Born with immortal seed

Chapter 544 Dark Clouds Loom Over the Mountain, the Sect Is on the Verge of Collapse

The summit of Qishan Mountain is 3,300 zhang high. The sunny side is covered with clear skies, while the shady side is covered with snow all year round.

The Immortal Ascension Platform, with its glazed tiles and jade walls, was originally a celestial scene, exuding an aura of righteousness, but now it is filled with a sinister atmosphere.

Countless vines, each large enough for one person to encircle, climbed all over the Jiexiantai platform, covering the entire mountain peak from its core.

Apart from the deep, oppressive bluish-black, there was no other color on the mountain peaks.

Even the snow on the mountainside was pressed down by the dark blue-black.

boom!
A deafening roar shook the heavens and earth. Several large warships surrounding the peak unleashed hundreds of divine lightning towers, causing the Holy Lotus Sect's protective mountain array to tremble violently.

After several rounds of salvo, the formation was clearly exhausted, its spiritual light dimmed, revealing a scene on the mountaintop.

The Holy Lotus Sect's fourth-order grand formation shouldn't have been in such a state, but after being besieged for nearly a century, this battlefield has become like a meat grinder, continuously bleeding both sects dry.

The Heavenly Principle Sect suffered a severe blow, losing a large number of disciples and losing most of its belongings from its northward migration.

However, the Holy Lotus Sect, which was on the defensive and could not receive external support, suffered even greater losses.

Having been passed down for thousands of years, the accumulated top-grade spirit stones have long been exhausted, leaving only the formation to draw upon spiritual veins and supply the formation with high-grade spirit stones.

Amidst the lush green vines within the formation, one could still see the figures of Holy Lotus Sect disciples running back and forth. With each step the formation took, cries of alarm and wails could be heard.

However, the Heavenly Principle Sect did not launch a full-scale attack. Instead, they set up an altar and performed a ritual, summoning several divine generals whose auras indicated the strength of Core Formation cultivators.

Leading over a thousand second-tier puppets, they charged headlong into the gap in the great formation without hesitation.

The vines seemed to suddenly come to life, springing up from the ground and shooting out like lightning, knocking all the puppets to the ground like flies being swatted.

But the three leading divine generals, riding on auspicious clouds and wielding divine weapons, uttered imperial edicts, causing the spiritual energy atop Qishan Peak to become solemn.

The divine general shone brightly, and the jade-like sound lingered like thunder in a dry land. In the end, only a whip, a book, and a jade tablet remained.

The power of a single strike was close to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator, making people tremble with fear.

Before it even fell, countless vines snapped and ceased to move.

However, the next moment, several cultivators flew out, fearlessly rushing towards the Three Treasures.

After flying several miles, it self-destructed its golden core without hesitation, and the precious light vanished along with it.

After the fierce battle, a brief period of calm followed.

"The Holy Lotus Sect has exploited the cultivators of Liang Kingdom for ten thousand years, accumulating resources from five states to support its own sect. This has led to the decline and stagnation of the cultivation world in Liang Kingdom. With the departure of the Nine Lotuses, True Monarchs have frequently emerged, which shows how long the cultivators have suffered under the Holy Lotus Sect!"

A Core Formation cultivator from the Heavenly Principle Sect stood atop a high point on the warship, cast a spell, and shouted loudly, the sound carrying for miles.

"Qu Yang has compounded his mistakes, his actions have strayed into the demonic path, slaughtering those who have reached the Core Formation stage in Zhongzhou to refine human puppets... Such sacrificial methods are intolerable to Heaven and Earth. This matter has been reported to Emperor Dezong!"

"You should all abandon the darkness and embrace the light as soon as possible, otherwise, once the Heavenly Punishment Peak's Dao soldiers arrive and the fate of the sect is sealed, not a single person in the entire sect will be able to escape. Do not say you were not warned!"

After Tianlizong finished speaking about the Core Formation, the warship turned around and slowly left, with no reaction from Qishan.

Although they did not achieve any substantial results, the Tianli Sect's side returned victorious as if they had won a battle.

Only the summit of Qishan remains, where roots and stems grow, filling the shattered area once again.

After a long while, a few disciples of the Holy Lotus Sect appeared, holding array plates and beginning to repair the damaged array nodes.

As the components were replaced and new high-grade spirit stones were placed in, the great array of light reappeared, protecting the mountain peak within it.

It might be able to play a role when the Heavenly Principle Sect launches its next attack.

However, having suffered extensive damage, lacking suitable replacement materials, and having been overdrawn multiple times, the formation can only be considered to have the form of a fourth-order formation but not the substance of one.

Anyone with eyes can see that the Holy Lotus Sect is already showing signs of defeat; it has only managed to hold on for so many years.

Even the most loyal disciples of the sect no longer dared to dream of defeating the Heavenly Principle Sect.

They only hoped that the other side would not be able to hold out any longer, and that they would not want to be tied up by Qishan, a tough nut to crack, so they would take the initiative to withdraw from Liang.

In recent years, the Holy Lotus Sect has secretly contacted the Heavenly Principle Sect multiple times, indicating that it can provide compensation and hand over all its territory outside of Qishan.

However, this proposal was naturally rejected by the Tianli Sect, which was in a dominant position and filled with anger.

Jiexiantai, Sanhuan Palace.

Several Core Formation cultivators stood together, silent, their eyes meeting with unreadable expressions before quickly lowering their heads.

These five people constitute all the Core Formation cultivators in the Holy Lotus Sect.

Back when True Monarch Nine Lotus was alive, the main sect alone had twelve Core Formation cultivators, not counting the four Core Formation cultivators from the branch sects who could be summoned at any time.

The number one sect in Liang Kingdom, without a doubt.

Later, with the unexpected death of True Monarch Nine Lotus, two more Core Formation True Immortals went missing, and many more perished in the great battle with the Heavenly Principle Sect.

In addition, with the expiration of their lifespan and their natural death, and the scarcity of newly formed Core Formation cultivators, the gaps are far from being filled.

This has led to the current predicament.

The sect's power has waned, and their future is uncertain. Even the Heavenly Principle Sect will not accept them if they surrender.

The key point is that what they shouted in front of the battle was not empty talk. In order to make up for the disadvantage, Qu Yang disguised himself as a cultivator and captured at least ten Core Formation cultivators from Zhongzhou.

Whether it was the leader of a sect or the patriarch of a family of cultivators, the entire Central Continent was in a state of panic.

Later, he encountered a Core Formation cultivator who possessed a fourth-tier talisman. Qu Yang was unable to defeat him within a few moves and had to resort to Nascent Soul techniques.

The image was later discovered by the Tianli Sect using the Water Mirror Reflection Technique, and the image was repeatedly played in front of Qishan.

Once confirmed, the entire Liang Kingdom was in an uproar, and public opinion shifted dramatically.

While secretly employing methods of robbing cultivators might not be considered respectable, it's not a big deal in the Northern Region.

Everyone has their own dirty and shady ways, so it's not fair for anyone to accuse anyone else.

However, these sects and cultivation families that suffered were basically vassal forces of the Holy Lotus Sect, loyally guarding the area around Qishan.

As a Nascent Soul sect, the Holy Lotus Sect's actions are not only unbecoming of its stature but also alienate the people.

Because the Heavenly Principle Sect was an outsider, and other sects secretly supported the Holy Lotus Sect.

As soon as this happened, contact was immediately severed, and the dock was changed.

That was all; they had only lost face and felt somewhat uncomfortable. But when the Heavenly Principle Sect threatened to report them to the Moral Sect, the elders of the Holy Lotus Sect were terrified.

After merging with the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Lotus, Qu Yang developed bizarre and powerful supernatural abilities, capable of turning living people into puppets.

Aside from lacking self-awareness, they are no different from when they are alive, and their strength may even be enhanced.

The two Core Formation cultivators who rushed out earlier and detonated their Golden Cores to block the Heavenly Principle Sect's attack were the human puppets created by Qu Yang.

Such behavior would be unthinkable in the Central Region, but in the hands of the Moral Sect, it would be the first target of punishment, essentially stripping them of their spiritual land and revoking their right to establish a sect.

In the Northern Region, the current ruler of Zengguang Immortal City is from the Heavenly Punishment Peak of the Moral Sect.

If this matter is reported, it will attract the attention of the Heavenly Punishment Peak's Dao soldiers. Everyone involved will be accused of aiding and abetting evil, and their fate will surely be tragic.

Fortunately, whether it was because such a small matter couldn't persuade the Moral Sect to come, or because their attention was completely drawn to the war between the human and demon races, several years passed without anyone from the Moral Sect showing up, which finally put the Holy Lotus Sect at ease.

However, in every confrontation, the Heavenly Principle Sect always gained the moral high ground, and their own side was almost seen as a wicked demon. The morale of the sect's disciples was predictably low.

Already at a disadvantage, he relied on his unwillingness to accept defeat and his loyalty to the sect to boost the disciples' confidence.

However, with the Heavenly Principles Sect's propaganda, the Holy Lotus Sect has become the villain, and it's hard to say what the disciples below will think.

"The spirit stones in our sect are dwindling day by day, and the key issue is the lack of new disciples... The herb garden secret realm nurtures tens of thousands of mortals, but each year only a handful of children of the right age become immortal seedlings. Elders, what should we do?"

At the head of the Three Realms Hall sat a cultivator with an imposing and unfathomable aura, behind whom countless roots twisted and rustled.

The roots blocked out the light, plunging him into complete darkness.

"Reporting to the Sect Leader, I suggest that Qi Refining disciples with limited prospects be allowed to marry early and have more offspring. All the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the sect are getting old, with very few under fifty. If this continues, and the Heavenly Principle Sect besieges Qishan for another sixty years, I'm afraid you disciples will even lose your Foundation Establishment subordinates."

A gaunt old Taoist priest flicked his whisk and spoke.

"That's just treating the symptoms, not the root cause. Making Qi Refining disciples conceive and reproduce? How could you even think of that!"

The elder who spoke in rebuttal had a fleshy growth on his head, an oily face, and large oil and wine stains on the front of his robe.

"If you ask me, the right thing to do is to think about which allies we can get help from... Whether it's outside Liang Kingdom or within Liang Kingdom, as long as there's a Nascent Soul True Monarch willing to intervene, that's fine. The Heavenly Principle Sect is also in a dilemma now, and I don't believe that old man Shi is willing to waste his lifespan here with us. As long as we give him a way out, and a Nascent Soul True Monarch expresses his willingness to help our sect, he will have a reason to suppress the voices within the sect and reach a peace agreement with us."

"It's easy to say, but in the current situation, which True Lord would be willing to offend the Heavenly Principle Sect for the sake of our sect? If you have the ability, why not ask the Sect Leader for this task and have your disciples go out of the sect to seek reinforcements? We can manage to send out a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

The gaunt old man puffed out his beard, glared, and started shouting loudly.

"Silence!"

Just as the elders below were about to start arguing again, Qu Yang shouted from the darkness. Layers of lotus leaves appeared behind him, and the powerful pressure made everyone tremble and their ears ring.

"You may all leave. If you have any good, feasible methods, come and report to me privately..."

The five elders quickly left, and the Three Realms Hall fell silent once again.

Since he merged with the snow lotus, no servants have been left in the Three Realms Palace.

After a long while, a hoarse laugh came from the darkness, somewhat manic and somewhat self-mocking.

"Ancestor, I am not as capable as you think. Even with a Nascent Soul Pill and three strands of fifth-order spiritual energy accumulated over hundreds of years at the Ascension Platform, I still couldn't find the opportunity to transform into a Nascent Soul..."

The rhizomes receded, revealing Qu Yang's face, from which sprouted green buds.

With normal cultivation, given his talent, he should have at least reached the point of facing the Heavenly Tribulation; whether he could overcome it was uncertain.

However, the situation of internal and external troubles will not give him that much time.

With no hope of a short-term breakthrough, the only option left was to resort to forbidden techniques, thus following the old path of the Nine Lotus True Monarch.

Because of his lower cultivation level, he was more severely restricted by the snow lotus, and often woke up in a fright in his sleep, feeling that he was no longer a person.

Even more critically, Qu Yang's fire-type celestial spiritual root had fused with a ten-thousand-year-old snow lotus, effectively severing his chances of transforming into a nascent soul.

Moreover, it doesn't match the attributes of the snow lotus, and lives in constant pain.

However, after being controlled by the snow lotus, there was an additional benefit: Qu Yang was able to borrow all the power of this spiritual plant.

Manipulating vines and refining human puppets are merely the most basic applications of supernatural powers.

Only if someone actually steps onto the summit of Qishan will they truly understand the extent of Qu Yang's power at his full potential.

"Come on, come on, after absorbing the blood and flesh of so many cultivators who died on Qishan Mountain, you're only one step away from the fifth rank... When Shi Chengdong storms the Ascension Platform, I will lead all the upper-level cultivators of the sect and the Heavenly Principle Sect to their deaths. Ancestor, rest assured, I will never let the Holy Lotus Sect be destroyed in my hands. The Snow Lotus can still pass on the sect by achieving innate spiritual root."

Suddenly, Qu Yang's muttering became increasingly urgent, and he waved his arms forcefully.

Cracks appeared on his face, and the green sprouts grew larger, almost covering his entire face.

The illusory lotus leaf unfolded, enveloping Qu Yang, and gradually silence fell.

……

Several members of the Holy Lotus Sect who had reached the Core Formation stage greeted each other upon leaving the Three Realms Hall and then went their separate ways.

The gaunt old Taoist politely declined a fellow disciple's invitation to drink spiritual wine together, and silently prepared to return to his own spiritual land.

He is a peak third-tier talisman master, whose skills lie entirely in talismans, while his combat abilities are terrible.

If the Heavenly Principle Sect's next attack is to become more intense, in order to survive, one should prepare more third-tier talismans so that one can remain calm.

He couldn't help but grumble inwardly. If he hadn't been besieged during the war with the Heavenly Principle Sect, with his talisman skills that had already reached the threshold of the fourth rank, it wouldn't have been difficult for him to break through to the fourth rank as long as he had the right materials for making talismans.

"Senior Brother Ke, why are you walking so fast? Are you in a hurry to go back and make babies, to set an example for the younger generation?"

A tumor-like growth passed by, burst into laughter, and began to mock it.

"You brat, you're not worth discussing things with!"

The gaunt old Taoist priest glared at him, then traced his fingers on his left palm, spreading them out to reveal only four characters: "There's a foreigner behind the wall."

"Don't worry, although Qu Yang has Nascent Soul strength thanks to the Snow Lotus, his cultivation level is still insufficient. He can't master many True Monarch techniques... His divine sense is somewhat stronger than ours, so it's impossible for him to have directly overheard our conversation. We'll meet again in the herb garden secret realm half an hour later."

The tumor-shaped core snorted coldly and walked away smugly.

The gaunt old Taoist priest was furious, but he was secretly surprised, realizing he didn't know about this.

However, the master who had already passed away after the flesh tumor had formed the core was a veteran core cultivator of the Holy Lotus Sect, and he had also reached the peak of the core formation.

He almost had the chance to be named as the successor by the Nine Lotus Ancestor, but unfortunately he was too old, so in the end he chose the more promising Qu Yang.

In the great battle between the two sects a few years ago, he was struck by a palm from Le Zheng, the holy son of the Heavenly Principle Sect, and his blood and qi were boiling.

After returning home, he vomited blood repeatedly, and due to his advanced age, he died.

His understanding of the sect's hidden inheritance far surpasses that of the five elders currently in power. If he was informed of the formation of the flesh tumor core before his death, it wouldn't be surprising that he knew this.

Half an hour later, the gaunt old Taoist priest made an excuse to pick a few fresh thousand-year-old spiritual leaves and headed to the last secret realm currently under the control of the Holy Lotus Sect.

First, they went to the herb garden and picked three thousand-year-old spiritual leaves. They then concealed themselves in a secluded place and went to a valley where immortals and mortals lived together. They entered a house.

The fleshy tumor that had formed a core had been waiting in the room for a long time. Upon seeing the person arrive, it waved its hand and an invisible restriction rose up.

"Senior Brother Ke, please rest assured. This place was left behind by my master. He promoted everyone from the outer sect elders to the stewards. This restriction doesn't have much of a barrier ability. However, if someone tries to probe it with their divine sense, even a Nascent Soul True Monarch can react immediately."

The tumor-like growth sat there casually, speaking without a care in the world.

"It's best to be careful. If we pretend to be sworn enemies and Qu Yang finds out we're secretly colluding, we'll be in big trouble! I don't want to end up like those puppets, being turned into something that's neither human nor ghost, and having to self-destruct my golden core to serve him!"

"I'm annoyed," the gaunt old Taoist said.

"That's precisely why we need to speed up our actions! If this continues, everyone will be dragged into the abyss. He's not protecting the sect at all; he's trying to sever the very foundation of the Holy Lotus Sect!"

The tumor-like growth leaned forward, its eyes fixed on the gaunt old man.

"I plan to surrender to another sect soon and find a way to survive... I still have several hundred years to live. As long as I live, I can pass on my cultivation techniques. Isn't that another way to preserve the Holy Lotus Sect's heritage?"

(End of this chapter)