Chapter 282: The Relic Appears in the World
Five Dragon Island—since the passing away in meditation of this Long Island Lord, the Long Clan had become even more low-key.
In contrast, the situation of the Xuanyin Pavilion and the Four Seas Merchant Guild was completely different.
The Four Seas Merchant Guild relied on winning over the major clans and had even joined hands with clans from the Star Pole Sea. Its business now spanned across the two surrounding sea regions.
Although the Xuanyin Pavilion was overall inferior in strength compared to the Four Seas Merchant Guild, it had the advantage of exceptional sect cohesion, with everyone united in purpose.
In addition, it possessed a stable rear base in the Seven Kingdoms, continuously supplying fresh blood and steadily strengthening its power.
The former Seven Kingdoms Alliance, after years of development, had either declined, barely maintained its situation, or fallen into internal and external troubles. Now it could already be considered existing in name only.
As for the turbulence of the situation, Lin Changan, merely a small early Core Formation Cultivator, was completely incapable of influencing the overall structure.
Moreover, he was currently in seclusion within his Cave Abode, wholeheartedly refining his life-bound magical artifact.
……
On this day, three young people wearing the Xuanyin Pavilion disciple robes arrived at the foot of Celestial Spring Peak—two men and one woman.
“Disciples of the Xuanyin Pavilion of Yue Kingdom, Shen Zhuang, Li Tianmo, and Zhou Bingxuan, request to meet Senior Lin.”
They were the grandchildren generation of Shen Fan and Li Yifan, along with Zhou Bingxuan of the Zhou Clan.
The three had traveled a long and dusty road, having just arrived aboard a merchant ship of the Xuanyin Pavilion. Along the way they had witnessed the true sky of the World of Cultivation, and the shock in their eyes had yet to subside.
Originally, when the three first traveled together, there had been a slight sense of competition.
But after witnessing this far broader world—
As well as the presence of such a spiritual vein that merely formed a Cave Abode, and the busy figures beneath the mountain whose cultivation levels were all Late Qi Refinement cultivators—
The three were secretly alarmed. For a moment they discarded their earlier competitive mindset and instead began to stick together.
“So you are the descendants of my master’s old acquaintances from Yue Kingdom?”
A sword gleam flashed.
A Sword Attendant in dark-green combat attire suddenly appeared before them. In the distance, quite a few busy figures curiously glanced toward them.
“Master!?”
The three widened their eyes in shock.
The cold and beautiful woman before them emitted a terrifying aura of Sword Intent. They immediately realized she was a Foundation Establishment senior—perhaps even no weaker than their own grandfathers.
Yet such a powerful Foundation Establishment senior actually referred to the Senior Lin they came to visit as her master.
At that moment, all the small thoughts in the hearts of the three instantly vanished.
Only fear remained—and the anxiety of making a mistake.
“Senior… these are the tokens of the three of us.”
At this moment none of them dared to act arrogantly. Before departing, their clan elders had already warned them repeatedly—never rely on this thin relationship to act recklessly.
Because this connection was extremely faint.
The Sword Attendant raised her hand indifferently.
The tokens in the three youths’ hands instantly flew into her palm.
She lowered her head to glance at them.
They contained their master’s handwriting, as well as his familiar mana fluctuation. Only then did the coldness in the Sword Attendant’s brows soften slightly.
“Master is currently in seclusion cultivating. Follow me inside first.”
Her speech was concise, never wasting words.
She already knew of this matter. When her master wrote the letters previously, he did not avoid her presence and even reminded her of this before entering seclusion.
“Many thanks, Senior.”
The three finally breathed a sigh of relief and followed the Foundation Establishment senior into this legendary Core Formation Cultivator’s Cave Abode.
Yet once they truly entered, they were even more stunned by the scenes before them.
The Silver River Waterfall cascaded down, and a pool surrounded by dense spiritual energy lay below. From time to time silver-scaled fish leaped playfully in the water. On the cliff walls grew rare flowers and spirit fruits.
These spirit fruits and spirit plants left the three dry-mouthed with astonishment.
Even in their own clans they had never seen such extravagance.
These were rare spiritual plants that could even stir greed in Foundation Establishment cultivators.
After bringing the three into the cultivation grounds, the Sword Attendant spoke in her cold voice while introducing the place.
“The rare flowers and fruits on the cliffs in all directions were personally selected spiritual plants by my master. These locations are the most spiritually concentrated points of the mountain range.
At the same time, they form a complementary unity with the Mountain Protection Formation…”
The rare plants on the cliffs were integrated with the Mountain Protection Formation.
Anyone who touched them recklessly—even a Foundation Establishment cultivator—would die.
Who would dare to cause trouble?
Meanwhile, the cultivators who had lived here for more than ten or twenty years all watched this scene in surprise.
This was the first time they had seen the Sword Attendant personally introducing the place to newcomers.
Immediately, many thoughts began stirring in their minds.
“That area is the spirit field, and the peach blossom garden. Over there is… within the mountain there are also many spiritually intelligent birds and beasts being raised…”
The three were dazzled the entire way.
The shock in their eyes never faded.
So this was the cultivation ground of a Core Formation Cultivator!
Before arriving they had already imagined it many times.
But they never expected reality to differ so drastically from their imagination.
“On Celestial Spring Peak, without the master’s command, no one may ascend the peak. Violators will be killed!”
After finishing the introduction, the Sword Attendant coldly explained the rules here.
The three shuddered and hurriedly nodded. None of them dared to act recklessly.
“Very well. After the master exits seclusion I will arrange matters for you. During this period you will cultivate below the mountain. Someone will make the arrangements.”
Afterward, the Sword Attendant turned toward a female cultivator surnamed Mei at the Ninth Level of Qi Refinement and gave instructions.
The Mei-surnamed female cultivator smiled and led the three away to arrange their accommodations.
Meanwhile, the Sword Attendant directly rode her sword toward the mountain summit.
“You three come with me. At the foot of the mountain we have built pavilion residences. True Person Lin prefers quietness, so normally just avoid making any loud disturbances.
Also, the spiritual energy here is extremely dense. Previously my elder sister cultivated here for ten years and then returned home to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. Only then did it become my turn to come here.”
This beautiful Mei-surnamed female cultivator in her early thirties smiled as she explained.
Although Lin Changan devoted himself to cultivation, the nearby cultivation clans around Celestial Spring Peak always maintained one or two talented clan disciples here to serve.
Of course, Lin Changan’s place was not a charity hall.
While enjoying this blessed cultivation land, those clans had to pay Spirit Stones every year.
Moreover, those clan members who came here to serve all possessed some form of skill.
Some were skilled at cultivating spiritual plants, while others were skilled at raising spiritual birds.
Only through this did the place become a scene resembling a secluded immortal mountain.
“Many thanks, Senior Sister Mei.”
The three were clever and showed humble smiles, but bitterness inevitably arose in their hearts.
At this moment they felt the disparity between themselves and this place.
Aside from a trace of ancestral friendship, they seemed to have nothing else to offer.
After some conversation, the Mei-surnamed female cultivator learned about their connection with True Person Lin and became even friendlier.
“Junior Brother and Junior Sister, do not worry. During this period while True Person Lin is in seclusion, my Mei Clan understands some techniques for cultivating spiritual fish.
If you do not mind, aside from cultivation you may follow me and learn these techniques.”
“Many thanks, Senior Sister Mei.”
Within moments the three had already become friendly with the Mei-surnamed female cultivator.
Meanwhile, on the mountain summit, the Sword Attendant stood outside a pavilion, coldly observing everything below.
For her, as long as nothing disturbed her master, it was enough.
……
Earthfire Cavern.
At this moment Lin Changan’s gaze was blazing.
As he formed hand seals, the formation plate beneath him surrounding the Fusang Divine Tree continuously spewed terrifying flames.
The entire Earthfire Cavern was illuminated.
“Master, at least leave a little behind…”
Outside the formation barrier, the Wind-Chirp Bird watched pitifully as the Fusang Tree burned in the towering flames.
Its eyes revealed reluctance and sorrow.
Its bird nest!
It was about to disappear!
What could be more cruel than watching one’s own nest being burned away?
“The Sun-Piercing Divine Sword can finally be refined!”
Lin Changan revealed a smile.
He cut his wrist, and the final offering of essence blood scattered onto the Fusang Divine Tree.
In the next moment the essence blood transformed into strange runes that slowly seeped into the tree.
Lin Changan then took a deep breath.
A Spirit Stone appeared in his palm, and he swallowed a pill that strengthened the foundation and stabilized vital energy.
The amount of essence blood consumed in this blood sacrifice alone—
If it were an ordinary Core Formation Cultivator, their face would turn pale and they would need at least a year or more to recover.
But for Lin Changan’s Regenerative Body, such loss of vitality could recover quickly as long as sufficient nourishment was provided.
For example: demon beast essence blood, foundation-strengthening pills, spirit herbs, and spirit fruits.
All of these were great tonics.
The strength of the Regenerative Body lay not only in recovery, but also in its powerful absorption and conversion ability.
Even among demon beasts, this physique was extremely terrifying.
Among high-level demon beasts, it was said that in the outer sea there was a shape-shifting great turtle possessing this Regenerative Body, which once used it to withstand three Nascent Soul old demons simultaneously.
“The method of blood sacrifice to refine a life-bound magical artifact—aside from me, other Core Formation cultivators probably couldn’t endure it.”
Looking at the Fusang Divine Tree within the sea of fire, Lin Changan smiled.
Just this blood sacrifice alone—he had fed the tree with essence blood for over twenty years.
An ordinary Core Formation cultivator would require two to three hundred years to achieve the same.
Now he could already faintly sense a spiritual connection between himself and the Fusang Divine Tree.
At the same time he felt fortunate.
Fortunately, the Fusang Divine Tree had been eroded by demonic energy, greatly damaging its spirituality.
If it were in its peak condition, twenty years would never have been enough for him to establish spiritual resonance through blood sacrifice.
“The Fusang Divine Tree is now spiritually linked with me. Next comes the most crucial step—refining it into a life-bound magical artifact.”
Lin Changan took a deep breath.
He did not rush.
Instead, he continued to maintain the formation and the power of the earthfire.
At the same time he used his pill fire to control the process while restoring his mana and physical condition to their peak.
【Second-rank High-grade Artifact Refiner (Grandmaster 102/5000)】
Although his artifact refinement skill was only Second-rank High-grade, with the assistance of the formation and earthfire he could completely refine a life-bound magical artifact.
Moreover, his refining method differed from ordinary magical artifact refinement.
Artifact refinement techniques were merely auxiliary.
The true core was still his blood sacrifice method and the life feedback from the Mysterious Sky Immortal Vine.
Two full months later, Lin Changan slowly opened his eyes.
“Life-bound magical artifact… begin!”
The pill fire in his mouth surged violently.
Yet the Fusang Divine Tree was the legendary divine tree where the Great Sun rested. These blazing flames only enhanced its power.
Lin Changan remained calm.
His hands formed seals, and from his dantian emerged his life-bound spirit plant—the Mysterious Sky Immortal Vine.
Under the activation of secret techniques, the vine released green mana filled with life force, which slowly poured into the Fusang Divine Tree.
The tree began trembling.
Strangely, it showed signs of melting.
It was not melted by flames.
Rather, Lin Changan himself was drenched in sweat, pain filling his brows.
The Fusang Divine Tree had already been refined by him—it could now be considered his life-bound magical artifact.
But it was still only a semi-finished product.
The melting was actually the process of him shaping the magical artifact itself.
The blazing flames supplied the immense fire-attribute spiritual energy required for shaping.
The Mysterious Sky Immortal Vine supplied endless life force to maintain the vitality consumed during the process.
During this stage, Lin Changan endured indescribable pain.
After all, the Fusang Divine Tree was spiritually connected with him.
Outside the barrier, the Wind-Chirp Bird watched with tearful eyes as its nest melted away.
Meanwhile, within the melting Fusang Divine Tree, the black demonic energy embedded within remained like parasites on bone—showing no sign of purification.
He simply lacked the ability to purify all the demonic energy at once.
For now he could only refine the tree into his life-bound magical artifact and purify the demonic energy gradually later.
Moreover, once purified, the demonic energy would become an excellent body-refinement resource.
So it was not a loss.
Time slowly passed.
Finally, in the third month—
“It’s time to shape it!”
After months of torment, Lin Changan seemed to have grown accustomed to the pain.
Or perhaps the joy of imminent success had replaced the suffering.
His hands rapidly formed seals.
Two leaves of the Mysterious Sky Immortal Vine trembled, and a light curtain appeared.
Within the curtain appeared thirty-six illusory sword shadows.
All had identical sword shapes.
Yet inside each sword blade were slightly different intricate runes.
“Go!”
With Lin Changan pointing his sword finger—
Thirty-six sword shadows shot toward the Fusang Divine Tree like sword gleams.
The now-liquid Fusang Divine Tree began compressing to its limit, forming within the thirty-six sword shadows.
At that moment the formation erupted with blinding light, while the earthfire surged into a terrifying sea of flames.
Under such reckless expenditure of resources, the magma below—once boiling and bubbling—began visibly dimming.
Soon it cooled and solidified into black rock.
The earthfire below had been drained of too much fire-attribute spiritual energy.
Even nearby Blazing Fire Peak was affected, as the two spiritual peaks were secretly connected.
All the fire-attribute spiritual energy poured into the thirty-six sword shadows.
Two months later—
Within the sea of fire, thirty-six completed swords floated.
Lin Changan’s exhausted face finally revealed a rare smile.
“It’s almost complete!”
For such a long time he had not only compressed the material—
He had also carved onto each flying sword the exact same formation runes reflected by the Mysterious Sky Immortal Leaf’s sword shadows.
Not only externally, but even the microscopic internal runes and formation patterns were identical.
……
While Lin Changan was in seclusion refining his life-bound magical artifact, the outside world was far from peaceful.
The Five Dragon Island Sea Region lay in the remote outer sea of the Bihai Palace’s Seventy-two Islands and was connected to the Fog Sea of Tongtian.
On this day, the sea region between Five Dragon Island and the Fog Sea of Tongtian suddenly changed violently.
“What’s happening!?”
“Oh no—Heavenly Wind! Everyone take cover!”
Passing cultivators panicked and quickly hid on nearby islands, setting up formations.
Just as they believed they were encountering Heavenly Wind—
The sea suddenly churned.
Then from the dark seabed burst terrifying red light.
Under the horrified gazes of the cultivators, countless sea beasts and fish rushed out of the water in panic.
The earth shook and the mountains trembled.
Terrifying magma erupted from the seabed.
At that moment even Third-rank Demon Beasts appeared tiny and fragile before such natural disaster.
The catastrophe came quickly—and disappeared just as quickly.
On distant barren islands, the soot-covered cultivators shouted frantically.
“Raise the mana shields!”
The seawater had begun boiling.
Countless cooked sea beast corpses floated on the surface.
Then the surviving cultivators stared blankly into the distance.
After the explosion, a spiritual island emitting radiant glow rose from beneath the sea.
Upon closer inspection, the island was covered with ferocious statues that seemed to radiate a terrifying sinister aura.
Yet in the eyes of the surviving cultivators, overwhelming ecstasy appeared.
“Haha! This is an ancient cultivator’s Cave Abode—there’s no mistake! Fortune! This is a heaven-defying opportunity!”
“Charge!”
Countless cultivators blinded by greed rushed toward the island.
At that moment they deliberately ignored the terrifying statues on the island.
They also ignored the countless sea beast corpses scattered everywhere.
However, just as those cultivators approached—
A sinister white mist suddenly appeared around the island.
After that, there was no longer any movement.
“Run! Run quickly!”
Some injured cultivators who had been unable to rush forward now trembled in terror.
They no longer regretted anything.
Instead, they felt lucky they had been injured.
The boiling sea gradually cooled.
The countless demon beast corpses attracted nearby demon beasts, which swarmed over greedily.
This was a rare feast.