Born with immortal seed

Chapter 922 The First Generation of the Eternal Heavenly Venerable
"The Five Virtues Longevity Peach does not extend life by another thousand years on the original basis, but makes the user a thousand years younger. In addition, with the protection of the five innate virtues, it at least doubles the probability of fusion."

Following the map provided by the Heavenly Sword Pavilion, Bai Zichen successfully avoided the hidden sentries and arrived directly in front of the Five Virtues Longevity Peach Tree.

These sentries are not simply patrolling; some are hidden in the void, some are located in spatial rifts, and some are high in the sky, monitoring the road leading to the Five Virtues Longevity Peach Tree from all directions.

I don't know how to describe it. I have never seen such a divine tree. Its winding roots penetrate the earth, pierce the void, and even reach towards the heavens.

It doesn't resemble a spiritual plant; rather, it's like a strange entity parasitizing the real world.

Even when you get close, you can't see the entire tree. The bark you touch is very soft, like human skin.

"This time, a total of five were formed. The Dao Court and the Heavenly Palace had the extra one, and they fought back and forth for over a hundred years, with several Nine Luminaries Heavenly Lords directly participating... In the end, one of them even fell to the ground. Could it be that the battle was too close to a winner, so they simply destroyed it to settle the matter?"

In the case of other forces, there is a possibility that each side could compromise and make an exchange to maximize their interests.

But for the Daoist court and the Heavenly Palace, such a possibility is absolutely impossible.

It's better to lose to both sides than to win to one side. If neither side succeeds, then just pretend you didn't get this extra Five Virtues Longevity Peach.

Only by entering the core of the Five Virtues Longevity Peach Tree, a place once blessed by the Heavenly Emperor, can one have the opportunity to trace back through the river of time.

The next batch of longevity peaches is still a long way from ripening, and the guard forces on both sides are less than one-hundredth of their peak strength.

Judging solely from its level of attainment, this tree is similar to the seventh level.

However, in terms of vitality and magical power, even the sum of a hundred Nascent Soul cultivators cannot compare.

Even if left to be vandalized, it won't necessarily suffer any damage.

As he went deeper and deeper, Bai Zichen felt himself standing higher and higher.

I don't know how many feet we climbed, but suddenly our eyes were bright, the white mist receded, and several tender shoots broke through on the flat ground, pointing straight to the sky.

"There are five branches in total, which correspond to the five virtues of the primordial world... Only if they grow smoothly can they bear five longevity peaches."

Bai Zichen realized that they had finally arrived at their destination, and his expression immediately changed drastically.

Stepping inside, all cultivation vanished, as if one had fallen back into the mortal realm.

He stepped back, and his boundless true essence returned, transforming him once again into a powerful combined sword cultivator.

"It's not an illusion. This place has been suppressed by the Heavenly Emperor's magic, with the power of the Five Virtues of Heaven suppressing it, preventing the existence of any acquired power... Therefore, the true essence and physical body cultivated have all returned to their origin."

Once he understood this, he felt relieved.

This was not mentioned at all in the Heavenly Sword Pavilion's intelligence reports. It is estimated that only the Dao Court and the Heavenly Palace knew about it and never revealed it to outsiders. It was not that the Heavenly Sword Pavilion intentionally concealed it.

In dealing with the Heavenly Emperor, they will not hold him back; they will only do everything they can to weaken him and delay his awakening.

"But without true essence, how can I manipulate the River of Time..."

Bai Zichen walked toward the nearest bud, and after a few steps, a sudden sound came from behind.

"Rahu, you've come again after only three days. Were you not satisfied with your loss last time?"

A man carrying a sword slid down from a branch. His face was mature and weathered, clearly indicating that he had misunderstood the visitor.

Everyone's cultivation level is limited, and their divine sense is almost zero. They can only identify people by their voices, which even high-level cultivators will not be used to.

"If you are not Rahu, who are you? When did the Dao Court send another star lord here?"

"Are you from the Heavenly Palace?"

Aside from Bai Zichen, the only exception to appear at the core of the Five Virtues Longevity Peach Tree is the disciples of the Dao Court and the Heavenly Palace.

Unfortunately, he was not familiar with the high-ranking officials of the Heavenly Palace. Apart from knowing that the leader was called the Jade Emperor, he could not recognize the others standing in front of him.

"You don't recognize me? Which fusion cultivator dares to casually climb the Immortal Tree? They're courting death!"

The man holding the sword shook the long sword in his arms, thrusting it forward with a swift motion; the cold light was already upon him.

Bai Zichen felt a chill run down his spine and retreated five steps, each step smaller than the last.

On the fifth step, with a flick of his wrist, the Queen Mother of the West Sword fell into his hand, accurately blocking his opponent's weapon.

The moment this person made his move, he realized that the Five Virtues of Innate Power had only suppressed his cultivation to the lowest level, not that he had no true essence at all.

At the very least, the true essence from taking out his natal flying sword was enough.

Drawing the sword here is like returning to the sword-fighting mode of beginners, or even more difficult.

Every sword strike requires you to have mastered the corresponding sword technique to an unparalleled degree.

Otherwise, each sword strike would be heavier than a mountain, making it difficult to maneuver.

Just a few sword moves are enough to exhaust your strength.

Bai Zichen's five steps back were both to wear down his opponent's sharpness and to observe his swordplay.

Taking advantage of the moment when his sword intent was exhausted and he had not yet come up with a new move, I decisively drew my sword and met him head-on.

The reason for choosing the Western King Golden Mother Sword instead of the Purple Star Thunder Sword was simply because the latter was sharper and could be used better when one's cultivation was stripped away.

"An interesting sword fight is purely about the depth of one's mastery of sword intent... If you fight me in this, you won't be sleepy!"

Before learning the Myriad Manifestations Sword Pivot, Bai Zichen was already known for his mastery of complex sword intent.

Otherwise, how could the simple and crude sword techniques of Dao Sheng and Dao Mie have been evolved into the two strongest swords?

It was all because of the superposition of multiple sword intents, pushing them to two extremes, resulting in the most brilliant creation and the most ruthless slaughter.

Furthermore, mastering the Myriad Manifestations Sword Pivot represents a leap forward; otherwise, how could one speak of all laws returning to the pivot and the mind aligning with the universe?

With a flick of her sword, the Queen Mother of the West broke through the opponent's defenses.

With another sword strike, he knocked his opponent's flying sword away.

In the blink of an eye, the Queen Mother of the West's sword was already at the man's neck.

"Who...who are you...?"

The weathered man stared in disbelief. He boasted that his swordsmanship was among the top three in the Heavenly Palace and ranked among the best in the entire Earthly Immortal Realm.

During his time at the Five Virtues Longevity Peach Tree, he fought ten sword duels with Daoist Luo Hou Xingjun, who was also assigned to guard the tree, winning nine and losing one, which speaks volumes.

As a result, he was defeated by this unfamiliar swordsman in no time, which means that once they went to the outer space, the difference in their swordsmanship was at least two levels.

Furthermore, considering that this person is new to the place and has not yet adapted to the limitations of the tree core space.

If he gets used to a few rounds, wouldn't that mean he can kill me with a single sword strike?

"Shouldn't you introduce yourself before asking someone a question?"

Bai Zichen has no deep-seated hatred for the Heavenly Palace, so there's no need for him to kill himself and create another mortal enemy.

Right now, all our energy must be devoted to finding the Heavenly Emperor's weakness.

"The Four Celestial Masters of the Heavenly Palace, including the Celestial Master Chong'en... Are you the Taibai Sword Lord of the Dao Court, or some elder of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion?"

Chong En used his imagination to find someone he had never met who might be able to crush him in swordsmanship.

This made him feel a little better than losing to an unknown swordsman.

"None of that is true. You'll hear about it when you get out."

Bai Zichen knocked out Master Chong'en and heard a familiar name.

Before him, he was the strongest sword cultivator in the Hidden Dragon Realm and the last cultivator to successfully ascend on his own.

After arriving in the Immortal Realm, he continued to demonstrate extraordinary talent, and his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, making him an outstanding representative among all ascended cultivators.

Ultimately, after a thousand years of fierce fighting in Tianyuan, he managed to gather enough resources for the Fusion stage through his battle achievements, and advanced to the Fusion stage without any financial support from others.

He is regarded as one of the strongest sword cultivators outside of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion.

"This amount of true essence is not enough to activate the Azure Emperor's Longevity Sword, but manifesting the Immortal Foundation is not difficult..."

Bai Zichen grasped the Jade Dial, and influenced by the Five Virtues of Heaven, his Immortal Foundation actually became a tangible object.

With a gentle sway, stars rise and fall, and an illusory river appears accompanied by the sound of water, becoming a bridge between the Five Virtues Longevity Peach Trees.

The river of time pressed down lower and lower, and a few drops of water even splashed at my feet, the slight coolness wetting my trouser legs.

"Even the River of Time was affected and pulled into the real world. It is truly the work of the Heavenly Emperor."

The Five Virtues Peach Tree became extinct in the last era, but only one walnut tree was preserved intact and has survived.

When the Celestial Venerable of Longevity planted it in an attempt to recreate the Immortal Tree, no one believed in its success, including the other members of the Six Emperors.

The last time the Five Virtues Longevity Peach Tree blossomed and bore fruit was before the birth of the human race, when the Nine Realms of the Earthly Immortals were not yet divided, but rather a single, complete continent.

Their growth environment and the workings of nature are completely different.

It should be a heaven-defying immortal tree from the previous era, but a useless dead thing in this era.

In the end, a miracle was created. Now it seems that the Heavenly Emperor did not simply bestow blessings, but put in a great deal of effort.

The power of these five innate virtues alone is beyond the ability of the Celestial Venerable of Longevity to collect; it could only have been obtained by the Celestial Venerable from the extreme point of the universe.

Otherwise, even with the best cultivation conditions, it will only flower but not bear fruit.

Without hesitation, Bai Zichen stepped into the river of time and strode forward.

This is already the location with the fewest Heavenly Emperor marks and the lightest connection. Even if there are unexpected events, it is still better than the Ninth Heaven.

Holding the jade sundial tightly, he remained unaffected by the countless tributaries of the river of time, ensuring he would not stray from the right path.

If someone else came here, even if they could withstand the erosion of time, they would still get lost in the long river of life.

Each wrong turn could cost a thousand years of lifespan on that tributary.

This wasn't the first time Bai Zichen had gone back in time; he was already used to the situation on both sides of the river and was no longer easily alarmed.

Anyway, those terrifying corpses or shadows can't really enter the River of Time, and no matter how powerful they are, they can't endanger the cultivators walking on the river.

The real danger lies at the bottom of the river of time.

The longer you stay, the greater the risk you will encounter.

Click!

A thousand-foot-tall skeletal giant rose from the river of time, clasped its hands together, and slammed them down.

Bai Zichen stepped on time, easily dodging a section, allowing the bone palm to strike behind him, causing the river surface to tremble.

To cause such a ripple in the river of time, even with his full efforts, is something he couldn't achieve.

After the attack, the skeletal giant collapsed with a crash, and countless skeletons fell into the river and sank to the deepest part.

After passing through a long stretch of shadows, he felt as if a terrifying creature lay at the bottom of the river, making his heart race.

Fortunately, the shadow in the river did not make any move until it passed.

Bai Zichen suddenly felt a strong urge to enter the water, uncover the mystery, and see what was hidden beneath the river of time.

However, the thought was fleeting and was immediately suppressed.

With his strength, he is far from being able to act recklessly in the river of time.

Crossing one tributary after another, the scenery on both banks changed from one scene to another. In this place where there is no concept of time, only the jade gnomon can roughly tell him how much time has passed.

The pointer on the jade sundial had already moved twelve positions backward.

Take a deep breath, and as the pointer jumps three more times, a different scene finally appears.

A blurry, indistinct shadow appeared on the shore.

He was kneeling on the ground, speaking respectfully.

But there was no one opposite him, only an empty prayer mat.

"The Celestial Venerable of Immortality..."

Bai Zichen's eyes twitched, and his heart pounded so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of his chest, leaving only a rhythmic thumping sound.

This attire, the style of the Taoist robe, is exactly the same as the statue in the Hall of Longevity.

More importantly, his shoulders were completely bare, without any star tassels.

Each new Eternal Celestial Venerable must travel to a designated star region outside the heavens to kill the Time Quasar Beast to prove their Dao Body before taking office.

Each time you kill one, you'll get another star tassel on your shoulder.

The more numerous the items, the stronger this Celestial Venerable of Immortality is.

The only person without the Star Tassel and who does not need this process is the first Longevity Celestial Venerable, who was personally taught by the Heavenly Emperor and was the actual decision-maker in the early days of the Dao Court!
The goal he reported was obvious: the one who could make him kneel down was the second Mahayana True Immortal of the human race, the Heavenly Emperor, who established the Dao Court and sought to unify the Three Realms and integrate all races!

However, as a true immortal, he could not even leave a complete mark on the river of time, only the image of the first generation of the Eternal Heavenly Venerable was preserved, and there was no room for the Heavenly Emperor.

This bizarre scene is formed by the Celestial Venerable of Longevity bowing and kneeling before a prayer mat.

"This is a good thing. If the Heavenly Emperor is in a normal state, then the Heavenly Emperor's mark in the picture could probably jump out directly from the River of Time and suppress me with a single finger. How could anyone be allowed to peek at the Heavenly Emperor's might?"

Bai Zichen was still shaken. He had taken a huge risk to go back in time, but at least he didn't fall at the first step.

“Master, this tree is going against the grain of the world. Even if it survives, the disadvantages will outweigh the advantages. It would be better to destroy it.”

The first complete sentence Bai Zichen heard from the illusory image of the first Eternal Heavenly Venerable sent a jolt through his heart.

The Five Virtues Longevity Peach Tree is clearly full of advantages; each time it bears fruit, it greatly increases the hopes of several people in their quest for fusion.

It only seems to have advantages; how could the disadvantages outweigh the advantages?

The Heavenly Emperor's voice also could not be recorded by the river of time, making it seem like a strange one-man show, with the Eternal Heavenly Venerable talking to himself.

Sometimes he speaks at length, sometimes he gets emotional.

Whether it was due to the vast distance in time or the existence of the Heavenly Emperor, even the scenes recorded by the river of time were intermittent.

Bai Zichen stood on the river, observing from another perspective for a long time, but didn't hear much useful information.

The only complete sentence is the first one.

The rest were just fragments or disjointed sentences, making them completely incomprehensible.

"According to records, the Celestial Venerable of Longevity regarded cultivating the Five Virtues Longevity Peach Tree as a top priority. It was a major symbol that marked the beginning of the Daoist era and distinguished it from other forces. The manpower and resources invested were enough to build ten large immortal cities... How terrible must the so-called disadvantages be to say that they outweigh the advantages and even destroy the immortal tree?"

Don't underestimate the cultivation of the Five Virtues Immortal Peach Tree. Just improving the soil and recreating the soil quality of the previous era as much as possible required the use of hundreds of giant immortal ships and countless disciples.

It is also necessary to harmonize the proportion of spiritual energy in the air and combine multiple cosmic spiritual veins.

They also consulted the positions of the stars and adjusted the size of the clouds and rain. Every project was massive and complex, and even the slightest change meant starting all over again.

(End of this chapter)