Chapter 935: Opening the War

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Zhang Daosun’s sword intent was astonishingly powerful!

Chen Mobai, startled, stopped his communion with the Profound Finger Sword. The Heavenly Venerate’s "Heaven-Intercepting, Single-Line, Longevity Sword Intent" was actually annihilated by the "Dao Extinguishing Sword" during the interception process. This was primarily due to Chen Mobai’s low cultivation level and the fact that the Heavenly Venerate’s Longevity Sword Intent was only at its initial stage.

Nevertheless, he had already managed to intercept some of the profound essence of the "Dao Extinguishing Sword," deeply imprinting it within his mind. Chen Mobai immediately closed his eyes and sat upright, beginning to meticulously comprehend the insights gained from this sword intent interception.

Upon this realization, he was horrified to discover that his own Longevity Sword Intent had significantly weakened. Could this "Dao Extinguishing Sword" actually affect him across time? If it were anyone else, they would likely be heartbroken, unsure how much time it would take to recover. Compared to the "Dao Extinguishing Sword," the "Heaven-Intercepting, Single-Line, Longevity Sword Intent" certainly had a greater impact. Fortunately, Chen Mobai’s Longevity Sword Intent wasn't gained through arduous self-cultivation. Although a portion was cut, he could fully replenish it to the peak of the fourth tier by returning to the Grand Dao Tree for an empowerment ritual. After realizing this, Chen Mobai promptly put the Longevity Sword Intent out of his mind.

He then began to meticulously comprehend the "Dao Extinguishing Sword" he had just intercepted. Because Zhang Daosun’s complete "Dao Extinguishing Sword Intent" was too powerful and terrifying for Chen Mobai to fully intercept, even partial interception greatly advanced his sword path cultivation. Chen Mobai, referencing the concept of "Dao Extinguishing," manifested his Primal Yang Sword Fiend, imitating its essence of consolidating myriad swords into one, annihilating all phenomena and creation. However, his cultivation was still relatively low, and his talent in the sword path was somewhat ordinary, so he only managed to mimic a superficial aspect.

Inside the cultivation chamber, Chen Mobai slowly opened his eyes, looking at the crystalline sword thread of Primal Yang Sword Fiend condensed in his palm, and sighed softly. This "Dao Extinguishing Sword" was Zhang Daosun’s supreme achievement in the sword path, a result of his cultivation of Immortal Sect sword arts. A single strike, it was estimated, even the Evergreen Ancestor from back then might not have been able to withstand. It was a pity that Chen Mobai could only learn to condense his sword into a thread!

"Dad, you just broke through?!"

Only Chen Mobai knew the truth. Seeing him release the Profound Finger Sword, then close and open his eyes to condense his Primal Yang Sword Fiend into a crystalline sword thread, Chen Xiaohei's expression became agitated, thinking his father had achieved another breakthrough in the sword path during the process.

"Yes, after communing with the Profound Finger Sword, I perceived the 'Dao Extinguishing Sword Intent' left by Ancestor Zhang Daosun on its blade. After a brief reference, I mastered the 'condensing sword into thread' realm."

Chen Mobai spoke honestly, and the Profound Finger Sword Spirit was utterly shocked upon hearing him. If Chen Mobai's profound understanding of "spirit inhabiting the sword," demonstrated through his "Sword Heart Clarity" with the Purple Lightning Sword during their previous communion, had made the Profound Finger Sword Spirit acknowledge his talent, then Chen Mobai's current ability to comprehend the "Dao Extinguishing Sword Intent" from it left it utterly incredulous.

How could such a monstrous sword genius exist in this world! Compared to him, even its master seemed somewhat mediocre! This was because Yu Baiguang had wielded the Profound Finger Sword for over a thousand years and had only barely grasped the "Dao Extinguishing Sword Intent" even with its unreserved guidance. Chen Mobai, however, had comprehended it on his own, without needing its guidance! In comparison, Baiguang was indeed somewhat inferior.

"Why didn't Master send me to the male master earlier!" At this moment, the Profound Finger Sword Spirit's thoughts were vastly different from its initial ones. When Baiguang first sent it away, it was a thousand times unwilling. "What kind of status? Not even at the Soul Transformation realm. How could he be worthy of owning it, the Immortal Sect's foremost sword!" Then it thought, "Oh, it's Master's daughter? Well, I'll reluctantly allow young miss to possess it for a while."

And it was at this moment that the Profound Finger Sword Spirit understood its master's profound intentions: it wasn't meant to guide and protect the young miss's sword cultivation, but rather to be sent to this even more astonishing, peerless sword genius—the male master. "Compared to Master, the male master is more suitable for me!" After Chen Mobai demonstrated his comprehension of "spirit inhabiting the sword" and independently grasped the "Dao Extinguishing Sword Intent" from it, the Profound Finger Sword Spirit instantly changed its mind.

"I was arrogant before, and I apologize for any offense. Please forgive this humble one!" The Profound Finger Sword Spirit rose from the dark blade, clasped its hands, and bowed respectfully to Chen Mobai in apology.

"Not at all, not at all. You were merely concerned for my daughter." Chen Mobai had gained great benefits from the Profound Finger Sword Spirit, so he naturally wouldn't hold a grudge and politely returned the gesture. The "Dao Extinguishing Sword" essence he had currently intercepted was still incomplete, and there would be many future opportunities to utilize the Profound Finger Sword. Moreover, besides Zhang Daosun's sword intent, there was also Ancestor Baiguang's. In his eyes, this Profound Finger Sword was already a great treasure trove for advancing his own sword path cultivation.

"Young miss's foundation in the sword path has quite a few issues. Do you need me to guide and correct her?" The Profound Finger Sword Spirit pointed at Chen Xiaohei and began to talk about serious matters. When Yu Baiguang sent it, she had instructed it to "properly guide her daughter." The Profound Finger Sword Spirit was eager to complete this small task and then dedicate itself to this peerless sword genius before it. In its view, this Pure Yang True Lord before it had a greater chance of reaching the Void Refinement stage than its master.

"Then I'll trouble you." Chen Mobai knew his own sword path level was certainly inferior to the Profound Finger Sword Spirit's, so as soon as he heard it offered to teach, he immediately gave them the cultivation chamber. He had thought about listening in, but fearing his "sword genius" persona might be exposed, he gave up the idea. Moreover, his two major sword path realms had already reached the pinnacle of the Nascent Soul stage.

"One Sword Generates Myriad Laws" had long since reached the "Sword Heart Clarity" realm! This realm, initially at a normal level, continuously strengthened as the sword intent grew more powerful. Now, wielding the Purple Lightning Sword with Sword Heart Clarity, combined with the Purple Splendor Sword Intent, if an opponent lacked fifth-tier defense, he could essentially defeat them with a single strike, unstoppable by anyone. As for "One Sword Breaks Myriad Laws," today he also achieved "Condensing Sword into Thread"! This was an invincible method for the Nascent Soul stage. If Chen Mobai didn't have the Purple Lightning Sword, "Condensing Sword into Thread" would be his most potent offensive technique. And next, no matter which path he broke through, it would be equivalent to the Soul Transformation realm in the sword path.

After returning to his room, Chen Mobai found that Shi Wanyu was still awake. Shi Wanyu was clearly delighted by his return. Chen Mobai mentioned giving the cultivation chamber to his daughter for sword practice, and then the couple went to bed together.

The next morning, after breakfast, father and daughter each went to work. The Profound Finger Sword was unwilling to enter Chen Xiaohei's domain, so it stayed at home.

"Master, the male master you chose, his sword path talent is even above yours!" After Yu Baiguang logged in, the Profound Finger Sword Spirit floated out and recounted everything from last night in detail. Yu Baiguang couldn't help but be slightly surprised upon hearing it. Although she had long known that the man chosen by her reincarnated self was said to have the potential to become an immortal, the most talented individual in the Immortal Sect's history, Yu Baiguang didn't believe his sword path talent would surpass her own. But after hearing about the events of last night, she fell silent. It seems... he's a little stronger than me!

Upon realizing this, the always competitive Yu Baiguang instinctively felt a bit unconvinced, but then, thinking that this was her own man, an indescribable sense of pride welled up within her. "You teach my daughter well. My man has such talent in the sword path; it mustn't be wasted. After the pioneering war ends, I'll write a list and have him go comprehend the complete Immortal Sect Sword Manual! When the time comes, you can assist him. Although with his talent, he can thoroughly grasp it even without you, saving some time would still be good!"

As Yu Baiguang finished speaking, the Profound Finger Sword Spirit immediately nodded respectfully, then asked with some hesitation. "Master, can I then follow the male master?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Young miss's sword path talent is slightly mediocre, and I'll finish teaching her quickly; using me on her is a bit of a waste! I believe I can achieve my greatest value in the hands of the male master or yourself. Perhaps with my assistance, the male master could even reach the Void Refinement stage through the sword path."

"My man and I are among the top talents in the Immortal Sect's sword path; it makes little difference whether you're with us or not, as we're certainly capable of reaching the pinnacle of the sword path. But my daughter is different; it's also my reincarnated body's somewhat lacking talent that dragged her down, which is why I need your help. For us, you're merely adding flowers to the brocade, but for my daughter, you're a timely aid in dire need. Rest assured, as long as you can guide my daughter to Sword Soul Transformation in the future, my man and I will find a way to help you upgrade to the sixth tier."

Yu Baiguang's words were a mix of tough and soft, but the Profound Finger Sword Spirit was still somewhat reluctant. It was highly arrogant, only recognizing true geniuses throughout its life. However, the temptation of upgrading to the sixth tier, coupled with Chen Xiaohei's parents being the masters it shamelessly wished to serve, it grudgingly agreed. "Let's be clear first, I don't guarantee I can teach her well. The further one goes in the sword path, the more it relies on talent; you know this, Master."

"Mhm, mhm, you teach her for now..." Yu Baiguang readily agreed. She had already checked her daughter's talent; while her sword path talent was indeed lowered by her reincarnated body, her Pure Yin Body was genuine. With her and Chen Mobai protecting her, the hope of reaching Soul Transformation was very high. Once her daughter reached Soul Transformation, she could choose any fifth-tier magic weapon from the Immortal Sect, even custom-made ones. The Profound Finger Sword could either acknowledge her or not.

Chen Mobai naturally had no idea that a Soul Transformation Ancestor had appeared in his home. After going to work, he found an excuse to visit the Heavenly River Realm. As he emerged from the cultivation chamber in Yellow Dragon Grotto, Qing Nü immediately sensed him.

"Congratulations, your realm has broken through!" Chen Mobai was also very happy to see his Dao Companion, whose aura was even stronger, appear before him.

"This Soul Transformation grand method has many areas that require personal exploration, so the cultivation speed has been a bit slow," Qing Nü said with a smile. It had been thirty-nine years since she formed her core. If it were an ordinary water-attribute cultivation method, she would have likely broken through more than a decade ago. But the Profound冥 Scripture of the Black Emperor was vast and profound, and without the experience of predecessors, coupled with her dislike for using elixirs for advancement, she only broke through to the middle stage of Core Formation five years ago.

"In the Hunyuan Immortal City, there's the Altar of State left by True Monarch Yiyuan. When you have time, you can go take a look." Chen Mobai, hearing her mention the Profound冥 Scripture of the Black Emperor, also recalled this matter. He took out the large five-element fusion jade pendant from his domain and then left two strands of Primordial Chaos True Qi within it. After explaining the method to enter and exit the Yiyuan Secret Realm to Qing Nü, Chen Mobai went to the Divine Tree Secret Realm.

After fully replenishing his Heaven-Intercepting, Single-Line, Longevity Sword Intent with the help of the Grand Dao Tree, he once again performed the Devouring Spirit Art. However, the difference between his spiritual sense realm and that of the Grand Dao Tree was now minimal, so the effect of the Devouring Spirit Art was becoming increasingly limited. After the pioneering war concluded, he would need to find ways to acquire fifth-tier spiritual plants. He also possessed another spiritual item capable of enhancing spiritual sense: the Azure Spring Cold Water from Yellow Dragon Grotto. However, this item was more beneficial for Qing Nü. If she refined it when her Core Formation was complete, she would be able to advance her spiritual sense to the Nascent Soul level ahead of time. In that case, combined with innate water elemental essence and the Infant Nurturing Pill, forming a Nascent Soul would be almost guaranteed. So Chen Mobai left it for Qing Nü.

Upon returning to the Immortal Sect, Chen Mobai began deploying his forces! After all, the order to launch a full-scale assault in the pioneering war had been confirmed by the Immortal Sect's Dual Sages, and he too would be heading to the front lines. The certainty of victory in this battle was nearly ninety-nine percent, so Chen Mobai brought most of the people around him to accumulate merits. On the Immortal Sect's side, it was left for the older generation, such as Wang Shuye, whose potential was exhausted, to oversee and guard. Hua Zijing, Zhuang Jialan, Zhongli Tianyu, Yun Yangbing, Ming Yihua, Zhou Tiangong, and other newly formed Core Formation cultivators from the Artifact Dance Academy were all on the list. From the Jumang Academy, Wenren Xuewei also led Pei Qingshuang, the Sect Scion, and others to join the Vermilion Bird Dao Palace.

Dragon God Star.

Lin Daoming, having set up all the formation flags, sat cross-legged in a cave on this planet, employing his ability of "Myriad Manifestations of the Spiritual Core." He seemed to have transformed into the nexus of heaven and earth, slowly drawing upon the planet's hidden terrestrial energy. Beside him, Yan Xinjie silently observed this scene. He and Lin Daoming wanted to seize this opportunity to attempt a breakthrough to the Soul Transformation realm.

After performing "Myriad Manifestations of the Spiritual Core," one could draw upon the immense and mighty spiritual energy from the earth's veins to temper one's Nascent Soul. Theoretically, without external interference, Lin Daoming could absorb and unify the entire planet's terrestrial spiritual energy, combine it with his Nascent Soul, and transform it into a Soul. And in this process, the presence of "Fetal Transformation Essence" could significantly shorten the time required. This was because Fetal Transformation Essence was the very origin of a planet, containing the profound mysteries of creation. Lin Daoming, now having transformed into the Spiritual Core, first needed to refine and purify the endless terrestrial spiritual energy within the planet into Fetal Transformation Essence before attempting the Nascent Soul to Soul Transformation. Fortunately, on Dragon God Star, the earth-attribute terrestrial energy was largely untouched because the Gold-Gnawing Fire Ants disliked it, remaining in its primal state. This allowed them to deploy grand formations to condense Fetal Transformation Essence.

Over these years, Lin Daoming was close to condensing a complete strand. Yan Xinjie also received half, and after refining one portion, he indeed felt signs of loosening in the bottleneck that had trapped him for centuries. It was precisely because of this that he hoped the Empress deep within the planet's core could hold out for more time. After all, if the Immortal Sect captured this planet, with their capabilities, they would undoubtedly set up celestial barriers and terrestrial networks to completely drain all of its energy. For more Fetal Transformation Essence, Yan Xinjie also had the Divine Control Pavilion Master and others stir up the situation as much as possible, maintaining a balance of power between the Immortal Sect and the insect beasts.

The cultivation methods of these top cultivators in the Ascension Sect were basically interchangeable. Although the Divine Control Pavilion Master had the highest achievement in the Devouring Spirit Art, both the Ascension Sect Master and Yan Xinjie, the Dragon-Tiger Ancestor, had considerable mastery. They controlled insect beasts that continuously grew during the war. Although the Gold-Gnawing Fire Ants' cultivation methods were entirely different from humans, each of them was a powerful figure, and they quickly found ways to accelerate their growth. Like humans, refining the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was naturally possible, but it required creating cultivation methods, which was too slow. Moreover, they discovered that the planet's Gold and Fire energies were extremely sparse, clearly having been mostly consumed by the Empress.

Yan Xinjie, as a polymath, quickly discovered after dissecting and researching the Gold-Gnawing Fire Ants that massively consuming spiritual materials containing Gold and Fire energies was the fastest way for them to evolve. Although most of the Gold and Fire spiritual materials on Dragon God Star had already been transported by the insect beasts for the Empress to consume, the Gold-Gnawing Fire Ants themselves contained Gold and Fire energies. It was precisely because of this that when Gold-Gnawing Fire Ants died, their bodies would be consumed by their own kind, as this was the best "ingredient" for their evolution. Upon discovering this, the Ascension Sect members naturally had no hesitation and immediately began cannibalizing their own kind. They even took action themselves, capturing more powerful insect beasts to feed their own insect beast avatars for consumption and evolution. Some time ago, after the Divine Control Pavilion Master located a Nascent Soul insect beast, Yan Xinjie also went out, and the three of them jointly captured it. Subsequently, the three, controlling their insect beast avatars, devoured it alive and refined it.

Over these years, they had also discovered that the Empress, besides laying eggs, essentially did nothing else. Although Nascent Soul insect beasts were few in number, under the Immortal Sect's overwhelming pressure, if one disappeared, they would merely assume it had been captured and killed by the Immortal Sect. And after consuming the Nascent Soul insect beast, all of their insect beast avatars gained the key to evolving to the fourth tier. Next, they only needed to continuously consume their own kind to strengthen their inherent Gold and Fire energies to advance. Upon discovering this, the few members of the Ascension Sect became even more avaricious. They were already thinking that if they could consume the Empress, they would at least secure a path to the fifth tier in the future. Although it would be a fifth-tier insect beast, since they were a heretical sect, they didn't care what they transformed into as long as they could advance.

So now, the Ascension Sect's main plan was twofold: assisting Lin Daoming in extracting Dragon God Star's terrestrial origin to condense Fetal Transformation Essence, and cultivating their insect beast avatars, hoping to devour a piece of the Empress's flesh if she were defeated in the future.

"Given the Immortal Sect's foundation, even if this Empress is at the peak of Soul Transformation, she won't be able to resist." In a dark cave beneath Dragon God Star, the insect beast avatars of the Ascension Sect Master, Divine Control Pavilion Master, and Yan Xinjie stood in human form, conversing.

"Let's try to delay for as long as possible. If we truly can't resist, then we'll act according to the situation," the Divine Control Pavilion Master stated his thoughts. His Devouring Spirit Art had long reached perfection. The one slain by Chen Mobai's Purple Lightning Sword earlier was merely the best cauldron he had cultivated. Although the loss was heartbreaking, it was well worth it to avert a disaster.

"If it comes to the final moment, assisting the Immortal Sect's Dual Sages in suppressing the Empress wouldn't be out of the question. After all, a fifth-tier peak creature like the Empress, given the Immortal Sect's nature, would certainly be carefully preserved and thoroughly studied. As long as the item remains with the Immortal Sect, over a long period, we will always find an opportunity to steal a piece of its flesh." Yan Xinjie suggested another method in the end, but the other two remained silent. The Ascension Sect Master and the Divine Control Pavilion Master both had limited lifespans remaining. Even with profound cultivation and forbidden arts that plundered lifespan to replenish themselves, they couldn't endlessly extend their lives. It was precisely because of this that they placed great importance on this approach to Dragon God Star. They even thought that if things truly didn't work out, they would follow Dragon God Star out of the Tianyang star system and make a final desperate attempt.

Rumble! Just then, a violent, earth-shattering tremor began to spread. The underground cave they were in began to crack open. If their insect beast avatars weren't of a considerable rank, they would likely have been buried alive.

"Has the Black Tortoise Dao Palace descended again?" They were currently three thousand meters deep underground. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator striking with full force couldn't cause such commotion through the thick earth. Previously, such a situation only occurred when Water Immortal controlled the Black Tortoise Dao Palace to descend for a sweep.

"No, not just the Black Tortoise Dao Palace!" The Divine Control Pavilion Master, who possessed the most insect beast avatars, quickly used one of his surface avatars to see the scene in the starry sky: the two massive Dao Palaces, Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird, protected by star warships and the two Great Heavenly Gates, manifesting the "Nine Heavens Immortal Abode Void Domain" and descending towards Dragon God Star.

"It seems Baiguang has emerged from seclusion. The Immortal Sect is about to launch a full-scale assault!" After the Ascension Sect Master finished speaking, an idea emerged in her mind. "Do you think, if we impart the Purple Heaven Dao Scripture to the Empress, could it achieve a breakthrough?" As soon as she uttered these words, the other two immediately looked shocked.

"This... I think we should be cautious," Yan Xinjie hesitated for a moment, then subtly tried to dissuade her. The Purple Heaven Dao Scripture was the supreme Daoist text compiled by their ancient tradition's predecessors, summarizing the true word Dao patterns obtained from within the Purple Heaven Palace. Essentially, all original forbidden arts of the ancient tradition were found within the Purple Heaven Dao Scripture. In terms of value, it was even comparable to the Immortal Sect's Seven Great Heavenly Books. If the Empress truly managed to comprehend it and break through its bottleneck, the Immortal Sect would definitely deploy the Spirit Heaven Treasure Hall to turn Dragon God Star into dust. That would be too wasteful!

"I merely thought of it suddenly. Let's observe the situation further then." After speaking, the three separated. However, the Ascension Sect Master's words stirred up a huge commotion in the Divine Control Pavilion Master's heart. Human lifespans are short, while demon beasts' are long. This is because humans, through soul cultivation and qi refinement, and their efficiency in comprehending the Great Dao, are several, even dozens, of times greater than demon beasts, leading to faster aging and depletion. It was precisely because of this that the Empress, as a Gold-Gnawing Fire Ant, despite its powerful talent and control over the entire Dragon God Star's core energy, was still stuck before the threshold of Void Refinement, unable to take that final step.

So, if he could seize the Empress's body and combine it with the supreme Great Dao recorded in the Purple Heaven Dao Scripture, could he ascend to heaven in one step? The Divine Control Pavilion Master suppressed his inner excitement. He clearly knew that a creature of the Empress's realm possessed spiritual power so immense that he simply couldn't seize its body. However, over the years, after seizing the bodies of so many insect beasts, he had discovered a secret. Perhaps he could utilize this to take that crucial step. In that case, he might have to assist the Immortal Sect.

The Ascension Sect's movements naturally couldn't escape the notice of Ancestor Qianxing, though he also wanted to see how far Lin Daoming's "Myriad Manifestations of the Spiritual Core" could go. Furthermore, there were some matters that the Immortal Sect found difficult to handle, which instead required the unscrupulous individuals from the Ascension Sect. However, these were ultimately just pastimes. With Baiguang's emergence from seclusion, the war to develop Dragon God Star was now due to end.

Above Dragon God Star, Chen Mobai controlled the Vermilion Bird Dao Palace, guarding the southern sky. The Southern Heavenly Gate, seemingly cast from crimson fire jade and spanning the sky, floated outside the Dao Palace. Flames flickered, transforming into fire crows that covered the sky and earth. Each fire crow was equivalent to a third-tier divine thunder. Landing on the ground, they immediately caused soaring flames, turning all the yellow sandy earth within sight into an boundless sea of fire. Amidst the scorching heat, insect beasts rushed out from deep within the earth, only to turn into charred corpses in the flames.

After a round of "Myriad Crows Cleansing the Ground," only one or two tenths of the originally dense and countless insect beasts remained on the ground guarded by the Vermilion Bird Dao Palace. However, to Chen Mobai's surprise, some of the surviving insect beasts actually evolved by utilizing the baptism of the fire crows.

"Indeed, these Gold-Gnawing Fire Ants have strong resistance to flames. Stop the Fire Crow Array," Chen Mobai said to Hua Zijing beside him. The latter nodded, preparing to inform Zhongli Tianyu, who was commanding at the Southern Heavenly Gate, but then noticed that the fire crows that were still being generated had already transformed back into fire elemental energy, condensing into fire crystal shields. Some powerful insect beasts spat out golden-fire energy balls towards the Vermilion Bird Dao Palace, which landed on the fire crystal shields, causing slight ripples. Some of the fire spiritual energy was even absorbed in return.

"Little Zhongli's command is quite good," Wenren Xuewei couldn't help but praise upon seeing this scene. After Ancestor Baiguang emerged from seclusion, the Immortal Sect's three great halls immediately transformed into war machines. Chen Mobai also led his people, using the Vermilion Bird Dao Palace to manifest the Nine Heavens Fire Abode, becoming one of the energy sources for the Spirit Heaven Treasure Hall.

Looking from outside the sky, the three great Dao Palaces—Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—manifested three void domains, gathering the power of hundreds of thousands of cultivators. They occupied three positions around Dragon God Star, continuously drawing the planet's spiritual energy of heaven and earth, transforming it into three crystalline light pillars that flowed into a resplendent golden palace in the void beyond. This palace was the Immortal Sect's strongest war magic artifact: the Spirit Heaven Treasure Hall!