Chapter 178: Chapter 176: The Split Great Divine Technique

’A Tier Four Shapeshifting Great Demon, and one with the True Dragon Bloodline at that... Having such a strong rallying power among Great Demons can’t be achieved by noble blood alone. His strength must be at the peak of Tier Four.’

Bai Zichen took a sharp breath. He never expected that inheriting the identity of a Fish Dragon Sect remnant would mean facing such a terrifying enemy.

According to Meng Shigui’s commentary on the Sea Heaven Sect’s legacy, the Dragon Monarch had gathered a host of demons to attack Hornless Dragon Island. His public reason was that a Fish Dragon Sect disciple had killed one of his outstanding descendants.

In reality, it was most likely for that drop of Holy Beast Essence Blood.

After the Fish Dragon Sect was destroyed, the Dragon Monarch repeatedly sent orders to the Five Sects, demanding they inquire about the whereabouts of the Holy Beast Essence Blood and report any news immediately. This made his intentions quite clear.

Transformed Great Demons were equivalent to the Human Race’s Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

Before Core Formation, Demon Beasts are naturally tough and physically powerful. Many even possess innate Magic and Divine Techniques, often giving them the upper hand against Cultivators of the same Tier.

After Core Formation, the power gap between Magical Treasures becomes immense. The advent of Lifebound Magical Treasures, in particular, can drastically increase a Cultivator’s strength.

The relative strength of a Tier Three Demon Beast and a Core Formation True Man depended on the circumstances.

Factors like the nobility of their bloodline and the power of their Magical Treasures often led to vastly different outcomes.

At even higher levels, the Great Divine Techniques a Nascent Soul True Monarch could master were more than enough to compensate for any physical disparities.

Moreover, various Top-Level Cultivation Techniques often only began to unleash their true power at this Tier.

The majority of Great Demons still relied on instinct for their Cultivation, knowing only how to absorb the essence of the sun and moon.

Only a few of the most supreme bloodlines had their own inherited Demon Race Cultivation Techniques, allowing them to use terrifying Lifebound Divine Techniques.

Therefore, aside from a few Transformed Great Demons with powerful bloodlines, a Nascent Soul True Monarch could typically suppress a Tier Four Demon Beast of the same level with ease.

But the Dragon Monarch was clearly no ordinary Tier Four Demon Beast. Having gained such an enemy for no reason, Bai Zichen could only smile wryly.

’Can I really explain to him that I’m not a remnant of the Fish Dragon Sect, and that everything I have was passed down from a Bai Family Ancestor?’

’But the ancestor hadn’t left behind even a single word about the Fish Dragon Sect?’

The only true path forward was to increase his strength as quickly as possible.

’Fortunately, humans and demons walk different paths... In the Outer Sea, the vastness of the waters means the two races don’t directly confront each other. But if a Transformed Great Demon ever dared to set foot on the mainland, it would certainly attract the attention of the Human Race’s Nascent Soul True Monarchs, who would drive it away.’

The various nations of the mainland all faced the same situation: many Cultivators but few Spirit Veins.

The reclamation war initiated by the Qingfeng Sect was similar to actions taken long ago in the more centrally located and earlier-developed parts of the Cultivation Realm.

With limited Cultivation Resources, the only option was to continually shrink the Demon Race’s territory to ensure the proliferation and development of human Cultivators.

In Great Li and Great Phoenix, the most powerful cultivation nations, traces of Demon Beasts were already a rare sight.

All the Spirit Mountain Blessed Lands had been transformed into Spirit Veins suitable for human Cultivators.

Temporarily setting aside his fear of the Tier Four Shapeshifting Great Demon, Bai Zichen turned his attention to the last Bamboo Scroll. It was covered in tiny, intricate seal script.

But what first caught his eye was the Bamboo Scroll itself, which had yellowed and darkened with age. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

’This color, this texture... it’s Thunder Sound Bamboo...’

Bai Zichen lightly tapped the Bamboo Scroll with his Magical Power. A clap of thunder echoed, and the air in the Quiet Chamber instantly cleared, as if it had been washed clean.

’To actually use Thunder Sound Bamboo to make a scroll... this is too extravagant...’

Unfortunately, each strip of the Bamboo Scroll was at most two fingers wide. Even if he wanted to repurpose it, it was impossible; it couldn’t be used for Refining a Thunder Bamboo Sword.

To use Tier Three Thunder Sound Bamboo for a scroll meant its contents must be extraordinary. Moreover, this item was definitely passed down from the Fish Dragon Sect.

The Youlong Sect, after all, didn’t possess even a single piece of Thunder Sound Bamboo.

As Bai Zichen read the contents of the Bamboo Scroll, his expression grew solemn, and a strange light flickered in his eyes.

After finishing, still in disbelief, he read it again from the beginning.

’The Wood God Skill, the Sword Nurturing Technique, plus a Sword-Encompassing Technique that I don’t have... There’s such a marvel hidden here. Combining the three allows one to cultivate the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword!’

Over the past ten thousand years, the Fish Dragon Sect had collected hundreds, if not thousands, of Cultivation Techniques and Divine Powers.

But the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword had always held the firm position as the Fish Dragon Sect’s number one killing move.

Several thousand years ago, a Nascent Soul True Monarch of the Fish Dragon Sect discovered a Deep Sea Immortal Mansion and obtained a Divine Technique left behind by an Ancient Banished Immortal: the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword.

He also found the drop of Holy Beast True Blood that would bring disaster upon the Sect and sever its lineage.

The Qing Emperor Longevity Sword was obscure and difficult to comprehend. That Nascent Soul True Monarch studied it for a hundred years before finally grasping the basics.

To lower the learning threshold for future generations of disciples, he split this Great Divine Technique into three parts.

When separated, each part was marvelous in its own right and extremely easy to begin practicing.

Once a disciple reached the Core Formation Cultivation level, they could combine the three Secret Techniques, which would drastically lower the Cultivation threshold for the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword.

This brought a Great Divine Technique that originally only Nascent Soul True Monarchs could comprehend down to the level of Core Formation True Men.

A single strike of this sword carried the Power of Time and touched upon the Great Dao True Intent.

Unless one was a Cultivator who had also begun to touch upon the Great Dao, there was no way to block it. One could only let the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword strike, letting time flow and bringing about aging, sickness, and death.

On the day the Fish Dragon Sect was annihilated, that Nascent Soul True Monarch unleashed this final sword strike. The heavens and earth changed color as he instantly exhausted the lifespan of a Tier Four Nine-Headed Xuan Turtle.

Even its Demon Soul Primordial Spirit withered and aged, its life force extinguished completely.

When several Core Formation Cultivators who had practiced the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword used it, the effect was mediocre. It merely left a Tier Three Demon Beast Severely Injured and shaved off a portion of its lifespan.

But Tier Three Demon Beasts typically have long lifespans, so such a loss was not a fundamental injury.

It was the same Great Divine Technique, but because the Core Formation Cultivators learned the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword through a fragmented, accelerated method, the Power of Time they could evoke was far too shallow, making the effect a hundred times weaker.

Against human Cultivators, however, the effect was outstanding. Within the same Tier, it was nearly unstoppable.

In the present-day Youlong Sect, although they had the complete cultivation method, no one could master the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword. This was because no one possessed the version of the Wood God Skill that had been mutated by the Holy Beast Essence Blood.

’Combine the three techniques and nurture the sword for a hundred years just for a single strike... The Cultivation Conditions for this Great Divine Technique are too harsh. Even a Nascent Soul True Monarch would only get to use it a few times in their entire life.’

Bai Zichen reviewed his situation. He had the mutated Wood God Skill, and he also had the Sword Nurturing Technique. He was only missing the Sword-Encompassing Technique.

And yet, this Bamboo Scroll described the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword in painstaking detail, back and forth.

Meng Shigui had even made some notes, describing its past achievements and expressing his yearning for such a Great Divine Technique, written on a piece of Brocade Silk tucked inside the Bamboo Scroll.

Unfortunately, neither the scroll nor the notes recorded the cultivation methods for the three Secret Techniques. It was probably assumed that anyone who could view this Bamboo Scroll would have already mastered the three techniques, so there was no need to record them again.

’What a pity. Otherwise, I could have seen if my mysterious Spirit Body would allow me to start cultivating the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword during the Foundation Establishment Stage...’

Feeling a little regretful, Bai Zichen put away all the Jade Scrolls and the Bamboo Scroll.

Now that he had a clear picture of the Fish Dragon Sect’s past and present, as well as the enemies he might face in the future, it was time to take stock of his gains.

Besides the two Tier Two Flying Swords and one Top-Grade Storage Bag, the most direct and obvious gains were, of course, the Spirit Stones.

Meng Shigui’s storage bag contained no Low-Grade Spirit Stones, only a pile of Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, numbering over two hundred.

At the same time, a single Top-Grade Spirit Stone lay not far away, standing out like a crane among chickens.

’Nice. I finally have a Top-Grade Spirit Stone. I must save it carefully in case I need it for a special occasion.’

Bai Zichen joyfully took out the Top-Grade Spirit Stone, played with it in his palm for a moment, and then put it back.

Top-Grade Spirit Stones were practically strategic resources. One was equivalent to twenty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and people were often unwilling to part with them.

At the level of a Core Formation True Man, everyone traded and quoted prices almost exclusively in Top-Grade Spirit Stones; no one would use ordinary Spirit Stones to make up the numbers.

There was one Tier Three Talisman named the Dongxuan Disaster Protection Talisman. It solidified the Sea of Consciousness and was specifically designed to defend against Spiritual Sense Attacks.

He was very happy to have obtained another Tier Three Talisman, especially one that addressed the area of Divine Sense he wanted to strengthen. He put it away carefully with the Taiyin Star Escape Talisman.

Besides that, there was a pile of miscellaneous items and low-value Spiritual Materials, which he sorted into several heaps to see if he might have a use for them later.

’So poor. He was a Perfect Foundation Establishment Cultivator, after all, yet he didn’t even have a single Core Formation Spiritual Object on him...’

He wondered if Meng Shigui had spent too many Spirit Stones on Refining the Willow Leaf Sword. Aside from the two Flying Swords and a suit of Armor that had been destroyed, there wasn’t a single Spiritual Artifact in his storage bag.

Fortunately, he finally discovered a blue-bronze ore, which, after comparison, he identified as Ten Thousand Years of Void Cyan.

’I didn’t expect Fellow Daoist Meng was already preparing the materials to refine a Formless Sword. Such foresight... A pity it’s all mine now.’

A piece of Ten Thousand Years of Void Cyan was one of the main Sword Refining Materials for a Tier Three Formless Sword.

The remaining steps involved condensing the Five Metals Spirit, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, tempering the Sword Embryo with Pure Yang Fire and Pure Yin Qi, and finally adding a piece of Tier Three Illusion Crystal Stone to obtain the Formless Sword.

’Looks like I’ll have to follow Fellow Daoist Meng’s example and put learning Sword Refining Skill on my agenda... The Formless Sword and the Thunder Bamboo Sword are too important; it wouldn’t be wise to ask someone else to refine them. Besides, a self-refined Flying Sword is naturally connected to one’s mind, forging a close bond and making it even more powerful when activated.’

In any case, Bai Zichen had already planned to take up Artifact Refining as a secondary pursuit; he was just moving up the timeline.

Besides, he wasn’t trying to become a true Artifact Refining Master. As long as he was proficient in Sword Refinement and could meet his own needs, that would be enough.

This kind of specialized Artifact Refiner would progress much faster than a normal one; it was like an accelerated version focused on a single specialty.

’The sorting is done. It’s time to head back to the Sect... I’ve been gone too long. They must think I’ve had an accident.’

If everything went smoothly, Jin Lu should have already returned to the Mountain Gate.

But Bai Zichen still had two stalks of Thousand-Year-Old Golden Crown Lingzhi on him. If he didn’t return to the Sect soon, Jin Lu would probably go crazy.

After spending over one hundred thousand Spirit Stones, if he only brought back a single Golden Crown Reishi, he would surely be harangued to death by the Elders of the Alchemy Hall.

Bai Zichen didn’t bother with the procedures for returning the rented Cave Mansion before the lease was up. Maintaining the appearance of a Qi Refining Great Perfection Cultivation, he left Danxia Square.

He mounted his Colorful Cloud Robe and traveled day and night toward Black Mountain.

During the tedious journey, he still had to control the Flying Spiritual Artifact, so he could only devote half his concentration to trying to re-condense the Glazed Fire Jade in his Sea of Consciousness.

Having experienced the power of the Glazed Fire Divine Body, he was desperate to master the second layer of the Five Crystal Glaze Body once more.

As soon as the Glazed Body was formed, his confidence would soar.