Born with immortal seed

Chapter 755 Annual Ring Flower, Youthful Grass

In May, there was a severe drought.

Demons caused chaos at the ruins of the Great Sun Holy Sect, scattering and killing in all directions, and breaching many cities.

With various sects in the vicinity guarding their gates, the value of rogue cultivators, whose techniques, such as Buddhist cultivation and lightning cultivation, are effective against demons, has skyrocketed.

Anyone who knows exorcism and purification spells can secure a position in a major sect and earn a living.

As for spiritual materials related to exorcism and purification, their prices continue to rise at high levels, almost like crazy.

As soon as news spreads that a certain type of spiritual object can ward off demonic energy when worn, or that a certain type of medicinal herb can be used to make pills that can resist demonic energy, the market will be completely sold out the next day.

There are even instances of cultivators fighting each other over spiritual materials.

July, torrential rain.

After seven days of heavy rain, all attempts to dispel the clouds and reduce the rain were ineffective. The water level rose, and several low-lying mountain gates were flooded.

The ancient demon Asura appeared on a rainy night and with a single blow, the Golden Light Sect vanished and the mountains and rivers shifted.

Tens of thousands more demons emerged, wreaking havoc on the cultivation world.

For a time, everyone in the cultivation world was in danger, and there was no safe place left.

The Great Sun Holy Sect has its own unique secret realm, which serves as a place of inheritance, where the essence of the sect is hidden.

But it was grabbed by the giant palm of the ancient Asura demon and pulled directly out of the void, squashed into a ball like a chicken egg.

Without any resistance or a single cry of agony, the secret realm, meticulously crafted over many years, perished along with the Great Sun Holy Sect.

The monks living there naturally perished together.

Even hiding in a secret realm won't save you; it's like the Asura Ancient Demon has its sights set on a target, and there's only one way out: death.

The key issue is that it leaps around aimlessly, attacking without any clear purpose, so even escaping the central region might not be safe.

Taiping Mountain.

"Sect Leader, what did the Heavenly Talisman say?"

Several white-haired Nascent Soul cultivators, seeing the gate open, asked anxiously.

The Heavenly Inquiry Talisman is a very special type of talisman from the Taiping Sect. Despite being a fifth-tier talisman with a complete talisman-making tradition and finished talismans in hand, it has never been successfully replicated by later generations.

All three of them were brought from the Immortal Realm, and after so many years, only the last one remains.

The purpose of this talisman is simply to reach the heavens and establish contact with the ancestral masters in the upper realm.

Furthermore, it cannot be used alone; it requires the aid of the Taiping Mother Talisman, which means that only the sect leader can use it.

The two previous uses were both when the Taiping Sect was facing a life-or-death crisis, and they prayed to the patriarch of the upper realm for a solution.

The ancient demon Asura has now seriously threatened the entire human realm, and we have reached the most critical juncture, where we can no longer hide.

On the Daode Sect's side, the lineage leader has passed away, and no one can take over the mantle.

Communication with the upper realm has been temporarily suspended.

"The immortal voice was obscure. All that was known was that the ancient demon was trying to open up a node and attract the true demon energy. Once he had gathered the nine evil positions, he could return to the Heavenly Demon Realm... As for how to deal with him, the ancestor of the immortal realm never mentioned it until the Heavenly Inquiry Talisman burned out."

Pan Shizhen shook his head slightly, knowing that he couldn't do anything about Asura Ancient Demon's intentions, so what was the point?

"That means the ancient demons need to open up nine nodes and destroy nine sects to leave the human realm..."

One of the Nascent Soul cultivators said with a look of relief that he felt he had found a clear path.

It's not necessary to defeat the Asura Ancient Demon; as long as you're tougher than other sects, the Ancient Demon will let you go.

Thinking maliciously, someone might expose other sects to the Ancient Demons' sight in order to survive.

"These are just basic conditions, but it doesn't mean that you will leave immediately after they are met... The ancient demon Asura has no worries about lifespan, so he may wander in the human world for a hundred years until he loses interest and then ascends."

From any perspective, Pan Shizhen did not support such behavior; it was too passive and surrender-like.

"Furthermore, the Nine Fiends are linked together, directly attracting endless true demonic energy. Once you are in it, how can you remain unharmed?"

"Sect Leader, you are wise; it was my oversight... According to the records in the Heavenly Demon Realm, the next point of attack should be the Azure Lotus Sword Sect!"

The man held an ancient book, calculating with his fingers, his expression growing increasingly grim.

Everyone has already received the news that Li Fengzi and Guangyin Jianjun are attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul stage almost simultaneously.

The outcomes were vastly different, one before and one after.

After perishing in the Nascent Soul Tribulation, the Azure Lotus Sword Sect was leaderless and its strength declined significantly.

Whether the fifth-order grand formation can stop the Asura Ancient Demon remains to be seen.

"Quickly dispatch a secret envoy to inform the Azure Lotus Sword Sect to make preparations in advance and not to take any chances."

Pan Shizhen's face was grim. If the Azure Lotus Sword Sect couldn't hold them off, it meant that the Taiping Sect would face a similar fate.

Both families had glorious ancestors, but the previous generation's great sage passed away not long ago, leaving the younger generation to carry the burden.

"I wonder if there has been any reply from the Sword Lord of Time?"

Some people cast expectant glances their way; this seemed to be their only remaining lifeline.

“I will write another letter by hand and have it sent to Rotten Axe Mountain.”

Master Pan sighed inwardly, closed his eyes to rest, and knew that activating the Heavenly Inquiry Talisman was no easy task.

It was still quite satisfactory in the hands of Daoist Baoxuan, but the burden on his cultivation was still a bit too great.

……

Bai Zichen stood atop Qingxia Cave, holding his sword and observing the celestial phenomena at night.

After he transformed into a god, all the changes were beneficial, except for one thing: he gradually felt a sense of alienation from this world.

As long as he goes all out, the rate at which his lifespan is depleted will increase dramatically, and even if he uses the True Meaning of Time, he will not be able to stop it.

At most, other Nascent Soul cultivators would age ten or a hundred times faster once they made a move, while he would age at most several times faster.

Only when you return to the grotto can you feel truly free and unrestrained.

However, he needs to quickly restore the flying swords damaged in the heavenly tribulation, especially the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword, which is of the highest grade and has the greatest output.

Those that fall to the end suffer the most damage.

In this process, he gradually adapted to the strength of a Nascent Soul cultivator and expanded the scope of his application of Great Dao Divine Powers.

"The ancient demon's attacks are becoming increasingly frequent, it seems to be slowly adapting to its demonic form... If this continues, we'll hear news of another sect's destruction in just over a month."

With no time to repair each flying sword individually, Bai Zichen reluctantly took out the Supreme Pure Sword Box, tapped it, and all the flying swords flew out of the box.

He also put the Ziwei Xuanlei Sword in his arms into it, and took good care of it day and night, and it has improved a lot.

At least they didn't fall into a deep slumber like last time, and all of them degenerated into sword embryos.

All thirty-six clusters of pure spiritual energy were summoned, and the palms pressed down, attempting to combine them into one.

Even with the terrifying true essence of a Nascent Soul cultivator, it would take all their strength to push it forward, bit by bit.

Once the pure spiritual energy has enveloped all the flying swords, they will be wrapped up and placed back in their sheaths to rest. We will see how many flying swords can return to their peak condition once the pure spiritual energy is exhausted.

After doing all this, he swayed and returned to his own grotto.

After reaching the Divine Transformation stage, Bai Zichen's grotto-heaven did not stop evolving; it continued to evolve and regenerate.

Snow-capped mountains, sandy lands, and vast marshes have emerged, adding several new landforms, but the overall spatial layout remains largely unchanged.

The more complex the terrain, the more diverse the creatures living in the cave will be in the future, and the more possibilities there will be.

“Master, this gourd vine is growing fast, but it is inherently flawed, and it will be very difficult for it to grow into an innate spiritual root.”

Bai Taotao is the transformed form of the Twilight Peach, and its understanding of innate spiritual roots is unparalleled. It is just right to entrust the immortal vine transformed from the Yellow Spring Gourd to it for care.

Dusk and the Yellow Springs—a difference of only one word, yet they represent completely different paths.

"Take good care of it. Once the Spirit Land of the Universe is born, we will move it there."

Bai Zichen didn't expect the Immortal Vine to work in a short time, as the growth experience of each innate spiritual root was not measured in tens of thousands of years.

Just like the snow lotus on the top of Qishan Mountain, it took tens of thousands of years of vigorous growth to develop even a tiny bit of innate spiritual root.

Even if the Immortal Vine has the mature Yellow Spring Gourd as nutrients, which helps in the early stages, it is still a drop in the ocean in the overall growth process.

I took another look at the bamboo forest, where Gun Gun was lying adorably in the center, with thick bamboo leaves beneath him.

Holding a half-eaten bamboo shoot in his hand, his chubby hand dangled down as he began to snore.

The air currents swirled, and a misty, ethereal aura rushed up, completely enveloping the rolling mass.

His breath rose and fell with each breath, and he was steadily advancing towards the fourth rank.

"Good, after activating a trace of Bai Ze Demon God's bloodline, the path to the fourth tier has become so easy. After waking up from this nap, I will be able to officially stand firmly at the fourth tier."

Bai Zichen left quietly; Gun Gun's growth conditions were top-notch among spirit beasts.

The mere bloodline of the mutated Taiji Beast propelled it to the peak of the third tier within a few hundred years.

The resources wasted in this process could have been used to cultivate other spirit beasts, enough to grow two or three to the same stage.

However, Gun Gun was raised from a young age and has been by my side since my Foundation Establishment stage. Raising it often involved disregarding costs and without considering cost-effectiveness.

Even so, its path to advancement is extremely difficult.

Fortunately, the Demon God's bloodline was activated in the Starry Sea, which immediately made his potential surpass that of the Jade Rabbit and on par with Bai Taotao.

Upon arriving in the Immortal Realm, the abundant spiritual energy of heaven and earth, once introduced into the cave, will greatly compensate for the disadvantages of the Taiji Bear bloodline within Gun Gun's body.

Even if you just work your way up through years of service, you can still advance to level five.

“Master, I have compiled information on all the fifth-order spiritual plants in the cave. Please take a look.”

Upon arriving at the small island in the middle of the lake, Bai Zichen saw the Jade Rabbit diligently writing. Upon seeing Bai Zichen, the Jade Rabbit presented him with a jade slip.

"There are also two newly born fifth-order spiritual plants, which are unique to the master's cave heaven. They came from the relevant Great Dao and could not possibly appear in the outside world."

"In addition, I will copy down the habits of the two newly appeared fifth-tier spiritual plants to see if there is any chance to obtain the seeds and plant multiple plants."

Bai Zichen scanned the jade slip and indeed found two unfamiliar spiritual plants.

The annual ring flower produces one petal every sixty years until it has eighteen petals.

Every ten years, a new scripture will appear on the petal, and once three scriptures have grown, they will appear on the next petal.

It takes a total of 1,620 years to produce just one flower.

Direct ingestion is extremely poisonous; even a Nascent Soul cultivator will die instantly, and a Deity Transformation cultivator will require careful detoxification and healing.

However, if the right formula is used as the main ingredient in a longevity elixir, the elixir's effects can be doubled.

However, only fifth-grade pills can withstand the medicinal power of the annual ring flower.

Otherwise, a perfectly good longevity elixir would become a deadly poison.

There is also the Shaohua grass, which is cool in nature and prefers shade. It only grows an inch in a hundred years and is considered mature when it grows to three feet tall.

After being ground up, it can be taken orally, which can greatly increase the success rate of cultivators who are breaking through bottlenecks in their supernatural abilities and secret techniques.

However, it is ineffective against cultivation bottlenecks, causing its value to plummet. Otherwise, it could have become the most valuable fifth-tier spiritual herb in the cultivation world.

"Then you must work hard, especially on the annual ring flower, you must not let it become extinct."

Both fifth-tier spiritual plants are intricately connected to the Great Dao of Time, clearly related to the Great Dao tremors caused by Bai Zichen's advancement to the Nascent Soul stage.

Regardless of which plant it is, it will be of great help to him, he added deliberately.

"Don't let your own cultivation level fall behind. If you lack any resources, just let me know and I will do my best to meet your needs."

When Rotten Axe Mountain was conquered, the Jade Rabbit had already taken human form for hundreds of years.

Despite following the Sword Lord of Time for so long, he remains stagnant, not moving an inch.

This would be normal for an ordinary transformed demon, but the Jade Rabbit not only enjoyed preferential treatment, but also activated her dual bloodline, which gave her some kind of boost.

The fact that even a mid-grade fourth-order item is so difficult to obtain at the moment suggests that there must be a problem.

"Thank you for your concern, Master. I will do my best."

The jade rabbit nodded vigorously, as if pounding medicine.

Currently, there is only one thatched hut on the island. Bai Zichen plans to build a cave dwelling once the Zhouguang Spirit Land is fully formed.

The location of a grotto-heaven is the most important and private place for top cultivators, which cannot be compared with any other Daoist temple or spiritual land.

It's normal to spend more time and effort.

This sacred land is the starting point of the realm, and the first place where the grotto-heavens and spiritual lands are upgraded.

Now that I'm sitting down, I can vaguely sense the difference from other places; the difference in time is slowly becoming apparent.

"It's roughly three days here and two days outside, and this ratio is still slowly increasing..."

Bai Zichen felt the passage of time, and the true meaning of time flowed within him.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, the ratio will eventually settle at three to one.

"The only suitable cultivation space in the cosmic realm can achieve this ratio. Otherwise, the cave heaven will not be able to support it and will trigger a more serious chain reaction... On the other hand, the existence of a secret realm like the herb garden does not need to consider anything else. The internal and external time flow can be achieved at a ratio of 10 to 1."

With Bai Zichen's current mastery of the Great Dao of Time, it is not difficult for him to deduce the outcome of the completed evolution of the cave heaven and the spiritual land of the universe.

At the same time, a quick calculation showed that it would take a full six hundred years to cultivate to the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

"How exaggerated! No wonder so many seniors have remained at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm their entire lives. They are all exceptionally talented geniuses, one in a million."

Bai Zichen was startled; this was only the time required to cultivate to the peak of the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

Other cultivators would need to spend hundreds of years breaking through their bottlenecks.

After reaching the Nascent Soul stage, one must refine new treasures, change cultivation techniques, and learn supernatural powers, etc.

Despite having a lifespan of a thousand years, there's still not enough to go around.

If one doesn't have the potential to reach the pinnacle of the Nascent Soul stage, many fellow cultivators wouldn't focus too much on improving their cultivation; it would be more useful to cultivate a couple more powerful supernatural abilities.

"Fortunately, the cave contains the Celestial Light Spirit Land, which can greatly reduce the required cultivation time, even if it cannot be used continuously."

Bai Zichen realized that he had been too optimistic about his progress in cultivating to the Nascent Soul stage.

I thought that with the acquired Fire Element Heavenly Spiritual Root and the absence of bottlenecks, reaching the peak of the Nascent Soul stage wouldn't be a big problem.

But now, looking at it, even if he used up all his lifespan, he might not be able to cultivate to the perfect Nascent Soul stage. He would most likely be like the Heavenly Punishment Peak Master, stopping at the late Nascent Soul stage.

(End of this chapter)