"Daoist Hex? Wan Qi died in Burial Immortal Valley. To think the Liang Country Cultivation Realm still has such a powerful Sword Cultivator..."

The youth in ghastly green robes furrowed his sharp brows, letting the Floating Light Dove on his shoulder hop onto his palm.

"I’ve met the two remaining Core Formation Cultivators from the Sun Concealing Sword Sect. They’re no threat. Could it be a Sword Cultivator from another country?"

"Senior Brother Feng, you guessed wrong. It’s Bai Zichen of the Qingfeng Sect!"

Master Hei Feng chuckled and pushed the dossier forward.

He felt a small thrill of satisfaction seeing his exceptionally arrogant senior brother flustered and wearing a look of surprise.

This young man was Feng Moyun, the most outstanding cultivator from the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect since Fang Tiancheng. He had also been invited by the Holy Lotus Sect to participate in the Lotus Secret Realm.

When it came to cultivation aptitude, Feng Moyun might not have been Fang Tiancheng’s equal, but his talent for Beast Taming was the greatest the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect had seen since its founding.

With his Mid-Stage Core Formation Cultivation, he had become a Tier Four Low Grade Beast Master, placing him at the very top in the entire Northern Domain.

In the lower Tiers of the Hundred Skills of Cultivation, it wasn’t unheard of for talented cultivators to achieve a Hundred Arts Realm that was a full Great Tier above their own Cultivation.

However, this became increasingly rare at higher levels.

For example, while there were scattered examples in the Cultivation Realm of those who became a Tier Four Alchemist at the Core Formation Realm, a Nascent Soul True Monarch becoming a Tier Five Alchemist—a feat of the Heavenly Human Realm—was unheard of.

"Bai Zichen... He’s already at the Core Formation Realm?"

Fang Tiancheng, who had been sitting with his eyes closed as if in a deep sleep, spoke. His voice boomed like thunder, without the slightest hint of weakness.

Ordinarily, he wouldn’t have even registered the name of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. He only remembered him because Master Ge Cang had brought the boy along to Burial Immortal Valley.

"Yes. The news about him is spreading like wildfire. They’re all saying he’s the First Sword Cultivator in the Liang Country Cultivation Realm..."

Master Hei Feng remarked with emotion, feeling a profound sense of how much the world had changed.

Decades ago, this same person had visited him with Qingfeng Sect’s Master Yangg, presenting himself as a junior.

In what felt like no time at all, he had already become a Core Formation True Man, his equal.

In fact, in the eyes of many, Bai Zichen’s future prospects were certain to far surpass his own.

"I didn’t expect the Liang Country Cultivation Realm to produce another figure like this. First Ge Cang, and now Bai Zichen... It seems the rise of the Qingfeng Sect is now unstoppable..."

After reading the dossier, Feng Moyun handed it to Fang Tiancheng.

"Senior Brother, I’m preparing to journey to the Sea of Suffering to seek an opportunity for Breaking Realm... I’m already a step behind Ge Cang. If I’m any slower, he’ll leave me completely behind, and even a junior from the Qingfeng Sect is catching up."

"Your Floating Light Dove has already advanced to a Tier Three Peak Spirit Beast. For you, reaching Core Formation Perfection should just be a matter of steady progress... Can you not even wait a hundred years? Must you risk the dangers of the Sea of Suffering?"

Fang Tiancheng remained expressionless. He knew his junior brother was immensely proud and, being of a similar age to Ge Cang, had always seen him as a rival.

He had made further gains since returning from the Lotus Secret Realm. Relying on his Heaven-Defying talent for Beast Taming, he had somehow managed to help his Floating Light Dove successfully advance to a Tier Three Peak Spirit Beast.

Thanks to the unique nature of the Spirit Control Scripture, when a Lifebound Spiritual Beast’s Realm surpasses its master’s, it can in turn bolster its master’s Cultivation.

From Mid-Stage Core Formation to Core Formation Perfection, Feng Moyun’s Cultivation would be exceptionally smooth; he would encounter almost no bottlenecks.

In a hundred years, an ordinary Core Formation True Man might not even cross the threshold out of the Early-Stage Core Formation.

"A hundred years is just enough time to raise my Realm. After that, I still need to perfect my Pill Discussion and comprehend the Great Dao True Intent... My Floating Light Dove is nothing like your Gold-Devouring Earth Dragon Beast, Senior Brother. With its Dragon Race bloodline, it has a long lifespan. I might not have enough time to push for the Nascent Soul Realm."

Of course, Feng Moyun’s ambitions were not limited to just Core Formation Perfection. He was aiming for the Nascent Soul Realm.

Unlike Fang Tiancheng, who could live for seven or eight hundred years thanks to his Lifebound Spiritual Beast, a bird-type Spirit Beast like the Floating Light Dove had a lifespan similar to a human Cultivator, putting it at a major disadvantage.

"Since that is the case, I will not stop you... The Sea of Suffering is boundless. Be extremely careful. I hope that when you return, you will have reached the Perfect Core Formation Realm."

Fang Tiancheng sighed, his body sinking back into the water of the pool.

Feng Moyun performed a formal bow, then turned and departed, the corners of his robes fluttering in his wake.

"Hei Feng, is there any reply from Zengguang Immortal City?"

Master Hei Feng was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, "A message from Master Du Yuk of the Immortal City just arrived... He says that not one of their three demands can be compromised. If we agree, a Tier Four Spirit Pill will be delivered in a matter of days."

"Senior Brother, your injuries are what’s important. Even if the Du Family’s demands are a bit excessive, there’s no harm in agreeing for now... As long as you make a full recovery, everything else is a trivial matter."

"I understand. You may leave for now. I need to consider this further..."

A trace of weariness appeared on Fang Tiancheng’s face. After a long moment, he murmured to himself, ’Agreeing is simple, but I’m afraid that in the future, there will be no place left in this world for our Ten Thousand Beasts Sect... To make the Sect take such a risk for my sake alone... if things go wrong, how could I, Fang Tiancheng, ever face the ancestors of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect?’

「Qii Mountain’s Peak」

On the thirty-thousand-foot peak, fierce winds howled, and heavy snow fell in thick flakes.

An Immortal Reception Platform, built in the style of an Ascension Platform, stood with a roof of glazed tiles and walls of Cold Jade.

The world outside was a Desolate Land, devoid of life, but inside the Immortal Reception Platform, it was like spring all year round, filled with countless rare flowers and exotic herbs.

The very air thrummed with the intermingling essences of heaven and earth, transforming all things to their purest state.

True Monarch Jiulian received a Jade Scroll that had flown up from the base of the mountain. Any matter that passed through the hands of multiple Core Formation True Men, only to be personally delivered to the Immortal Reception Platform by the Sect Leader of the Holy Lotus Sect, was one of true importance.

To outsiders, he was a high and mighty Nascent Soul True Monarch, whose every word carried the weight of law and could decide the fate of countless lives.

’In reality, only I know that my path to the Great Dao has long been sealed. I’m just trapped in this place, waiting for death.’

’But I don’t even have the courage to follow the example of some of my fellow Daoists, to cast everything aside and take that one desperate gamble. Regardless of success or failure, at least they died on the path of pursuing the Great Dao.’

’Unlike them, I am here, simply waiting for my life to run its course, to become nothing more than dry bones in a tomb.’

’The reason is simple: I carry too great a burden.’

’Without True Monarch Jiulian, how could the Holy Lotus Sect sustain its vast legacy? How could it continue to be the supreme power in the entire Liang Country Cultivation Realm?’

"An Unparalleled Sword Cultivator, a Tier Four Flying Sword... Another incredible little fellow. A pity he appeared so late. It’s too late!"

True Monarch Jiulian let out a long, lamenting sigh. He tossed the Jade Scroll aside, summoned a flask of Spirit Wine, and poured it down his throat. "Since ancient times, the will of heaven is high and hard to question; my old sorrows are difficult to voice..."

...

Cyan Bull Valley was already bustling with activity.

The Loose Cultivators and Clan Cultivators had already departed in groups, awaiting their share of the rewards from the pioneering war.

More than half of the Qingfeng Sect disciples remained behind. The manpower and resources required for a newly acquired Tier Three Spirit Vein were like a bottomless pit.

After discussing the matter, Wei Dao and Bai Zichen confirmed that the latter had no intention of establishing his Cave Mansion in Cyan Bull Valley. Thus, they decided against setting up a Tier Three Array there.

The Sect Secret Hall had few Tier Three Arrays remaining. Furthermore, the number of Top-Grade Spirit Stones required to activate the array each time was significant, posing a considerable burden on the Qingfeng Sect.

Since no Core Formation True Man would be stationed here long-term, the need to set up a Tier Three Array was greatly diminished.

The Sect couldn’t find a second Zhou Suqing, who could master a Tier Three Array while only at the Foundation Establishment Realm and unleash the majority of its power.

Bai Zichen volunteered to stand guard over Cyan Bull Valley for a while, to fend off any wandering Demon Beasts that might covet the Spirit Vein.

Meanwhile, Wei Dao took a group of Foundation Establishment Elders back to the Mountain Gate. After all, the Sect couldn’t afford to have its main base weakened for an extended period.

"You handle the specific arrangements. No need to consult me."

Bai Zichen glanced at Gu Xisheng’s development plan for Cyan Bull Valley and tossed it back, indicating that he would not interfere.

It was the same old routine: first, set up an array, take stock of the Spirit Land, and then mark out the areas that could be developed into Spirit Fields.

Next, the disciples would conduct a thorough search of the entire valley to see if any treasures had been overlooked.

He walked straight to the cave where the Kui Ox Demon King had resided. It had already been cleaned out and inlaid with hundreds of Luminous Pearls and Blinding Beads. A Ventilation and Odor Removal Technique had been cast, and expensive incense had been placed, making the cave seem less repulsive.

He found a green-tinged stone and sat down. Wei Dao had been the one to kill the Kui Ox Demon King, so naturally, all the spoils of that battle belonged to him.

However, Bai Zichen had slain Daoist Hex and claimed his entire fortune, which was surely worth far more than a single Tier Three Demon Beast.

’This Mourning Stick is a Top-Grade Magical Treasure. Unfortunately, the Moon Xuan Sword sliced it clean in two, so it’s not worth much now...’

The Mourning Stick weighed several hundred pounds; many precious ores must have been added during its refining.

However, they were all fused into the Magical Treasure. Unless the materials could be broken down and extracted, it could only be sold as scrap.

Bai Zichen planned to melt it down later and use the extracted materials to practice his Sword Refinement skills.

As expected of a veteran Demon Cultivator, both of Daoist Hex’s storage bags were Top Grade. It took Bai Zichen a long time to break through the Spiritual Mark with his Divine Sense.

’All Top-Grade Spirit Stones... seventy-five of them. He was ridiculously wealthy...’

By a rough estimate, this was equivalent to nearly two million Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

The Ghost Spirit Sect’s territory was famous for its abundance of Spirit Stone Ore Veins.

Even now, they were simultaneously mining more than five Spirit Stone Ore Veins, providing the Ghost Spirit Sect with a massive supply of Spirit Stone resources.

The core of a medium-sized Spirit Stone Ore Vein had a decent chance of yielding Top-Grade Spirit Stones.

As a Core Formation Ancestor of the Ghost Spirit Sect, it was normal for Daoist Hex to carry so many Top-Grade Spirit Stones.

In addition, there was a large pile of miscellaneous items and various Demon Path Spiritual Materials that Bai Zichen couldn’t use, including two unrefined Magical Treasure Embryos.

The second storage bag contained five Magical Treasures: three Top Grade and two Mid Grade.

Unfortunately, they were all wreathed in Demon Flame and reeked of Ghost Qi, rendering them completely useless to him.

’This Daoist Hex was certainly cautious. He didn’t carry a single one of the Ghost Spirit Sect’s Secret Cultivation Techniques on him. All these Jade Scrolls are blank.’

Bai Zichen had hoped to find some inside information about the Ghost Spirit Sect among Daoist Hex’s belongings, but it seemed that hope was in vain.

Just as he was about to finish searching the storage bag, he discovered a Jade Bottle containing a sealed wisp of mysterious gas.

It carried a bizarre aura, different from both normal Demonic Qi and Ghost Qi.

’I don’t know what this does. I’ll set it aside for now... It would be best if I could capture a high-ranking informant from the Ghost Spirit Sect. If I could question them about the sect’s secrets, I might be able to figure out the uses for many of these items.’

He then picked out several Sword Refining Materials he recognized and placed them in a separate pile.

Ever since obtaining the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box, he was much closer to his goal of simultaneously wielding twelve Flying Swords. As a result, Bai Zichen had once again turned his attention to collecting them.

Gathering twelve Tier Three Flying Swords was no easy task.

One only had to look at the Sun Concealing Sword Sect—with its legacy stretching back thousands of years, they still possessed fewer than ten Tier Three Flying Swords—to understand the difficulty.

He would not easily overlook anything related to Tier Three Flying Swords.