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Chapter 868: To Battle!
Bai Xiaochun knew that he couldn't chase Patriarch Dao River any further at the moment. Snorting coldly, he sent the nine projections of himself down to the battlefield below.
Wherever they went, they cut down their enemies with impunity. The Nascent Soul cultivators were especially targeted, and it only took a short time for roughly ten to be slaughtered.
That was the limit of Bai Xiaochun's frigid domain when in the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage. He could create multiple powerful projections, but they could only last for so long.
And yet, it had only taken a few short breaths of time for him to cut down more than a dozen Nascent Soul experts on the battlefield below, and also destroy Patriarch Dao River's fleshly body, leaving him fleeing in nascent divinity form.
Everyone felt as shaken as if they had been struck by numerous bolts of lightning.
"This is impossible!!"
"Patriarch, this… how… how could this be happening?!?!"
"What's the level of his cultivation base? It only took a few breaths of time for him to cut down multiple Nascent Soul experts, and even defeat a deva!!" The cultivators from the three sects were completely astonished, and were trembling in disbelieving fear. To see Bai Xiaochun handily defeat the deva patriarch from the Dao River Court, who then ran away like a stray dog, left them on the verge of collapsing mentally.
That was especially true of the cultivators from the Dao River Court, who were the most terrified of all.
In the past, Bai Xiaochun had marked all of the chosen from these three sects with turtle marks. Now, he had them shaking in terror, hardly able to believe what they were seeing…. The fact that their patriarch had almost been killed, and fled in bedraggled fashion, proved that… Bai Xiaochun was now unimaginably powerful!
The morale of the three sects' cultivators was dropping rapidly. In contrast, the cultivators of the River-Defying Sect began to cheer at the tops of their lungs.
They simply couldn't control their excitement. The River-Defying Sect had been under great pressure for too long. For years, they had been bullied by the other three sects, even when disciples went out for training. The friction had become so bad that some disciples had been killed in the resulting conflicts.
Unfortunately, the River-Defying Sect just wasn't strong enough. For the sake of the bigger picture, in the hopes of preventing things from escalating too quickly, and especially to avoid giving the three sects an excuse to attack, they had simply endured.
But despite how they had endured, the three sects had managed to get tacit approval from the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect to exterminate the River-Defying Sect. And therefore, the hatred the River-Defying Sect disciples felt toward the three sects had reached an unimaginable degree. They simply couldn't exist under the same sky together.
Now, a mighty deva patriarch had been beaten and sent running. It was so exciting that the River-Defying Sect disciples couldn't contain themselves. Most important was Bai Xiaochun. He was the spirit and heart of the River-Defying Sect; he had even come up with the name of the sect! He was their pride and joy, someone who truly deserved to be referred to as a consummate chosen!
"Sect Grandfather Bai!"
"Sect Grandfather Bai!!"
"Sect Grandfather Bai!!!"
It was hard to say who called it out first, but soon everyone in the River-Defying Sect was shouting the same thing, creating sound waves that rolled out in all directions.
Song Junwan was completely swept up in the excitement. To see Bai Xiaochun standing right here in front of her was like a dream that caused tears of joy to well up in her eyes.
Shangguan Tianyou said nothing. He looked exhausted, and had mixed emotions in his eyes. However, many years had passed, and he had changed. He was no longer the type to be easily excited.
Beihan Lie's hands were clenched into fists as he glared hatefully at the disciples of the three sects. A corpse lay nearby, the corpse of a black dog…. Shortly before Bai Xiaochun had arrived, that black dog had fought to the death to protect him.
Within the sect headquarters, Patriarch Blood Stream was inside the Blood Ancestor, trembling with excitement. Even he had been despairing moments ago, but now, he suddenly found himself thinking about what Bai Xiaochun had looked like as Nightcrypt all those years ago on Middle Peak.
The rabbit stood on the Blood Ancestor's head, looking at Bai Xiaochun, muttering in a voice too low for anyone to hear.
Patriarch Spirit Stream, Zheng Yuandong, and the rabbit were all looking at the hope of the sect!
"This is the miracle I was talking about!" the monkey murmured, his eyes shining with brilliant light.
As the River-Defying Sect brimmed with excitement, Bai Xiaochun looked over at the destroyed fleshly body of Patriarch Dao River, and at his fleeing nascent divinity. Then he turned to look at Patriarchs Starry River and Polarity River, who were so shaken by the defeat of the other deva that they didn't dare to continue their advance.
Because they were devas, and understood the Deva Realm well, they were more flustered than anyone else.
They knew that although Patriarch Dao River was only been in the early Deva Realm, the techniques he used made him the strongest of all of them. And yet, he had been defeated within a few breaths of time by Bai Xiaochun.
They could tell that, were it not for the fact that the chaos of the battlefield prevented Bai Xiaochun from giving chase, Patriarch Dao River would have a hard time escaping with his life!
Bai Xiaochun could kill devas! It was a realization that shook the two remaining patriarchs to the core. Because devas could supplant heavenly will, the spiritual power they had access to, as well as their magical techniques and divine abilities, all contained the might of creation. They were like gods to all lower cultivators, and were beings that were virtually impossible to kill.
Only someone who was also in the early Deva Realm would have a chance at beating someone like that. Furthermore, it would be difficult to end the fight with a kill. Therefore, what they had just seen play out in front of them seemed almost impossible. As Bai Xiaochun looked over at them, they both unleashed the power of their cultivation bases.
"Why don't we stop fighting for today, Bai Xiaochun…?" Patriarch Starry River said.
"We only made a move because the River-Defying Sect had no deva," Patriarch Polarity River added in. "But seeing that you do, well, I guess this was all a big misunderstanding…."
Neither of them wanted to keep on fighting. The truth was that they weren't confident in being able to handle the terrifying Bai Xiaochun. Therefore, they both tried to play on his concern for the River-Defying Sect to end things.
"Don't just think about yourself, Bai Xiaochun. You have to consider the other disciples of the River-Defying Sect. They've been fighting for a long time as it is. There really isn't a need for any more fighting and killing…."
"That's right. Our three sects still have the advantage. If we keep going, it won't benefit the River-Defying Sect. Besides, your people are all exhausted. If they keep going now, there will surely be more injuries and deaths. You have to think of your fellow disciples!"
As Bai Xiaochun hovered there looking at them coldly, Patriarch Spirit Stream looked up from within the sect headquarters and shouted, "If we don't crush the enemy, how could things be over!? Can the blood of the River-Defying Sect be spilt so casually? This place… is not one they can blithely intrude upon, and then just waltz away!"
The eyes of the other disciples turned crimson, and they began to shout in rage.
"Patriarch, do something! We're all willing to keep fighting!"
"They invaded our River-Defying Sect, now they have to pay the price. In blood!!"
As the shouting grew more intense, the army from the three sects began to tremble. At the moment, they had no desire to fight at all, and in fact, began to edge away.
When Bai Xiaochun saw what was happening, his killing intent began to burn with even more intensity. Then, rumbling sounds echoed out as he shot toward the two remaining devas. Although he wasn't a fan of killing, he knew that it was just as Patriarch Spirit Stream had said. These people had attacked the River-Defying Sect, and they had to pay the price!
Taking the fleshly body away from one measly deva was not enough!
Patriarchs Starry River and Polarity River felt their hearts pounding in their chests. Their faces fell as they realized… that they could not avoid this fight!
Considering that, they took solace in the fact that, although they might not be able to defeat Bai Xiaochun if they fought him one-on-one, they could still join forces. Eyes flashing with determination, they unleashed their most powerful divine abilities!
Heaven and earth shook violently as countless heavenly bodies materialized around Patriarch Starry River.
As for Patriarch Polarity River, he knew he was facing a formidable opponent. A devilish will erupted around him as he summoned a massive devil projection with 1,000 arms!
Then, both of them charged toward Bai Xiaochun in attack!
A grand battle of devas was about to begin!
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Chapter 869: Incomparably Mighty!
The instant Patriarchs Starry River and Polarity River attacked, Bai Xiaochun's eyes glittered. Although it couldn't be said that he had copious amounts of experience fighting devas, he had fought more than a few during his time in the Wildlands.
Whether it was the three patriarchs in Giant Ghost City, the heavenly dukes in Arch-Emperor City, Mistress Red-Dust, who he had fought on more than one occasion, or even that spectacular battle of battles, they had all had a very profound effect on him.
It was because of all that experience that he actually didn't feel very apprehensive when facing devas. Furthermore, as he prepared to fight these two devas, his mind was alive with various thoughts.
His thoughts moved so quickly that he was virtually acting on instinct. He could immediately sense that, although he could fight these two, it would be dangerous. Furthermore, if they attempted to distract him by attacking and killing other disciples in the area, the consequences could be dire, to say the least.
In fact, if the three of them had done that from the very beginning, things might have turned out very differently. Even if Bai Xiaochun had been more confident than he was, it would have been a difficult situation to deal with. After all, this was the River-Defying Sect; Bai Xiaochun could not simply flee the battlefield, whereas his opponents could.
That was one reason why he had attacked like lightning and crippled one of his opponents right off the bat!
Now there were only two devas left, and yet, he still had many concerns to deal with.
The entire River-Defying Sect was a battlefield now, with booms and bangs echoing out everywhere. It was only by achieving a spectacular and decisive victory in the first exchange that he could inspire the cultivators of the River-Defying Sect, and shake the hearts of the three sects.
All of these things occupied his thoughts. However, by this point in his life, he had developed exceptional awareness of how to do battle, and therefore, it was without the slightest hesitation that, as the two devas closed in on him, he utilized his Undying Hex. He suddenly moved with a speed that surpassed teleportation, veering away from Patriarch Starry River and bearing down on Patriarch Polarity River.
At the same time, he opened his third eye, and rotated his cultivation base at full measure, focusing his Heavenspan Dharma Eye directly on Patriarch Starry River.
That patriarch shivered physically as the shocking power of gravitational repulsion became like fetters, like a giant invisible hand that grabbed him and held him in place!
As Patriarch Starry River's face fell because of the shocking effects of the magical eye, Bai Xiaochun approached Patriarch Polarity River with lightning speed!
Patriarch Starry River had his black mist incarnated as a starry sky filled with heavenly bodies and asteroids. It was something that could affect a wide area, and although it wasn't necessarily a big threat to Bai Xiaochun, he knew that if the patriarch turned it onto the River-Defying Sect disciples, the consequences would be unimaginable!
As for the devilish god that the Polarity River Court deva had summoned, it had shocking battle prowess, and yet Bai Xiaochun didn't even pause for thought before rushing in that very direction!
Everything happened in the mere blink of an eye. As soon as Patriarch Starry River was locked down, Bai Xiaochun accelerated rapidly, arriving right in front of Patriarch Polarity River. There, he clenched his hand into a fist and unleashed a fist strike.
The fist strike shook heaven and earth, unleashing explosive fleshly body power in a massive whirlwind that bore down on the patriarch!
The patriarch's face fell. Howling, he performed an incantation gesture, causing the devilish god to take a step forward and merge with him! Then, devil qi erupted out wildly, forming a buckler which he thrust out to defend himself.
A boom rang out as Bai Xiaochun's fist made contact with the buckler of devil qi. The buckler emitted cracking sounds for a short moment before collapsing, and yet, even as it did, a second buckler appeared, and then a third.
Bai Xiaochun had no time for thought or planning. Instead of backing up, he performed an incantation gesture and lunged forward.
"Living Mountain Incantation!"
RUUUUUUUUMBLE!!
Countless rocks and stones in the area flew up into the air, forming around Bai Xiaochun until he was an enormous stone golem!
He was now hundreds of meters tall and bursting with heaven-shaking, earth-shattering energy. In addition, the Living Mountain Incantation augmented his fleshly body power, making him seem supremely disdainful of everything in sight. Striking out with his fist, he destroyed the second buckler, as well as the third and the fourth.
Shock covered the face of Patriarch Polarity River because of how quickly everything was happening. Before he could do anything else, Bai Xiaochun, still in Living Mountain Incantation form, unleashed his Mountain Shaking Bash.
As the devil-form Patriarch Polarity River lunged backward, Patriarch Starry River struggled furiously against the bonds which held him. Finally, they broke, and he prepared to join in on fighting Bai Xiaochun.
However, that was when Bai Xiaochun suddenly looked over his shoulder, once again focusing the gaze of his Heavenspan Dharma Eye on Patriarch Starry River.
Rumbling sounds echoed out as, to the madness and frustration of the patriarch, he was once again locked in place by this vile opponent. As he struggled, Bai Xiaochun continued onward toward Patriarch Polarity River, using the Living Mountain Incantation to full effect in another attack.
Bangs rang out as, in the blink of an eye, Bai Xiaochun unleashed dozens of punches, all of which landed on Patriarch Polarity River's devilish god form. Again and again he was shoved backward, slowly pushing him away from Patriarch Starry River.
It was a profoundly shocking sight that had many observing cultivators reeling, not only from Bai Xiaochun's shocking display of power, but from how instinctively he fought!
In the shortest of moments, he had used magical power to lock down one opponent, and fleshly body power to unleash devastating force on another!
Patriarch Polarity River was teetering on the verge of insanity. Bai Xiaochun's devastating windstorm of an attack had his qi and blood in chaos. Blood oozed out of the corners of his mouth, and yet, things were not over yet! Just when he was about to prepare a counter attack, Bai Xiaochun's eyes flickered, and he let out a powerful shout.
As he did, his Living Mountain Incantation form collapsed, and all of the rocks shot out in front of him to create a gigantic fist. It was that fist that landed onto Patriarch Polarity River's devilish god form!
An ear-splitting boom filled the battlefield. The devilish god body shattered, revealing the patriarch's true self, blood spraying out of his mouth, his expression that of shock. At this point, Bai Xiaochun again turned and unleashed the power of his Heavenspan Dharma Eye, reinforcing the bonds locking down Patriarch Starry River, who had been just about to free himself!
Patriarch Starry River was filled with indescribable anxiety and frustration. He immediately began to resort to any means necessary, even those that caused dangerous backlashes, to try to escape. Aware that he wasn't a match for Bai Xiaochun, he knew that his only chance was to start attacking the bystanders in the hopes of distracting him.
However, it was in that very moment that intense killing intent flickered in Bai Xiaochun's eyes. Taking another step toward Patriarch Polarity River, he performed an incantation gesture with his right hand and then waved his finger, yet again summoning his frigid domain.
The entire 500-kilometer area iced over, and nine shadowy projections appeared, which slashed toward Patriarch Polarity River like nine sharp blades.
"You're a useless bastard, Patriarch Starry River!!!" Patriarch Polarity River screamed. The two patriarchs had agreed to work together, but Patriarch Starry River had been bound in place multiple times, making it completely impossible for him to help. As a result, Patriarch Polarity River had come to hate Patriarch Starry River even more than he hated Bai Xiaochun….
Unlike Patriarch Starry River, he didn't have a special divine ability to protect his nascent divinity from a deadly attack. If he were to be cut down in battle, he would die beyond the shadow of a doubt. It was a moment of deadly crisis, and as such, madness lit up his eyes. Even as Bai Xiaochun's nine frigid clones closed in on him, he chose to resort to…. fleshly body self-detonation!
BOOM!
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Chapter 870: Let The Battle Resume!
Upon self-detonating, he could send the resulting ripples of force out to destroy the nine frigid clones. Few people would have the resolve to make a decision like that in the mere time it takes a spark to fly off of a piece of flint. But devas were the type of people who had experienced countless battles, and could react on an instinctual level in many situations.
As Patriarch Polarity River exploded, the resulting shockwave shattered the 500-kilometer frigid domain and overwhelmed the nine frigid clones. At the same time, the patriarch's nascent divinity shot out and began to flee at the highest speed possible.
He was afraid. More afraid than he had ever been before in his life. Furthermore, his hatred for Patriarch Starry River only continued to grow more intense. As far as he was concerned, if it wasn't for that useless patriarch, they would have been able to achieve a victory. But now… Patriarch Starry River was unharmed, whereas Patriarch Polarity River had destroyed his fleshly body, leaving behind only his nascent divinity.
His heart throbbed with animosity and terror, and he already had begun to wish that Bai Xiaochun's magical eye had locked onto him instead….
As all of those things happened, Patriarch Starry River drew dangerously upon his cultivation base to break free from the power of Bai Xiaochun's Heavenspan Dharma Eye. He could hear the howls of rage coming from Patriarch Polarity River, and the truth was that he was equally furious. But at the same time, he was deeply astonished. Panting, he looked at Bai Xiaochun, a person who attacked with unbridled madness, whose mountain-toppling, sea-draining blows had destroyed a deva's fleshly body and forced him to flee in nascent divinity form.
If it had only been once, he might have been able to accept it. But in defiance of all imagination, he had witnessed it a second time. Shivering, he chose to not even try to help Patriarch Polarity River, and instead turned around and fled in the opposite direction.
The scene which had just played out left him shaken and filled with fear, to the point where he didn't care at all about his reputation, or the fact that tens upon tens of thousands of cultivators from the three sects were watching.
As he fled, he reminded himself that Bai Xiaochun was absolutely terrifying, and that if he didn't flee, he would be in deadly danger.
The sight of Patriarch Polarity River being reduced to a nascent divinity, and Patriarch Starry River fleeing in fear, caused shouts of alarm and rage to rise up from the cultivators down on the ground.
The shouts of alarm came from the Dao River Court and the Starry River Court, whereas the shouts of rage came from… the Polarity River Court!!
"Patriarch!!"
"Patriarch Starry River, you…."
Bai Xiaochun was quite taken aback. He had assumed that Patriarch Starry River would instantly attack him after freeing himself, or at least try to stop him from pursuing the other patriarch. He never could have guessed that the man would just up and flee.
"How shameless of you, you bastard!!" Patriarch Polarity River howled. At this point, his nascent divinity felt unstable, and his spiritual energy weak to the point of near-collapse.
One of them was fleeing to the east, and the other to the west. As for Bai Xiaochun, his eyes burned with killing intent. Had Patriarch Starry River come after him, he would never have been able to finish off Patriarch Polarity River. But now that both of them were fleeing, that meant… he did have a chance to kill a deva!
It was without hesitation that he ignored Patriarch Starry River, and locked his gaze onto the nascent divinity form of Patriarch Polarity River. Killing intent seething, he threw his arms up into the air.
"Waterswamp!!"
Water vapor erupted out in all directions, instantly enveloping both of the fleeing patriarchs.
From a distance, it looked as if all heaven and earth had transformed into a watery swamp!
Mist roiled, and heaven-shaking, earth-shattering pressure weighed down everywhere, provoking gasps from the cultivators in the area. Up in the air, Patriarch Polarity River suddenly felt the most intense, terrifying sensation of imminent danger that he had ever felt in his entire life!!
"No!!" he shrieked, the pleading, begging tone in his voice clear for all to hear. The fleeing Patriarch Starry River was shocked, but he simply bit his tongue and focused on picking up speed as he fled.
Under the shocked gazes of everyone present, Bai Xiaochun's eyes flashed, and he threw his hands down.
"Kingdom!!"
RRRUUUUMBLE!
The sound which exploded out surpassed heavenly thunder. As Bai Xiaochun's Waterswamp Kingdom was unleashed, curved mountains shot up into the sky. All of a sudden, the entire world seemed to be taken over by some shockingly large beast who wielded mountain-toppling, sea-draining power!
The sky went dim until it was almost black. However, it was still possible to see that, stretching out from within the watery swamp, clear for all to see, was the clawed hand of a beast!
"That's… that's the Waterswamp Kingdom!" The eyes of the Spirit Stream Division cultivators went wide, especially those who had come from the former north bank. What they were seeing completely defied all expectation and imagination.
As the enormous, clawed hand shot out from the watery swamp, minds went blank as both Patriarch Starry River and Patriarch Polarity River… were struck by the claws!
RRRRUUUUUUUUMBLE!
Mixed in with the deafening crash was the miserable shriek of Patriarch Polarity River. He attempted teleportations and other techniques to try to evade the clawed hand, but nothing did any good. In the blink of an eye, he was struck!
Before his scream could be fully voiced, his nascent divinity's eyes went wide, taking in his last view of the world. Then his nascent divinity was destroyed, and the patriarch… was wiped off of the face of all creation!! He had been killed in body and soul!!
Patriarch Starry River still had his fleshly body, and furthermore, was on the very edge of the watery swamp. Therefore, he wasn't as badly hurt. Roaring, he summoned countless stars and heavenly bodies to defend himself, and managed to escape, coughing up blood and terrified, but alive.
Upon seeing the other patriarch's nascent divinity destroyed, he was frightened, but at the same time convinced that his action of fleeing so decisively was the main reason he had escaped with his life!
He also considered himself lucky that he had been the one Bai Xiaochun picked to bind with fetters…. If it had been the other way around, he would likely be dead right now.
"You died, Fellow Daoist, and I lived…. If you want to blame someone, Patriarch Polarity River, don't blame me for not saving you, blame yourself for being too weak…." Feeling profoundly lucky, the patriarch sped away.
Bai Xiaochun hovered there over the battlefield, watching the patriarch flee off into the distance. The man was moving too quickly to catch up with, and besides, although he didn't look tired at all after crushing two devas in a row and killing one of them, it had taken all of his cultivation base and fleshly body power to do it. He was mentally and physically exhausted. Although defeating someone in the early Deva Realm was not very difficult, killing someone of that level was.
Furthermore, he had used his Heavenspan Dharma Eye three times in a row to lock a deva down. That alone had his qi and blood in chaos, kept in force only by the power of his fleshly body.
The truth was that he couldn't have done it a fourth time. Furthermore, if Patriarch Starry River had attacked him, then he would have only had one trump card left… his Undying Emperor's Fist.
That would have left him completely and utterly powerless, without a scrap of energy left to battle. At that point, if Patriarch Dao River had come back, he would have been in serious danger.
Although he looked majestic as he hovered there, he was actually in bad shape, and extremely tired. However, when he looked down at the deathly pale faces of the cultivators of the three sects, he realized that this was a good opportunity to shake them a bit more. Glaring off into the distance at Patriarch Starry River, he swished his sleeve.
"I'll give you three breaths of time to get out of my sight, Patriarch Starry River. If you don't, then I'll swish my sleeve again… and reduce you to ashes!"
When Patriarch Starry River heard that, terror gripped his heart, and his mind began to spin. Holding nothing back, he drew upon his longevity for another burst of speed, and then disappeared over the horizon….
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Chapter 871: Uneasy!
Of the three devas, one had been killed, one was crippled, and one fled. All cultivators from all four sects were completely stunned, their minds having been battered by tsunami after tsunami of shock!
As for the cultivators from the three allied sects, they were trembling in despair, especially those from the Dao River Court.
Because Patriarch Starry River hadn't been killed, the cultivators from his court had it a bit better off. However, a single statement from Bai Xiaochun had sent their patriarch fleeing with no concern for anyone else. The sight of him holding nothing back to escape within three breaths of time filled the disciples from his sect with utter hopelessness.
Worst off… were the cultivators from the Polarity River Court. Their patriarch was dead, which meant that the Polarity River Court was destined to fall. In fact, they would likely not even qualify to remain in the Middle Reaches cultivation world.
Those disciples were in complete despair, their eyes bloodshot, and yet strangely, they didn't hate the River-Defying Sect.
After all, they were the invaders, and although they were shocked and even terrified by Bai Xiaochun's level of strength, they couldn't possibly dare to hate him. They hated… the Starry River Court!
Patriarch Polarity River's dying breath had been a curse upon Patriarch Starry River, and that was what kindled the hatred in the hearts of the cultivators from the Polarity River Court.
However, now was not the time to try to wipe out the Starry River Court. The Polarity River Court had no heart to continue fighting, and instead, began to flee. The Starry River Court and Dao River Court cultivators were also sapped of their will to fight, and their hearts were seized with alarm and terror.
The patriarchs of all the sects had been routed, and the sects themselves were in imminent danger of collapse. Therefore, they could only think of one thing to do….
Flee!!
The three sects were like mountains collapsing into rubble. None of them dared to unleash a single attack as they went. They just ran.
Song Junwan looked over at Bai Xiaochun in his radiance. The sight of him cutting down devas with impunity, and dominating all creation, left her feeling more than a bit dazed. He seemed to be growing powerful so quickly that he would soon leave her far behind.
Master Limitless had similarly mixed emotions in his eyes as he recalled past scenes from the Blood Stream Sect. Next to him, the weak and injured Xuemei reacted in the same way. In recent years, she had often thought back to the misunderstandings of past years, and sighed emotionally.
The Blood Stream Division was completely shaken, and yet, even more shaken was the Spirit Stream Division. Many elders and disciples were familiar with Bai Xiaochun, and yet, he had grown to a level that filled their hearts with astonishment.
That was especially true of the disciples who were followers of Li Qinghou.
Shangguan Tianyou bowed his head, bitterness gnawing at his heart. Beihan Lie stood there silently, filled with complicated emotions. In the sect headquarters, the rabbit, the monkey, and the other powerful experts all reacted with zeal and excitement.
That was especially true of Sect Leader Zheng Yuandong, who was so excited he could hardly control himself.
Cheering soon broke out. And then, the cultivators looked around at the fleeing enemies from the other three sects. At this point, the sect elders began to shout loudly.
"Kill them!"
"Kill them all!!!"
The River-Defying Sect disciples zealously shouted battlecries as they poured out of their headquarters in pursuit!
The Spirit Stream Division's spell formation giants formed up again, hundreds of them, lunging forward with greatswords in hand, unleashing magical items to strike at the Starry River Court!
The injured Heavenhorn ink dragon roared and began to thrash into the enemy with deadly force.
The Blood Stream Division reacted similarly. Patriarch Blood Stream took the lead, followed by Song Junwan with her blood sword, as well as Master Limitless and the other leaders. They held nothing back to attack the Dao River Court!
Bruiser let out a howl, galvanizing the spirit beasts, animated corpses and gargoyles. Along with the Profound and Pill Stream Divisions, they attacked the army from the Polarity River Court.
The River-Defying Sect had quashed their despair, and were unleashing their might onto the enemy!
Bai Xiaochun breathed a sigh of relief. The burden he had shouldered in this battle had been beyond heavy. The slightest mistake, the tiniest slipup… could have led to the gravest of situations!
After all, the three sects' forces still numbered roughly 100,000, whereas the River-Defying Sect had been cut down to only about 20,000. The slightest misstep could have led to the River-Defying Sect truly being wiped out.
It didn't matter how amazing Bai Xiaochun's battle prowess was, he couldn't single-handedly fight an army of 100,000!
That was why he had taken such a big risk to deal with all three devas at the same time, and was also the reason why he was currently so exhausted.
Another reason why he had been able to eke out a victory was that the three deva patriarchs all came from different sects, and had fundamental differences and disagreements. Any one of them could turn on any of the others at any time.
With a relationship like that, it was easy to cooperate when the going was good. But when adversity struck… they could easily split apart!
Had the three of them cooperated fully, without any hesitation, then although they might not have been able to kill Bai Xiaochun, they would definitely have been able to grievously wound him, and most likely destroy the River-Defying Sect in the end!
If the Wildlands' four heavenly kings and Grand Heavenmaster had been reduced to the early Mortal-Dao Deva Realm, and then fought Bai Xiaochun, things would have been very different. Considering how well they cooperated and strategized, even if Bai Xiaochun had fought to the death with every trick in his book, they still would have come out alive.
It would have been nothing like what had happened here, with one deva being killed and two injured, and their fighting forces left completely demoralized…. When Bai Xiaochun considered all of these things, he suddenly realized he had come out quite lucky. Eyes flashing, he strode toward the fighting.
Him joining the fight demoralized the three great sects even more. They had been trying to fight back earlier, but now, they simply dropped their weapons and fled with all the power they could muster.
The entire battlefield was a scene of chaos. The cultivators of the three sects had few routes of escape, and the River-Defying Sect cultivators were cooperating well under the leadership of their elders, and were striking with deadly force!
Bai Xiaochun focused on the three sects' Nascent Soul cultivators. He shook the battlefield wherever he went, saving everyone he could, but specifically looking for… Li Qinghou and Hou Xiaomei.
However, the field of battle was large, and in complete disorder. The fact that he couldn't find them caused unease to rise up in his heart, but around then, Bruiser came bounding over. He had shrunk down to normal size, and excitedly thumped his head into Bai Xiaochun's leg.
Bai Xiaochun smiled as he rubbed Bruiser's head. He had missed him terribly, and when he saw the scars and wounds criss-crossing him, anger began to burn in his eyes.
"Who dared to injure my Bruiser!?" he said through gritted teeth. "This… will not go unanswered!" With that, he reached out to touch the particularly eye-catching scar on Bruiser's neck.
"Over the next few days, Bruiser, we'll go find all the people who gave you these scars, and they'll have to answer to me!" Bruiser let out a long howl in response. However, the fact that Bai Xiaochun had touched the scar on his neck reminded him of something, and suddenly his eyes flickered darkly with grief.
Bai Xiaochun noticed the change in his expression, and his eyes widened. He knew Bruiser well, and was aware of the speed he was capable of. Even the devas of the three great sects should not have been able to wound him unless there was some sort of ambush involved.
Therefore, the only other explanation for how he could have been wounded in such a way was if he was in the middle of saving someone. Based on the state of the scar, it must have happened months ago.
Under what circumstances could Bruiser have been so anxious that he failed to defend himself…?
In what situation would he have chosen not to flee to safety, and ended up surrounded…?
With such thoughts on his mind, Bai Xiaochun began to pant. Eyes widening, his uneasy feeling from before suddenly grew more intense!
"Bruiser, where is Uncle Li? And Hou Xiaomei? Where are they?!?!"
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Chapter 872: Eruption
In response to Bai Xiaochun's question, more grief filled Bruiser's eyes. He couldn't hide anything from Bai Xiaochun, and in fact, didn't even have the desire to. All he did was let out a few braying sounds.
The sadness in his voice made Bai Xiaochun's heart feel like it was being torn apart. The world suddenly grew dark, as though it had become stained with blood!!
"You don't know where Hou Xiaomei is…? But Uncle Li… was captured?!?!?!" Bai Xiaochun's expression twisted with rage, not toward Bruiser, but simply pure anger birthed from anxiety and madness. Seeing Bai Xiaochun like this caused Bruiser to emit a few more yipping sounds.
Bai Xiaochun was shaking visibly. Bruiser was no cultivator, and although he was a beast king with extraordinary intelligence, it was difficult for him to express himself clearly in certain matters. Ignoring the surrounding disciples of the three sects, Bai Xiaochun sent his divine sense spreading out in all directions.
Heaven and earth rumbled as he scoured everything in a 500-kilometer area. It only took a moment for him to have the entire locale under his command. His current goal… was to find Zheng Yuandong or other patriarchs of the River-Defying Sect, and get all of the details about Uncle Li!
As his divine sense spread out, all cultivators, both those of the three sects and those of the River-Defying Sect, suddenly felt immense pressure weighing down on them. At the same time, a windstorm sprang up around Bai Xiaochun.
In that same moment, a middle-aged woman appeared off in the distance in the sect headquarters. Her face was pale from serious injury, and she appeared to have just awoken from a coma. She seemed so weak that a breeze might carry her away, and could only walk by being supported on either side by younger female disciples.
Her gaze quickly came to rest on Bai Xiaochun, and a gleam of excitement appeared in her eyes. At the same time, she seemed deeply anxious. Without the slightest hesitation, she raised her voice and cried out, "Xiaochun, hurry up and save your Uncle Li!!"
The instant Bai Xiaochun heard her voice, he jerked his head to look in her direction. He instantly recognized her. She was none other than the former peak lord of Violet Cauldron Peak, the Master of Big Fatty Zhang, and the woman who had fallen in love with his Uncle Li. She was… Xu Meixiang!
"Aunt Xu!" he cried. Trembling visibly, he vanished, to reappear a moment later in front of her. Reaching out, he sent gentle energy streaming into her body, which caused the color to return to her face. However, she still seemed as fragile as before, and her voice was hoarse and scratchy as she went on to provide further explanation.
"Get to the Dao River Court! Your Uncle Li was taken captive by the patriarch from there, about half a year ago!!" Xu Meixiang's sudden outburst caused her injuries to flare up. Blood sprayed out of her mouth, and if it weren't for the fact that she was being bolstered by Bai Xiaochun's cultivation base power, she would have perished instantly!
Her words struck Bai Xiaochun like a lightning bolt, causing him to shake violently where he stood. About this time, the patriarchs of the River-Defying Sect, as well as Zheng Yuandong and some other important people, could sense the violent outburst brewing in Bai Xiaochun. Furthermore, Xu Meixiang's words woke them all from the delighted happiness they had been reveling in moments ago because of the sect being saved.
It wasn't that they had intended to hide things from Bai Xiaochun, it was just that everything had occurred too quickly. He showed up out of the blue, devastated three devas, crushed the morale of the three sects, and then sent the River-Defying Sect cultivators onto the counter attack. Many people were in a daze from everything that was occurring, and just hadn't yet thought to inform Bai Xiaochun of certain matters.
Patriarch Spirit Stream hurried over to provide a more thorough explanation!
The true reason everything had happened actually didn't have anything to do with Li Qinghou. After all, Li Qinghou was only in the Nascent Soul stage. Despite how incredibly talented he was, he wasn't so outstanding that a deva patriarch would attack him.
The reason for everything… was Bruiser!
The patriarch from the Dao River Court, the very one who had experienced fleshly body destruction and now existed as a nascent divinity, had coveted Bruiser for some time. However, Bruiser was always very careful, and normally never left the sect. Because of that, the deva patriarch had never had a chance to act on his desires.
However, half a year ago, that patriarch… had set up an elaborate trap to kidnap Li Qinghou, and use him to get to Bruiser!
The reason he had targeted Li Qinghou was obvious…. It all had to do with the relationship between Bai Xiaochun and Bruiser. The fact that Li Qinghou was like family to Bai Xiaochun and Bruiser was no secret. And thus, he was the perfect person to use to lure out Bruiser!
And that was exactly what had happened. Bruiser put everything on the line to try to save Li Qinghou, and had come out of the affair with an ugly scar on his neck. In the end, the River-Defying Sect's patriarchs had interfered, along with the reserve powers of the sect, including the Blood Ancestor.
In the end, the Dao River Court's ambush was foiled, and Bruiser was saved. Unfortunately… Li Qinghou was taken away. Even now… they weren't sure if he was alive or not!
The reason they couldn't tell if he was alive or dead had to do with the special technique he cultivated. He drew his existence from plants and vegetation, and had been studying a way to reconverge his life force. Because of that, he had no life slip in the sect. That made it impossible to determine his current state.
Patriarch Spirit Stream, Zhao Yuandong, and the others used the fastest means possible to impart all of this information to Bai Xiaochun. In the end, his mind crashed as if with thunder, and his heart burned with raging killing intent.
"ARGGGGHHHHH!!" he howled, causing the sky to vibrate and the lands to tremble. Eyes crimson, he didn't bother to offer any explanation. He simply turned… and began to fly at top speed toward the Dao River Court!!
"Feeling suicidal, Dao River Court!? I'm gonna kill you, Patriarch Dao River!!!" The insane killing intent that raged in his heart and mind was the likes that rarely appeared in him. In fact, it had only been seen once before in his life, when his apprentice went missing in the Wildlands. This… was the second time.
However, this time was actually worse than when Bai Hao had gone missing. Bai Xiaochun almost seemed like a different person, a person who had descended into pure madness.
There was no other reaction he could have. After all… this was Li Qinghou!
His Uncle Li had brought him from Mount Hood to practice immortal cultivation, and had even taught him the fundamentals….
He had passed his magics of plants and vegetation on to Bai Xiaochun, and had sheltered him from one disaster after another related to pill concocting….
The truth was that… they had a relationship like that of a son and a father!
Not even Bai Xiaochun was exactly sure when it was that he had come to view Uncle Li as family!!
There were many people he cared about in the River-Defying Sect, but there was only one who he viewed like a blood relative…. Li Qinghou!
Therefore, how could Bai Xiaochun possibly not go mad!?
His thunderous roar filled the air as he shot off into the distance, followed by Bruiser…. As for Patriarch Spirit Stream and the other leaders, they were shaken by his shout. However, the patriarchs quickly issued orders for a squad of roughly 1,000 River-Defying Sect disciples to follow along as emergency backup.
As far as Patriarch Spirit Stream was concerned, it didn't matter how powerful the reserve powers and spell formation of the Dao River Court was, they probably couldn't handle Bai Xiaochun's towering cultivation base. However, as a member of the older generation, Patriarch Spirit Stream still had to look out for him.
More than 1,000 disciples immediately flew after Bai Xiaochun. Of course, they weren't a match for him in speed, so Patriarch Spirit Stream gave them airships to use, which whistled through the air at top speed toward the Dao River Court.
And yet, Bai Xiaochun was still the fastest. He drew deeply on his cultivation base, as well as his fleshly body power. He even used the Undying Hex to teleport rapidly through the air!
At his current speed, it would only require the time it takes an incense stick to burn for him to reach his destination!
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Chapter 873: Xiaochun?
Bai Xiaochun's mind was almost a complete blank. He didn't dare to descend into reminiscence. Instead, he focused on one thing!
"Uncle Li… you have to be alive…."
Anxiety gripped his heart, profound nervousness generated, not from fear for himself, but from the possibility that he might hear news that could crush him.
Mental pressure began to mount, and his cultivation base was going crazy. All of the anxiety and madness swirled together, making a cyclone that dimmed heaven and earth.
Bai Xiaochun moved so fast that not even Bruiser could keep up. He shot through the air alone, leaving thunderous sonic booms behind him as he went.
RUUUUUUUUUUMBLE!
The massive sound caused by his passage attracted the attention of local cultivator clans, small-scale sects, and city after city. Everyone looked up in shock, and yet, they couldn't see Bai Xiaochun! They only saw a long wound-like streak appear above them in the sky!
Countless gasps and exclamations of shock filled the air.
"What was that sound?!"
"The sky… is being ripped open?!?!"
From a distance, the streak he left behind really did look like a rift opening up in the sky!!
Time ticked by. In the end, it took less time than an incense stick takes to burn. In his rage and anxiety, Bai Xiaochun appeared… in the mountains containing the Dao River Court!!
The sect headquarters was made of seven mountain peaks, each one a different color!
Because the routing of the three sects back on the battlefield had happened so quickly, the Dao River Court in general wasn't fully aware of what had happened. In fact, most of them didn't even know that their patriarch had lost his fleshly body. Only a few people had been informed, who then ordered that the sect's grand spell formation be activated.
Therefore, when Bai Xiaochun arrived, he saw a glittering light shield surrounding the sect, preventing anyone from entering!
It was a powerful shield which radiated intense pressure. After all… it was the grand spell formation of the number one sect in the Middle Reaches cultivation world of the eastern Heavenspan River!
But no matter how powerful that spell formation was, it couldn't compare to the spell formation that had protected the former Great Wall. Bai Xiaochun's Undying Hex had been able to pierce through that spell formation, and therefore, this trifling formation belonging to a Middle Reaches sect couldn't possibly do anything to him, not even if it had been created by a deva!
Bai Xiaochun didn't slow down for even a moment. In fact, he sped up. Rumbling sounds filled the air as he bore down on the Dao River Court, which currently housed several tens of thousands of cultivators who hadn't been mobilized during the war. That group included three Nascent Soul experts and many in the Core Formation stage. When they saw something streaking toward them through the sky, their eyes went wide.
"What's that?!"
"The sky… is being ripped open? But how?!"
"What's going on? That rift is actually heading right toward us!!"
No one in the group, not even the Nascent Soul experts, were able to see Bai Xiaochun. He was moving too quickly! The only thing they could see was that rift being slashed open in the sky!
Even as they began to cry out in alarm, the rift reached the grand spell formation. And yet, bizarrely, the spell formation didn't react at all. There wasn't even the slightest ripple! Bai Xiaochun pierced right through it!
That was the power of the Undying Hex!
As soon as he was inside the Dao River Court, he slammed into one of the mountains, causing the sky to tremble and the land to vibrate.
RRRUUUUMBLE!
The mountain immediately began to crumble, with countless bits of rock and rubble showering down. Tens of thousands of cultivators dashed out of the way, crying out in alarm. Only at this point did the figure which had previously been impossible to see suddenly become clear in midair above the crumbling mountain!
Even as he hovered there, terrifying fluctuations rolled out, as well as a massive vortex which seemed capable of destroying the world.
The disciples of the Dao River Court gasped and trembled. Even the Nascent Soul cultivators were shaking in nervousness. However, this was their sect headquarters, so no matter how scared they were, they had to brace themselves and attack. Instantly, countless beams of light that represented magical techniques began to slash through the air toward Bai Xiaochun.
At the same time, deadly beams of light shot from the other mountain peaks in his direction.
"Get the hell out of my way!!" Bai Xiaochun roared, waving his hands out in front of him. A blast of wind spread out in all directions, slamming into the beams of light and magical techniques. All of them were crushed as easily as dried weeds, and yet, the blast of wind didn't stop.
The sect headquarters trembled, and blood sprayed out of the mouths of countless disciples. Screams echoed out as they fell back, and yet, before they could get anywhere, Bai Xiaochun's divine sense shot out. In the blink of an eye, it filled the entire Dao River Court. Not even restricted areas and places locked down by spell formations were able to remain hidden. It was at this point that, deep underground beneath the Dao River Court… he found Li Qinghou's aura!
There, in a dank dungeon beneath the sect, were numerous prisoners, one of whom was the unconscious Li Qinghou… who appeared to be gasping on the verge of death!
When Bai Xiaochun saw that Li Qinghou was still alive, he breathed a sigh of relief. However, it was then that he realized what bad shape Li Qinghou was in, and his rage mounted. Without the slightest hesitation, he blurred into motion, unleashing a fist strike directly at the ground!
Crevices snaked out as the earth was ripped open. Numerous Dao River Court disciples were sent tumbling away from the force of the blow, their minds reeling and their hearts shivering in shock.
"Who is that?!?!"
"That's Bai Xiaochun. He's the one… who beat the three devas! He killed one, devastated the other, and sent the third running away!!"
"Dammit, what is he doing here…?"
Bai Xiaochun had already destroyed one of the seven mountains that comprised the sect headquarters. Now, his blow caused a second mountain to be ripped up and transformed into rubble.
At this point, Bai Xiaochun realized that one of the strange features of the Dao River Court's headquarters was its unusually thick ground. The seven mountain peaks of the sect were all connected at the base, which meant that to get to the underground area, all of the mountains had to be destroyed.
Bai Xiaochun was in no mood to go about it one at a time. Rapidly performing an incantation gesture, he let out a shout, utilizing the Living Mountain Incantation to cause countless rocks in the area to rush toward him and transform him into a gigantic stone golem!
That stone golem's face looked exactly like Bai Xiaochun's! Without the slightest hesitation, he unleashed a second fist strike, which shattered more of the lands below. At the same time, two of the remaining five mountains began to collapse. Cries of alarm and terror filled the air as countless disciples fled in terror, unwilling to stay behind in their own sect headquarters.
As they fled, Bai Xiaochun let out a shout that caused the sky to distort. A third fist strike landed like a meteor falling from the heavens.
BOOOOOOOOOM!
The remaining three mountain peaks collapsed amidst deafening rumbling sounds. The Dao River Court… had been reduced to rubble!!
From the time Bai Xiaochun arrived until the deed was done, not even sixty breaths of time had passed!!
As of this moment, the only thing that remained in the ground was a massive crater!
At the bottom of that crater was the Dao River Court's dungeon!
Without pausing for a moment, Bai Xiaochun blurred into motion, vanished, and then reappeared outside of Li Qinghou's cell!
The intense noise from moments ago caused Li Qinghou's eyes to flutter open. His aura was profoundly weak as he looked over at Bai Xiaochun. When he saw who it was, his eyes widened.
"Xiaochun?"
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Chapter 874: Shake Down A Sect?
It was with uncertainty and open confusion that Li Qinghou said Xiaochun. At the moment, he wasn't sure whether or not he was dreaming. After being taken captive to the Dao River Court, he hadn't been tortured, but rather, been left to wallow in misery.
Although he didn't care too much about whether he himself lived or died, he hated the idea of himself being used as a trap to lure out Bruiser. In the end, he had been powerless to change the outcome. He hadn't even been able to kill himself.
He could only watch as Bruiser was ambushed. Afterward, his guilt began to consume him.
Thankfully, during the half year which had passed, Patriarch Dao River had never succeeded in getting his hands on Bruiser. However, the sword wound which had been inflicted on Bruiser's neck was something that Li Qinghou blamed himself for constantly. At the same time, his hatred of the Dao River Court grew more intense.
Although he had become nothing but a worthless prisoner rotting away in a dungeon, his hatred kept him going. As long as the Dao River Court stood, he could not allow himself to die!
He had gritted his teeth and endured the strange powers of the dungeon, which sucked away at his cultivation base and life force. He had grown weaker and weaker, and yet continued to hang on.
Thankfully, he cultivated a special technique based on the power of plants and vegetation, which offered him special protection. In this most critical of times, his complete focus kept him going, as did his hatred of the Dao River Court. And… Bai Xiaochun!
He had often thought about that young boy he had picked up from that mountain all those years ago. Although Bai Xiaochun had been gone for a long time, he wanted to see him again. He wanted to protect him! He was worried that, unless he was there to look out for him, the boy would cause disasters the likes of which could never be resolved.
That became part of his focus, and therefore, despite the pain he faced, he endured.
Now, when he heard deafening booming sounds outside, he opened his eyes, and wondered if he was seeing things when he saw Bai Xiaochun right there in front of him.
As for Bai Xiaochun, when he heard Xiaochun, a tremor ran through him, and tears welled up in his eyes. Li Qinghou's voice was weak, but filled with a warmth and kindness that caused Bai Xiaochun's heart to leap in his chest.
"Uncle Li!!" he said, tears flowing down his cheeks. Although he had battle prowess that could crush devas, as well as the highest of statuses, when he was with Li Qinghou, he became the same Bai Xiaochun he had been back on Mount Hood, so afraid of lightning that he had lit a stick of incense thirteen times.
He reached forward and pulled Li Qinghou into an embrace. Weeping, he sent cultivation base power pouring into him, healing some of his injuries. At the same time, he realized how weak Li Qinghou had become, and his tears flowed even harder.
There were white hairs on Li Qinghou's head now, and he had wrinkles on his face, making him look middle-aged. Obviously, the half year of confinement had taken its toll.
He no longer looked like Bai Xiaochun remembered him, elegant and refined, a legacy echelon cultivator, the proud and unyielding peak lord of Fragrant Cloud Peak!
Li Qinghou was still a bit confused as he pulled back and looked at Bai Xiaochun. Ignoring his own weakness and injury, he reached out and… gently put his hand onto Bai Xiaochun's cheek.
"Is it really you…? You've grown up, kid. Alright, no crying now…." He wiped the tears off of Bai Xiaochun's face, fully convinced that this was the same young boy he had brought back to the sect from Mount Hood.
"It's me, Uncle Li…. I'm back!" Bai Xiaochun dried his eyes and helped Li Qinghou to his feet.
Thanks to Bai Xiaochun's help, Li Qinghou was already getting back some energy. He grinned.
"As long as you're back, that's all that matters…." Within his smile was approval, happiness, and kindness. He was a Nascent Soul cultivator, so despite the emotions which surged inside of him, he kept himself in control, and simply smiled at Bai Xiaochun.
Before he had a chance to ask Bai Xiaochun any questions about what he had been up to all these years, he looked out at the crater which surrounded them. With Bai Xiaochun's help, they climbed out… whereupon Li Qinghou saw the crumbled ruins of the seven mountain peaks that made up the former Dao River Court, and the terrified Dao River Court disciples who were still fleeing off into the distance.
At that point, Li Qinghou couldn't contain his excitement. Continuing to peer around, he said, "Did one of the patriarchs finally break through? Where is he?"
His first reaction was to assume that one of the patriarchs had finally reached the Deva Realm and come to break him out of the Dao River Court's dungeon.
And yet, he immediately hesitated. After all, even after making a breakthrough, a single patriarch shouldn't have been able to reduce the Dao River Court to this condition. At that point, he started to wonder if two patriarchs had broken through to become devas.
However, that seemed even less likely than his original guess.
Bai Xiaochun blinked a few times, then cleared his throat. "Uh… Uncle Li, none of the patriarchs broke through…. Nobody else is here… except for us two."
Now that he had rescued Li Qinghou, his stress was fading away, and his personality was going back to normal. As such, he held back from sounding a bit pleased with himself.
Li Qinghou's jaw dropped. He looked around at the ruins, and then back at Bai Xiaochun, and suddenly laughed loud and clear. Slapping him on the shoulder, he said, "Good. Great. Excellent!"
He didn't ask any details. He didn't need to. The excitement he felt in his heart was all he needed. The child that he had brought to the sect from Mount Hood had grown up into a shocking figure.
The only disappointment he felt was that the fledgling had left the nest to fly in the endless sky, and that he no longer needed someone else around to take care of him. It was a feeling of both happiness and disappointment mixed together.
Li Qinghou's reaction got Bai Xiaochun even more excited. Feeling very pleased with himself, he swished his sleeve and said, "This is nothing, Uncle Li. You have no idea how awesome I was back in the Wildlands. I--"
Before he could continue, a whistling sound filled the sky, which was Bruiser, who had only just caught up. As soon as he arrived, he saw the ruins of the Dao River Court, and Li Qinghou.
He didn't seem surprised at all that Bai Xiaochun could destroy the entire Dao River Court. He excitedly shrank back down to normal size, rushed over to Li Qinghou, and began to rub him with his head.
Li Qinghou's heart swelled with both warmth and remorse. Softly stroking Bruiser's head, he looked at the scars covering him, and sighed.
"I'd always hoped I would be able to help you get your revenge, Bruiser, but I guess I don't need to now. Your dad's already helped you." Chuckling, Li Qinghou looked around at the ruins, and then back at Bai Xiaochun, his heart bursting with pride. "Let's go, Xiaochun. The Dao River Court might be able to survive this somehow, but it will take them a long time to recover. If they ever do!"
"Calm down, Uncle Li, there's more to do." After measuring up the scene around them, Bai Xiaochun turned to Bruiser. "Bruiser, there were a bunch of other disciples following us, right? What's the delay? Why don't you go back and lead them here?"
Bruiser wasn't quite sure what he had in mind, but never refused to do what Bai Xiaochun asked him to do. He shot off, then returned a moment later with more than a thousand airships following him. The cultivators piloting the airships soon saw the dismal state of the Dao River Court, and couldn't help but gasp. Looking over at Bai Xiaochun with reverent gazes, they clasped hands.
"Greetings, Patriarch! Greetings, Elder Li!"
Their words confirmed what Li Qinghou had already suspected. Smile widening, he looked over at Bai Xiaochun, who shook his head and cleared his throat. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he waved his hand.
"Alright, enough of that. Hurry up and clear all this rubble away. The Dao River Court got destroyed too quickly, and everyone ran away. They definitely left some treasures behind. Let's clean this place out!" By this point, his heart was pounding as he thought back to all of the shakedowns he had performed in the past. However, all of those had been clan shakedowns. This was his first time overseeing a sect shakedown!
In response to his words, the surrounding 1,000 disciples' eyes glittered. Without any pause, they began to clear away the rubble and search the Dao River Court for treasure.
Li Qinghou's eyes shone with even deeper praise as he mused about how much this child had grown up. Even he himself had forgotten to loot the routed enemy.
"You're absolutely right, Xiaochun. The Dao River Court has years of reserves that will be of great help to the River-Defying Sect!"
However, even as the words left Li Qinghou's mouth, Bai Xiaochun frowned. Looking around at the River-Defying Sect disciples, he said, "You people don't know how to shake a place down! Aiya! Look, there are more rocks over there than anywhere else. It only takes a single glance to tell that there's some treasure there. Clear that rubble!
"Look at this! Get over here, people. This boulder is obviously fluctuating with magical power. There's definitely some kind of valuable treasure buried under it!
"Aiya! Look at you! What do you think you're doing? Pry up those floor tiles! They're obviously made from spirit stones!!" It was to Bai Xiaochun's great frustration that none of these people knew how to shake a place down….
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Chapter 875: A Heavy Load And A Long Road
Bai Xiaochun was starting to get nervous. Therefore, he hurried up to the front lines. Considering that nobody knew what they were doing, he decided to take charge. Waving his hands and gesticulating wildly he said, "No, don't dig there. Look at the ground. Who would put treasure there?! Look at that oversized vase right next to you. Now that's a treasure!
"Look at all of you! Seriously…? Come come. Let me tell you how to do it. You 300 go and clear out those boulders over there. And you 300 get rid of the rubble of that temple over there!
"Now, for you 300, well, you have an even more important mission. You head to that restricted area over there and take everything you can get your hands on. Know what it does? Take it. Don't know? Take it!
"The final 100 of you, come with me and just pick up whatever I tell you to. Oh, hey you… that's actually not made from spirit stones. It's just an ordinary floor tile…."
Considering the extensive experience he had shaking down clans in the Wildlands, it didn't take long before he had the entire group of disciples sweeping over the sect like a hurricane… wiping everything away….
Eventually, he couldn't help but sigh.
"Listen to me everyone, when you're shaking a place down, you have to pay attention. Do you understand that…? I mean, put some thought into it! If you were a sect patriarch, where would you hide all the treasure?!
"Too complicated? Alright, I'll summarize. When you're shaking a place down, you have to remember three key words: Fast. Ruthless. Precise. Those are my Three Words of Wisdom I created to pass down as part of my legacy!
"Fast. You have to move quickly in everything you do. Have you people seen locusts before? When you shake a place down, you have to become like locusts!
"Ruthless. Well, that's simple. Your eyes need to be bloodshot, and you need to grab anything you see. Just imagine you're in a treasure shop where everything is free. The more you can grab, the more you'll profit. Our motto is… we take everything down to the grass and the roots!
"Finally, is Precise. Like I said, you need to pay attention. To shakedown amateurs who haven't learned how to pay attention, well, let me tell you the trick. You have to… take everything you see even if you don't know what it is or whether it's valuable!
"Just wait until we get back. Then we can appraise everything properly. We just need to make sure we have everything to appraise to begin with." He spoke loudly, and his eyes danced up and down as he provided this crucial training. His words echoed about in the ruins of the Dao River Court, leaving the rest of the disciples temporarily dumbstruck, and gasping inwardly.
"How can the patriarch be so good at shakedowns?"
"This is my first time hearing the Three Words of Wisdom of shakedowns…."
"He's… he's so familiar with shaking places down…."
Strange and even blank expressions could be seen on the faces of everyone present. No one had ever heard of someone making up three words to summarize how to perform a shakedown. Furthermore, it was obvious that such wisdom could only come from someone who had a huge amount of experience in such matters. That would be the only way to distill the action down into three words of wisdom.
In fact, it was something only a professional could do….
The disciples weren't the only ones to react in such a way. Li Qinghou stared with blank eyes as Bai Xiaochun scurried back and forth, giving direction and pointers everywhere he went.
Thanks to his timely instruction, the disciples quickly excavated all of the treasures of the Dao River Court. As it turned out, the Three Words of Wisdom were truly powerful.
Li Qinghou was both confused and also felt a bit of a headache coming on. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he looked on helplessly with the realization that… no matter what cultivation base level Bai Xiaochun reached, there would always be something about him to worry about.
"He actually created a summary of how to shake places down…. I guess… he just has a knack for it…." Li Qinghou sighed, unsure of what to even say.
One thing he didn't notice was how closely Bruiser was paying attention to everything. Years ago, it was the teachings of the black dog which had enabled Bruiser to attract so many female beasts to his side. And it was also from Bai Xiaochun that he had learned the ways of pride.
All of a sudden, a new world seemed to be presented to him, causing his eyes to shine with veneration. In his opinion, this dad of his was simply too awesome. Who could have ever imagined that he had mastered a skill like this?
After observing this special technique of shakedowns first-hand, Bruiser immediately realized that he had a new mission in life, and committed it to memory.
It took about two hours for the disciples to wipe the Dao River Court clean. By the end, their feelings for Bai Xiaochun had changed. Although they still felt deep awe and admiration, there was something else that they just couldn't put their finger on as well.
Many of them suddenly recalled stories they had heard about things Bai Xiaochun had done years ago, stories that placed them right in the middle of laughter and tears….
"So, this is what Bai Xiaochun is like…."
"Patriarch Bai… ah whatever, I'll just keep calling him Bai Xiaochun…."
Although all of the disciples were muttering similar things, with Bai Xiaochun's instructions, they were enlightened regarding the Three Words of Wisdom, and cleaned out the Dao River Court until there wasn't even any grass left anywhere….
They took most of the boulders, and the remains of most of the buildings…. If the disciples of the Dao River Court ever returned, they would surely be stunned, and would likely think they had taken a wrong turn somewhere…. They would definitely not recognize their sect.
Bruiser ended up helping out quite a bit. Not only was he a quick learner, he could change the size of his body at will, making it easy to get through tiny cracks to find special treasures. Bai Xiaochun sighed in admiration at how smart his son Bruiser was.
"Excellent! You've got real talent, Bruiser. From now on, our shakedown abilities are going to improve dramatically, all thanks to you!" Bai Xiaochun's words of praise caused Bruiser to virtually glow with pride.
However, as he watched, Bai Xiaochun actually felt bit displeased. He really missed Zhou Yixing. Zhou Yixing could have dug out all of the treasures much more quickly….
"This isn't going to work…." he thought. His expression suddenly turned serious. "Yep. It seems I need give them some more training. Everyone in the sect needs to understand the quintessence of shakedowns!
"That way, the River-Defying Sect will have more wealth than ever. All disciples will have plenty of cultivation resources. It will be good tidings for everyone in the sect!" Although it meant that things would be a bit more stressful, at least it gave him a new mission to work on.
People started realizing that Bai Xiaochun had a thoughtful expression on his face, even Li Qinghou. Li Qinghou massaged the bridge of his nose again, a wry smile on his face as he realized that Bai Xiaochun must be coming up with some more plans. Finally, Li Qinghou cleared his throat.
"Alright, Xiaochun. Let's get back home to the River-Defying Sect."
Bai Xiaochun agreed, temporarily putting aside his previous thoughts. Waving his sleeve, he led Bruiser, the 1,000 disciples, and Li Qinghou through the air in a grand procession back to the River-Defying Sect.
On the way back, Li Qinghou finally asked Bai Xiaochun about how the fighting had fared in the River-Defying Sect. It was with sparkling eyes that Bai Xiaochun went into vivid detail about the story. When Li Qinghou heard that Bai Xiaochun had fought three devas, and ended up killing one, crippling another, and sending another one fleeing, his heart trembled. Although he had guessed that things played out something like that, to hear the truth personally was still astonishing.
After a bit of time spent chatting, they were closing in on the River-Defying Sect.
Meanwhile, Patriarch Dao River had finally managed to sneak home in nascent divinity form. Actually, he had been waiting some distance away while everything happened in the sect.
It wasn't until Bai Xiaochun actually left that he dared to actually go back into the emptied sect. There, he looked around in confusion, wondering if he was hallucinating.
"Is this really… the Dao River Court?" After staring around blankly for a while, a tremor ran through him, and he threw his head back and screamed, "You're pushing things too far, Bai Xiaochun!!!"
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Chapter 876: Back Home
Very little time had passed in the River-Defying Sect since Bai Xiaochun's shocking performance. In fact, even including the shakedown, it had only been a handful of hours.
The cultivators of the three sects were still fleeing, and the disciples of the River-Defying Sect were still chasing them down. The area surrounding the River-Defying Sect was in complete chaos.
There was nothing the patriarchs could do to get the disciples to calm down. Earlier, they had been in a situation of deadly crisis, and under the most incredible stress imaginable. Now, they were finally able to vent!
250 kilometers. 500 kilometers. 1,000 kilometers….
Before long, the cultivators of the three sects were completely driven away. Those who could not escape chose to surrender.
After the chase reached the 1,500-kilometer-mark, the enthusiasm of the River-Defying Sect cultivators began to fade. They were also starting to get exhausted. Eventually, at that 1,500-kilometer mark, the patriarchs issued orders to cease the pursuit!
The fleeing cultivators of the three sects could finally breathe sighs of relief, and scatter in terror.
All of them knew… that the River-Defying Sect was going to rise to prominence!!
Bai Xiaochun had completely turned the tables on them, and although the River-Defying Sect had sustained heavy losses, in the end, they had achieved victory!!
Any disciples from the other sects who ran into River-Defying Sect cultivators in the future would be filled with terror, and not dare to do anything to provoke them. The battle had seen them completely defeated, both physically and in spirit!
As could be imagined, news of the conclusion of the battle spread like wildfire throughout the cultivation world of the Middle Reaches. The Lower Reaches were shocked, and the general structure of the Middle Reaches was already changing.
Obviously, it created a stir back in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect as well. After all, the three great sects had obtained their tacit approval before making their move.
In addition to that, Bai Xiaochun wasn't just a member of the River-Defying Sect. He was a disciple of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect as well, and had also served as a major general at the Great Wall.
Historically speaking, major generals would always join the Hall of Steel Veins, and become the most powerful of elders back in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. And that was not to mention the fact that Bai Xiaochun had friends in the sect. For example, there was Zhao Tianjiao and his Daoist partner Chen Yueshan, as well as Bai Lin from the Great Wall, among others.
In the past, before Bai Xiaochun made his return, such friends had done their best to keep the River-Defying Sect safe. Now that Bai Xiaochun was back, one could only imagine what the reaction would be in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect on the part of his friends!
The Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect would definitely be very interested in Bai Xiaochun's explosive battle prowess. Furthermore, he knew that it wouldn't be long before orders came down about what was to happen next.
However, regardless of what stance the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect would take, the River-Defying Sect currently needed stability after its huge fight. They needed to rest and recuperate; their victory had come at great cost.
The spell formation cast by the Dire Skybanyan had been almost completely destroyed, and required extensive repairs. The reserve powers of the four divisions had been either seriously damaged or completely eradicated. Most of the sect headquarters had been destroyed. Of the mountain ranges belonging to the four divisions, two and a half had collapsed, and would need significant help from the patriarchs to rebuild.
By the time Bai Xiaochun and Li Qinghou got back, the repair work was already underway. Many people were thrilled to see Li Qinghou, including Zhao Yuandong, Patriarch Spirit Stream, and many other friends. Xu Meixiang was especially happy. She had been in despair before, so to finally see Li Qinghou again caused tears to stream down her face.
Li Qinghou was deeply moved to finally see Xu Meixiang after more than half a year of being locked away. As soon as their gazes locked, Bai Xiaochun blinked a few times and then smiled. On the way back, he had given Li Qinghou a deva soul, and had done more work treating his injuries. Therefore, he felt comfortable leaving him alone with Xu Meixiang, and instead took Bruiser on a tour through the sect.
As soon as he saw the extensive damage close up, and all of the wounded disciples, his mood sank.
The truth was that the sect had sustained bitter casualties and many deaths. However, they had made gains as well. They took tens of thousands of captives, and had also seized numerous magical items and other resources.
Even better than that were the numerous reserve powers and precious treasures belonging to the three sects, items that their deva patriarchs had left behind, and which had been collected by River-Defying Sect disciples.
Bai Xiaochun wasn't the only one to have performed dramatically in battle. Although he had been the one to turn things in the favor of the sect, Bruiser was actually one of the main ones who had kept the sect going until Bai Xiaochun got there.
Bruiser's cultivation base was already in the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage, and he was a beast king, meaning that he could fight with devas if he really needed to. Although he couldn't come out on top in such a fight, his battle prowess was still shocking.
Furthermore, since he was a beast king, as long as enough time passed, he would eventually reach the Deva Realm, which would be of indescribable benefit to the sect as a whole!
In addition to Bruiser, Song Junwan had performed spectacularly. Although she wasn't in the Nascent Soul stage yet, only the great circle of Core Formation, she had wielded the Middle Peak blood sword with precision and valor. She had surpassed the leaders of the other mountain peaks to become a virtual blood fiend, leading the entire Blood Stream Division in their fight against the enemy!
There were also chosen from the Spirit Stream Division who had fought valiantly. Shangguan Tianyou was one of them. He was now in the pseudo-Nascent Soul stage, and forgetting Bai Xiaochun and the most powerful experts, was the strongest disciple in the sect, and quite famous. After all, the patriarchs said that Shangguan Tianyou was the reincarnation of a sword immortal! Furthermore, his personality had changed dramatically. He was much more silent and serious, something that made the other disciples respect him even more.
And then there was Beihan Lie. Although he had never been the strongest of the chosen, he had risen to prominence in the Fallen Sword Abyss by reaching Earthstring Foundation Establishment. He was now in the late Core Formation stage, and although he couldn't surpass Shangguan Tianyou, was still considered far beyond the others of his generation!
The other divisions also had chosen who had risen to the heights of glory. It went without saying that the sect would soon dole out rewards for them, and that they would have a bright future in the days to come.
As Bai Xiaochun saw one familiar face after another, and saw everyone looking back at him with fervor and passion, he suddenly felt a warm feeling rise up within him. It was the feeling of being home.
It was something he had never really felt back in the Wildlands. And that was because… for all eternity, this would be the place he called home.
As the sect went about the repair work, Bai Xiaochun joined in. At one point, he ran into the Heavenhorn ink dragon, who had been seriously injured and was gasping for breath. Others in the sect had attempted to treat him, but at the moment, he seemed like he might slip into death at any moment. Bai Xiaochun immediately went to work, calling upon the power of his Heaven-Dao Nascent Soul to gradually heal his wounds.
Bruiser had disappeared, but he came back around the time Bai Xiaochun finished treating the old dragon. When Bai Xiaochun saw him, his eyes went wide. Bruiser was flanked by a large number of strange spirit beasts. Some were large and some were small, but without exception, all were female….
"Are these your wives?" Bai Xiaochun asked, stunned. Bruiser made a whinnying sound, which caused Bai Xiaochun's heart to tremble in shock.
"And them…?" Bai Xiaochun continued, pointing at… a group of more than a thousand strange-looking little beasts behind the females.
An expression of pride appeared on Bruiser's face, and he made a few chuffing sounds. Although many people in the sect had already come to guess the truth, none of them understood the situation better than Bai Xiaochun….
"Well damn…. Those are all your children?" Tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth, Bai Xiaochun looked at the female beasts, and then all the tiny beasts, and was suddenly completely convinced of how amazing Bruiser was.
Bruiser was very pleased to see Bai Xiaochun reacting this way. Looking back at all the female beasts, he made a few barking sounds. Immediately, all of the spirit beasts dropped down onto their knees and howled at Bai Xiaochun.
There was nothing fierce about it. It was a cry of respectful greeting given to someone of the senior generation.
Bai Xiaochun smiled wryly, fully aware of what Bruiser was trying to say. Bopping Bruiser on the head, he sighed. Since Bruiser was his son, then these beasts… were his daughters-in-law and grandchildren.
Having reached this point in his train of thought, Bai Xiaochun patted his bag of holding to produce some Wildlands soul medicine to give out as a gift of greeting. After all, soul medicine could be used like spirit stones by soul cultivators, but could also be very effective for spirit beasts. Furthermore, it was very rare in the Heavenspan River region.
The spirit beasts were all very excited to receive soul medicine from Bai Xiaochun, and began to cry out in joy. Bruiser was obviously very happy, and looked exactly like someone from the senior generation who had been given a lot of face.
Seeing Bruiser so happy put a smile on Bai Xiaochun's face, and he sighed.
"Yeah, I really am home…."
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Chapter 877: Things Change, People Stay The Same
The entire sect was bustling. The air buzzed with conversation as Patriarch Spirit Stream and the other powerful experts utilized mountain-hurling, sea-draining magical techniques to repair the damage done to the four mountain ranges that made up the headquarters.
The Pill Stream Division used all of their power to save the Dire Skybanyan, and also had all disciples working around the clock to concoct medicinal pills.
The Profound Stream Division was hard at work repairing the spell formations that protected the sect, as well as the countless magical items that disciples of the sect had damaged during the course of battle.
The Spirit and Blood Stream Divisions had taken the lead in the actual fighting, and therefore, many of them went into secluded meditation to recover. Those who were able assisted in the repair work to the sect itself.
When Bai Xiaochun found Song Junwan, she was busy administering the affairs of Middle Peak. Although she very much wanted to spend some alone time with him, and speak of various matters of the heart, her current duties were more important.
Because of Bai Xiaochun's current status in the sect, as soon as he showed up, the disciples gazed at him with fervor and adoration. In fact, the way they clasped hands in formal greeting caused the repair work to slow down.
Bai Xiaochun savored the wonderful sensation, and was preparing to leave when he realized that he really should offer some words of encouragement. However, before he could even open his mouth, Song Junwan glared at him and shooed him away.
He rubbed his nose awkwardly as he walked off. Although he was inclined to defy Song Junwan, merely looking at her caused him to think back guiltily to what had occurred in the Wildlands with Mistress Red-Dust. The prospect of what could happen if Song Junwan and Hou Xiaomei found out caused his heart to tremble with fear.
As far as Hou Xiaomei went, Bai Xiaochun had learned from Li Qinghou that both she and Ghostfang had been taken away by the Celestial over half a year ago, to serve as special guards on Heavenspan Island.
Apparently, Heavenspan Island occasionally recruited special guards to serve on the island.
To the sects in the Heavenspan River region, any cultivator selected for a position like that was being bestowed with good fortune. Furthermore, not everyone who was initially recruited would end up serving on the island. Many of them would be sent back after a short period of time. Even those people would experience a significant boost in cultivation base, though. As for those who remained to serve, they ended up earning extremely high status, and would be treated with the utmost courtesy even by the riversource sects.
Bai Xiaochun felt uneasy about the whole thing, although he wasn't sure exactly why. For one thing, based on his calculations, he was fairly certain that Hou Xiaomei had been taken away at roughly the same time that the dramatic battle had been fought back in the Wildlands.
"Or am I just thinking too much into it?" After some thought, he decided that the best thing would be to use this as an excuse to go see Hou Xiaomei.
Even as he pondered these matters, he happened to catch sight of Shangguan Tianyou.
He stood at the edge of a cliff, his face touched with grief and reminiscence, his eyes somewhat blank as he looked off into the distance. For some reason, he seemed older and more mature.
Bai Xiaochun was a bit surprised to see an expression like this on Shangguan Tianyou's face. After a moment of thought, he walked over, and then followed Shangguan Tianyou's line of sight until he noticed what appeared to be a log cabin in the jungle below the cliff.
Next to the log cabin… was a grave mound.
Shangguan Tianyou held a strip of blue cloth tightly in his hands. His hands were clenched so tightly around it that it seemed he would never let go of that cloth, even if he died. And there he stood, murmuring to himself as he looked at the distant grave.
Bai Xiaochun looked at the grave thoughtfully, and suddenly realized that there was one old friend he hadn't seen after returning to the sect. He shivered.
"That's Xinqi's grave," Shangguan Tianyou said quietly, his voice hoarse and tinged with bitterness. There was no trace of his former jealousy and hatred of Bai Xiaochun. Such things had been wiped away with the passage of time, along with his hot-headedness.
"Elder Sister Zhou…." Bai Xiaochun breathed. He thought back to what he remembered of Zhou Xinqi, who had once been Li Qinghou's apprentice, the famed Elder Sister Zhou of Fragrant Cloud Peak…. He thought about how he had leaped at the chance to help her hunt down the Chicken-Thieving Fiend of years past… and how he had made fun of her by calling her 'Sect Niece Xinqi'.
They were memories that Bai Xiaochun would never be able to wipe away. His breathing suddenly turned ragged, and he began to tremble. There was nothing that would cause his heart to be weighed down more than a friend his own age passing away.
She would be an eternal part of his memory, and yet, everything she had ever said and done was now gone forever….
When Shangguan Tianyou saw how Bai Xiaochun was reacting, the grief in his eyes grew more intense. Shangguan Tianyou wasn't sure when it had happened, but he had fallen love with Zhou Xinqi, and she with him. However, even after she died, he had never spoken his feelings out loud.
Ten years ago, Zhou Xinqi had been out on a mission for the sect when she ran into some cultivators from the Polarity River Court. A fight broke out, and she was killed. Although Shangguan Tianyou had avenged her death, he had never been the same afterward.
He had become quieter, and less impulsive. He worked hard on his cultivation, and had slowly but surely become the strongest cultivator of his generation in the River-Defying Sect.
And yet, Zhou Xinqi's face was always there in his heart. The blue strip of cloth he held in his hands now had been a gift from her, and was something he would keep with him for all eternity.
Bai Xiaochun stood there quietly, looking at Zhou Xinqi's grave. After a long moment passed, he clasped hands and bowed deeply at the waist….
Shangguan Tianyou closed his eyes. After some time passed, he opened them again, and looked over at Bai Xiaochun.
"Thank you, Bai Xiaochun…." With that, he turned and walked off, looking profoundly bleak...
Bai Xiaochun watched him leave, then stood there for a long time looking at Zhou Xinqi's grave, his heart heavy. He simply couldn't stop thinking about what she had looked like all those years ago.
He suddenly realized where those white hairs on Li Qinghou's head had come from; the death of one of his beloved apprentices.
"Why…? Why does cultivation have to be all about fighting and killing…?" It was the same question he had been asking himself from the moment he entered the cultivation world.
After everything he had seen and experienced, you would think he would have found an answer already. But… he hadn't.
Eventually, he left, thinking about how there were still so many things he didn't understand. Although the sect had won a great victory, it came with many tears. As he walked along, he sent his divine sense out to examine the home he had been away from for so long.
One of the first people he noticed was Beihan Lie….
In a remote location in the sect was a huge graveyard, within which were buried countless heroic souls who had fallen in battle…. That was where Beihan Lie stood, in front of a gravestone that he had personally carved.
There was no name on the gravestone. There was only a carving…. Of a big, black dog.
Beihan Lie held an alcohol flagon in his hand. The passage of years was clearly visible on his face. The hair at his temples was white, and he seemed much older. The aroma of alcohol surrounded him as he looked at the grave, mixed emotions playing out on his face.
That big black dog had died saving his life.
Bai Xiaochun's heart yet again filled with complex emotions. He suddenly realized that many things had happened of which he wasn't aware. Although the fact that the black dog was dead filled his heart with grief, he decided not to interrupt Beihan Lie. Instead, he sent his divine sense sweeping over the countless other graves in the area.
Some of the names were familiar, others were not, but they all caused him to tremble.
It was around this time that Gongsun Wan'er's brother, Gongsun Yun, happened to find Bai Xiaochun. Gongsun Yun was visibly older than before. He had reached Core Formation, but only the early stage. By now, he was no longer the famous person he had been back during the chosen battles between the north and south banks of the Spirit Stream Sect.
Both Beihan Lie and Ghostfang had long since left him behind. However, he never lost his dignity, nor his pride because of his little sister.
Although his sister had become very cold and distant after returning from the Fallen Sword Abyss, and had seemed very different, the fact that she ended up being taken away to the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect proved how incredible she was. Unfortunately, she had ended up being teleported out into the Wildlands, to parts unknown. That had been a heavy blow to Gongsun Yun, and a source of constant anxiety.
Gongsun Yun was trembling with nervousness, and yet he braced himself, clasped hands, and said, "P-Patriarch Bai… you're back, sir. Song Que and Master God-Diviner too. Um… do you have any news about my sister?"
Bai Xiaochun stood there quietly, complex emotions flickering in his eyes as he looked at Gongsun Yun. After a moment of hesitation, he decided not to tell him the truth.
"Wan'er died in battle at the Great Wall… She gave her life to save a friend…."
Gongsun Yun stood there stiffly for a long moment, tears welling up in his eyes before they poured down his cheeks. Although he had long since suspected that this was what had happened, he had still held out hope. But not anymore. Clasping hands, he walked off, tears streaming down his face.
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Chapter 878: Eternity
Even after seeing Gongsun Yun's sorrow, Bai Xiaochun still didn't tell him the truth. There was no way he could. How could he possibly explain that Gongsun Wan'er had actually been killed long ago in the Fallen Sword Abyss?
It would be too cruel to tell Gongsun Yun that the little sister he had seen afterward was really that bizarre girl. Bai Xiaochun simply couldn't bear to deliver such a bitter blow.
Instead, he told Gongsun Yun a story in which his sister sacrificed her life as a hero.
The story he told wasn't without its flaws, and apparently Gongsun Yun realized that. But he didn't ask any follow-up questions….
"Little sis, was that really you who came back to the sect…?" he thought. The truth was that he had asked himself that same question on many occasions, and didn't really want to know the answer….
After Gongsun Yun left, Bai Xiaochun felt even worse than before. He didn't like feeling like this. He liked being happy and having fun. However, as he grew up, he realized that such emotions were inescapable.
Oftentimes in the past, he was able to bury such feelings, but right now, all the graves he had seen caused Zhou Xinqi's face to float in his mind even more clearly than before, as well as many other familiar faces. They were images he simply couldn't dispel.
At the moment, no other patriarch in the sect had a better chance of becoming a deva than Patriarch Spirit Stream. He was in a better position than even Patriarch Blood Stream.
Patriarch Spirit Stream could sense the bleakness of Bai Xiaochun's mood. As he looked at him from a distance, he could tell from the fluctuations of his divine sense how sorrowful he was. Although he didn't understand Bai Xiaochun as well as Li Qinghou did, he had been there to watch him grow into the person he was.
At some indefinite point, he appeared next to Bai Xiaochun, although he didn't interrupt him. He just stood there, looking at all of the graves of the River-Defying Sect.
Eventually, when the time was right, he spoke in a hoarse voice filled with age.
"Xiaochun, look around…. Can you tell what's different about the sect…?"
Bai Xiaochun had long since become aware that Patriarch Spirit Stream had come to stand next to him. However, he was in too bad of a mood to say anything. In response to the patriarchs words, he looked around.
The sect was filled with a buzz of noise as all sorts of repair work went underway. Everyone was toiling away. Although nothing dramatic was happening, close examination revealed that the sect was rapidly returning to its previous state. It wouldn't be long before it thrummed with just as much life as before.
As for all of the disciples of the three sects who had been captured, they were important bargaining chips that could either be absorbed into the sect as new disciples, or traded with the three sects for remuneration.
"Do you know what's different?" Patriarch Spirit Stream asked again. "Do you know why all of the disciples are working so hard? Do you know why they are all so focused…? Because this isn't just their sect. It's their home!
"Spirit Stream Sect. River-Defying Sect. It doesn't matter. They're the same. The good fortune of the disciples is the good fortune of the sect. That's the most important thing. As long as the disciples have enough faith and trust in the sect, then… the sect will be their home!
"And the truth is that our sect… is a home to all of us, patriarchs included!" Patriarch Spirit Stream was very, very old, and in fact, if it weren't for the fact that he relied on a special secret magic, he would have long since perished. Perhaps because of that secret magic, or perhaps because of the dramatic events that the River-Defying Sect had seen in recent years, his face was covered with even more wrinkles than ever, making him seem even more ancient.
At this point, Bai Xiaochun's mood stopped sinking. However, there was still something gnawing at his mind. Slowly but surely, he looked over at the patriarch.
"Patriarch… don't we cultivators practice cultivation so that we can live forever? Why do we have to go around fighting and killing all the time? As long as we're alive, there are endless possiblities! But once we die… then what's the point of it all…?" This question had been lodged deep in Bai Xiaochun's heart for many years, and would not go away.
It was a profound question, and in response, Patriarch Spirit Stream simply stood there quietly for a moment. The truth was that he didn't have an answer. A long moment passed, and he seemed to grow a bit older. Then he looked back at Bai Xiaochun, his eyes warm but tinged with pain.
It was pain because of the sorrow he felt for his most outstanding of all the Spirit Stream Division disciples. After all, he knew that from the first day Bai Xiaochun had joined the sect, he had feared death and dreamed of being able to live forever.
Patriarch Spirit Stream had watched this disciple tackle the brutal cultivation world, and yet never forget his dream of living forever. There was a purity and innocence in that which was very, very rare.
"Xiaochun…" he said softly. "You're right. As long as we're alive, there are endless possibilities. But just because we die doesn't mean that our hopes and dreams die with us!
"I can't speak for anyone else, but I can say that when I look at all of these graves, I'm absolutely certain… that these disciples who died in battle did it because of the Dao that existed in their hearts!"
"What do you mean Dao?" Bai Xiaochun replied, confused. He had been asked a similar question back in the rainbow trial by fire in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. And although he had never answered the question, he had the vague feeling that his Dao… was to live forever.
"The word Dao is profound and deep," the patriarch answered. "No one can really explain it perfectly…. As for me, only by living for many, many years have I been able to experience what it means….
"Dao is focus. Think about all of these heroes who fell in battle. Do you think they weren't afraid of death? Do you think they didn't want to live forever? They were afraid. And they did want to live forever! But the sect was their home, and they were fighting to defend and protect it. They were willing to sacrifice their own lives, even to the point of giving up on their own wishes and desires. No matter how much it pained them, they swore to die defending their home!
"As for me, I long since made up my mind. Even if everyone else managed to escape, I would stay behind. If our sect goes down in flames, I will go with it!
"Isn't it the same with you, Xiaochun…? Back in that battle in the Luochen Mountains, why did you go back to save your fellow disciples? Didn't you know that if you went back, you might die?
"What would have happened if, instead of facing three devas earlier, it was three demigods…? Would you have come to fight? Or would you have lingered in the distance, watched us die, and then fled?"
The words struck Bai Xiaochun's heart like a lightning bolt. He had never thought of questions like this before, and wasn't even sure how to answer them. The truth was that in the sect's moment of impending doom, he hadn't been thinking of anything. He just couldn't stand to watch it be wiped out in front of him, and had felt he had no choice but to advance into battle.
As he pondered these matters, he was suddenly struck by a revelation. Although his focus in life was to live forever… there were too many other things in the world he cared about. He couldn't simply forget about those things, and that meant that, even if he didn't like it, sometimes he had to resort to fighting and killing. It was like a natural law of heaven and earth.
When danger threatened his friends, his family, his sect, or his home, then it didn't matter how much he wanted to live forever. He would always do the same thing!
He would always make the same choice!
"Life and death…." Considering how many years Patriarch Spirit Stream had lived, and the state of his longevity, when he talked about life and death, it somehow seemed more meaningful.
"Sometimes, you might be alive… and yet be dead to certain people….
"And sometimes, you might be dead, and yet be alive…. Zhou Xinqi perished, but she lives for all time in Shangguan Tianyou's heart! That black dog is dead, but exists eternally for Beihan Lie!
"Look at all the names on these graves, Xiaochun. These disciples died in battle, but from now on, everyone in the River-Defying Sect will remember them! Who will ever dare to forget them!?" Patriarch Spirit Stream spoke with decisiveness that could sever nails and chop iron. His words were like a thunderclap that resonated in Bai Xiaochun's mind and heart, causing a tremor to pass through him. It was almost as if a door had been opened inside of him, making certain thoughts and feelings which had once been obscured to suddenly be as clear as day.
His eyes flickered with enlightenment at the profound implications of the words which had just been spoken. He suddenly felt as if he understood the meaning of life and death, and also understood why he would always make that one particular choice. It was because… of focus!
Although grief still existed in his heart, the more he thought about his new understanding, the more that grief resembled respect. Then he clasped hands and bowed deeply to all of the graves! Even after a long moment, he didn't rise from his bow.
"I understand now, Patriarch…." he murmured. He was bowing to those who had died in battle, to their sacrifice, to their fearlessness. He was bowing… to the souls of true heroes!
As long as the sect existed… then these disciples who had fallen in battle would live in the hearts of the sect, for all eternity!
They had died, but would exist for all time!
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Chapter 879: Que'er! What Are You Doing Here?
Upon seeing that Bai Xiaochun's reservations had been cleared up, a smile broke out on Patriarch Spirit Stream's face. The truth was that he cared very much for Bai Xiaochun, and not just because of how he had just defeated the three enemy devas.
Bai Xiaochun was the heart and the soul of the River-Defying Sect. It didn't matter that the Spirit and Blood Stream Divisions were now fully integrated; there was no one who could replace Bai Xiaochun!
Most importantly, Bai Xiaochun had the most orthodox and proper background within the Spirit Stream Division!
All of a sudden, the patriarch seemed to remember something. "Xiaochun, you were missing for a long time in the Wildlands. Now that you're back, I have to ask: did you hear about the matter of the Celestial selecting a new apprentice?"
"The Celestial is picking a new apprentice?" Bai Xiaochun said, a look of shock appearing on his face.
The patriarch nodded. "Even I'm not too familiar with what happens in this situation. However, the entire affair should be kicking off soon. All four of the riversource sects are making preparations.
"According to what I heard, any Nascent Soul cultivator can join the running. As long as they're from the Heavenspan River region, it doesn't matter if they belong to a sect, a clan, or even if they're a rogue cultivator. All Nascent Soul cultivators qualify to go to Heavenspan Island!" Patriarch Spirit Stream sighed. Considering how old he was, he knew that he wasn't suitable for such a position. After all, there was no shortage of Nascent Soul cultivators in the Heavenspan River region.
For one Nascent Soul cultivator to beat so many others to win a spot would be like a mortal being able to ascend to the heavens!
However, there was hope for Bai Xiaochun. Despite the fact that he could clearly defeat almost anyone else in his generation, he clearly had not yet become a deva.
Despite being merely a half-deva, he had killed one true deva, crippled another, and forced a third to flee. Patriarch Spirit Stream had never heard of anything like that happening in the eastern Heavenspan River, and although he couldn't be sure if something as heaven-defying had occurred in the other three major rivers, he knew it was definitely unprecedented.
This was Bai Xiaochun's first time hearing about the Celestial taking a new apprentice, but all it did was cause him to shake his head. Because of what he had witnessed in that spectacular battle in the Wildlands, he just didn't have a very good impression of the Celestial….
The mention of the Celestial immediately got him thinking about Hou Xiaomei, so he asked the patriarch about her.
"Hou Xiaomei and Ghostfang were both taken to Heavenspan Island about a decade ago, along with several thousand others. That was accomplished, not by battle, but by assessment of talent and other factors. Hou Xiaomei apparently had unusual talent in certain areas. Assuming she follows instructions and excels in cultivation, she'll have a chance to become a special guard there!
"This sort of thing only happens once every few hundred years. Out of those 10,000 cultivators, only a few hundred will end up as special guards." Patriarch Spirit Stream clearly didn't know a lot about the situation, but obviously had high hopes for the outcome. At the moment, there was a lot of work to do to get the River-Defying Sect back in order, and therefore, Patriarch Spirit Stream turned to leave.
As he did, he recalled how close Hou Xiaomei and Bai Xiaochun were, and looked back to say, "If you want more details, you should go ask Song Junwan. The selection formalities occurred in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, and Song Junwan was there as well. Unfortunately, she wasn't selected."
Bai Xiaochun nodded, choosing to keep his reservations about the Celestial to himself. It wasn't that he didn't trust Patriarch Spirit Stream, it was just that his suspicions were too shocking. Still feeling a bit unsettled about the whole thing, he took another moment to look out at the graves, then took a deep breath and left.
Before long, it was evening, and a bright moon hung high in the sky. Most of the disciples of the River-Defying Sect were practicing cultivation. After all, the repair work couldn't be completed in a day, and they needed time to recover from the weariness of battle.
It was at this time that Bai Xiaochun finally took the opportunity to go find Song Junwan. On the one hand, he had been missing her badly for years, and on the other hand, he also wanted to find out more about what happened to Hou Xiaomei.
Song Junwan had finally taken a break, and was in her immortal's cave, recovering from her weariness with medicinal pills. However, there was one person who went to see her before Bai Xiaochun. And that was Song Que.
Considering that Song Que was a chosen of the Song Clan, it was only natural that Song Junwan was very concerned about him. And the fact that he was now in the Nascent Soul stage was wonderful for the clan.
Despite the fact that Song Junwan held seniority over Song Que, as soon as he arrived, she rose to her feet to meet him. However, Song Que didn't dare to rely on his cultivation base to act like the ranking cultivator. Hurrying forward, he said, "There's no need for that, Aunt Junwan. Que'er has come to offer greetings."
Acting with the utmost courtesy, he clasped hands and bowed, just like he had back when his cultivation base was far inferior to hers.
Song Junwan was very pleased with how circumspect he was being. However, that didn't stop her from offering some advice.
"Que'er, now that you have a Nascent Soul, it's only proper for me to receive you formally. Although we can't forget matters of protocol, in the cultivation world, strength demands respect."
Song Que smiled bitterly, reminding himself that if it weren't for Bai Xiaochun, things would be very different. Considering that he was very close to the mid Nascent Soul stage, everyone in his clan with the exception of the patriarch himself would bow in greeting to him.
However… considering who Song Junwan was, and her relationship with Bai Xiaochun, Song Que had no choice but to suppress his bitterness. Although he was a bit pleased to see how depressed Bai Xiaochun was recently, he didn't dare to reveal that openly. Not only had his time in the Wildlands forced him to grow up a bit, but it had also instilled a deep reverence for Bai Xiaochun that even he wouldn't admit existed.
Furthermore, Bai Xiaochun had repeatedly brought up the matter of himself being Song Que's uncle. Because of that, matters of seniority relating to Song Junwan were far from simple.
If it weren't for that, his first visit wouldn't have been to Song Junwan, but rather, to the Song Clan patriarch.
"There's no need for that, Aunt Junwan. In your eyes, ma'am, Que'er will always be the same boy he was years ago." With that, Song Que took a deep breath and then bowed formally to Song Junwan.
Song Junwan's smile grew wider, and her eyes warmer. She was proud that a qilin son like this had risen up in the clan, and immediately asked him about his adventures in the Wildlands.
In response, he hemmed and hawed, giving a vague, awkward recounting of what happened after he went missing. If it had been anyone else, he would have acted a bit more arrogantly. But right now, he wasn't quite sure how to behave around Song Junwan.
Song Junwan could tell that something was off about Song Que. She frowned, which made her seem both more beautiful, and also more grim. Just when she was about to ask some more pointed questions, she heard Bai Xiaochun's voice outside the immortal's cave.
"Wan'er, my darling," he said passionately, "I'm back!"
The instant his voice entered the immortal's cave, Song Que's heart began to pound. As for Song Junwan, her face flushed, and her eyes flickered with a bit of anger. For him to act romantically with her in front of someone from the younger generation not only caused her heart to start racing, it was also a bit embarrassing. She quickly waved her hand, causing the immortal's cave door to slam open.
Bai Xiaochun strode in and immediately saw Song Que.
"Eee?! Que'er! What are you doing here?"
Song Que's face darkened.
When Song Junwan saw Song Que's expression, she suddenly looked a bit apologetic. She knew that it was partly her fault that Bai Xiaochun was treating Song Que like this, and was about to say something when Bai Xiaochun cut her off.
"Wan'er, you have no idea what kind of place the Wildlands is. It's incredibly dangerous. Deadly situations crop up no matter where you go. In order to save Que'er, I almost revealed my secret identity! I even offended a bunch of aristocrats, and ended up shaking down some heavenly marquis clans!
"Did you hear that? Heavenly marquises! The Wildlands is huge, but they only have 108 of them. Every single one is a really important and famous person!" Sighing in reminiscence, he thought back to the heavy price he had paid to rescue Song Que.
"I'll never forget how bad of a situation Que'er was in when I first found him out there in the Wildlands. He was poked full of so many holes he looked like a sieve! One of those heavenly marquis clans had turned him into a living spirit stone!
"Do you know what a living spirit stone is, Wan'er? They force them to eat all kinds of medicinal pills and stuff, forcing their qi passageways to expand. That increases their cultivation base, which they then force to rotate, sending cultivation base power through all the holes they poked in them. That in turn creates a small area abundant in spiritual energy!
"And then… that clan's junior generation can practice cultivation without any spirit stones!" Bai Xiaochun's vivid description caused Song Que to involuntarily think back to the dark times of the past. At the same time, Song Junwan gasped, and her expression turned grim.
"That's outrageous!" she said furiously. She looked over at the bitter expression on Song Que's face, and could tell that Bai Xiaochun was not exaggerating. All of a sudden, she realized why Song Que had been stumbling for words earlier.
"Thank you for what you did, Xiaochun!!" she said. Earlier, she had intended to prevent Bai Xiaochun from saying anything to Song Que. Instead, she looked at him emotionally, and then gave a curtseying bow at the waist.
"There's no need for all the formality!" Bai Xiaochun replied. "I did all of that for you, after all." Clearing his throat, he stepped forward, slipped his arm around her supple waist, and then thumped himself on the chest. "You're Que'er's aunt, and I'm his uncle. We're family! If I didn't help him out there in the Wildlands, who would? If I didn't save him, who would? It was the proper thing to do, and not a big deal at all."
Although Song Junwan's face turned scarlet, she didn't push him away. In fact, her expression softened. Before, she had felt as if they were growing apart, but now, with his hand around her waist, that feeling was gone.
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Chapter 880: See What This Is, Xiaochun?
When Song Que saw the entranced look on his aunt's face when she looked at Bai Xiaochun, he sighed. By this point, he regretted coming early to visit. The truth was that if he had known Bai Xiaochun would show up, he would rather have been beaten to death than come at this time.
Although in some ways he wished he could do something to interfere with Bai Xiaochun's skills in seducing women, he also couldn't help but admire him a bit because of it.
He had been there to hear all the details Bai Xiaochun had explained about the Win Character Enchantment, which helped Zhao Tianjiao win over Chen Yueshan. And Song Que had also been there to witness the confusing relationship that had developed between Bai Xiaochun and Mistress Red-Dust.
And that wasn't even mentioning Chen Manyao….
Now that he thought about it, all of the most beautiful female cultivators seemed to be in some sort of relationship or another with Bai Xiaochun…. In the end, Song Que could only sigh and muse about how the heavens apparently favored Bai Xiaochun….
He considered revealing the truth to his aunt, and telling her about Chen Manyao and Mistress Red-Dust. But then he realized that Bai Xiaochun was giving him a glare of warning, and his heart seized up. Sighing, he looked at the entranced expression on his aunt's face, and finally realized that it was a really awkward situation. After blurting out a random excuse, he left.
Outside, he felt much better. Shaking his head, he noticed some nearby Blood Stream Division disciples looking at him. At that point, he straightened up, feeling the pride that a chosen Nascent Soul cultivator should feel. The disciples bowed in greeting, and his confidence began to return.
Bai Xiaochun and Song Junwan were now alone in her immortal's cave. It was a rare situation. Before, the fighting had been fierce in the battle, but now that they were together, Song Junwan abandoned any attempts to prevent her feelings from showing.
That was especially true considering what Bai Xiaochun had told her about Song Que's situation, and how much danger he had faced to rescue him.
Song Junwan could tell that Bai Xiaochun had done all of those things for her sake. And in the end, he had brought Song Que back, not only safe, but also having broken through to the Nascent Soul stage.
Gaze warm, she smoothed out some of the wrinkles in his garment, and spoke some sincere words of concern. Considering they were now alone, most of the flush had left her face.
Bai Xiaochun felt very relaxed in her presence, and could tell how much she cared for him. Eventually they sat down on a divan, whereupon Bai Xiaochun began to brag about some of the details of how he'd rescued Song Que.
Of course, he emphasized his own role in the situation, making sure it was clear that without him, Song Que would probably never have escaped. The entire time, he kept on measuring up Song Junwan.
Although they hadn't seen each other for years, Song Junwan was as spectacularly beautiful as ever. Her makeup was applied perfectly, emphasizing eyebrows that curved as gracefully as willow leaves. Her eyes glittered like pools of deep water, making it seem as if she were waiting for him to guess what she was thinking. Bai Xiaochun's heart suddenly began to race.
Song Junwan was curvaceous and smoking hot, with mouth-watering curves everywhere. There was something shockingly bewitching about her, especially considering how provocatively she dressed. Bai Xiaochun swallowed a few times, marveling inwardly at what a vixen she was. Without even thinking about it, he began to compare her to Mistress Red-Dust, and eventually sighed in the realization that in terms of physique and beauty, Song Junwan clearly came out on top.
Suddenly, he realized something. After being thrown down onto the ground in the jungle by Mistress Red-Dust, a new world had opened up to him….
When Song Junwan realized that Bai Xiaochun was secretly checking her out, her heart began to beat more rapidly. A flirtatious expression appeared on her face, and she looked at him closely, pretending she hadn't noticed the look in his eyes. She also leaned forward a bit, revealing even more curves than before.
However, after a long moment, it was clear that Bai Xiaochun was merely looking at her, and wasn't going to make a move. A spark of anger rose up in her heart, quenching some of her passion. A cold expression even appeared on her face.
"Well," she said primly, "since there's nothing better to do, I guess I'll go meditate."
Bai Xiaochun's eyes widened in shock. Everything had been going well moments ago, to the point where Song Junwan seemed gripped by passion. But in the blink of an eye, it all changed. It was very strange. Suddenly, he realized that asking about Hou Xiaomei right now probably wouldn't be the best idea….
Blinking a few times, he decided to feel the situation out.
"Well, I guess I'll head out?"
Heart burning with anger that she couldn't control, Song Junwan glared at him for a moment, and then let out a cold harrumph. "See yourself out!"
Bai Xiaochun was really confused. Sighing, he mused that women were definitely very strange creatures, both Mistress Red-Dust and Song Junwan alike.
"Could it be that all older women are like this?" Convinced that this was the case, he decided that he really missed Hou Xiaomei. She was definitely the most well-behaved of them all.
Rubbing his nose, he rose to his feet and said, "Well, I guess I really will take off!"
As he did, Song Junwan closed her eyes and ignored him.
Bai Xiaochun's awkwardness was now starting to turn into a bit of anger. Flicking his sleeve, he turned to walk off. However, he only got about seven or eight steps before Song Junwan's voice rang out.
"How long are you going to stick around this time?"
In no mood to deal with her antics, he replied, "Oh, I don't know. After all the sect matters are taken care of, I need to take a trip to the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect."
Then he continued on his way.
Song Junwan opened her eyes and looked at him walking away. As of this moment, she realized that, considering Bai Xiaochun's cultivation base and talent, it wasn't reasonable to expect him to stay in the River-Defying Sect forever, even if it was his home. Furthermore, she couldn't help but wonder… after he left, how long would it be before she saw him again?
When she thought about that, and about how distant he had seemed when she caught sight of him on the battlefield, she began to struggle inwardly. If she couldn't hold on to him right now… then as time passed, they would grow further apart, and their relationship would definitely cool. Eventually, it would probably become nothing more than a memory.
The sect had faced many dramatic situations over the years, and she had seen many couples parted by death. Besides, she had no idea if she would be able to break out from the Core Formation stage and into the Nascent Soul stage, which meant that she had no idea how long she would actually live.
The only thing she knew was that, over all the years, Bai Xiaochun was the only person to have tantalized her without sickening her. After everything that had gone on between the two of them, he was the one person she could never stop thinking about.
At that point, the struggle in her eyes transformed into determination. She was the devilwitch of the Blood Stream Sect, not a member of the righteous and orthodox Spirit Stream Sect!
As her hesitation vanished, decisiveness enveloped her. She stretched out on the divan, making sure every inch of her beautiful figure was on display. Then she spoke in a voice that would stab deep into the heart of anyone who heard it.
"Xiaochun, come here. I want to show you something."
As soon as her voice entered his ears, it felt like a hand had grabbed onto his heart. After shivering for a moment, he snorted coldly.
"Whatever it is, I don't want to see it!" Those were the words which left his mouth, and yet, he stopped walking, and even turned around, to see Song Junwan reclined sultrily on the divan. His heart began to pound even harder. However, he reminded himself that in the face of a vixen like this, he had to control himself and act like normal.
Eyes glittering, she beckoned at him with her finger. "Be a good boy, now. Why won't you come over here? I'm not going to bite you!"
Heart racing, Bai Xiaochun gave another cold snort. Glaring, he strode over to her, stuck his chin up, and loudly said, "Me? Afraid of you?! I think not. Alright. What do you want to show me?"
Covering a smile with her hand, she looked up at him, snagging his gaze as surely as if with a hook. Even as he gasped in surprise, she patted her bag of holding, producing a medicinal pill which she held up in two fingers.
"Do you see what this is?"
Bai Xiaochun's jaw dropped, a bit displeased that this was what Song Junwan wanted to show him…. It turned out it was just a medicinal pill. Sighing, he looked a bit closer, drawing upon his skill in the Dao of medicine to identify it.
"Oh, it's an Aphrodisiac Pill. Hey, how did you get--" Suddenly he gasped, and thought back to Mistress Red-Dust.
And yet, before he could do anything… a flush spread out across Song Junwan's face, and her eyes flashed as…
She crushed the pill!
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Chapter 881: This Is My First Time!
Poof!
When Song Junwan crushed the Aphrodisiac Pill, it made a very familiar sound, a sound which stabbed into Bai Xiaochun's ears and went deep into his mind.
Pink mist roiled out in all directions, enveloping both him and Song Junwan before he could even react.
"Aaaiiiiieee!" Without even thinking about it, he began to back away, but before he could take more than a few steps, a bewitching, soft, and curvaceous form grabbed him.
He suddenly realized that somewhere deep inside of him was a profound sense of anticipation. Blinking, he shouted, "No, don't…! Wait, Wan'er! What are you doing? Aaagh! Don't tear my clothes off! This is my first time…!"
His shrieks were particularly exaggerated, and although he seemed to be struggling to fight against the effects of the pink mist, he obviously wasn't putting much heart into it.
The main thing he was afraid of was that Song Junwan would figure out what had occurred between him and Mistress Red-Dust back in the Wildlands…. Suddenly, he screamed with renewed fervor.
"Stop it! At least let me get ready…." Piteous wails erupted from within the mist, but clearly, he was just putting on a show. The look in his eyes and the way he held himself actually made it easier for Song Junwan to tear his clothing off….
Panting, Song Junwan said, "Shut up! This is exactly what I want! Your first time!"
Along with her words came the brutal sound of clothing being torn. At that point, Bai Xiaochun's shrieking ceased, and a sharp intake of breath could be heard from Song Junwan. And then… the mist began to seethe and burn.
Two hours went by….
When the mist vanished, Song Junwan seemed to be thinking clearly again. Her clothing was back on, but a deep flush covered her face. Next to her was Bai Xiaochun, an expression on his face that was a mixture of pride and tenderness. Arms wrapped around his knees, he looked off into space.
The expression on his face was very pleasing to Song Junwan. In fact, if he had looked any other way, she might have become suspicious. Adjusting her clothing, she smiled and said, "Alright, hurry up and put some clothes on. Don't worry, I'm not going to abandon you now or something."
The truth was that Bai Xiaochun's daze was only thirty percent real and seventy percent a show…. He didn't dare to do anything other than look like he was in a daze. Otherwise, Song Junwan might have guessed at the truth. In his mind, he was comparing Song Junwan and Mistress Red-Dust.
In the end, he decided that both of them were perfect. One was wild and barbaric, the other was shockingly beautiful. The truth was that all sorts of different flowers had their upsides.
However, he kept a strange look on his face, and after a bit of thought, even shivered a few times to make it really seem like it was his first time….
Inside, he was sighing endlessly at the fact that, twice in a row, he had been trapped by an Aphrodisiac Pill….
"Is the Aphrodisiac Pill the bane of my existence?! If there was a first time, and a second time, does that mean there will be a third, fourth, and fifth time…?" Although it was somewhat of a dismal thought, for some reason… he actually looked forward to it….
Song Junwan was completely pleased by the strange look on Bai Xiaochun's face. Patting her bag of holding, she produced a new set of clothing, which she handed over to him. Considering the blank look that was on his face, she offered a few tender words and then helped him get dressed.
Of course, although the blank look remained on his face, inside he was feeling wonderful, and couldn't help but marvel at the wonderful act he was putting on.
At the same time, he kept wondering why he was so outstanding. If he weren't, why would Mistress Red-Dust and Song Junwan have both intentionally used an Aphrodisiac Pill to bewitch him?
"I can't blame them. I can only blame my outstanding nature." Having reached this point in his train of thought, he sighed helplessly at his amazing qualities.
Feeling prouder of herself than ever, Song Junwan rubbed his shoulder and offered some more tender words. It was at that point that Bai Xiaochun finally broached the subject of Hou Xiaomei.
Earlier, Song Junwan might have answered such questions, but would have felt somewhat uncomfortable doing so. Now, considering how pleased she was, she didn't mind at all, and explained everything she knew.
Several thousand cultivators from the River-Defying Sect had gone to the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect to participate in the selection process. In total, there were tens of thousands from the eastern Heavenspan River who had participated in the trial.
Song Junwan hadn't passed the test. And in fact, of all the other River-Defying Sect disciples, only Ghostfang had succeeded. However, during the talent portion of the assessment, Hou Xiaomei was shown to be particularly suited to the divine abilities and magical techniques of Heavenspan Island.
Therefore, both she and Ghostfang had proceeded on to Heavenspan Island. Actually, Hou Xiaomei wasn't the only one to receive such treatment. According to Song Junwan, there were a total of eight other disciples who had been selected because of how well they conformed to certain legacy magical techniques.
When Bai Xiaochun heard that Hou Xiaomei was one of several disciples to go to Heavenspan Island, he felt a bit better about the situation. And he felt even better when Song Junwan pointed out that such arrangements had been made many times throughout history. In fact, it had been this way for thousands of years. Furthermore, most cultivators who served as special guards on Heavenspan Island eventually returned to their home sects.
"Maybe I'm just worrying too much…."
Having received all of this information, he looked over at Song Junwan and noticed how exhausted she seemed. In fact, both of them seemed to be a bit out of sorts…. Clearing his throat, he offered some words of departure.
Before leaving, though, he gave her a deva soul!
He had never been able to collect another full set of five deva souls. However, even only one of the souls he had could be considered a precious treasure in the Heavenspan River region.
One of those souls could be traded into a sect for a set of deva beast souls, and would be of immense help to Song Junwan when it came time for her to create her nascent soul. Furthermore, if she succeeded, she would have a nascent soul that put her on the same level as the chosen from the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect!
It would definitely be beneficial to her cultivation!
Song Junwan was completely shaken by the gift. It was the first time in her life that she had ever laid hands on something so precious. She looked up at Bai Xiaochun, the entrancement in her eyes growing deeper. She didn't try to persuade him to stay. However, when he turned to leave, she walked over and embraced him.
The feeling of her soft curves pressing into him caused Bai Xiaochun's heart to start racing again. Although he had just gone through an incredible experience, being held by her immediately caused him to recall everything that had just happened. Worried that he might reveal some information he didn't want to, he mumbled a few words and then hurried away.
Outside of the immortal's cave, he felt his heart still pounding, and muttered a few more times about how much of a vixen she was. Sighing, he realized that he really had changed….
This time, he wasn't nearly as depressed as he had been the last time.
"Wait. No. No way! I can't be like this. Oh, and I definitely can't let Hou Xiaomei find out!" Having reached this point in his train of thought, he suddenly started wondering if Hou Xiaomei had somehow come across an Aphrodisiac Pill. If not, then perhaps he would need to figure out a way make sure she did….
"Hold on. No! How could Bai Xiaochun be a person like that!?" After all, he was a very pure person, and therefore, such thinking didn't befit him.
Eventually, he looked up into the sky and sighed.
"Why? Why am I so outstanding!?"
Sighing, he made his way to the immortal's cave that had been prepared for him. Once inside, he sat down cross-legged and got his thoughts under control.
"It's hard to say where the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect stands when it comes to the River-Defying Sect. To be safe… I really need to become a deva as soon as possible…." At that point, his eyes lit up with determination. "I need to conjure a twenty-one colored flame!"
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Chapter 882: The Fury of Devas
Bai Xiaochun had killed one deva, crippled another, and forced the third to flee. Because of that, he could tell that the issues facing the River-Defying Sect… were not yet fully resolved. Although he had temporarily ended the crisis, the truth was that everything could be traced back to the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect.
Without the tacit approval of the riversource sect, the other three great sects would never have dared to try to exterminate the River-Defying Sect…. Perhaps few people in the sect understood the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect well, but Bai Xiaochun had spent a lot of time there, and was very familiar with its inner workings.
For example, there were five deva patriarchs in the sect. One of them was from the Hall of Steel Veins, but the other four were powerful experts connected to the four river branches!
For example, there was the child-like deva who controlled the Sky Quarter. The other branches all had deva patriarchs who watched over them, and were connected to them in numerous ways. Oftentimes, clan interests played a factor. The truth was that the Middle Reaches sects were all extensions of the power bases of those devas.
The moment the River-Defying Sect became part of the Middle Reaches, they began to pay tribute to the child deva. In fact, their tribute surpassed that which had been paid in the past by the Sky River Court.
From that, it was easy to ascertain that the actions of the three sects against the River-Defying Sect was not a war of incursion… but rather, a game being played amongst the devas of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. Also… the child patriarch from Sky Quarter was in a weak position, and wasn't capable of contending with the other three devas.
In the end, he was essentially forced to abandon the River-Defying Sect, which led to the situation of three devas joining forces to exterminate the sect.
Although Bai Xiaochun had appeared and decimated the alliance of three sects, the truth was that the figurative slaps he had unleashed actually landed on the faces of the other three devas in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect!
It was easy to imagine that the result would be nothing good. The other three devas would surely be infuriated, and would come to unleash their wrath!
Such an outcome had never been Bai Xiaochun's aim, and yet, in the face of sect-wide calamity, he had been presented with no other choice.
"I hope the fact that I rescued Chen Hetian's apprentice and daughter will prevent him from going overboard….
"And I sure hope that Bai Lin's grandfather remembers how close I am to his grandson…" Bai Xiaochun rubbed the bridge of his nose. The truth was that he couldn't rely on anyone else, and he knew it. The only thing that could ensure the safety of the River-Defying Sect was to make it as strong as possible.
"I have to become a deva!" Bai Xiaochun was already feeling under a lot of pressure. After all, the only true way to resolve the situation… was for him to reach the Deva Realm!
With a deva cultivation base, his battle prowess would be even more significant. With that level of strength, he could strike fear into the hearts of his opponents, and truly protect the River-Defying Sect!
As he sat there in his private chamber, eyes shining with determination, he pulled out the formula for twenty-one-colored flame and began to study it closely. The formula required a huge amount of resources, something even more daunting considering he was now in the Heavenspan River region. Thankfully, his apprentice Bai Hao had given him plenty of souls to work with before he left the Wildlands.
He currently even had enough souls to cover numerous failures.
In the blink of an eye, several days passed. Bai Xiaochun had already slipped into his usual maddened state. His hair was disheveled, but he didn't care. His mind and heart were completely immersed in the formula for twenty-one-colored flame; he had analyzed every single step and every procedure, down to the minutia.
Perhaps it was because of the pressure he felt, or perhaps something else, but either way, he had exploded into action, and his thoughts raced from one aspect of the formula to another. Furthermore, because he had access to plenty of the spiritual power of heaven and earth, he was able to work continuously without stopping at all. To keep in top shape, he would occasionally consume medicinal pills provided by the River-Defying Sect.
As time passed, he grew more and more familiar with the formula. Three more days passed, whereupon Bai Xiaochun waved his hands, summoning a large quantity of souls to begin his first attempt!
He was under no illusions that he would succeed on this attempt. What he wanted was not success, but the experience that came with failure.
Progress through practice led to shocking results, and was something that Bai Xiaochun alone was able to accomplish. No other necromancers would be able to sustain the unimaginable cost.
After all, Bai Xiaochun's apprentice was the Hell-Emperor, which enabled him to go to extravagant lengths when working on flame conjuring.
Time slipped by slowly but surely. With each failure he experienced, his understanding deepened. Occasionally he would stop, analyze, and make adjustments. Although he looked physically exhausted, his eyes only continued to shine more and more brightly.
As he slipped more and more deeply into flame conjuring, the very things he had worried would happen in the outside world began to happen. Word about the River-Defying Sect's spectacular comeback, and Bai Xiaochun's fight with the three devas, began to spread. All cultivators in the Middle Reaches were completely shaken, and stories even began to spread in the Lower Reaches and the delta regions.
Of course, there was little need to mention the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. Many individuals there had heard reports of what had happened, leading to widespread shock and astonishment.
It was around that time that Patriarch Dao River, the one who had lost his fleshly body, decided to throw caution to the wind. He contacted Patriarch Starry River, and the two of them rushed to the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect along with a Nascent Soul elder from the Polarity River Court.
They were struck with fear by the presence of Bai Xiaochun, but at the same time, couldn't get over their jealousy and anger. As soon as the three powerful experts reached the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, they split up and went to find the powerful patriarchs associated with their various sects.
The patriarch associated with the Dao River Court was none other than Chen Hetian, Master of Zhao Tianjiao. He had been in secluded meditation, but when he heard about the matter with the River-Defying Sect, and the news of Bai Xiaochun, his first reaction was that the stories were simply too unbelievable!
However, as more and more accounts began to spread, he came to realize the truth of the matter, and his anger burned!
Although he remembered Bai Xiaochun, he had never cared too much about him. In fact, not even the fact that he had been involved with the rescue of his own apprentice and daughter counted for much with him. Chen Hetian was the arrogant type who was always condescending toward others.
Back when everyone had been teleported out into the Wildlands, Chen Hetian had gone to great lengths to find his apprentice and daughter. Eventually, he had succeeded. As far as Bai Xiaochun went, though, he completely ignored him.
But now, he had to dredge up that name which he had so long been buried in the depths of his memory. The fact that Bai Xiaochun now possessed such shocking battle prowess caused him to frown.
Even as he pondered those matters, the crippled Patriarch Dao River arrived. Looking profoundly wronged, he clasped hands and bowed deeply to Chen Hetian.
"Senior, please help me!!"
He was a deva expert who Chen Hetian had entrusted with defending a Middle Reaches sect. But now, he only existed in nascent divinity form, a fact that caused Chen Hetian's face to turn very grim. A windstorm of anger was already brewing inside of him as he asked, "Just what exactly happened!?"
Even as the words left his mouth, shocking pressure weighed down in all directions.
Patriarch Dao River's nascent divinity shivered, and he quickly began to recount the details of the battle, not holding back anything.
When Chen Hetian heard that Bai Xiaochun hadn't defeated all three patriarchs at the same time, but rather successively, he snorted coldly.
From his perspective, Patriarch Dao River and the other Middle Reaches devas were all Mortal-Dao devas, essentially the weakest of all types of devas.
Chen Hetian had reached the Nascent Soul stage with deva beast souls, which had enabled him to then reach the Earth-Dao Deva Realm. Because of that, it would be a simple matter for him to beat those same three devas by fighting them in succession.
Trembling, Patriarch Dao River paused for a moment, and then said, "This Bai Xiaochun is completely outrageous! He even went so far as to take advantage of my absence to loot all of the wealth in the Dao River Court…! There was tribute in there that I had amassed for you, sir…."
When Chen Hetian heard that, his eyes flashed with cold light.
"What gall this dog has!" he said in an icy voice. "Is he looking to die?!" With that, he sent his divine sense out to contact the deva patriarchs in Starry Quarter and Polarity Quarter.
As far as he was concerned, the person in the worst position because of everything wasn't himself, but rather… the patriarch from Polarity Quarter, whose subordinate had been killed!
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Chapter 883: The Hall of Steel Veins Mobilizes!
The patriarch from Polarity Quarter was none other than… Bai Lin's grandfather!
His name was Bai Zhentian, and he had a cultivation base that could shake heaven and earth, as well as a very bad temper. Flames currently danced in his eyes as he stared at the Nascent Soul elder from the Polarity River Court, who was trembling physically as he prostrated in front of him.
"So, you're telling me that the rumors are all true? And the patriarch of your Polarity River Court was the most useless of all and got killed?"
Shivering in fear, the elder replied, "It was all because of Patriarch Starry River! He--"
Before he could continue with his explanation, Bai Zhentian interrupted him with a furious shout, "Screw off!"
The rainbow outside trembled, and the elder tumbled backward, blood spraying out of his mouth as he was flung out of Bai Zhentian's residence.
It was roughly at that time that Chen Hetian's divine sense reached out, projecting his sinister voice into Bai Zhentian's ears.
"Brother Bai, how do you want to handle this situation?!"
"How do I want to handle it?" Bai Zhentian replied coldly. "We'll make that bastard pay with his life!"
At the moment, Bai Zhentian didn't care at all about what his grandson Bai Lin thought about the situation. When it came to matters pertaining to the clan as a whole, it didn't matter that Bai Zhentian liked Bai Lin. He couldn't just ignore a threat because of Bai Lin's feelings.
The truth was that when Bai Zhentian had given tacit approval for the Polarity River Court to attack the River-Defying Sect, Bai Lin had come to protest, and the two of them had a huge argument about the matter.
The same thing had happened with Chen Hetian. Zhao Tianjiao and his Daoist partner Chen Yueshan had come to beg him to change his mind, but in the end, he had ignored them.
Now that something dramatic had occurred, there was no way that Chen Hetian and Bai Zhentian would let the matter drop!
"Count me in!" came an ancient voice, transmitted through divine sense to Chen Hetian and Bai Zhentian.
It was none other than the patriarch from Starry Quarter. He was the grandfather of Li Yuansheng and the ultimate backer of the Celestial Sky Society. His name was Li Xiandao!
Bai Xiaochun's actions against the three sects had affected his interests, and although the Starry River Court had incurred the least losses of all, it was not something that Li Xiandao could simply overlook.
After all… he had given tacit approval for the three sects to act. Furthermore, the alliance had been designed to suppress the child-deva from Sky Quarter. Therefore, how could Li Xiandao simply allow Bai Xiaochun to ruin everything?
"Very well," Chen Hetian said, his eyes flickering with cold light. "Since you agree, Brother Li, then there's no time to lose. After all, we've had Fellow Daoist Li Yuantian suppressed for years now. We don't want him to get any thoughts now."
Among the five devas of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, there were two with the surname Li. However, they didn't come from the same clan! [1]
In response to Bai Zhentian's words, Li Xiandao nodded. Then, the three of them communicated a bit more, whereupon powerful deva fluctuations erupted from the rainbows of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect.
Li Xiandao, Bai Zhentian and Chen Hetian all became bright beams of light which shot off into the distance. Following them were the patriarchs of the Dao and Starry River Court. In total, there were five devas, three in the front, two in the back, streaking through the sky!
Their destination was the River-Defying Sect, and their intention… was to punish Bai Xiaochun!
The fact that five devas had burst out into the open caused quite a commotion in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. Countless disciples were shaken, and many cries of alarm rang out.
"What's going on!?"
"That was Patriarch Chen, Patriarch Bai and Patriarch Li… Then there were two other devas who I'm pretty sure are from Middle Reaches sects…."
Even as the disciples began to discuss the matter, Zhao Tianjiao shot up into the air, looking anxiously off into the distance after his Master. He too had heard that Bai Xiaochun was back, and that the River-Defying Sect had made a spectacular comeback.
He had already been feeling guilty about everything, so when he saw his Master and the other devas heading toward the River-Defying Sect, his heart began to pound with nervousness, and his eyes turned crimson.
"I don't care what happens, Bai Xiaochun is my brother. He didn't do anything wrong! Don't tell me it's against the rules to defend oneself! Don't tell me it's wrong to save your sect!" Shouting in anger, Zhao Tianjiao shot toward the River-Defying Sect. Although he knew he couldn't do anything to stop his Master, he was determined to stand by Bai Xiaochun's side!
His Daoist partner Chen Yueshan flew by his side, as resolute and determined as him!
Even as Zhao Tianjiao and Chen Yueshan took off, someone else in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect was reacting with complete madness to the situation. It was none other than Bai Lin!
When Bai Lin sensed that his grandfather was heading to the River-Defying Sect on a killing mission, Bai Lin's anger exploded.
"Bai Xiaochun is one of my major generals, grandfather! Maybe I couldn't do anything to stop you from trying to exterminate the River-Defying Sect when he was missing. But now that he's back, I can't believe you're going to do this…. Well… you're forcing my hand!" Bai Lin had a short temper to begin with, so once it sparked, he flew into the air… and headed toward the Hall of Steel Veins!
Bai Xiaochun wasn't just a subordinate of Bai Lin. He was also… a member of the Hall of Steel Veins! The major generals of the five legions were all part of the Hall of Steel Veins!
In the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, there were four devas attached to the four major branches of the river. But they weren't the only devas. There was another! He was… Patriarch Steel Veins, a person who took orders only from the sect's demigod patriarch!
It was impossible to say how Bai Lin went about making his report. However, moments later, fluctuations began to roll out that far surpassed those which had come from Chen Hetian and the other devas. The source: the Hall of Steel Veins!
At the same time, a middle-aged man appeared, clad in blood-colored armor that made him look like he had climbed mountains of corpses and swam through seas of blood to reach his current state.
"Summon the five legions!" he said coolly.
As his words echoed out through the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, countless figures suddenly appeared, speeding through the air in his direction. Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands…. Within the space of a few breaths of time, nearly 100,000 people appeared. They were none other than… the cultivators of the five legions!
Many of them personally knew Bai Xiaochun, and many had fought alongside him in battle. In fact, many of them had been part of the 10,000-man corps he led as a major general.
At the same time, Bai Lin also appeared, clad in a suit of armor, flanked by his fellow generals, all of them looking very grim.
Patriarch Steel Veins looked around, and then spoke in a voice that echoed like thunder into the ears of the tens of thousands of cultivators. "If someone wants to attack the River-Defying Sect, we can't do anything about that. But when someone makes a move against a major general of the Hall of Steel Veins… is that something we can stand for?"
"Never!!" came the response, a swell of voices that shook the entire Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. With that, the patriarch waved his hand.
"Very well. Let's go take a look… and see who dares to trifle with one of our major generals!"
Terrifying battle cries filled the sky as the massive army from the Hall of Steel Veins followed their patriarch into action.
The Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect was completely and utterly shaken by what they were seeing. Countless disciples looked up with shocked expressions….
"Something big is about to happen!!"
"River-Defying Sect? Bai Xiaochun? Wait, I remember. Bai Xiaochun used to be a major general at the Great Wall!!"
"This… this is a battle amongst devas!"
As everyone devolved into chaos, the child-deva sat in a private chamber on Sky Quarter Rainbow, his eyes flickering with hesitation.
The truth was that he was actually the main reason all of this was happening, and at the moment, was weighing the pros and cons of taking action. In the end, he shook his head.
"Forget it. If I interfered and won, then it wouldn't matter. But if I lost…." With that, he closed his eyes and went back to meditating, ignoring all of the clamor outside.
The truth was that he had long since abandoned the River-Defying Sect in his heart. As far as he was concerned, the fact that Bai Xiaochun had returned didn't mean anything. And from what he could tell, although the Hall of Steel Veins might protect Bai Xiaochun, they wouldn't protect his sect.
Even if Bai Xiaochun could get out of the situation alive… the River-Defying Sect would not be able to escape.
Four of the five devas in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect had taken action, causing the sky to fill with ripples.
Devas could move with incredible quickness, especially Chen Hetian and his companions. It didn't take long before… they were in sight of the River-Defying Sect's headquarters!
Chen Hetian and the other devas exchanged glances, and then began to transmit a conversation among themselves.
"It's no surprise that the Hall of Steel Veins took action. But they can only do so much. Even if they save Bai Xiaochun, they can't get too involved with other sect affairs!!"
"Patriarch Steel Veins is just going through the motions. If he had come alone, he could have caught up with us already. The fact that he's bringing the five legions with him shows that he's actually giving us time to take care of things before he gets here."
"Since he's making a show of it, we should probably give him some face. Fine, let's cripple Bai Xiaochun's cultivation base, but leave him alive. That should be fine!"
1. As you can see, the child-deva from Sky Quarter is also surnamed Li, but is from a different clan than Li Xiandao. Because of that, I think that, way back when, I erroneously came to the conclusion that Li Yuansheng was from that child-deva's clan. I'm not sure if it was in a footnote, or in the narrative itself. I went back to search for that reference but couldn't find it, so if anyone knows what I'm talking about, please respond to the comment I'm going to leave in the comment section. UPDATE: Someone did respond, and as it turns out, it wasn't my mistake. I've since gone back to fix the mistake.
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Chapter 884: Black Clouds Gather!
It was evening, and the disciples of the River-Defying Sect were busy at their repair work. By now, the four mountain ranges that made up the sect headquarters were mostly back to normal. Buildings once again rose up near and far. Although traces of damage still existed, for the most part, the sect was on its way to a complete recovery.
Morale was very high. The sound of jovial laughter and conversation could be heard everywhere, and the entire sect seemed to thrum with life.
After fighting side-by-side, the four divisions had grown closer than ever, making the general atmosphere in the sect better than ever.
Nothing seemed out of place among the patriarchs, and yet, their hearts were weighed down by one looming fact. Their repeated attempts to contact the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect had failed. Not even the child deva of the Sky Quarter had responded to them.
Patriarch Spirit Stream and the others were all very worried about what that meant. However, they didn't let that show, worried that the River-Defying Sect would fare badly if they knew that impending catastrophe loomed on the horizon.
"We can't let Xiaochun bear all the burden!" Patriarch Spirit Stream said.
The Nascent Soul patriarchs were currently in a grand hall in the sect, serious expressions on their faces as they discussed the matter. Of course, Patriarch Spirit Stream and Patriarch Blood Stream took the lead in the meeting.
In response to Patriarch Spirit Stream's words, Patriarch Blood Stream sat in silence for a moment, then said, "If worst comes to worst… we can always leave the Middle Reaches and go back to the Lower Reaches!"
They wouldn't do such a thing unless there were no other options. However, there was no way to tell what the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect was thinking at the moment, and therefore, they had to plan for the worst-case scenario.
Patriarch Blood Stream's words were met with silence in the grand hall. The only thing that could be heard was the laughing and chatting coming from the disciples outside.
That only served to emphasize the gravity of the situation. If things got worse, and the River-Defying Sect really did retreat from the Middle Reaches, it would be a devastating blow to both patriarchs and disciples alike.
Patriarch Spirit Stream sighed, and was just about to say something more, when a shadow blurred into the room. It was none other than the Spirit Stream Sect's monkey. Even as he took form, another shadowy form appeared, which was the Blood Stream Sect's rabbit!
Both of them began to speak in high-pitched tones, making it impossible to determine which of them began speaking first.
"Devas are invading!!"
"Activate the spell formation!!"
As the urgent voices of the monkey and rabbit echoed out, Patriarch Spirit Stream's face fell. Without the slightest hesitation, he performed an incantation gesture, activating the sect's defensive spell formation. Patriarch Blood Stream and the other two patriarchs offered assistance. In the blink of an eye, rumbling sounds filled the air in the sect's four mountain ranges. At the same time, shield after shield rose up to create defensive barriers.
The Dire Skybanyan, which had just been brought back from the brink of death, shivered. Magical symbols erupted from its leaves, and in the blink of an eye, green light shot out from it, creating even more protective shields for the sect.
It all happened so quickly that, before the shocked disciples could react, the spell formation had been fully activated…. And that was when intense rumbling sounds could be heard as five beams of light shot toward the sect!
It was none other than Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian, followed by Patriarch Starry River and Patriarch Dao River!
The will of the five devas immediately spread out to fill heaven and earth, causing crackles of thunder to rip across the sky!
Their will replaced the will of the heavens, locking down the entire area and making it a world unto its own!
When the disciples of the River-Defying Sect saw the five figures up above, they gasped, and their faces fell!
"Patriarch Dao River!"
"That's Patriarch Starry River!"
"I've never seen those other three… but their auras seem even more terrifying than the first two!!"
Shangguan Tianyou's throat tightened, and Beihan Lie shivered. Song Que and the other chosen were immediately wracked with nervousness, as were Song Junwan and the other leaders in the sect.
Even with the spell formation activated, the pressure from the five devas was intense enough that everyone was left completely shaken.
The pressure was like mountain after mountain crushing down onto the hearts and minds of the disciples, stifling them and filling them with terror.
An anxious commotion broke out; everyone got the sense that disaster was pending. Patriarch Spirit Stream and Patriarch Blood Stream were both half-devas, and were the strongest cultivators in the sect besides Bai Xiaochun. They both flew up toward the border of the spell formation, grim expressions on their faces as they faced the five devas.
None of the other disciples recognized Chen Hetian and his compatriots, but Patriarch Spirit Stream and Patriarch Blood Stream did.
Suppressing his anxiety, Patriarch Spirit Stream clasped hands and bowed. "Greetings Patriarchs Chen, Bai, and Li! Honored sirs, I'm not sure the reason for your visit, hopefully you can forgive any breaches in etiquette!"
Next to him, the equally nervous Patriarch Blood Stream similarly bowed in greeting.
When the River-Defying Sect disciples saw their two patriarchs acting so respectfully, it only caused their anxiety to grow.
As for Chen Hetian and the other two devas, they completely ignored the two River-Defying Sect patriarchs. Looking down coldly at the spell formation shield, they began to transmit a conversation among themselves.
"This River-Defying Sect certainly reacted quickly."
"Well, that Bai Xiaochun is a deva after all. It only makes sense that he would detect our arrival."
"It doesn't matter. At worst, we'll have to do a bit of work."
When the two River-Defying Sect patriarchs realized that they were being ignored, their anxiety mounted, and their eyes grew more bloodshot.
The other disciples in the sect were completely shocked, and had begun trembling in despair. After all, even with Bai Xiaochun there to help, this was a collection of five devas they were facing!!
Patriarch Spirit Stream gritted his teeth and once again spoke. "Patriarchs, would you--"
"Pipe down!" Li Xiandao interrupted. Snorting coldly, he waved his hand, summoning a 300-meter-wide illusory hand that shot down toward the spell formation shield.
Massive rumbling sounds filled the air as the hand landed onto the shield, which erupted with brilliant light. The shield bent inward, and cracks spread out across its surface, but in the end it held, whereas the hand shattered.
However, one of the shield layers had been broken. When that happened, the mountain ranges in the River-Defying Sect trembled, and countless bits of rubble crashed down their sides. The newly-repaired mountains were already on the verge of collapsing again.
Eyes bloodshot with madness, Patriarch Spirit Stream looked at Chen Hetian and the other devas and shouted, "Patriarchs, what crime did the River-Defying Sect commit that has you so set on exterminating us!?!?"
The other disciples in the sect couldn't hold back any longer either, and began to shout out in anger.
"What crime did the River-Defying Sect commit!!"
"Why must you try over and over again to exterminate our sect!?!?"
Their cries became a sound wave that rolled out in all directions across the landscape. Finally, Chen Hetian snorted coldly. Ignoring the River-Defying Sect, he turned to Patriarch Dao River and Patriarch Starry River.
"You have the time it takes half an incense stick to burn to break open that spell formation shield. If you don't… then the two of you can forget about continuing on as devas."
The two patriarchs shivered. Eyes bloodshot, they rotated their cultivation bases in preparation to take action. They knew that what Chen Hetian had said was no empty threat. In the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, his words were like law, and they didn't dare to defy him.
Shouting at the tops of their lungs, Patriarch Dao River and Patriarch Starry River unleashed all the power they could muster onto the River-Defying Sect.
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Chapter 885: Throw Them Outside!
"How dare you people!!" Patriarch Spirit Stream shouted, simultaneously pouring more power into the spell formation. Patriarch Blood Stream also gasped under the power of the attack, but at the same time, his murderous aura erupted violently.
"Complete and utter bullying!! What crime has our River-Defying Sect committed?!?!"
The one to provide the response was Patriarch Starry River. "When the time came for you to be exterminated, you dared to fight back! That is your crime!"
The patriarch was feeling very excited. He couldn't help but think about the bedraggled state he had been in when he fled from Bai Xiaochun, and how his revenge was now nigh.
"Get the hell out here and show your face, Bai Xiaochun!!" he shouted.
Gritting his teeth with anger, Patriarch Dao River said, "You listen to me, Bai Xiaochun. I'm going to empty out your River-Defying Sect in the exact same way you emptied out the Dao River Court!"
At the same time, the two patriarchs slammed into the spell formation, causing the River-Defying Sect's headquarters to tremble violently!
The sect's grand spell formation seemed mighty, but it couldn't defend against a sustained barrage by multiple devas. As it teetered on the verge of collapse, and the disciples of the River-Defying Sect felt despair gripping their hearts, a voice was suddenly transmitted into the ears of Patriarch Spirit Stream and Patriarch Blood Stream. It was Bai Xiaochun!
"Buy me some time!"
Instantly, Patriarch Spirit Stream waved his hand and sent his voice into the ears of the disciples of the sect.
"All disciples, merge your spirits with the Dire Skybanyan!!"
Shouts filled the air as all River-Defying Sect disciples shot toward the skybanyan and sent cultivation base power pouring into it.
As the disciples fell into place, scintillating light erupted from the huge tree, repairing the cracks in the spell formation shield.
It wasn't just the lower-ranking disciples who joined in the effort. The Nascent Soul cultivators helped as well, including Patriarch Spirit Stream. The only ones who didn't participate were Patriarch Blood Stream and the Blood Stream Division disciples, who flew into the body of the Blood Ancestor.
Moments later, the Blood Ancestor's eyes snapped open, and he threw his head back and roared. With the Blood Ancestor awake, he and the glittering shield were the last lines of defense for the sect!
Bruiser was there as well, standing in front of the Blood Ancestor, glaring murderously at the five devas.
Chen Hetian and the other devas stared back with narrowed eyes at the River-Defying Sect. The sect's reaction was shocking to them, both in terms of the speed of reaction, and their tactics. Clearly, they were superior to any of the other Middle Reaches sects!
With the full support of all the disciples of the River-Defying Sect, the shield created by the Dire Skybanyan was something that caused even Chen Hetian and the other devas to frown.
And although Bruiser and the Blood Ancestor weren't any major threat, they could certainly cause the devas a frustrating delay.
However, all of these were simply minor distractions. As far as Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian were concerned, this curious turn of events wasn't much to worry about. Although it seemed as if they were in a rush, they were actually still feeling very confident.
Furthermore, with Bai Xiaochun around, they knew they had to be careful of a trap related to the spell formation. However, since they had Patriarch Starry River and Patriarch Dao River to take care of that, they weren't very worried.
One thing they were paying close attention to was a possible escape effort by Bai Xiaochun. If a deva like Bai Xiaochun escaped, it wouldn't be a huge disaster, but could cause complications down the line. However, they didn't feel that such a thing was likely to happen.
At the moment, Bai Xiaochun was seated cross-legged in his secluded meditation chamber, seemingly on the verge of weeping blood. He couldn't have been more nervous about what was happening outside; he knew that the River-Defying Sect was in a moment of critical danger.
And yet, he had no other options at the moment. If he went out right now to fight against five devas, he would have no hope of winning. And if he were killed, then the River-Defying Sect would definitely be exterminated.
The only chance… was to successfully conjure a twenty-one-colored flame. The flame of a heavenly necromancer would help him achieve a cultivation base breakthrough, and would enable him to step into the Deva Realm. Only then could he resolve this deadly crisis!
Of course, there was another option…. He could flee. If he escaped, then his existence would be a threat that could likely safeguard the River-Defying Sect to some extent.
But that wasn't something he would do unless he had no other choice. It was simply too risky. Besides, if his estimation of the situation were incorrect, it could lead to the River-Defying Sect being wiped out.
"Time to conjure some flame!" he said. In recent days, he had attempted to conjure so many twenty-one-colored flames that he'd lost count.
The vast collection of souls he had in his bag of holding was already beginning to run low.
With the skills he had built up as an earthly necromancer, he was able to perform flame conjurings in a very short period of time. Furthermore, all of the failures in the recent days had given him extensive experience. Every time, he had made progress. Now, he was very familiar with the formula, and the process itself. His string of failures had enabled him to solve all of the problems, or at least come up with theories on how to.
"I should be able to succeed!!" Eyes bloodshot, he began working again. He knew that the sect would not be able to hold out for very long, and could hear the rumbling sounds outside.
Taking a breath to calm himself, he performed a double-handed incantation gesture, causing a vast group of souls to spread out around him. The time had come to begin the conjuring!
As the souls merged together and the sea of fire appeared, he took control of it, preventing it from expanding out into a large area. However, it was in that moment that an intense boom reached him from outside. Although he wished to maintain complete focus, he had to send his divine sense outside to see what was happening.
Patriarch Dao River and Patriarch Starry River had joined forces to attack the sect's grand spell formation, causing immense rifts to open up in the shield. As a result, blood sprayed out of the mouths of the River-Defying Sect disciples.
When Bai Xiaochun saw that, he slipped further into madness. The sea of fire destabilized, and immediately lurched toward collapse. Without the slightest hesitation, he flew out into the open, which attracted the attention of Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian.
The instant they looked over, their faces fell as they realized that Bai Xiaochun held a ball of flame that filled their hearts with intense sensations of danger.
"Bruiser, get out of the way!" Bai Xiaochun shouted. Rotating his cultivation base at full speed, he drew upon the power of his fleshly body to hurl the sea of fire out in front of him. It instantly transformed into a massive fireball that passed through one of the cracks in the spell formation shield.
"Get back!" Chen Hetian shouted at Patriarch Starry River and Patriarch Dao River. At the same time, he and the other three most powerful devas rushed forward to try to suppress the fire.
Unfortunately for Patriarch Starry River and Patriarch Dao River, they reacted a bit too slowly. Thunderous rumbling sounds erupted out as the ball of fire exploded, unleashing heaven-shaking, earth-shattering power.
From a distance, it was possible to see the terrifyingly powerful sea of fire transforming everything outside of the River-Defying Sect into blackened ash!
Patriarch Starry River and Patriarch Dao River trembled violently. Blood sprayed out of the mouth of the former, and the nascent divinity of the latter trembled unstably. Both flew backward, but were sustained by the power of Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian. Were it not for that help, both of the two weaker patriarchs would have been grievously injured.
Considering this was Bai Xiaochun's first time using a fireball in this way, and he had aimed very carefully, the attack had been quite successful. If the enemy had been more prepared, it might not have worked as well.
"Bai Xiaochun!!" Patriarch Starry River shouted. However, even as he looked over, Bai Xiaochun vanished. Back in his secluded meditation chamber, he anxiously began to work on conjuring another flame.
At the moment, he suddenly felt less pressure.
"What an idiot I've been. Who cares if I fail!? When I fail, I can just throw them outside right before they explode!" Bai Xiaochun couldn't help but marvel at his quick-wittedness. Any other person in his situation would have to be completely focused, and would only appear out in the open in the final glorious moment.
But he was more awesome than that. He didn't need to wait until he succeeded. With every failure, he would shock everyone on the outside….
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Chapter 886: Heavenly Twenty-One-Colored Flame
Having reached this point in his train of thought, Bai Xiaochun decided that he truly was a rare genius.
"That's right. If they're really unlucky, then I'll fail every single time! Fudge! I'll blow them all to bits!" Excitement surging, he continued on with more conjuring attempts. Everyone else in the River-Defying Sect was enlivened by what they had just seen, and poured all of the power they could into the spell formation, causing the cracks to rapidly repair themselves.
Patriarch Dao River and Patriarch Starry River both hesitated, fearful of the sea of fire they had just encountered.
"Damn that Bai Xiaochun!" Chen Hetian gritted his teeth and thought back to the exploding pill furnaces back at the Great Wall. Frowning, he took a step forward, appearing in front of the spell formation shield. Eyes flashing with cold light, he shoved his hand out toward the shield.
Bai Zhentian and Li Xiandao joined him, both of them stepping forward to attack the spell formation as well.
Patriarch Dao River and Patriarch Starry River immediately felt less nervous, and joined in. It only took the briefest of moments for five devas to be simultaneously unleashing attacks onto the spell formation shield.
Patriarch Spirit Stream's face fell, and the anxiety of the River-Defying Sect disciples grew. The Blood Ancestor and Bruiser both flew toward the shield and bolstered it with all the power they could.
Booms rang out. Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian were all in the mid Deva Realm, far beyond compare to the other two patriarchs. All three of them unleashed attacks that became enormous hands which pressed down onto the shield.
The spell formation shuddered, and distorted ripples spread out across it. More cracks opened up, causing numerous River-Defying Sect disciples to cough up mouthfuls of blood. It was all the spell formation could do to stand up to the attack of five devas, and obviously, it would only be able to hold out for a few moments longer before collapsing.
In his private chamber, Bai Xiaochun was virtually going mad. He currently had five tongues of sixteen-colored flame and three tongues of seventeen-colored flame, which he unhesitatingly threw out beyond the shield.
By careful use of his divine sense, he destabilized all of them, instantly causing them to explode.
Massive booms filled the air as a huge sea of flames spread out. Although it couldn't compare to the previous one, it was still shocking. Of course, Chen Hetian and the other devas had been prepared, and were able to evade the attack.
"Hmph!" Chen Hetian snorted. "Just trying to buy time, huh? Well… let's see how much of that fire you have!" He was just about to press another attack when the Blood Ancestor pushed his hands down onto the Dire Skybanyan. Bruiser did the same.
In fact, all of the spirit beasts in the sect rushed over, using all of their energy to assist in the defense of the sect!
Even as the sea of fire faded away, the spell formation shield once again knitted back together.
Chen Hetian and the other devas blurred back into motion, yet again attacking the spell formation. However, the spell formation had stabilized greatly, and Bai Xiaochun continued to toss out fireballs.
Chen Hetian's rage was mounting, and it was the same with Bai Zhentian and Li Xiandao. That was especially true of Li Xiandao, who was shocked to realize that he was actually seeing multi-colored flame.
For Bai Xiaochun to have accumulated so many types of multi-colored flame in his time in the wildlands was shocking to the extreme, and was proving to be a big headache.
"Dammit, even one of those tongues of multi-colored flame could be considered priceless. I can't believe he's being so extravagant!!"
"How did this Bai Xiaochun get so much multi-colored flame in the Wildlands!?!?"
Not only were the devas shocked, they were being kept away from the spell formation because of the constant explosions. As a result, the River-Defying Sect's shield continued to grow stronger by the moment.
The fact that five devas were incapable of blasting through the spell formation shield of a single Middle Reaches sect caused their fury to burn.
In his private chamber, Bai Xiaochun was both worried and filled with anticipation. At the moment, he was splitting his concentration between his efforts to conjure twenty-one-colored flame, and his attempts to pay attention to the battle outside, and toss out multi-colored flame.
Although he had built up stockpiles of multi-colored flame, they didn't run too deep. However, he had no other ways to buy time. He was doing everything possible to conjure his twenty-one-colored flame, and although he was somewhat distracted, he was already working on compressing the flame he was working with.
As it shrank down, the numerous colors in the flame flickered madly. Even as Bai Xiaochun held his breath and looked for the additional color, Chen Hetian and the other devas unleashed another round of attacks on the spell formation.
Blood sprayed out of the mouths of the River-Defying Sect cultivators, and many began to list in weakness. The spell formation clearly wouldn't last for much longer. Shouting, Bai Xiaochun threw out three tongues of eighteen-colored flame, and a tongue of nineteen-colored flame!
Eighteen-colored flame was shocking enough to begin with, so when it exploded, the intense heat it generated forced Chen Hetian and the others to back up.
"Dammit," Bai Zhentian shouted. "How can this guy have so much multi-colored flame!?!?"
"Get this spell formation down!" Chen Hetian bellowed. "Even if he has more multi-colored flame, he won't dare to use it inside of his own sect."
"Break this formation!" Li Xiandao yelled.
Without any hesitation, all three of the devas blasted the spell formation shield, joined by Patriarch Starry River and Patriarch Dao River.
Braving the intense heat, they closed in and launched powerful divine abilities into the shield.
Booms rang out as, at long last, the shield couldn't hold any longer, and collapsed!
Blood sprayed out of the mouths of all the River-Defying Sect forces, from the low-level disciples all the way up to Patriarch Spirit Stream and Bruiser.
As despair filled the hearts of the River-Defying Sect cultivators, Patriarch Dao River and Patriarch Starry River excitedly advanced into the sect.
However, it was in that very moment that Bai Xiaochun found the new color in the sea of fire. He quickly sent his divine sense inside, and successfully completed… the twenty-first color!!
An air of ultimate supremacy erupted out from the sea of fire, causing the heavens to dim and a wild wind to kick up. The will of the five devas, which had taken over from the will of the heavens, was suddenly driven back as if by a massive hand.
Multicolored light erupted out into the night, causing the faces of the devas to fall as they sensed a sudden, intense feeling of deadly crisis!
The origin of that crisis was one of the River-Defying Sect's secluded meditation facilities, which was none other than the location where Bai Xiaochun was conjuring the flame. Although the devas didn't want to fall back, the bright light shining out from the area filled them with such a sense of danger that they had no other choice.
Patriarch Starry River and Patriarch Dao River were deeply shaken, and immediately began to retreat. It was in that moment that the most profound and maddening energy possible erupted out.
RUUUUUUUUUUMBLE!
"What is that?!?!"
"What is this Bai Xiaochun doing!?!?"
"This feeling… heavens! It feels like heaven and earth are about to be destroyed!!"
Even as the devas were completely and utterly shaken, something like an enormous net appeared high in the sky. It was impossible to determine what existed on the other side of that net, but Bai Xiaochun could tell that this was the very same world seal that he had seen during the spectacular battle in the Wildlands!
In his private chamber, Bai Xiaochun panted, and the sweat which popped out on his head instantly transformed into white steam. He was now fully concentrating, completely focused on the sea of fire.
"Form together, twenty-one-colored flame!!"
RRRRUUUUUUUUMBLE!
As the sea of fire shrank down into his hand, the intense energy caused deafening rumbling sounds to fill the air. Strangely, though, there was no sign of any form of tribulation.
The process lasted for the space of a few breaths of time. When the surging energy reached its peak, Bai Xiaochun closed his hand around the sea of fire.
Heart pounding, he took several deep breaths, then slowly opened his fingers. Brilliant light erupted out, causing the sky to vibrate and the lands to quake. There in the middle of his hand… was a twenty-one-colored flame!!
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Chapter 887: Deva!
Heavenly multi-colored flame could only be conjured by a heavenly necromancer. Whether it was the flame itself, or the heavenly necromancer, both were things of legend.
Neither had appeared within the Wildlands for countless years, and in fact, not even the formula for twenty-one-colored flame could be found.
Besides, Bai Xiaochun only did it with the help of his apprentice and a huge collection of souls. There had also been a chance set of circumstances that led up to a situation where Bai Xiaochun made his attempt without even being completely confident in succeeding.
As soon as the twenty-one-colored flame appeared in the open, and the dramatic signs appeared in heaven and earth, Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian gasped in shock. They had lived for a long time, and valued their own lives. Therefore, the sensation of imminent danger gave them no other option than to back away.
Patriarch Starry River and Patriarch Dao River Court had similar reactions, their eyes bulging and their hearts pounding as they retreated.
The despairing River-Defying Sect disciples saw the bright light, and could feel the pressure radiating out from Bai Xiaochun's secluded meditation facilities, and instantly, their hearts surged with excitement.
"Patriarch Bai!"
"It's Patriarch Bai!!"
"We have hope! With the patriarch here, who will dare to offend our River-Defying Sect!!"
Bai Xiaochun was just as excited as all the other cultivators in the sect. As he sat there looking at the tongue of twenty-one-colored flame he had just conjured, he had the strong feeling… that the world around him couldn't contain something this powerful.
He looked up at the world seal net high above, and suddenly remembered something his apprentice had said, that he suspected twenty-one-colored flame was a limit within the world!
"This world… can only contain twenty-one-colored flame. Twenty-two-colored flame is an impossibility!!" Although it seemed a bit much to take in, he finally understood.
Back in the trial by fire in the labyrinth, he had seen twenty-one-colored flame. However, that had been an illusion, whereas the fire in front of him now was very real. He could clearly feel the terrifying fluctuations coming off of it, and could tell that it was a limit within the world. It was as if the world were using all the power it could to suppress the flame.
In fact… the recently conjured twenty-one-colored flame was already beginning to show signs of fading, as though the world around him… were trying to extinguish it!
There was no time for thought or planning. Without any hesitation, he pulled out his turtle wok, his eyes flashing with both madness and determination. It was only a legend that twenty-one-colored flame could push someone into the Deva Realm, and it was something that no one had ever done.
Bai Xiaochun was the only one throughout all the years who had met the requirements. And now, in the River-Defying Sect's moment of peril, and in the face of the twenty-one-colored flame teetering on the verge of being extinguished, Bai Xiaochun had no time to ponder what to do.
"Time to go for broke!!" he shouted, a fierce expression twisting his face. Although taking this risk was not something he would normally do, at the moment, he had no choice!
The instant the turtle wok was out in the open, his nascent soul flew out into it. At the same time, he waved his hand!
The twenty-one-colored flame flew into the wok, fusing into it, causing it to tremble violently. Blinding light erupted out, causing heaven and earth to shake, and forcing incomprehensible levels of spiritual power to converge.
It was as if the River-Defying Sect had become a massive vortex, sucking in all the spiritual power of heaven and earth!
The faces of Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian fell dramatically, and they flew backward as quickly as possible, ill premonitions filling their hearts.
"Dao River, Starry River," shouted Li Xiandao, "get over there and bust open his meditation chamber!"
The hearts of Patriarch Dao River and Patriarch Starry River surged with madness, but they didn't dare to defy the orders they had been given. Seeing that Chen Hetian and Bai Zhentian weren't offering any other instructions, they gritted their teeth and charged at full speed toward Bai Xiaochun's private chamber.
Bruiser howled anxiously, and Patriarch Blood Stream sent the Blood Ancestor forward with him to intercept. Although neither of them were at the deva level, they could at least buy some time.
Rumbling sounds echoed out as the two deva patriarchs knocked Bruiser and the Blood Ancestor out of the way, and then closed in on the meditation chamber, toward which the massive quantities of spiritual energy surged.
"Open up!" Patriarch Dao River roared, hands flashing in a double-handed incantation gesture that sent tens of thousands of beams of sword light out to form the shape of an enormous great sword.
As the sword slashed down toward the meditation chamber, shocking energy filled the area. Patriarch Starry River also went all-out to unleash a similarly devastating attack.
"Starry Meteorite Subjugation!!"
Ear-splitting rumbling sounds filled the air, along with enraged shouts from countless River-Defying Sect cultivators, as countless meteorites materialized around Patriarch Starry River and then began to rain down toward Bai Xiaochun's secluded meditation facilities!
All of this takes a bit of time to describe, but actually happened in the shortest of moments. In the blink of an eye, the meteorites fell, and the sword slashed down, causing the River-Defying Sect to shake violently. The mountains that contained Bai Xiaochun's meditation chamber shattered, sending rocks and rubble flying out in all directions before transforming into ash!
Even the meditation chamber itself was destroyed!
"Xiaochun!!" Song Junwan cried. Even as Bruiser howled, Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian all shot down into the River-Defying Sect.
However, a moment later, their faces flickered with wild emotion.
"The will of a deva!!"
"That only happens when someone rises to the deva level, and fuses with the heavens. Bai Xiaochun… actually wasn't a deva before?!?!"
"How is this even possible!?!?" Crying out in alarm, all three of them fell back rapidly. And yet, even as they did, a shocking will erupted out from the rubble of the recently destroyed meditation chamber.
It was so powerful that as it merged with the heavens, the sky trembled. All previous ripples, all peals of thunder, all of the clouds, were instantly suppressed.
The will of Chen Hetian and the other devas, which had previously locked the area down, were instantly driven away!
Only one will was left, a domineering will that demanded that the wills of all other devas retreat!!
An enormous face materialized in the sky, a face with eyes closed, a face that filled all of the heavens, a face which caused the hearts of everyone in the River-Defying Sect to tremble with unbridled excitement. It was… Bai Xiaochun!
Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao, Bai Zhentian, Patriarch Dao River, and Patriarch Starry River all looked grim and even sick as they retreated. As for the latter two, they felt a sensation of impending death that surpassed anything they had felt in their previous encounter with Bai Xiaochun!!
It was in that moment that the eyes of the enormous face in the sky opened. The eyes locked onto Patriarch Dao River's nascent divinity, simultaneously causing all color in the world to dim!
Wind screamed and lightning danced, all of which coalesced into a shocking voice.
"Be destroyed!"
The face of Bai Xiaochun twisted, transforming into a beam of light that shot toward Patriarch Dao River. It moved so quickly that Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian couldn't even react.
To the shock of Patriarch Dao River, before he could even plead for mercy, that beam of light stabbed through his nascent divinity….
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Chapter 888: Think You Can Leave?
The beam of light that had been Bai Xiaochun's face moved with indescribable speed, more quickly than anything the disciples of the River-Defying Sect had ever seen!
Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian were all shocked to the core! Not even they had ever seen anything like it!!
The bright beam of light shot down and stabbed through Patriarch Dao River's nascent divinity before he could even react…. He shivered, and his eyes went wide with disbelief as he looked down at his own chest.
As he did, a huge boom rang out, and his nascent divinity form exploded into absolutely nothing!!
He had been killed in the blink of an eye!!
The entire battlefield went deathly silent. The River-Defying Sect, Chen Hetian and the devas, and everyone else was looking at the spot where Patriarch Dao River had been killed. Waves of shock filled everyone present…. It was at this point that everyone realized that, right behind where Patriarch Dao River had previously existed… a person was materializing!
He had long hair and fair skin, and wore a simple robe. He seemed noble and magnificent, and yet, his eyes were as sharp as the sharpest of swords. He was none other than… Bai Xiaochun!
"Impossible!!" Chen Hetian gasped.
Bai Zhentian and Li Xiandao felt as though their minds were being struck by lightning, and their faces fell dramatically in the face of the power on display by Bai Xiaochun!
"This…" Bai Zhengtian gasped. "Even if Dao River was only in nascent divinity form, he should have been able to evade that blow. Such speed… how is it even possible!?!?"
"He wasn't a deva before," Li Xiandao murmured, "but he most certainly is now!!"
The fact that Bai Xiaochun had previously not been a deva meant… that it was as a half-deva that he had injured one deva patriarch, crippled another, and killed the last! It was simply terrifying!
The horrifying significance of it all left Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian completely aghast!
Patriarch Starry River was shaking violently; his shock surpassed that of Chen Hetian and the others. After all, this was his second time seeing Bai Xiaochun kill a deva!
In fact, this time, it went even more smoothly than last time. The mere thought of what he had just seen struck him deeply with fear, and caused him to flee as quickly as possible. The last scrap of courage he had possessed was now gone, and if he had his way, he would never again do anything to provoke Bai Xiaochun.
Even as everyone present reeled in shock, Bai Xiaochun reached out and made a grasping motion in the direction of where Patriarch Dao River had been killed.
As he did, it was to the utter amazement of all onlookers that a soul shadow appeared. It had a blank look in its eyes, and clearly resembled Patriarch Dao River.
As it appeared, it began to float up, as if it were about to merge into some unseen vortex. After all, when souls died in the lands of Heavenspan, they would be taken away into the cycle of reincarnation.
However, before the soul of Patriarch Dao River could float up into the heavens, Bai Xiaochun grabbed it!
Although no one else present was capable of seeing it, Bai Xiaochun could see that there really was a vortex up above. And in the moment that he reached out to grab the patriarch's soul, the vortex vanished, as though it had no intention of interfering with his attempt to grab the deva soul!
As soon as he had it in his hand… he closed his fingers down, causing a yellow crystal to appear!
Sealed within that crystal was none other than… an earth-type deva soul!
The cultivators of the River-Defying Sect were both shaken and excited. Patriarch Spirit Stream was bubbling over with joy, and Patriarch Blood Stream's eyes shone with unprecedented madness.
"Patriarch Bai!!"
"Patriarch Bai!!!" The cries of joy which rang out from the River-Defying Sect seemed loud enough to fill all of the eastern Middle Reaches.
Bruiser howled in delight at how incredibly powerful Bai Xiaochun had become.
Patriarch Spirit Stream and Patriarch Blood Stream, the patriarchs from the other two divisions, Li Qinghou, and Zheng Yuandong were all beside themselves with joy.
"The River-Defying Sect finally has a deva!!" All of the powerful experts in the sect were virtually jumping with delight. Although they had been shocked by Bai Xiaochun's previous level of power, back then, he hadn't been a deva. Although most people in the sect hadn't been aware of that fact, Patriarch Spirit Stream had.
He hadn't been a deva, but possessed the battle prowess of one. And yet, the leadership of the sect still hadn't been able to rest easy…. But now, powerful fluctuations filled heaven and earth as Bai Xiaochun's will surpassed the will of the heavens. Because of that, Patriarch Spirit Stream and the others knew… that Bai Xiaochun was now a deva!!
The River-Defying Sect cultivators were beside themselves. As for Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian, as well as Patriarch Starry River, the fact that Bai Xiaochun had just harvested a deva soul filled them with such profound shock that their minds went blank.
"Impossible!!" Chen Hetian breathed. Bai Zhentian and Li Xiandao gasped in astonishment. All three of the devas were filled with fright and terror that defied description.
What Bai Xiaochun had just done struck them to the deepest level. After all, the only type of person who qualified to both kill a deva and then prevent that person's soul from entering the cycle of reincarnation was a demigod!
Neither Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao nor Bai Zhentian could accomplish such a thing. And yet, Bai Xiaochun had done it right in front of them!
It was almost impossible to describe the levels of shock and fear they felt as a result!
Astonishingly, Bai Xiaochun seemed to possess energy that could force heaven and earth to capitulate to his desires!
The truth was that, to most other devas, it would be completely impossible for them to prevent a deva soul from entering the reincarnation cycle of heaven and earth. But to Bai Xiaochun, it took almost no effort. After all… the cycle of reincarnation was part of the Underworld River, and his apprentice was the reigning Hell-Emperor. If he wanted a deva soul… how could the Underworld River possibly vie with him for it?
Although no one was able to tell, not even Chen Hetian and the other devas, from the way that Bai Xiaochun had attacked and killed Patriarch Dao River, it was clear that he was a rare… Heaven-Dao deva!
Furthermore, he had broken through using heavenly multicolored flame to perform a twenty-onefold spirit enhancement on his nascent soul!
Because of that, all early Deva Realm cultivators were beyond weak when compared to him. Even mid Deva Realm experts could be put in their place by him!
Perhaps he couldn't be considered the most powerful among all devas, but he was on that path. Throughout all the years which had passed, the only other person to become a Heaven-Dao deva was Daoist Heavenspan, who was also known as the Celestial!
Now, Bai Xiaochun was the second!
However, Bai Xiaochun had done something that the Celestial had not. He had performed a twenty-onefold spirit enhancement on his nascent soul using the peak level of flame that could exist in the world. That made Bai Xiaochun the ultimate type of deva!
He was the only person in all of history to do such a thing!
Some of it was coincidence, and some of it was because of Bai Xiaochun's hard work. All of it came together into something beyond belief! In fact, it had been somewhat of a gamble on his part. He hadn't been completely confident that a twenty-one-colored flame would make him a deva!
After sensing Bai Xiaochun's energy, Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian exchanged glances and then retreated en masse, leaving Patriarch Starry River conspicuously out in the open.
Terrified, Patriarch Starry River made to retreat, simultaneously rejoicing that Bai Xiaochun had chosen to strike down Patriarch Dao River and not himself.
However, even as the four devas began to back away, Bai Xiaochun turned his head, and his eyes flashed like lightning.
"You trespassed on the River-Defying Sect… do you really think you can leave without offering compensation?" The coldness and rage in his voice couldn't have been more apparent. The River-Defying Sect had just been in the deadliest of crises, and everyone knew that if he hadn't become a deva, the results would have been unimaginable.
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Chapter 889: Not As Fast As Me!
As soon as Bai Xiaochun's words echoed out, the eyes of Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian flickered. The three of them hadn't actually communicated about what to do; they had just fled as quickly as possible.
Their departure made Patriarch Starry River even more conspicuous, placing him right in between them and Bai Xiaochun.
To Bai Xiaochun, it seemed like they were putting Patriarch Starry River out as bait, to lure him out, see how strong he actually was, and then decide whether or not to join forces against him.
After all, they were all still members of the same sect. Because of their status and position within the sect, they wouldn't pick a fight that they weren't certain in being able to win!
Patriarch Starry River could also see what was happening, although that realization did him little good. All he could do was bite his tongue, spit out some blood, and draw upon a secret magic to try to flee….
All of this takes a bit of time to describe, but actually happened in the time it takes a spark to fly off of a piece of flint. Without the slightest hesitation, Bai Xiaochun sprang into motion. He had keen intuition when it came to battle, and therefore, he headed directly toward… the isolated Patriarch Starry River!
"Let's see who's faster, you people, or me!" Eyes flashing, he accelerated with blinding speed.
The instant Bai Xiaochun sped into motion, Patriarch Starry River let out a desolate shriek and tried to speed up. At the same time, Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian looked on with coldly flashing eyes.
"Turns out he really is too young and inexperienced," Chen Hetian said with a cold snort. "Far too impulsive!" He quickly performed a double-handed incantation gesture, causing red light to spring up around him, which rapidly became an enormous, blood-colored fist.
The 300-meter fist was surrounded by a madly spinning wind of blood-colored devastation. Countless vicious faces floated inside of it, shrieking madly as endless quantities of the spiritual power of heaven and earth poured into it. In the blink of an eye, the fist became almost completely corporeal, and was bearing down directly onto Bai Xiaochun.
The air shattered around it, and a reek of blood filled the area, tugging at the qi and blood of everyone in the River-Defying Sect.
"Blood Fiend Fist!!" Patriarch Blood Stream gasped. This was one of the trump cards at the disposal of Chen Hetian, something that, despite not being eternally indestructible, was very close to that level! In fact, once it was unleashed, it grew more powerful with every moment that passed!
The instant that Chen Hetian made his move, Bai Zhentian performed a double-handed incantation gesture, causing a black horn to sprout out from his forehead. As it did, a black beam of electric light shot out, and grew larger with each moment.
The black light caused wild colors to flash in heaven and earth. Simultaneously, numerous lightning bolts formed overhead, becoming something like a huge net that shot down toward Bai Xiaochun!
As the net descended, it caused the air to vibrate with astonishing sealing power!
Numerous eyes were visible within the net, all of them as black as night! Furthermore, the net absorbed all of the surrounding lightning, causing it to split into 10 duplicate layers, then 100, then 1,000…. Eventually, it had over 10,000 layers!!
This was a trump card belonging to Bai Zhentian, and was something he could only unleash with difficulty. However, considering how shocked he had been by Bai Xiaochun earlier, he knew he had to attack with his most deadly move!
Things weren't over yet. Last was Li Xiandao. Eyes shining with strange light, he opened his mouth and spat out a beam of white light, which grew larger and larger until it materialized into… an enormous chess board!
The illusory chess board seemed to fill all creation! It was as if the heavens were the chess players, the earth was the chessboard, and the magical power of Li Xiandao were the chess pieces!
Towering figures appeared within the cosmic chess board, celestial soldiers and generals clad in shocking armor.
There were five celestial soldiers on the front line, two muscular warriors behind them, and in the rear, numerous courtly officials, warhorses, and bloodthirsty foot soldiers, all protecting the person in the very center, the heavenmaster! [1]
In the blink of an eye, the three devas unleashed supreme, destructive power that threatened to overwhelm both Bai Xiaochun and Patriarch Starry River!
Patriarch Starry River's eyes were bloodshot, and he was breathing heavily. He knew that he couldn't retreat now; if he did, he might escape death, but would surely incur the wrath of Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian.
He had no options to choose from. Spinning in place, he decided to stall Bai Xiaochun in the hopes that the divine abilities of the three other devas would kill him in time.
Everything was happening very quickly. Bai Xiaochun sprang into motion, and the divine abilities closed in on him. However, he didn't back down; instead, he accelerated.
As he moved, he performed a double-handed incantation gesture, causing countless rocks and rubble in the area to fly toward him, clumping around him until he was a towering stone golem!
This was the Living Mountain Incantation backed by a deva cultivation base!
As soon as his stone golem took shape, the net of lightning approached. And yet, despite how much destructive power was in the net, Bai Xiaochun was moving too quickly. His stone golem form was damaged, but he evaded most of the attack and closed in on Patriarch Starry River.
Without the slightest hesitation, he utilized the Mountain Shaking Bash!
The Mountain Shaking Bash increased Bai Xiaochun's speed dramatically. He evaded the cosmic chess board, dashing through the five celestial soldiers, and appearing right in front of Patriarch Starry River. Even as the patriarch let out a bellow of shock, Bai Xiaochun bashed into him.
A whump sound echoed out, accompanied by boundless ripples. Blood sprayed out of Patriarch Starry River's mouth as he was shoved backward. At the same time, Chen Hetian's trump card arrived, the enormous blood-colored fist.
As Patriarch Starry River fell back, Bai Xiaochun lunged forward, his enormous stone hand reaching out, black light shining off of the thumb and forefinger. It was none other than… the Throat Crushing Grasp!
A deafening boom rang out as Bai Xiaochun's Throat Crushing Grasp latched onto Patriarch Starry River. A strangled scream could be heard as the patriarch's fleshly body was torn to pieces, and his nascent divinity flew out into the open, expression that of terror and despair. Ignoring any thoughts of cooperating with Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian, he fled.
That was when Chen Hetian's enormous, blood-colored fist arrived, preventing Bai Xiaochun from chasing after Patriarch Starry River.
Bai Xiaochun's eyes flashed. Even the slightest pause in his part would allow the three devas' divine abilities and magical techniques to land on him. And yet, he didn't hesitate at all to perform an incantation gesture, sending frigid qi erupting out in all directions.
Nine frigid projections appeared, which flanked Bai Xiaochun in a phalanx position as he shot forward toward the blood-colored fist.
When the nine frigid projections met the fist, they shattered with a boom. However, the blood-colored fist also lurched to a halt.
That brief pause was all Bai Xiaochun needed. He immediately stepped forward, utilizing the Undying Hex! The stone golem form crumbled as he passed through the enormous net, across the battlefield… to appear right in front of the Patriarch Starry River's fleeing nascent divinity.
In exactly the same way that he had cut down Patriarch Dao River, he became a beam of light that slashed all the way through Patriarch Starry River's nascent divinity!
A miserable scream rang out as… Patriarch Starry River's nascent divinity collapsed into pieces!
1. The chessboard described here is a Chinese chess board, which is different from the standard international chess board many of you are probably familiar with. The description of five men in the front, two behind them, and then a larger group further behind perfectly matches the opening layout of a Chinese chess board. Check out what I mean by clicking here. Chinese chess is extremely popular in China. If you want to learn more about it, check here.
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Chapter 890: Valiant!
This was the third deva cultivator Bai Xiaochun had killed in his life!!
Each kill happened more smoothly than the last, and struck more fear into the hearts of those who looked on. Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian had tossed out bait, but Bai Xiaochun had acted with incomparable decisiveness, disregarding the divine abilities they had sent against him to strike down Patriarch Starry River!
The three remaining devas were shocked to the core. However, all of them were veterans of many battles, and therefore, it was without the slightest hesitation that they poured even more power into their divine abilities and magical techniques. The innumerable vicious faces that made up Chen Hetian's blood-colored fist shrieked ferociously as the fist grew larger and larger.
The lightning net of ten thousand layers sliced through the air as it shot toward Bai Xiaochun, locking down all avenues of escape!
And the cosmic chessboard grew more corporeal than ever. The celestial soldiers and generals attacked with mountain-toppling, sea-draining force.
Bai Xiaochun was being assaulted with deadly force on all fronts and from all directions!
The three devas had to admit that they had been careless earlier. Never could they have imagined that, before, Bai Xiaochun wasn't actually a deva, their carelessness would lead to both Patriarch Starry River and Patriarch Dao River perishing. It was a heavy blow to their self-confidence.
Having reached this point in the battle, they felt they had no choice other than to push things to the extreme. If they killed Bai Xiaochun in the process, then at worst, they would lose some prestige in the process of explaining away the situation.
If they didn't come out on top, then not only would they have lost their deva subordinates, but they would also lose massive amounts of face, not to mention that they would have to deal with the future ramifications of having Bai Xiaochun alive and well in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect.
After all… if they came out on the bottom, Patriarch Steel Veins would surely use that fact to his advantage.
"Dammit!!"
"If we'd known this guy would be so hard to deal with… we wouldn't have come!"
However, if you ride a tiger, it's hard to get off. Therefore, Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian had no choice but to grit their teeth and intensify the power of their attacks. Since they had already committed some offenses… then they absolutely had to kill this opponent of theirs! That was the only way to resolve the situation!
Deafening booms filled heaven and earth as Bai Xiaochun turned in place. There was no time for him to harvest Patriarch Starry River's soul in the face of this deadly attack!
Although he was a Heaven-Dao deva, his opponents were three cultivators in the mid Deva Realm. There was no room for carelessness. A stern and awe-inspiring gleam could be seen in Bai Xiaochun's eyes; as of this moment, he wasn't thinking about his actions at all. He was acting on pure instinct. He took a step forward, waving his hand to summon frigid qi, and within it, nine frigid projections.
When the nine projections collided with the divine abilities of Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian, they collapsed. And yet, cracks appeared on the blood-colored fist, the lightning net began to unravel, and the cosmic chessboard began to fall apart.
That wasn't enough to stop the attacks moving against him, and yet, it had slowed them down, giving Bai Xiaochun time for his next move. Blurring into motion, he performed another incantation gesture with both hands, causing deva power to erupt out.
"Violet Qi Cauldron Summoning!" he shouted. Instantly, violet light filled the sky as a gigantic violet cauldron appeared. In the blink of an eye, it transformed from illusory into corporeal!
The truth was that it wasn't actually a violet cauldron. It was more than a hundred cauldrons, overlapping to create a glowing violet shield.
The instant the shield formed, Chen Hetian's blood-colored fist arrived, along with the lightning net and the chessboard.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
Bai Xiaochun shivered as his one hundred violet cauldrons collapsed one by one, causing intense fluctuations to roll out in waves. As he fell back, he resorted to the Living Mountain Incantation, as well as nine more frigid projections.
More cracks than ever covered the surface of Chen Hetian's blood-colored fist, and one of the fingers was already collapsing into pieces. The lighting net was in similarly bad shape, and had only about 7,000 layers left. As for the cosmic chessboard, the five celestial soldiers were almost completely destroyed, and the heavenly generals were close behind.
However, the three divine abilities looked just as impressive to anyone observing the fight from the outside, and seemed to be on the verge of wiping Bai Xiaochun out of existence!
Before he had become a deva, he wouldn't have been able to hold out, not even by drawing upon every last technique he was capable of. Even his Undying Emperor's Fist wouldn't have been enough to save him.
But now, things were different. Eyes flashing with strange light, he threw his hands first up, and then down.
"Waterswamp Kingdom!!"
A howl as if from another world erupted out, filling all creation. At the same time, water vapor roiled about, filling everything in sight!!
The area involved was vastly larger than anything which had been seen before when the Waterswamp Kingdom was unleashed. The sky went dim, and winds screamed as curved mountains rose up. The mountains soon became claws, which grew larger and larger… until an enormous hand was visible!
The scaled, pitch-black hand descended toward the divine abilities of Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian, smashing into them, and causing the devas' faces to fall.
"What is this?!?!" they shouted in alarm. Before they could react, the huge clawed hand smashed into the divine abilities.
Three more fingers on the blood-colored fist were destroyed, leaving behind only a single finger. Even the palm was completely shattered!!
Massive ripping and tearing sounds could be heard from the 7,000 layers of the lightning net as almost all of them were destroyed. Only 2,000 remained! Nearly eighty percent of the troops atop the chessboard were transformed into ash, and the chessboard itself was badly damaged.
Although all of this takes a bit of time to describe, it happened with incredible abruptness. In the blink of an eye, the clawed hand was gone, and the three divine abilities were drastically reduced. Although none of them had been completely destroyed, they were significantly weakened, and as they bore down on Bai Xiaochun, he didn't do anything to evade them. Instead, he reached out with his right hand.
A massive wind erupted out, slamming into the remaining finger from the blood-colored fist. When that happened, a tremor passed through Bai Xiaochun. Then the wind touched the lightning net, and he breathed in heavily, and took a step back. Lastly, he looked up as the wind smashed into the chessboard and its forces.
Massive booms could be heard as the fist collapsed, the net shattered, and the chessboard exploded. Blood oozed out of the corners of Bai Xiaochun's mouth as he staggered backward several steps. However, he wasn't significantly injured. He had mastered the Undying Bones, and as such, his eyes shone radiantly. His energy surged, causing all creation to tremble as an enormous, illusory version of his face appeared up above, and looked down menacingly at Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian.
"That's all you've got? Alright. Now it's my turn!"
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Chapter 891: Quintuple Power Undying Fist!
"How is this even possible!?" Chen Hetian gasped, his mind spinning. The three divine abilities which had just been unleashed were powerful trump cards, any one of which should have been fully capable of inflicting grievous injuries on someone in the early Deva Realm.
Because of how seriously they viewed Bai Xiaochun, they hadn't hesitated to join forces and unleash such high-level techniques. The fact that Bai Xiaochun had killed Patriarch Starry River was only secondary as far as they were concerned. What was more shocking was how afterward, he used one magical technique after another to fight back against them!
Bai Zhentian was flabbergasted, and at the same time, had a very bad feeling. Li Xiandao was reacting similarly, and realized that, although he had accepted from the beginning that this enemy was powerful, he had actually completely underestimated him.
"Dammit! This guy isn't an Earth-Dao deva!!" That was what all three devas were thinking. However, there was no time for thought or planning; the enormous face of Bai Xiaochun which filled the heavens had already driven away their will, and was now causing immense pressure to weigh down on them!
They began to fall back, madness gripping their hearts. By this point, Bai Xiaochun had come to realize that his will had driven away the wills of the other devas, and was causing pressure to weigh down on them.
After his breakthrough, he had sensed himself fusing with heaven and earth. However, in the urgency of the moment, he had been able to do little more than fight back against his opponents.
But now, as his energy surged, and his face filled the sky, he finally felt… what it was like to be a deva!
Devas could completely fuse with heaven and earth, whereupon their every action would draw upon the power that existed in creation around them. A single breath could absorb spiritual power from vast distances. In fact, it would be very difficult for someone in the Deva Realm to actually run out of spiritual power under ordinary circumstances.
It was for that reason that some trump cards which required vast amounts of spiritual power could actually be used over and over again in quick succession by devas. For example, Bai Xiaochun's Waterswamp Kingdom. In the past, it had been difficult for him to use that technique twice in a row, but now, things were very different.
And yet, that was of secondary importance. More importantly, he could fuse with heaven and earth, effectively becoming the will of the heavens. His thoughts became the thoughts of the heavens! If he wished to punish his enemies, then the heavens wished to punish them as well!
That was the highest realm that devas could reach… Deva Shapes Heavenly Will!
Rumbling sounds echoed out as Bai Xiaochun's face grew larger, thunder rumbled, and the ground quaked in all directions.
The faces of the three devas' flickered as sensations of profound crisis filled their hearts. Yet again, they fell back. However, they were in the mid Deva Realm, and had been devas for many years. They had extensive experience in combat, and thus were able to suppress their fear, and use their moment of retreat to perform incantation gestures, unleashing divine abilities with incredible speed.
Blood qi erupted from Chen Hetian, transforming into an enormous blood-colored giant, who wielded a long, blood-red spear. Howling, the giant charged straight toward Bai Xiaochun.
Bai Zhentian was just as fast in his actions. Clouds roiled out from his hands, becoming a nine-story pagoda that crushed downward toward Bai Xiaochun.
The strangest technique of all belonged to Li Xiandao. When he extended his right hand, a sword appeared in it, and at the same time, his eyes suddenly went blank, as if he were unconscious. However, he suddenly accelerated with blinding speed, becoming a beam of sword light that stabbed toward Bai Xiaochun.
The attacks of the three devas shook heaven and earth, and left everyone in the River-Defying Sect reeling in fear and anxiety. Many of them even began to pray in their hearts.
It was almost too much for many people to process mentally. However, only enough time had passed for a spark to fly off of a piece of flint. Meanwhile, Bai Xiaochun's eyes flashed, and his energy surged. He took a step forward, simultaneously clenching his hand into a fist!
All creation shook as a black hole appeared! That black hole seemed to suck in all of Bai Xiaochun's fleshly body power, and all of his life force. Although he didn't look any different physically, he felt like he was being torn apart inside. In the blink of an eye, everything about him was gone. At the same time, the enormous face up in the sky grew dim and difficult to see.
The only thing of him left behind… was the fist inside of that vortex!
As soon as the fist appeared, the faces of the three devas fell, and a sensation of imminent peril rose up in them that surpassed anything from before.
"What divine ability is that!?!?"
"What terrifying pressure!!"
Despite their terror, they hadn't reached the point where they felt helpless. In fact, their abundant experience in battle was telling them that they absolutely could not flee. If they did, they would be crushed out of existence!
The only chance they had was to break this attack, and thus, their enemy's momentum. If they didn't, his will would grow stronger.
"Die!" Chen Hetian shouted. Unexpectedly, he merged into the blood-colored giant, hefted the spear in its hand, and stabbed it with more urgency toward Bai Xiaochun.
The nine-story cloud pagoda accelerated, and as for Li Xiandao, he appeared right in front of Bai Xiaochun, his sword stabbing directly toward his forehead!
However, even as the three counter attacks closed in, Bai Xiaochun looked up, and an enormous, shadowy being materialized behind him.
It was a man in imperial robes, with an imperial crown, face completely expressionless, and yet, resembling Bai Xiaochun in every way!
There was an incomparably domineering air to him. This was none other than the manifestation of… the Undying Emperor's Fist!
When that domineering, shadowy emperor appeared, Bai Xiaochun… unleashed his fist strike!!
Heaven shook and the earth trembled. Furthermore, since Bai Xiaochun was merged with all creation, becoming the will of the heavens, the pressure of a destructive heavenly punishment appeared!!
Now that he had mastered his Undying Bones, he was able to easily unleash this peak level of fleshly body power!
It was… a quintuple power Undying Emperor's Fist!!
It was a supreme level of destructive power, causing the air to ripple and distort. The gigantic, shadowy emperor fused into Bai Xiaochun's fist, which, despite not growing any larger, shot toward the three devas, accompanied by intense rumbling sounds!
"We can't stand up to this!!" Chen Hetian blurted. That was what his instincts were telling him. And that was when Bai Xiaochun's Undying Emperor's Fist slammed into Li Xiandao.
The sky shuddered, and a tremor passed through Li Xiandao. Then, a massive stream of blood sprayed out of his mouth. His sword shattered, and he was sent tumbling backward like a kite with its string cut, as surely as if a huge mountain had slammed into him. In fact, he couldn't even stop the blood from erupting from inside of him.
Terror consumed him. His fleshly body was on the verge of falling apart, and his cultivation base was being dramatically destabilized as roughly thirty percent of the qi passageways inside of him were destroyed!!
"Impossible!!" he shrieked. And yet, even as he fell back, the Undying Emperor's Fist continued on without pause toward Chen Hetian, who was embodied as an enormous blood-colored giant.
First, the blood-red spear shattered, and then the giant's body exploded. Chen Hetian himself appeared, blood spraying out of his mouth as he was flung backward, a look of blank shock on his face.
Last was Bai Zhentian. As soon as his nine-story cloud pagoda was hit by the Undying Emperor's Fist, it shattered layer by layer. Bai Zhentian himself escaped narrowly, and yet, still ended up coughing up blood. Face ashen and filled with disbelief and alarm, he staggered backward, aura in shambles.
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Chapter 892: The Shock Of The Hall of Steel Veins
The Undying Emperor's Fist was currently the most powerful divine ability at Bai Xiaochun's disposal. Especially the quintuple strength version. After all, even back when he wasn't a deva, he could still use it to fight with someone in the mid Deva Realm.
Now, he was in the early Deva Realm, and although he had not yet stabilized his cultivation base completely, he could still fuse with heaven and earth. Furthermore, he was a rare Heaven-Dao deva, which in itself made up for many of the weaknesses caused by not having a chance to stabilize his place within the realm. As such, he had just unleashed… what was essentially a perfect attack!
With it, he completely blasted away three devas. Of course, these were not ordinary devas, and they had been working together. Although they had been grievously wounded, they had not yet reached the point where they couldn't keep fighting. However, the shocking attack they had just sustained didn't just wound them physically; it was a severe blow to their courage!
The drastic phenomena caused by the fist strike caused everyone in the River-Defying Sect to be shaken to the core, regardless of their rank in the sect.
The shockwave from the attack was still spreading out, and yet, things weren't over yet. Even as blood sprayed out of the mouths of the three devas, and they fell back in terror, Bai Xiaochun's eyes flickered. Although he didn't look any different from before, the truth was that he had been significantly drained in terms of fleshly body power. He hadn't been completely emptied out, but was vastly weaker.
And yet, no one would be able to discern that from his facial expression. He had no special plan in mind, and yet, took another step forward.
As he did, his cultivation base surged, and his will strengthened. The enormous face in the sky above grew clear, and seemed to radiate the energy of the Undying Emperor's Fist, causing the lands below to quake violently. Then, Bai Xiaochun's foot landed, and he growled, "The River-Defying Sect is not the type of place that you can visit uninvited, and then leave without permission!"
The same words roared out from the mouth of the face up in the sky, making Bai Xiaochun seem dramatically impressive to everyone watching.
Except for Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian, whose eyes suddenly glittered.
"Something's off here!"
"What's the point of being so wordy in the middle of a fight…? Wait, don't tell me that he's actually out of power because of that fist strike?"
"Is he trying to get us to retreat?"
The three deva's spirits lifted. Without hesitation, they all spun in place, transforming into flashes of light that, instead of fleeing, shot directly backward toward Bai Xiaochun.
Their energy surged as they prepared powerful attacks. Although they were still being cautious, they were not holding back in terms of deadliness.
However, in almost the same moment as they began to speed back toward Bai Xiaochun, he smiled. And as soon as the devas saw that smile, their hearts lurched in their chests.
"Not good!"
"Dammit, he tricked us!!"
Suddenly, a mark appeared on Bai Xiaochun's forehead, which opened up into a third eye. The power of his Heavenspan Dharma Eye erupted out, sending violet light shooting toward the three devas.
Before they could react, the light surrounded them, making them feel as if a huge, invisible hand had grabbed them. Simultaneously, Bai Xiaochun performed an incantation gesture with both hands and then waved them out in front of himself.
"Frigid domain!"
Rumbling sounds could be heard as indescribably cold air erupted out from Bai Xiaochun. Everything in the area began to freeze over, and at the same time, 27 frigid projections materialized.
Each of the 27 projections looked exactly like Bai Xiaochun, and as soon as they appeared, they pounced on the three devas!
From the murderous aura which surrounded the projections, it was easy to imagine what would happen if they reached them. Although they wouldn't be killed, they would definitely suffer grievous fleshly body injuries.
Now was not the time for the devas to ponder the situation. Thunderous rumbling sounds erupted from Chen Hetian as he drew upon a secret magic that caused three rifts to open up on his face. Bone was visible beneath those rifts, and after they were fully open, Chen Hetian was suddenly given access to immense power.
He struggled mightily against the power of the Heavenspan Dharma Eye, and then suddenly shot backward 3,000 meters, placing him a safe distance from any of the frigid projections.
Only he knew the true price he had just paid to evade that attack. The three rifts which had been sliced open onto his face reduced his longevity by at least a sixty-year-cycle, and also dropped his cultivation base by roughly half a realm.
It caused his heart to drip with figurative blood, and yet, he had had no other options. In fact, he wasn't the only one to make such a decisive, drastic decision. Bai Zhentian and Li Xiandao both used similar secret magics, and paid extremely heavy prices to retreat from the frigid projections.
As a result of their quick retreats, the frigid projections pounced on nothing but thin air, and then faded away into nothing!
Although they had seemed impressive and dangerous earlier, the truth was that they weren't backed by very much power. That caused extremely unsightly expressions to appear on the faces of Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian.
However, as of this point, they already weren't willing to trust their senses. Originally, they had taken Bai Xiaochun to be strong in appearance only, which was why they had attacked. Although he had counter attacked with what was essentially a feint, they were now too unnerved and hesitant to try again.
The threat of Bai Xiaochun's Undying Emperor's Fist was simply too great, and they currently had no way of assessing his true strength.
Even as they hesitated, Bai Xiaochun stuck his chin up, waved his sleeve, and looked at them with cold, domineering eyes.
"Chen Hetian. Eccentric Bai. And you, third guy who I don't know. Do you want to fight, or not? If not, then screw the hell off!" As his voice echoed like thunder, the cultivators of the River-Defying Sect looked up with looks of profound excitement.
The three devas had very unsightly expressions on their faces, and had hearts filled with anxiousness. On the one hand, they feared escalating the fight, but on the other hand, didn't want to back down.
It was in that very moment of hesitation that the three devas suddenly looked up. There, off in the distance, the clouds churned as numerous beams of light appeared. Within moments, a massive formation of troops became visible.
One figure after another shot out into the open. Thousands. Tens of thousands. Soon, it was fully 100,000!! Battle cries filled the air, making it clear that a shocking army was incoming.
It was none other than Bai Lin, Zhao Tianjiao, Patriarch Steel Veins… and the armies of the five legions!
"Who dares to harm one of my major generals!?!?"
"The Hall of Steel Veins campaigned for years at the Great Wall. Now that one of my major generals is back, who dares to cause him grief!?!?"
"You've pushed things too far, Patriarch!"
"Master…"
As the voices rang out, the newcomers suddenly caught sight of the battlefield, and their eyes went wide with disbelief.
Those who had cultivation bases at the level of Bai Lin or higher could sense the lingering fluctuations that would result from the death of a deva's nascent divinity. And those who could not sense such things could see the shattered fleshly body of Patriarch Starry River, as well as his severed head!
Even more shocking was the current state of Bai Xiaochun and the other three devas…. Bai Xiaochun hovered there in the air looking completely domineering and arrogant, facing Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian, all of whom had blood dripping down their faces, and were clearly weakened and in very bad shape.
Furthermore, it was obvious that the three devas had been working together… and yet weren't a match for Bai Xiaochun!
Everyone, Bai Lin included, was left gasping in shock. Most taken aback of all was Patriarch Steel Veins.
"He struck fear into the hearts of three devas?!" he thought. "He actually injured all of them!?"
His eyes flickered in a way that no one would be able to detect. As a powerful deva expert, he was able to clearly sense the evidence of the deaths of Patriarch Starry River and Patriarch Dao River.
Furthermore, he could easily see how badly wounded the three devas were, as well as the evidence of how the fight had ended!
"They… just used secret magics!?! This Bai Xiaochun actually forced Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian… to use dangerous escape magics!?!?!?"
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Chapter 893: Demigod Dharmic Decree!
Silence reigned on the battlefield. The cultivators from the Hall of Steel Veins were all staring blankly at Bai Xiaochun, their hearts battered by waves of shock.
As for Bai Lin and Zhao Tianjiao, it looked like their eyes might pop out of their skulls at any moment.
Down below, the numerous cultivators of the River-Defying Sect were bubbling with excitement at how valiant Bai Xiaochun had been in defeating Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian.
The three defeated devas' expressions flickered. Not only were they in very bad shape after their fight, there were plenty of fellow sect cultivators who had witnessed the affair. It was a big loss of face, and a huge embarrassment. And yet, they were truly in fear of Bai Xiaochun's strength.
At the same time, the three devas were relieved that the Hall of Steel Veins forces had arrived. If you ride a tiger, it's hard to get off, but now they had the perfect opportunity and excuse to retreat.
Bai Xiaochun hovered there, feeling very pleased at the exclamations he had heard from Zhao Tianjiao, Bai Lin, and everyone else. Looking over, he could see that the three devas wished to withdraw. After blinking a few times, he kept his exhaustion hidden and unleashed some cultivation base power.
"Chen Hetian and you other two. You really pushed things too far. I, Bai Xiaochun, have performed great services for the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect! I've shed blood for it!!
"I slaughtered countless enemies at the Great Wall, and yet, you tried to exterminate my sect. Nobody could stand for such a thing!
"You owe me some compensation! If you don't kowtow immediately in apology, and swear an oath to stay out of the way of all River-Defying Sect disciples in the future, then this matter will not be over. Even if you escape, I'll track you down and fight my way into your clans!" He emphasized his words with the flick of a sleeve. After all, he had justice on his side.
When Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian heard his words, they very nearly coughed up more mouthfuls of blood. Bai Xiaochun's words were biting to the extreme. Earlier, he had simply told them to either fight or screw off, but now that he had some friends to back him up, he was acting even more extravagantly. Not only was he demanding compensation, he was also forcing them to lose face publicly.
"Don't go overboard, Bai Xiaochun!" Li Xiandao growled, his eyes completely bloodshot. After all, he had just worked very hard to extricate himself from this situation, and now that easy exit was being removed.
That was when Patriarch Steel Veins took a deep breath and blurred into motion. In the blink of an eye, he was next to Bai Xiaochun, although he kept a good distance from him.
Eyes flashing with incisive light, he looked at the other three devas and spoke in a sinister voice as cold as winter wind.
"Overboard? Chen Hetian. Bai Zhentian. Li Xiandao. Do you really think you can go and bully people from the Hall of Steel Veins any time you like?!?!
"My old pal Bai is exactly right. The Hall of Steel Veins slaughters enemies without count, and yet you sneak around trying to exterminate sects!? Who could possibly stand for such a thing!? Although Brother Bai hasn't yet been made an elder by the demigod patriarch, considering that he was a major general, and is a member of the Hall of Steel Veins, then that puts him under my protection!
"So, let's see who here today dares to do a thing to anyone from the Hall of Steel Veins!" As the deva patriarch spoke, the cultivators from the Hall of Steel Veins unleashed murderous auras that formed something of a spell formation, locking down any paths of escape for Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian.
Bai Xiaochun's spirits were lifted even more, and it was the same with the River-Defying Sect. In contrast, the three devas were grumbling bitterly, and their expressions were extremely unsightly.
All of a sudden, Bai Xiaochun realized that this was a great opportunity! If he made a move right now, then all of his allies would obviously support him.
However, just when he was about to break into motion, the sky suddenly filled with intense rumbling sounds that surpassed heavenly thunder. The sky went dim, and distorted. Spasms rolled out across the surface of the land. At the same time, a powerful blast of energy appeared, shoving Bai Xiaochun backward.
The same energy hit Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian, sending them flying backward by several hundred meters. As for the murderous aura being emitted by the Hall of Steel Veins, it winked out instantly.
And yet, things weren't over yet. Shocking pressure began to weigh down from above, pressure that caused the faces of the devas to fall. The Nascent Soul cultivators present began to tremble, and anyone under that level felt like they were being strangled!
Furthermore, the wills of the all the devas were completely driven away down to the tiniest scrap as an enormous figure of light appeared up above!
It appeared to be made of starlight, and was threatening without being angry. Large enough to prop up heaven and earth, it caused everyone who could see it to be shaken deeply.
It appeared to be a middle-aged man, who was looking down on everyone present, heavenly bodies gleaming in his eyes. The fluctuations rolling off of him vastly surpassed those of a deva. They were demigod fluctuations, and were not being restrained in even the least bit.
When all of the other four devas saw the figure of light, they clasped hands and bowed deeply.
"Greetings, Patriarch Starry Sky!"
They weren't the only ones to react in such a way. The Nascent Soul cultivators from the Hall of Steel Veins trembled as they offered formal greetings. Then, everyone else who didn't recognize the glowing figure, but heard the words of the other powerful experts, gasped and followed suit.
Bai Xiaochun's breath caught in his throat, and he shivered inwardly. Obviously, this glowing figure of light was none other than… the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect's most powerful expert, the demigod patriarch!
"The demigod is stepping in!" Although Bai Xiaochun was a bit nervous, he reminded himself that he had seen his fair share of demigods, and thus managed to suppress his anxiety. However, he put an expression of deep fear onto his face as he clasped hands in formal greeting.
It only took moments for everyone on the battlefield to be bowing in reverence to Patriarch Starry Sky, as if he were the most eminent figure in all heaven and earth.
No expression could be seen on his face as he looked over the crowd, ignoring Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian. In fact, he even ignored the deva from the Hall of Steel Veins. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Bai Xiaochun.
Bai Xiaochun had just suppressed his anxiety, only to have it flare up again. He immediately thought back to some ways that he had dealt with demigods back in the Wildlands, and yet quickly realized that this was a totally different situation. Even as his anxiety mounted, and he scrambled to come up with new ideas, the figure of light looked away from him.
Then, an ancient, profound voice rumbled out to fill the entire area.
"Let Bai Xiaochun be appointed as an elder in the Hall of Steel Veins. He shall be given an elder's command medallion, an immortal's cave on the blue rainbow, and will select a date to make an official return to the sect! Henceforth, the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect has six devas!"
As his words echoed out with thunderous intensity, the cultivators from the Hall of Steel Veins became visibly excited. As for Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian, their faces grew deathly pale, and they bowed their heads.
They knew that, with the approval of the demigod patriarch, there would be nothing they could do from preventing Bai Xiaochun and the River-Defying Sect from rising to prominence in the eastern Heavenspan River.
If the Hall of Steel Veins was excited, there was almost no need to mention the River-Defying Sect. They were so swept up in the moment that they began to cheer out loud. As for Bai Xiaochun, he breathed a sigh of relief, and wondered why he had been so scared before….
"Who cares about demigods! I absorbed one of the Celestial's hairs! And I'm supposed to be scared of a demigod? My apprentice is the Hell-Emperor, and my father-in-law is a demigod!" And thus he continued to encourage himself, and muse excitedly about how perfectly he had fought back earlier.
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Chapter 894: Deva Pill!
The demigod patriarch gazed at Bai Xiaochun with a profound and enigmatic look before slowly fading away into nothing.
He took Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian along with him when he went, which was a good thing for them. If he hadn't, Bai Xiaochun wouldn't have let them leave unscathed. He had already been glaring at them menacingly before acquiring the open approval of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect.
To see them fading away with the demigod patriarch was a bit irritating.
"So stingy! It's not like I would actually kill them or something." However, he was so flushed with success that he didn't dwell on such negativity. After all, Zhao Tianjiao, Bai Lin, and the cultivators from the Hall of Steel Veins were all still present, and he needed to thank them.
Patriarch Steel Veins wore a broad smile when he spoke, treating Bai Xiaochun, not with superiority, but as an equal.
Bai Lin seemed to have endless sighs in his heart, and the truth was, he couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened back at the Great Wall. Zhao Tianjiao reacted similarly. Both men seemed to have been deeply affected by what Bai Xiaochun had accomplished, and both of them were determined to return to the sect and go directly into secluded meditation to work on their cultivation!
Among the tens of thousands of other cultivators who had come, many were war buddies from the Great Wall. Some had also been Bai Xiaochun's direct subordinates. All of them were very excited to see him, and didn't hesitate to accept his invitation to stay in the River-Defying Sect to celebrate.
The patriarchs of the River-Defying Sect were thrilled about what was happening, and threw a feast to thank everyone who had come to offer their aid.
That night was like a dream for most of the disciples of the River-Defying Sect. Their nervousness from earlier became joy, and of course, their esteem for Bai Xiaochun grew even greater.
At the same time, their anticipation for what was to come for the sect grew more intense!
The patriarchs reacted similarly. It was as if an enormous weight had been lifted off their shoulders, and their faces were covered with smiles for the entire night.
The following morning, the cultivators from the Hall of Steel Veins left.
After seeing them off, Bai Xiaochun sighed, relieved that he had at long last settled all of the issues that the River-Defying Sect faced.
He could well imagine how, in the coming days, the River-Defying Sect… would be the number one sect in the eastern Middle Reaches cultivation world of the Heavenspan River. From now on, the other three sects… would be subsidiaries of the River-Defying Sect!
"But… it's still not enough!" he thought. He glanced down at his bag of holding, and his eyes began to shine with determination. If the River-Defying Sect truly wanted stability, they couldn't just have a single deva. If one of the current patriarchs could become the sect's second deva, even if it was only the Mortal-Dao Deva Realm, then the River-Defying Sect could be considered truly stable in its position.
After all, the demigod patriarch's Dharmic decree had made clear that Bai Xiaochun would need to return to the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect soon. That meant that his time in the River-Defying Sect was limited.
"I can't wait too long before leaving, that wouldn't be good…. Therefore, I need to make sure that one of the patriarchs becomes a deva before I leave!" One of the reasons he was so confident in being able to make that happen was the rainbow spirit thistle he had acquired during a shakedown in the Wildlands. [1]
Considering his skill in the Dao of medicine, he was sure that, with the cooperation of the Pill Stream Division, he could use that rainbow spirit thistle to concoct… a Deva Pill!
Deva Pills were very rare, and extremely difficult to concoct. Although he was confident that he could produce one, he didn't have enough ingredients to make multiple copies.
As for which patriarch he wanted to become a deva, he decided not to worry about it. Although he would surely be able to give input, it was a sensitive subject, and therefore, the best thing would be to let the patriarchs decide among themselves.
Having reached this point in his train of thought, he sent a message to Patriarch Spirit Stream and Patriarch Blood Stream, informing them of his plan. Then he went into his secluded meditation facilities to start working.
The entire River-Defying Sect was abuzz with talk of Bai Xiaochun. As for Song Junwan, her position in the sect had already changed. In the past, people knew that she was close with Bai Xiaochun, and because of that, she had been treated differently. However, it hadn't been very obvious.
But now, things were very different. Elders and patriarchs alike treated her with the utmost respect.
In fact, everyone who had good relationships with Bai Xiaochun were being treated differently. Especially… Li Qinghou!
Since Bai Xiaochun was effectively the ultimate leader of the sect now, and Li Qinghou was his uncle, that put him in a very high position. In fact, after some discussion, the patriarchs agreed that when the time came… Li Qinghou would be the next sect leader!
Shortly after that, the patriarchs got word from Bai Xiaochun that he planned to concoct a Deva Pill, which would make it highly likely that one of the half-deva patriarchs would finally be able to break out from the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage. Of course, the patriarchs were both delighted and deeply thankful.
Their first thought was to give the honor to Li Qinghou. Unfortunately, his cultivation base was not in the great circle, and they were worried that it would take him too long to get there. They urgently needed a deva patriarch in place in the sect, and therefore, after discussion with Li Qinghou himself, they decided that Patriarch Spirit Stream would be the one to take the pill.
After all, Patriarch Spirit Stream had lived for many, many years, even longer than Patriarch Blood Stream, whose cultivation base was at the same level as his…. Reaching the Deva Realm would give him significant longevity, and Patriarch Spirit Stream had his secret magic that further increased longevity. Even Patriarch Blood Stream had to admit that if he himself became a deva, he would eventually perish, whereas Patriarch Spirit Stream could potentially live for much longer.
Naturally, having Patriarch Spirit Stream as the deva in the sect would be the most beneficial.
Furthermore, with one deva permanently in the sect, it would make it easier for others to reach that level.
As the patriarchs discussed all of these matters, Bai Xiaochun was in his secluded meditation facilities doing the initial work in preparation to concoct the Deva Pill. The sect had acquired the formula long ago, but had never possessed the primary ingredient, and had thus been unable to concoct it.
Bai Xiaochun's work caused the entire sect to fill with a lovely, sweet fragrance.
Bruiser particularly liked the smell, and plopped himself down in front of Bai Xiaochun's secluded meditation chamber to breathe it in. All spirit beasts benefited from it, and even cultivators would experience a certain refinement of their cultivation bases by breathing it in.
This unexpected phenomenon caused everyone in the River-Defying Sect to be in even further awe of Bai Xiaochun. However, the aroma didn't last for long, as Bai Xiaochun emerged from seclusion seven days later.
He immediately sent word to the patriarchs, whereupon the Pill Stream Division sent over a few dozen grandmaster apothecaries, as well as Li Qinghou, to help Bai Xiaochun in his work. They immediately set up a medicinal spell formation which allowed Bai Xiaochun to begin the final stages of his work.
His concocting session lasted for an entire month. Unfortunately, he met with failure in each attempt, losing some of his primary ingredient every time.
He was starting to get anxious, but managed to suppress his nervousness, and took the opportunity to learn from every mistake. As the saying goes, everything comes to him who waits…. It was on his seventh attempt… that he succeeded, just when he ran out of ingredients!
On that day, illusory thunder crackled, and a spirit fragrance filled the entire sect, causing a mist to spring up. The entire River-Defying Sect looked like a celestial paradise as a result.
"I finally did it!" Bai Xiaochun was a bit gaunt, but his eyes sparkled with excitement. As his laughter rang out, the patriarchs hurried over to find him holding a white, glowing medicinal pill.
A single glance at that pill caused deep desire to rise up in the hearts of the patriarchs. All of them could sense how the pill almost seemed fused with the world around it.
After a long moment, the patriarchs managed to suppress their feelings. A very serious expression could be seen on the face of Patriarch Spirit Stream as he accepted the pill. He nodded at Bai Xiaochun, clasped hands and bowed deeply to the other patriarchs, and went into secluded meditation.
The pressure he faced was immense. After all, he only had one Deva Pill, and therefore, only had one chance to succeed!
1. He got the rainbow spirit thistle in chapter 765
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Chapter 895: Breaking The Shackle
Bai Xiaochun had finally resolved all of the crises facing the River-Defying Sect. He himself was now a deva patriarch of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, and had put the River-Defying Sect in the position of being the absolute overlord of the Middle Reaches cultivation world.
On top of that, he had successfully concocted a Deva Pill for the extremely long-lived Patriarch Spirit Stream, giving him a very good chance of reaching the Deva Realm. Bai Xiaochun was very satisfied with everything.
At the moment, he stood outside of his immortal's cave, petting Bruiser's head and looking around at the sect. The disciples were still busy with the renovation work, and were in very high spirits.
Feeling more than wonderful, he flicked his sleeve, stuck his chin up and murmured, "I'm happy. Everybody's happy. I'm strong. The sect is strong…. Ah, Bruiser, you know I'm the kind of person who likes the limelight. Who could ever have imagined that fate would lead me here… a patriarch at such a young age…. I'm not old at all!" He shook his head and sighed, feeling more proud of himself than ever. [1]
"I never wanted to go back to the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, but as you saw, the demigod patriarch personally asked me to go. What a headache!
"I'm also an elder in the Hall of Steel Veins, which is a really rare thing. I guess I have no choice in the matter. All my old friends and war buddies are there. I really just have to accept my status.
"What do you think, Bruiser…? Why am I just such a genius? Ai…." A scowl of helplessness slowly spread out across his face.
Bruiser blinked a few times and looked around, only to find that they were alone, prompting him to snort quietly. After all, Bai Xiaochun usually only acted depressed like this when he knew people were around to see him.
When Bai Xiaochun saw the reaction he was getting, he cleared his throat and then bopped Bruiser on the head.
"Play along!" he said with a glare. "You know what that means? From now on, whenever you hear me talking like this, you need to play along. That'll make me like you even more, alright?"
At first Bruiser whimpered, but then he quickly changed his expression to match Bai Xiaochun's. When Bai Xiaochun saw how depressed he looked, he frowned and added a few more words.
"No, that's not the right expression. Listen, when you hear me say things like I just said, you need to look excited! Sigh deeply and with meaning! Make it seem like you're resigning yourself to a truly bitter fate!" After receiving a few more pointers, Bruiser finally got the right expression onto his face. With that, Bai Xiaochun started over with his act, and Bruiser played along.
"Hahaha! Great job, Bruiser. Alright, come along with dad as I take a walk. Remember, when you hear me say those things, put that expression on your face immediately!" In very high spirits, Bai Xiaochun led Bruiser on a stroll through the sect. Wherever they went, the people they encountered would offer respectful formal greetings.
Whenever there was a big enough of a crowd, Bai Xiaochun would sigh and monologue a bit. The disciples who didn't know much about him would be shocked. The ones who knew him, though, would simply sigh; this was not their first time seeing him act in a way like this.
Bruiser played along perfectly, and worked very hard at it. As Bai Xiaochun sighed, he would wail and wrap himself around Bai Xiaochun's leg, eyes shining with a look of comfort. It was as if he were saying to Bai Xiaochun…
It's simply your fate to be such a genius….
Those who saw this happening were shocked, and many a strange expression could be seen. As for Bai Xiaochun, his delight mounted, and he dragged Bruiser from one place to another for an entire day. The more people who called out greetings to him as a patriarch, the more strange expressions could be seen.
"Uh… how come the patriarch is acting so strange…?"
"Maybe all devas are like this?"
"Oh, you guys have no idea…. Bai Xiaochun, er… Patriarch Bai was always like this. Um… you just need to get used to it, that's all."
Talk like that followed Bai Xiaochun wherever he went in the sect…. The next day, his enthusiasm had not yet waned, and the same scene played out again….
He went to see Beihan Lie three times, nearly driving him mad. Beihan Lie would always greet him with the utmost respect, and then be forced to listen to Bai Xiaochun's endless sighs. On the second day, Beihan Lie chose to go into secluded meditation.
Bai Xiaochun was a bit saddened by that, but then he went to find Shangguan Tianyou…. In fact, he went to see all of the people he knew in the Spirit Stream Division. After that, he went to the Blood Stream Division….
It was in that fashion that three whole days passed, until everyone in the River-Defying Sect came to fully understand Bai Xiaochun's personality. Wry smiles could be seen everywhere, and many people began to avoid him as soon as they saw him off in the distance. After all, he didn't seem anything like a deva patriarch in person.
Bai Xiaochun did not get discouraged. Actually, he became more focused. In fact, he had just decided to go look into the specifics of why Beihan Lie was in secluded meditation when Song Junwan finally had enough. Rushing over angrily, she rebuked him up and down until he finally rubbed his nose and gave up on acting like a patriarch.
"All I was doing was sighing and saying a few things…. Ah, whatever. I guess if I'm not even allowed to sigh, I'll just go into secluded meditation." After all, he would be in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect soon, and nobody there would care if he went around sighing.
Filled with aspirations for what was to come, he went into meditation.
For one thing, he needed to wait until Patriarch Spirit Stream achieved his breakthrough. And also, he had still not yet stabilized his cultivation base after his recent breakthrough. And then there was the Undying Codex. Having mastered the Undying Bones, and having achieved a breakthrough, he was now in the position… to break through the fourth shackle of the human body!
Once that happened, he knew that his fleshly body power would increase. Most importantly… he would be able to cultivate the final part of the Undying Codex….
The Undying Blood!!
"The Undying Blood is the true essence of the Undying Codex. If I succeed with that… I won't necessarily be truly undying, but… I definitely won't be dying anytime soon!" With that thought on his mind, he got to work.
After sitting down cross-legged, he cast his senses inward to the shocking spiritual power of heaven and earth that flowed through him constantly. It almost made him feel as if he were a part of the world around him!
Every move he made could be filled with heavenly might, and every breath he took could rumble like thunder!
"So this is what it's like to be a deva…. It's totally different from the Nascent Soul stage. A complete transformation!" The more he probed his cultivation base, the more excited he got. Furthermore, he could tell that after becoming a deva, his longevity had grown vastly more vigorous.
"I wonder if… I could live for 5,000 years now?" The thought excited him, and he began to do some calculations, but was soon disappointed to realize that he probably couldn't reach 5,000….
"Ai. I'm still very far away from my goal of being able to live forever." After examining his cultivation base for a bit longer, he sank into a trance and began to work on his fleshly body power.
Cracking sounds could be heard inside of him, which came from his bones. The power of his qi and blood erupted out, causing the air in his secluded meditation chamber to twist and distort as a vortex sprang up around him.
Based on the fluctuations, Bai Xiaochun was sure that he could sense… the fourth shackle!
It felt much the same as the previous three shackles. Although the sensation wasn't particularly clear, he was sure that something like an enormous mountain was weighing down on him with profound heaviness.
All of a sudden, he felt the impulse to smash into that mountain!!
Eyes widening, he shouted, "It's time to break the fourth shackle!"
1. I'm not quite sure if it's supposed to be a play on words or not, but the word for patriarch in Chinese has the character "old" in it….
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Chapter 896: Undying Blood!
No one but Bai Xiaochun could hear the thunderous rumbling sound that filled him. It surpassed heavenly thunder as it echoed through his body, causing him to shake where he sat, blue veins bulging out on his neck and face.
It really did feel to him like there was a huge mountain pressing down on him. Drawing upon his incredible fleshly body power, he pushed back against that mountain in an attempt to break it.
The power of qi and blood surged inside of him, and as the rumbling sounds grew more intense, he shouted, "Break!!"
At that point, the invisible mountain that was the fourth shackle of the human body shattered. All of a sudden, he felt lighter and freer, like a wild stallion who had been unharnessed and let run free.
There were no bounds or restrictions in place anymore, allowing his qi and blood to flow strong and hard. His meditation chamber began to tremble, and beyond it, the River-Defying Sect as a whole.
The power of his Undying Bones could be no higher. It surged through him like flood waters, pushing at him, screaming, until he realized that…
He was about to break past the Undying Bones level!!
He had truly reached the peak!
As the saying goes, when one is focused and works hard, good fortune is sure to follow. At this point, the mnemonic for the Undying Blood suddenly appeared, as though it had been branded in his soul and waiting for this moment.
As he went to work with the mnemonic, the remaining power of the Celestial's blood-hair sprang into motion. A tremor passed through him, and he withered visibly, growing incredibly gaunt within only a few breaths of time.
If he hadn't been prepared for this very outcome, it would have been a big fright.
"It's gonna wither me to death!!" He immediately ceased the operation of the Undying Blood. Thankfully, there was nothing about the technique that made that impossible. Even the short moment that had passed left his face ashen, his vision dim, and his ears ringing.
After a long moment passed, he recovered. However, his face was still pale, and his heart still twitched with lingering fear. After examining himself inside and out, he almost cried.
"My life force…." His previously thriving life force had been drained by more than half in that brief few breaths of time.
"It wasn't this exaggerated before! This… this is even more frightening than Mistress Red-Dust and Song Junwan combined!" Scowling, he contemplated simply giving up on cultivating the Undying Blood.
He was truly worried that he would accidentally kill himself before mastering it….
"Don't tell me I'm going to have to go through another whole situation of using the Eternal Parasol…?" He smacked his forehead in irritation.
"This Undying Codex is the worst technique ever. Seems to me the point is to turn good people into villains!" Depressed, he thought back to how he had once been a pure and naïve youngster, only to start cultivating the Undying Skin, and turn into the Chicken-Thieving Fiend….
And then there was his time in the Blood Stream Sect, when he snuck around other people's immortal's caves, stealing qi and blood for the Undying Heavenly King….
After that came the Undying Tendons, where he had used pill concocting at the Great Wall as a front to embezzle everything he needed….
And finally, out in the Wildlands, he had become a vicious hunter of life force to finish the Undying Bones….
"Is it all worth it? I'm a good person, after all! Maybe mastering the Undying Bones is good enough. It's pretty awesome on its own…." Sighing, he once again began to review the mnemonic for the Undying Blood.
The Undying Blood was the final level of the Undying Codex, and was the last step to mastering the full technique!
The Undying Skin provided incredible defensive powers. The Undying Flesh increased fleshly body power to shocking levels. The Undying Tendons provided explosive speed and power, although that was really only the first step. The Undying Bones was the second in that same vein!
The effects of that second leap upward were even more obvious. After he had mastered the Undying Bones, his defenses, his speed, his strength, and everything else had reached the peak!
At that time, he had possessed deva-level fleshly body power, to the point where, combined with his cultivation base, it would have been very difficult for a deva to catch him if he wanted to flee.
However, at that point, his Undying Codex had not been without flaws, nor had he been unkillable. After all, despite the shocking level of power he commanded, he could be easily drained. Calling upon just his Undying Emperor's Fist would leave him almost powerless.
Although he had been tough, and difficult to wound, he still required recovery time if he did get injured. Furthermore, most injuries that affected him would be extremely serious.
But… now that he could cultivate the Undying Blood, those weaknesses were disappearing.
Cultivating the Undying Blood was a process in which all of the blood in one's body was replaced, one drop at a time.
It might sound dramatic, but once that happened, a person who cultivated the Undying Codex would have a hard time running low on power!
It was easy to imagine how heaven-shakingly, earth-shatteringly powerful the Undying Emperor's Fist would be in that situation!
Of course, the Undying Blood also brought a significant boost in overall fleshly body power. But that was secondary. The most significant benefit was the dramatic improvement of recovery power!!
After analyzing the information, Bai Xiaochun thought back to what it was like when he used the Undying Emperor's Fist. And then, he couldn't help but anticipate what it would be like to use it with the benefits of the Undying Blood.
And then there were the regeneration benefits. Couple that with the shocking power he would have at his disposal, and he would be a person few people in heaven and earth could kill….
"Demigods would flee from me, and I could even cause a big headache for the Celestial…." Bai Xiaochun's anticipation continued to grow. If he could just overcome the difficulties that came along with this type of cultivation, then one day, he would truly be undying. The thought of that caused his eyes to turn completely bloodshot.
"I don't care how I do it. It's all for my goal of being able to live forever…. I'm gonna go for broke!"
His eyes shone with complete determination. However, he didn't continue with cultivation at the moment; right now wasn't the proper time.
That didn't mean he couldn't seek enlightenment of the technique. After all, that would be the best way to ensure that his efforts proceeded smoothly.
"The Undying Blood… isn't divided up into levels like the other parts of the codex!
"Essentially, the point of the Undying Blood is to replace the current blood in one's body. At that point, every drop of blood inside me will be as boundless as a huge lake!
"The blood is divided into percentages… Once I replace one hundred percent of my blood… I will have eternally indestructible, Undying Blood!"
His thorough study of the information and mnemonic of the Undying Blood took several days. At that point, he looked up for a moment, then slapped his bag of holding to produce some medicinal pills.
"I'm going to try one more time! But this time, I'll be extra careful!" From his attitude, it almost seemed like he was about to go into a dangerous duel. Eyes bloodshot, he drew upon the power of his fleshly body.
As he did, he found that, instead of a whirlpool inside of him… there were many whirlpools! Every drop of blood was a whirlpool that ravenously devoured his life force!
He almost cried when that happened. That was especially true when he found that the power of any medicinal pills he consumed were instantly sucked away by the vortexes.
He quickly ended the session of cultivation. However, that was when his jaw suddenly dropped, and he looked in the direction of the Blood Stream Division, and… the Blood Ancestor!!
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Chapter 897: Hold My Breath Today, Awaken Tomorrow
Because Bai Xiaochun had been so involved with the Undying Blood, and the shocking speed with which it drained his life force, he had failed to notice something happening with the Blood Ancestor.
As of this moment, he felt a sensation of grief and anger inside of him, as well as a profound level of focus!!
Furthermore, a heaven-shaking howl suddenly erupted into his ears.
"Hold my breath today, awaken tomorrow. When I arouse… I will fight!!"
Those few short words caused a sensation of profound astonishment to fill Bai Xiaochun. In fact, he almost felt as if the words had originated within himself.
The qi and blood fluctuations within the words were the same as his own. Whoever spoke those words also cultivated the Undying Codex!!
"The Blood Ancestor!" This was the first time he had ever been able to sense any emotions from the Blood Ancestor, despite the fact that he had taken control of his body on multiple occasions in the past.
All of a sudden, he felt the desire to do battle, and could sense his blood coursing madly through his veins. For some reason, it seemed like the Blood Ancestor was calling out to him!
In addition to that, he was almost sure that he could sense… other similar fluctuations! They were weaker, and in different areas, but they absolutely contained the same fluctuations!
Those fluctuations were coming from two different areas… both within the River-Defying Sect. It only took a moment for him to realize that one of those sources… was the monkey in the River-Defying Sect!
The other was… the talking rabbit in the Blood Stream Sect!!
This realization struck him to the core. As he continued to study the situation, he realized that there were other life force fluctuations in other areas that matched the Blood Ancestor… and all of them were familiar!
In one location, he saw a bird. In another, a tiger with wings. He saw a huge goose standing guard over something…. How could he ever forget those animals!? They were the very same creatures that had transformed after he fed them his special medicinal pills!!
"How is this even possible!?!?" he said with a gasp. He sagged in place, beads of sweat popping out all over his forehead as he ended his session of cultivation.
After ceasing all activity related to the Undying Blood, his connection to the Blood Ancestor and all of the small animals vanished. A long moment passed, and yet, the look of confusion on his face remained.
"Are all of those animals connected to the Blood Ancestor somehow?" All of a sudden, he realized that there was some profound mystery wrapped up in that matter from years ago.
"What exactly is going on here…?" he thought. After some more thought, he rose to his feet and rushed over to the Blood Stream Division. Soon, he was standing on the Blood Ancestor's shoulder!
Normally speaking, only patriarchs would qualify to get this close to the venerated Blood Ancestor. Therefore, Bai Xiaochun was completely alone. Panting, he reached down and put his hand onto the Blood Ancestor's skin, and yet, no amount of probing revealed any trace of life force. Bai Xiaochun even began to wonder if what he had sensed earlier had been an illusion.
"There's no way I was mistaken!" he murmured. After a moment of silence, he actually entered the Blood Ancestor's body, following the familiar route from the past until he was in the heart cavity.
Sometime later, he emerged out into the open. His journey… had been completely fruitless.
"Hold my breath today, awaken tomorrow…. Did the Blood Ancestor… not perish after all?" Mixed emotions filled Bai Xiaochun's eyes. After the gravekeeper had passed on the mantle of the Hell-Emperor to Bai Hao, and after coming to know the Celestial's story, Bai Xiaochun's understanding of the world had changed. He had come to know that there were many secrets he was not privy to.
But now he came to find out that there were even more secrets!
"And what about Du Lingfei? What was she doing in a tiny place like the Spirit Stream Sect? Was it something to do with the Frigid School of the north? If so, why did she go to the Blood Stream Sect afterward…?" That question had been gnawing at him for years. Although he had come to the conclusion that it had something to do with the true spirit of the Spirit Stream Sect, that baby girl, now he wasn't so certain.
He stood there in thought, a haze of thoughts running through his head. Time passed, although he wasn't sure how much. At one point, a sound like muffled thunder could be heard from one of the mountain peaks in the Spirit Stream Division.
As the sound spread out, countless disciples looked up in shock. It also interrupted Bai Xiaochun's train of thought, and he looked over at the Spirit Stream Division, his eyes shining.
"Patriarch Spirit Stream…." he murmured. The noise was coming from the secluded meditation facilities, where Patriarch Spirit Stream was attempting to reach the Deva Realm.
Shocking fluctuations erupted out, as well as an astonishing aura that grew stronger with each passing moment!
"The patriarch is going to break through!!"
"The River-Defying Sect is going to have another deva!!"
"He's definitely going to succeed!" The elders of the sect all hurried over to stand as Dharma protectors, Li Qinghou included. Patriarch Blood Stream and the other two patriarchs were also present.
Patriarch Spirit Stream's breakthrough was a matter of the utmost importance to the sect. Thankfully, the grand spell formation had just been repaired, and it was activated to ensure that no mishaps occurred.
The disciples were trembling with excitement, and praying that everything would turn out well.
Bai Xiaochun buried his thoughts and questions concerning the Blood Ancestor, and focused on the important matter of Patriarch Spirit Stream.
Because of the unique way he had achieved his own breakthrough, he had not experienced what Patriarch Spirit Stream was currently experiencing, and therefore, couldn't provide any advice. All he could do was rely on the power of his cultivation base to pay close attention, and be ready to provide any support necessary.
However, it was not for naught that Patriarch Spirit Stream had lived for so many years. After all, he had single-handedly led a tiny sect out of the delta region to the Lower Reaches, a sect which had grown and thrived until it was in its current position in the Middle Reaches. He was the top patriarch in that sect, a person with deep experience, and profoundly qualified in terms of cultivation base.
The only thing he had lacked in the past was the right opportunity!
Bai Xiaochun had given him that opportunity, and of course, he seized it without hesitation. Rumbling thunder echoed out as Patriarch Spirit Stream's aura grew stronger. By now, his will had reached the point of being able to almost completely fuse with heaven and earth.
Seventy percent. Eighty percent. Ninety percent….
His cultivation base fluctuations grew more intense with every moment that passed. As everyone in the River-Defying Sect paid close attention, Bai Xiaochun breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled.
As he did, Patriarch Spirit Stream's will fused completely with heaven and earth!
RUUUUUUUUUUMBLLLE!!
The clouds seethed, but no heavenly tribulation appeared. There was only a huge face floating high in the sky.
It was… Patriarch Spirit Stream's face!
Emotion was visible in his eyes as he stared down at all the living creatures below….
"Henceforth… I shall always protect… my home…. The River-Defying Sect!" His voice was filled with determination, focus, faith, and sincerity!
Patriarch Spirit Stream… had just sworn a Dao oath!!
Even as his voice continued to echo out, his will retracted from heaven and earth. He was only a Mortal-Dao deva, but with the extensive preparations he had made over the years, he now surpassed that level by far. He was actually as powerful… as the early Earth-Dao Deva Realm!
"Patriarch!"
"Patriarch!!"
"Patriarch!!!"
The disciples of the River-Defying Sect erupted into cheering. And they weren't the only ones. The Nascent Soul elders joined in, as did the patriarchs from the Blood, Pill, and Profound Stream Divisions. Then, expressions of veneration appeared on their faces as they clasped hands and bowed deeply.
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Chapter 898: Keep Her Safe...
In the Spirit Stream Division's mountains in the River-Defying Sect, the monkey sat there with an alcohol flagon, sipping occasionally, a glint of pleasure in his eyes as he looked up at the face of Patriarch Spirit Stream.
"To be able to see this makes it all worth it. Even if I end up paying a steep price for returning… it was all worth it!" The monkey laughed heartily, and then looked in the direction of the Blood Stream Division, not at Bai Xiaochun, but rather… at the rabbit, who was on one of the mountains, a blank look in his eyes.
Occasionally, the rabbit came to his senses, and at other times, he was muddle-headed. At the moment, he was clearly in possession of his faculties, and was feeling deeply moved.
Cheering filled the sect. Bai Xiaochun was feeling very pleased. Plus, now that Patriarch Spirit Stream was a deva, it took a lot of the pressure off him.
He could now leave the River-Defying Sect and go to the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect without worrying too much about what would happen in his absence. Of course, considering his own high position within the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, that made the River-Defying Sect's position as a subsidiary sect even more stable.
With Patriarch Spirit Stream there, the only thing that could possibly be a threat to the sect would be a demigod. Anyone else would think twice, three times, or even four times before causing problems!
Furthermore, demigod experts were not common at all. In all of the Heavenspan River region… there were only four, all of them being patriarchs in the riversource sects.
Three days passed by in a flash. As news about Patriarch Spirit Stream spread through the Middle Reaches cultivation world, the other three great sects, none of whom currently had a deva, didn't dare to cause any trouble. In fact, in their veneration, they sent tribute to the River-Defying Sect, and willingly bowed their heads in acquiescence….
If the three other largest sects acted in such a way, it almost wasn't necessary to mention the other smaller sects and cultivator clans. Word also spread to the Lower Reaches, where veneration for the River-Defying Sect grew more widespread.
Of course, in the Lower Reaches, many of the sects fell under the jurisdiction of the other three Middle Reaches sects. But right now, the River-Defying Sect was the number one sect in the Middle Reaches, and therefore, the small sects in the Lower Reaches knew that there would be dire consequences for offending them.
Although the River-Defying Sect hadn't completely unified the Middle Reaches, Lower Reaches, and delta regions, they had most certainly reached the ultimate level of power.
The matter was of course noted by the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. Under normal circumstances, they probably would have interfered to prevent a single organization from having so much power. After all, a situation like that would influence the resources available to the other deva patriarchs in the sect.
Unfortunately for them, Bai Xiaochun had accumulated so much glory in battle that he had received acknowledgement by the demigod patriarch himself. Because of that, Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian could do nothing other than grit their teeth and accept the situation. None of them offered even a single word of disagreement, not because they didn't consider it, but because they feared Bai Xiaochun too greatly.
There was another deva who was very torn about the situation, and that was the child deva from Sky Quarter. Theoretically speaking, the River-Defying Sect was under his control. However, when war had broken out, the child deva came up with endless excuses to refrain from offering help.
Later, a second crisis developed, and the Hall of Steel Veins took action, whereas the child deva did not. After it was all over, the child deva pondered whether or not to increase his yearly tribute requirement from the River-Defying Sect.
After much consideration, he sighed and abandoned such thoughts. After all, he had heard about how terrifyingly powerful Bai Xiaochun was, and feared he might regret the consequences of trifling with him.
Without anyone causing any problems for the River-Defying Sect, it thrived, growing more powerful and expanding its territory. Two months passed.
Bai Xiaochun spent most of that time in secluded meditation, researching the Undying Blood, and thinking about what new technique he should cultivate now that he was a deva. After all, the River-Defying Sect was only a Middle Reaches sect. If he wanted deva techniques, he really needed to go to the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect to get one.
Although the Spirit Stream Division had once been the Frigid School from the northern Heavenspan River, they had only escaped to the east after suffering heavy losses. The fact that the Frigid School Will-Evolving Incantation had survived was almost a miracle.
Although the sect did have some incomplete deva techniques hidden away, Patriarch Spirit Stream refused to give any of them to Bai Xiaochun, stating that they weren't suitable. Instead, he urged Bai Xiaochun to go to the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect to make his choice.
Although he had no good deva technique, he did make progress with his Undying Blood, and actually succeeded in creating an entire drop.
That drop of invincible blood was not red, but gold, and as it flowed through his veins, it glittered brightly, and sent a holy aura out through him that left him feeling very pleased.
"Those medicinal pills made up for just about all the life force I have in me, and yet, that only got me one drop of blood…." He frowned. On the up side, he was neither very fat nor very muscular. If he was… then he might not have any hope of completing the Undying Blood.
Thankfully, the Undying Blood also came with a secret magic!
The other levels of the Undying Codex had the Throat Crushing Grasp, Mountain Shaking Bash, Undying Hex, and Undying Emperor's Fist. As for the fifth level's secret magic, it was called… the Godkiller!
The point of the Godkiller was… to kill demigods!
With the Godkiller technique, he could accelerate with indescribable speed. In much the same way that the Undying Emperor's Fist could quintuple his fleshly body power, the Godkiller technique could increase his speed. It was almost impossible to imagine what such speed would be like.
And of course, the path to such god-slaying was… his indestructible blood!
When cultivating the Undying Blood, one's blood did not become eternally indestructible until reaching the great circle. Before then, it was possible to fuel the Godkiller technique with Undying Blood, and use that blood magic to reach indescribable speeds!
With such speed, he wouldn't even need to make an actual attack. As he accelerated with shocking speed, the blood qi which surrounded him would ensure that he could rock mountains by simply running into them. Even more shocking was that if he hit any living thing while using the Godkiller technique, he would be able to absorb some of their life force.
That nearly caused his eyes to drop out of their eye sockets. The Undying Codex really was an evil technique!!
"I almost can't believe that a simple, pure, honest and kindhearted person like me… would end up cultivating an evil technique like this!" Frowning and sighing, he began to think of how to combine the Godkiller with the other techniques he already had.
For example, if he used the Godkiller and the Mountain Shaking Bash together… well, the mere idea caused his heart to start racing.
"What if I used it with the Throat Crushing Grasp…? If my opponent was still alive, I could follow up with the Undying Emperor's Fist…. And if the fight kept going, I could combine my Undying Hex with the Godkiller, and nobody would be able to catch me!
"And that's not even mentioning my divine abilities. If I threw in the Waterswamp Kingdom, my Heavenspan Dharma Eye, or perhaps the Frigid School Will-Evolving Incantation…." He couldn't help but sigh at the realization of how awesome he was at this point.
"However, using the Godkiller technique wastes Undying Blood…. And right now, I only have one drop in me…." To think of wasting the Undying Blood that required so much difficult work to produce caused him to hesitate about whether to even use the Godkiller.
"The Godkiller obviously isn't meant to be used in a fight. It's supposed to be for getting life force!" A few more days passed, and eventually, he decided that the time had come to leave the River-Defying Sect and head for the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect.
After all, there was still the issue of his deva technique.
After making his decision, he said his farewells to Song Junwan, who had long since prepared herself for his departure. She didn't say much. She gently adjusted his clothing, and then embraced him.
Before he left, Patriarch Spirit Stream came to give him something very important from the Spirit Stream Division!
It was a crystal coffin, within which was… the body of a baby girl!
It was the Spirit Stream Division's most secret reserve power, the Frigid School true spirit!!
"Keep her safe," the patriarch said softly. "You're the only one in the Spirit Stream Division who can do it…. Keep her safe. That is our most important mission!"
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Chapter 899: Returning To The Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect
"Patriarch…." Bai Xiaochun said, a look of shock on his face. He had assumed the patriarch had come to give him a magical item, or perhaps some other rare object. Never could he have imagined that the gift would actually be the Frigid School's true spirit….
"Um… Patriarch, I don't think it's really appropriate for you to give me this true spirit. She's so important, and I'm so clumsy! What if I accidentally drop her or something? If something bad happened…. Why don't you give her to someone else?" He really had a strange feeling about the patriarch giving him a coffin as a parting gift….
Although the coffin contained a true spirit, it was still very odd, and didn't seem very auspicious as far as Bai Xiaochun was concerned.
"Take her with you…." Patriarch Spirit Stream repeated. The reason he was giving the coffin and the true spirit to Bai Xiaochun was because of all the deadly close calls the River-Defying Sect had been through. Thankfully, Bai Xiaochun's return ensured that everything worked out fine in the end. But Patriarch Spirit Stream was still worried about what could happen in the future.
He didn't want to gamble with the true spirit. Therefore, he gave the coffin to Bai Xiaochun, which he felt would be safer than keeping it in the River-Defying Sect. Most important was the fact that it was a suggestion by his Master, the monkey. Even though Patriarch Spirit Stream was now a deva, he still held eternal respect for his Master.
Bai Xiaochun could see how determined Patriarch Spirit Stream was. It didn't seem that he would take no for an answer! Feeling a headache coming on, Bai Xiaochun looked at the coffin.
"Why don't we talk this over a bit, Patriarch? I really don't think it's appropriate. What if there's a mishap…?"
"There won't be any mishaps, and there's no need for discussion. Take her with you, Xiaochun!" With that, Patriarch Spirit Stream clasped hands and bowed deeply.
Sighing, Bai Xiaochun shook his head and looked at the baby girl in the crystal coffin. Her eyes were closed, making it seem almost as if she had already perished. However, Bai Xiaochun knew that she wasn't dead… just sleeping deeply.
Back when he had united the Lower Reaches sects to attack the Sky River Court, that baby girl had woken up and transformed into a god-like young woman!
Before falling back asleep, that young woman had looked deeply into Bai Xiaochun's eyes, and then revealed to him the secret formula for the River-Defying Pill.
"I can barely take care of myself, let alone a true spirit!" he thought, frowning at the thought of essentially becoming a stay-at-home dad. However, he knew that this little girl was extremely important to the Spirit Stream Division. After all, Patriarch Spirit Stream had told him long ago that the original reason why the Spirit Stream Sect wanted to make their way upriver was for the sake of this girl.
After more vacillating, Bai Xiaochun looked at Patriarch Spirit Stream and then back at the crystal coffin. Finally, he nodded reluctantly. No matter how much he wanted to avoid accepting the coffin and the profoundly mysterious baby girl, he really had no choice.
When Patriarch Spirit Stream saw that Bai Xiaochun was agreeing, he sighed in relief. After looking one last time at the baby girl in the coffin, he left Bai Xiaochun's immortal's cave.
"Ah, whatever," Bai Xiaochun thought, shaking his head and sighing. He waved his sleeve, pulling the coffin into his bag of holding. As he did, he suddenly remembered something, and shouted, "I know you're in there, little turtle! You listen up. Behave! You're absolutely not allowed to bother the girl in that coffin!"
Although he didn't get any response, he was sure that the little turtle had heard him. After putting the coffin away, he meditated through the night, and then rose to his feet at dawn. Flying up into the air above the River-Defying Sect, he looked down and sighed, then transformed into a beam of light that shot in the direction of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect.
"Back when I left the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, not very many people knew me. But things are going to be different now." Thinking smugly about his deva cultivation base, and how he was the sixth deva in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, he couldn't help but start to get excited.
"I wonder how my inn is doing. And what the hell have Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai been up to? Back when the sect was in danger, why didn't they come back to help?" He suddenly started to feel a bit uneasy. It didn't make sense for Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai to act like that.
"Did something happen to them?" he thought, speeding up a bit.
Considering the level of his cultivation base, it didn't take much time or effort for him to get through the Middle Reaches. Before long, he was on the border of Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. As he neared, he sensed three auras reaching out to scan him. Almost immediately, they shrank away in shock.
Moments later, three people flew out from a nearby mountain, where they clasped hands and bowed in his direction.
"Well met, Patriarch Bai!"
They wore the garments of Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect disciples, and were tasked with standing watch over this border region of the sect. They had heard the news about Bai Xiaochun, and considering that they were the closest spot between the main sect and the River-Defying Sect, they had been waiting for Bai Xiaochun to show up. At a single glance, it was possible to see how nervous they were.
Bai Xiaochun didn't know them, but was pleased with how they were treating him. Clasping his hands behind his back, he struck the pose of someone of the elder generation, and nodded magnanimously before speeding along his way.
Upon his departure, the three disciples breathed sighs of relief and then exchange glances. All of them could see the veneration in each other's eyes.
"Who would have thought that somebody like him, a nobody from a tiny sect, a simple hostage, would end up as a deva patriarch from the Hall of Steel Veins…?"
"You make it sound like becoming a deva patriarch is an easy thing. I heard that right after Patriarch Bai became a deva, he defeated three other experts who were in the mid Deva Realm. Then the sect's demigod patriarch looked with favor upon him."
"Yeah, that's right. It's too bad we weren't friends with Patriarch Bai back when he first came to the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. If we had, we would already be on the path to fame." Sighing, the three disciples took out transmission jade slips and sent news back to the sect about Bai Xiaochun's arrival.
Word soon began to spread that Bai Xiaochun was on his way. The Hall of Steel Veins was the first to react, and emerged en masse to form ranks and wait for his arrival.
All 100,000 members of the Hall of Steel Veins were present, including many soldiers from the five legions. It was a shocking sight to anyone present to see it.
Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian were not happy at all. After returning to the sect, all of them had gone into secluded meditation. Considering that, some of the disciples under their command also went into meditation, whereas others went out to receive Bai Xiaochun.
For the most part, though, the disciples of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect emerged to greet Bai Xiaochun upon his arrival. Some knew him, but most were strangers. However… even the strangers knew of his name.
"Patriarch Bai was once a hostage from the River-Defying Sect. He instituted a reign of terror as soon as he arrived in Sky City."
"He also caused a big stir when he made it into the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Superstars!"
"You've never heard of Bai Xiaochun? Well, you've heard of that inn over in Sky City, right? That's his! That entire 50-kilometer area is his personal property!"
A buzz of conversation soon filled the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. Of course, there had been a lot of talk about him after he was bestowed a title by the demigod patriarch. Therefore, as soon as the Hall of Steel Veins went out to prepare for his arrival, the talk intensified.
Of course, there was one patriarch in the Hall of Steel Veins who looked particularly happy. He waved his hand, causing bells to ring out to fill the entire sect!
They tolled eight times, which indicated that someone of incredibly high status was coming. In fact, the only higher number of bell tolls was nine, which was reserved for demigods. Eight bell tolls meant a deva was coming!
As the bells tolled, ripples spread out through the sky, causing immense pressure to weigh down on the disciples. At the same time, everyone looked off into the distance, where a beam of light appeared, shooting at top speed toward the sect!
In the four cities beneath the rainbow structure were countless people looking up at that beam. Whether or not they knew Bai Xiaochun, they were all deeply shaken.
As for the cultivators from the Hall of Steel Veins, they were the most prepared of all. As soon as Bai Xiaochun appeared, they joined their voices together into one mighty, thunderous greeting. "We offer respectful greetings, Patriarch Bai!"
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