng Sect.

As the junior brother, he couldn't fall behind others and also wanted to promote the Qingfeng Sect in Dali.

"Qingfeng Sect, True Monarch Bai..."

Mi Yi clearly had never heard of this sect before, and blankly opened the guest manual.

"So you are True Lord Bai from the Northern Region. Please follow me this way... If you have any congratulatory gifts for Ancestor Han, you may place them on the Jushi Jewel."

Fortunately, there was a record on the last page of the guestbook, which was probably added by someone after Meng Dongye.

Bai Zichen hesitated for a moment, realizing he had forgotten to give a congratulatory gift when he arrived.

Not long after he reached the Nascent Soul stage, he left the sect to travel.

Even if he stayed in Montenegro, others would send him gifts; he wouldn't have the chance to go to their homes to offer congratulations.

Within the realm, there are many spoils of war that are suitable as congratulatory gifts, which would not be unbecoming of a True Lord.

However, after selecting several items, all of which had obvious characteristics, it would be easy to expose that he was the real culprit who killed Ao Zhe.

Before he could protect himself against the Nascent Soul Demon Lord, Bai Zichen did not want anyone to know about this matter, and he wanted to delay it as long as possible.

The Five Phoenix Sword Sect looked down on the other magical treasures, which made people look down on the Green Maple Sect.

Sending a third-tier flying sword would have been perfect, fitting the other party's identity as a sword cultivator.

However, a batch of his flying swords were damaged during his last tribulation, and even if he reforged them, he could only barely gather enough for the twelve flying swords needed to form the Star River Sword Formation.

We can't let the act of giving gifts prevent us from setting up our own sword formation.

"Let's take this one..."

Bai Zichen took out a white bone relic and threw it onto the flat, open blue stone.

It was one of the treasures he had looted from the Hundred Skills Sect's secret vault, a marvelous fusion of Buddhist light and demonic power.

There is no doubt that the white bone relic is no ordinary object, but since Bai Zichen has neither turned to the demonic path nor has he intended to study Buddhism, it is unlikely that he can truly make use of it.

If he were to simply use it as a material to refine it into a top-grade magic weapon, it would be a waste of its potential. He wouldn't lack such a magic weapon anyway.

It makes a perfect gift; it has little practical value, but it's instantly recognizable as a rare and precious item.

'The White Bone Relic is the remains of a Nascent Soul True Monarch who cultivated both Buddhism and demonic arts, containing his essence. If one cultivates the same path and completely absorbs this essence, a Qi Refining cultivator can leap to the Core Formation stage in a short time, but the shattering of the Core to transform into an Infant is ten times more difficult.'

A line of text appeared on the gemstone, revealing that this blue stone actually had the miraculous ability to determine the origin of the treasure and provide a basic description.

"I wonder what conclusions would be drawn if I threw my Purple Star Thunderclap Sword or the Supreme Pure Subtle Sword Box on it..."

This was the first thought that popped into Bai Zichen's mind.

(End of this chapter)