Born with immortal seed

Chapter 415 The Unexpected Water Mansion

If Bai Zichen wasn't mistaken, the impulsive, easily angered, arrogant young white-robed cultivator's true cultivation level was not at all what appeared to be the early stage of Core Formation.

The moment the sword struck down, Chen Ze parried with his sword, and the vast and powerful true essence flashed by, yet he still managed to catch it.

He was clearly in the late stage of Core Formation, concealing his cultivation level as he approached Shen Moqun.

She even almost fooled Bai Zichen.

"I haven't practiced the Spirit Eye spell, and my divine sense often fails me... Old Man Shen is trying to recruit outside cultivators to explore caves together. I wonder what his expression will be when he finds out that the cultivator beside him is actually a late-stage Core Formation cultivator."

Bai Zichen increasingly felt that Shen Moqun's invitation was strange, and there must be a secret that outsiders did not know.

It's just that he, a mere Core Formation cultivator from a family, dared to extend invitations to two cultivators of the same level at the same time.

If they truly harbored malicious intent, where did they get the confidence to deal with the two of them, even if it was just their outward display of cultivation level?

"And if I'm not mistaken, that person is cultivating the Dragon Transformation Scripture!"

Bai Zichen's expression was serious. He possessed the complete Dragon Transformation Scripture, and because he had tried to cultivate it as his main technique after reaching the Nascent Soul stage, he had a deep understanding of it.

The true essence is abundant and inexhaustible, resulting in a powerful physique; many cultivation techniques can achieve this.

However, when fully activated and used in combat, the water-based spiritual energy spontaneously gathers and generates various wondrous phenomena around the central cultivator.

These are also the various behaviors of a cultivator who has practiced the Dragon Transformation Scripture.

Even after it was defeated and left, waves followed it through the water's eye, making the surface of the water murky.

Combining various factors, one gets a vague feeling that this person is practicing the Dragon Transformation Scripture.

"Could it be that cultivators from sects like Youlongmen actually have such young late-stage Core Formation cultivators... Luckily, I changed my appearance. Even if Youlongmen really investigated the matter back then and suspected me of the sacred beast's essence blood, they couldn't possibly know that Su Wuming at this moment is Bai Zichen from Qingfeng Sect."

If Chen Ze was merely concealing his cultivation level and plotting against Shen Moqun, it had nothing to do with Bai Zichen.

However, since this person comes from several sects in the Myriad Star Islands, he is a potential major enemy.

The five sects, including Youlongmen, betrayed their master for personal gain, growing stronger on the corpse of the Yulong Sect, and of course, they also had the support of the Dragon Lord.

These sects were even more proactive than the Dragon Lord in pursuing and eliminating the so-called remnants of the Fish-Dragon Sect.

If the Dragon Lord's goal was to obtain the essence blood of the sacred beast, then he initially didn't take the few escaping descendants of the Fish-Dragon Sect seriously.

Only after failing to find the sacred beast's blood essence and realizing it was likely in the possession of remnants of the Fish-Dragon Sect did they solemnly issue an order to hunt it down to the end and reclaim the sacred beast's blood essence.

Those five sects were determined to completely wipe out the Fish-Dragon Sect, ensuring that not a single member survived.

If the Fish-Dragon Sect were to rise from the ashes and grow stronger again, they would be the ones most panicked.

These sects knew very well that even if the Fish-Dragon Sect regained a Nascent Soul True Monarch, dealing with the Dragon Lord would still be a pipe dream.

However, they do not seek to occupy the Myriad Star Islands. They only want to avenge the traitors and settle scores. In that case, sects like Youlongmen will find it difficult to survive.

Since Bai Zichen gained an additional skill after the alchemical theory was improved and the path was solidified, he has acquired another ability.

Holding the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword, one can roughly sense the opponent's remaining lifespan.

In the world of cultivation, a cultivator's appearance should never be used as a reference for age.

However, Chen Zeshou still has more than 300 years left in his lifespan. He is only slightly older than me and already has the cultivation level of the late Core Formation stage. He would be considered a top cultivation genius anywhere.

If a cultivator with such a high chance of reaching the Nascent Soul stage comes from the Dragon Gate, he will not be able to leave the Great Wilderness Swamp smoothly.

"There is another possibility: in the cultivation world, besides myself and a few sects in the Myriad Star Islands, the five main branches of the Fish Dragon Sect that escaped also possess the Dragon Transformation Scripture!"

Bai Zichen suddenly thought of Li Hansi, the successor of the Xuanming lineage who died at his hands. All five main branches of the Fish Dragon Sect had the inheritance of the Dragon Transformation Scripture.

Since Li Hansi did not die and cultivated to the peak of Core Formation, it is normal for young people with cultivation levels like Chen Ze to emerge among the other lineages.

The five main sects not only took away a large number of treasures when they fled Chilong Island, but also later opened a large number of secret treasures hidden by sects along the coast, obtaining valuable cultivation resources.

The accumulated wealth over millennia, when applied to a few cultivators, means that, apart from lacking the spiritual grounds of Chilong Island, their cultivation conditions are even better than those of the core disciples of the Fish-Dragon Sect back then.

"The remaining four lineages have no conflict with the ancestor. They weren't even together on the way to escape. Whether they're plotting to seize the Water Mansion or secretly recruiting people to prepare for a counterattack on the Wanxing Islands, as long as they don't get in my way... The bigger the commotion, the better. It can also draw my attention to the outer seas."

A pale green copper coin landed in Bai Zichen's hand. He tossed it several times before putting it away to continue refining the dark red ore.

We have already prepared a backup plan; we can just wait and see how things develop.

He was still focused on his own cultivation. The dark red ore surface had melted two rings, revealing the reddish-gold material inside.

Under the tempering of the alchemical fire, it exudes an eerie, gilded bronze light, absorbing all the heat no matter how intense the burning.

I'm 50% sure this is the sun gold and bronze I've been longing for.

However, to confirm this, the entire ore needs to be refined again to completely remove the impurities, leaving only the pure spiritual material.

Another month passed, and late at night at 9 PM, Bai Zichen, who had been meditating, suddenly opened his eyes.

He tossed the pale green copper coin from his hand, and the copper coin divination activated, landing steadily and pointing in a direction: due east downwards.

"Good, as expected, a trace of true essence was left on the other party. Even though it was temporarily blocked by the secret technique and could not be detected, it added a lot of parameters for the Copper Coin Diviner, and he was able to calculate such a clear answer, no longer so vague!"

When Bai Zichen fought Chen Ze that day, he took advantage of the moment when the last sword strike slashed away the water dragon and water splashed everywhere to land a wisp of true essence on Shen Moqun's clothes.

This person is only in the early stage of Core Formation, making him easier to track and avoid detection compared to Chen Ze, who is in the late stage of Core Formation.

The only function of this true essence mark is that it allows him to know the approximate direction of the other party even from a distance of a hundred miles away, based on a faint sense.

But tonight, he first sensed the True Essence Mark entering his divine sense range, and then it disappeared. Either it was discovered and expelled by someone, or a secret technique concealed any fluctuations.

The second possibility is more likely.

Knowing that Shen Moqun was nearby, he immediately used the Copper Coin Divination Technique to deduce his location.

"I didn't expect the Water Mansion to be so close to my Water Eye. No wonder they've tried to recruit me time and time again. With me here, it's impossible to hide it from them... It seems that Chen Ze joined the group and learned the secret technique of concealing his aura, which is why he tried to enter the Water Mansion right under my nose."

Bai Zichen thought for a moment, then took out the Enchanting Gauze and draped it over his body, his figure gradually fading away.

He flew eastward across the water, leaving no trace and no mark whatsoever.

……

“Young friend, your secret technique is really effective. That Su Wuming up there has fierce swordsmanship and says he has no interest in the Water Mansion. If he finds out, he will definitely interfere.”

Old Man Shen and Chen Ze were each enveloped in a water bubble, swaying and moving forward in the water, communicating telepathically.

"Don't worry, we'll stop forty miles away. Even a cultivator at the peak of the Core Formation stage can barely reach that distance with their divine sense. After that, we'll proceed using a secret technique... My Innate Azure Water Membrane is a family secret technique. Apart from being time-consuming and laborious, it has many wonderful uses for walking in water."

A hint of impatience flashed in Chen Ze's eyes as he explained.

"Not to mention searching with divine sense, even visual and auditory spells or the Eye of Truth would not be able to detect us in the water. All sounds and fluctuations of true essence would be blocked."

"That's good. Young friend, you truly come from a family with a long tradition of learning, possessing such a secret technique."

Old Man Shen nodded repeatedly, revealing an expression of envy.

"This time, we were fortunate to have you, young friend. Otherwise, if that person had been occupying the water eye and wouldn't have left, we would have missed the chance to enter the Water Palace again... Once the entrance turns underground, it will take two cycles of sixty years before it turns back to the outside world."

As the two talked, the bubble traveled several miles and arrived at the bottom of a lake where aquatic plants grew abundantly.

Old Man Shen made a hand gesture, silently calculated for a moment, and then said, "This way, come with me!"

Take a few steps to the left, then dive into the water plants, and the two bubbles will disappear without a trace.

There was a crack beneath the water plants. The two walked several hundred steps in the darkness, and suddenly the light came on. A faintly visible water palace appeared in their sight.

The water droplet in Old Man Shen's hand shone brightly, its milky white light spreading in all directions, illuminating the 360 ​​white marble railings surrounding the water palace and the towering golden dragon pillars on both sides.

"Young friend, this is the water palace of True Lord Wu Sanzang."

"How magnificent! I never imagined that a relatively unknown Nascent Soul True Monarch could build such a cave dwelling..."

Chen Ze seemed shocked by the scene before him, and was somewhat stunned.

"Hey, after so many years of research, I've discovered something strange. This cave suddenly appeared in the Great Wilderness Marsh, without any record of large-scale construction or mobilization of cultivators to build it. A water mansion of this scale cannot be accomplished by one person alone; it would require the continuous efforts of thousands of cultivators over several decades."

Old Man Shen smiled, his expression shifting between light and shadow as the water droplets illuminated his face.

"Therefore, I suspect that this water palace was not built by Wu Sanzang at all, or rather, the main structure was not his work, and Wu Sanzang only made repairs and additions."

"Fellow Daoist Shen's guess is not without reason."

Chen Ze nodded slightly and said, "Please, fellow Daoist, lend a hand and open the Water Mansion as soon as possible."

"Alright, I'll cast the spell now, but those two guardian spirit beasts are not easy to deal with. I'll need your help later."

After finishing speaking, Old Man Shen glanced at the pitch-black waterway behind him and released two white jade spiders the size of millstones from his spirit beast pouch at his waist.

"Hehe, my two little darlings are only at the second-tier upper level, but they have a skill that allows them to quickly form a spider web... Anyone who arrives behind us, no matter how well they conceal themselves, will be alerted by the spider web. This old man will know immediately, so there's no need to worry about anyone following behind trying to be the fisherman."

As expected, the two long-legged white jade spiders frantically spun silk, already forming several layers of webs at the entrance of the waterway.

(End of this chapter)