Born with immortal seed

Chapter 719 The Stone Wall That Illuminates the Future

Bai Zichen shook his head slightly. The number of treasures at the Tongtian Lingbao level depends on only two factors.

The remains of immortals in the upper realm caves, and the number of Nascent Soul cultivators.

Due to the limitations imposed by the laws of heaven and earth, it is impossible to obtain a heaven-reaching spiritual treasure through the path of weapon crafting in the mortal realm.

In the beginning, they were all carried by immortals who descended to the mortal realm. They either perished in the human world or gave them to others, leaving behind the Tongtian Lingbao.

Later, people gradually discovered that upon entering the Divine Transformation stage, one's own heaven and earth received gifts from the Great Dao.

Besides the qualitative change in the realm and the sublimation of the grotto-heaven, there is another great power that can be used on a natal magic weapon.

Although the success rate is not 100%, approximately one new Heavenly Treasure is born for every five Nascent Soul cultivators.

The Western Sea is not the ancestral continent, so it's understandable that few immortals choose to descend here.

However, judging from the number of Nascent Soul cultivators on Penglai Immortal Island, the number of Heavenly Treasures seems somewhat illogical.

Each generation produces three to five Divine Transformations. Over tens of thousands of years, this accumulated to the point that even a Great True Monarch wouldn't dare to dream of such a thing as the Heavenly Treasure.

Unless, of course, all these Nascent Soul cultivators are the same group of people who, after reincarnation, do not undergo the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation, and therefore no new Heavenly Treasures will appear.

Those that already exist circulate within extremely small circles.

Unlike Zuzhou, even a Nascent Soul cultivator cannot control what happens after their death.

The disciples and descendants are unworthy and unable to protect the family business, which will be swept away by wind and rain after hundreds of years.

Whether the Purple Seal True Lord was hiding his true abilities or not, the white gold hairpin urged by the Crimson Emperor was only a low-grade Heavenly Treasure, and the Yin-Yang Golden Pill of the Cloud Lord was the same.

However, the two pills complement each other and can be equivalent to a mid-grade Heavenly Treasure.

Seeing that the speed of breaking the formation had stopped again, Bai Zichen flicked his fingers, and two gray-white sword lights emerged from his sleeves.

After circling the ancient formation and observing it, some beings with spirituality would naturally slip into it.

A series of gray sword lights shot up, pressing down on the ancient formation and causing it to creak and groan, instantly obliterating large areas of its nodes.

One particular sword light, in particular, caused everything it passed through to immediately bow down and become extremely obedient.

"A fifth-tier flying sword!"

"It's still a flying sword containing the true meaning of sealing and suppression!"

Master Tong and Master Tian exclaimed in surprise, but their hands continued to move. Using the momentum of the sword light, they suppressed several corners of the forbidden ancient formation, revealing dark openings among the rocks.

Dozens of array flags flew out in succession, fixing the forbidden ancient array and completely securing the cave entrance.

"Two fifth-tier flying swords!"

The Purple Seal True Lord's mouth was slightly open, and he couldn't close it for a long time, losing the composure that a Great True Lord should have.

'Legend has it that the Sword Emperor only possessed two natal flying swords that reached the fifth rank. Could it be that he passed them all on to Su Wuming...? This shows he truly considers him his successor, which is why he bestowed the divine weapons upon him ahead of time. There's no mistake about it.'

He felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. He himself struggled to find even the most ordinary Heavenly Treasure, yet this person possessed two fifth-tier flying swords.

"Enter quickly! The ancient array entrance can only be maintained for a short while, after which it will be overwhelmed by powerful inertia and return you to a pile of rocks..."

In just a short while, Tong Weng looked even older, his eyes became cloudy, and his arms became noticeably weak.

The Purple Seal True Lord led the way and leaped in. His figure could be seen moving forward in the cave, gradually disappearing into nothingness.

The other Nascent Soul cultivators exchanged bewildered glances, and under the watchful eyes of the Great True Monarch before them, entered with bitter expressions.

Only Bai Zichen and his two companions, along with two formation masters, remained. They agreed on a time, and after a three-minute countdown, the fifth-tier flying sword and the Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure were simultaneously drawn out.

A moment later, the array flags that had temporarily halted the operation of the forbidden ancient array flew out one after another.

More than 90% of the array flags returned to the two array masters, while the remaining small number were blown away and crushed.

A moment later, the cave entrance disappeared, and everything returned to its initial state.

The pile of rocks shifted to a different location, and the fireworks climbed back up, not much different from when they arrived.

"What a long passageway..."

Bai Zichen remained highly vigilant, both towards the ancient immortal mansion and the cultivators around him.

The Purple Seal True Lord did not explain clearly what this ancient immortal abode contained that could restrain the Two Demons and Three Immortals.

If it's a treasure, it must be at the level of a Heaven-Opening Spiritual Treasure.

If it's a supernatural power, it's at the level of the Azure Emperor's Longevity Sword.

Even though we're on the same path now, working towards the same goal.

Once the treasure appears before us, the most pressing question becomes who will collect and take control of it.

The passageway is smooth as a mirror on all sides, and your reflection will be seen when you walk in it. It's not very clear, but you can still make out your facial features.

Bai Zichen looked up, paused for a moment, and continued walking without expression.

My heart was churning with emotions, but I tried my best to keep my expression calm.

'It seems no one else saw the image on the wall. It appears only my Candle Dragon Yin-Yang Eyes saw a different scene?'

The image of himself on the stone wall showed a look of dejection, and he had lost all his energy and spirit. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was a walking corpse.

A twelve-winged insect pounced on his back, its long, sharp spines piercing his body. Its abdomen swelled and bulged, recklessly draining his life essence, even his lifespan.

With each step he took, his hair grew whiter, his body more hunched, and the river of time seemed to recede rapidly between his arms and beneath his feet.

What does this represent? Is it some kind of omen for the future, or simply evolution affecting different individuals...?

Bai Zichen did not dismiss it with a laugh. The changes in the figures within the wall were so realistic that they left him feeling uneasy.

In particular, when he recognized that the ferocious insect was clearly the Spring and Autumn Cicada.

The cicada with six pairs of wings in spring and autumn is something that has never been seen, not even in anecdotes or legends.

Even the six-winged cicada of spring and autumn has become a legend; it's unimaginable that a twelve-winged insect could truly exist—it must be a spirit insect of a certain rank.

'I entered the Dao through the cicada of spring and autumn, and ultimately died because of the cicada of spring and autumn... Or perhaps, my Dao of Time ultimately served as a stepping stone for someone else, and was stolen away?'

'Or perhaps, upon reaching the ultimate stage of the Great Dao of Time, one must relinquish the physical body, for it can no longer bear such immense power… Only by shedding the mortal form and becoming a tangible product of the Great Dao of Time can one continue. The cicada of spring and autumn has no specific reference; it is merely a symbolic representation.'

Bai Zichen had no intention of underestimating anyone; he was able to project the Great Dao of Time and make deductions.

Whether it's right or wrong, it's something that ordinary treasures couldn't do.

The reason he wasn't included in the calculations was partly due to his special destiny, but the influence of the laws of time also played a major role.

Looking forward and backward, even the omniscient Dao could not truly break through the river of time.

The fact that the wall shadow could evolve a master of the Great Way of Time to this extent is enough to prove that the passageway is by no means ordinary.

Looking at the other cultivators, most of them looked exactly like the real person, no different from those in reality.

However, the half-blood demon revealed a fiery monkey, which lay prostrate on the ground like a mountain range.

Each movement was like a volcanic eruption, sending countless lava and molten metal flying, and a fiery rain fell from the sky.

A shocking wound ripped from his waist, blood flowing so freely it nearly formed a river on the ground.

And the Cloud Lord, the image it cast was not human-shaped, but just a white cloud, rolling and stretching, changing into a thousand different forms.

The other cultivators, such as True Monarch Purple Seal and Crimson Emperor, showed no unusual phenomena and maintained their normal appearances on the wall.

What are the patterns of the shadows projected on the stone wall? If I can't resist and keep walking like this, will I die of old age?

Just as Bai Zichen was considering these questions, cheers came from the front of the group. They finally saw the light and left the seemingly endless tunnel.

A spacious garden comes into view, with the ground planted with exotic flowers and plants, all of which are ripe and laden with fruit, bending the branches.

Fallen spiritual fruits can be seen everywhere in the soil.

After it decomposes, it dissolves into the soil and becomes nutrients for the spiritual plants.

"So many fifth-tier spiritual plants!"

Inside the grotto, the jade rabbit leaped high, its red eyes gazing at each of the spiritual plants.

"A nine-petaled precious flower that lasts for ten thousand years! A tree of ice scales that lasts for ten thousand years! A snow edelweiss that lasts for ten thousand years!"

Just like reciting a menu, the Jade Rabbit listed all the fifth-tier spiritual herbs it had sensed.

“Master, don’t miss out… With these spiritual plants, the cave can expand another thousand feet, create two mountain springs, and draw in a mineral vein.”

Bai Zichen didn't rush to take action. He distributed the spoils according to strength and contribution, ensuring that Bai Zichen would get his share.

For now, we should first figure out our situation and understand why the ancient immortal abode, isolated from the world, is full of spiritual herbs.

Logically speaking, if no one takes care of them and there is no sunlight or starlight, one or two species would be fine.

The fact that all the spiritual plants in the garden were plump, healthy, and laden with fruit is hard to explain with common sense.

In the words of the Jade Rabbit, even under its care, the herbs in the garden might not grow to this extent.

Moreover, the soil beneath their feet was not divine soil like the Breath Soil, which offered no benefit to the growth of spiritual plants.

"There's a stone tablet here!"

Suddenly, a cultivator shouted, drawing everyone over to a stone tablet as tall as himself.

It is simple and unadorned, with only a single line of elegant calligraphy written in gold script on the front.

This place should be blessed with both parents and children, free from disease and disaster, and where fruits and vegetables naturally ripen.

"What does this mean? This stone tablet, erected by later generations, tells us about the first level of the ancient immortal abode, but why is there no entrance to the next level..."

The Nascent Soul cultivator reached out and touched the stone tablet, wanting to verify the material used.

"stop!"

Bai Zichen was a beat too slow in stopping him; the moment the man's fingers touched the words, he was sucked onto the stone tablet.

By the time the people around him cast spells in an attempt to save him, his withered body had already fallen to the ground, just like a skeleton.

"What an eerie stone tablet! Everyone, be careful and avoid it!"

The Purple Seal True Monarch was startled. The person who died was just an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator in the team, yet he was annihilated in a few breaths. It was too strange.

It looked like a normal stone tablet, with no supernatural features whatsoever.

"As soon as Fellow Daoist Su entered, he noticed the unusual stone tablet. He seems to know a lot about this place?"

Chi Tianzi noticed that Bai Zichen had spoken up to stop him in advance, and asked a question.

……

Above the ancient immortal mansion, where the entrance passage had been concealed, three enormous figures appeared, each occupying a separate area.

Half of it is hidden in the clouds, high above the sky, quietly watching over the ancient immortal abode.

"Why choose this place? Even we can't control this place. If we try to enter, we will be separated by the formation and unable to grasp the Immortal Mansion."

"If we're not here, how can we force the Sword Emperor to show himself..."

A gigantic, sky-covering hand slowly and softly descended, pulverizing the pile of rocks into dust.

After several back-and-forth movements, a deep, concave pit was formed.

(End of this chapter)