Born with immortal seed

Chapter 773

"What do you want me to do?"

It sounds like a simple matter, and it has no impact on me.

If he succeeds, he will know the greatest secret of the cultivation world and may gain immense benefits.

No, the backlash from Heaven will be borne by Shan Zhi and will not affect him personally.

Bai Zichen lightly tapped the table with his fingers, calculating the gains and losses of participating in it.

"As long as the Sword Lord protects me with the true meaning of time and cuts off the tentacles of the river of time reaching out to me, otherwise too many tributaries will blind me and I will not be able to see the truth."

Shan Zhi's voice rose in pitch, as excited as a child, filled with longing for what was about to happen, without any fear.

“I brought with me the seven volumes of the Nascent Soul Ancestor’s Notes and a page of the Heavenly Book. When the time comes, I will sacrifice them all, which will be enough to tear apart the fog of fate.”

"If that's all there is to it, I wouldn't mind helping you wield your sword."

Bai Zichen nodded and agreed to the request.

If this secret can be unlocked, there might be a chance to restore the human world to its ancient state, making it easier for those who cultivate to the divine realm and ascend to the upper realm.

Not only will it bring immeasurable merit, but it will also allow one to ascend to the realm of immortals sooner.

"I have calculated that the best time is three days from now, when the moon is setting and the stars are slanting. I will also need to borrow Sword Lord's dojo."

Having received the promise, Yamachi clearly breathed a sigh of relief; his wish had been fulfilled.

The sun and moon alternate, and three days pass in the blink of an eye.

On the highest peak of Rotten Axe Mountain, sixty-four tortoise shells were arranged to form a Bagua (Eight Trigrams) formation.

With their shells facing upwards, each turtle has natural markings, all left behind by fourth-tier old turtles after their death.

In the center, three bundles of golden rice stalks are stuck in the ground.

As soon as it was planted in the soil, the terrain of the peak changed dramatically, and the wind direction in the air became much heavier.

"Fifth-grade Blessed Yellow Rice!"

Bai Zichen could only sigh at the sheer size and power of the Evil Fate Sect, but he estimated that Shan Zhi would soon empty its coffers.

It's only because this hidden sect has so few disciples that it has been able to accumulate so many resources.

Senior Brother Shan Zhi has been wandering in the heavens, almost losing contact with the cultivation world. Shan Zhi is still the one who calls the shots in the Evil Fate Sect.

There was another table with seven volumes of manuscripts stacked on it, and in the middle was a sheet of gold paper as thin as a cicada's wing, rolled into a tube.

Shan Zhi sat cross-legged, his black robe billowing in the night wind, making his figure appear even thinner.

His once handsome face, with its mysterious charm, is now withered and lifeless.

As the moon sank to the far west and the sky fell into its darkest hour, he suddenly opened his eyes, and a white light shot out, illuminating what lay before him.

"It is precisely at this moment and in this place... the Eight Gates and Eight Formations, the Prosperous Heavenly Pivot, the Dao Reaching the Taiji!"

As if some inexplicable vitality had been injected into Shan Zhi's body, with a flick of his fingertips, three bundles of Fude yellow rice stalks burst into flames.

A layer of golden light of blessings fell on his shoulders, as if he had been given an extra robe.

Without this blessed robe, even if he were willing to give his life, he would never be able to glimpse the secrets of the Middle Ages.

Halfway through, their spirit will be consumed, and they will perish prematurely.

As if given a command, the sixty-four tortoise shells all turned in the same direction, their patterns connecting to form a natural array.

With this support, the nascent cave behind the mountain revealed itself, and a divine tortoise carrying a book crawled out.

The array formed by all the tortoise shells merged into the body of the book-carrying divine tortoise, and with a sweep of its four legs, it soared into the sky.

"The River of Destiny, open!"

Shan Zhi shouted again, and a faint sound of water came, like the ebb and flow of the ocean tide.

Unlike the obvious flow of time, the so-called river of destiny seems to have only subtle anomalies, with clouds gathering and dispersing, and outsiders cannot see the changes at all.

All one can see is the book-carrying tortoise taking four steps, each step forward seemingly repeating the same action, yet giving the illusion that it has already gone far, far away.

After only a few steps, the book-carrying tortoise stopped, exhausted, its claws trembling slightly.

On the desk of Shan Zhiyi, there was a scroll of notes that spontaneously combusted without fire. The text and images on it turned into a stream of light, as if giving the divine tortoise a powerful dose of medicine.

This process is repeated, allowing the book-carrying tortoise to gradually approach the Middle Ages from a certain perspective, until it can witness the truth of history.

After the seven volumes of notes were used up, illusory paths appeared around the divine tortoise, causing it to stop in its tracks, which puzzled it greatly.

"Sword Lord, please lend me your help!"

Shan Zhi grabbed the page of the mysterious book and shouted out in alarm.

His body had shrunk to skin and bones, standing emaciated in the wind, and he could collapse at any moment.

His spirits were high, and his excitement and anxiety all testified to how much he hoped for the changes that could be achieved in the next step.

"it is good!"

Bai Zichen spoke concisely, his eyes half-open, his aura lofty and ethereal.

From the beginning until now, he has not uttered a word, but has simply observed from the sidelines.

He gazed deeply at the book-carrying tortoise, his expression complex, and raised his sword to slash at the illusory paths.

Every path is filled with the true meaning of time, which adds much trouble to the book-carrying tortoise that is flowing backwards on the Great Road of Destiny.

From this particular perspective, all roads appear exactly the same, making it impossible to distinguish between primary and secondary ones.

If you make a mistake, it will take several attempts to correct it.

Making two mistakes in a row basically means it's impossible to deduce the correct truth.

What he needs to do is to use the sword of time to cut off the path, so that the book-carrying tortoise can have a clearer and more definite road.

He carried the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword, its lightning splitting into countless bolts of lightning. Just as it was about to land, he suddenly flicked it back.

All the lightning bolts converged into a single point and slashed forward, only to appear behind them, intercepting a silent, stealthy golden attack.

Using "ubiquitous" here is a waste of talent.

boom!
The violent lightning surged continuously, blocking a golden spear. They clashed hundreds or even thousands of times in a very short period of time, creating a crisp melody.

Bai Zichen pointed his finger, and two more flying swords flew into the battlefield, knocking the golden spear down.

It was still being struck hard as it fell through the air, letting out a mournful cry, and upon landing, it became that page of golden paper heavenly book.

It is quite obvious that several scratches on the pages have affected the coherence of the text.

How do you know what I'm thinking?

Shan Zhi asked in surprise, gave a wry smile, and stopped what he was doing.

Since the Heavenly Book failed to control the Sword Lord of Time, everything else could not proceed, and all struggles were in vain.

Not everyone is the Sword Master of Time, possessing the ability to reverse the situation across ranks.

Even if the strongest Nascent Soul cultivator were to face the weakest God Transformation cultivator, the final outcome would not change.

"The person who taught you this secret technique probably didn't tell you how many people he taught it to?"

Bai Zichen looked at Shan Zhi with disappointment, still unwilling to believe his own deduction until just now.

Another deceased friend, with whom I could sit and discuss scriptures, and whom I addressed as a fellow practitioner, made this choice at the last moment of his life.

Few can be as composed as the Sword Emperor, facing the immense terror of life and death with equanimity and giving up the chance to be reborn and live another life.

This has nothing to do with cultivation level; in fact, the stronger one's strength, the more one will try to achieve longevity.

After discovering that they cannot achieve this, they will seek out various forbidden techniques and secret methods to obtain another form of immortality.

Inevitably, many evils will arise in the process, and the methods used will be appalling.

Bai Zichen genuinely believed that Shan Zhi wanted to reach another peak before his lifespan ended, and truly experience the Great Dao of Omniscience.

Be a brave warrior who, having heard the Way in the morning, can die content in the evening.

But when I saw his arrangements at night, my heart sank, and I realized I was overthinking things.

The formation was exactly the same as the one obtained from the soul-snatching technique of the Green Lamp Arhat, and he understood it perfectly.

The attempt to break through to the omniscient Dao before death is a ruse; the real intention is to seize one's own destiny.

Although it is unknown where a severely injured Great True Monarch got the confidence to plot against a Divine Sword Immortal, we must be wary of his actions.

Upon seeing the golden spear formed from this page of celestial scripture, one could barely guess its meaning.

If Bai Zichen hadn't noticed and had actually drawn his sword to slash at the fork in the river of fate, he would have been entangled and bound by the power of fate, and would have had no chance of breaking free in a short time.

At the same time, the book-carrying divine tortoise will also use the power of the tortoise shell formation to delay Bai Zichen.

The golden halberd that the page of the celestial book transformed into was equivalent to a top-grade, heaven-reaching spiritual treasure in a short period of time.

He didn't even dare to think he could win with this one blow. As long as he could make Bai Zichen shed a single drop of blood, he was confident he could use the substitution technique.

The Green Lamp Arhat even thought that only by someone's death could he seize their fortune and exchange their fate.

Shan Zhi's level is clearly much higher; he can directly transfer knowledge by using the half-true, half-false Omniscient Great Dao.

It is believed that he has further means to utilize his destiny and escape the fate of dying of old age.

"I see, what a pity!"

Yamaji raised his claw-like hand and slapped it hard, as if he heard the sound of bones breaking, but he didn't care at all.

"When I was down and out, I was pretending to be an ordinary person and mingling among the common people, that person took the initiative to come to my door and teach me this secret technique before leaving. The entire conversation lasted no more than three sentences. Every time he spoke, he struck straight to my heart, leaving me without the courage to argue and forcing me to admit that I needed this secret technique."

Bai Zichen remained silent, judging from how much Shan could possibly reveal.

"A destiny that spans eternity, born outside of calculations... By cultivating the Great Dao of Omniscience, one can discard all distractions and directly point to the truth."

The Green Lamp Arhat sought to expel poison, while Shan Zhi sought that sliver of opportunity to break through to the Divine Transformation stage.

With his fates reversed and the fortune of the Time Sword Lord added, he might actually create a miracle and advance to the Divine Transformation Realm, even though he could die at any moment.

All heavenly tribulations have their own means of resolution in the face of the great Dao of Destiny.

"However, I was too naive. With such swordsmanship, even if a Sword Master falls into a trap, he could probably break through the encirclement despite the interference of the River of Fate. Obtaining even a drop of essence blood would be a pipe dream."

"It's him again! This person is the mastermind behind the Green Lamp Arhat, and he has already carried out several attacks against me..."

A shadow fell over Bai Zichen's heart. There was such a mysterious and powerful figure hiding in the shadows, and all his actions were aimed at him.

It's inevitable that one's state of mind will be affected, and even when one is in seclusion for cultivation, there is a feeling of unease, as if one is being spied on.

However, since both of their targeted schemes failed, it's likely that they won't use the same method again in the future.

Bai Zichen secretly made up his mind to restore his lifespan once the longevity pill was finished.

We must search the entire Zuzhou to find this person.

"I should have known. The judgment Master gave me back then foreshadowed my fate. Yet I still dared to try to take a shortcut... I should have wholeheartedly pursued omniscience, so that I could leave a good impression on you!"

Shan Zhi propped himself up on his knees and, trembling, picked up the heavenly book from the ground.

After carefully wiping away the dust, he held his hands out to the sky, and the book-carrying tortoise snatched the gold paper away.

After flipping through it several times, the divine tortoise swallowed the heavenly book, and its entire body turned dark gold.

The four legs became noticeably lighter, and after a few steps, they reached a new and greater height. The active demonic energy within the body made the runes on the back of the divine turtle visible to the finest detail.

The mountain's legs became ethereal, and it fell to the ground, followed by its chest, arms, and neck.

In a matter of breaths, only a head remained, and at this point, the turtle finally saw a series of rapidly flashing images.

Intermittently, the older the scene appears from the perspective of the book-carrying tortoise, the closer it is to the truth.

"The myriad realms orchestrate this scheme, the heavens are unique... Do not believe in the past, do not pin your hopes on the future..."

Snapped!
Blood and tears streamed down his face, and his words were slurred and difficult to understand, like those of a riddle teller.

Before Shanzhi could say anything more, his head suddenly exploded, leaving only tiny specks of light floating in place.

The divine tortoise carrying the book did not disappear; instead, it darted into the void and vanished without a trace.

Bai Zichen understood that this was not some kind of demon or monster, but rather the nascent form of Shanzhi's grotto-heaven.

With its master gone, the nascent grotto-heaven, like a wild horse, sped away into the void.

Unlike fully formed cave dwellings, these nascent forms are much more fragile.

Without its master, it can only wander in the void for about a hundred days before gradually disintegrating and returning to the void.

As for Yamachi's body, there was no trace of it, as if it had never existed in this world.

Only sixty-four pieces of tortoise shell remained lying on the ground, their spiritual energy long since lost, and they were no different from ordinary tortoise shells.

"Is this the consequence of peeping into ancient secrets...? Even if he didn't intend to harm me, facing this history would not end well; he would inevitably be reduced to ashes and his soul would be annihilated."

Bai Zichen sighed deeply, feeling that even a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Evil Fate Sect couldn't achieve this.

They risked their lives, preparing the most perfect spiritual support, yet it was still just a fleeting glimpse.

Perhaps it is true, as Shan Zhi said, that only someone with such an exceptionally noble destiny, unpredictable and beyond calculation, is suited to walk the path of fate to the very end.

"A scheme orchestrated by all realms, unique among all heavens... What does this mean? Could it be that the upheaval in this mortal realm involves more than one world, and its status is much higher than I imagined?"

Following Shan Zhi's dying words, Bai Zichen began his analysis.

Of course, given Yamachi's previous behavior, even his dying words could not be fully trusted by him.

Who knows if this is a story about someone deliberately altering the image after their fate-changing attempt failed, causing them to lose their composure?

"Could it really be related to some conspiracy theory that the decline of the cultivation world is the work of the immortals in the upper realm... After they have used this world, they have completely abandoned it and left it with no more value?"

Bai Zichen made guesses, but unfortunately, this did not help to solve the problem.

The latter half of the sentence, however, seemed to be a warning directed at him personally, which caused him to fall silent.

"My past life and future are not matters to me. I am not a deity from Penglai. I have always used the Dao Embryo method to survive. What do these things have to do with me? Damn Shan Zhi, couldn't you have stayed alive a little longer and explained yourself to me clearly!"

Bai Zichen cursed inwardly, even considering using the Taixu Soul-Capturing Chain to try and summon Shan Zhi's soul back for a soul search.

Unfortunately, he died from the backlash of the Great Dao of Fate, and his remnant soul and spirit could not be captured at all, so all his efforts were in vain.

All we can do is firmly remember what Yamachi said before he died, and perhaps one day in the future, a flash of inspiration will strike us and we will understand its profound meaning.

(End of this chapter)