Born with immortal seed

Chapter 589 Even the Broken Flying Sword is Collected
"The Devouring Serpent, the Black-Eyed Demon Squid, the Eight-Tailed White Fox... This is the Black Dragon! So Ao Zhe, who disappeared in the Starry Sea, died at your hands!"

The Taoist Master Baoxuan examined the three gilded jade bottles, and found that the spirits inside were still full of vitality, while the black dragon on the banner on the other side appeared somewhat listless.

At a glance, he recognized him as Ao Zhe, who had caused quite a stir and mysteriously disappeared in the Southern Region.

As the most outstanding descendant of Ao Laogui, Ao Zhe's treasure trove is far more luxurious than that of ordinary great demons.

The key is that he possesses Ao Laogui's Nascent Soul stage trump card; who has the ability to make him die in the Southern Region without knowing why?

After this incident, Xingxiu Hai even went to Qingqiu Dead Sea to have a word with them, though more of it was for Ao Laogui's benefit.

It's easy to speculate that a junior under you, the Dragon Lord, lost his life while carrying out a relatively safe mission.

As a result, this news spread and reached the human race.

Several major sects conducted investigations and found that during that period, there were no cultivators in the Southern Region who could easily kill Ao Zhe.

The only two Great True Monarchs in the Southern Region would have to pay a tremendous price to achieve this.

There is even a high probability that they will perish together with Ao Zhe under the influence of his Nascent Soul power.

Even though the Qingqiu Dead Sea, a sacred land of the demon race that has occupied the Southern Region for countless years, has been sealed off from the mountains by the fierce power of the Heavenly Punishment Peak Master, its latent power in the Southern Region is still quite astonishing.

Even it couldn't uncover the truth. Fox White took matters into its own hands, using the soil from the last place Ao Zhe appeared to trace the truth, only to find a scene of stars falling and the world being reborn.

In the end, the matter could only be left unresolved.

Upon seeing the Black Dragon's essence, Daoist Baoxuan suddenly realized that he had been defeated by Bai Zichen.

At that time, Bai Zichen had just entered the Nascent Soul stage, and no one would associate him with the murderer who killed Ao Zhe.

Looking back now, it seems reasonable. Bai Zichen already possessed strength far exceeding his peers back then, but it was unknown to others.

Ao Zhe would have had a chance to escape if he encountered other Great True Lords, such as the Mysterious Maiden of the Joyful Sect.

Before the relationship between humans and demons is broken, most Great True Lords will give Old Ghost Ao face by revealing his identity, so as not to anger this king of the outer sea.

His bad luck was running into Bai Zichen. He thought Bai Zichen was just an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator and tried to take him down, but he lost his life instead.

"I have an irreconcilable feud with the demons of the outer seas."

Bai Zichen couldn't possibly reveal the essence of the sacred beast's blood on his own initiative. Admitting that Ao Zhe died by his sword would reassure the sects on the human side and demonstrate that there was absolutely no possibility of reconciliation between him and the demon race.

"These essences can serve as the main material for four top-grade fourth-tier spirit talismans. Our sect has a considerable amount of fourth-tier minerals suitable for sword forging, which you may choose from... or you may convert them into spirit stones and pay with top-grade spirit stones."

Daoist Baoxuan nodded in satisfaction, whether in response to the great demon spirits or to Bai Zichen, it was unclear.

"Does your sect possess any other fourth-tier flying swords? If there is a gap, I can make up for it with other things."

The fact that the Taiping Sect was willing to pay with top-grade spirit stones, rather than equivalent high-grade spirit stones, shows their sincerity.

Especially at this critical juncture, the value of top-grade spirit stones will only be higher than in peacetime, and all the super-large sects are frantically trying to acquire them.

But for Bai Zichen, top-grade spirit stones were already a secondary option, and sword-forging materials were even more useless.

He already had plenty of third-tier flying swords, and even flying swords with great potential for advancement didn't have the time to nurture them slowly.

As for the opportunity to lock onto magical treasures and advance in the realm of beings through the Cantong Qi, there's not enough time to spare with the many flying swords already imbued with the pure energy of the Supreme Pure Micro Sword Box, so how could there be any chance to allocate them to newly forged flying swords?

"Aside from Master Zhen, our sect has never had a disciple who was single-mindedly devoted to the path of the sword... Fourth-tier flying swords are treasures that can be passed down from generation to generation for every sword-cultivating sect, and they are not easily sold. It is impossible to pay too high a price for a flying sword that we can't use. That Falling Treasure Golden Coin Sword was only offered for trade because the previous sect leader of the Golden Coin Sect owed me a favor and helped his only son successfully form his core."

Master Baoxuan slowly shook his head, as if he were hiding something.

"Master, isn't there still the spoils of war seized by the seventeenth generation patriarch when he killed an ancient sword cultivator in the main storehouse—the Panlong Devouring the Moon Sword?"

Pan Shizhen had been listening quietly, but suddenly interjected at this moment.

"The sword was clashed with the ancestral master's natal talisman, resulting in mutual damage. However, the ancestral master had the Taiping Mother Talisman, which could replace his natal item to save his life. The ancient sword cultivator's natal flying sword was destroyed, and his mind was severely injured, causing him to die on the spot. But the Panlong Devouring Moon Sword was so damaged that even if it were refined, it would not be usable normally and would only have collection value."

The explanation from Daoist Baoxuan did not deter Bai Zichen; instead, his eyes lit up and he became interested: "Please take a look, senior. If the damage is not too serious, I can accept it."

Repairing a severely damaged fourth-tier flying sword to its original state and restoring it to its former appearance is no less difficult than advancing a third-tier flying sword.

However, there are always exceptions. For Bai Zichen, the use of pure energy could potentially create a miracle in a short period of time.

“Our sect is not like the Moral Sect, which has the Nine Heavens Cloud Sea to continuously repair damaged treasures. It took quite a few spirit stones to keep the flying sword in that state without it continuing to decline. A True Monarch from the Azure Lotus Sword Sect came to appraise it and said that it has little value for repair, but it is suitable for feeding certain special sword bones, since its grade is still there.”

The meaning behind Baoxuan Daoren's words was to lower expectations as much as possible, so as not to have unrealistic fantasies about the Panlong Devouring Moon Sword and be too disappointed when they actually see it.

Seeing Bai Zichen's resolute expression, he conjured a giant golden hand and reached towards the talismanic sky above his head.

With a stretch and retraction of the giant hand, a mottled, broken flying sword with intersecting cracks appeared.

Even after countless years of vicissitudes, the sword's original radiant light can still be seen, like the moon reflected in a cold pool.

The sword's edge begins to swirl with the body of a coiled dragon, poised to take flight at any moment.

The dragon's scales are peeling off, and it is broken in many places starting from its waist. It is hard to imagine what kind of attack it must have endured to cause even a fourth-tier flying sword to be so damaged.

However, the dragon beast still held its head high and maintained its posture of swallowing the moon, but it could no longer be seen as the magnificent momentum of swallowing the galaxy and riding the wind and waves. It had become a crippled dragon.

With a flick of his golden giant hand, the flying sword was already in Bai Zichen's hand.

Reaching out to wipe it, I could still feel the sharp sword intent within; it truly lived up to its reputation as a fourth-tier flying sword.

However, the sword spirit has degenerated into a ball of white light, unable to communicate normally, and even the basics of many third-tier flying swords are inferior.

Superficial injuries to flying swords are easy to treat; there are even precedents of broken swords being reborn in their scabbards. These are all minor issues.

The sword spirit is obscured, which is beyond expectations. I wonder if it can be repaired with pure energy.

"Although it's damaged, I feel a connection to this sword and am willing to accept it..."

After a moment's thought, Bai Zichen decided to take the Panlong Devouring Moon Sword.

There's at least a chance to repair it, but if you replace it with other traded items, you really won't be able to increase your strength by even a little bit in a short time.

“Since you insist, young friend, I certainly won’t be the bad guy… This deal is actually a bargain for our sect. You can stay on Mount Taiping for a few days, and come to me anytime you have any new needs. As long as it can be done, I will not refuse.”

The Taoist Baoxuan accepted the essence of the four great demons, feeling he had gotten a great deal. He was somewhat embarrassed and thought he would make up for it in other ways.

"In that case, I will trouble your clan any longer."

Bai Zichen didn't think so. Including the newly acquired Treasure-Dropping Golden Coin Sword, he was only three flying swords away from fully upgrading the Star River Sword Formation.

Therefore, every opportunity to obtain a fourth-tier flying sword is extremely precious to him.

This is also the best way to significantly enhance strength in a short period of time.

If the Star River Sword Formation had been at the Northern Yuan Sword Mountain that day, and all its members were already at the fourth level, it wouldn't have disintegrated in a single blow when facing the Red-Eared Ancestor's tiny clones, and instead been directly blasted through the starry sky by the Divine Transformation Dao.

Of the great demons who died at his hands, there's a 99% chance that the white ape and the colorful phoenix will also be among them.

After the exchange was completed, the atmosphere between host and guest was harmonious, and with the Taoist Master Baoxuan's deliberate attempt to win them over, they talked about many topics.

In terms of combat strength, Bai Zichen is already above Baoxuan Daoist.

However, their understanding of cultivation and knowledge, especially the work required to enter the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, was only superficial.

After all, he was already the cultivator who had gone the furthest in the sect, and all the paths ahead depended on him and Ge Cang to pave the way for future generations.

In the transformation of realms and the establishment of the prototype of a grotto-heaven, a single insightful comment from an experienced cultivator can save later generations from countless detours.

This has nothing to do with talent or aptitude; it's inherently a process of endless trial and error. Someone else has simply walked all the wrong paths for you.

Daoist Baoxuan probably knew that Bai Zichen came from a minor sect. Even if he had great fortune and obtained a top-level cultivation technique, such insights, passed down orally without being written down, could not be known to outsiders.

He brought up this topic proactively, using personal boundaries as an example to explain how he solved the difficulties he encountered back then.

It may sound like just reminiscing about the past and making fun of embarrassing moments, but the clever disciple is enough to understand it and apply it to himself in the future.

"If young friend Bai could be born into the Central Region Sword Sect with such a talent for drawing inferences from one instance, his achievements would be unimaginable!"

From the questions and answers, the Taoist Master Baoxuan could tell whether the other person was just skimming the surface or truly comprehending the truth.

Considering the current situation, I couldn't help but speak my mind.

"Haha, does becoming a disciple of the Azure Lotus Sword Sect mean I'll reach the Nascent Soul Perfection Realm before I'm even three hundred years old? The Azure Maple Sect is great. The sect can grow stronger step by step under the leadership of its juniors and return to its rightful place. This feeling is something that those who haven't experienced it firsthand can't understand."

Bai Zichen laughed heartily. At this level, one's background is no longer important.

Others might feel sorry for themselves, thinking that if they could have enjoyed top-tier resources earlier, they could have achieved something much sooner.

But since he was going to attempt to reach the Nascent Soul stage, he had to make up for all the achievements he had made in the early stages.

Before natural barriers, everyone is equal; a hundred years is but a fleeting moment.

"Qingfeng Sect? This old Daoist is ignorant and has never heard of it. It seems I have not paid attention to the sects of the Northern Region for too long."

Baoxuan Daoren also belonged to the ascetic school, and his question at this time was not sarcastic, but simply out of curiosity.

It was only after Pan Shizhen muttered a few words in hushed tones that he understood part of it.

"So you are a true Xuanmen sect that has come from across the sea. I am afraid I may be asking who the founder of your sect was. Perhaps we even met once before."

Master Baoxuan blushed, realizing he shouldn't have needed his disciple to remind him.

"The founding patriarch, True Man Qingfeng, is someone you probably haven't heard of. Going back further, there was also a patriarch who spread the Dao, True Man Shaoyang."

It sounds like a myth that the ancestor Qingfeng, who was only at the Core Formation stage, was able to cross the sea and cross the border, and overcome the natural barriers that even the Great True Monarchs could not overcome.

As a disciple of Qingfeng, Bai Zichen, through his understanding of his family's heritage and the notes of Qingfeng's founder, was certain that this was not a fabrication.

Other cultivators, however, did not think so; they all felt that the Qingfeng Sect was bringing them honor.

If even a Core Formation cultivator could successfully cross the sea, wouldn't the tens of thousands of years of cultivation by the Moral Sect's Cunsi Peak in the outer sea become a joke?

(End of this chapter)