Chapter 457: Chapter 254: Slaying 5 Poisons, Another Sword Dao Enlightenment

Anyone who could provide him with information about Li Fan would receive a highly valuable Treasure.

A short while later, a group of Demon Cultivators from the Yin Soul Sect arrived.

After paying the fee, they plastered wanted posters for Li Fan all over the Black Market.

The wanted posters clearly stated that Li Fan was already a Core Formation Master. There was no need to face him directly; providing information was sufficient.

"Li Fan has already reached Core Formation?"

Countless people stared, dumbfounded, at the two words "Core Formation."

Among these people, many had crossed paths with Li Chang’an before.

They had never imagined he could make it to the Core Formation stage.

Luo Baitong stood before a wanted poster, his aged face filled with emotion as scenes from the past flashed through his mind.

’I met Daoist Li back when we were both in the Qi Refining realm. Now, I’m still at Qi Refining, but he has already reached Core Formation.’

"Father, can you think of a way to get Elder Li to take me as his disciple?"

Luo Qiantong asked, unable to stop himself, his heart filled with remorse.

For years, he had endlessly regretted the period when he had slighted Li Chang’an.

He had originally wanted to befriend the Celestial Prides from the various Righteous Influences. But those Celestial Prides only wanted to use him; they utterly looked down on a Tribulation Cultivator like him, one who lived in the shadows.

He had once spent a considerable amount of Treasure trying to get on good terms with Nie Wushuang, but not long after, he learned of Nie Wushuang’s death.

Instead, it was Li Chang’an, the one he had once looked down on, who had climbed step-by-step to the level of a Core Formation Master.

"Daoist Li has never taken a disciple. Don’t even think about it."

Luo Baitong shook his head and sighed softly.

"After I die, you just need to do your best to fulfill all of Daoist Li’s requests, just as before. You don’t need to change a thing."

"Yes."

Luo Qiantong’s expression turned grim.

Their entire conversation was overheard by a disguised Li Chang’an, who was standing nearby.

Li Chang’an said nothing. He turned, left, and returned to Changqing Mountain.

’My next focus is still He Qianshan.’

He had no plans to deal with the Great Saint Child of the Yin Soul Sect for the time being, as he was worried about provoking the Nascent Soul Old Demon backing him.

He would find a way to kill the Great Saint Child once the uproar over the Five Poison Wanderer’s death died down.

...

「One year later.」

In a courtyard on Changqing Mountain, strands of Sword Qi drifted around Li Chang’an. There were thirty-six in total, and they formed a Sword Array.

He frowned slightly, pondering for a moment.

’It’s been so long, yet I’m still at thirty-six strands of Sword Qi. I can’t increase the number any further. It seems I’ve hit a bottleneck in my Sword Dao.’

At this thought, with a mere intention, Li Chang’an controlled Ye Mengxian, making her leave the Ten Thousand Swords Sect.

Over the years, the controlled Ye Mengxian had shown no signs of anything being amiss. She remained the Ten Thousand Swords Sect’s most promising candidate for reaching Core Formation.

In the Sect Treasure Vault, a Five Elements Golden Condensation Pill and a Core Formation Spiritual Object had been specially prepared for her.

The Cultivation of Ye Mengxian’s body had also reached the Foundation Establishment Peak.

During the last sect-wide competition, he had controlled her body to easily defeat numerous fellow disciples at the Foundation Establishment realm.

With a bit more time to build up power, he was confident he could have her body attempt to break through to the Golden Core Realm.

’Using Ye Mengxian’s body to attempt Core Formation will give me another round of experience in the process.’

If she succeeded, he would gain another Golden Core Puppet.

It wouldn’t matter if she failed.

After all, what Li Chang’an truly valued was the golden symbol inside her body, not her Cultivation level itself.

At noon that day, Ye Mengxian arrived at Changqing Mountain and sat cross-legged deep within a cave residence.

Li Chang’an sat cross-legged behind her and activated the Divine Splitting Technique, separating off strands of his Divine Sense and sending them into Ye Mengxian’s spine.

The golden symbol was drifting within her spinal column.

’My Divine Sense is much stronger this time. I wonder if I’ll be able to trap this golden symbol.’

Li Chang’an proceeded with extreme caution, manipulating his Divine Sense to slowly envelop the golden symbol.

Before long, his Divine Sense had formed a sphere, encasing the golden symbol within it.

Just then, the golden symbol seemed to realize something was wrong and charged toward the outside of the sphere.

BOOM!

A tremor ran through Li Chang’an. He tried his utmost to block it but still failed to stop the golden symbol from escaping.

However, he had managed to hold it for a moment longer than the last time.

In that instant, countless insights into the Sword Dao flooded Li Chang’an’s mind.

He vaguely saw a peerless Female Sword Immortal in a white dress, demonstrating various incomparably exquisite Sword Techniques before him.

’What realm of mastery is this?’

Li Chang’an was mesmerized, almost instantly entering a state of epiphany.

This epiphany lasted from noon until late at night.

When he opened his eyes again, his entire aura had become sharper than ever before, like an unsheathed longsword, its edge laid bare.

"Sword Array, form!"

With a mere thought from Li Chang’an, strands of Sword Qi materialized around him, forming the Great Yi Wood Sword Array.

This time, the Sword Qi did not stop at thirty-six strands.

More Sword Qi appeared.

In the end, a full forty-five strands of Sword Qi formed the array!

"Not bad. Another step toward Great Success!"

A smile appeared on Li Chang’an’s face; he was quite satisfied.

If he could just explore the golden symbol a few more times, he had a good chance of mastering his Sword Array to the level of Great Success.

At this thought, he immediately used the Divine Splitting Technique to once again attempt to envelop the golden symbol.

But the golden symbol had grown wary again.

Before his Divine Sense could even get close, the golden symbol instantly burst apart into countless tiny golden specks of light, only to reconverge in the distance.

’It seems I’ll have to wait a few more years for this symbol to let its guard down.’

Li Chang’an wasn’t in a hurry; both he and Ye Mengxian still had plenty of their lifespans remaining.

He looked at Ye Mengxian, his thoughts turning to the white-gowned Female Sword Immortal he had vaguely glimpsed earlier.

According to legend, before giving birth to her, Ye Mengxian’s mother had dreamed of a Female Sword Immortal descending from the heavens, flying into her abdomen, and becoming the baby in her womb.

Now that he thought about it, perhaps the rumor wasn’t false after all.

’Could Ye Mengxian herself truly be unaware of this golden symbol’s existence? Is she hiding something?’

At this thought, Li Chang’an temporarily deactivated the Wood Seed Technique, allowing Ye Mengxian to briefly regain her freedom.

"Daoist Ye, I have something I wish to ask you."

Ye Mengxian was not cooperative.

The thought of everything Li Chang’an had done to her over the years made her face flush with shame and indignation.

"Li Chang’an, you beast!"