Chapter 995: Clothing Legacy Transmission

Diao Xianlan, a grandmaster of the Demonic Dao, considered herself utterly ruthless. Yet, in that moment, she realized she might not be as demonic as she thought. Over nearly a thousand years of cultivation, she had traversed the Six Domains of the Eastern Continent, estimating the total number of beings she had killed to be in the tens of thousands.

But here in Dongwu, Daoist Child Yiyuan had, with a mere wave of his hand, annihilated a million demon beasts from the Barren Sea. Beyond the demon beasts, all living beings in Dongwu, save for humans, had been utterly wiped out. Compared to him, Diao Xianlan almost felt she possessed a benevolent Bodhisattva's heart.

"Master, I've searched everywhere, but there's no trace of our fellow Daoists from the Xuanyuan Demon Sect…" At that moment, a streak of light flew over. It was Wen Buyue, his face filled with sorrow, as he spoke to Diao Xianlan.

The vast demon army of the Barren Sea had been blocked in Dongwu by the Five Elements Sect's two grand formations. Diao Xianlan had invited Kuang Jiyuan of the Xuanyuan Demon Sect to break the formation, but Ming Zun had not permitted it. Kuang Jiyuan could only send another Nascent Soul elder from his sect. Additionally, the current Saint Son and Saintess of the Xuanyuan Demon Sect, originally sent to Dongwu to avoid the dangerous Divine Transformation battlefield on the Dongtu-Dongli border, had gone and never returned.

"Alas, I will personally explain this to him," Diao Xianlan sighed upon hearing this. A Nascent Soul elder from the Xuanyuan Demon Sect, along with a Saint Son and Saintess who were on the verge of forming their Nascent Souls, had all perished here, virtually severing their future roots. If this matter wasn't clearly explained, a mortal enmity would surely arise between the Jade Mirror Demon Sect and the Xuanyuan Demon Sect.

"Master, then, should we still push for the Righteous-Demonic War on this Dongwu battlefield?" Wen Buyue asked hesitantly after hearing her words.

"Dongwu is gone; what's the point of pushing anything?" Diao Xianlan cursed. "I'll take the other elders and meet Gongyang Qing in the Profound Sea. You stay behind with your disciples, find a way to infiltrate Donghuang, and discover more about Daoist Child Yiyuan's movements. Inform me immediately if anything happens."

When the Righteous-Demonic War began, Diao Xianlan had been ambitious, intending to use the Barren Sea demon beasts to perform a blood sacrifice on the entire Dongwu cultivation world, employing a secret ritual to offer sacrifices to the Blood Moon Divine Transformation. The longer the war continued and the more bloodshed there was, the grander the ritual would become. In the end, when both sides were heavily wounded, she would lead the Demonic Dao to seize the final fruits. To ensure this, she had even planted many of her blood god avatars among several major Dongwu families. Besides gathering intelligence, they were also constantly fanning the flames, hoping the war would rage across Dongwu.

The plan was proceeding as she expected. However, Chen Mobai, ruthless in his actions, after a few years of attrition and seeing many Five Elements Sect disciples injured, directly blew up hundreds of spirit veins across Dongwu, obliterating a million demon beasts from the Barren Sea. With that explosion, Dongwu was gone, and so were the Barren Sea demon beasts. Diao Xianlan's ritual required spirit veins as its foundation, which was crucial. Now that the spirit veins were destroyed, the ritual was naturally severed. If anyone else had done this, Diao Xianlan would have been enraged, determined to reduce them to dust and scatter their ashes.

But it was Chen Mobai who did it. For some reason, thinking of Daoist Child Yiyuan made Diao Xianlan's heart pound violently. She hadn't experienced such an emotion in a long time. It was fear! When she was young, climbing the ranks in the Jade Mirror Demon Sect, she often felt this emotion—a fear of not being in control of her own life and death. After reaching peak Nascent Soul, she had never felt it again. Yet now, she felt it once more.

Diao Xianlan initially found it hard to believe, thinking that with her cultivation, as long as she didn't directly confront a Divine Transformation True Monarch, she would be at ease with anyone else, and even if she couldn't win, her life wouldn't be in danger. However, as the Lesser Demon Venerable was slain, Grand King Bi Hai died, and a million demon beasts from the Barren Sea were buried in Dongwu, she gradually understood why this emotion resurfaced. Fortunately, Myriad Immortals Island had tested the waters for her; otherwise, she might have died in Dongwu years ago.

"Yes, Master. Since the Righteous-Demonic War here in Dongwu has ended, then the Divine Transformation Secret Art you promised me..." Wen Buyue immediately followed Diao Xianlan's words. All his efforts had been for the Jade Mirror Demon Sect's supreme cultivation technique!

"Although I said that before, this Righteous-Demonic War did not achieve victory as I had anticipated, and your cultivation has not yet reached that stage. We'll discuss it later..." Diao Xianlan refused without hesitation, her gaze falling upon Wen Buyue, who immediately lowered his head.

"You wouldn't resent me in your heart, would you?" Hearing Diao Xianlan's pointed question, Wen Buyue nodded repeatedly, forcing a strained smile. "Master is right; this disciple truly has no need for the Divine Transformation Secret Art yet."

Diao Xianlan knew he wasn't genuine, but there was no such thing as sincerity in the Demonic Dao. She merely still needed Wen Buyue to run errands for her. "If I complete the Blood Moon Sacrifice on the Dongyi battlefield, I will definitely impart the sect's Divine Transformation Secret Art to you."

Diao Xianlan gave Wen Buyue a customary glimmer of hope before transforming into a streak of moonlight and departing.

Back in his cave dwelling in the Desolate Ruins, Wen Buyue had calmed the tumultuous emotions in his heart. After crushing the head of a wandering demon beast nearby, he lightly exhaled. For so many years, he had grown accustomed to it. In the Demonic Dao, unless it was a Dao heart oath, nothing could truly be trusted.

However, Wen Buyue's entire cultivation relied on the Jade Mirror Demon Sect's techniques, leaving him only one path. If he still desired Divine Transformation in the future, he could only work hard for Diao Xianlan. Wen Buyue knew a secret: the Jade Mirror Demon Sect's founding ancestor, to prevent the secret art from being lost, made every disciple who received the Divine Transformation method swear an oath to impart all the Jade Mirror Demon Sect's inheritances they knew to a disciple before their death. Now that Du Mengyun was dead, only he, Wen Buyue, could be of great use to the Jade Mirror Demon Sect in the future. So, whether Diao Xianlan achieved Divine Transformation or died of old age, he would have his chance. It was for this reason that Wen Buyue had endured.

"Master, a communication talisman has arrived from Dongli." Just then, Wen Buyue's disciple, Sun Baili, walked over and handed him a silver-white talisman.

"Old scoundrel, how dare you deceive me like this!" Wen Buyue, after reading it, flew into a rage, a sinister aura erupting from his body, blowing off the roof of his cave dwelling. Sun Baili, caught off guard, was sent flying backward, crashing into a distant mountain wall. He felt many of his bones breaking and coughed up blood violently. What news could possibly make his master lose his composure like this? Before falling unconscious, Sun Baili had only one thought. Wen Buyue's cunning and depth of character were rarely seen in the world; even when faced with earth-shattering events, he would appear calm and collected. But today, he had utterly lost it.

The communication talisman was sent by one of Wen Buyue's junior brothers, whom he had taken under his wing while cultivating at the Jade Mirror Demon Sect's Dongli headquarters. It contained a single piece of information: Du Mengyun's soul lamp was still burning.

Wen Buyue had always been cautious in his actions, but after Du Mengyun's death, he had let his guard down somewhat, believing that he was the only one who could inherit the Jade Mirror Demon Sect's future. Thus, he had developed an interest in managing the sect well. Primarily, he had watched Chen Mobai develop the Five Elements Sect, a small sect in Donghuang, into a major Nascent Soul sect dominating the borders of the Eastern Continent. He had inexplicably grown fond of the feeling of developing and growing like farming, then reaping rewards. He felt he could achieve the same. So, after Du Mengyun's death, he sent a message to the Dongli headquarters, instructing his junior brother to communicate with the other elders within the sect, especially the mysterious transmission elders, thinking that perhaps if Diao Xianlan failed in her Divine Transformation, he would still need to learn the sect's inheritance from them. In Wen Buyue's view, these elders would all give him face. After all, Du Mengyun was dead, and in the future, only he could lead the Jade Mirror Demon Sect to maintain its current status, or even become stronger.

However, when his junior brother tried to win over the elders of the Jade Mirror Demon Sect's headquarters, he found the situation completely different from what Wen Buyue had expected. After an investigation, he discovered that Du Mengyun's soul lamp, enshrined at the headquarters, had not yet extinguished. This meant Du Mengyun was still alive!

In Wen Buyue's view, this meant Diao Xianlan and Du Mengyun were colluding to deceive him. They wanted him to serve during the Dongwu Righteous-Demonic War, then kick him away once the overall situation was settled. After learning the truth, Wen Buyue, who had just suppressed the anger in his heart, could finally no longer hold back.

Crisp, muffled sounds of bones shattering and flesh flying burst forth one after another. Wen Buyue went to a valley not far from his cave dwelling and personally tore apart a pack of dire wolves, one by one, venting all his negative emotions like resentment and anger. As he froze and then crushed the last young dire wolf, Wen Buyue's face returned to calm.

"Old hag, you want to achieve Divine Transformation, do you? I'd like to see if you can..." Wen Buyue's gaze turned towards Donghuang, a malicious scheme forming in his mind.

In Fengyu Immortal City, Chen Mobai, having accepted the allegiance of the various Dongwu families, now rightfully controlled Dongwu. At this point, Chen Mobai felt a pang of heartache. He should have just detonated the spirit veins of the Myriad Rivers Return to Sea Formation and left the other half, the Tushita Demon Refining Formation's spirit veins, intact. That would have made restoration much easier. However, this was just a thought. After all, it was Chen Mobai and Su Ziluo's first time detonating spirit veins with the Primordial Five Elements Extinction Divine Thunder, and they weren't sure of its exact power. Moreover, such an opportunity would only come once. If Grand King Bi Hai and the others had escaped this time, they would definitely not fall for the trap and enter the formation again next time. It was better to wager on detonating all spirit veins at once, ensuring that a million demon beasts from the Barren Sea were utterly annihilated before anything else. Victory first, then governance.

"Ming'er, the karmic debt I've created in Dongwu, I can only rely on you to resolve it," Chen Mobai said earnestly to his beloved disciple, Zhuo Ming, pointing at the ravaged lands of Dongwu on the map after merging it.

"Just command me, Master!" Zhuo Ming accepted the order without hesitation.

"Good, good. Here is my plan for Dongwu..." Chen Mobai said with satisfaction, handing Zhuo Ming a jade slip containing the planning outline he had worked on all night. Dongwu was now a land where everything was waiting to be rebuilt, making it the most suitable place to construct cities like immortal sects, grotto-heavens, and blessed lands. In Donghuang, setting up the Sky Screen Earth Net was challenging because some privately owned spirit veins had not yet been converted to public ownership, preventing control over all the spiritual energy within the region. But Dongwu would not have this problem. During Zhuo Ming's process of restoring the land, the Sky Screen Earth Net Grand Formation could also be extended from Donghuang. When the Five Elements Ancestral Vein grew to peak fifth-tier, the Five Elements Sect would truly be impregnable, not even afraid of a Divine Transformation True Monarch.

"Master, this undertaking will likely take several hundred years. I fear I may not complete it within my lifetime and will fail to live up to your expectations," Zhuo Ming said after reading it. If it were anyone else, Chen Mobai would surely think they were trying to demand more from him. But Zhuo Ming's words were genuinely heartfelt. She was truly worried that she wouldn't be able to help Chen Mobai clear the karmic debt of shattering the vast lands of Dongwu, thus being unworthy of her master's kindness.

"Don't worry, Ming'er. As the saying goes, there is strength in numbers. Starting this year, I will have the major academies under my command focus on cultivating talents in the field of Earth Masters." Chen Mobai reassured her. "If a few hundred Earth Masters aren't enough, then we'll get a few thousand, a few tens of thousands. Among my disciples, you have the greatest hope of achieving Divine Transformation, and I'm counting on you to inherit my mantle. I won't let you spend the rest of your life on the lands of Dongwu."

When Chen Mobai finished speaking, Zhuo Ming's face lit up with joy, though she still humbly shook her head. "How could this disciple aspire to Divine Transformation? Just reaching the Nascent Soul realm, like Master, would already make me very happy."

As they spoke, Chen Mobai called Su Ziluo in. "Daoist Child, you called for me."

"Yes. There are still residual Primordial Five Elements Extinction Divine Thunders in Dongwu. I need you to escort my disciple and five hundred Earth Masters from our sect there..." Su Ziluo nodded immediately upon hearing this. Zhuo Ming, who didn't recognize Su Ziluo, looked at the unfamiliar Nascent Soul cultivator with curiosity.

"This is Elder Su from the Yiyuan Dao Palace. From now on, she will be a guest elder of our sect." Hearing Su Ziluo's background, Zhuo Ming was greatly surprised. So Master really was Daoist Child Yiyuan! As his direct successor, didn't that make her Saintess Yiyuan?! Zhuo Ming's mind reeled with this thought. She recalled her days setting up a stall in the market, toiling painstakingly for a small difference in the price of a spiritual stone. And now, she was being told that she had become a Saintess of a Holy Land in the Eastern Continent. That bow she made back then had truly changed her destiny.

"Daoist Child, Junior Niece Zhuo has exceptional talent, but it seems she hasn't cultivated the Yiyuan Dao Scripture?" Su Ziluo looked Zhuo Ming up and down, noticing the Earth Mother Seal hidden between her brows, and was secretly startled, so she couldn't help but ask.

"I have a Heavenly Fire Spirit Root, and I haven't cultivated the Yiyuan Dao Scripture myself, so I can't guide Ming'er," Chen Mobai explained. He didn't cultivate the Yiyuan Dao Scripture at all. He assigned Su Ziluo to Zhuo Ming not only for protection but also hoping she could provide guidance on his behalf. After all, Zhuo Ming would surely cultivate the Primordial Dao Fruit in the future.

"Daoist Child, to have achieved Primordial (cultivation) without starting with earth-attribute true qi—your talent is so high that you could be considered the first in the Dao Palace for thousands of years," Su Ziluo immediately flattered him discreetly. The cultivation of Primordial True Qi involves the Five Elements becoming one. Since the Five Elements cycle and mutually generate, it is theoretically possible to achieve Primordial True Qi without starting with the earth attribute. However, all the experience of cultivating Primordial True Qi in the Yiyuan Dao Palace originated from starting with the earth attribute. So, even though True Monarch Yiyuan had deduced the methods for cultivating Primordial True Qi starting with the other four elements before his ascension, the Dao Palace still adhered to tradition. For thousands of years, there had indeed been Nascent Soul elders with cultivation techniques of the other four elements who wished to make further progress and attempt to cultivate Primordial True Qi. Unfortunately, these Nascent Soul elders could not receive the full assistance of the other Nascent Souls in the Yiyuan Dao Palace. Even if they achieved Primordial True Qi through strenuous effort, they couldn't bring it to fruition. Chen Mobai was the only one Su Ziluo knew who had. In fact, the density of his Primordial True Qi even surpassed hers at her peak. Su Ziluo did not know that the profound success of Chen Mobai's Primordial True Qi was due to the efforts of the entire Donghuang cultivation world.

"Daoist Child, I observe that Junior Niece Zhuo has a strong physique and her cultivation has already reached the middle stage of Core Formation. According to the Dao Palace's standards, she can try cultivating Primordial True Qi..." Su Ziluo, realizing Zhuo Ming was Chen Mobai's direct successor, immediately had an idea. She had transformed into a Dharma Body Nascent Soul, and her life would likely proceed as such. Now, seeing Zhuo Ming, an unpolished jade, she particularly wanted to nurture her into a talent, to have her replace herself and become the first female cultivator to achieve Divine Transformation in the Yiyuan Dao Palace's history.

"I overlooked that. I had always intended to wait until Ming'er's Core Formation was complete and her foundation solid before imparting the Primordial Dao Fruit..." Chen Mobai nodded in agreement. The Five Elements Sect's Primordial Dao Fruit inheritance came from the Primordial Ancestor and the Altar of State within the Yiyuan Secret Realm, representing True Monarch Yiyuan's most initial version. Thus, the cultivation conditions were more stringent; it was best to wait until earth-attribute cultivation reached Core Formation perfection to avoid the danger of qi deviation when the Five Elements became one. However, Su Ziluo's Primordial Dao Fruit had been revised for thousands of years by successive sages of the Yiyuan Dao Palace. One could begin cultivating it in the middle stage of Core Formation. Those who could achieve Primordial True Qi in the middle stage of Core Formation were candidates for Daoist Child and Saintess.

Chen Mobai said, "Ming'er, today I will impart to you the supreme method of my Five Elements Sect. If you have any questions, you can ask Elder Su." Zhuo Ming was overjoyed. As a native of Donghuang, she had grown up hearing about the Primordial Dao Fruit, the number one divine ability in Donghuang. Although she knew that one day her master would surely impart it to her, she still felt immense joy when she truly received it. This act, in Donghuang, was a true mantle inheritance. From now on, even if Xiaonanshan split off, she, Zhuo Ming, could rightfully inherit Chen Mobai's name and become the main lineage.

After Chen Mobai finished imparting the method, he instilled a strand of his Primordial True Qi into Zhuo Ming's body. The latter immediately sat down cross-legged and began refining it using the method she had just learned, right in front of him. "From now on, I'll have to trouble Elder Su with my disciple," Chen Mobai said. His experience cultivating Primordial True Qi relied entirely on an abundant supply of Five Elements Essence Qi, unafraid of waste. He had originally planned to have Zhuo Ming consult Zhou Ye more in the future, but now with Su Ziluo, the Saintess of the entire Yiyuan Dao Palace, it was perfect to put people to good use.

"It is my duty," Su Ziluo replied. In her heart, she even felt that this was a test given by Chen Mobai to see if she held anything back while teaching Zhuo Ming. Chen Mobai, with his own experience cultivating the Primordial Dao Fruit, could easily compare it to what she taught Zhuo Ming and immediately see if she was truly submissive.

Half a day later, Zhuo Ming used the Earth Mother Seal and barely managed to refine that strand of Primordial True Qi. This greatly astonished Su Ziluo. She had spent a full month to achieve this, a speed that had already earned the praise of the previous palace master, who said it ranked among the top five of all previous Saintesses. And Zhuo Ming did it in half a day! Not even the Divine Transformation cultivators of the Dao Palace after True Monarch Yiyuan possessed such terrifying talent. Su Ziluo looked at Chen Mobai, but found his expression calm, seemingly unfazed by Zhuo Ming refining a strand of Primordial True Qi in half a day.

"Daoist Child, if I may ask, how long did it take you back then?" Su Ziluo wondered if Chen Mobai had taken even less time, so she asked out of curiosity.

"I've forgotten. I don't keep track of such meaningless time," Chen Mobai replied, shaking his head. He truly hadn't kept track, as he had only cultivated this to form his Nascent Soul. Hearing this, Su Ziluo was even more convinced of her theory. She thought that Ancestor Yiyuan had likely left his inheritance in Donghuang precisely to wait for this master and disciple pair, so they could turn the tide when the Yiyuan Dao Palace was on the verge of collapsing.

"Disciple thanks Master!" At that moment, Zhuo Ming finished her cultivation, feeling the Primordial True Qi she had refined into her Middle Dantian. She joyfully rose and thanked him.

"After you go to Dongwu, your main cultivation time should still be spent on the Yellow Emperor's Virtuous Sutra. The Primordial Dao Fruit is merely a divine ability; your realm is the most important." Chen Mobai continued. "You don't need to rush with advancing your Primordial True Qi. In about twelve years, the Five Elements Spiritual Fruits in the Yiyuan Secret Realm will ripen, and I have reserved them for you. When that time comes, if you consume and refine all five fruits, you will be able to cultivate forty-nine strands of Primordial True Qi before forming your Nascent Soul, saving you a hundred years of arduous cultivation."

When Chen Mobai finished speaking, Su Ziluo, standing by, looked on with envy. She had refined her Primordial True Qi through diligent cultivation for a long time until she defeated all her junior sisters and was confirmed as the Saintess. Only then did other Core Formation elders infuse spiritual energy into her, allowing her to cultivate forty-nine strands of Primordial True Qi during her Core Formation. Zhuo Ming, however, didn't need to make any effort at all; Chen Mobai had already arranged everything for her. Moreover, the Five Elements Spiritual Fruits were the best spiritual treasures for cultivating Primordial True Qi and laying its foundation. Compared to other cultivators receiving spiritual energy infusion, which carried the concern of compatibility and refinement with their own spiritual energy, these fruits were incomparably pure and could be easily refined.

Zhuo Ming's smile at the corner of her mouth could no longer be contained after hearing this. She had only one thought in her mind: she must do well in Dongwu and not betray her master's kindness.

"Oh, by the way, Ming'er, take Grand Earth Child and Little Yellow Dragon Girl with you. They are both spirits of the earth, and at the very least, they can save you two hundred years of time," Chen Mobai added just as Zhuo Ming bid farewell, preparing to go to Dongwu and make a great effort.

"Yes, Master!" Zhuo Ming nodded, even more delighted, without hesitation. The next day, she took the Five Elements Sect's Earth Masters from Fengyu Immortal City and set off for Dongwu aboard a flying boat.

In Dongtu, Yuan Qingque stood in mid-air, his gaze calm as he looked at the Reincarnation Wheel suspended high in the night sky opposite him.

"Master, this is the latest news from Donghuang." Just then, Ye Qing flew up and handed Yuan Qingque a letter she had just received. The latter opened it and, despite his cultivation and composure, couldn't help but be slightly startled, then sighed with emotion. "The future of the Righteous Dao in our Eastern Continent truly needs someone like him for Divine Transformation."

The Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect, among the various holy lands in the Tianhe Realm, was famously known for its heavy killing intent, so they understood Chen Mobai's actions of detonating hundreds of spirit veins in Dongwu and annihilating the Barren Sea demon beasts. If Yuan Qingque had been in Chen Mobai's position, he would have done the same.

"Master, True Monarch Wuchen sent a message." Just as the master and disciple were conversing, Yuan Zhen flew up, holding a communication talisman, which she presented with both hands.

"It's finally time!" Yuan Qingque burst into laughter after reading it.

"Master, please!" Ye Qing then took down the Taihe Sword from his back and presented it with both hands to Yuan Qingque, who accepted it without declining. After all, there was a sixth-tier Reincarnation Wheel on the opposite side, and with the Heaven-Reaching Dao Refining Pagoda unable to move, it was necessary to activate this sword, which was the most formidable in killing, to accomplish everything in one go and slay all the Demonic Divine Transformation cultivators.

"After I leave, the Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect and the future of the Eastern Continent are entrusted to you both," Yuan Qingque said to his two disciples, Ye Qing and Yuan Zhen, with his back to them after taking the sword. As he spoke, Chen Mobai's face suddenly flashed across his mind. This junior, too, represented the future!

"Your disciples will surely not fail your trust," Ye Qing and Yuan Zhen nodded in unison, bowing deeply to his back. Yuan Qingque nodded without looking back, then transformed into a sharp sword light and rushed towards the sky above the Dongli territory on the opposite side.

"Ming Zun, Ghost God, come out and face your deaths!" With a sharp shout, a chilling light that pierced the heavens and earth lit up above the lands of Dongli. With this single sword strike, a huge gash was cut in the demonic five-tier formation!