Chapter 271: Chapter 269: Everything as Usual
"If it’s truly as you say—that some special external force has cleared all the barriers on his path to the Nascent Soul Realm, and all that’s left is to take the final step—then the time required will depend on his Cultivation Technique..."
Master Ge Cang’s relaxed expression vanished, replaced by a solemn one.
"As short as a decade or so, as long as a sixty-year cycle... After passing the Celestial Tribulation, he’ll receive a gift from the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth and will quickly stabilize his cultivation in the Nascent Soul Realm."
"Taking the average, does that mean in twenty or thirty years, we’ll have to face a Nascent Soul True Monarch filled with murderous intent... A Demon Path Cultivator’s journey of cultivation goes against the harmony of the heavens. Isn’t it possible he’ll be struck dead by the Celestial Thunder during his tribulation?"
Wei Dao gasped. In the Liang Country, a Nascent Soul True Monarch reigned supreme.
Even a sect like the Holy Lotus Sect couldn’t guarantee a Nascent Soul True Monarch in every generation.
If Blood God True Man truly returned to the Liang Country as a Nascent Soul True Monarch, as long as he didn’t show any intention of complete annihilation, forget the Righteous Alliance—even the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect wouldn’t dare entertain a single thought of resistance.
"When they say the Demon Path’s Celestial Tribulation is difficult to pass, they’re referring to those cultivators who take shortcuts, modifying their Cultivation Techniques into a complete mess just for rapid advancement... Blood God True Man clearly practices an orthodox Demon Skill, one whose profundity is no less than a Mystic Sect’s True Method. The bonus damage from the Celestial Thunder might not be as significant as one might think."
Master Ge Cang wasn’t pinning his hopes on the Celestial Tribulation; he was preparing for the worst.
"Within twenty years, I can break through to Core Formation Perfection... but my mastery of the Pill Discussion is not yet complete, and the Heart Demon Treasure hasn’t been refined yet. Even with the Acquired Thunder God Pearl, attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm would be a stretch. My chances are less than thirty percent."
"What about the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect? Master Fang has fought Blood God True Man head-on several times... With Blood God True Man returning, the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect should be even more worried than we are."
Wei Dao brought up another point. If Blood God True Man returned, the Qingfeng Sect wouldn’t be the only one facing an existential threat.
"If we tell them, the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect will have to listen. Their ancestors had a Tier Four Spirit Beast guarding their sect, after all. Maybe they have some means to contend with a Nascent Soul True Monarch!"
"’That will be difficult. Setting aside whether the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect will even believe us, a Tier Four Spirit Beast is not a Nascent Soul True Monarch. What kind of trump card could it possibly have left behind?’"
Master Ge Cang shook his head slightly, clearly not optimistic.
"’Still, we should inform them. I will personally make the trip later. I trust Fellow Daoist Fang will be more inclined to believe it coming from me.’"
"I have a Secret Technique that can threaten a Nascent Soul True Monarch, but it will take another ninety years to master..."
Bai Zichen hadn’t expected the final step to the Nascent Soul Realm to be so short. His Qing Emperor Longevity Sword was still a long way from being ready.
Besides this technique, even if he were to unleash the Origin Power of his Moon Xuan Sword again, the most he could do was match the strongest of the Perfect Core Formation Cultivators for a brief time.
There was still an unbridgeable chasm between him and a Nascent Soul True Monarch.
"’Junior Brother Bai has such a Divine Technique? I imagine it must require reaching the realm of One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws...’"
Master Ge Cang was slightly surprised, but he didn’t suspect Bai Zichen was boasting.
He just assumed that his Junior Brother Bai had made another breakthrough in the Sword Dao. He figured that in ninety years, Bai Zichen would at least have a Late-Stage Core Formation Cultivation, have achieved Great Success in Refining Sword into Silk, and mastered One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws.
With the sharpness of a Tier Four Flying Sword, he would indeed have a high chance of injuring a Nascent Soul True Monarch.
The only problem was his own fragility; a casual strike from a Nascent Soul True Monarch could obliterate him, body and soul.
"’Don’t be too alarmed. Against a newly ascended Nascent Soul True Monarch who has just passed his tribulation, I might be able to contend with him for a round or two if I put my life on the line... If Blood God True Man wants to slaughter my Qingfeng Sect, he’d better be prepared to pay a hefty price!’"
Bai Zichen really wanted to tell Master Ge Cang he’d misunderstood. ’I haven’t even achieved Great Success in Sword Qi Thunder Sound, let alone Refining Sword into Silk, to say nothing of One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws.’
But for a peerless Sword Dao genius universally acknowledged by the Tianhe Sword Sect to confidently claim, not long after reaching Core Formation, that he would have a way to threaten a Nascent Soul True Monarch within a century... any normal person would naturally assume he was talking about a breakthrough in his Sword Dao Realm.
’Brother Ge is actually confident that by risking his life, he can contend with a newly promoted Nascent Soul True Monarch for a round or two, and even make the other party pay a price... Even if the Qiantian Primordial Yang Divine Thunder Net has a restraining effect on Demon Path Cultivators, his greater reliance should be on the fourth layer of the Five Crystal Glaze Body, right?’
Master Ge Cang’s almost brazen words managed to quell some of Bai Zichen’s anxiety.
’Even the second layer of the Five Crystal Glaze Body came with an additional Divine Technique—the ability to summon the Glazed Fire Divine Body at the cost of dropping a cultivation layer. Could it be that the fourth layer didn’t have something similar?’
’Using the Heaven-Reaching Jianmu Tree as fuel to sustain the Glazed Fire Divine Body and unleash the Heaven-Burning Fury Fire.’
From Master Ge Cang’s tone, he could tell that this would be a Divine Technique with immense negative side effects, something far more serious than just dropping a level in his Cultivation Technique.
Perhaps it required the ultimate price—one’s life—to gain the supreme power to truly fight across realms.
Wei Dao looked from one to the other, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
’He couldn’t understand when Nascent Soul True Monarchs had become so... weak. One moment, Junior Brother Bai was saying he had a Secret Technique that could threaten a Nascent Soul True Monarch.’
’The next, Brother Ge was claiming that a Nascent Soul True Monarch would have to pay a steep price to destroy the Qingfeng Sect.’
’They were talking about a Nascent Soul True Monarch, an existence that could dictate the fate of a nation and rule over the lives of hundreds of millions!’
’With Divinity Transformation Great Powers being nigh-impossible to find, Nascent Soul True Monarchs represented the absolute peak of power in the Cultivation Realm. Why were they suddenly sounding so easy to deal with?’
"So what other preparations should we make?"
Unable to contribute to a conversation that was far beyond his comprehension, Wei Dao felt that if he kept thinking about it, he’d conclude that the other two weren’t even in the same Great Realm as him.
"’Business as usual. If a Nascent Soul True Monarch really does attack, what could the disciples possibly do? Spreading the news would only cause unnecessary panic... Within the Sect, we’ll stick to the plan. As for Celestial Thunder Cliff, we will mobilize next month to capture it and provide it to Junior Brother Bai as his cultivation Cave Mansion.’"
Master Ge Cang had already recovered from the shock of learning this news.
"’Additionally, the three of us must keep an eye out for news regarding High-Tier Arrays and Secret Treasures of Tier Four or higher... Only items of that level will be of any use against a Nascent Soul True Monarch.’"
The Qingfeng Sect’s Mountain Guardian Array was the Tier Three Top-Grade Duality Illusion Moon Array, and another Tier Three Array was set up over Feiyue Lake.
In the Secret Hall, only one last Tier Three Array remained.
However, when facing a Nascent Soul True Monarch, even the Duality Illusion Moon Array would be inadequate and wouldn’t hold for long.
Only a Tier Four Array, complemented by a Spiritual Treasure, could withstand the assault of a Nascent Soul True Monarch for a significant amount of time, even if only maintained by Core Formation True Men.
Furthermore, of the many Secret Treasures in the Secret Hall, the only one that posed even a sliver of a threat to a Nascent Soul True Monarch was that one Gourd of Earth God Sand.
If it were all unleashed at once, the massive quantity of Earth Spirit could channel enough Power of the Earth Veins to force even a Nascent Soul True Monarch to tread carefully.
"Understood."
Master Ge Cang’s words gave them a pillar of strength. Even if Blood God True Man returned to the Liang Country, it would not spell the end for the Qingfeng Sect.
...
「Celestial Thunder Cliff.」
Almost no Cultivator had ever set foot here; it was a veritable forbidden zone for the Black Mountain Cultivators.
A Tier Three Demon King presided over the area, with dozens of Tier Two Flying Demon Beasts circling about. This meant that to be trapped here was a death sentence; escape was nothing but a foolish hope.
But today was different. Several battleships floated in the sky, and nearly fifty Foundation Establishment Cultivators swarmed Celestial Thunder Cliff, their murderous aura surging to the heavens.
Urgent, piercing bird cries filled the air. Every so often, the blood of a Demon Beast would splatter across the sky as feathers flew in disarray.
One Golden-Winged Thunder Roc after another plummeted to the ground, the dark silhouettes in the sky rapidly dwindling.
The Foundation Establishment Cultivators, on the other hand, had the advantage of numbers and the cover of the battleships.
Whenever one fell into a disadvantageous position, a Light Cannon would blast toward a Golden-Winged Thunder Roc, forcing it to retreat.
With their numerical superiority and an arsenal of Talismans, Talisman Treasures, and other tricks, the cultivators’ advantage grew as the demon beasts’ waned. Soon, fewer than twenty Golden-Winged Thunder Rocs remained in the air.
"Senior Brother Lu, be careful, these beasts are trying to escape!"
Tong Huan recalled his Sword Light. He was splattered with the blood of a Demon Beast, having just teamed up with Lu Songx to slay a Golden-Winged Thunder Roc.
"’Don’t worry,’ he replied. ’Not many will escape!’"
The five battleships behind them began to spread out, and nets of light formed between them. A Golden-Winged Thunder Roc slammed into one and shrieked as several of its feathers were scorched.
"’Why does dealing with Celestial Thunder Cliff feel even easier than Cyan Bull Valley? Did the Sect pick the wrong pioneering target back then? We should have taken this place ages ago... Then we wouldn’t have to detour around Celestial Thunder Cliff, and it would make getting to so many places much faster!’"
Longx Qi flew over from nearby. His arm had been wounded, a deep gash staining his entire sleeve red.
Despite this, his expression was ecstatic, showing not a hint of fear or worry about the pioneering battle.
"’Years ago, the Sect didn’t have the strength it has today. We’d have been lucky to spare even half our Foundation Establishment Cultivators... The crucial part is, who could possibly trap the Demon King? It hasn’t left the summit from the very beginning. We haven’t even caught a glimpse of it!’"
Tong Huan pointed to the summit of Celestial Thunder Cliff. The violent fluctuations and resounding booms from above were proof of the fierce battle raging there.
The Golden-Winged Thunder Roc is a Tier Three Top-Grade Demon Beast, and it has mastered Thunder Escape. An ordinary Core Formation True Man would be played like a fiddle, completely unable to keep up with its speed.
Master Ge Cang had fought a great battle against this Demon King years ago. Although he’d had the upper hand, he was ultimately unable to do anything to the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc Demon King.
If the Tier Three Golden-Winged Thunder Roc wanted to escape, all he could do was watch helplessly, completely unable to catch it.
But the situation now was completely different.
Master Ge Cang had cultivated his Five Crystal Glaze Body to the fourth layer, mastering Close as the Palm of Your Hand, Far as the Ends of the Earth. His short-distance speed, which was practically teleportation, was enough to keep up with the Tier Three Golden-Winged Thunder Roc’s Thunder Escape.
More importantly, he also had his two junior brothers assisting him.
Even if the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc Demon King tried to escape, as long as Wei Dao and Bai Zichen could obstruct it for even a moment, Master Ge Cang would be able to drag it back into the fight.
’"The birth and death of Divine Thunder, a spirit within the lightning... It seems Brother Ge’s Thunder Skill, just as Yann Yuanzai said, has taken a great stride down the path of giving birth to life from lightning, of nurturing vitality from annihilation. No wonder he only mentioned that his mastery of the Pill Discussion wasn’t yet complete and that he hadn’t refined a Heart Demon Treasure. He never even brought up whether he had touched upon a Great Dao True Intent. It’s because he had already embarked upon this path long ago."’
Bai Zichen’s Sword Light unfurled, striking precisely where lightning was flashing—the exact spot the Golden-Winged Thunder Roc Demon King was about to use for its Thunder Escape—and forced it back into the Divine Thunder Net.
This powerful Tier Three Top-Grade Demon Beast, a Golden-Winged Thunder Roc Demon King that could escape unscathed from ninety-nine percent of all Perfect Core Formation Cultivators, had the misfortune of running into Master Ge Cang—a man whose mastery of lightning surpassed its own.
Even the activation of its Thunder Escape was noticeably a beat too slow.
Forget Bai Zichen with his Sword Heart Clarity; even Wei Dao could see through its moves and managed to intercept it several times.
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