Innate Immortal Seed

’The most famous Divine Technique of the Five Elements Sect is undoubtedly the Great Five Elements Annihilation Divine Light, but a Divine Technique of that caliber couldn’t just be given away, nor is it something Junior Martial Uncle Qingmu could decide on his own... This Secret Technique related to Flying Swords must have been obtained by a senior of the Qingmu Lineage during their travels. It must be a legacy of this specific branch, not officially part of the Sect’s records, which is why he could pass it on directly without consultation.’

Bai Zichen turned the Spirit Leaf over and over in his hand. It was the size of his palm and had clear veins and stems, resembling a real leaf.

He probed it with his Divine Sense, and a stream of information flowed into him. The Spirit Leaf dissolved into specks of light that slipped through his fingers.

It was a one-time True Intent inheritance. The creator had infused it with their own understanding of the Secret Technique, which would help successors grasp it faster and bypass the introductory stage entirely.

Unlike information simply carved into a Jade Scroll, this method was far more precious and had strict requirements for the medium used.

But at this moment, he had no time to dwell on that. He was completely stunned by the Secret Technique he had just inherited.

’It’s actually the Sword-Encompassing Technique! How could it be the Sword-Encompassing Technique?’

’At first, I thought it was just a Secret Technique with the same name; after all, it wasn’t surprising for such a common name to overlap.’

’But the more I examined it, the more I felt something was off. Concealing and nurturing a sword, accumulating Spiritual Power... Depending on the time spent, the next time the Flying Sword was activated, it could unleash power far exceeding its tier.’

’Moreover, behind that Secret Technique was a faint, familiar feeling. It was clearly from the same source as the Wood God Skill and the Sword Nurturing Technique.’

’This Sword-Encompassing Technique is the secret legacy of the Fish Dragon Sect—the very same one split from the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword!’

Bai Zichen’s expression was dazed. He never would have imagined that the flying sword Secret Technique taught by Master Qingmu would turn out to be the Sword-Encompassing Technique.

He had coveted this Secret Technique for a long time—after all, the allure of the Fish Dragon Sect’s strongest killing move from its ten-thousand-year legacy was too great—but he never thought he would obtain it through the Five Elements Sect.

He had even considered that once he successfully reached Core Formation and had the power to protect himself, he might be able to release some half-true, half-false information to lure out a few Youlong Sect Cultivators.

And through them, obtain the legacy of the Sword-Encompassing Technique.

’Dian Country is far inland and doesn’t border any seas... Where did this Sword-Encompassing Technique come from?’

Bai Zichen was itching with curiosity. If not for the fact that he couldn’t expose matters concerning the Fish Dragon Sect, he really wanted to visit Master Qingmu and ask about the origin of the Sword-Encompassing Technique.

If the Qingmu Lineage of the Five Elements Sect had obtained this Secret Technique a thousand years ago, the Fish Dragon Sect would have still existed back then, still a Nascent Soul Major Sect reigning over the Ten Thousand Stars Islands.

It was unlikely they obtained it by force or through a Soul Search on a Fish Dragon Sect Disciple.

A Nascent Soul Major Sect would have strictly protected its fundamental legacies and possessed methods to prevent them from being leaked.

Moreover, the three Secret Techniques were created when that Nascent Soul True Monarch of the Fish Dragon Sect split the Great Divine Technique into three parts specifically to lower the difficulty of cultivating the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword.

By cultivating each part separately and then combining them, the threshold for cultivation was greatly reduced.

In other words, no one outside the Fish Dragon Sect should have mastered this Sword-Encompassing Technique.

’There might be a complicated story behind this, but there’s no need to investigate it now. I should first see if combining the three techniques can form the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword.’

Bai Zichen summoned the contents of the Wood God Skill and the Sword Nurturing Technique within his Sea of Consciousness, merging them with the newly mastered Sword-Encompassing Technique.

Recalling the contents of the Youlong Sect’s Bamboo Scroll, he used the Sword-Encompassing Technique as the head, the Wood God Skill as the body, and the Sword Nurturing Technique as the tail.

He had received the True Intent inheritance of the Sword-Encompassing Technique, so he had already gained an initial mastery in an instant, skipping the introductory stage.

As the three became one, a miraculous phenomenon manifested.

First, a single point of reserved Cyan Radiance appeared, obscure and profound, carrying the weight of ages.

Then, a vigorous life force pierced through it. A dazzling cyan light shone, and a vibrant green began to flourish and grow.

It was very similar to using the Wood God Skill on a Spirit Plant, causing plants and trees to sway and grow rapidly.

When the final step connected, the Cyan Radiance moved forward with extreme slowness, as if trapped in a viscous liquid. The surrounding space began to solidify.

The entire Quiet Chamber was suddenly dappled with shifting light and shadow. He reached out, trying to touch the Cyan Radiance, but from his perspective, his hand also moved forward with extreme slowness.

POP!

With a soft sound, the Cyan Radiance scattered in all directions. The Quiet Chamber returned to normal, the disorienting feeling of fluctuating speed gone.

’The Power of Time, the Great Dao True Intent... This is undoubtedly the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword!’

The combination of the three Secret Techniques had stirred a trace of the Power of Time. Although he had failed to form the complete technique, Bai Zichen was still ecstatic.

This proved that the Sword-Encompassing Technique he held was genuine and could indeed reproduce the strongest Divine Technique of the old Fish Dragon Sect.

As for the failure, that was perfectly normal.

The Qing Emperor Longevity Sword involved the Path of Time. After nurturing a sword for a hundred years, a single strike couldn’t even be blocked by the Tier Four Great Demon, the Nine-Headed Xuan Turtle.

Defensive Magical Treasures, powerful physical bodies—all were meaningless before this sword. It directly severed one’s lifespan.

This was a Great Divine Technique that even a Nascent Soul True Monarch would need to spend a hundred years to begin to grasp.

That brilliantly talented ancestor of the Fish Dragon Sect had painstakingly split this Great Divine Technique into three parts to lower the cultivation threshold and strengthen the sect’s disciples.

While this made the Power of Time that the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword could channel shallower and weaker, it allowed Core Formation True Men to get a glimpse of its principles and have a chance to master this Great Divine Technique.

However, limited by their understanding of the Great Dao True Intent, the power of the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword was also weakened.

When a Core Formation True Man cultivates the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword and nurtures a sword for a hundred years, a single strike can sever two hundred years of lifespan, as long as the opponent isn’t protected by a Secret Treasure involving the Great Dao.

And it ignores tier.

This means that if a Core Formation True Man were to strike a Nascent Soul True Monarch, as long as the True Monarch didn’t mount a specific defense, they would still lose two hundred years of their life.

Of course, Nascent Soul True Monarchs have already begun to touch upon the Great Dao True Intent.

Even if they haven’t delved into the most mysterious Path of Time, they will have related methods to negate some of the effect.

But whenever the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword is unleashed, regardless of the user’s realm, the target must face it with utmost seriousness, as if facing a mortal enemy.

It would be strange if he could succeed in cultivating such a Great Divine Technique on his first try.

As long as it was confirmed to be real, having such a trump card would give him a sliver of confidence to maneuver when facing enemies whose realms far surpassed his own.

’Splitting it into three lowered the requirement from Nascent Soul True Monarch to Core Formation True Man. What it lowered was the difficulty of touching upon and borrowing the Great Dao True Intent; the Divine Technique itself doesn’t have a hard requirement for the cultivator’s Cultivation Realm...’

Bai Zichen’s gaze was profound as he calculated the pros and cons of diligently studying the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword right now.

’In that case, my Spirit Body should come into play. It can ignore the threshold, and if I spend enough time, I could break records and master this Divine Technique during the Foundation Establishment Stage... I just don’t know if investing that time is necessary.’

The Qing Emperor Longevity Sword was indeed very tempting, a Supreme Divine Technique capable of killing enemies across tiers.

When a Core Formation True Man strikes a Nascent Soul True Monarch, the opponent has also begun to touch upon and borrow the Great Dao True Intent. Even if it’s inferior to the Power of Time, their advantage in realm provides ways to weaken or neutralize the attack.

It’s a strike that must be taken seriously, but not one that is impossible to negate.

But a Core Formation True Man’s understanding of the Great Dao is far too shallow, and it’s almost impossible for them to possess a Secret Treasure imbued with the Great Dao True Intent for protection.

Faced with a Qing Emperor Longevity Sword unleashed by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator who had nurtured their sword for a century, they would have almost no way to avoid it.

Most likely, the moment the Sword Light fell, their lifespan would be exhausted, and they would die.

’But the tier of the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword is too high. Even with my mysterious Spirit Body, it would probably take twenty to thirty years just to master the basics... and then I’d have to nurture a sword for another hundred years. By then, I would have already formed my Golden Core. Why bother with all that effort?’

Bai Zichen did the math and realized it just wasn’t worth it, no matter how he looked at it.

The key issue was that this Great Divine Technique couldn’t be used immediately after being mastered. One had to select a Flying Sword and nurture it in seclusion for a hundred years.

During that century, the Flying Sword could not be used, as it would be channeling the Power of Time through this Great Divine Technique.

Trace by trace, the power would slowly gather on the sword’s blade.

Only after a full hundred years could one unleash the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword, a strike that could make heaven and earth change color and time itself collapse.

’I won’t be staying in the Foundation Establishment Stage for too long anyway. I might as well wait until after Core Formation to cultivate the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword... I won’t be distracted by external things. This was true for the Five Crystal Permanent Casting Body, and it’s true for the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword as well.’

Bai Zichen sobered from the immense joy of obtaining the Sword-Encompassing Technique and the prospect of mastering the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword.

He took a deep breath. Since he had already resolved not to be distracted before reaching Foundation Establishment Perfection, not even the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword could shake his determination.

’I’ve unwittingly accepted another huge favor from Master Qingmu. Now I really have no choice but to find a Tier Four Demon Exorcism Spiritual Object for him in the future...’

The Qing Emperor Longevity Sword was not just a Heaven-Defying, slaughtering Great Divine Technique; it also allowed its cultivator to perceive the Power of Time day and night.

This was an extreme luxury for any cultivator.

Even if one couldn’t master the Path of Time, the insights gained by analogy would be of immense benefit to one’s own path.

The Fish Dragon Sect had never produced a Divinity Transformation Great Power, but it had an unbroken line of Nascent Soul True Monarchs generation after generation. This was, to some extent, related to the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword.

If the Dragon Monarch hadn’t gathered a large number of Tier Four Shapeshifting Great Demons to attack, and if there hadn’t been a traitor stirring up trouble from within, the sect might truly have become the hegemon of the Outer Sea after a few more tens of thousands of years of development.

Bai Zichen performed his Visualization of the Heaven and Earth Furnace. In his Sea of Consciousness, the sounds of hammering and forging echoed, reverberating through heaven and earth.

Earth, water, wind, and fire churned ceaselessly, turning from a mass of Chaos into nothingness, only to condense once more.

As his Divine Sense was tempered, his mind finally regained its calm, free of distracting thoughts.

He remained in this Meditation until nightfall, only waking when the furnace in his Sea of Consciousness shattered, causing the heavens to collapse and the earth to rend before everything reverted back to earth, water, wind, and fire.

’I don’t feel the exhaustion of my Divine Sense or a splitting headache...’

Bai Zichen pushed open the door to the Quiet Chamber and walked to the top-floor attic of the White Jade Tower, leaning against the wooden railing to gaze at the starry sky.

He spread his Divine Sense. On a distant mudflat, two Turtle Demons were laying eggs. At the bottom of the lake, a dark shadow lurked—it seemed to be a catfish-like Water Beast, and it had the aura of a Tier Two Demon Beast.

All these scenes were rendered in minute detail.

The reclamation war back then had wiped out ninety-nine percent of the Demon Beasts in Feiyue Lake.

But there were always a few lucky survivors, as well as Demon Beasts that had successfully advanced in tier only after the Grand Array was set up.

However, the lake was now filled with the auras of many humans, with numerous Foundation Establishment Cultivators passing through. On top of that, the Three Thousand Six Hundred Rings Water Smoke Array covered the entire body of water.

Although these Demon Beasts had low Spiritual Wisdom, they were all behaving themselves and keeping a low profile. There hadn’t been any incidents of them attacking Sect Disciples yet.

’My Divine Sense’s limit is one hundred and eighty zhang. It’s improved again...’

Bai Zichen felt the feedback from his Divine Sense in his Sea of Consciousness. There was neither joy nor sorrow in his heart, only the cool of the night wind.

This level of Divine Sense strength was already close to that of a Perfect Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Not to mention, he was only at the Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment right now and still had two more opportunities to significantly strengthen his Divine Sense when breaking through realms.

By the time he reached Foundation Establishment Perfection, the strength of his Divine Sense would be more than enough to overcome the Divine Sense trial during the Core Formation process.

The most perilous step, entrusting one’s Divine Sense, would be like walking on flat ground for him.

’The wind is rising... May this favorable wind carry me up to the blue clouds.’

The night wind blew, causing the hem of Bai Zichen’s Daoist Robe to sway. His figure was elegant and ethereal, like a Banished Immortal descended to the mortal world.