Chapter 736: Heaven and Earth All Beings Crown (7k)

The main reason Zhou Bingyan was chosen was that Chen Mobai was more familiar with her, and she was also a member of the Zhou family.

Over the years, the Zhou family had invested heavily in building up Xiaojun. Now, with Zhou Wangshen intending to resign as Xiaojun's Guardian due to matters concerning the Five Elements Essence Qi, Chen Mobai naturally wanted to promote a member of the Zhou family to take over, ensuring Zhou Wangshen's peace of mind.

Half a day later, Zhou Shengqing also arrived in Beiyuan City. Chen Mobai informed him of the situation, and he agreed. Although many cultivators in the Zhou family, his blood descendants, had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, only one had achieved Core Formation. Zhou Wangshen was the most likely candidate, and resigning from his post as Xiaojun's Guardian might even be beneficial for him.

"Senior Brother, would you like to meet Zhou Wangshen? The day after tomorrow, he will be leading my orders to select disciples from the Five Elements' Five Veins." Chen Mobai asked, noting that he was only a step away from reaching the seventh level of the Golden Core stage. Once he broke through, he could begin preparing resources for Nascent Soul formation. Among these, the Primordial Dao Fruit was of utmost importance. Therefore, after Zhou Wangshen proposed an excellent solution, Chen Mobai acted swiftly, urging him to implement it as soon as possible.

"If he knew I had formed my Nascent Soul, his drive to strive wouldn't be so strong. The experience of carrying the Zhou family on his shoulders and working diligently all these years might be crucial for his Core Formation in the future. Let's temper him a bit longer." Upon hearing Zhou Shengqing's words, Chen Mobai deferred to him. Although Zhou Wangshen's talent was decent, achieving Core Formation would still depend on luck. If he followed his plan and cultivated the second level of the Longevity Dao Body, combined with Zhou Shengqing's tempering, his chances of forming a Core would be significantly higher.

"Beiyuan City only has a Tier-3 grand formation. If we were to fight Venerable Bingyun here, this immortal city would likely be destroyed." After discussing Zhou Wangshen, the two began to talk about the greatest threat they faced.

"Then we'll intercept her in the Desolate Ruins. Junior Brother, how many people have you summoned?" Zhou Shengqing recalled the battlefield that had been pre-arranged to confront the Xuanxiao Dao Palace army; it could still be used if re-arranged.

"I've summoned all the Core Formation cultivators within the sect. Xuan'er's strength shouldn't be exposed to outsiders, so let her remain in Beiyuan City to oversee things." On the Five Elements Sect's side, besides Zhou Shengqing, who was a Dharma Body Nascent Soul cultivator, there were six Core Formation cultivators: Chen Mobai, Fu Zongjue, Yin Qingmei, Meng Hong, Sheng Zhaoxi, and Mo Douguang.

"Junior Brother Mo should still be in seclusion and might not be able to come." Zhou Shengqing delivered somewhat bad news, but Chen Mobai wasn't particularly bothered. After all, the primary goal in confronting Venerable Bingyun this time was to negotiate and resolve the conflict peacefully. A battle would only ensue if negotiations completely failed.

Zhou Shengqing was the crucial main force. Besides him, there were also the Five Elements Dao Soldiers, a hidden trump card of the Five Elements Sect. Chen Mobai had essentially familiarized himself with this war formation during his previous trip to the Desolate Ruins. Although they couldn't yet assemble five square formations of ten thousand cultivators each, gathering ten thousand cultivators in total by combining the Five Elements Dao Soldiers was not an issue.

Chen Mobai and Zhou Shengqing discussed the plan: Zhou Shengqing would first negotiate with Venerable Bingyun. If negotiations failed, Chen Mobai would then activate the Five Elements Dao Soldiers. Because he had cultivated the Primordial True Qi, he could absorb the power of the Five Elements Dao Soldiers into his body, effectively making him equivalent to a half-Nascent Soul cultivator. This would also be an opportunity for him to experience the perfected realm of Primordial True Qi.

While they were discussing, Fu Zongjue also arrived. After finalizing all the details, they wasted no more time. Zhou Shengqing headed to the Desolate Ruins first to see if he could rationally negotiate with Venerable Bingyun on the way. Chen Mobai and Fu Zongjue, meanwhile, began mobilizing troops, drawing elite cultivators from the Five Elements' Five Veins to the Eastern Desolate Plateau to prepare for the large-scale Five Elements Dao Soldier formation drill.

Since they had previously entered the Desolate Ruins with Ye Qing and others, the Five Elements Dao Soldiers this time would also be based on that earlier contingent. Soon, Foundation Establishment and Qi Condensation cultivators from the Five Elements' Five Veins began to continuously gather towards Beiyuan City. However, due to the large number of people, it would take some time to fully assemble them. Furthermore, the other four veins were not under Chen Mobai's direct command, so even with the severity of the situation emphasized, they couldn't respond as quickly as the Wood Vein. Since most of the Wood Vein's cultivators were already on the Eastern Desolate Plateau, three thousand cultivators had been assembled within a single day of Chen Mobai issuing the order. Among them, fifty were at the Foundation Establishment stage. Fu Zongjue set off first with this group to the battlefield in the Desolate Ruins. Chen Mobai remained there, waiting for the cultivators from the other four veins to arrive.

The Metal Vein was the second to arrive, and to Chen Mobai's surprise, Mo Douguang had also come.

"Senior Brother Mo, has your cultivation already broken through?" Chen Mobai asked, delighted, without using his spiritual eye technique to investigate.

"I'm still a hair's breadth away, but the realm has been achieved. The rest is just accumulating spiritual power, which will be complete in due time." Mo Douguang shook his head and, without concealment, explained his current situation. For anything else, he would certainly remain in seclusion at Jinguang Cliff until his Core Formation was perfected. But since a Nascent Soul cultivator was attacking, he had to come to assist, no matter what.

"Senior Brother Mo, your righteousness is commendable!" Chen Mobai solemnly thanked Mo Douguang. With Mo Douguang's support, the Five Elements Dao Soldier grand formation would be even more powerful when drilled, and Chen Mobai felt more confident about engaging Venerable Bingyun.

After the Metal Vein, the Water Vein's army of cultivators also arrived. However, because Fengyu Dock was also fending off beast attacks, not many people could come, only about a thousand cultivators. Chen Mobai expressed his understanding. He even instructed the Wood Vein to dispatch the cultivators they would subsequently gather to assist Fengyu Dock, led by E Yun.

After the Water Vein came the Fire Vein and Earth Vein, which were the furthest away. Zhou Ye still hadn't arrived, but Sheng Zhaoxi, upon hearing about the severity of the situation, personally led a team over.

"Xuan'er, I'm entrusting Beiyuan City to you." After leaving Luo Yixuan behind, Chen Mobai directly led the cultivator armies of the other four veins towards the Desolate Ruins. The sight of dozens of flying boats soaring into the sky caused the rogue cultivators of Beiyuan City to gasp in astonishment. The last time there was such a commotion was during the destruction of the Southern Xuan Sect, when they were preparing for war with Xuanxiao Dao Palace. Could it be that the Nascent Soul-stage grand sect from Dongyi had launched an attack?

Filled with such doubts, Chen Mobai had already led the cultivator army to the Desolate Ruins. The Wood Vein cultivators, led by Fu Zongjue and Meng Hong, had set up camp here and were activating the spirit veins. Although the number of cultivators in the Five Elements' Five Veins was uneven, Chen Mobai, possessing Primordial True Qi, could adjust the balance. The method was similar to cultivating the five elements simultaneously, and it was this similarity that convinced Chen Mobai that True Monarch Yiyuan must have obtained the inheritance of the Longevity Sect to create the Primordial Dao Fruit.

Unlike his previous experience controlling the Five Elements Dao Soldiers in the Desolate Ruins, this time, with Core Formation cultivators primarily manning the formation, the Dao Soldiers' power was unimaginably immense. Fully controlling them was extremely taxing for Chen Mobai. Furthermore, with no Core Formation cultivators to lead the Water and Earth Veins, it became even more challenging. However, with Fu Zongjue, Mo Douguang, and Sheng Zhaoxi assisting in the adjustments, he managed to absorb the power of the Five Elements Dao Soldiers into his body.

Above the Desolate Ruins, Chen Mobai stood at the center. Five colossal Dao Soldiers transformed into a mighty torrent, surging into the external avatar that had manifested behind him. Under the immense Five Elements Essence Qi, the external avatar instantly manifested a complete, gigantic humanoid skeleton. Then, spiritual light permeated the areas of its five vital organs, spreading throughout its body to form a vibrant, multicolored robe of light. In its right hand, a five-colored light sword materialized. Chen Mobai used his external avatar to channel the Primordial True Qi and absorb the Five Elements Dao Soldiers' power into his body, achieving surprisingly good results. To the cultivators of the Five Elements Sect below, a shimmering, five-colored divine phantom stood towering above the Desolate Ruins, like a giant overlooking the vast expanse.

At this moment, Chen Mobai felt that the power of his external avatar had reached the Nascent Soul realm. However, if he were to truly face a Nascent Soul cultivator, he certainly wouldn't be their match. This was because his power originated from the cultivators of the Five Elements' Five Veins below, and it would likely dissipate rapidly after only a few moves. He hoped that if a fight truly broke out, he could cooperate with Zhou Shengqing to pose a significant threat to Venerable Bingyun.

As Chen Mobai pondered this, he took out the Violet Lightning Sword. Since the external avatar's right hand already held the light sword formed from the Five Elements Sword Qi, it grasped the Violet Lightning Sword with its left hand.

"Master, I feel you can finally satisfy me now." The Violet Lightning Sword conveyed this thought.

Chen Mobai couldn't help but chuckle. As a top-grade Tier-4 sword, the Violet Lightning Sword had indeed been somewhat underutilized following him.

"This opponent is quite formidable. You'll need to go all out. Estimate for me, if my external avatar wields you, how many sword strikes can I unleash?" Chen Mobai began by prompting the Violet Lightning Sword. After a moment's thought, it gave an uncertain answer: "Normally, thirty ordinary Tier-4 sword lights can be unleashed. But if I go all out, I can barely manage one at the peak of Tier-4!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai finally understood what the Violet Lightning Sword meant by "barely satisfying." It seemed it had always been cooperating with him before, never truly stretching its limits.

"We'll see when the time comes," Chen Mobai replied. Unsure about the outcome of negotiations with Venerable Bingyun, Chen Mobai offered the Violet Lightning Sword five top-grade spirit stones as its price for acting. If the battle proved intense, he would increase the reward afterward, depending on the situation.

Hearing this unprecedented high price, the Violet Lightning Sword instantly became filled with fighting spirit. However, it had absorbed a significant amount of spirit stones and spiritual energy over the years, making it more intelligent, so it asked Chen Mobai another question: "Master, is this opponent very terrifying? Why must you fight them directly? After all, this is another realm; wouldn't it be better to retreat directly back to the Immortal Sect?"

Chen Mobai spun a tale to the Violet Lightning Sword, claiming he was undercover within a minor force in another realm to initiate a war. The sword, being naive, believed him. However, such an undercover mission for initiating war allowed for withdrawal at any time if danger arose, depending on the circumstances. This was because the Violet Lightning Sword's previous master had experienced something similar.

"Retreating..." Hearing this, Chen Mobai turned his head to look behind him. Although separated by mountains, the sky of the Eastern Desolate still filled his vision. He had been in this world for nearly sixty years. In fact, he had spent more time on the land of the Eastern Desolate than in the Immortal Sect. Over these years, he had unconsciously cultivated this region, coming to regard himself as the Sect Master of the Five Elements Sect and even treating the entire Eastern Desolate as his personal backyard.

This was his territory! No one was allowed to set foot here without his permission! Chen Mobai's thoughts became incredibly clear at that moment. This Eastern Desolate was not merely the Eastern Desolate of the Five Elements Sect; it was his, Chen Mobai's, Eastern Desolate. He had declared that he would bring eternal peace to this region! Any person or force that could potentially disrupt his rule over this region was an enemy he intended to expel!

Just then, Chen Mobai suddenly felt a surge of sentient thought power, normally imperceptible, flowing continuously from the Eastern Desolate not far behind him, towards his external avatar. Above the external avatar's head, the sentient thought power seemed to find an anchor, slowly coalescing into a jade-colored celestial crown. The moment the jade crown settled, the external avatar's previously indistinct face illuminated with a crystalline glow, and its facial features subtly emerged.

"This is...?" Chen Mobai watched this scene with some surprise, but soon, a clear realization dawned upon him. He felt that after wearing the jade crown, he vaguely perceived that simply by circulating his divine sense, he could gain insight into everything about himself, achieving clarity of mind and understanding of his true nature. And after introspecting himself, by expending more divine sense, he seemingly could observe the natural world, all phenomena, and the entire Eastern Desolate!

The Crown of All Beings of Heaven and Earth! This was the crown bestowed upon him by all beings of Heaven and Earth throughout the entire Eastern Desolate. It was also the merit he gained after unifying the Eastern Desolate. If he hadn't yet formed his Core, he could use this Crown of All Beings of Heaven and Earth to introspect himself, observe Heaven and Earth, comprehend the Dao, and achieve Core Formation! It was at this moment that Chen Mobai realized that comprehending the Dao for Core Formation didn't just require merit; it more crucially required a clear understanding of one's own Dao Heart. His Dao Heart was his cherishment, or perhaps greed, for the territory of the Eastern Desolate! Only when the Dao Heart was established could merit find a vessel to attach itself to. Just like Mo Douguang, only when the realm was achieved could Core Formation be perfected.

And in that very instant, Chen Mobai's Danfeng Chaoyang Diagram suddenly advanced to the second level! His divine sense instantly surged threefold. In the Sea of Consciousness within his Purple Mansion, the phoenix phantom perched on the Wutong tree let out a clear cry. A richer, more sacred aura of auspiciousness emerged, filling everything and causing the young Qingtai saplings to sprout and grow. At this moment, Chen Mobai also perceived which parts of his body still harbored unpurged pill toxins after consuming elixirs. With a dry retch, he spat out a mouthful of thick, blackish-red phlegm. These were all the harmful substances within his body. After the second level of the Danfeng Chaoyang Diagram was cultivated, and with the blessing of the 'impervious to all poisons' state, they were all expelled from his body. Chen Mobai, being very particular about hygiene, snapped his fingers and used Qingyang Fire to cleanly incinerate the phlegm.

Before he could fully experience the other miraculous uses of this Crown of All Beings of Heaven and Earth, he sensed two incredibly powerful energies colliding and roaring in the distance! One of them was Zhou Shengqing, whom he knew very well! The other, naturally, was Venerable Bingyun. It seemed they hadn't reached an agreement!

"I ask all of you to lend me your strength!" Chen Mobai knew it was his time to act. He shouted to the Five Elements Sect cultivators in the five great square formations below. Mo Douguang and the other Core Formation cultivators immediately mobilized the power of the Five Elements Dao Soldiers, which began to surge forth continuously. Within the formations, all the Foundation Establishment and Qi Condensation cultivators sat cross-legged, holding spirit stones, striving to supply their spiritual power as quickly as possible.

Chen Mobai's true body remained there, but his external avatar, under his control, rode on five-colored clouds and rushed towards the clashing Zhou Shengqing and Venerable Bingyun. After the Danfeng Chaoyang Diagram breakthrough, Chen Mobai's divine sense became even more powerful. The immense power that was previously somewhat uncontrollable was now channeled by him, continuously flowing into the Violet Lightning Sword. An earth-shattering sword move could be unleashed at any moment!

Desolate Ruins!

Zhou Shengqing activated his domain, deploying three Golden Sun Spirit Trees to form a Three Talents Grand Array. Spiritual leaves flew out, creating a formidable defense that blocked the snowflakes falling from the sky. According to Zhou Shengqing's current realm, a Tier-4 Longevity Tree cultivated into a seed would truly complement him. Unfortunately, the Wood Vein lacked Tier-4 spiritual plant masters, making it impossible to condense the Longevity Wood into a seed. Thus, Zhou Shengqing could only compensate for quality with quantity. Initially, he had deployed six Golden Sun Spirit Trees, forming a Six Harmonies Grand Array. However, after several rounds of engagement with Venerable Bingyun, three of them had been pierced by icy sword light, turning into ice shards scattered across the mountain. If not for Zhou Shengqing's Tier-4 Golden Aura Pearl for protection, he would likely be unable to hold on and would have begun retreating by now.

"A mere Dharma Body Nascent Soul dares to obstruct me? I'll give you a chance: surrender now, or I'll kill you and flatten the entire Five Elements Sect!" Venerable Bingyun had a cold and beautiful face. Though her tone was arrogant, there was no emotional fluctuation. Her skin was as pale as snow, her eyes cold and indifferent, exuding a chilling aura that deterred anyone from approaching. As she spoke, she wielded her snowy white flying sword, slashing rapidly around Zhou Shengqing like a luminous white dragon. While evading the Golden Aura Pearl, it carried white ice lightning, striking down and freezing another Golden Sun Spirit Tree.

"Fellow Daoist, our sect has already reported Kong Lingling of Chuixue Palace cultivating demonic cultivation techniques to the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Sect. If you continue to act unreasonably, when the Holy Land's World Wanderer arrives, the crime of harboring a demonic cultivator might fall upon you." After two exchanges, Zhou Shengqing knew he was no match for Venerable Bingyun, but relying on the Golden Aura Pearl, he could hold her off without issue, so he tried to persuade her again.

"Hmph, if Kong Lingling truly cultivates demonic arts, I will naturally personally eradicate the Chuixue Palace lineage. But her cultivating demonic arts has no necessary connection to me being an enemy of your Five Elements Sect." Although Venerable Bingyun was arrogant, she knew that the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Sect was not someone she could afford to offend. Even in a place like the Eastern Desolate, she did not want to leave herself open to criticism. So, she directly used revenge as her reason to oppose the Five Elements Sect! Furthermore, Zhou Shengqing's Dharma Body Nascent Soul had aroused her greed. Tier-5 Soul Nurturing Wood was a rare treasure, even in the Eastern Lands. If she could obtain it, her Ice Heaven Palace would gain another Nascent Soul cultivator. Originally, she had only intended to retrieve a disciple who had been placed here after Kong Lingling's death, but she hadn't expected such an unexpected gain.

"Tell me, where did you get the Tier-5 Soul Nurturing Wood?" Venerable Bingyun asked one last question, but how could Zhou Shengqing possibly tell her? He simply shook his head and intensified the power of the Golden Aura Pearl in his hand.

"Then go die. After I kill you, I'll go to the Five Elements Sect and question your Core Formation cultivators one by one. I don't believe all of them are as stubborn as you." At this point, Venerable Bingyun no longer intended to negotiate with Zhou Shengqing. She planned to seize control of the entire Five Elements Sect with overwhelming power.

"I am Chen Guixian, Sect Master of the Five Elements Sect. Venerable Bingyun, there's no need for you to come to us; I have come myself!" But at that moment, a majestic and deep voice resonated, and then a gigantic figure, wearing a jade-colored celestial crown with indistinct facial features, appeared, treading on five-colored auspicious clouds and draped in a robe of five-colored light, entering the sight of the two clashing cultivators.

"Junior Brother, you've finally arrived!" Although Zhou Shengqing had never seen an external avatar like this, Chen Mobai's divine sense fluctuations were very familiar, and combined with his body full of Primordial True Qi, Zhou Shengqing naturally recognized him instantly.

"Senior Brother, forgive my tardiness." Chen Mobai's colossal figure saluted Zhou Shengqing, but at that moment, Venerable Bingyun waved her hand, and snowflakes carrying extreme coldness covered the external avatar. However, the five-colored robe of light gently rippled with iridescent glow. It was formed from massive Primordial True Qi, rendering it impervious to all techniques as long as they were within the scope of Five Elements spells! Soon, the snowflakes that had frozen the mountains and plains into a vast expanse of white landed on the five-colored robe of light, suddenly melting into drops of clear water that merged into the vast frozen earth.

"Primordial True Qi!" Venerable Bingyun, a cultivator with partial Holy Land heritage, naturally recognized the divine ability Chen Mobai was employing upon seeing this. Her eyes sharpened, and she frowned.

"If Fellow Daoist truly intends to fight to the end, then don't blame my Senior Brother and me for outnumbering you!" As he spoke, Chen Mobai hurled the five-colored light sword from his right hand. Like a dazzling long spear, it swept up all the spiritual energy in the air in an instant, striking Venerable Bingyun's glabella. A transparent ice wall appeared in mid-air, precisely blocking Chen Mobai's Five Elements Sword Qi.

But with a cracking sound! The Five Elements Sword Qi, infused with some of Chen Mobai's Primordial True Qi, pierced into the ice wall formed by condensed ice spiritual energy. A crack appeared in the ice wall, then spread out in all directions like a spiderweb. Finally, it completely shattered into fragments of ice! However, Venerable Bingyun had already left her original position by then. Her figure, like a ghost, suddenly appeared before Chen Mobai. With her keen eyesight, she naturally saw that Chen Mobai's strength was merely at the Core Formation stage; he was only using a secret technique to temporarily possess Nascent Soul power. And such power was full of flaws!

Her snowy white flying sword, under the impetus of her divine sense, erupted with a brilliant white glow, piercing directly into the five-colored robe of light like an extreme Yang Slash of ice affinity. The Primordial True Qi played its role, dissolving all the ice spiritual energy attached to the flying sword, but the formidable Tier-4 flying sword itself penetrated unimpeded. This was also how the cultivators in the Eastern Lands dealt with Primordial True Qi. After all, as one of the four great Holy Lands, the Yiyuan Dao Palace was world-renowned. Primordial True Qi could neutralize all Five Elements spells in the world, but it had no effect on physical magical artifacts. Although Chen Mobai's external avatar possessed Nascent Soul power, it was not cultivated by himself and could be described as ponderous. Without the five-colored robe of light, he would likely have been frozen by Venerable Bingyun in the very first move. Facing the thrust of the snowy white flying sword now, Chen Mobai dared not be arrogant.

The Violet Lightning Sword roared! A deep purple sword light, flashing with sharp brilliance, erupted from his left palm, thrusting rapidly towards Venerable Bingyun. Venerable Bingyun naturally wasn't willing to perish together with an avatar! She snorted coldly, controlling her snowy white longsword to fly back and block in front of her, clashing with the Violet Lightning Sword. The two swords collided, erupting in massive sparks, shaking the surrounding frozen ground, trees, and mountains, causing them to constantly crack as cold air emanated outwards.

Both of their sword strikes possessed true Nascent Soul power. Chen Mobai knew his avatar's power wouldn't last, and it had significant flaws, so he was determined to decide the outcome with a single strike. Venerable Bingyun, as a Nascent Soul cultivator, was naturally very confident in her own strength. She believed that Chen Mobai's Nascent Soul avatar, boosted by a formation, could at most block her attacks but could not possibly harm her.

But the instant the two swords clashed, her expression changed! Because her cherished Natal Flying Sword, which she prided herself on, had developed a tiny chip! This indicated that the quality of her flying sword was actually inferior to Chen Mobai's.

"This is impossible!" How could a mere backwater like the Eastern Desolate possess such a high-quality, powerful flying sword!

In disbelief, Venerable Bingyun immediately executed a sword art, no longer trying to clash directly. She sought to neutralize and evade the power of the Violet Lightning Sword, which was continuously erupting with electrical arcs. But at this moment, a golden tempest descended from the sky, forming a powerful restraint that instantly froze her entire body in place! Zhou Shengqing seized the opportunity, making his move at a crucial moment! This forced Venerable Bingyun to directly withstand Chen Mobai's Violet Lightning Sword's peak strike, which had been building momentum all this time!

"Is this your strongest technique?" Venerable Bingyun was restrained, yet her expression remained unchanged. She opened her mouth and spat out a mouthful of vital blood onto her flying sword. In an instant, the crystalline light of the snowy white flying sword intensified to its utmost, as if a great snowy white sun had risen in the Desolate Ruins!

Chen Mobai hadn't expected Bingyun to possess such power. He could only conclude that cultivators in the Tianhe Realm each had unexpected, desperate, and life-saving techniques. But at this point, there was no turning back! Chen Mobai roared, and the five-colored robe of light flew from the avatar's surface, abruptly enveloping the snowy white flying sword. The Primordial True Qi erupted, destroying itself along with the flying sword's crystalline light! Then the Violet Lightning Sword's blade descended, and Venerable Bingyun could only force her flying sword upwards to block.

The two swords clashed again. The snowy white flying sword, which already had a small chip, was struck once more by the Violet Lightning Sword's blade. With a crisp crack, a fissure appeared.

Venerable Bingyun's face suddenly turned pale!