Bai Zichen lifted his right hand. It was stained with a trace of deep cyan light, a result of having just touched the Holy Beast Essence Blood Crystal Stone.
The cyan light spread as an exceptionally pure Wood Element Spiritual Power began to course up his arm from his palm.
To the naked eye, nothing seemed amiss, but his Divine Sense perceived his entire forearm transforming into a lush, green branch, showing signs of spreading further up.
He hastily mobilized his True Essence to block the Wood Element Spiritual Power, but it was like a stone tossed into the ocean—it vanished without a sound.
The quality of this incredibly pure Wood Element Spiritual Power was clearly superior to the True Essence of a Core Formation Cultivator. In fact, it grew even stronger by devouring his True Essence.
’Holy Beast Essence Blood... To think it’s this terrifying!’
Bai Zichen’s expression changed in alarm. A mere touch, even through the Sealing Crystal Stone, had caused his body to start mutating.
No wonder. Buried deep underground, just a wisp of its aura was enough to imbue the Bai Family disciples who frequently came to pay their respects with an imperceptible Holy Beast Aura. This caused their Wood God Skill to develop along a path different from ordinary Spirit Plant Techniques.
The Fish Dragon Sect had originally developed a rudimentary system for utilizing the Holy Beast Essence Blood. The Bai Family’s Ancestor modified it, enabling every family member to acquire the wonders of the Wood God Skill simply by worshipping in the Ancestral Hall.
The only thing in his possession with a quality high enough to contend with the Holy Beast Essence Blood was the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo.
The Golden Core in his Qi Sea spun abruptly, spewing all its Pill Qi onto the mass of Thunder Radiance. At the same instant, arcs of thunder and lightning enveloped his entire right arm.
Such was the might of a Spiritual Treasure, where thought and action were one.
It could be controlled with a single thought, its reaction speed far surpassing that of an ordinary Magical Treasure.
One like the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo took it a step further—it acted before the thought was even fully formed. The moment an idea began to surface in his mind, the deed was already done.
The arcs of thunder and lightning on his right arm didn’t look particularly dazzling or fierce. They merely danced lightly across the surface of his skin, linking together into a single web.
But the moment they met the ink-dark Wood Element Spiritual Power, it was like an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object. The two were evenly matched, locked in a stalemate, neither willing to yield.
One was a degraded Supreme Flying Sword; the other, a Holy Beast Essence Blood of mysterious origin.
But the sword, at least, was backed by his True Essence. Compared to the blood, which was just a rootless, lingering trace of aura, the sword still held a significant advantage.
About ten minutes later, the arcs of thunder and lightning began to gain the upper hand. They steadily compressed the deep cyan light until only a tiny speck remained on the tip of his index finger.
A miniature Azure Dragon roared as it burst forth, only to be ensnared by a Thunder Net. Myriad bolts of lightning converged upon it, forcibly grinding it into nothingness.
’As expected of a treasure that even Transformed Great Demons covet. I was almost a goner...’
The Thunder Radiance flickered back and forth over his hand. Only after confirming that no trace of the Holy Beast Essence Blood’s aura remained did Bai Zichen let out a sigh of relief.
’I was a bit too hasty this time, opening the Ancestral Hall and taking out the Holy Beast Essence Blood,’ he thought. ’It was mainly because it appeared within the range of my Divine Sense.’
Otherwise, with his cautious nature, he would never have rushed into digging a tunnel based on mere speculation.
’For Transformed Great Demons, the Holy Beast Essence Blood seems related to their Dao Practice, offering them a chance to glimpse the path to the Divinity Transformation realm... But in the hands of human Cultivators, it doesn’t seem nearly as useful. At least, in the several thousand years the Fish Dragon Sect possessed it, its only known effect was causing the Wood God Skill to mutate.’
For the time being, Bai Zichen couldn’t think of a good way to utilize the Holy Beast Essence Blood.
A mere touch was enough to taint him with the aura of Wood Element Spiritual Power; he certainly didn’t dare risk prolonged contact.
If the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo couldn’t hold it back, he would be turned into a Wooden Man, assimilated by the Holy Beast Essence Blood.
The Crystal Stone containing the Cyan Dragon Essence Blood was an incredibly powerful Sealing Treasure, allowing less than one percent of the blood’s power to seep through.
The fact that it had survived for so many years without breaking, able to withstand the corrosion of the Cyan Dragon Essence Blood, was a testament to its extraordinary nature.
The only application he could think of was for himself. ’If I get closer to the Cyan Dragon Essence Blood and become more deeply infused with its aura, could I use the Wood God Skill to cultivate Thunder Sound Bamboo?’
’In all these years, the Bai Family has only cultivated two stalks of Sacred Sound Bamboo, with no sign of any Thunder Sound Bamboo... Either not enough time has passed, or its being buried so deep underground makes the Bai Family disciples’ Wood God Skill inferior to that of the original Fish Dragon Sect disciples.’
A sharp glint flashed in Bai Zichen’s eyes. Even setting aside the difference in Cultivation between the Bai Family and Fish Dragon Sect disciples, the disparity in their results cultivating Spiritual Bamboo shouldn’t have been so great.
The Bai Family regarded the Wood God Skill as an ancestral Secret Technique. The revenue from their Spiritual Bamboo accounted for a large portion of the family’s income, so no disciple would neglect its practice.
For the disciples of the Fish Dragon Sect, however, it was just one of many possible paths. Fewer than one in twenty disciples actually specialized in cultivating Spiritual Bamboo.
However, since the Wood God Skill was a component of the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword, every Core Formation True Man would practice it to some degree. At the very least, they couldn’t afford to be a weak link and cause errors when cultivating that Great Divine Technique.
And yet, that small number of disciples who specialized in the Wood God Skill was enough to ensure that every Core Formation Cultivator in the Fish Dragon Sect wielded a Thunder Sound Sword, allowing the Sect to reign supreme over the Outer Sea.
’Once I have my own Spirit Vein and establish my Cave Mansion, I can consider bringing over a group of Bai Family disciples to plant a large grove of Spiritual Bamboo... I’ll have them experience the Cyan Dragon Essence Blood up close and see if it can accelerate the Spirit Plants’ growth.’
This plan could only be set in motion once he had his own territory to command and a large amount of manpower.
If he could truly cultivate Thunder Sound Bamboo, it would not only be the solution for his Tier Three Flying Sword.
The large quantities of Tier One Profound Ink Bamboo and Tier Two Sacred Sound Bamboo could also serve as practice materials for his Sword Refining Skill.
The refined Tier One and Tier Two Flying Swords could even become an additional source of Spirit Stones.
The remaining Jade Scroll, having accompanied the Cyan Dragon Essence Blood for so long, had been stained a vibrant, jade-green.
Moreover, images of flowers and plants seemed to bloom and wither in an endless cycle on the Jade Scroll’s surface.
Bai Zichen knew this wasn’t due to any mystical property of the Jade Scroll itself. Rather, it had been severely permeated by the aura of the Cyan Dragon Essence Blood Crystal Stone after being confined with it in a small space for ages.
The very nature of the Jade Scroll had changed. Heaven only knew what would happen if he tried to read its contents directly.
He dared not imagine the scene of his Sea of Consciousness turning completely green and becoming overgrown with plants.
He opened his mouth and spat a ball of Thunder Radiance directly onto the Jade Scroll, using the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo itself to combat the dense Wood Element Spiritual Power suffusing the scroll.
After a full day and night, the jade-green color on the scroll finally dissipated, and it returned to its normal appearance.
The Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo, however, had shrunk noticeably and returned wearily to his Qi Sea.
’You’ve had it rough,’ Bai Zichen thought, placating the Sword Embryo. ’But who else but you, the big brother among all my Magical Treasures, can shoulder the heaviest burdens?’
Bai Zichen soothed the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo. Since coming into his possession, it truly hadn’t known many peaceful days.
After only a short time enjoying the nourishment of his Pill Qi, it was forced back into action to face an aura on the level of a Holy Beast’s Essence Blood.
He carefully touched the scroll with his Divine Sense. A vast amount of information flooded his mind, forcing him to focus completely.
The secrets of the Fish Dragon Sect’s destruction, the full story of why the Bai Family Ancestor came to Black Mountain... even the Fish Dragon Sect’s methods for using the Holy Beast Essence Blood might be mentioned in the Jade Scroll.
’I was but a fisherman’s son who, by a stroke of heavenly luck, was noticed by my benevolent master and inducted into the Fish Dragon Sect. The waves of the Outer Sea are high, and the Demon Beasts plentiful. Any foothold on the boundless sea with even a trace of Spiritual Qi would incite brutal slaughter before its ownership could be decided...’
’It really is a Jade Scroll recorded by the Ancestor!’
Bai Zichen’s expression shifted. The opening section of the Jade Scroll bore the name Bai Mucheng, indicating it was a memoir-like record left by the Bai Family Ancestor after he arrived in Black Mountain.
Within the Fish Dragon Sect, there were twelve veins based on their inherited Cultivation Techniques, divided into the Five Manifested Veins, the Five Hidden Veins, and two Branches.
The main territories of the Ten Thousand Stars Islands were completely carved up by the Manifested and Hidden Veins. The remaining two Branches had dwindling populations and would have long been absorbed or eliminated if not for an order from the founding ancestor to preserve the integrity of the twelve veins, so they could jointly perfect the Sect’s inherited Cultivation Techniques.
Bai Mucheng and his master were essentially marginal figures within the Sect, without even a fixed island to call their own.
Bai Mucheng, who possessed a Water Element Spirit Body, reached the Foundation Establishment realm at the age of forty. By eighty, he had already achieved Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivation and was considered by his master to be the hope for their vein’s resurgence.
Just as the master and disciple, brimming with confidence, were preparing to gather Core Formation Spiritual Objects, disaster struck. A countless army of Demon Beasts descended.
The scattered garrisons and island estates of the Fish Dragon Sect fell in an instant.
With a Tier Four Shapeshifting Great Demon at the lead, how could the outer branches, overseen by Core Formation True Men at best, possibly resist? In an instant, rivers of blood flowed.
From the moment the alarm was raised to the time Hornless Dragon Island was completely besieged by countless Demon Beasts, only a few hours had passed.
The Fish Dragon Sect had dominated the Ten Thousand Stars Islands for nearly ten thousand years without facing a true test. Its reaction speed was clearly more than a step too slow, and it failed to mount any defensive preparations.
They had only half-activated the Grand Array when a colossal, nine-headed turtle with a body the size of an island appeared. Its shell was overgrown with grass and trees, complete with hills and rivers, and a great number of Demon Beasts lived upon it.
The Nine-Headed Xuan Turtle spat out myriad Water Arrows, catching Hornless Dragon Island completely off guard before the Grand Array was fully active.
Building after building collapsed. Cultivators fell wailing to the ground, and chaos erupted.
Then, a water ape a hundred zhang tall came striding across the waves, wielding a Sea-Splitting Fork and clad in Jade Wave Armor.
Over ten thousand Merfolk—possessing human faces, fish-like bodies, and both hands and feet—escorted a Crystal Platform. Reclining upon it was an ethereally beautiful Merfolk Queen whose every expression could bewitch all living things. She had already shed her fish-like lower body and was indistinguishable from a human.
Last was a giant Qiu Dragon with two horns on its head and a body covered in golden scales. Its roar shook the heavens and the earth, conjuring lightning, thunder, and a raging storm that would not cease.
This was none other than the Dragon Monarch, the most infamous Tier Four Great Demon of the Outer Sea known to human Cultivators.
He was said to possess a True Dragon Bloodline and a noble lineage, the king of all Demon Beasts in the sea.
’Just as I suspected. The Ancestor was already a Foundation Establishment Cultivator before he came to Black Mountain. The stories about finding a predecessor’s Cave Mansion and a Foundation Establishment Pill here were all just a cover to deceive others and hide his true origins... But according to the Ancestor’s account, his vein was looked down upon by the Sect. Even though his master was a Vein Master, he wasn’t part of the Fish Dragon Sect’s core leadership. So how did something as vital as the Holy Beast Essence Blood end up in his hands?’
The fragmented descriptions, combined with the scenes Bai Mucheng had recorded in the Jade Scroll from his own perspective, were enough to make Bai Zichen’s heart clench.
It was as if he had been dropped into the midst of an endless army of Demon Beasts, with four Transformed Great Demons circling, their gazes fixed hungrily upon Hornless Dragon Island’s Grand Array.
Even if the Cyan Dragon Essence Blood wasn’t especially useful to human Cultivators, its quality was undeniable. Furthermore, it was an essential ingredient for cultivating the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword and nurturing Thunder Sound Bamboo.
At a time of absolute crisis, when sending out a few disciples to preserve the Sect’s legacy, the Holy Beast Essence Blood would surely have been ranked among the top three most important items to save.
It would only have been entrusted to the most valued Core Disciples, those who carried the Fish Dragon Sect’s hopes for a future revival.
As a disciple from a mere Branch, and not even a Quasi-Core Formation Zhenren at the peak of Foundation Establishment, Bai Mucheng clearly did not meet this standard.