Born with immortal seed

Chapter 748 Sword Cultivator on the Path to Nascent Soul

The Holy Lord of the Dharma showed surprise, which was extremely rare for a Nascent Soul cultivator. Even when his external Nascent Soul was scattered by the Lord of Qingqiu Mountain, he could remain calm even when a mountain collapsed in front of him.

When the news arrived that Patriarch Gong, Fairy Bingpo, and the Ao family's Old Dragon had all ascended to immortality, he could only sigh, "Life is unpredictable."

All cultivators in the cultivation world who have reached the Nascent Soul stage and are ready to break through to the Divine Transformation stage are on the observation list of the Moral Sect.

After a great war between the two races, the few remaining Nascent Soul cultivators either perished or were seriously injured, and soon after their return, they were all reborn in the Huafu Palace.

The remaining candidates are few and far between.

Hongfa examined the light spots on the bluestone with a solemn expression. He could only tell from the direction that it was in the south of the Central Region.

Several major commodity companies are located there, so you can't pinpoint a target based on that alone.

Another Dharma master stepped out from the void, hands behind his back, exuding an air of scholarly refinement. He held up a Bagua diagram and pointed it at the bluestone, where the pointers spun wildly.

"That location... is the Azure Lotus Sword Sect!"

The Holy Lord of Propagation bowed to his other self and solemnly said, "Thank you for your help, fellow Daoist."

The scholar coughed twice, rolled up the Bagua diagram, cupped his hands in greeting, and leaped back into the void.

"The Azure Lotus Sword Sect is being broken through by Li Fengzi! Calculating the time, it is indeed enough. If it hadn't been delayed by the war between the two races, he should have made this attempt long ago. Only he could do it."

Upon careful consideration, Hongfa came up with a somewhat surprising but still most reasonable answer.

Back in the cultivation world, the three Great True Monarchs who were most likely to become Gods were Hongfa of the Moral Sect, Li Fengzi of the Azure Lotus Sword Sect, and Qingdeng Luohan of the Kasyapa Sect.

The other Great True Lords each have their own shortcomings: some are too old, some are hindered by the Great Dao, some have mediocre strength, and some come from ordinary backgrounds.

Only the three of them had no weaknesses.

As it turns out, the public's judgment was correct. He first succeeded in spreading the Dharma and became a deity, and immediately he was accompanied by great supernatural powers, which allowed him to suppress the long-standing demon lord of Qingqiu Mountain.

The Green Lamp Arhat is of extremely high seniority. He was accepted as a disciple by the Buddha of the Wheel of Dharma on behalf of his master. It is said that he is the reincarnation of a great virtuous person and possesses innate wisdom.

He mastered the six supernatural powers early on and formed an indestructible golden body, making him the most outstanding among the Arhats.

Moreover, he was well-versed in Buddhist teachings, eloquent, unparalleled in his debates, and held extremely high prestige.

Unfortunately, during the war between the two races, he was ambushed by the demon race, his indestructible golden body was broken, and his cultivation level plummeted.

He has yet to return to his peak, let alone challenge the Buddha.

Otherwise, Buddha Ratnavali wouldn't have needed to bother cultivating the Lamp-Bearing Arhat; this junior disciple would have been able to support the Buddhist community.

As for Li Fengzi, he was born with a sword-like spirit and was known as the number one sword cultivator in the cultivation world before the emergence of the Time Sword Lord.

It's just that the younger generation is too dazzling, which overshadows the older generation.

Now, he has reached the critical juncture of attempting to reach the Divine Transformation stage.

"Li Fengzi's sword heart is unshakable, and the inner demon tribulation is not too difficult... It all depends on whether he can withstand the heavenly lightning tribulation. At the same time, two sword cultivators are breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, which is a rare sight in ten thousand years. Hopefully, good news will come from both of them."

The Holy Lord of Dharma naturally hoped that Li the Madman could also successfully transform into a deity, and that the more like-minded people there would be in the fight against the ancient demon Asura, the better.

However, to be realistic, even a 30% probability is an overestimate.

Unlike Bai Zichen, who didn't consider the possibility of failing to reach the Nascent Soul stage when the conditions were met.

……

Qinglian Sword Sect, Shangyang Peak.

The sect's formations have been fully deployed, and disciples from all branches have stopped all cultivation. All cultivators in seclusion have been called out by knocking on their doors.

The violent tides of spiritual energy and the tribulation of Nascent Soul are enough to cause an unprepared cultivator to be overwhelmed by the backlash while refining spiritual energy, and in severe cases, even have their dantian and qi sea destroyed.

"Seven days have passed since the Infinite Enigma was created, and Master has yet to overcome his inner demons. Could something have gone wrong...?"

Gu Chongxuan's face was ashen. Once one of the two Xuan masters in the cultivation world and an outstanding representative of the younger generation, he now had grown a short beard and looked much more mature.

New talents are constantly emerging in the cultivation world, and he and Liu Chaoxuan are no longer the most sought-after newly promoted Nascent Soul cultivators.

The emergence of a cultivator in the Southern Region whose Nascent Soul transformation speed rivals that of the Sword Lord of Time, and whose combat prowess is unparalleled, is currently the focus of heated discussion in the cultivation world.

The Azure Lotus Sword Sect has seven secret techniques for transcending tribulations, five of which are related to the tribulation of inner demons.

Therefore, very few patriarchs throughout history have fallen at this hurdle.

With each passing moment, Gu Chongxuan's heart sank further, and his ominous premonition grew stronger.

Half a day later, a flash of cold light finally tore through the dark clouds, revealing a green-robed cultivator holding a sword and looking up at the sky.

"it is good!"

Gu Chongxuan clenched his fist and shouted, "My master is already over eight hundred years old. If he doesn't choose to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, it means he will be like the Great True Monarch of September, giving up the Great Dao and choosing to live a few more years."

For a proud swordsman, such a choice would be worse than dying in battle at the hands of the demon race, something Li Fengzi could never accept.

More ominous clouds gathered in the sky, pressing down overhead without pause.

"It seems to be the three thousand two hundredth ring of Nirvana Kalpa!"

Gu Chongxuan squinted, recognized the type of heavenly tribulation, and gasped.

The Three Thousand Two Hundred Rings Nirvana Tribulation is considered an extremely dangerous heavenly tribulation. My senior master Nie Chixia, who possessed two great sword bones and was attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, perished in this tribulation.

Once one's true essence is depleted, and one is at a disadvantage in the face of a round of heavenly lightning, the Continuous Nirvana Technique will seize the opportunity and launch a tidal wave of attacks.

With its extreme destructive power and overwhelming force, it would definitely rank among the top three types of heavenly tribulations that Nascent Soul cultivators least want to see.

However, Nie Chixia also happened to have a conflict with the sect and went outside to undergo tribulation.

Staying within the sect might have led to a different outcome.

The fact that his fellow disciples were facing the same heavenly tribulation made Gu Chongxuan's heart clench.

Nie Chixia died under the 3,200-ring Nirvana Tribulation, and Li Fengzi encountered him again; it didn't seem like a good omen at all.

Beside Li Fengzi were two sword lights, namely the Azure Lotus Holy Sword and the Five Emperors Golden Crow Sword.

Over the years, he has focused his efforts on subduing the Five Emperors Golden Crow Sword. Refining a fifth-order flying sword is no easy task, especially when the sword spirit is not fully cooperating.

The first three bolts of heavenly lightning were already countless consecutive thunderbolts; under the heavenly lightning, all living beings are equal.

With an aura that threatened to blast everything back into chaos, even the spiritual energy of heaven and earth vanished into nothingness, and the entire grand formation of the Azure Lotus Sword Sect trembled.

This is only the aftershock; the full force of the heavenly tribulation has not yet been directly confronted.

It's easy to imagine the pressure Li Fengzi was under, facing the heavenly lightning head-on.

Li Fengzi opened his eyes, and drew his two swords in turn, piercing and shattering the rings of heavenly lightning.

The sword light and the lightning collided, dazzling to the extreme, making it impossible to see anything.

Later on, they relied solely on their swordsmanship intuition to deal with the heavenly lightning.

Each sword strike reveals his extremely high level of swordsmanship, achieving this with minimal effort.

In terms of swordsmanship alone, both Ma You of the Five Phoenix Sword Sect and the rising star Bai Zichen are somewhat inferior.

The clouds of calamity churned, paused for a few breaths, and then another round of heavenly lightning struck.

"puff!"

During the fifth round of heavenly lightning, Li Fengzi's tight sword light defense was finally breached, and a bolt of heavenly lightning struck his chest.

A section of his Taoist robe instantly melted away, his skin turned to charcoal, and he staggered violently, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Using the Five Emperors Golden Crow Sword to support his body, Li Fengzi spat a mouthful of blood essence onto the Azure Lotus Holy Sword, and an azure lotus bloomed at his feet.

Whenever lightning strikes, a petal protects the person, and the petals disperse after a violent collision.

After pausing for a moment, Li Fengzi bit down on the elixir hidden under his forehead, and a surge of powerful true essence flowed out from the void passage.

At the same time, the Five Emperors Golden Crow Sword summoned five illusory images of golden crows, which soared and flapped their wings, actively facing the heavenly lightning.

The sun blazed high, setting the air ablaze, and the heatwave traveled far and wide, scorching several large trees.

boom!
Another bolt of lightning struck, and Li Fengzi fell to his knees with a cracking sound as his spine snapped, collapsing limply to the ground.

He was supporting his body with his hands, most of his ten fingers were broken off, and his flesh was a bloody mess.

Two streams of bloody tears flowed down from his eyes, which were like dark, gaping holes, as if they had been blasted by lightning for a long time.

boom!
As the seventh round of heavenly lightning descended, Li Fengzi was struck by the lightning one after another, and his whole body was tossed around like a tattered sack.

The blood spitting out of his mouth was mixed with foam and even fragments of internal organs; he only managed to slow down thanks to sheer willpower.

Gu Chongxuan looked at his master, who was no longer recognizable as a human, but rather a blurry mass of flesh and blood, yet still bravely facing the heavenly tribulation, his eyes reddening.

Many of the Qinglian Sword Sect disciples around him were already silently sobbing.

Anyone with eyes could see that their ancestor couldn't possibly survive the Nascent Soul Tribulation, and there were two more terrifying rounds of heavenly lightning to come.

boom!
As the eighth round of heavenly lightning struck, Li Fengzi, with strength he didn't know he possessed, leaped up, threw out the two flying swords in his hands, and crashed into the Nirvana Lightning with his body.

Moments later, Li Fengzi's body was completely destroyed, and the last bolt of heavenly lightning, having lost its target, circled twice in the air before the tribulation clouds dissipated.

The Azure Lotus Holy Sword and the Five Emperors Golden Crow Sword circled once, then came before Gu Chongxuan and chose a new master.

"Respectfully seeing off Master..."

Gu Chongxuan kowtowed forcefully, and it took him a long time to recover his composure. He caught two fifth-tier flying swords, his hands still trembling.

"Respectfully bidding farewell to the Ancestor, may he soon achieve perfect reincarnation and cultivate the Great Dao again."

All the disciples of the Sword Sect chanted prayers in unison, respectfully bidding farewell to this former number one sword cultivator in the cultivation world.

The Supreme Ancestor of the Azure Lotus Sword Sect, Li Fengzi, who had reached the Nascent Soul stage, died at the age of 837, passing away at the eighth level of the Heavenly Tribulation.

Despite his grief, Gu Chongxuan recorded all of his master's achievements on the sect's sacrificial jade slip, not wanting them to disappear without a trace hundreds of years later.

The power of the heavenly calamity has reached this level.

His master's strength had exceeded his expectations, surpassing even the strength of previous generations.

However, he is still far from reaching the Nascent Soul stage, and he hasn't even seen the final round of the Heavenly Tribulation.

"Just what kind of strength is needed to survive the Tribulation of Nascent Soul..."

The two prodigies of the Azure Lotus Sword Sect both died under the three thousand two hundred rings of Nirvana Tribulation. It is unknown whether they were born to be incompatible with sword cultivators.

Gu Chongxuan estimated that even if he were to face a less dangerous tribulation today and perform slightly better, he would still die from the heavenly lightning in the final round.

The cultivation world has been without the last Nascent Soul sword cultivator for a very, very long time.

At the same time, the difficulty of the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation seems to be higher than recorded in the classic texts.

Gu Chongxuan held the flying sword, lost in thought: "Could it be that the rumors that the mortal realm is moving away from the immortal realm are true? No wonder the heavenly tribulation is getting more and more difficult every day."

……

"Uncle-Master Ge, everyone has already withdrawn from the main peak. Instruct them to simply observe Master's breakthrough."

“Fellow Daoist Ge, I have already ordered the Sword Sect disciples to patrol the surrounding area to prevent anyone from entering Rotten Axe Mountain at this time and offending Fellow Daoist Ziwei.”

"Once you become a god, I await good news."

Ge Cang appeared calm, but in reality, he had considered all aspects and was trying his best to create the best environment for Bai Zichen's breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage.

"Once you embark on it, there is no turning back, only the courage to move forward... The path to becoming a god is full of unexpected factors, which is precisely what makes it so fascinating."

Bai Zichen stopped his cultivation technique and switched to the next level of the Dongxuan Lushen Sword Scripture.

As a cultivator at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, he naturally triggered a calamity. The inner demon calamity had already descended, and at the same time, his inner fire was burning.

……

Amidst endless illusions, Bai Zichen transforms into a woman, then passes through the animal realm, and finally returns to human form.

All the changes in his inner demons were under his control, and he would see through any flaws at the slightest sign of abnormality.

The nine-eyed Bodhi prayer beads on my wrist have already done a great job, emanating a cool and refreshing sensation.

"Thank goodness I had the nine-eyed Bodhi prayer beads, otherwise I would have been trapped in these illusions and unable to distinguish between reality and illusion."

Bai Zichen sighed, stepped down from the platform, and prepared to come back the next day.

But after taking only two steps, he stopped there.

He was attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul stage; how could he possibly stop the Heavenly Tribulation and do something else?

With such the ability to manipulate heavenly tribulations at will, wouldn't it be easy to achieve the Nascent Soul stage, without having to live in fear anymore?

"So this was fake too..."

Before the words were finished, the scene before my eyes shattered into pieces, and I emerged from the illusion.

In the real world, Bai Zichen sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, and on his knees was the supplementary copy of the Xuan Yue Immortal Lord's Daily Records.

The book turned without wind, page by page, and the seal on each page glowed red.

As long as Bai Zichen remains trapped in the endless illusion for an extended period, one of the seals will disappear, transforming into a ray of light that breaks through the illusion.

In the midst of endless confusion, he experienced the horrific misery of being betrayed by his family, betrayed by his siblings, clashed with his sect, and scorned by the world.

With the loss of his talents, the approaching end of his lifespan, and various unexpected factors such as enemies from outer space, the nine-eyed Bodhi prayer beads on his wrist are becoming fewer and fewer.

Until the very last grain, it exploded with countless cracks, forming a beam of light that fell upon his head.

This time, Bai Zichen successfully overcame his inner demon tribulation and even barely withstood the heavenly lightning tribulation, successfully transforming into a deity.

He then cultivated to the point of perfect enlightenment, gathered his relatives and friends, held a sermon, and ascended to heaven in broad daylight.

The crowd knelt for a long time, expressing their gratitude to the Sword Lord of Time for sharing the profound truths of the Great Dao, and the cultivation world returned to peace once again.

Despite the turbulent void and the difficult descent, Bai Zichen remained in high spirits, eager to see what the Immortal Realm was like as quickly as possible.

After two days, the concentration of spiritual energy was not at all like the standard of the upper realm, which made people start to doubt it.

It wasn't until he saw the Ji River, a scene exactly like the human world, and learned from the cultivators along the way that this was indeed the human world.

It is parallel to and independent of the world I live in, like two sides of the same coin.

Upon hearing this answer, Bai Zichen was so shocked that he fell to the ground and remained stunned for a long time.

The higher realm for which he had given everything turned out to be just another human realm, and all his efforts had been in vain.

At this moment, the supplementary copy of the Xuan Yue Immortal Lord's Daily Records had been turned to the last page, and a sense of incongruity appeared in the illusory world.

Click!Click!
The parallel world shattered once more, still shrouded in endless illusion.

(End of this chapter)