Chapter 718: East Continent's Terrifying Power

Pure Nine-Lotus Lantern

The Four Great Sacred Lands of the Eastern Lands consist of two sects and two palaces!

Among these, the Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect, the Grand Void Ethereal Palace, and the Morality Sect are all super-powers with long legacies, having endured and been passed down through several great tribulations.

Only the One-Origin Dao Palace is newly established. It relies on True Monarch One-Origin, a Grand Cultivator who recently ascended.

According to the standards of a Sacred Land, if there is no True Monarch of Soul Transformation presiding over it, it will decline within a short period. The duration of this decline depends on the legacy left behind by the True Monarch of Soul Transformation before their disappearance.

The Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect also had a dark age in its history when no Soul Transformation True Monarch was in charge, but relying on its twenty-eight Nascent Soul cultivators at the time, it remained the top power in the Eastern Lands, unchallenged by anyone.

The foundation of the One-Origin Dao Palace was slightly less substantial compared to the other three great Sacred Lands; when True Monarch One-Origin ascended, he had only cultivated eight Nascent Soul cultivators.

However, when True Monarch One-Origin ascended, he left behind a spiritual avatar of himself, which possessed genuine Soul Transformation power. Although it was said to have been destroyed by Venerable Ming four hundred years ago, no one can be certain now whether this ascended cultivator's avatar still exists.

Therefore, to this day, the One-Origin Dao Palace remains among the Sacred Lands.

After listening to what Ye Qing said, Chen Mobai's face showed unconcealable shock.

Although he had long known that the Eastern Lands, as the essence of the entire Eastern Domain, would have an absurd number of high-level cultivators, he was still incredibly shocked upon truly learning the details.

A single Sacred Land alone was almost comparable to the entire Immortal Sect.

Here in the Eastern Barrens, there hasn't been a single Nascent Soul cultivator since Grand Ancestor Hunyuan passed away.

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Lands, a single Sacred Land could boast a double-digit number of Nascent Soul cultivators. It was no wonder that after tens of thousands of years of legacy, almost every era had a Soul Transformation True Monarch presiding over it.

Even if a Soul Transformation True Monarch occasionally ascended, with such profound heritage, it was more than enough to sustain the sect until the emergence of the next Soul Transformation True Monarch.

He still needed to develop discreetly and avoid exposing any traces of the Immortal Sect.

At this thought, Chen Mobai, whose mind had been somewhat adrift recently due to unifying the Eastern Barrens, calmed down once more.

In this world of infinite resources, with the legacy of the Immortal Sect, he could create countless possibilities.

If Nascent Soul wasn't enough, then Soul Transformation it would be!

Chen Mobai, who had originally planned to make significant strides after reaching the Nascent Soul stage, once again raised his standards for himself.

He wanted to build the Five Elements Sect into a Sacred Land here in the Eastern Barrens. Although this place was a bit remote, it at least avoided the righteous and demonic factions of the Eastern Lands, and the Human-Demon Court.

Perhaps in the future, if the Demonic Dao and Human-Demon Court grew powerful and the Eastern Lands couldn't hold out, he could still preserve the spark for the righteous path and humanity here in the Eastern Barrens.

After finding reasons to continue his steady development while staying secluded in the Eastern Barrens, Chen Mobai's initial shocked mood gradually began to calm down.

“True Monarch Ye, to be frank, the Grand Ancestor Hunyuan of our Five Elements Sect originated from the One-Origin Dao Palace. Before his passing, his greatest wish was for his descendants to return his ancestral tablet to the One-Origin Dao Palace, which is why I sought information from you.”

Chen Mobai recounted what he had heard from Zhou Shengqing. Grand Ancestor Hunyuan’s iconic Hunyuan True Qi swept across the Eastern Domain. Although he didn’t openly declare himself as a grand-disciple of True Monarch One-Origin, most top powers were aware of this.

Unfortunately, True Monarch One-Origin's direct disciple became the second-generation Grand Ancestor of the One-Origin Dao Palace.

Now, the highest-ranking Grand Elder of the One-Origin Dao Palace is of the sixth generation; even he would have to address Hunyuan as Grand Ancestor.

Although in the Heavenly River Realm, seniority is generally determined by cultivation level, Hunyuan's status was too high; not addressing him as such was simply not an option.

Therefore, the One-Origin Dao Palace devised a plan: they made every effort to cultivate Hunyuan into a Nascent Soul cultivator, and then, using the pretext of protecting True Monarch One-Origin's place of origin, they exiled Grand Ancestor Hunyuan to the Eastern Barrens to establish a branch sect.

This is also the origin of the Five Elements Sect.

The Eastern Barrens was Grand Ancestor Hunyuan's place of origin. He only went to the One-Origin Dao Palace in the Eastern Lands to acknowledge his lineage and rejoin his ancestral sect after acquiring the One-Origin legacy.

Grand Ancestor Hunyuan was also a proud individual. Since the One-Origin Dao Palace would not keep him, he didn't insist, and simply returned home in glory.

Subsequently, he used his Hunyuan True Qi to traverse the Eastern Domain, initiating the prosperous era of the Five Elements Sect in the Eastern Barrens.

Regrettably, this story did not have a perfect ending.

Originally, according to Grand Ancestor Hunyuan's plan, he could have utilized the secret realm left by True Monarch One-Origin in the Eastern Barrens, along with opportunities like the Everlasting Sect's secret realm in Giant Wood Ridge, to achieve Soul Transformation.

Unfortunately, his luck was poor; he couldn't obtain the Five-Colored Immortal Seed, and his Hunyuan Dao Fruit could not fully mature.

He ultimately risked venturing into the Yellow Springs Road, hoping for one last gamble, but instead, it cost him his life.

“Revered One Li Zhongji was able to obtain the legacy of True Monarch One-Origin, indicating he also had the potential for Soul Transformation. It’s a pity that the elders of the One-Origin Dao Palace were too concerned with their reputation; otherwise, there might have been a true Soul Transformation True Monarch presiding over them by now.”

Although Ye Qing was the Dao Child of the Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect, he was not arrogant. When he came to the Eastern Barrens, he had already investigated the major powers here in advance. As the hegemon of the Eastern Barrens, the Five Elements Sect was naturally a key target, and Li Zhongji was Grand Ancestor Hunyuan's mundane birth name.

When he had rung the Hunyuan Bell as a grand-disciple of True Monarch One-Origin, it had also caused a stir in the Eastern Lands.

In the Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect's archives concerning the One-Origin Dao Palace, Grand Ancestor Hunyuan, Li Zhongji, had a separate scroll dedicated to him.

Although Chen Mobai was now the Sect Master of the Five Elements Sect, his understanding of Grand Ancestor Hunyuan was truly not as clear as Ye Qing's.

After all, Grand Ancestor Hunyuan being exiled to the Eastern Barrens was considered a humiliation, so he never spoke to his disciples about the specifics of his cultivation and training at the One-Origin Dao Palace.

It should be noted that even within the One-Origin Dao Palace, those who could cultivate Hunyuan True Qi were few and far between.

It was precisely because of this that Li Zhongji's sudden emergence caused both concern and delight among the Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect and other powers.

The concern was that the One-Origin Dao Palace might produce another true Soul Transformation True Monarch; the delight was that the righteous path might gain another pillar of strength.

Unfortunately, the subsequent developments left the Sect Masters of these Sacred Lands somewhat puzzled.

For Li Zhongji's sake, the One-Origin Dao Palace requested the Morality Sect to refine a furnace of Nascent Condensation Pills. However, after the pills were successfully made, they surprisingly sent Li Zhongji directly to the Eastern Barrens.

Although Grand Ancestor Hunyuan later established a great reputation in the four domains outside the Eastern Lands, the resources in those places could not compare to the core of the Eastern Domain. Ultimately, he stopped at the Nascent Soul stage and passed away.

According to the One-Origin Dao Palace, they were tempering Grand Ancestor Hunyuan, Li Zhongji, according to the standards of a Dao Child or Saintess.

However, most people in the Eastern Lands believed that Li Zhongji's sudden appearance had caused immense turmoil within the One-Origin Dao Palace, and to prevent this turmoil from splitting the Sacred Land, all parties ultimately decided to send him to the Eastern Barrens.

Nevertheless, it was considered a show of sufficient respect to the founding ancestor, True Monarch One-Origin; before his exile, they even specifically refined a furnace of Nascent Condensation Pills for him.

It was precisely this incident that led the major powers in the Eastern Lands to speculate that the spiritual avatar left behind by True Monarch One-Origin must have been exhausted and disappeared after his battle with Venerable Ming.

Otherwise, no one would have dared to treat Li Zhongji in such a manner.

However, these details were all just rumors and jests among the various factions.

Ye Qing had only come across this information while gathering data on the Eastern Barrens, and since Chen Mobai happened to ask about it today, he simply relayed it to him.

Deep down, Ye Qing still felt a great sense of regret.

After all, the Hunyuan Dao Fruit was considered a top-tier divine ability, even in the Eastern Lands.

If Li Zhongji had remained in the Eastern Lands and received meticulous cultivation from the One-Origin Dao Palace, he truly could have achieved Soul Transformation.

The Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect had always hoped that the cultivators in the Eastern Lands would be as strong as possible, as their sect was the banner-bearer for exterminating demons and slaying fiends. If the Eastern Lands were weak, and the Demonic Dao and Human-Demon Court attacked, they would be the first to be destroyed.

“I hope that one day, I can return Grand Ancestor Li’s ancestral tablet to the Ancestral Hall of the One-Origin Dao Palace, placing it beneath True Monarch One-Origin’s.”

After hearing this, Chen Mobai also followed Ye Qing's words.

Displaying his identity as the orthodox Five Elements lineage, and a direct inheritor of Hunyuan.

Mainly, he was thinking that since he had also cultivated Hunyuan True Qi, he might be able to visit the One-Origin Dao Palace in the future to see if True Monarch One-Origin had left behind any legacies for Soul Transformation or even higher stages before his ascension.

After all, although True Monarch One-Origin originated from the Eastern Barrens and was a descendant of pioneering cultivators, his true achievement in the Grand Dao came after he went to the Eastern Lands and exchanged knowledge with the Sacred Land True Monarchs there, supplementing his path beyond Soul Transformation.

The One-Origin legacy Grand Ancestor Hunyuan obtained in the Eastern Barrens only extended to the Soul Transformation stage at most.

The subsequent stages beyond Soul Transformation, and even the secret methods for ascension, were all within the One-Origin Dao Palace!

“Earlier, at the Heavenly Dining Tower, I saw that Sect Master Chen seemed to have cultivated Hunyuan True Qi. With your age and cultivation level, you could certainly contend for the position of Dao Child within the One-Origin Dao Palace.”

Ye Qing mentioned another matter.

At that time, he had thought Chen Mobai was making things difficult for Shen Shanqing, which inadvertently caused his sword intent to stir.

Having sparred with Dao Children and Saintesses from various Sacred Lands in the Eastern Lands, he was very familiar with Hunyuan True Qi and recognized it at a glance.

“Not at all, I merely refined a trace of Hunyuan True Qi left by Grand Ancestor Li. I didn't cultivate it through my own efforts, so I'm not worthy of the Dao Child position.”

After learning of the terrifying power of the Sacred Lands in the Eastern Lands, Chen Mobai no longer wished to stand out. He hoped to cultivate quietly in the Eastern Barrens, maintaining his consistent low-key approach in the Heavenly River Realm.

However, he seemed to have underestimated the value of Hunyuan True Qi.

“Throughout the history of the One-Origin Dao Palace, those who cultivated Hunyuan True Qi through their own arduous efforts are few and far between. The prominent Dao Children and Saintesses all refined the Hunyuan True Qi of previous cultivators early on, constantly seizing opportunities to compete for resources to reach Nascent Soul or even Soul Transformation within the Sacred Land. However, besides the second-generation Palace Master of the One-Origin Dao Palace, only Revered One Li Zhongji has been able to ring the Hunyuan Bell.”

The Hunyuan Bell was forged by True Monarch One-Origin before his ascension. He gathered the essences of the five metals from the Heavenly River Realm and traveled to Southern State to jointly refine it with a great virtuous one also preparing for ascension.

It is one of the few sixth-tier artifacts in the Eastern Domain, renowned alongside the Grand Harmony Sword of the Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect!

“If I have the chance in the future, I truly must visit the Eastern Lands to see if I can ring this Hunyuan Bell.”

Chen Mobai felt a strong yearning after hearing this.

A sixth-tier artifact!

Does the Immortal Sect even have one?

“Sect Master Chen, if you intend to achieve Soul Transformation or even ascension in the future, it would be best to come to the Eastern Lands and join the One-Origin Dao Palace.”

Although Ye Qing was a Dao Child of a Sacred Land, he lacked the arrogance typical of major sects. Instead, he was very talkative. After this conversation with Chen Mobai, he felt that this young Sect Master had the potential to form a Nascent Soul in the future, and thus offered a well-intentioned reminder.

“Oh, are there many Soul Transformation resources in the Eastern Lands?”

“Certainly more than in the Eastern Barrens. At the very least, the All-Sage True Spirit Pill for Soul Transformation can only be refined by the Morality Sect.”

Ye Qing didn't mention anything about ascension, as that was too distant. He only spoke of the most famous elixir in the Eastern Domain that could aid Soul Transformation.

Chen Mobai was hearing this for the first time.

He couldn't help but yearn for it, knowing that while the Immortal Sect also had similar pill recipes, the most precious main ingredients had long been depleted.

To this day, they could only place their hopes on methods like the Soul-Stunning Melody.

It was precisely because of this that after learning about 'Fleeting Bloom,' Grand Ancestor Qianxing personally intervened, not hesitating to use his greater power against a lesser one, to pry open the Flower Blooming Dean's mouth and uncover all the mysteries of this forbidden art.

“Certainly…”

With a longing for the Eastern Lands in his heart, Chen Mobai saw Ye Qing out of the main hall.

He then summoned E Yun and personally arranged for the escort of the cultivator army.

Leading the team would require at least a Core Formation cultivator. Although the Five Elements Sect had many Core Formation combatants, after a previous count, only two could be dispatched. Unfortunately, both Sheng Zhaoxi and Zhou Ye declined.

Zhou Ye's refusal was expected; there was no way he would leave Hunyuan Immortal City. Chen Mobai had initially thought he might be deterred by the reputation of the Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect, but now it seemed the Earth Vein Master's mind was still very clear.

He probably wouldn't leave Hunyuan Immortal City before reaching the Nascent Soul stage, even if the King of Heaven himself showed up.

As for Sheng Zhaoxi's refusal, it was because she was at a crucial stage of enhancing her natal artifact.

Using the fourth-tier spiritual materials obtained from Chen Mobai, she intended to make a concerted effort to elevate her artificer skills to the fourth-tier level as well.

Besides her own Heavenly Round Fire True Ring, there was also Nu Jiang's Furious Sea Bow that needed upgrading later, so she genuinely couldn't spare the time.

Chen Mobai expressed his understanding.

After all, if Sheng Zhaoxi's artificer skills could advance to a higher level, it would be a tremendous boon for their Five Elements Sect.

It would be even better if they also had fourth-tier formation masters and alchemists.

“Junior Brother, how about I lead the team?”

In the main hall of Beiyuan City, Zhou Shengqing, who had returned from Fengyu Dock, voluntarily spoke up after learning of Chen Mobai's predicament.

“Senior Brother’s strength should be revealed at a crucial moment. Besides, I just told Ye Qing that you were in seclusion; I can’t contradict myself immediately, can I?”

Chen Mobai immediately shook his head and quickly decided to lead the team himself.

Anyway, he had mastered the Underworld Grand Formation and could escape at any time if he encountered any dangerous situations.

This would also be a good opportunity to observe the strength of a Sacred Land Dao Child and gauge the standard of Core Formation cultivators in the Eastern Lands.

Additionally, he planned to take this opportunity to conduct a small drill with his Five Elements Dao Soldiers.

After all, he intended to use this to gain an early experience of Nascent Soul power when he reached the peak of Core Formation.