Born with immortal seed

Chapter 728 Two Nascent Souls on the Cloud Platform
"I've heard that in ancient times, the golden crow would rise with the sun and set with the sun, creating a scene of ten suns in the sky?"

Bai Zichen curiously touched the cloud wall, finding it to be resilient.

The key is that even with his divine sense, he couldn't penetrate even a foot; it was resolutely repelled.

After the ten continents and eight seas were separated, it was no different from other worlds.

It is estimated that even if forced destruction is carried out, the speed of progress will not be as fast as the repair.

And without direction, who knows which way to expand?

"At that time, my brothers and I had not yet developed spirituality, and could only vaguely feel the true meaning of the Great Sun rolling on our bodies... By the time we received the great grace of the Immortal Lord and our spirituality was awakened, those ancient gods had long since disappeared."

Yun Zhongjun shook his head with considerable regret. To ordinary cultivators, those seven transformed clouds were already figures from stories and biographies.

However, in the face of ancient gods, they were merely juniors far inferior.

"Fellow Daoist Su, look around here. Follow the cloud staircase for 108,000 steps, and you will see the gate of the Pure Bright Sect..."

In the sea of ​​clouds, divine sense failed. Fortunately, with the Cloud Lord leading the way, they were able to find the correct path in an environment where everything was exactly the same.

"How magnificent..."

Bai Zichen gazed at the seemingly endless cloud staircase, sighed, and stepped onto the stairs.

The cloud steps are bound by layers of restrictions, preventing cultivators from using any true essence treasures and forcing them to rely solely on their physical strength to withstand the pressure.

Bai Zichen remained calm and walked lightly up the first 30,000 steps.

When I reached the 60,000th step, my legs suddenly felt heavy, as if they were filled with lead.

Fortunately, his physical strength was comparable to that of a peak fourth-order body tempering cultivator; with each step he took, a warm current would arise deep within his muscles and bones.

It also enabled him to climb a thousand steps, bringing him one step closer to the Pure Bright Sect.

Bai Zichen glanced at Yun Zhongjun without leaving a trace, and Yun Zhongjun followed steadily behind without being left behind at all, looking relaxed.

It seems that Yun Zhongjun's strength is indeed extraordinary. His defeat to Yin Zu was not due to a lack of skill, but rather because he was too easily restrained by the opponent's Great Dao.

After 100,000 steps, a muffled groan came from behind.

Unable to maintain his human form, Yun Zhongjun returned to his cloud form, feeling as comfortable as a fish in water.

“Fellow Daoist Su, without the permission of the Pure Bright Sect, the last eight thousand steps are not something a Nascent Soul True Monarch can tread. I can only pass through by revealing my true form.”

The clouds transformed into a blurry face and spoke in a buzzing voice.

“I know you have an extraordinary background, so you should show us what you’ve got… The cloud steps don’t have a welcoming gesture, but they are completely different from what you’ve seen before.”

"In my memory, there was a Buddhist cultivator who was equivalent to the Nascent Soul stage and relied on his indestructible golden body to reach the 107,000th step. In the end, he could not withstand the immense force, his golden body was shattered, and he was sent flying and disappeared."

Bai Zichen could sense that after Yun Zhongjun returned to his original form, the cloud steps no longer exerted any external pressure on him.

He took a deep breath and silently circulated the Nine Heavens Bone Forging Technique. The seven immortal bones in his body glowed simultaneously, echoing each other.

"I can't become a golden-bodied Arhat, but I'd like to try..."

From a cultivation perspective, staying in the West Sea and returning to the Ancestral Continent are not much different.

With Bai Zichen's strength, he can find a fifth-tier spiritual land anywhere, which will not affect his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage.

Even in the Western Sea, where the laws of heaven and earth are relatively lenient, there are fewer restrictions on Nascent Soul cultivators, making life more comfortable.

But the most crucial point is that Zuzhou has people he cares about and places he is familiar with, while Xihai is more like a passerby or a stranger.

No matter what, we must return to Zuzhou.

His bones cracked and popped, and the billowing sweat made him feel as if he had been pulled out of the water.

Each step leaves a watermark on the cloud steps.

Unable to see the changing of the sun and moon, Bai Zichen only knew that about thirty hours had passed before he finally reached the top of the cloud staircase.

With only one step left, he was trembling all over and almost fell over, crashing into the platform.

"Fellow Daoist Su, you walked through 108,000 steps of the Cloud Staircase with your physical body alone... I am truly impressed that someone can cultivate their physical body to this level outside of swordsmanship."

In the sea of ​​clouds, Yun Zhongjun was almost back at his base camp, arriving at the Cloud Platform ahead of everyone else.

However, he didn't look smug; instead, he looked shocked.

"Luckily, two more steps and I probably wouldn't be able to manage."

Bai Zichen collapsed to the ground without any regard for his image, his true energy rapidly filling his body and dispelling the fatigue and weakness in his physical form.

“My elder brother said that 100,080 levels is in line with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, and it is impossible to achieve even one more level.”

Yun Zhongjun reassembled into human form, straightened his clothes, and became somewhat reserved in his demeanor.

Stepping on the soft, fluffy clouds, it wasn't long before a plaque, half-hidden in the sea of ​​clouds, appeared, with the four golden characters "Pure, Bright, Loyal, and Filial" coming into view.

"It truly is the Jingming Sect's mountain gate!"

Bai Zichen's heart stirred slightly, and his state of mind underwent some changes.

The handwriting is exactly the same as the annotations on the original Cantongqi and the handwriting on the ancient immortal's tombstone, and it is indeed the authentic work of Shaoyang Immortal Lord.

Strictly speaking, according to the lineage of the sect, he was a disciple of a collateral branch of the Jingming sect, and it was reasonable for him to return to the main sect to worship after attaining enlightenment.

The only point of doubt is that how could a mere Core Formation cultivator like Master Qingfeng be qualified to obtain the original version of the Cantongqi cultivation method personally written by Master Shaoyang?

Furthermore, judging from the reactions in the stone tablet and the golden tadpole spirit text, the Cantongqi holds a high position in the Jingming Sect, unlike something that any disciple could easily learn.

"Someone!"

As Bai Zichen got closer to the mountain gate, he noticed that a person was sitting cross-legged under the plaque, carrying something in their hand.

However, due to the special environment of this place, divine sense failed to detect it in advance.

"How is that possible! Apart from me, only those at the Nascent Soul stage can come before the Pure Bright Sect!"

Yun Zhongjun was utterly astonished. As for Bai Zichen, he had long regarded him as an even more mysterious Nascent Soul monster than the Two Demons and Three Immortals.

"The Yin Ancestor and the Great Wilderness Elder have perished, and the Poison God is a homeless dog, but there are still other Nascent Soul cultivators in the Western Sea..."

Bai Zichen's flying sword danced fiercely in his sleeve, as if he wanted to fly out and fight. However, he encountered a sword intent that was equal to his own and felt threatened.

"The Sword Emperor you've all been longing for still hasn't appeared!"

Above the Western Sea, besides the Sword Emperor, what other cultivator could pose a threat to him in the way of the sword?

According to Ziyin Zhenjun and others, the Sword Emperor deeply abhorred the Dao Embryo Reincarnation Technique and never associated with the others, making him a senior figure who could be persuaded to join forces.

The Great Wilderness Elder originally gave the same introduction, but ended up becoming the mastermind behind the whole affair. He was determined to keep all the cultivators under his control, just so that it would be easier for him to choose Dao Embryos in the future and so that he would have more choices of high-quality Dao Embryos.

This made Bai Zichen somewhat suspicious of the cultivators from the Western Sea, and he had to be more cautious in everything he did.

All four Azure Emperor Longevity Swords were used in the previous battle.

There are no restrictions on the cultivation level of Nascent Soul cultivators here, so if a real fight breaks out, the only option is to gamble on whether Dao Sheng's sword can defeat the opponent.

Judging from the rankings, the Sword Emperor's strength is second to none among the Two Demons and Three Immortals, and it is unlikely that he will win.

“Fellow Daoist Su, there’s no need to overthink it. Fighting is not allowed in front of the Jingming Sect… With two gatekeepers here, even the Sword Emperor cannot violate the rules of the Immortal Lord.”

Perhaps sensing the reason for Bai Zichen's hesitation, Yun Zhongjun quickly offered an explanation.

Bai Zichen did not respond immediately, but after the Purple Thunder Dazzling Sword in his sleeve gave a reply, he bowed slightly and followed.

"Greetings, Senior Sword Emperor."

When they finally arrived at the Jingming Sect's archway, Yunzhongjun could see the figure sitting upright, but his face was obscured by disheveled hair, making it difficult to make out clearly.

At first glance, he looked like an ordinary person, without any cultivation.

He rested his right hand on a jade sword, which was stuck in the clouds.

Holding a severed head in his left hand, with his eyes wide open, he was startled to see that the newcomer could even speak.

"Which disciple is this? Quickly capture that old Sword Emperor!"

The head opened and closed its mouth; apart from lacking a body, it was no different from an ordinary person.

"In order to subdue me, but not daring to kill me, the old man was struck by the Soul-Separating Divine Light! At most, he is now at the initial stage of the Nascent Soul realm. The two of you working together can easily defeat him... Afterwards, all the treasures on the Sword Emperor's body will belong to you, and I can even take you as my personal disciples!"

"You should have heard of my name, Daoist Tianmu!"

Yun Zhongjun was so frightened that he took two steps back, not daring to look directly at the head.

Tianmu Daoren is the most feared of the two demons and three immortals, and in terms of strength alone, he is the weakest among the five.

He possesses the ability to read minds, and can sense any scene in which his name is mentioned, even if it has happened several days ago.

Any ambush or sabotage targeting him will be detected and anticipated.

Only those whose strength surpasses that of the Heavenly Eye Daoist, who recklessly charge in without any preparation, have a chance of victory.

The Sword Emperor met all the conditions. After a protracted battle, he beheaded the Heavenly Eye Daoist with a single sword strike, sealed his soul, and rushed to the Pure Bright Sect's mountain gate.

"So it was Daoist Tianmu..."

Bai Zichen calmly glanced at them. It seemed that the Sword Emperor had unwittingly helped them.

If Daoist Tianmu had joined the battle that day, it would have been hard to say how the final outcome would have been.

The number of Azure Emperor's Longevity Swords is limited, and having an extra Nascent Soul cultivator would not be enough to distribute them all, so it wouldn't be such a simple and complete victory.

From this perspective, the Sword Emperor truly hates evil, which aligns with the description given by the Purple Seal True Lord.

"Which sword sect are you a disciple of? I have only been living in seclusion for a hundred years. When did the cultivation world produce a junior sword cultivator of this caliber!"

The Sword Emperor opened his eyes, and even though they were obscured by his disheveled hair, they were still bright, like two beacons.

The two swords clashed, and they gained a clear understanding of each other's swordsmanship level.

The Sword Emperor has reached the level of "one sword gives rise to ten thousand laws," and his accumulation is profound. In terms of swordsmanship alone, he surpasses Bai Zichen.

However, when it comes to swordsmanship, Zuzhou is far ahead of the Western Sea region because of the Taibai Sword Sect, an anomaly in the region.

The concept of the fifth realm of swordsmanship originated with the Taibai Sword Master.

In the past, in the human world, no one had ever even considered such a thing.

Although Bai Zichen is still far from the true fifth realm of swordsmanship, he can already barely manage to imbue the sword intent into the sword light.

Their rudimentary application of the Sword Emperor's techniques is like that of people from more than one era apart.

"I am but a free spirit, and I have not disgraced the Emperor."

Bai Zichen bowed, not to a Nascent Soul cultivator, but to a senior sword cultivator out of respect.

To be able to develop swordsmanship and achieve what he has today in the training environment of the Western Regions, a low-lying area for swordsmanship, is remarkable.

As a fellow sword cultivator, he could feel the hardships and sacrifices involved.

(End of this chapter)