Born with immortal seed

Chapter 537 A Twist on the Way Home

These remnants of the Fish-Dragon Sect have kept a low profile for the past few hundred years, and even after achieving the Core Formation stage, they dare not openly reveal their identities.

A small portion of the concern stems from worries about being hunted down by forces in the outer seas. While the Starry Sea Demon Clan is unable to go ashore, the sects on the Myriad Star Islands that established themselves on the corpses of the Fish-Dragon Sect are not subject to such restrictions.

They were even more proactive in hunting down the remnants of the Fish-Dragon Sect than the Starry Sea.

The bigger reason was the fear of attracting envious and greedy sects.

The Fish Dragon Sect is not well-known in the inland areas, but it is the only Nascent Soul sect that has established a foothold in the outer seas.

After their destruction, the inheritances carried by the disciples of the several lineages and the secret vaults hidden in the shadows became a tempting piece of meat for many sects.

Moreover, the remnants of the Fish-Dragon Sect have no strength to protect themselves, and since they are not an inland sect, they don't even have any allies who can offer some protection.

Things took a turn for the better when the war between humans and demons broke out.

All the five lineage successors, except for Li Hansi who disappeared into obscurity, were sought out by cultivators from super sects.

Only then did they realize that their whereabouts were like a blank sheet of paper in the eyes of these super sects, and there was no secret about them at all.

The enemy is targeting the Fish Dragon Sect. Although the battle lines are still being pushed back to both sides of the Ji River, some sects have already set their sights on the outer sea.

Each party offered their own terms to support the Fish-Dragon Sect in rebuilding its sect in the Myriad Star Islands.

However, most of the promises were empty words, and the actual support provided was negligible.

They were all just playing a small game, hoping that the Fish-Dragon Sect had a backup plan in the outer sea that could stir up some trouble and distract the demon race.

Regardless of their personalities, Chen Ze and the others all grew up without the protection of a sect, and each of them was cautious in nature.

No one would be so excited to return to the Myriad Star Islands because of the vague promises of a super sect.

On the contrary, Chen Ze's suggestion to find Li Hansi to explore the overseas immortal abode together was more practical.

He even considered outwardly agreeing to meet with a few super sects and asking for some benefits, while in reality setting off to explore the immortal abode in the outer sea.

Another very tempting aspect is that the key to mastering the Fish-Dragon Sect's strongest divine power, the Azure Emperor Longevity Sword, lies with Li Hansi.

When they fled separately from Chilong Island, the Xuanming lineage took away the most crucial sacred beast essence blood.

This prevented the other four main lineages from even getting started with the cultivation method of splitting the Azure Emperor's Longevity Sword into three.

Now that these people have all reached the Core Formation stage, they are starting to have ideas and are eyeing the essence blood of sacred beasts.

Li Hansi took the Qingwang Pharmacist Pill; if he didn't reach the Nascent Soul stage, he wouldn't have many years left to live.

Even if the Xuanming lineage has successors, their strength is definitely inferior to that of the other lineages.

When the time comes, we can have a proper discussion about who will keep the essence blood of the sacred beast.

The position of sect leader was not initially filled by Xuanming cultivators.

It was Chen Ze again, who said he knew a demonic cultivator who was a steward at the Zhongtian Ting shop in the black market. He claimed to know everything in the universe and even the whereabouts of a Great True Lord.

The group pooled together spirit stones and gave them to Chen Ze, asking Tian Ting Shop to inquire about Li Hansi's whereabouts.

Just yesterday, Anren finally sent word that he had seen a cultivator who matched the description.

The group rushed over but found nothing. All five major lineage inheritance tokens were on their bodies; if Li Hansi had been nearby, he would have sensed them long ago.

"Nonsense! Every time we make a deal, one of you accompanies me... Finding Uncle Li and opening his immortal abode is the most important thing. What good would it do me to keep this a secret!"

Chen Ze's veins bulged, and he impatiently shook his hand and said.

He was taught by his master from a young age that his cultivation speed during his time in the Fish Dragon Sect was among the top three in the Yuanming lineage. He was also very proud of himself and thought that the Nascent Soul realm was just a piece of cake.

Only when you reach the very last step can you know how far you are from becoming a Nascent Soul.

The theory of alchemy is solidified, and the great path is without regret.

Chen Ze had already vaguely sensed that there was room for improvement in his own path, but unfortunately no one reminded him that day, and he was blindly pursuing the progress of his cultivation.

In his current state, even if he forcibly embarks on the path of Nascent Soul, he probably won't even be able to manifest the infant form, let alone face the tribulation of heaven.

To break this deadlock, he has no choice but to seek help from the Nascent Soul Pill; otherwise, he will become another cultivator stuck at the peak of the Core Formation stage, never daring to take that step until his death.

Looking at my age, I've already turned 300 in the blink of an eye, and there's not much time left to waste.

He knew very well that the overseas immortal abode was his last chance, and he had no chance of getting the necessary resources for Nascent Soul cultivation on his own.

Unfortunately, Li Hansi of the Xuanming lineage, whom they had previously dealt with in the Eastern Region, had gone missing and could not be contacted at all, resulting in a complete waste of time.

In addition, Chen Ze had often been active near Lankeshan, so he was affected at the very beginning of the battle.

During their escape, their two closest junior brothers, the Kong brothers, died one after another at the hands of demonic beasts, failing to reach the Central Region alive.

He harbored a burning anger within him, ready to erupt at any moment.

"The information the shop gave us that day was from six months ago, and they still dared to ask us for fifty high-grade spirit stones? That's too easy to make money!"

Guanming's disciple had a large head and a thin body, and he shook his head and muttered to himself.

"So what if it was half a year ago? That fellow Daoist said a cultivator resembling Uncle Li appeared in the black market, even wearing a bamboo hat to conceal his appearance. If it weren't for the banner at the entrance of the Heavenly Listening Shop having the effect of dispelling illusions and detecting reality, we wouldn't have seen this scene. Selling customers' whereabouts is a major taboo in the black market. Even if it's been half a year, they're still responsible!"

Chen Ze no longer wanted to be entangled with his fellow disciples. If it weren't for the fact that he was one lineage short of being able to open the overseas immortal abode, he really wanted to get rid of the others.

"At least we have learned about Uncle Li's situation, and knowing that he is still alive is the best news... I plan to use this as a center and leave sect marks every hundred miles to search for Uncle Li. If you are willing, you can work together; if not, you can go your separate ways. Just remember to take in more disciples so as not to sever the lineage of the five main branches."

"Fine, I'll go with you. Our lineage's spiritual eye technique is unparalleled, but the side effects are severe. If this continues, I'll go blind sooner or later. My master said there's divine water in the immortal abode that can cure eye ailments; I just hope it's true..."

The cultivators of the Guanming lineage looked worried. Upon closer inspection, their eyes were mostly white with little black, and they were almost out of focus.

The other two vented their frustrations and also chose to join in.

With their talent and available resources, reaching the Core Formation stage was essentially the limit for them.

Reaching the Nascent Soul realm is something one shouldn't even dream of unless they have an extraordinary stroke of luck.

The younger generation of disciples will definitely face more difficulties than the previous one, because many of the resources brought from the Fish-Dragon Sect have already been used on themselves.

Whether for their own sake or for the sake of the continuation of the Daoist tradition, they must firmly grasp the straw that is the overseas immortal abode.

"According to Uncle Li's movements, he has either returned to the immortal city under the Five Thunder Sect or gone to the Northern Region... We will split into two groups. Regardless of whether we succeed or not, we will return here in ten years to discuss our next move."

Chen Ze closed the map in his hand and, relying on his intuition, assigned two directions.

……

"If I do the math, it's been almost seventy years since I left Black Mountain... I wonder how the Northern Region is doing now, and how many more Core Formation cultivators have joined the sects."

A lone sword light streaked across the sky at a height of tens of thousands of feet, beyond the sight of ordinary cultivators.

The fact that the Ziwei Xuanlei Sword was refined into a natal flying sword was truly the wisest move Bai Zichen made.

At that time, it was only a third-order sword embryo and had not yet recovered into a sword. It was almost about to lose its spirituality.

Fortunately, Bai Zichen appeared, and the desperate Ziwei Xuanlei Sword chose this master willingly.

He also devoted himself wholeheartedly to nurturing the Ziwei Xuanlei Sword from the very beginning, ensuring that it always had a place in the spiritual lake formed by the liquid magic power in his dantian.

After he formed his core, he immediately refined it into his natal magic weapon.

The deep bond they formed from their humble beginnings, coupled with Xiao Zi's low rank at the time, allowed her to smoothly become his destined companion.

Otherwise, once it recovers to the fourth tier, the difficulty of refining will increase twice as much.

The increased speed of the Ziwei Thunder Sword has greatly shortened the distance between the five regions for Bai Zichen.

In just four or five months, one can traverse the two regions and return to the familiar Northern Region.

Standing thousands of feet in the sky, feeling the howling winds all around, the blazing fire of the sun bursts forth, turning a certain area into a white-hot expanse, like a small sun exploding there.

However, it is still a long way from the legendary breakthrough of the heavens and reaching beyond the nine heavens.

The thin, fragile membrane overhead seemed to appear and disappear, sometimes within reach, sometimes far away.

A Nascent Soul cultivator can use their primordial spirit to escape the celestial membrane, arrive beyond the Nine Heavens, and absorb cosmic rays and extraterrestrial meteorites.

This is a thousand times faster than hiding in the gale-force winds and waiting for a rare object to fall from the sky.

It's like an unexploited open-pit mine; anyone who gets close can freely take what they want.

Therefore, every Nascent Soul cultivator is incredibly wealthy, with their individual fortune comparable to the accumulated wealth of a Nascent Soul Grandmaster over ten thousand years.

Any sect that produces a Nascent Soul cultivator can grow from a third-tier sect to a sect comparable to a super sect within a hundred years.

Nascent Soul True Monarchs cannot do this, primarily due to limitations in their cultivation level. The seemingly thin Heavenly Membrane is actually a manifestation of the laws of heaven and earth in the mortal realm, and also the first line of defense against extraterrestrial demons.

And then there are those shattered celestial bodies. A meteorite that could be the size of several counties was reduced to only one percent of its original size when it crashed into the cultivation world, thanks to the celestial membrane.

Otherwise, with giant meteorites falling from the sky every now and then, this cultivation world would have been destroyed long ago.

The earth's veins were broken, and poisonous fire erupted from the earth's core, filling the air with toxic fumes.

Even if they manage to survive the first wave, the remaining creatures will still slowly die.

Even the Great True Lord is helpless in the face of the Heavenly Membrane.

Secondly, they lack the necessary strength.

At altitudes of ten thousand feet or more, the sky is fraught with danger for Core Formation cultivators. They could be torn to shreds by the gale-force winds or turned into charcoal by the rays of the Great Sun's Heavenly Fire.

Beyond the nine heavens, every direct ray of cosmic light reveals the terror of the boundless starry sky, and the fragments of meteorites resembling celestial bodies make even a Nascent Soul True Monarch aware of the insignificance of their power.

A Nascent Soul cultivator can escape by using their primordial spirit and protect themselves with their natal magic treasure, allowing them to come and go as they please, thus enabling them to protect themselves.

"I feel that I don't need to wait until I reach the Nascent Soul stage; if I just go a little faster, I can break through the Heavenly Membrane and go beyond the Nine Heavens..."

At first, Bai Zichen thought it was an illusion caused by the high speed of flight.

Just like when you break through to a high level of true energy and feel invincible, it will all be fine after a while.

As a result, even the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword sent a message expressing its eagerness to try.

It seems that in Xiao Zi's memory, she has entered and exited Tianmo many times.

As the sword of a sword immortal from the upper realm, its journey beyond the Nine Heavens must have been the work of its superior master.

The image transmitted through the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword showed a sword immortal holding it in his hand, raising his hand to cut a celestial body that filled the entire field of vision into one hundred and eight pieces.

It's not a fragment of a star, but a real, complete star.

Once it falls into the mortal realm, even with the celestial membrane as a barrier, the aftershocks from the moment of landing will cause an earthquake felt across the five regions. The accumulated dust and smoke will be enough to keep the entire cultivation world from seeing sunlight for years.

Ignoring the shattered celestial bodies, a star core appeared at the very center of the original star, lying there quietly.

The star's core is like a black hole, constantly swallowing up the surrounding light, leaving only a layer of colorful, distorted light ring.

"Perhaps it's because Xiao Zi's rank is special, allowing her to break through ahead of time without reaching the Nascent Soul stage by using her natal flying sword... The speed requirement for sword control should be met once she reaches the Nascent Soul stage or the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword returns to the fifth rank."

Beyond the nine heavens lies an unattended mountain of gold and silver. Anyone who can set foot in it a few times can amass a fortune that is second to none among Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

Moreover, by using his natal flying sword, he could physically step into the area and each time he could take away a number of valuable items.

Throwing things haphazardly into the realm is a completely different concept from using a primordial spirit to move only lightweight spiritual materials.

Just as Bai Zichen was rushing along, pondering when he could realize this grand vision, a gust of wind swept past in front of him, and a sky full of blood-red light suddenly enveloped him from behind.

It crashed headlong into the viscous blood-red light, its speed immediately dropped by more than half, and it lost its way in all directions, flying around in a crimson world.

"Damn it! Someone ambushed me on my way back to the Northern Region. Who has the ability to predict this..."

Bai Zichen was shocked. He was amazed that the divine sense had been able to deceive him and trap him silently.

Only the most outstanding among the Great True Lords, combined with the special environment of the Gale Layer, can achieve this.

If it was a deliberate ambush, that would be terrifying.

Even he himself hadn't decided on a return time; it was only after he had completed the Hundred Poisons Jade Scale Bone refinement that he embarked on his journey home.

"Fortunately, both Azure Emperor Longevity Swords are fully concealed and ready to be unleashed at any time... Even if you have reached the Nascent Soul stage, we'll have to see how many years of life you have left and whether you can withstand my complete Azure Emperor Longevity Sword!"

Bai Zichen made up his mind; at worst, he would burn a hundred years of his lifespan to unleash the True Azure Emperor's Longevity Sword.

Since he's young, he doesn't believe that other Nascent Soul stage cultivators can beat him.

"Heh, finally a Nascent Soul cultivator has arrived! I'm starving... Don't resist, let me devour you and become a member of the Blood Demon Clan, so you can live forever!"

Blood surged and coalesced into a gigantic face, without eyes, nose, or mouth.

Only this chilling voice came from all around the blood-red light, its sharp sound piercing the ears; those below the Nascent Soul stage would likely have already fainted and their vision went black.

"Hmm? It's not deliberately targeting me, just a Nascent Soul cultivator hiding high in the sky, randomly ambushing my path... Wait, why does this bloody smell smell so familiar?"

Realizing he had only stumbled into the ambush by accident, Bai Zichen calmed down and was no longer so tense, ready to burn his lifespan to activate the True Azure Emperor Longevity Sword.

If the mysterious cultivator in the bloody light regarded him as an ordinary Nascent Soul True Monarch, he wouldn't mind killing a Nascent Soul demonic cultivator on the way back to the Northern Region to eliminate this scourge.

(End of this chapter)