Innate Immortal Seed

The Primordial Yang Divine Thunder was a personal acquisition of Ancestor Ge Cang, so it was not kept in the Transmission Hall.

It was said that within the entire Qingfeng Sect, besides the Direct Disciple Qi Yue, only Wei Dao had been taught the Primordial Yang Divine Thunder.

Therefore, outsiders only knew of the Divine Thunder’s power through word of mouth; few had ever witnessed it firsthand.

Bai Zichen himself had only caught a fleeting glimpse of the Primordial Yang Divine Thunder’s might from a distance during the Reclamation War, at the Battle of Feiyue Lake.

However, that had been when Ancestor Ge Cang had cultivated to the realm of the Qianyuan Primordial Yang Divine Thunder Net, which was different from the ordinary Divine Thunder.

At this moment, Qi Yue detonated five or six orbs of Divine Thunder simultaneously. The area within a hundred-zhang radius transformed into a Thunderbolt Ocean. Not only was it impossible to see with the naked eye, but even Divine Sense probes would be seared by the azure and crimson lightning, forcing them to retreat rapidly.

Only after a few breaths did the lightning reluctantly dissipate, leaving the entire landscape scorched black.

The first thing Bai Zichen saw was a Blood Shadow collapsed on the ground. He took a single step, his body transforming into a streak of Sword Light to appear beside it.

The Sword Light tapped swiftly against the Blood Shadow, sealing its Magical Power. Only after ensuring his opponent had lost all ability to resist did he flip him over.

’To think he could still be breathing after being bombarded by the Primordial Yang Divine Thunder...’

Bai Zichen watched as the blood receded from Mo Changzhi’s face, revealing his original features: a face so pale it looked as though it had never seen the sun.

Furthermore, his skin was swollen and bloated, as if it had been soaked in water for too long. All that could be discerned was that he once had soft, effeminate features and deep-set eyes.

As the bloody glow on his body faded, Bai Zichen discovered that every inch of Mo Changzhi’s skin was covered in dense, tightly packed Spells, giving him a heretical and bizarre appearance.

"Senior Sister Longx, Brother Qi, please stand guard for me... I’m going to use a Soul Searching Technique to see if I can dig up any secrets from him!"

Bai Zichen sensed that Mo Changzhi’s aura was faint, almost nonexistent. He had been at the very center of the Primordial Yang Divine Thunder, enveloped by the Thunderbolt Ocean. For a Demon Cultivator to still be breathing at this point was a testament to his special Cultivation Method; otherwise, he would have long since been reduced to ash.

Therefore, he had to hurry, lest Mo Changzhi breathe his last, rendering even the Soul Searching Technique useless.

"Alright."

Longx Longx had just descended from the sky. A crescent moon-shaped weapon landed in her hand, her beautiful eyes darting between Bai Zichen and their surroundings.

Qi Yue, as if to make up for his earlier poor performance, could not deploy his Spiritual Artifact—the one that could transform into a Divine Wood—for a short time after retracting it.

Instead, he held it in his palm, where it emitted only a faint green light as he meticulously stood guard in all directions.

This was Bai Zichen’s first time using the Taiwu Soul Searching and Soul Cutting Technique since he had mastered it.

Ordinarily, he had no subjects to test it on.

A Soul Searching Technique could easily reduce its subject to a mindless simpleton or even sever their soul from their body, causing irreversible, catastrophic damage to their Sea of Consciousness.

The Qingfeng Sect prided itself on being a Righteous Dao Sect and had extremely strict restrictions on the use of Soul Searching Techniques.

Except when used on Demon Path Cultivators, anyone who used a Soul Searching Technique on another Cultivator had to submit a statement to the Law Enforcement Hall afterward, justifying its necessity.

Among fellow sect members, Soul Searching Techniques were strictly forbidden.

The Taiwu Soul Searching and Soul Cutting Technique had two major requirements: the target’s Divine Sense must be weaker than the user’s, and they must have lost the ability to resist, allowing them to be freely manipulated.

Mo Changzhi met both of these conditions. Moreover, as a Blood Dao Demon Cultivator who had committed countless evils and killed many Qingfeng Sect disciples and Black Mountain Loose Cultivators, it was perfectly appropriate for Bai Zichen to use a Soul Searching Technique on him.

Their eyes met. As the Soul Searching Technique was applied, a series of rapid, fragmented images flashed through Bai Zichen’s own mind.

They flickered by extremely quickly and were disjointed; years of memories passed in just a few breaths.

"Changzhi, tomorrow the entire Mo Family will evacuate Black Mountain... Here are the savings the Mo Family has accumulated over several centuries, worth over eight hundred thousand Spirit Stones. And this Rainbow Feather Robe. Take them and keep them safe."

The imposing figure of a man, his back to the viewer, handed a storage pouch and the iridescent Feather Robe to the young Cultivator. His tone was grave and heartfelt, as if speaking his final words.

"Grandfather, you have the highest Cultivation in the Clan. Of course these things would be safest with you."

"It is precisely for that reason that I am the one the Qingfeng Sect is watching most closely... If I don’t make it out alive, you must use these things to stage a comeback. Also, that drop of Clear Spirit Jade Marrow that the Ghost Spirit Sect sent as a deposit is in the storage pouch as well."

The scene shifted, changing to the very same Double Ring Mountain.

The All Heaven Fiery Array collapsed. The bodies of fallen Mo Family disciples were everywhere. Heads rolled and rivers of blood flowed.

Overcome with grief and indignation, Mo Changzhi let out a blood-curdling cry, then transformed into fragments of colorful silk that scattered in all directions, escaping Black Mountain County.

Many major powers would place a Forbidden seal in their disciples’ Sea of Consciousness. If it detected that the Divine Soul was being controlled and that sect secrets were at risk of being leaked, the seal would automatically ignite, scorching the Sea of Consciousness clean.

That was why the Taiwu Soul Searching and Soul Cutting Technique was different from ordinary Soul Searching Techniques; it didn’t directly seek answers.

Instead, it guided the Cultivator to unconsciously relive past events as images, thereby avoiding triggering any Forbidden seals and bypassing many restrictions.

Of course, it had its drawbacks. This method of soul searching could recreate images of events, but when it came to the specifics of a Cultivation Technique, it was difficult to read such detailed content, regardless of whether a Forbidden Technique was in place.

’The Ghost Spirit Sect actually gave them a drop of Clear Spirit Jade Marrow? What an incredible price to pay!’

Bai Zichen’s eye twitched. No wonder Mo Qianyuan had been willing to take such a huge risk back then.

With a Core Formation Spiritual Object in hand, as long as they could escape Black Mountain, the Fire Phoenix Mo Family would be like a tiger returning to the forest or a dragon entering the sea—all restraints gone.

In the next series of images, after leaving Black Mountain, Mo Changzhi soon learned of Ancestor Ge Cang’s display of divine might and gave up on the idea of seeking refuge with the Ghost Spirit Sect.

After a long and arduous journey, he finally arrived at the Blood Demon Sect.

After presenting a considerable Treasure, Mo Changzhi, with his Early-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivation, was given a fair amount of importance and quickly became the one hundred and seventh disciple of Blood God True Man.

In the Blood Demon Sect, he mutilated his own body, carving Spells into his flesh.

He switched to cultivating the Hundred Demons Blood Sea Technique, transformed his body into a Blood Shadow, and became a creature that was neither man nor ghost.

Feeling that his Cultivation Technique was not as powerful as those of his higher-ranked senior brothers, he sat in meditation for a whole night and sacrificed the Fire Phoenix Bloodline that his ancestors had cherished, purifying it as an offering.

From then on, Mo Changzhi became a true commoner in terms of bloodline.

However, the power of his Hundred Demons Blood Sea Technique increased by at least twenty percent, and his comprehension of Blood Escape advanced by leaps and bounds.

The scene shifted again. A young man with a vertical pupil on his forehead came to visit Blood God True Man, and the first disciple, Zhong Ge, personally opened the Mountain Gate to receive him.

It was worth noting that Zhong Ge was already at the Early-Stage Core Formation Realm. While Blood God True Man was in seclusion, he could essentially act on his master’s behalf, and his authority in the Blood Demon Sect surpassed that of the two Elders.

Mo Changzhi later learned that the young man with the vertical pupil came from the Blood Sea Sect, a Demon Path Major Sect located extremely far away. He was that Sect’s Saint Heir and had a Nascent Soul True Monarch as his master.

Blood God True Man seemed to have an intricate relationship with this Blood Sea Sect, but the specifics were not something a disciple who had only recently joined the Sect like him could know.

The young man with the vertical pupil didn’t stay for more than a few days before leaving with a Core Formation Cultivator who had accompanied him. He claimed to be traveling the various countries, awaiting his own opportunity to reach Core Formation.

"White Bone pays his respects to Blood God True Man. May the True Man soon transform his body into a Blood Sea."

A Cultivator completely shrouded in a black robe had hands and feet of ghastly white bone exposed, without a trace of flesh.

White Bone True Man!

’I can’t believe he visited Blood God True Man. I wonder when this was. Was he asking the Blood Demon Sect for help?’

Bai Zichen had memorized the appearance and Magical Power signature of every Core Formation True Man from the Ghost Spirit Sect. After all, these were top-tier Cultivators he could cross paths with at any moment.

The middle-aged man sitting in the seat of honor, calmly accepting White Bone True Man’s salute, had temples streaked with gray. His features were sharp and defined, and he possessed an exceptional bearing, his mature aura tinged with the weariness of a long, worldly life.

"White Bone, what brings you here this time?"

The mature, worldly man looked up, his gaze so tangible that Bai Zichen, despite only witnessing a scene from a Soul Search, instinctively flinched.

Upon reaching Blood God True Man’s level, one no longer needed to constantly manifest blood, appearing much like a normal Cultivator. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"The entire Ghost Spirit Sect wishes to submit to the Blood Demon Sect and follow you, True Man, to forge a great enterprise for the Demon Path..."

White Bone True Man adopted an extremely deferential posture, positioning himself as a subordinate. Of course, even if he weren’t asking for anything, he would still have to keep a respectful distance based on Blood God True Man’s Realm and Cultivation alone.

"Junior Brother, I have a mission for you... Aren’t you from Black Mountain? As it happens, the Ghost Spirit Sect from Hejian County has just submitted to our sect. They claim that the Qingfeng Sect is extremely hostile toward Demon Path cultivators. I want you to go back and find out Black Mountain’s true strength."

"Yes, I will complete the mission... I wonder, when does Master plan to make a move against the Qingfeng Sect?"

Mo Changzhi’s voice was filled with excitement. With Blood God True Man taking action, annihilating the mere Qingfeng Sect would be as easy as flipping a hand.

"Master has to unify the Demon Path of Liang Country; he is preoccupied with important matters. Why would he need to personally act against a minor Sect like that? Junior Brother, you investigate the situation, then go and rendezvous directly with the Ghost Spirit Sect. Once I confirm that the Righteous Alliance won’t be making any provocations in the near future, I will take a Treasure and make a trip to the Ghost Spirit Sect to help them settle this matter."

Zhong Ge understood his master’s intentions. Although the Ghost Spirit Sect’s strength was average, it was still a sect with five Core Formation True Men.

As long as he could bring them into the fold, they could at least serve as lackeys to run errands when the Blood Demon Sect expanded its territory and unified the Demon Path in the future.

Although he was only in the Early-Stage Core Formation, with the Divine Techniques of the Hundred Demons Blood Sea Technique and the Top-Grade Magical Treasure his master had temporarily lent him, Zhong Ge was confident that he would not be inferior to the rapidly famed Master Ge Cang.

The next images showed the Blood Dao Cultivator bidding farewell to his fellow sect members and entering Black Mountain County.

However, despite these events being the most recent, there were almost no profound memories associated with them.

Just as Bai Zichen was about to stimulate Mo Changzhi’s Divine Sense to try and make him reveal more secrets, the images instantly shattered into fragments.

’He’s dead?’

Bai Zichen was baffled. There were still so many unanswered questions he had yet to see.

Mo Changzhi’s aura was completely gone; he was as dead as could be. It was a pity his injuries were so severe. Otherwise, he might have held on a little longer, allowing Bai Zichen to uncover even more secrets.

The power of the Taiwu Soul Searching and Soul Cutting Technique depended on the user’s Divine Sense strength, so in Bai Zichen’s hands, it was considerably more potent than when used by other Cultivators.

"Junior Brother Bai, how did it go? Did you learn anything?"

Qi Yue took the initiative to ask. His performance in eliminating the demon cultivator this time had been extremely poor, not even as good as Longx Longx, who had arrived last.

"He was a disciple of the Blood Demon Sect, and what’s more, he was Mo Changzhi, a remnant of the former Fire Phoenix Mo Family..."

Bai Zichen relayed the contents of the images he had seen to the other two, holding nothing back.

"The Blood Demon Sect has its hands full at the moment. Even if they really intended to aid the Ghost Spirit Sect, it would be at least a year and a half before they could lend a hand. Moreover, Blood God True Man has been on guard against the Supreme Elder of Ten Thousand Beasts Sect and the Alliance Leader of the Righteous Alliance. The auras of the three of them are currently locked together; none would dare make a move without absolute certainty. At most, a few high-ranking disciples and Honored Guest Elders might come. The Ghost Spirit Sect’s strength would definitely increase, but not to the point of being unstoppable."