Born with immortal seed

Chapter 583 Two Paths
When Po Jun Xingjun removed his mask, his official robes disappeared, revealing his round figure and kind, benevolent face.

Zhuo Xiong of Tianxing Sect was a well-known good-natured man who always greeted everyone with a smile, a stark contrast to the gloomy and aloof temperament of Po Jun Xing Jun.

"Hmph! If it weren't for our sect taking the lead, would you all be enjoying the freedom of a Nascent Soul True Monarch? The Moral Sect has long wanted to implement its rules throughout the world, and this war between the two races has given it the perfect excuse. If we don't take precautions, after defeating the demon race, a new mountain will be placed on everyone's head!"

The mask on the face of the Moon Goddess is divided into two halves, revealing a dignified and beautiful face, with a wise and composed look in her eyes.

Wearing a five-pronged lotus crown and a simple white Taoist robe embroidered with phoenix patterns.

"If you don't want to have to consider whether you've violated the Morality Sect's rules before doing anything in the future, and if the final interpretation right falls into the hands of Heavenly Punishment Peak, then don't be foolish enough to side with the Morality Sect!"

Sure enough it was her!

Bai Zichen glanced at the mature and beautiful woman whose aura had suddenly changed; it was none other than Fairy Haitang from the Five Phoenix Sword Sect.

In the world, there are very few female Nascent Soul sword cultivators, and the identity of the Taiyin Star Lord was locked into a very small circle from the very beginning.

Once the Giant Gate Star Lord revealed that she and the Withered Glory Sword Lord were from the same sect, her true identity became obvious.

'Taiyin's words inevitably contain an element of exonerating the Five Phoenix Sword Sect, but to some extent, they are not wrong. Too many cultivators cannot accept the Moral Sect's method of governance… The pursuit of cultivation is longevity and freedom, not adding rules and regulations to life.'

Bai Zichen recalled that when Ge Cang was traveling in the Central Region, he killed a group of local cultivators who were greedy for money and temporarily acted as robbers, which led to the Moral Sect pursuing him all the way.

Regardless of whether the other party is a cultivator undergoing tribulation or your mortal enemy, only Heavenly Punishment Peak can make the final judgment within the Great Zhou territory.

The Daode Sect is clearly virtuous and has always been at the forefront of major calamities, fearlessly sacrificing itself. Yet, there are still many dissenting voices, and there is a reason for this.

Many of those who voiced opposition were not from unorthodox sects or heretical schools; they were from the orthodox and legitimate sects.

"So you are Fairy Haitang from the Five Phoenix Sword Sect. I have long admired your name."

The Heavenly Star Lord bowed and greeted her, recognizing the beautiful woman's true identity without needing an introduction.

"Lu Siwei of the Joyful Sect greets fellow Daoists."

Beneath the mask of the Three-Eyed Star Lord was a majestic and imposing face, with thick eyebrows and large eyes. Without the Star God mask to conceal his figure, he seemed to have grown several inches taller.

Apart from Zhuo Xiong and Bai Zichen, everyone else looked confused, clearly having never heard of this person before.

With his burly and rugged appearance, and skin that looked as if it were covered in gold dust, he was clearly a Body Tempering cultivator. Who would have thought that he was actually a Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator in secret?

"The Joyful Sect, it should be the Southern Demonic Sect, right? I thought I was already being quite irresponsible, but I didn't expect you to be even more outrageous than me."

Jumen Xingjun looked Lü Siwei up and down, and could feel the terrifying explosive power contained in every muscle.

This little-known Celestial Star Lord will be met with an unexpected surprise if anyone mistakes him for a simple sword cultivator or body-tempering cultivator.

"I am Pan Shizhen of the Taiping Sect. I neglect my proper duties and am halfway through learning swordsmanship. I am neither good at either, which only makes me a laughing stock."

A dashing face with slightly sunken eyes, long, slender fingers gathering the stray strands of hair that had fallen from his mask, he was truly an ethereal and otherworldly figure.

"So he's a disciple of Daoist Baoxuan..."

Pan Shizhen was accepted as a personal disciple by Baoxuan Daoren, the number one talisman master in the cultivation world, when he was in the Foundation Establishment stage. This sparked heated discussions, with some speculating that it was Baoxuan Daoren's talent at the level of a talisman saint body that impressed him.

It should be noted that talismans and spiritual bodies are readily available in the Taiping Sect, so they are not considered rare.

Once you reach the Foundation Establishment stage, becoming a third-tier talisman master is commonplace.

The fact that the Daoist Baoxuan, who never accepts disciples, made an exception must mean that he possesses exceptional talent.

But Pan Shizhen's performance has never met the expectations of the public.

Only when the Foundation Establishment stage is perfected and the Elixir Theory is formed can one break through to the third-tier Rune Master level. When the Core Formation stage is perfected and the Elixir Theory is solidified, one can barely become a fourth-tier Rune Master level.

This achievement is not only below average for a disciple of the highly regarded Baoxuan Daoist, but even among the disciples of the Taiping Sect.

Fortunately, Pan Shizhen's cultivation level did not fall behind, and he still successfully transformed into a Nascent Soul. However, his fourth-order low-grade talisman master realm was as if it were sealed, remaining completely unmoved.

Only now did I realize that he was distracted by swordsmanship, which explained his slow progress in talisman cultivation.

The art of talismanic cultivation is one of those cultivation arts that even the most talented individuals cannot do without extensive practice.

After years of neglect, even a Daoist master who has attained the highest level of mastery will inevitably experience a decline in the success rate of talisman making and will be unable to achieve the state of complete control.

It can only be said that this was Pan Shizhen's personal choice, as he felt that the allure of swordsmanship was greater than that of talismanic arts.

However, he failed to grasp the most important turning point in the Sword Washing Cave, so his future achievements in swordsmanship will likely be limited.

"I am but an unknown nobody, and cannot be compared with you fellow Daoists from prestigious sects... I am Wen Chu from the Western Regions, and dare not presume to call myself a high-ranking cultivator."

Beneath the mask of Lian Zhen Xing Jun was an ordinary face, who made no mention of any sect or lineage. He was either from a small sect or a rogue cultivator who had come through a difficult journey by chance.

Ancient sword cultivation gradually declined during the Middle Ages, and when the Taibai Sword Sect emerged, it further sealed its fate.

Nowadays, out of ten thousand sword cultivators, you probably wouldn't find even one who still practices ancient methods.

However, ancient sword cultivation is not without its advantages. At least it has its strengths in using the power of flying swords, overdrawing one's own essence, and unleashing bursts of power to kill enemies.

If one can obtain the inheritance of a top-tier flying sword as soon as they get started, then the path of ancient sword cultivation might not be impossible.

However, judging from the upper limit, it is definitely not as high as the current sword cultivators, who can glimpse the supreme realm of swordsmanship.

With the true identities of the star deities revealed, all eyes turned to Ziwei Star Lord, filled with anticipation.

Not only because there was only one person left, but also because Ziwei Xingjun had been mysterious and powerful since joining the Star Palace, and his journey to the Sword Washing Cave Heaven further revealed the level of his sword light differentiation.

This piqued the curiosity of several people, as there were very few sword cultivators in the world who possessed such a level of swordsmanship.

Aside from the sword masters of the major sword sects, only elderly Nascent Soul elders who have no hope of advancing in cultivation and can only spend all their time on the way of the sword could possibly achieve this.

Taking the Five Phoenix Sword Sect as an example, only the Grand Elder Sima You and the Withered Glory Sword Lord have reached this level.

This is why we are desperately waiting for the Sword Lord of Withered Glory to break through to the late Nascent Soul stage. One can only imagine the combat power that a Great True Lord who has comprehended the true meaning of time and whose sword light can be divided can unleash.

However, judging from his temperament, Ziwei Xingjun seems like a young cultivator, and is unlikely to be one of those old and frail sword cultivators.

This has led to people's curiosity growing stronger.

Everyone had several candidate lists in mind, but contradictions arose among them, leading to their rejection once again.

Just like Fairy Haitang, if she wasn't 100% certain that her senior brother, Sword Lord Kurong, was in seclusion in the sect's cave, she would have suspected that Sword Lord Kurong had infiltrated the sect and was impersonating Star Lord Ziwei.

"Bai Zichen of Qingfeng Sect wishes you all continued progress in your cultivation and that the Great Dao may flourish forever."

The identity of Ziwei Xingjun was no longer important to Bai Zichen, so he reached out and tore off the mask.

"Oh it's you!"

The Fairy Begonia straightened her back, her beautiful eyes sparkling, and said with sudden realization.

On that day on White Python Mountain, she witnessed firsthand how this Northern Region swordsman, who at that time only had a certain reputation in the swordsman circle but whose true strength was unknown, boldly drew his sword in the face of the Great True Monarch's provocation.

The early stage of the Nascent Soul realm versus the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, the true meaning of time is captivating, a perilous victory against the Nine Difficulties Sect halfway up the mountain.

Afterwards, the Five Phoenix Sword Sect praised Bai Zichen so highly, even promoting the title of Sword Lord of Time, because Bai Zichen's swordsmanship level truly shocked all the Nascent Soul elders.

More importantly, the higher Bai Zichen is elevated, the stronger the enhanced version of the Ku Rong Sword Lord will appear in all aspects.

Therefore, the focus of the publicity is the true meaning of time, the second cultivator in the world to truly master the true meaning of time, and both of them are sword cultivators.

This is the core message that the Five Phoenix Sword Sect is committed to promoting. Once all cultivators in the world recognize the power of the Time Sword Lord, the Withering and Flourishing Sword Lord will receive even greater attention.

The subtext is that the Sword Lord of Withered Glory is the number one master of the true meaning of time, and his actual combat strength can crush Bai Zichen.

'Thinking about it, it makes sense. How could so many genius sword cultivators appear in the cultivation world in such a short time? Wherever they appear, they can easily steal the spotlight from everyone around them. That's what you call a top-tier genius! But the first time I saw the Purple Star Lord in the Star Palace Secret Realm, it had only been a short time since the battle at White Python Mountain, and he had already reached the mid-Nascent Soul stage…'

The Fairy of Begonia suddenly thought of this matter and, after a simple calculation, discovered a startling reality.

It seems that even the Sword Lord of Withering and Glory is inferior in terms of cultivation speed.

Among the younger generation, they have already distanced themselves from the 'Shuang Xuan'.

"I've heard the story of your sword defeat halfway up the mountain; your swordsmanship talent is truly enviable..."

Pan Shizhen's tone wasn't flattery; it was genuine.

For someone like him who loves swordsmanship so much that he's willing to waste his top-tier talent in talismanic arts, what he hates most is that despite putting in ten times more effort, he doesn't achieve the same level of success as someone who just casually practices talismanic arts.

Both Lü Siwei and Wen Chu had their pupils dilated; to them, Bai Zichen represented the ultimate goal for grassroots sword cultivators.

"I wish to go to the front lines to contribute to the victory over the demon race. I wonder what the joining procedure is now?"

Defeating Xiang Banshan was just the match with the most onlookers in Bai Zichen's record; in terms of danger, it wouldn't even rank in the top ten.

When others use this to flatter you, you remain unfazed.

"You can come to my Five Phoenix Sword Sect's formation. Senior Brother Meng Dongye is currently leading the team in the Jishui camp."

The Fairy of Begonia's eyes lit up, and she was the first to extend an invitation.

"Fellow Daoist Bai is clearly aiming to slay demons and hone his sword. Your family only goes to battle a few times a year, so isn't it all for nothing... Fellow Daoist, you can come find me. My master has a close relationship with the Great True Monarch of the Ninth Month and can also speak with the Great True Monarch of the Moral Sect. I can definitely let you kill to your heart's content!"

Pan Shizhen interrupted Fairy Haitang without any politeness and began the recruitment process.

"Ziwei, there's no need to rush into a decision. With your strength, do you think the Jishui camp would turn you away? They'd be more than happy to welcome you. Once you arrive, you can see which team suits you best and then choose to join."

As an elder of the Tianxing Sect, Zhuo Xiong should, in principle, stand on the same side as Fairy Haitang.

However, he identified more with the identity of a disciple of the Taibai Sword Sect, and to him, Bai Zichen was the one who truly belonged to him.

"Thank you all for your suggestions. I will consider them carefully."

Bai Zichen nodded slightly, though he already had a preference in his heart.

His hatred for the demon race was stronger than that of any other sect; according to the Central Region, he was the most steadfast advocate of war.

Moreover, he still had many doubts in his mind and hoped to find the answers through the scriptures of the Daode Sect.

It goes without saying which ship we'll board.

Afterwards, the group exchanged information they had gathered, including the whereabouts of the great demon and news of the emergence of flying swords.

It seems that because they have taken off their masks and are being more open with each other, everyone is communicating more sincerely, and some information that they would not have shared in the past is now being shared.

"Where is the white ape? No need to look anymore, it should have returned to Rotten Axe Mountain in the last few days."

Bai Zichen, far away in the northern region, could only listen until he heard a familiar topic.

Pan Shizhen said that the Daode Sect is investigating the whereabouts of several top-level demons. It is said that they have left their original locations and have not appeared for more than ten days.

(End of this chapter)