Chapter 931: Ten Years Passed

In the vast starry sky, Chen Mobai had just retracted his Violet Lightning Sword when he saw the black dragon, which he had sliced in half, begin to re-form under a surge of potent green vitality.

"Oh?"

Seeing this, all three present were greatly surprised. However, they immediately recalled the Heaven and Earth Eternal Spring Art that Patriarch Dragon-Tiger had just boasted about. They were amazed that even such severe injuries could be healed.

Wenren Xuewei raised the flower basket in her hand. Chen Mobai was about to summon the Violet Lightning Sword again when Qi Yuheng flew forward, saying, "I've got this!"

After speaking, Qi Yuheng landed in front of the newly recovered black dragon, raised his right hand, and punched out.

"Wait..."

Patriarch Dragon-Tiger had just opened his mouth, but before he could finish speaking, Qi Yuheng's punch blew the entire dragon's head apart. In the starry sky, after a tremor, green vitality once again emerged from the headless dragon's corpse, and tiny flesh buds began to form. The Heaven and Earth Eternal Spring Art was working again, but this time its speed was much slower. It seemed that after successive fatal attacks from Chen Mobai and Qi Yuheng, the effectiveness of this grand art was nearly depleted.

"Interesting!"

Seeing this, Qi Yuheng raised his hands and grasped the regenerating headless dragon corpse, preparing to tear it apart, when Wenren Xuewei spoke up to stop him.

"Let's seal it first. When the Pioneering War is over, Teacher Sanjue and I can study it. We might be able to reverse-engineer this Heaven and Earth Eternal Spring Art."

Hearing this, Qi Yuheng stopped, then stepped aside from the black dragon. He was only good at fighting; while he had some understanding of sealing techniques, he lacked the means to handle a Tier 4 black dragon.

"I'll first seal the black dragon's meridians and vital points. After we take it down, I'll ask Palace Master Water Lily to help freeze it using the Black Tortoise Palace."

As Wenren Xuewei spoke, she took out several slender wooden needles. Guided by her Eternal Spring True Qi, they pierced various parts of the dragon's body.

"If it's just freezing, I can try with the Azure Frost Sword."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai opened his domain, and the Azure Frost Sword, responding to his call, immediately flew out and circled him affectionately.

"In that case... thank you for your trouble!"

Wenren Xuewei, seeing the Azure Frost Sword, spoke with a look of surprise. She knew that for decades, Pei Qingshuang had worn this Azure Frost Sword, but the sword had always felt extremely arrogant to her, even dismissive of Pei Qingshuang herself. Yet, in front of Chen Mobai, this usually proud Azure Frost Sword had become so docile and amiable! In terms of sword manipulation techniques alone, Chen Mobai was indeed superior to Patriarch Baiguang.

While Wenren Xuewei was lost in thought, the Azure Frost Sword had already plunged directly into the black dragon's nape. Following this, an intensely bone-chilling sword qi spread, instantly freezing the black dragon into a massive block of ice. After clearing the battlefield, the three immediately broke through the Sky-Earth Membrane of Dragon God Star and headed towards the Black Tortoise Palace, where Water Lily was located.

In a cave beneath Dragon God Star, Yan Xinjie stopped what he was doing.

"What's wrong?" Lin Daoming turned to him and asked.

"My black dragon avatar was destroyed," Yan Xinjie spoke expressionlessly, but a hint of shock flickered in his eyes.

"Qi Yuheng arrived?" Lin Daoming thought of the Immortal Sect's top Nascent Soul cultivator. Yan Xinjie's black dragon avatar had been cultivated for hundreds of years using a Heaven-Devouring Serpent. Its cultivation alone had reached the peak of Tier 4, and it had even refined a trace of True Spirit Blood, allowing it to control natural disasters like wind, rain, lightning, thunder, frost, and snow. Ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators were no match for it.

"Yes, he did, but the one who destroyed my avatar was Chunyang!" Yan Xinjie's tone was grave and astonished as he spoke.

"That shouldn't be possible. How long has he been a Nascent Soul cultivator?" Lin Daoming, hearing this, glanced at Yan Xinjie in surprise, thinking, *You're a renowned sect leader from an ancient demonic lineage. Even if it was just a black dragon avatar, how could you be defeated by a junior?*

"It's not that I'm weak; that kid's sword is just too terrifying!" Yan Xinjie saw Lin Daoming's look and immediately defended himself. With so many years of cultivation, he naturally possessed Tier 5 techniques. He simply hadn't expected Chen Mobai, a mere third-level Nascent Soul cultivator, to possess such a terrifying sword dao realm.

The Ascension Sect also had intelligence regarding the Violet Lightning Sword's promotion to Tier 5. However, a Nascent Soul cultivator wielding a Tier 5 artifact typically only unleashes two or three tenths of its power. Even with the artifact spirit's approval, due to their cultivation realm, they could at most unleash half its power. Who would have known that the Violet Lightning Sword in Chen Mobai's hand far exceeded this common understanding? Yan Xinjie's proud black dragon avatar couldn't even withstand a single strike.

"It's fine, it's just an avatar. Better than losing your life," Lin Daoming said comfortingly. Yan Xinjie had also composed himself by then. Indeed, just an avatar. Although losing some True Spirit Blood was a bit painful, he had already thoroughly researched the genetic blueprint of black dragon blood. Given enough time, he could eventually enable the Heaven-Devouring Serpent to evolve again.

"Let's continue." Yan Xinjie resumed arranging the Spirit Pivots, speaking to Lin Daoming, who nodded. The two, methodically, continued to execute their plan.

"You kid, you're a bit too formidable." Inside the Black Tortoise Palace, Water Lily looked at the frozen black dragon avatar. After hearing Wenren Xuewei's account, she couldn't help but look at Chen Mobai with a strange gaze, clicking her tongue in amazement.

"It's entirely due to the power of the Violet Lightning Sword. I merely have a good affinity with it, and I've comprehended the Purple Radiance Sword Intent left by Master Qingshi within the sword's body. That's how I can unleash a Tier 5 sword strike with just a thought."

Chen Mobai didn't hide anything. After all, the Pioneering War against the Golden-Gnawing Fire Ants on Dragon God Star was inevitable, and he would certainly go all out. The Violet Lightning Sword would be revealed sooner or later, so it was better to disclose it now. When the time was right, he could then publish his paper on a Nascent Soul using the Violet Lightning Sword as its vessel, which might just create the Immortal Sect's eighth Transformation God grand method. It was a pity that the creation of cultivation techniques wasn't considered for the Flying Immortal Award; otherwise, he would have pretty much guaranteed it. Unless other Nascent Soul cultivators in the Immortal Sect discovered the secret of eternal life.

"Among Nascent Soul cultivators, I reckon only Palace Master Qi could block your sword dao." As Water Lily spoke, her gaze moved back and forth between Chen Mobai and Qi Yuheng with curiosity. It was clear she was very curious if Chen Mobai's sword could break through Qi Yuheng's defenses. However, with the Pioneering War imminent, the two certainly wouldn't do that. After all, this wasn't Little Scarlet Heaven. If Qi Yuheng were injured, the Immortal Sect would directly lose a major fighting force.

"Couldn't you even try with just a finger?" Seeing that neither of them understood her hint, Water Lily said to Qi Yuheng, a little unwillingly.

"My 'Body as a Realm' is a complete, integrated defense. Every hair, every finger on my body is equivalent to my entire defensive power. That means if even one of my fingers were to be cut, it would be as if my body-realm were broken, creating a fatal flaw..." Qi Yuheng explained the profound mystery of his Tier 5 Body Forging. It wasn't that he didn't want to try; it was that with his 'Body as a Realm,' no matter where he was attacked, the opponent would always face his strongest defense. If the Violet Lightning Sword couldn't break through, that would be one thing. But if it did, that flaw would remain forever. And since they weren't facing an enemy, what was the point? With his explanation, Water Lily could only disappointedly abandon her idea.

"What's the situation with the geocentric tunnel now?" Next, they discussed serious matters.

"In the past two years, the number of insect beasts emerging has steadily decreased. It's likely that the intelligent high-tier insect beasts know I'm stationed here and don't want to waste more troops, so they'd rather spend time and energy excavating other tunnels underground than come through here." Water Lily pointed downwards. Just then, a group of dozens of insect beasts flew out. Before she could give an order, the North Celestial Gate erupted with a bridge-like streak of auspicious energy, carrying a hundred-strong team of military cultivators who intercepted the insect beasts, skillfully and swiftly slaying them all.

"Dragon God Star is almost in its closest orbit to Demonic Earth Star. If Patriarch Qianxing is going to make a move to kill the Queen Mother, it should be within these next two years," Qi Yuheng looked at the deep, dark opening beneath the Black Tortoise Palace and spoke.

"Has the Patriarch not sent you any messages all these years?" Chen Mobai asked Water Lily. Eight years had passed since Patriarch Qianxing's true body entered Dragon God Star. With his wisdom, even in a dragon's den or tiger's lair, he should have gathered enough information by now.

"He only told me to guard the entrance well and to be ready to lead a retreat at any sign of trouble!" The three present were all in charge of the Immortal Sect's three great Dao Academies, so Water Lily had nothing to hide and shared what she knew.

"Perhaps the Queen Mother is too powerful, and only cultivators at the Transformation God realm can intervene in this struggle, fearing that any confrontation might affect the Immortal Sect's cultivators," Chen Mobai spoke, and the three present nodded. Although they were at the Nascent Soul realm and possessed profound techniques and Tier 5 artifacts, they knew well that if they were to participate in a battle involving the Transformation God realm, they would at most be able to provide support by using the Nine Heavens Immortal Abode Void Domain evolved from the Four Symbols Dao Palace.

"They might be waiting for Patriarch Baiguang to emerge from seclusion. After all, in terms of combat power, Patriarch Qianxing is still inferior to Patriarch Baiguang." As Wenren Xuewei spoke, Water Lily and Qi Yuheng also looked at Chen Mobai.

"By my calculations, there are only two years left until Patriarch Baiguang emerges from seclusion!" Chen Mobai saw the three looking at him and thought they mistakenly believed he had visited Mount Wangxian and had connections with Patriarch Baiguang, the greatest pillar of support for the Weapon Dao Academy. He could only continue the conversation along those lines.

"Yes, two more years..." Two years, not long, not short.

After staying on Dragon God Star for a period, Chen Mobai and the other two returned to Demonic Earth Star via the World Gate. When they returned, Master Meihua also came back with them. This was because the Immortal Sect needed to establish a star path between Demonic Earth Star and Dragon God Star to ensure the travel route of the Numinous Heaven Treasure Palace. As the Immortal Sect's ultimate war artifact, the Numinous Heaven Treasure Palace would completely deplete the void energy if it were to pass through a World Gate. Therefore, the Immortal Sect's default plan was still to pilot the Numinous Heaven Treasure Palace through the starry sky towards the closest point of Dragon God Star to Demonic Earth Star, waiting in advance. This way, if the Queen Mother's power was indeed formidable, even to the extent that the Immortal Sect's two Sages couldn't subdue her, they would then pilot the Numinous Heaven Treasure Palace in space, activate the Primal Chaos Qi Cannon, and turn Dragon God Star into cosmic dust. Master Meihua, from the Stargazing Academy, was called back to take charge of this matter.

As Dragon God Star drew closer to Demonic Earth Star, the Golden-Gnawing Fire Ants occupying the planet's depths seemed to instinctively sense the tense atmosphere. They began appearing more frequently from various sandy areas, attacking the major bases established by the Immortal Sect. Faced with these counterattacks from the insect beasts, the Immortal Sect also suffered significant casualties. Among those leading the attacks were even several dark purplish-gold humanoid insect beasts of Nascent Soul cultivation.

Since the Black Tortoise Palace could not leave the geocentric tunnel, Water Lily could only dispatch seven star-faring battleships. Coupled with the efforts of Master Yuanxu and others who remained on Dragon God Star, after abandoning a few mining bases, they barely managed to stabilize the situation. However, since the insect beasts held a geographical advantage and emerged in endless streams from underground, the Immortal Sect was soon forced to defend only its seven largest bases.

Fortunately, the Immortal Sect had anticipated this. After Qi Yuheng returned, he piloted the Azure Dragon Palace along the star path and descended onto Dragon God Star. The Azure Dragon Palace was secondary; facing these Nascent Soul-level insect beasts, Qi Yuheng truly displayed the demeanor of the Immortal Sect's top Nascent Soul cultivator. With his Tier 5 Body Forging, 'Body as a Realm,' no insect beast could break through his defenses unless a Transformation God cultivator intervened. Meanwhile, the insect beasts could not withstand his heavy blows! After Qi Yuheng suppressed and killed the fifth Nascent Soul insect beast on Dragon God Star, the battle situation quickly stabilized. Without high-tier insect beasts, the Immortal Sect's military cultivators quickly eliminated the insect beasts pouring out of the fissures one by one, recapturing the bases.

At the core of Dragon God Star, a gigantic white cocoon was embedded within the planetary core, pulsating like the planet's heart. Patriarch Qianxing, hidden in the void, looked thoughtfully at the white cocoon. Below the cocoon, countless luminous white eggs were densely piled. Some eggs had already hatched, others were dull and gray, but some also emitted terrifying energy fluctuations, seemingly incubating extremely formidable beings. All around this core, the spherical earth walls were riddled with excavated tunnels extending in all directions. Each time a creature hatched from an egg, it would instinctively choose a tunnel and crawl out.

Occasionally, some dark purplish Nascent Soul insect beasts would enter here. They were very respectful towards the white cocoon, conveying their intentions with a strange fluctuation. However, the white cocoon never acknowledged them, merely absorbing the planet's energy at its leisure, only occasionally expelling luminous white eggs that dropped down. Patriarch Qianxing had been observing here for ten years.

Logically speaking, today was the day Baiguang was supposed to emerge from seclusion, and also the day the Immortal Sect was to launch its general offensive. He had confirmed that this Queen Mother had not yet reached the Void Refinement stage. As long as he and Baiguang joined forces, along with the Numinous Heaven Treasure Palace and the Four Symbols Dao Palace, they would be more than enough to suppress this powerful Golden-Gnawing Fire Ant. However, he waited and waited, but never heard that familiar sword cry!

What's going on? Why hasn't Baiguang emerged yet? Patriarch Qianxing was filled with doubt. Fortunately, he was cautious and had not attacked the Queen Mother before Baiguang arrived; otherwise, he might have suffered.

On the Immortal Sect's side, Chen Mobai and Ying Guanghua, among others, were diligently staying at their posts, hoping that Patriarch Baiguang, upon emerging from seclusion, would immediately see their industriousness. However, they waited and waited, but never received the Transformation God decree from Mount Juxian!

What's going on? Did Patriarch Qianxing make a miscalculation? Chen Mobai and Ying Guanghua were both puzzled, but since it involved a Transformation God Patriarch, they dared not probe deeply, much less go directly to Mount Juxian. At the Immortal Affairs Hall, Ying Guanghua hesitated for a long time but still didn't call Chen Mobai. After all, the situation on Dragon God Star was still under their control, and the Numinous Heaven Treasure Palace was already in position. Until Patriarch Qianxing issued new instructions, it was better to maintain the current stability. Not only did Ying Guanghua think this way, but Chen Mobai did too.

After diligently working at the Hall of Righteous Law for a year, he found that Patriarch Baiguang still hadn't emerged from seclusion. He concluded that Patriarch Qianxing must have made a mistake in his calculations. This incident caused Patriarch Qianxing's tall image in Chen Mobai's mind to somewhat crumble. After all, before this, the Patriarch had been infallible in his calculations. However, upon further thought, it was understandable. After all, Patriarch Qianxing's previous calculations were always about cultivators inferior to him, and Patriarch Baiguang was a Transformation God cultivator after all, so a miscalculation was excusable. Thinking this, Chen Mobai remembered he hadn't been home for a year. He relaxed his tense work attitude, greeted Hua Zijing and Zhuang Jialan, then used Void Walking to leave his office.

With a flash of silver light, Chen Mobai was already in his own courtyard. Shi Wanyu, hearing the movement, immediately came out, her face full of pleasant surprise at seeing him.

"Why are you home today? Then the groceries I bought this morning might not be enough. I'll go out and buy some more..."

"No need, I can just eat whatever's available. If not, we can ask our daughter to pick something up after work." Chen Mobai immediately stopped Shi Wanyu, who was about to leave. She nodded, and the couple, who hadn't seen each other for a year, walked and talked together in the courtyard.

Mount Juxian! Yu Huiping took a deep breath, looking at how her master had not emerged from seclusion a year past the agreed time. Remembering that this was a critical moment for the Pioneering War and what Patriarch Qianxing had said before leaving, she could only steel herself and take out a talisman. This was left to her by Baiguang before entering seclusion, allowing her to awaken her if there was an urgent matter. She infused her spiritual power, and the talisman quickly transformed into a beam of sword light, falling into the palace at the center of Mount Juxian.