Chapter 214: Chapter 212: A Letter from the Bai Family
"Old Turtle, I feel like your time is coming soon..."
Bai Zichen stood on the thick, heavy shell, not feeling the slightest tremor. It was just like standing on solid ground.
Nearly half of the thousand-year-old turtle’s shell had already turned golden. Once it was entirely gold, it would be time for it to advance to a Tier Three Spirit Beast.
"I hope that on the day I reach Core Formation, I’ll also get to see you become a Tier Three Spirit Beast."
The thousand-year-old turtle shook its massive head, its pillar-like limbs began to paddle, and it swam back toward Lake Heart Island.
Wei Dao’s successful Core Formation was also good news for Bai Zichen.
Most directly, the Qingfeng Sect now had a second Core Formation True Man, which would greatly relieve the pressure on Master Ge Cang.
This would free up the preeminent master, who would no longer be tied down protecting the Mountain Gate, unable to leave easily. He could now do many more things.
Furthermore, with another True Man to support the Sect, he no longer had to strain every nerve and cultivate so desperately.
He could finally relax a little, observe the changing situation in the Liang Country’s Cultivation Realm with a calm and detached attitude, and slowly build up his strength.
Even if the Demon Path had the upper hand, it would be no easy task to annihilate the Righteous Alliance in a short time.
After all, when facing a life-and-death crisis, everyone would play their trump cards instead of holding back.
A sense of shared doom had set in; an incident like idly watching the Cien Temple be destroyed would never happen again.
Coupled with the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect increasing its support, it was highly likely to devolve into a protracted war of attrition, causing the Righteous Alliance to bleed continuously.
There was one other variable in all this: whether the actions of the Demon Path Sects would cross the Holy Lotus Sect’s bottom line.
If the Holy Lotus Sect were to intervene and mediate, no matter how powerful the Demon Path Sects were, they would have no choice but to halt their advance.
However, to avoid crossing the Holy Lotus Sect’s taboos, the Demon Path Sects had been much more restrained this time, refraining from using many of their most powerful and Evil Techniques.
In particular, methods of absolute annihilation—such as defiling Spirit Veins, scorching the earth for thousands of miles, or turning hundreds of miles into a Ghostly Realm—had been forbidden internally. They feared that going too far would provoke the Holy Lotus Sect’s intervention.
In any case, for the next few decades, the Ghost Spirit Sect definitely wouldn’t have the energy to focus all its attention on Black Mountain.
As for a few decades from now, it would be the Ghost Spirit Sect’s turn to tremble in fear, having to consider whether to relocate their sect or merge completely with the Blood Demon Sect to beg for the Blood God True Man’s intervention.
’I’ll let Senior Brother Wei... no, Junior Martial Uncle Wei, take the heat for a few years and draw their fire for a while. I’ve been in the spotlight too much lately. It’s time to lie low for a few years.’
Bai Zichen returned to his Quiet Chamber. After some calculation, he set his policy for the foreseeable future.
’In any case, I’m still quite a ways from the Peak of Late-Stage Foundation Establishment, and I’ve finished all the Ice-Fire Dragon Blood Wine. My Cultivation speed won’t be so fast from now on.’
’Regarding the Pill Discussion, the simplest path is the Slaughter Path, the choice of nearly every Sword Cultivator... The Flying Sword Dao itself embodies the Great Dao of slaughter, which is how it achieves its peerless killing power.’
He had witnessed the entire process of Wei Dao’s successful Core Formation, and combining that with Master Ge Cang’s notes, he had developed his own understanding of the so-called Pill Discussion.
Among the three thousand Great Daos, there were naturally stronger and weaker ones.
But for Cultivators below the Divinity Transformation stage, as long as they could truly grasp a single Great Dao True Intent, any path was sufficient to glimpse the mysteries of Divinity Transformation.
Take the Power of Time or the Space Path, for example. Everyone knew they possessed supreme mysteries and were among the most profound and powerful of the Great Daos.
’But it has to be a path that suits you, one that you can actually comprehend.’
’Another path is to start with my Main Cultivation Method, the Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture, and comprehend the Fire Path... whether it’s destruction, rebirth, or pure flame, there are multiple branches to choose from.’
When cultivated to its final stage, the Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture allowed one to transform into a Fire Dragon and refine Pure Yang True Flame.
It could even elevate a Cultivator’s talent to a level approaching that of a Fire Element Celestial Spiritual Root. This Cultivation Technique demonstrated a profound mastery of the Fire Path.
’The most difficult path, of course, is to comprehend the Power of Time through the Divine Technique, the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword... Time is merciless, aging all it touches. If I could grasp even a fraction of the Time Path, I could probably dominate the Nascent Soul Stage.’
Three Great Daos lay before him; he had to see which one suited him best.
Or rather, which one was most suitable for him at his current stage.
Bai Zichen immersed himself in contemplating his Pill Discussion. In his spare time, he would practice the Soaring Dragon Thought Method to enhance his control over his Divine Sense.
Occasionally, he would study the Star Luo Swordsmanship to regulate his state of mind.
During this period, he only went out once to attend Wei Dao’s Core Formation celebration.
After that, he declined all social engagements and returned once more to the White Jade Tower.
’Perhaps my theme could be more ambitious? The Pill Discussion is related to the Great Dao True Intent, but it isn’t entirely focused on it. It’s more like a Cultivator’s summary of their past Cultivation and a guide for their future path.’
At the Core Formation celebration, Bai Zichen paid another visit to Master Ge Cang to ask about the Pill Discussion.
Master Ge Cang didn’t give him direct guidance. Instead, he gave an example of a Core Formation True Man from the Holy Lotus Sect with whom he was on good terms.
That man’s Pill Discussion that day had been, ’If the lotus has a heart, it must know suffering; if the lotus is heartless, it must know emptiness.’ It had nothing to do with the Great Dao True Intent he would later encounter.
This Core Formation True Man from the Holy Lotus Sect had already fallen in the recent Lotus Secret Realm, which was why Master Ge Cang could speak of his Pill Discussion without reservation.
’I’ve been so buried in the Pill Discussion lately that my Cultivation has slacked off quite a bit... The main problem is that I don’t have any elixirs to boost my Cultivation. The efficiency is just too slow.’
Bai Zichen let out a long breath, feeling mentally exhausted.
He reached out and, with a grasping motion, dozens of message slips flew in from outside the Quiet Chamber.
They had all been delivered while he was in seclusion, either from people seeking to curry favor or from those with actual news to report.
He scanned through them quickly. If a message wasn’t from someone he knew well, his patience was thin, and he would generally only read the first two lines.
’Huh, there’s a message from the Bai Family...’
When the Sect war ended and the Bai Family returned to Hanxiu Peak to rebuild the Clan, he had even spent five thousand Sect Contribution points to exchange for a large batch of construction materials to send back.
He wondered how much of its former glory Hanxiu Peak had recovered after all these years.
’The Clan has finally produced another Foundation Establishment Cultivator. They’re inviting me back for the Foundation Establishment celebration.’
Bai Zichen finished reading the message. It turned out that Bai Ling had successfully reached Foundation Establishment and was inviting friends and neighbors to celebrate.
That was why they were asking him, the Bai Clan member with the highest status in the Sect, to make an appearance.
’So many years have passed in a flash. I wonder how many people in the clan I still recognize...’
With a second Foundation Establishment Cultivator, the Bai Family could ensure it wouldn’t immediately plummet into decline after Bai Xianzhong passed away.
After all, it was exceedingly difficult for a Clan to maintain its lineage with only a single Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
Take the Fragrant Pig Chen Family, for example. Because their Ancestor had passed away, all of the family’s businesses had shrunk dramatically.
Even their foundational business of raising Fragrant Pigs had been dealt a heavy blow. Their breeding grounds had been destroyed by Ghost Spirit Sect Cultivators and couldn’t be restored anytime soon, which only made a bad situation worse.
Bai Ling possessed Dual Spirit Root Talent and had also obtained a scroll of the Taiyin Su Yun Xuan Shui True Skill from the Inheritance Stele at the Five Mountains Temple, a technique that was extremely compatible with her.
In addition, after Bai Zichen joined the Sect, the Bai Family had surely supported her Cultivation with all their might. The resources she received were only slightly inferior to those of a Qingfeng Sect Inner Sect Disciple.
After so many years, it was no small feat for her to finally succeed in Foundation Establishment, relying on the Foundation Establishment Pill she had obtained back then by trading the Desolate God Stealing Sun Technique.
’I haven’t been home in a long time. It might be good to make a trip... I can check on my uncle’s family while I’m at it.’
From past letters, Bai Zichen had long known that after giving up on breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, Bai Jiu’an had married three wives and concubines and settled down.
Now, he was surrounded by a flock of his own children.
He checked the date on the message. It had arrived twenty days ago, and the Foundation Establishment celebration was a month from the date it was sent, so he had just enough time.
’First, a trip to the Market, then on to Hanxiu Peak... As much as I dislike the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, I still have to let them earn my Spirit Stones for now. Without elixirs to help, my Cultivation speed is as slow as an old ox pulling a cart.’
Having made his plans, Bai Zichen quickly flipped through the rest of the messages and found one from Zhou Suqing at the bottom.
It said that Su Li had gone out traveling and had not returned. Luoo Qiuzhen had gone to the Ancestor Hall at the Mountain Gate to check and found that although Su Li’s Soul Lamp was not extinguished, it was dim, weak, and seemed on the verge of going out.
Luoo Qiuzhen was at a critical moment in Refining a Tier Three Lifebound Talisman and couldn’t put it down for a long period, so he had written to Zhou Suqing.
Since Su Li had departed from Feiyue Lake to enter Black Mountain, Luoo Qiuzhen asked if Zhou Suqing could help search for him in her spare time.
Zhou Suqing had to watch over the Three Thousand Six Hundred Rings Water Smoke Array and couldn’t venture too far from Feiyue Lake. However, she had spent several months tracing Su Li’s departure route and had identified several locations where he might be trapped.
She was writing to ask for Bai Zichen’s help and to discuss how they could rescue Su Li together.
’Junior Brother Su is trapped in some perilous place? He’s been gone from Feiyue Lake for several years without returning?’
Bai Zichen’s brows furrowed slightly. He had been so focused on his Cultivation and had so little contact with the outside world that he hadn’t even noticed.
Su Li was one of the few fellow sect members he got along well with. If there was a chance, he should lend a hand and try to save him.
Bai Zichen walked out of the White Jade Tower, thought for a moment, then picked up Genggeng and tossed him onto the Colorful Cloud Robe before heading first to Lake Heart Island.
After staying on the island for an hour, he finally flew toward the Market.
’This Market is one of the few Sect assets that wasn’t destroyed by the Ghost Spirit Sect during the war... I wonder if they were worried about provoking the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion and making another enemy, or if they just thought the Market wasn’t important and could be rebuilt quickly even if it was destroyed.’
Bai Zichen looked at the Market, where the foot traffic was about the same as it had been before the Sect war. Whether it was the four central streets or the expanded outer shops, the flow of people could be described as endless.
Nearly every shop was crowded with customers.
His figure flickered as he dodged through the crowd and arrived in front of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.
As soon as he entered, his identity was recognized, and he was politely led to a private room on the top floor.
He stated his purpose and, after a sharp round of haggling with the branch’s Pavilion Master, he left with twelve Golden Marrow Pills in his storage bag.
Correspondingly, his own supply of Spirit Stones had shrunk by a large amount.
’This should be the last time I come to this Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. The next time I visit, it will be as a Core Formation Cultivator, and I’ll be going to their headquarters...’
Bai Zichen glanced back at the magnificent Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, then urged his Colorful Cloud Robe to fly straight toward Hanxiu Peak.
