Innate Immortal Seed

When Bai Zichen returned to the Mountain Gate with an unconscious Su Li, Luoo Qiuzhen, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, was overcome with an inexplicable embarrassment.

He had once viewed them both as the Sect’s rising stars and potential rivals, and had even entertained the thought of suppressing Bai Zichen.

He never expected that, decades later, Bai Zichen’s Cultivation Realm would have already caught up to his own.

Now, with Su Li falling into peril outside the Sect, it was Bai Zichen who had rescued him, while he, Su Li’s master, had contributed almost nothing.

After arranging for Su Li to be taken to the Pill Hall for Han Qing to diagnose and prescribe the appropriate Elixir, Luoo Qiuzhen let out a long sigh and bowed deeply.

"On behalf of my unworthy disciple, I thank you for saving his life, Junior Brother Bai... Had it been a few years later, Lii’er surely would have been beyond saving."

Bai Zichen made a gesture to help him up. "Junior Brother Su and I have always been on good terms. It’s only natural for fellow disciples to help one another."

"In a few more years, I’ll be able to complete my Lifebound Talisman and become a Tier Three Talisman Master... If you ever need any Talismans in the future, Junior Brother Bai, feel free to come find me in the Talisman Hall."

Luoo Qiuzhen gave a Daoist salute, then turned to check on the closed-door disciple in whom he had placed his greatest hopes.

’Elder Luoo is quite capable. It’s always a good thing for the Sect to have another Tier Three Talisman Master.’

Bai Zichen thought to himself as he watched Luoo Qiuzhen’s receding figure.

The Taiyin Star Escape Talisman that Liang Yu had given him, for example, had been created by a former Talisman Master of the Qingfeng Sect. There were very few left in the Secret Vault; each one used was irreplaceable.

But now that Luoo Qiuzhen was about to become a Tier Three Talisman Master, with his remaining lifespan, even if he couldn’t create the most difficult Tier Three Escape Talismans, he could still produce a large number of ordinary Tier Three Talismans.

One could expect the Talisman Hall’s stock of Tier Three Talismans to increase significantly in the coming decades.

The same was true for Dai Hui.

Dai Hui had failed in his attempt to reach Core Formation, and he likely wouldn’t have enough time for another try.

By the time he fully recovered and re-condensed his True Essence, he would likely be approaching the two-hundred-year mark.

Attempting to reach Core Formation at that age was tantamount to preparing to die during the Breaking Realm process.

On the other hand, he would use this time to refine more Top-Grade Spiritual Artifacts, adding to the Artifact Refining Hall’s inventory.

However, Artifact Refiners were different from Talisman Masters and Alchemists. Even if they possessed a Tier Three skill level, if their own Cultivation was lacking, they would still find it extremely difficult to refine Magical Treasures.

After all, many Tier Three Spiritual Materials required the powerful True Essence of a Core Formation True Man for Refinement to unleash their full potential.

Thus, it was common to see a Core Formation True Man unskilled in Artifact Refining team up with a Foundation Establishment Cultivator who possessed Tier Three Artifact Refining Skill to jointly refine a Magical Treasure.

Since he was already at the Mountain Gate, Bai Zichen stopped by the Law Enforcement Hall to make an appearance.

He was the Supervisor Elder, after all, and even he felt it was strange to be absent from the Law Enforcement Hall for so long.

Fortunately, his reputation was soaring, and everyone knew Elder Bai was the one in the Qingfeng Sect most likely to reach Core Formation.

Moreover, as a Sword Cultivator of unparalleled combat prowess, he carried some of the same air as Ancestor Ge Cang in his youth.

No one in the Law Enforcement Hall dared to question him for occupying the position without performing its duties; in fact, they all found it perfectly normal.

A prodigy of his caliber should naturally prioritize the Great Dao and focus on advancing his Realm. How could he possibly have time for such trivial administrative tasks?

"Senior Brother Liang isn’t here? He personally led two teams of Law Enforcement Disciples to annihilate a Cultivation Family that was secretly colluding with the Ghost Spirit Sect?"

Bai Zichen had hoped to see Liang Yu, but this was the answer he received from a Steward.

He understood that Liang Yu didn’t want to disturb his Cultivation over such a minor issue.

’Senior Brother Liang must be almost a hundred and ninety. Even with the Desolate God Stealing Sun Technique, he doesn’t have much time left...’

This thought occurred to Bai Zichen on his way back to Feiyue Lake.

Moreover, as the Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall, Liang Yu’s life was one of constant campaigns and battles; he was sure to have accumulated numerous internal injuries.

It was hard to say if he would even live to see the natural end of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s lifespan.

’Senior Brother Liang probably took a Golden Jade Green Heart Pill back when they were more readily available... I’ll have to keep an eye out for any Life-Extending Elixirs in the future. I have to let him see me reach Core Formation.’

Liang Yu’s own path to the Great Dao was closed, so he had pinned his hopes and aspirations on a junior, Bai Zichen.

In their conversations, he had often expressed his regret that he might not live to see the day Bai Zichen became a Core Formation True Man.

Even the most optimistic Cultivators in the Sect estimated that, as fast as Elder Bai was, it would still take him another forty or fifty years to attempt a breakthrough to Core Formation.

Only Master Ge Cang and Qi Yue knew that Bai Zichen possessed a Mysterious Holy Body. They had faith in him and knew that, if all went well, it wouldn’t take nearly that long.

Upon returning to Feiyue Lake, he first sent a message to Zhou Suqing to let her know he had rescued Su Li. Only then did he begin to take stock of his gains from the trip.

’As for the suspected Holy Beast Essence Blood in the Clan Ancestral Hall, once I reach Core Formation, I’ll borrow a set of Array Banners from Senior Sister Zhou to conceal my aura and mask any fluctuations, then I’ll go investigate... I hope I can learn more details about the fall of the Fish Dragon Sect.’

Bai Zichen let Genggeng clamber onto his chest, where it dangled from his Daoist robes, swinging back and forth. His fingers subconsciously stroked its smooth fur.

’If there really is Holy Beast Essence Blood, all the better... It’s a treasure that even Tier Four Shapeshifting Great Demons would flock to. Even if it’s less effective for human Cultivators than for the Demon Race, it’s still an incredible Treasure. If I can comprehend even a little from it, the benefits will be immense.’

’As for the volcano, the safest approach would be to wait until I can transform into a Fire Dragon and control Pure Yang True Flame, making me immune to most flames in the world... At the very minimum, I’d need the combat strength of a Late-Stage Core Formation Cultivator and a Top-Grade Defensive Magical Treasure before I could venture deeper.’

He had no desire for his curiosity to turn Black Mountain into a scorched wasteland and burn his own home base to the ground.

He wasn’t so desperate that this was his only remaining place to explore for opportunities.

’This insight I gained during the battle... it’s a stretch to say it’s related to the Time Path... but I can’t say it’s completely unrelated, either, since it was sparked by the Power of Time and the Spring and Autumn Cicada.’

Bai Zichen held Genggeng and remained lost in thought for several days, only snapping out of it when the little one’s hungry paws began to poke and prod at him.

Although not fully formed, the nascent shape of an idea felt ready to erupt at any moment.

He felt certain that if he could consolidate this insight, both his Sword Dao and his Cultivation would benefit tremendously.

His own Pill Discussion was not far off.

He fed Genggeng its fill of Spiritual Bamboo, handed the creature over to a servant disciple, and returned to his Quiet Chamber to take the first Golden Marrow Pill.

To advance his Cultivation and comprehend his Pill Discussion.

He had to advance on both fronts, neglecting neither.

The Golden Marrow Pill was a crimson-gold Spirit Pill the size of a longan, its surface covered in cloud-like patterns.

As he consumed an Elixir of this caliber for the first time, the Magical Power in his body instantly ignited, reminding him of the first time he had taken an Earth Flame Spirit Pill.

’The potency of this Golden Marrow Pill is beyond imagination. Perhaps I can reach the peak of Late-Stage Foundation Establishment even faster than I thought...’

Bai Zichen had previously based his cultivation time estimates on the potency of the Earth Flame Spirit Pill.

Now that he had switched to the Golden Marrow Pill, the time required would naturally change.

...

At a Cloud Platform on the highest peak of the Qingfeng Sect’s main mountain.

A long table, two meditation cushions, and a simple, ancient incense burner.

The burner contained no incense and was empty, yet wisps of white smoke still rose from it, transforming into the shapes of various Immortal Birds high above.

"Master Fang, you do us a great honor by visiting. I’m afraid our Sect is not wealthy, so we have little to offer a guest of your stature."

On the left cushion sat a lean, gaunt Daoist. His figure was slight and his tone was gentle, yet every word he spoke seemed to rumble with the force of a thunderclap.

"Haha, just having the chance to meet with you, Master Ge, is a pleasure. I would be content even if I had to brave the elements to do so."

An old man with a lion-like face, a broad nose, and silver-white hair and beard sat casually on the right cushion, his voice booming and resonant.

It was an aura that could only belong to a High-Tier Cultivator long accustomed to a position of great power, whose every word carried immense weight.

"The last time we met, Master Ge, was nearly a hundred years ago... You had only just reached Core Formation then. In the blink of an eye, your Cultivation has nearly caught up to mine."

"You flatter me, Master Fang. Everyone knows you are the most powerful Cultivator below the Nascent Soul Realm in all of Liang Country. As a junior, how could I possibly compare?"

Master Ge Cang wasn’t being entirely modest. The man before him was considerably older than even Senior Brother Yang.

When this man was a dominant figure in the Cultivation Realm of Liang Country, Ge Cang himself had not yet even begun his journey on the path of Cultivation.

Even though Ge Cang had mastered the Qiantian Primordial Yang Divine Thunder Net and cultivated his Five Crystal Glaze Body to the Fourth Layer Realm—the only person to do so since the Qingfeng Sect’s founder—

he still wasn’t confident he could defeat the lion-faced elder before him.

’The Spirit Control Scripture may have only been created by a Core Formation Cultivator, but it’s a perfect fit for the Cultivators of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect... Fang Tiancheng, as its greatest successor, has integrated so much of his own understanding that he’s elevated the Cultivation Technique to a new level; you could almost consider him a co-creator. No one knows to what Realm he has cultivated the Spirit Control Scripture, or what he’s capable of when working with his Lifebound Spirit Beast. It’s possible that if he merged with it, his physical fortitude wouldn’t be much less than my own.’

Master Ge Cang’s gaze drifted into the distance, where a behemoth the size of a small hill lay on the ground, exuding a faint Dragon’s Majesty.

A trembling Qi Yue was dragging the fresh carcasses of several Tier Two Demon Beasts before the creature.

The man before him was none other than the Supreme Elder of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, Master Fang Tiancheng, who was supposed to be on the front lines confronting Blood God True Man.

Following a self-created Cultivation Technique was a path fraught with peril and an uncertain future.

But if the path proved true, the power such a perfectly tailored Cultivation Technique could unleash in its creator’s hands was far beyond what any outsider could imagine.

At least, according to the intelligence Master Ge Cang had gathered, ever since the war with the Blood Demon Sect began, Fang Tiancheng had always fought his enemies separately from his Lifebound Spiritual Beast.

He had never once drawn on the power of his Gold-Devouring Earth Dragon to display the kind of strength that would put even the Core Formation Perfection Elders of the Holy Lotus Sect to shame.

"We are both busy men, so let’s not beat around the bush. I know you obtained a piece of Ten Thousand Years Void Stone from the Lotus Secret Realm. This item is of use to me. Name your price."

Fang Tiancheng laid his cards on the table, stating his purpose directly.

He had heard from True Monarch Jiulian about Master Ge Cang’s performance in the Lotus Secret Realm and knew his true strength far surpassed his apparent Cultivation Realm.

Even though he was supremely confident in his own abilities, Fang Tiancheng had no desire to make another powerful enemy. It was far better to obtain this Space Spiritual Object he was determined to acquire through a trade.