’My master volunteered to guard the array’s core, binding his Divine Soul to the Array. He begged the Sect Leader for a spot to ensure the continuation of our lineage, allowing me to join the secret evacuation team...’
Four Transformed Great Demons and hundreds of thousands of Demon Beasts. The Fish Dragon Sect faced the most perilous situation since its founding.
Without much hesitation, the Supreme Elder decided to select Core Disciples to flee Hornless Dragon Island with their respective lineages’ legacies and Supreme Treasures, to see how the situation would unfold.
If Hornless Dragon Island could not be defended, these Core Disciples would scatter and escape, ensuring the Fish Dragon Sect’s line would not be broken and its legacy would not be extinguished.
As long as another Nascent Soul True Monarch emerged, there was still a chance to restore the Fish Dragon Sect to its former glory.
If they managed to defend Hornless Dragon Island with the help of the Tier Four Array and the Demon Beast army retreated, that would be even better.
The Core Disciples would simply return. It would be nothing more than a false alarm and a wasted effort.
Each of the five major visible lineages chose a Core Disciple. The Hidden Vein already had disciples hiding their identities in various places, so there was no need to send anyone else.
As for the two Branches, no one even thought of them at a time like this.
Bai Mucheng’s master was an Early-Stage Core Formation Cultivator, so his words carried some weight. He traded his life for his disciple’s survival.
The other Branch only had a few Foundation Establishment Cultivators; they didn’t even have the opportunity to meet the Supreme Elder.
Five Core Disciples carrying Supreme Treasures and fundamental legacies, plus others like Bai Mucheng who were slipped in for various reasons, made for a total of fifteen people.
Using a short-distance Teleportation Array deep within the Supreme Elder’s Cave Mansion and consuming several Top-Grade Spirit Stones, the group was teleported to a desolate island several thousand miles away.
The Fish Dragon Sect had already prepared the location. The desolate island had not a single trace of Spiritual Qi and was constantly battered by tsunamis, making it uninhabitable. There was no fear of it becoming a settlement.
Several days later, an earth-shattering explosion came from the direction of Hornless Dragon Island. The sound could be heard even ten thousand miles away.
A wave of grief washed over the hearts of the fifteen disciples.
They looked at each other, all knowing full well that with the Hornless Dragon Island’s Grand Array destroyed, the Fish Dragon Sect was certainly doomed. For the Cultivators still on the island, even escape was an extravagant hope.
Without the cover of the Tier Four Array, how could the Fish Dragon Sect, with only one Nascent Soul True Monarch, possibly fend off the Demon Beast army?
The four Transformed Great Demons all possessed extraordinary bloodlines and transcendent Divine Techniques, enough to prevent a Nascent Soul True Monarch from even abandoning their physical body and escaping with their Nascent Soul.
The number of Tier Three Demon Beasts was more than ten times that of the Fish Dragon Sect’s Core Formation True Men, not to mention the countless ordinary Demon Beasts that fought with no fear of death.
Without even needing to witness it, they could imagine the horrific scene on Hornless Dragon Island.
Bai Mucheng’s heart felt as if it were being twisted by a knife, and tears streamed down his face. He had little affection for the Sect, but his master, who had given him a new life and sacrificed himself to send him off Hornless Dragon Island, was like a father to him.
After a brief period of grief, the fifteen Fish Dragon Sect disciples quickly composed themselves, split into five teams, and went their separate ways.
The Core Disciples of the five major visible lineages each led a team of two other disciples.
On their way out of the Outer Sea, they were intercepted by an endless stream of Demon Beasts and human Cultivators who had sided with the Dragon Monarch.
Before they even set foot on land, the three of them, including Bai Mucheng, were already covered in wounds and utterly exhausted.
If not for the large number of Secret Treasures in the Core Disciple’s storage bag, which they used to kill or repel their pursuers, they would not have survived.
’One night, I overheard the other two discussing abandoning me in the Outer Sea as bait to attract our pursuers... Enraged, I devised a plan to lure them into an encirclement of Merfolk, took the legacy Supreme Treasure carried by the Profound Clarity Lineage’s Core Disciple, and fled to the Northern Territory of the mainland.’
After leaving the Outer Sea and setting foot on the mainland, Bai Mucheng only dared to open the storage bag once he was sure he had shaken off his pursuers. He was shocked to discover that what he had taken was the Holy Beast Essence Blood, which the Fish Dragon Sect had enshrined for several thousand years.
Terrified, he didn’t dare to linger. He fled north until he finally stopped at Black Mountain.
Afterward, he founded the Ink Bamboo Bai Family, buried the Holy Beast Essence Blood eight hundred zhang deep beneath Hanxiu Peak, and built the Bai Clan’s Ancestral Hall on that spot ahead of time.
He then modified a Secret Technique from the Fish Dragon Sect, allowing every Bai Family disciple to be subtly influenced by the Holy Beast Essence Blood and thus master a mutated version of the Wood God Skill.
However, because Bai Mucheng himself had come into close contact with the Holy Beast Essence Blood Crystal Stone without the special gloves of the Profound Clarity Lineage’s Core Disciple, pure Wood Element Spiritual Power invaded his body.
After enduring for several decades, he could no longer bear the agony of a tree growing and blooming inside him. He severed his own heart meridian and passed away on Hanxiu Peak.
"My life’s greatest regret is failing to live up to my master’s high hopes and revive the Red Bright Lineage... That you can read this means one of my descendants has become a Core Formation Cultivator. This is a joyous occasion worthy of celebration. I have copied the Secret Technique for separating the aura of the Holy Beast Essence Blood and the Fundamental Great Method of the Red Bright Lineage at the end. I hope you can find an heir for the Red Bright Lineage, so that it may be passed down."
"As for the Fish Dragon Sect, the great cause of restoring the Sect was never expected of our Red Bright Lineage, so don’t worry too much about it... By my speculation, the Tier Four Transformed Great Demons most likely surrounded Hornless Dragon Island for the Holy Beast Essence Blood. Even in the Northern Territory, you must be careful. If it is exposed and attracts a Tier Four Demon Beast, you will never know another day of peace."
At the end of the Jade Scroll, Bai Mucheng had hastily recorded a few more lines.
Just from the words themselves, one could see the unwillingness and loneliness in his heart, his nostalgia for his master’s kindness, and his detached feelings for the Fish Dragon Sect.
Further on was a Secret Technique that could harmlessly draw a trace of the aura emitted by the Holy Beast Essence Blood and integrate it into a Cultivator’s body, allowing them to possess a different version of the Wood God Skill.
This Secret Technique required Core Formation Cultivation to be performed. That was why Bai Mucheng had simply buried the Holy Beast Essence Blood underground and, inspired by the technique, ingeniously created a similar method that allowed the Bai Family disciples to also benefit from the influence of the Holy Beast Essence Blood.
However, the Wood God Skill produced this way was far inferior to the original. This was perhaps the reason why the number of mutated, advanced Spiritual Bamboos in the Bai Family’s bamboo forest was so small, and why there was no sign of Thunder Sound Bamboo at all.
Besides the Secret Technique, there was also a Cultivation Technique from the Red Bright Lineage that led directly to the Nascent Soul realm.
There were also dozens of spells, three Divine Techniques, and another Secret Technique, encompassing the entirety of the Red Bright Lineage’s legacy.
Bai Zichen scanned it, getting a general understanding.
He wouldn’t practice them now, though. He would only consider it when he had more time in the future.
As for heirs, there were so many Bai Family disciples. He just needed to pick one or two with suitable aptitude and temperament and pass the legacy on.
That would also fulfill his ancestor’s dying wish.
’I never would have guessed. The Ancestor’s identity as a Fish Dragon Sect disciple is real. The Youlong Sect Cultivators weren’t wrong to call me a remnant of the Fish Dragon Sect—I’m the real deal... But to think the Holy Beast Essence Blood was stolen from a Core Disciple of another lineage. I wonder if those two survived. If word of this—stealing a Core Disciple’s legacy Supreme Treasure—got out, even the remaining forces of the Fish Dragon Sect would see the Bai Family as a thorn in their side and want to eliminate us immediately.’
Bai Zichen could imagine that his identity as a descendant of the Bai Family and an heir to the Red Bright Lineage would not grant him any special treatment from the disciples of the other Fish Dragon Sect lineages.
In fact, if the two disciples from the Profound Clarity Lineage hadn’t died and had spread the word about what Bai Mucheng did, their hatred for him might even surpass that of the Youlong Sect.
’I’m caught in the middle. I’ve unraveled some of the mysteries and complexities of the past... but now I find that not only have I gained no allies, I’ve instead made new enemies out of the remaining Fish Dragon Sect disciples, wherever they may be.’
Bai Zichen filled the hole back in with dirt, but the signs of digging were still clearly visible.
But everything inside had been taken. Even if someone else discovered it, what could they do? Would they really run up and question him, a Core Formation True Man?
Reaching out, he retrieved the full set of Array Banners, only to find that the fabric of two of them was slightly damaged.
He would just have to return them to Zhou Suqing and compensate her somehow.
Besides, given the power of the Holy Beast Essence Blood, he would have to set up an Array even after he secured his own territory in the future.
Otherwise, if an Azure Dragon shot into the sky every so often, wouldn’t that be announcing to the world that he possessed an uncontrollable Exotic Treasure?
Over time, there was no guarantee that news wouldn’t spread to the Outer Sea.
Given that the Youlong Sect very likely knew that a ’remnant of the Fish Dragon Sect’ had appeared and killed Meng Shigui, they would surely be paying close attention to this kind of information.
He had just reached Core Formation; the last thing he wanted was to attract enemies like the Outer Sea Ten Thousand Stars Islands and the four Transformed Great Demons for the Qingfeng Sect.
He scanned his surroundings one last time to make sure nothing related to the Holy Beast Essence Blood had been left behind, then took two steps forward and pulled out three sticks of incense.
"Ancestor, even in death, you didn’t dare leave your name on the memorial tablet, fearing it would implicate your descendants... But you still told them that you were a disciple of the Fish Dragon Sect. It’s clear you still had feelings for the Sect in your heart."
Bai Zichen lit the incense, placed it in the censer before the memorial tablet, and bowed three times.
"In any case, the Holy Beast Essence Blood is in my hands now... The Youlong Sect and those other families, including the Dragon Monarch of the seas, will surely see me as an enemy. There is no possibility of reconciliation; even if I were willing to hand over the Holy Beast Essence Blood, it wouldn’t solve the problem. When I have the strength to look down upon Nascent Soul cultivators, I will reclaim Hornless Dragon Island, move your memorial tablet back in glory, and make the Red Bright Lineage the Sect Leaders of the Fish Dragon Sect for all generations to come."
After leaving the Ancestral Hall, Bai Zichen returned to his childhood courtyard and stayed for two days, reminiscing about the past.
"How many Bai Clan Members are there now?"
Before leaving Hanxiu Peak, Bai Zichen summoned Bai Xianzhong. There were some matters he needed to entrust to the Clan Leader.
"Master Bai, there are two hundred and sixty-two members in total... Besides the Immortal Seedlings discovered through the Spirit-Guiding Ceremony, a large part of the growth comes from marriage alliances. This includes Female Cultivators from other families who married into the Bai Family, and recruited Loose Cultivators who married into the family."
Over the years, the Bai Family had survived the Ghost Spirit Sect’s attempt to annihilate them, a reclamation war, and a sect war, yet its population had still risen sharply. Aside from Master Bai’s reputation, Bai Xianzhong had done an excellent job steering the Clan.
It was worth noting that many clans that had been as strong as, or even stronger than, the Bai Family had been destroyed in the past few decades.
The Cultivation Families of Black Mountain had undergone a major reshuffling.
The current top Cultivation Family in Black Mountain, the Qingxi Huang Family, was far inferior to the former Fire Phoenix Mo Family.
They hadn’t pulled significantly ahead of the other major families.
"Not bad, but it’s still not enough... Within a few years, I will initiate a reclamation war. I will need to move at least a hundred clan members to a new Tier Three Spirit Vein to manage my assets. Therefore, I want as many of our kinsmen as possible."
Bai Zichen thought for a moment and continued:
"I will have someone deliver five thousand catties of Tier One Spirit Rice and one million catties of Mortal Rice. I hope that the next time I see you, the number of Bai Clan Members will have exceeded three hundred."
The reclamation war was inevitable. His own vital interests were at stake, so his will had to be carried out.
When a Core Formation True Man wanted to push something forward, no obstacle, no matter how difficult, was a major problem.
A reclamation war that would normally take a decade to prepare for could be shortened to just a few years. It wasn’t impossible.
"So soon!"
Bai Xianzhong’s face fell in shock. For a Cultivation Family, a reclamation war was a catastrophe. A single misstep leading to heavy casualties could cause them to lose their standing.
But he quickly realized this was a reclamation war presided over by a True Man from the Bai Family. How dangerous could it be?
It was obvious that Master Bai was looking out for his kinsmen, giving them advance notice so they could reap the profits and get a head start.