"Danger! Sieve Constellation City's grand array has been breached by a demonic cultivator. Requesting sect reinforcement!"
"Danger! The City Lord of Sieve Constellation City was instantly killed by the demonic cultivator. Requesting sect reinforcement!!"
"Danger! The demonic cultivator intends to slaughter the city. Requesting the Grand Elder's immediate reinforcement!!!"
Heavenly Azure Sect soon received the transmission. Understanding the gravity of the situation, the Heavenly Azure Sect's Sect Master, Xi Fengyue, immediately forwarded the message to the Grand Elder.
On a certain mountain peak within the Heavenly Azure Sect, spiritual energy swirled in a dense mist.
The scenery here was beautiful, and from the summit, one could gaze out over a vast sea of clouds.
On the eastern edge of the peak lay a sheer cliff.
Beneath a thousand-year-old pine tree near the edge, an old man sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, meditating peacefully. He wore a dark Daoist robe edged in gold, and though his hair and beard were completely white, his complexion was as ruddy as a youth's.
Suddenly.
"Such audacity!"
"Fengyue, I will handle this matter personally. You stay behind and guard the sect!"
"Yes, Grand Elder!"
In the sect's main hall, Xi Fengyue received the voice transmission and bowed deeply into the empty air toward the mountain peak.
Grand Elder Xi Daoyun transformed into a streak of rainbow light, departing from the Heavenly Azure Sect in the blink of an eye.
Cultivating divine abilities was an arduous task. Golden Core cultivators typically focused on mastering just one, whereas those in the Nascent Soul stage would branch out into multiple divine abilities, with Evasion Divine Abilities naturally being indispensable.
Xi Daoyun had already cultivated his Golden Light Rainbow Transformation divine ability to the stage of major success.
Although Sieve Constellation City was quite a distance away, it would take him less than fifteen minutes to arrive.
By this time, Sieve Constellation City had already descended into a living hell.
Tianluo casually swung his axe, unleashing hundreds and thousands of axe phantoms. Wherever the strikes landed, all houses and buildings were annihilated; even the defensive restrictions on pavilions and shops could not withstand the onslaught.
Even when cultivators desperately raised their defensive dharma tools, the artifacts were instantly cleaved in two.
The cultivators themselves were similarly torn apart in a spray of blood and flesh.
Worse yet, the essence blood and divine souls of all the deceased immortal cultivators seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, flying straight toward Tianluo.
He slaughtered his way through the city as if traversing an empty land. Wherever his footsteps fell, continuous wails of agony followed.
The muscles on Tianluo's arms continuously bulged as he danced with his twin axes like a violent gale. Every chop and slash brought down swaths of cultivators.
Some cultivators had their internal organs shattered by the sheer pressure of the axe, bleeding from all their orifices as they died, while others were cleanly sliced in half.
In some gruesome instances, Tianluo simply reached out, grabbed a cultivator by the head, and squeezed his fingers, crushing the skull with a sickening crack.
In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, over ten thousand cultivators had perished. Their essence blood pooled into crimson streams that flowed into Tianluo's body, nourishing his physical form.
A few attempted to fight back, launching dharma tool after dharma tool at Tianluo, but they could not even scratch his armor!
Even strikes that landed squarely on his head only managed to sever a few strands of hair.
The terrifying resilience of a third-tier demonic physique was far beyond what Foundation Establishment and Qi Condensation cultivators could fathom.
Moreover, his demonic physique was not merely at the early stage of the third tier.
Tianluo let out a low roar. A demonic sonic divine ability pierced the ears of everyone nearby. Within a radius of several miles, the divine souls of low-level cultivators violently trembled. They collapsed to the ground, bleeding from their facial orifices, completely devoid of any ability to resist.
Nearly fifteen minutes later.
A third of Sieve Constellation City had been decimated, and the number of cultivators who had died at Tianluo's hands numbered in the hundreds of thousands.
For an absolute powerhouse, as long as they were given the time, massacring an entire city was dreadfully easy.
A moment later.
A brilliant ray of golden light suddenly shot across the distant horizon. Moving as fast as a meteor chasing the moon, it carried the majestic pressure unique to a Nascent Soul cultivator, crossing dozens of miles in an instant to descend upon Sieve Constellation City!
The golden light landed and dissipated, revealing an old man wearing a dark Daoist robe with gold trimmings.
It was Xi Daoyun, who had rushed here in a hurry!
The moment he stepped into the airspace above the city, his brows knitted together in shock at the tragic sight before him.
The area was littered with corpses, and blood literally flowed like rivers.
Wails of despair echoed from every corner, and countless people were grievously wounded.
The thick stench of blood mixed with foul demonic energy soared into the heavens. The entire city had practically been reduced to a purgatory on earth!
"How dare you, you wretched brat!"
Xi Daoyun bellowed furiously. His voice boomed like rolling thunder, shaking the surrounding ruins and broken walls until they trembled.
"You arrived quite quickly, old dog. I was hoping to wipe the place clean." Tianluo smirked wickedly, completely unbothered by the new arrival.
Gold-element spiritual power surged around Xi Daoyun. With a flick of his sleeve robe, a golden flying sword about a meter long flew out.
This blade was named Geng Metal. The body of the sword shimmered with brilliant golden light and was engraved with intricate patterns. Radiating extreme sharpness, it instantly exuded an oppressive aura that felt capable of slicing through the very air.
"Wind Severing!"
Xi Daoyun roared, channeling his sword art. The Geng Metal Sword explosively grew to over a dozen meters in size.
The golden radiance on the blade intensified. Carrying the majestic might to cleave heaven and earth, it struck toward Tianluo like a bolt of golden lightning!
Seeing this, Tianluo's expression grew slightly serious, but he made no attempt to dodge.
His third-tier demonic physique erupted with full force. A wave of demonic pressure surged into the sky, dyeing the heavens dark.
Looking like a demonic god, he gripped his axes with both hands and hacked at the incoming sword light.
Axe phantoms wrapped in demonic flames manifested and instantly collided with the sword light.
Boom!
A deafening explosion shook heaven and earth!
Xi Daoyun felt a wave of shock wash over him when he saw the opponent actually block his furious strike.
The fundamental difference between Nascent Soul and Golden Core mana was nearly tenfold, and the power of his sword art far exceeded anything a Golden Core cultivator could produce.
Furthermore, he had used his natal high-grade flying sword magic treasure.
Having nurtured it for over a thousand years, its sharpness was terrifyingly lethal, something ordinary high-grade magic treasures could never compare to.
The clash of the two attacks eclipsed the sun, and the shockwaves easily shattered the clouds for dozens of miles in every direction.
A moment later.
The black flames of the axe phantom were pulverized by the golden sword light. The residual sword aura slammed into Tianluo, sending him flying backward for hundreds of meters.
The sword's gleam carved a long fissure across his armor.
Soon, fresh blood began to seep out.
"You only have the strength of the peak early-stage Nascent Soul realm, but you live up to the title of a sword cultivator. Your attack was truly tyrannical!"
Showing no signs of waning strength, Tianluo used the momentum to transform into a streak of escaping light and fled into the distance.
"What a powerful physique!"
"Just what is this man's background?"
"His strength is probably nearing the level of someone who has just entered the Nascent Soul stage!"
Xi Daoyun did not spare another glance at the state of Sieve Constellation City. His figure flickered, turning into a ray of rainbow light as he gave chase.
After pursuing for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, Xi Daoyun realized he had not managed to close the distance between them at all. Alarmed once more, he muttered, "A major success level evasion divine ability?!"
"Let's see just how long your mana can hold out!"
Another fifteen minutes passed.
They arrived near the Thousand Stone Forest.
"Could this man be from the Greedy Wolf Prefecture?!"
"Impossible! Not even the Profound Moon Sect could foster such a world-shaking figure!"
Without time to overthink it, Xi Daoyun immediately projected his voice, "Everyone stationed at the Thousand Stone Forest, heed my command! Intercept the demonic cultivator fleeing toward you! This man just slaughtered hundreds of thousands of cultivators in Sieve Constellation City!"
True Lord Green Wood instantly recognized the voice of the Nascent Soul Grand Elder, but the message itself struck terror into his heart.
"Sieve Constellation City was slaughtered? How is that possible?"
A dozen Golden Core cultivators turned to look, only to see a streak of black light speeding toward them from a distance.
The oppressive aura radiating from that black streak filled everyone with trembling dread!
"Those who block me will die!"
The ferocious bellow completely paralyzed the crowd, preventing anyone from making a move.
"Green Wood, strike now!"
True Lord Green Wood urgently shouted, "Fellow Daoists, aid me in intercepting this man! The Grand Elder is just a short distance behind him. As long as we delay him, the Grand Elder will personally cut him down!"
True Lord Green Wood activated the Myriad Wood Ruler. Xu Chuan unleashed his Flourishing Glory Seal. The rest of the cultivators similarly summoned their magic treasures and divine abilities, bombarding the incoming black light simultaneously.
"You're courting death!"
Tianluo was running low on mana due to constantly pushing his evasion divine ability to its limits, but the black-flamed axe arcs he violently swung still managed to block the collective assault.
However, the resulting shockwaves halted his escape.
Enraged, Tianluo immediately singled out one person and chopped down with his axe. By pure coincidence, his target was Xu Chuan.
Shocked, Xu Chuan quickly opened the Azure Dragon Treasure Umbrella, casting a pale azure defensive light screen over himself.
Yet, beneath the black-flamed axe strike, the extraordinarily sturdy defensive screen instantly fractured with dozens of spiderweb-like cracks.
The crowd stared in utter disbelief.
What kind of monster was this?!
Everyone immediately retreated far away, not daring to approach. Had any of them taken that attack head-on, they would have likely been killed on the spot.
Tianluo was equally taken aback. He had just wanted to randomly select an early-stage Golden Core cultivator to kill and establish dominance, but he had managed to pick a tough nut possessing a high-grade magic treasure?
'An early-stage Golden Core cultivator wielding a high-grade magic treasure? Who exactly is this guy?'
As he pondered, Xi Daoyun arrived from the distance.
Tianluo turned to look. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Xi Daoyun, gripping the golden flying sword, slash a blinding beam of sword light at him.
"Sect Master, if you don't make a move now, your elder is going to die!"
Before his words even faded.
A thunderous boom echoed through the air.
The defensive array screen of the Thousand Stone Forest shattered on the spot. A streak of black light flew in, accompanied by a booming, hearty laugh. "Fellow Daoist Xi, as a Nascent Soul senior, how can you shamelessly attack a Golden Core junior?
Let this Qi keep you company for a battle instead."
The sword light Xi Daoyun had unleashed was instantly crushed by the incoming black light.
Following that, a burly, black-haired middle-aged man appeared, leading a group of cultivators from the Greedy Wolf Prefecture!
"Qi Tianxiong! To openly tear through my sect's defensive array, are you planning to enter the fray yourself?"
"Fellow Daoist Xi, your words are entirely mistaken. If I were truly joining the battle, I'd do far more than just break a defensive array. I am simply here to pick up a sect elder of mine."
"He belongs to your Greedy Wolf Sect? How is that possible? I've never even heard of him!" Xi Daoyun frowned deeply.
"Do you truly believe you know everything about my sect, Fellow Daoist Xi? Why couldn't he be a hidden prodigy we've been nurturing in secret?
As for you, Fellow Daoist Xi, hunting down my sect's elder? You must give me an explanation for this."
"An explanation!" Xi Daoyun snorted coldly. "He massacred an entire city in my Heavenly Azure Prefecture. Should I not kill him?"
"Is that so? Elder Tianluo, didn't this Sect Master warn you not to leave until you reached the Nascent Soul stage? You are hereby sentenced to face the wall in confinement for three years. Any objections?"
The corners of Tianluo's mouth curled up. He cupped his fists and said, "I strictly obey the Sect Master's command."
"You think you can brush it off just like that?"
"What else do you want, Fellow Daoist Xi?" Qi Tianxiong smiled faintly. "How about this: I will order my forces at Grand Harmony Lake and Heavenly Gate Pass to withdraw to Greedy Wolf Prefecture. We won't attack Heavenly Azure Prefecture for three years.
Fellow Daoist Xi, you should be satisfied with this, right?
If this is still unacceptable, then I suppose I will just have to fight you."
Xi Daoyun glared at Qi Tianxiong, then shifted his gaze to Tianluo. His brows knit tightly. A moment later, he declared, "Fine! Your Greedy Wolf Prefecture will withdraw and won't attack my Heavenly Azure Prefecture for three years. In exchange, this man may leave!"
"Excellent!" Qi Tianxiong offered a slight smile. Flinging his sleeve robe, he commanded, "Let's go!"
Watching them depart, True Lord Green Wood felt utterly indignant. He turned to Xi Daoyun and began, "Grand Elder..."
He had barely spoken when Xi Daoyun raised a hand to cut him off. "That Greedy Wolf Sect elder named Tianluo is not a simple character. Even with very little mana left, none of you here could have stopped him."
"He truly has such capability?"
"You all attacked him together just now, yet failed to inflict any heavy injuries. Isn't it obvious?" Xi Daoyun sighed. "Have our people repair the defensive array screen. Leave only one Golden Core cultivator and a portion of the disciples here to guard it.
As for the rest, let them all return."
"Yes, Grand Elder."
With a deeply displeased expression, Xi Daoyun transformed into a golden rainbow streak and departed.
As for Xu Chuan, he stroked his chin, lost in thought.
True Lord Green Wood flew over, asking curiously, "Fellow Daoist Kurong, what are you thinking about?"
"That person just now... he gave me a familiar feeling."
"You mean that Greedy Wolf Sect elder named Tianluo?"
Xu Chuan nodded slightly.
"Where have you seen him before?"
"I don't think I've seen him before, but there's a certain familiarity about him."
True Lord Green Wood shook his head with a chuckle and patted Xu Chuan's shoulder. "Fellow Daoist Kurong, you can head back and think on it slowly. For now, this battle is finally over.
However, three years from now... that is when the real war will begin!"
Immediately after, he added half-jokingly, "Fellow Daoist Kurong, you aren't thinking of defecting to the Greedy Wolf Sect, are you?"
"How could I?" Xu Chuan offered a faint smile.
"Then this old man can rest easy. If a prodigy like you defected to the Greedy Wolf Sect, our Heavenly Azure Sect would truly have a massive headache on our hands!"
'Is that a warning?'
Xu Chuan thought to himself.
True Lord Green Wood left to formally announce the end of the battle, prompting countless people to burst into cheers.
Xu Deyue and Ye Fan quickly flew to Xu Chuan's side.
After hearing Xu Chuan's observations, the two of them recalled Tianluo's voice, appearance, and demeanor, and they too felt a slight sense of incongruity and familiarity.
"We'll discuss this when we get back."
Several hours later.
Ximen Xue deployed a magic skiff, and Xu Chuan's group boarded to return with them.
In this battle at the Thousand Stone Forest, Heavenly Azure Prefecture did not lose a single Golden Core cultivator, though quite a few Foundation Establishment cultivators had perished.
More than half of the Foundation Establishment cultivators who had accompanied them from Cloudstream Town were killed.
As for the other two locations, two early-stage Golden Core cultivators died at Grand Harmony Lake, one from Heavenly Azure Prefecture and one from Greedy Wolf Prefecture, perishing in mutual destruction.
At Heavenly Gate Pass, one early-stage Golden Core cultivator from the Greedy Wolf Prefecture was killed.
In terms of battle results, the Thousand Stone Forest naturally secured the greatest victory. After all, even with two True Lord-level powerhouses from the Greedy Wolf Sect present, they still managed to slay a late-stage Golden Core demonic cultivator.
However, in light of the massacre at Sieve Constellation City, no one felt any joy upon hearing the news.
"Fellow Daoist Kurong, I intend to visit Sieve Constellation City first to assess the situation before escorting you back to Cloudstream Town. What do you think?"
"I also plan to take a look at Sieve Constellation City. Once there, I can lead the people of Cloudstream Town back myself. There's no need to trouble you further, Fellow Daoist Ximen."
"It's no trouble at all. We have you to thank for this, Fellow Daoist Kurong. Otherwise, the Thousand Stone Forest would have suffered disastrous losses, and this old man might have been severely wounded as well."
Seeing Ximen Xue insist, Xu Chuan no longer refused. He cupped his fists and said, "Then I will have to impose on you, Fellow Daoist Ximen."
A day later.
In the sky above Sieve Constellation City.
Upon seeing the tragic sight below, lingering fear gripped everyone's hearts.
If Tianluo had targeted Corner Constellation City or Horn Constellation City instead, the outcome would not have been any better.
Even if the Golden Core cultivators of the seven cities hadn't left their posts, they likely wouldn't have been able to stop such a tragedy.
Ximen Xue sighed deeply. "The sheer ruthlessness of demonic cultivators violates the harmony of heaven. If they truly take control of the Heavenly Azure Prefecture, none of us will have a good life."
Xu Chuan swept the area with his divine sense and noticed some peculiar details. "This matter is probably not that simple."
"Did you find something, Fellow Daoist Kurong?"
"It's hard to say. But after this incident, the grand arrays of all seven cities will likely need to be upgraded. If something like this happens again, the cultivators of Heavenly Azure Prefecture will probably all flee!"
"Indeed. A mid-grade tier-three grand array couldn't stop that man; they will have to be upgraded to high-grade tier-three. I suspect the aristocratic families of all seven cities will band together to pressure the Heavenly Azure Sect into action.
Why don't you join us, Fellow Daoist Kurong?
You could have the Heavenly Azure Sect install a high-grade tier-three grand array for the entirety of Cloudstream Town."
"Let's discuss that later."
Afterward, Ximen Xue safely escorted Xu Chuan's group back to Cloudstream Town before returning to Horn Constellation City.
As for the immortal cultivators from Corner Constellation City and Heart Constellation City, they also disembarked the magic skiff at Cloudstream Town.
After all, it wasn't too far from their respective cities, only a few hundred miles away.
For slaying a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, Xu Chuan was entitled to the high-grade magic treasure promised by the Heavenly Azure Sect. He was in no rush for it, expecting the sect to send someone to negotiate with him soon.
At this moment, he was in his study, conversing with Xu Mingxian, Xu Deling, and the others.
"Father, according to your guess, that person named Tianluo from the Greedy Wolf Sect is also an Ancient True Demon?"
"It's highly likely," Xu Chuan nodded.
"If that's the case, then your granddaughter has an excuse to request the Heavenly Foundry Sect's intervention in this matter," Xu Deling suggested.
"There's no need for the Heavenly Foundry Sect to get involved. If my guess is correct, Tianluo's status is even higher than Yeluomo's, the one we killed previously.
He might be an Ancient True Demon at the peak of the Divine Transformation stage, or perhaps even the Void Refinement stage.
He definitely reached some sort of agreement with the Greedy Wolf Sect.
For example, the Greedy Wolf Sect provides him with bodies for possession and fully assists him in recovering his strength, while he helps the Greedy Wolf Sect dominate the Northwest Region."
"Making deals with Ancient True Demons is no different from asking a tiger for its skin!" Ye Fan exclaimed.
"Exactly," Xu Chuan agreed, nodding. "However, it does give us an exploitable opportunity. The Profound Moon Sect normally wouldn't interfere with the conflicts between prefectures and factions, but it changes when an Ancient True Demon is involved.
Especially an Ancient True Demon who has possessed a body, cultivated again, and reached the Nascent Soul level."
"Father, do you wish to kill with a borrowed knife?"
"Indeed. But the timing of borrowing that knife is crucial; it must be done in a way that maximizes the Xu Family's benefits."
Xu Mingxian smiled faintly. "Then the best time would naturally be at the critical moment when the Heavenly Azure Sect is defeated. Ideally, when the Heavenly Azure Prefecture falls into a state where it lacks any Nascent Soul cultivators."
"Not quite!" The corners of Xu Chuan's mouth lifted slightly. "Your father has his own plans for this matter."
"However, there is something I should warn you about in advance. Within three years, another Nascent Soul power will emerge in the Heavenly Azure Prefecture."
Xu Mingxian, Xu Deling, and Ye Fan and his wife all showed expressions of shock.
In the current Heavenly South, a Nascent Soul power was considered a truly major force. The emergence of a new one would inevitably trigger massive upheavals.
This included the redistributing of territories, allocating of resources, and so forth.
"Father, how do you know? Which faction is it?"
"The Mo Family," Xu Chuan replied. "The Mo Clan Ancestor is a True Lord-level powerhouse at the Golden Core Perfection stage. He keeps a low profile, wholeheartedly planning for his Nascent Soul formation.
The last time I visited the Jade Bamboo Secret Realm, I traded a Nascent Soul opportunity with him.
He must have already entered seclusion to attempt his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage. Perhaps in a year or two, the phenomena for Nascent Soul formation will occur."
"Does Father trust him that much?"
"It's not about trust, but rather a profound intuition. I feel that a man like Mo Wentian will successfully form his Nascent Soul!"
"After all, opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared!"
"Grandfather, what should our Xu Family do next?" Xu Deling asked.
"No wars will break out for three years, so the Xu Family's businesses will proceed as usual. Mingxian, you will have to work a bit harder. Restructure those five tier-two spirit veins and prepare for any sudden changes so we can evacuate at a moment's notice.
Spirit veins are precious. If we can take them with us, we absolutely must pack them up. That way, if we have to relocate, we can rapidly rebuild the Xu Family elsewhere."
"Extracting and relocating spirit veins is highly troublesome. I'll think of a way to resolve this using formations," Xu Mingxian replied after a brief moment of thought.
Xu Chuan smiled and nodded, then turned his gaze to Xu Deling. "Deling, you will continue refining large magic skiffs. Take a trip to Profound Moon City every half a year to purchase artificing materials, formation materials, and the like.
If you leave the Heavenly Azure Prefecture right now, the Greedy Wolf Sect will not dare to intercept you out of respect for the Heavenly Foundry Sect.
Afterward, you will stay at the Profound Moon Sect and await my news. When the time is right, your grandfather will crush the divine sense jade pendant you left behind to notify you.
I will give you specific instructions on what to do when that time comes."
"Yes, Grandfather," Xu Deling responded.
"Ye Fan, Deyue, you two just continue cultivating and comprehending divine abilities. If you wish to gain some real combat experience, you can head to the Heavenly Azure Mountain Range."
Ye Fan and Xu Deyue exchanged a smile and nodded.
The Xu Family meeting concluded there, and everyone dispersed.
Several days later.
True Lord Green Wood arrived to discuss the matter of the high-grade magic treasure with Xu Chuan, as well as the rewards for Ye Fan and Xu Deyue's contributions in the grand battle.
After all, the performance of those two during the battle had been truly stellar, displaying a domineering aura that suggested they were invincible beneath the Golden Core stage.
After some deliberation, Xu Chuan chose a magic treasure similar to the Heaven-Overturning Seal, focusing primarily on sealing and suppression.
Since his opponents were often late-stage Golden Core or even True Lord-level powerhouses, the suppressive effects of the low-grade Heaven-Overturning Seal had become somewhat insufficient.
Although the Azure Dragon Treasure Umbrella was incredibly powerful, Xu Chuan's current strength was not enough to fully master it.
He could barely form the Azure Dragon Sword Formation, but unless absolutely necessary, he wanted to avoid using it, preferring to keep it hidden as his trump card.
With this high-grade Heaven-Overturning Seal, although wielding two high-grade magic treasures simultaneously would consume an exorbitant amount of mana, he would have the Azure Dragon Treasure Umbrella for defense and the Seal for suppression and offense.
Combined with his divine sense secret methods, divine abilities, and other various means, Xu Chuan would not be disadvantaged even in a head-on clash with a late-stage Golden Core True Lord.
During the battle at the Thousand Stone Forest, he had once again witnessed the immense utility of divine sense secret methods. Because of this, he grew even more dedicated to his divine sense cultivation.
Compared to his physical cultivation realm, his divine sense was actually much easier to advance.
At the Heavenly Plume Sect.
True Lord Green Wood relayed Xu Chuan's request for the magic treasure to True Lord Yanzhen.
"Something similar to that Heaven-Overturning Seal of his?"
"That is what Fellow Daoist Kurong requested. I wonder what materials will be needed to refine this magic treasure? In a few days, I will personally deliver them."
Xu Deling giggled softly. "I'm very familiar with that."
"Senior Brother Yanzhen, how about I refine this magic treasure together with you?"
"Alright. Experiencing the refinement process of a high-grade magic treasure ahead of time will be beneficial for you. Plus, you're much more familiar with the artifact patterns and material pairings required for the Heaven-Overturning Seal than I am."
The two discussed the matter briefly before informing True Lord Green Wood of the necessary materials.
To refine a high-grade magic treasure, one set of materials was naturally insufficient. At least three sets were required to account for potential failures and material degradation.
Looking at the list of materials, True Lord Green Wood felt a sharp pang of pain in his heart.
When the sect originally proposed the high-grade magic treasure as a reward, they hadn't expected anyone to actually achieve it. Who could have thought Xu Chuan would succeed?
By obtaining another high-grade magic treasure, Xu Chuan would naturally be like a tiger that had grown wings.
'I just hope this magic treasure won't be used against my Heavenly Azure Sect in the future.'
True Lord Green Wood sighed softly in his heart. He returned to the Heavenly Azure Sect to gather the resources and delivered them a few days later. Anything that happened afterward had nothing to do with him.
Since Xu Deling was the Sect Master of the Heavenly Plume Sect, the magic treasure would naturally be safely delivered into Xu Chuan's hands once it was completed.
————————————
Time flew by, and in a flash, half a year had passed.
At the Heavenly Plume Sect.
Inside True Lord Yanzhen's private forging room.
"Junior Sister Feng Ling, let's name this seal the Heavy Profound Seal."
True Lord Yanzhen stroked his beard with a faint smile as he gazed at the pitch-black seal floating in mid-air. Its appearance was quite similar to the Heaven-Overturning Seal, and even to him, it was an exquisite masterpiece.
"Since you were the one who refined it, Senior Brother, the right to name it naturally belongs to you," Xu Deling deferred. "In that case, Senior Brother, I'll be taking this seal with me."
True Lord Yanzhen waved his hand dismissively. "Take it."
Xu Deling offered a faint smile. She tapped her finger lightly toward the Heavy Profound Seal, storing it into her storage pouch, and then walked out of the forging room.
True Lord Yanzhen sat cross-legged to regulate his breathing and recover his energy.
Xu Deling had only assisted in the initial stages of the refinement. The final steps, such as inscribing the artifact patterns, naturally had to be completed by True Lord Yanzhen personally.
Therefore, the mana and divine sense that Xu Deling had expended had already been fully replenished.
However, barely ten to fifteen miles after she departed from the Heavenly Plume Sect, she was ambushed, and the assailant was a True Lord-level powerhouse at the late stage of the Golden Core realm.
The person concealed their identity and launched a ruthless onslaught, intending to strike her down.
Xu Deling instantly activated her evolved Fire Phoenix bloodline. Accompanied by a resonant phoenix cry, the phantom of a fire phoenix spread its wings above her head, and her aura explosively surged to the peak of the early Golden Core stage.
With a flick of her sleeve robe, a crimson-scaled shield flew out to block the opponent's incoming attack!
"Such audacity!"
"How dare you try to assassinate the Sect Master of my Heavenly Plume Sect!"
True Lord Fierce Sun sensed the combat fluctuations and roared in fury. He abruptly rocketed out of the Heavenly Plume Sect, flying at top speed toward Xu Deling's location.
Yet, after unleashing a single strike, the assailant completely ignored Xu Deling's condition, turned on their heel, and fled into the distance.
Arriving at the scene in a matter of breaths, True Lord Fierce Sun sensed the residual mana fluctuations. Unable to restrain his anger, he immediately prepared to chase down the attacker.
"Senior Brother Fierce Sun, do not pursue," Xu Deling called out. "The opponent's strength is formidable, and they have an aura-concealing magic treasure. You won't be able to catch them!"
True Lord Fierce Sun frowned deeply and turned to look at Xu Deling. "Junior Sister Feng Ling, are you alright?"
Xu Deling shook her head. "I had the high-grade defensive magic treasure gifted by Honored Master, so I'm perfectly fine."
"Then, Junior Sister, could you discern the assailant's background?"
"The magic treasure they used was quite a powerful mid-grade flying sword, and their divine ability was some sort of gold-element sword art, but I didn't recognize it."
"Was it from the Heavenly Azure Prefecture? Or the Greedy Wolf Prefecture?"
"It's hard to judge," Xu Deling replied. "Let's put this aside for now. I still need to deliver the magic treasure to my grandfather."
Hearing this, True Lord Fierce Sun sighed gently. "I'll accompany you, Junior Sister."
"Cloudstream Town is only a few dozen miles from here. For the assailant to dare set up an ambush so close... it simply shows they hold the Heavenly Plume Sect and the Xu Family in complete contempt.
But who could it be?"
True Lord Fierce Sun continued speculating the entire way there.
Naturally, Xu Chuan was delighted to receive the magic treasure. However, when he heard about the ambush on Xu Deling, he paused slightly. "An ambush from such a close distance? Weren't they afraid of getting caught?"
"They came fully prepared. When the first strike failed, they immediately fled far away."
"Sounds like an assassin. Does such an organization exist in the Heavenly South's cultivation world?"
"Yes, such powers do exist," True Lord Fierce Sun explained. "The hegemonic aristocratic families rarely show themselves to the world. On the surface, the five top-tier sects dominate, but in the shadows, there are plenty of vile factions.
The most infamous among them are the two great assassin organizations, 'The Other Shore' and 'Netherworld.'
There is also the Azure Flower Merchant Guild, who are nothing but professional troublemakers.
They love interfering in the conflicts of various aristocratic families and sects. Afterward, they capture the cultivators of the defeated factions and turn them into slaves. However, because of their unique methods of control, their personnel infiltration is extremely formidable, making their intelligence networks top-tier.
Even the major sects occasionally purchase intelligence from them."
"It seems the waters of the Heavenly South are much deeper than I imagined," Xu Chuan remarked with a sigh.
True Lord Fierce Sun pointed out, "That's simply because your Xu Family is far too low-profile. If you put your mind to it, you could easily uncover these matters."
Xu Chuan nodded and continued, "If it was someone from an assassin organization, the pool of potential employers is extremely vast.
After all, the fact that I killed the Blood-Robed Ancestor and earned a promise from the Heavenly Azure Sect to have your Heavenly Plume Sect refine a high-grade magic treasure for me has spread far and wide.
It's inevitable that some Golden Core cultivators would be tempted by the treasure.
Of course, we can't rule out the Greedy Wolf Sect or the Heavenly Azure Sect.
If it's the former, they likely wanted to snatch the magic treasure. If it's the latter, they wanted to frame the Greedy Wolf Sect to drag your Heavenly Foundry Sect into the conflict."
True Lord Fierce Sun fell into deep thought.
Xu Chuan didn't dwell on it and began examining the Heavy Profound Seal.
Xu Deling, equally unbothered, began introducing some of the capabilities of the Heavy Profound Seal.
Its primary functions were sealing, attacking, and defending—all essentially acting as a massively enhanced version of the Heaven-Overturning Seal.
"Grandfather, if the Heavy Profound Seal is fully activated, its suppressive effect even on late-stage Golden Core cultivators is exceptionally obvious. It is undeniably an outstanding auxiliary magic treasure.
However, its mana consumption is terrifying. Even after you refine it, you will likely only be able to unleash sixty or seventy percent of its power at present, and that is only because the quality of your mana is comparable to a mid-stage Golden Core immortal cultivator."
Xu Chuan nodded. "I understand. For an ordinary Golden Core immortal cultivator, they would need to reach at least the Golden Core Perfection stage to bring out its full might.
Even for those of us who formed our cores through divine abilities, we would need to reach the late stage of the Golden Core realm."
Snapping back to his senses, True Lord Fierce Sun chuckled softly. "Are you two truly not worried?"
"It was merely a probe. Now that the magic treasure is in my hands, they won't target Deling anymore. Otherwise, their intentions would become too obvious, and instead of sparking a fire, they would only burn themselves."
Xu Deling chimed in in agreement. "Exactly! Senior Brother Fierce Sun, my grandfather killed the Blood-Robed Ancestor, a man renowned for his viciousness even among late-stage Golden Core cultivators. Could the assassin organization really afford to dispatch a True Lord at the Golden Core Perfection stage?
And even if they did, our Xu Family is not a place just anyone can barge into!"
"Alright then. Since you both put it that way, I have nothing left to say."
Shortly after, Xu Deling departed with True Lord Fierce Sun.
Having the Xu Clan's Grotto-heaven made communication among the Xu Family members incredibly convenient.
The only flaw was that Xu Chuan could only contact them unilaterally.
Afterward, Xu Chuan entered seclusion, focusing his entire effort on refining the Heavy Profound Seal.
Since he didn't intend to turn it into his natal magic treasure for the time being, it took him less than half a year to refine it completely.
Over this past year and a half, his greatest progress was in the Profound Heaven Divine Refining Art, which had already reached the minor success stage of its second layer.
His divine sense was now formally comparable to that of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator.
If he reached the stage of major success, it would rival the divine sense of someone at the Golden Core Perfection stage.
And if he mastered it to perfection, it would mean his divine sense had hit the absolute limit of the Golden Core realm.
He also kept track of the others' cultivation progress, finding that some advanced quickly while others were slow.
Xu Mingxian and Xu Mingyuan progressed relatively fast, having reached the minor success stage of the first layer. The rest had only just barely crossed the threshold.
This clearly demonstrated the sheer difficulty of cultivating this art.
In truth, whether it was magical arts, cultivation arts, or secret arts, the speed of cultivation always depended on one's innate talent, root bone, and comprehension.
The reason Xu Chuan was unrestricted by these factors was primarily due to his fate talent: Heaven Rewards Diligence.
In the blink of an eye, three more months passed.
At the Heavenly Azure Prefecture.
At the Jade Bamboo Sea.
A terrifying spiritual energy vortex suddenly materialized in the sky above the vast bamboo forest. Its heaven-shaking might immediately drew countless onlookers.
"Is that a core formation phenomenon?"
"No! There's no way a core formation phenomenon could cover such a massive area!"
"It's a Nascent Soul phenomenon! Someone is attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul stage!!"
"Someone from the Mo Family is forming their Nascent Soul!"
As the news spread from person to person, it took a mere fifteen minutes to echo throughout the entire Heavenly Azure Prefecture.
Xu Chuan also received messages from the seven cities.
'Has he finally started his Nascent Soul formation?'
"Such a grand spectacle is rare; I must go and take a look!"
Xu Chuan smiled faintly. Deploying his evasion divine ability, he sped toward the location. Meanwhile, the Golden Core cultivators from all the other factions scrambled over, desperately wanting to witness the outcome of the Mo Clan Ancestor's attempt to form a Nascent Soul.