A Will Eternal

by Srtyi

One will to create oceans. One will to summon the mulberry fields. One will to slaughter countless devils. One will to eradicate innumerable immortals. Only my will… is eternal. Translator: Deathblade

29. 900

Read A Will Eternal - Chapter 900: Take It Out On Chen Hetian! online free - Novel Full

Chapter 900: Take It Out On Chen Hetian!

It was with this solemn reception that Bai Xiaochun entered the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect!

The demigod patriarch didn't appear, but he had already issued a Dharmic decree giving Bai Xiaochun an area of his own on the blue rainbow. That was where his immortal's cave was located.

In the past, there had only been five people who qualified to live on the blue rainbow, but now there was a sixth!

What left the disciples of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect even more shaken was the knowledge that this Patriarch Bai Xiaochun was no ordinary deva. Even after having just reached the Deva Realm, he dominated three of the other deva patriarchs, and also killed three devas from the Middle Reaches. Battle achievements like that were essentially heaven-defying in nature.

Few people would be willing to provoke someone that strong. Besides, the newly-appointed Patriarch Bai Xiaochun had another role in the sect that made him even more domineering. He was a deva patriarch in the Hall of Steel Veins!

The Hall of Steel Veins had always been a very powerful force within the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. They were warrior cultivators who had fought for years in bloody campaigns along the Great Wall, and had shockingly murderous auras. They were the type of people who no one would dare to provoke.

Bai Xiaochun had incredible battle prowess, and an extremely high position in the sect. A deva patriarch like that was the type who would naturally leave the whole sect feeling shaken, and would be the subject of much respect and adoration.

Because of that, he had absolutely no spare time after his return. Every day, crowds of visitors flocked to his immortal's cave on the blue rainbow.

Patriarch Steel Veins was the first to arrive. The two chatted merrily for a bit, and eventually agreed to form a loose alliance between the two of them. Afterward, the patriarch left, smiling the entire time.

The second person to visit was the child deva from Sky Quarter Rainbow. It was a bit awkward at first. They made some small talk, and then he expressed his goodwill, hoping to put behind them the fact that he hadn't stepped in to help the River-Defying Sect.

Next came numerous Nascent Soul cultivators, who offered respectful greetings, as well as gifts, in the hopes of forging a good relationship with Bai Xiaochun. Some of them were experts from Sky Quarter Rainbow, former rivals and enemies who, despite having mixed feelings, expressed nothing but friendly respect.

Bai Xiaochun handled all of these situations with ease. After all, he had built up a lot of experience with this kind of thing over the years. He had become especially used to having a high position of authority back in the Wildlands, and had grown very used to conducting himself properly. He put pressure on some people, and treated others coldly. He greeted certain individuals warmly, and joked with others.

Of course, everything that was happening was being closely observed by the devas who were his neighbors.

Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian all snorted coldly in their hearts, and yet could do nothing other than sit there quietly. They knew that it wouldn't be wise to stir up trouble right when Bai Xiaochun was making his big debut.

There were a few people who Bai Xiaochun treated with particular warmth and sincerity when they came to visit. One of them was the hallmaster from the Hall of Devil Slayers, who had received hints from Du Lingfei to watch out for Bai Xiaochun. His name was Feng Youde!

Feng Youde had prepared a lavish gift for Bai Xiaochun. As far as he was concerned, he had struck it very lucky over the years. After doing as he said he would do, and taking care of Bai Xiaochun, Du Lingfei had kept her promise. Although Feng Youde had not quite reached the Deva Realm because of her help, he was very close.

How could he ever have imagined that his decision all those years ago would benefit him a second time? After hearing that Bai Xiaochun had actually become a deva, he had immediately become very excited.

"Virtue has its rewards!" he thought, sighing emotionally. He treated Bai Xiaochun with the utmost respect, and was personally escorted out, which was a huge honor. After he left, he felt more wonderful than ever.

After three days passed, the stream of visitors slowed down, causing Bai Xiaochun to sigh a bit. He had very much enjoyed the busy three days.

Thanks to having so many visitors, Bai Xiaochun learned a lot about what had gone on in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect during his many years of absence.

He was also reminded that patriarchs from the Hall of Steel Veins were considered elders in the sect, and not just ordinary elders, but prime elders.

Furthermore, there were only six prime elders in the entire Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect! Underneath those prime elders were nearly a hundred Nascent Soul elders. Collectively, they made up… the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect's Cabinet of Elders!

Unless the demigod patriarch interfered, the Cabinet of Elders essentially made all the decisions in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect!

Because of their place in that organization, Chen Hetian, Bai Zhentian, Li Xiandao, and the child deva Li Yuanda had the power and authority to manage all aspects of the sect. Whether it was affairs downriver, alliances with other riversource sects, or communications with Heavenspan Island, it was within the scope of their responsibilities.

Matters both big and small were determined by those four devas. However, the one thing they had no say in… was war!

War… was the jurisdiction of the Hall of Steel Veins. Before, it had been the sole responsibility of Patriarch Steel Veins. But now, Bai Xiaochun was being added to the mix. The two of them were the only ones who could send the ancient and powerful Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect into battle.

Of course, the demigod patriarch could overturn any order. However, when it came to the fighting at the Great Wall, or other conflicts in other areas, the Hall of Steel Veins always took the lead.

Because of the incredibly high status that Bai Xiaochun now had, he qualified to look into many areas of inquiry that had been closed to him before.

For example… Heavenspan Island!!

For example… Du Lingfei's status as Heavenspan emissary!

For example… Hou Xiaomei and Ghostfang!

Based on everything that he had seen in the Wildlands, matters pertaining to Heavenspan Island weren't as much of a mystery anymore. Although he didn't understand everything fully, he had a pretty good idea.

The Celestial really was the emperor of the Heavenspan River region!

The four riversource sects corresponded to the Wildlands' four heavenly kings, and acted like regional governors!

Heavenspan Island was where the Celestial's Palace of the Dao was located.

And when Du Lingfei went out on missions… she ranked the same as a demigod!

In terms of the selection process which had ended up taking Hou Xiaomei and others to Heavenspan Island, Bai Xiaochun was now able to confirm that it really was just a matter of course.

"Du Lingfei… left the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect quite a few years ago. She went back… to Heavenspan Island." Bai Xiaochun currently held a jade slip of information in his hand. By now, he had some speculations regarding why Du Lingfei was the Heavenspan emissary.

As soon as the idea popped into his head, he tried to suppress it. However, a strange expression gradually took over his face. After some more thought, he blinked a few times and then cleared his throat.

"If I'm right… that would be terrifying." He rubbed his nose, then waved his hand to put the jade slip away. Now that he was a deva and prime elder, no secrets could be kept from him in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, except secrets protected by other devas with equal standing to himself.

From that, it was possible to see how important he was now. He truly was an important person whom all disciples looked up to in awe.

Bai Xiaochun was more than pleased by that, and would normally have taken time to strut around and bask in the adoring gazes of everyone in the sect.

But right now, he wasn't in the mood for that. Despite having so many people come to visit him during the past three days, he still had not heard any news about Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai.

It was almost as if they had gone missing. Even Feng Youde was baffled by the situation. He only knew that both of Bai Xiaochun's friends had simply disappeared a year earlier.

When Bai Xiaochun heard that, he immediately came to the conclusion that… a deva was behind the situation!

Only people like that would qualify to do something like this and make sure he couldn't find any information about it.

Both Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai both had life slips in the River-Defying Sect, and therefore, he knew they were alive. But that didn't stop his anxiety from mounting. Sticking up his chin, he snorted coldly.

"It doesn't matter if I can't track them down. I'll just go visit Chen Hetian. Hmmmphh! From now on, if anyone bothers me, I'll take it out on him!" Of the three devas, Chen Hetian was the one he disliked the most, feelings which stretched all the way back to the Wildlands and the Great Wall.

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Chapter 901: Chen Hetian

"I swore all the way back in the Wildlands that I would get my revenge!" A proud expression appeared on Bai Xiaochun's face as he made his decision. Back at the Great Wall, Chen Hetian had acted with utter impunity. Completely ignoring how important Bai Xiaochun was, he had sent him into that labyrinth, and yet, that was not the end of his persecution. He then went on to oppress the River-Defying Sect.

"Hmmmphh! Alright, Chen Hetian, this isn't me looking for revenge, it's you being an intolerable bully. The matter's set. When anyone bothers me, I'll take it out on Chen Hetian!" Swishing his sleeve, he marveled at how important of a figure he was now.

"I can't find Big Fatty Zhang, so I'll take it out on Chen Hetian!

"If someone thinks about trifling with the River-Defying Sect, I'll take it out on Chen Hetian!

"If someone looks at me the wrong way, I'll take it out on Chen Hetian!

"If someone plots against me, I'll take it out on Chen Hetian!"

Bai Xiaochun was convinced that he was so marvelous, no one would ever truly be able to comprehend the full extent of it.

That was especially true when he pondered how Chen Hetian would probably go crazy after what he was about to do. He chuckled excitedly.

And the truth was that was exactly how things would play out. Although he couldn't kill Chen Hetian, his plan of venting his anger on him if anyone caused problems for him would drive the man crazy.

Although Chen Hetian was in the mid Deva Realm, in terms of battle prowess, he didn't match up to Bai Xiaochun at all. The fact that Bai Xiaochun had single-handedly fought five devas, killing two and seriously injuring three, left Chen Hetian completely struck with fear.

Were that not the case, he wouldn't have gone into secluded meditation after returning from the River-Defying Sect. And it was the same with Bai Zhentian and Li Xiandao.

And yet, Chen Hetian clearly didn't understand how Bai Xiaochun operated…. Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined that going into hiding wouldn't stop Bai Xiaochun from coming to cause problems….

With the swish of a sleeve, Bai Xiaochun shot across the rainbow toward Chen Hetian's residence.

Chen Hetian had a sprawling, luxurious estate in the south of the blue rainbow district. Furthermore, he didn't live there alone; he had quite a few members of his clan in the estate with him.

All of the devas lived in such a way.

In the very middle of the sprawling estate was a lake of crystal-clear water, within which lazed a whole school of goldfish. The lake was actually part of the rainbow itself, which was a marvelous thing in and of itself.

Next to the lake was an ordinary-looking log cabin, which was actually a holy place to the Chen Clan. And as the patriarch of the clan, and a deva, it was only natural that Chen Hetian lived there.

As Bai Xiaochun whistled through the air, rumbling booms echoed out, and the clouds churned up above. Rippling distortions spread out in all directions from him.

It immediately attracted a lot of attention from the other disciples. Furthermore, because of the close proximity to where the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Superstars trials were held, many people from there looked over as well.

"What's that sound?!"

"That's… Patriarch Bai?"

Within the Chen Clan estate were numerous clan members who noticed the thunderous roar, much to their shock. When they looked over, they saw something like a shooting star rocketing toward them with incredible speed. A moment later, it was right there in the air above them.

Instantly, the pressure of a deva weighed down in all directions like the will of the heavens, casting the cultivation bases of everyone down below into full chaos.

The person up above was pure and fair, with a proud expression on his face, and his hands clasped behind his back. His chin was stuck up as though he were the most powerful expert in the world. He was none other than… Bai Xiaochun!

The fact that so many people were paying attention to him caused Bai Xiaochun to feel very pleased. Raising his voice, he said, "Chen Hetian, get the hell out here and greet Lord Bai!"

He had intentionally fused with heaven and earth and surpassed heavenly will, which made his voice boom especially loud. It was almost like an attack, a shockwave that caused many Chen Clan cultivators' faces to fall as they staggered backward.

Even the disciples by the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Superstars trials could hear his words, and it caused quite a commotion.

"Elder Bai… went to cause problems for Elder Chen?"

"From the tone of Elder Bai's voice, it sounds like he wants to fight!!" The cultivators in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect almost couldn't believe what they were seeing, and many of them flew up into the air in the hopes of getting a closer look. After all, conflicts between devas, although not completely unheard of, rarely progressed past simple friction.

As Bai Xiaochun's voice echoed out, Chen Hetian was seated cross-legged in the log cabin, meditating. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, and an expression of wrath appeared on his face.

Before the events at the River-Defying Sect, if anyone had done something like this, he would have snorted coldly, rushed out, and killed the offender immediately. But now, he simply gritted his teeth; after all, he knew that because of Bai Xiaochun's shocking battle prowess, the two of them weren't on the same level.

However, the fact that Chen Hetian was biting his tongue actually made Bai Xiaochun more irritated. Once again, he raised his voice and said, "What's going on, Chen Hetian? You're a deva, I'm a deva. Here I am at your front door. Don't tell me you aren't going to come out and say hi? How insolent!" With that, Bai Xiaochun took an angry step forward, heading into the Chen Clan and toward the log cabin.

The other Chen Clan cultivators were trembling in their boots, and didn't dare to interfere.

Within moments, Bai Xiaochun's incredible speed had him closing in on the log cabin. In fact, ripples spread out across the surface of the lake, and even the goldfish began to tremble in fear.

At this point, Chen Hetian couldn't hold back his anger any longer. He blurred into motion, flying up into the air and waving his hand to send a blast of wind at Bai Xiaochun.

"What are you doing, Bai Xiaochun?!?!"

At the same time, Bai Xiaochun unleashed a fist strike, striking the wind blast and sending a terrifyingly loud boom out in all directions.

Chen Hetian grunted and fell back a few paces. However, Bai Xiaochun's expression remained exactly the same as ever. His fleshly body was so powerful it didn't seem necessary for him to defend himself. In fact, he continued forward and prepared to unleash another attack.

"What am I doing? You brought this upon yourself, Chen Hetian! You know exactly what you did!" In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of him.

Chen Hetian's face was a mask of grimness as he performed a double-handed incantation gesture to send another attack at Bai Xiaochun. A boom rang out, and Chen Hetian fell back further. However, Bai Xiaochun didn't slow down at all.

Bai Xiaochun's performance so far had Chen Hetian grumbling bitterly in his heart. His anger continued to burn, and yet, he still held back. As he retreated, he said, "The demigod patriarch already issued his orders about the River-Defying Sect, Bai Xiaochun. You've already killed Patriarch Starry River and Patriarch Dao River. What are you acting like this for!?!? What happened back at the Great Wall was a misunderstanding!"

"This has nothing to do with the River-Defying Sect or the Great Wall, Chen Hetian. Don't play dumb!" Bristling with anger, Bai Xiaochun utilized his Undying Hex, blasting toward Chen Hetian. Performing an incantation gesture with his right hand, he waved, sending frigid qi blasting out, and summoning nine frigid projections. The projections immediately surrounded Chen Hetian on all sides.

Chen Hetian's face fell. He quickly waved his hands out in front of him, causing a black shield of light to spring up and block the nine frigid projections. Falling back again, he angrily yelled, "What exactly are you doing, Bai Xiaochun?!?! I'm not playing dumb! Explain yourself!"

When Bai Xiaochun realized that Chen Hetian's voice was louder than his own, he felt very displeased. With even greater volume than before, he shouted, "You're the culprit here, and you want me to explain?! I'm not leaving until things are settled, Chen Hetian!"

"Y-you… YOU!!" Chen Hetian was absolutely enraged by this point. He could tell that Bai Xiaochun hadn't come about the River-Defying Sect, and yet, couldn't think of what it might be about. After returning to the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, Chen Hetian had gone directly into secluded meditation, and had done nothing to provoke Bai Xiaochun since. Therefore, when Bai Xiaochun called him a 'culprit', it caused his anger to burn even hotter.

It was a strange feeling. Chen Hetian was used to bullying other people, but now… he was the one being bullied….

"Bai Xiaochun!" he raged. "This is complete and utter bullying!!" Even still, he had no idea what he had done to provoke Bai Xiaochun.

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Chapter 902: It Wasnt Me! It Wasnt!!!

"Complete and utter bullying!? How dare you, Chen Hetian!" Bai Xiaochun roared, clearly not ready to give up. Booms rang out over and over as they began to fight back and forth.

Everyone in the Chen Clan was completely shocked by what was happening, and the other cultivators watching from other locations were similarly astonished.

In fact, the other four devas on the blue rainbow sent their divine sense over to watch as well. However, neither Patriarch Steel Veins nor Li Xiandao or Bai Zhentian did anything to interfere.

Of course, both Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian were completely taken aback by the fact that Bai Xiaochun had Chen Hetian at a complete disadvantage. Furthermore, because of everything they had witnessed in the River-Defying Sect, both of them were leery of Bai Xiaochun, and currently didn't dare to get involved.

"This doesn't have anything to do with us…."

"What was Fellow Daoist Chen thinking? This is Bai Xiaochun's moment of triumph! What is he doing causing problems for him right now?"

"Oh well. He's the one who went and pissed off Bai Xiaochun, so he'll just have to resolve the situation on his own."

After conferring briefly, both Bai Zhentian and Li Xiandao agreed that it was really Chen Hetian's fault for being so obtuse.

As for Chen Hetian, he was on the verge of going completely mad. If he were aware of why Bai Xiaochun was going all out to attack him, he might have been able to deal with the situation. But he really had no idea what was going on, and to make things worse, when he asked Bai Xiaochun to explain, Bai Xiaochun sarcastically responded that he already knew.

As Bai Xiaochun circled back around for another powerful attack, Chen Hetian gritted his teeth, shot backward, and cried, "Did someone from my clan offend you? Is that what happened? If so, then it doesn't have anything to do with me!!"

"Someone from your clan?" Bai Xiaochun shouted. "Like hell! It was you, Chen Hetian! Still trying to act dumb? You think I'm three years old or something!?!?"

Chen Hetian wanted to scream out loud in rage. It seemed completely impossible to communicate with Bai Xiaochun, and no matter how he wracked his brains, he couldn't think of what he had done recently to provoke an insane reaction like this.

Chen Hetian's expression couldn't have been more unsightly as he backed up again. Bai Xiaochun was just too strong, and his defenses were virtually impenetrable. Chen Hetian simply had no way to deal with him.

It was about this time that an urgent voice rang out from a short distance away.

"Stop it, Xiaochun!!"

Two beams of light approached, containing a man and woman. They were none other than Zhao Tianjiao and Chen Yueshan.

Chen Yueshan seemed very anxious, whereas Zhao Tianjiao had a bit of a begrudging expression on his face. As soon as they had heard that Bai Xiaochun was going to see Chen Hetian, they had rushed over. They really had no choice but to come. On the one hand, Bai Xiaochun was their friend, but on the other hand, Chen Hetian was a Master and father to the two of them respectively….

If anyone else had come to interfere, Bai Xiaochun would have been able to simply ignore them. But he and Zhao Tianjiao had shared quite a few trials and tribulations. Plus, Zhao Tianjiao had done a lot for the River-Defying Sect, and had even defied Chen Hetian in his attempts to help.

Bai Xiaochun had long considered him a close friend. Therefore, instead of continuing to attack Chen Hetian, he backed up a bit and looked over at Zhao Tianjiao.

Seeing that, Chen Hetian breathed a sigh of relief. However, he kept a very grim expression on his face as he stared coldly at Bai Xiaochun.

Zhao Tianjiao flew over at top speed, planting himself between Bai Xiaochun and his Master. Looking both anxious and slightly irritated, he said, "Xiaochun, you--"

"Eldest Brother," Bai Xiaochun interrupted, "your Master has gone way too far this time. The reason I came here today has nothing to do with the River-Defying Sect. Your Master has committed a wicked and immoral act, and has bullied people to an outrageous degree!!"

When Chen Hetian heard that, he gritted his teeth even harder, and then loudly said, "You need to explain the situation clearly, Bai Xiaochun. What did I do to you?!"

"You want me to explain clearly?" Bai Xiaochun said, glaring back at him. "You did the deed, and yet you don't know?! Fine. I'll just beat the explanation out of you!"

His energy flared, and he made to advance. However, the irritated Zhao Tianjiao quickly interfered.

"Xiaochun!!" he said loudly.

Bai Xiaochun looked over at him, and stopped in place.

"Eldest Brother," he said angrily, "this doesn't have anything to do with you. Your Master has really just gone way overboard. Remember Big Fatty Zhang? And Xu Baocai? They're good friends of mine, and fellow disciples to the both of us. However, your Master kidnapped them, and when I asked for them back, he pretended to not know what was going on!"

Zhao Tianjiao's eyes widened with surprise. He had heard of Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai, and what Bai Xiaochun had said was true; neither of them had been seen or heard from in quite a while. To hear Bai Xiaochun accuse his Master of snatching them actually caused Zhao Tianjiao to hesitate for a moment, and then look over at Chen Hetian.

Chen Hetian's eyes were as wide as Zhao Tianjiao's as he stared blankly at Bai Xiaochun. He really had no idea what was happening, and in fact, had never even heard of Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai.

Struggling to contain his wrath, he grated, "I didn't do anything to those two. I don't even know who they are! You have the wrong person, Bai Xiaochun!" The truth was that he really didn't want to have Bai Xiaochun pissed off at him, so therefore, he added, "That's not how I do things!"

"Well if you didn't do it, then who did!?" Bai Xiaochun said, his eyes narrowing angrily. Looking back at Zhao Tianjiao, he said, "I won't let this drop, Eldest Brother. Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai are good friends of mine, and right now, I don't even know if they're still alive. If this is really my fault, then I'll apologize later!"

With that, he dashed past Zhao Tianjiao toward Chen Hetian.

Moments later, booms rang out as the two of them began fighting again.

Zhao Tianjiao smiled bitterly as he looked at Bai Xiaochun and then Chen Hetian. Finally, he sighed. Obviously, he wasn't in a position to try to separate them, and furthermore, he actually suspected that his Master could be lying….

Chen Hetian felt like he was going crazy.

"I told you I didn't do it, Bai Xiaochun! Why are you acting like this!?!?"

Not willing to be out-shouted by Chen Hetian, Bai Xiaochun raised his voice even more as he shouted, "You're the only person in the sect who I have a grudge with. If it wasn't you, then who was it? Drop the act, Chen Hetian! If you don't hand over Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai right now, then I'll escalate this to the demigod patriarch!"

Chen Hetian felt like blood was about to spray out of his mouth. Never before had he experienced this level of humiliation, and yet, he knew that he couldn't explain himself in a few short words. With that, his hand blurred as, instead of unleashing a divine ability, he pulled out a transmission jade slip to contact Bai Zhentian and Li Xiandao.

"Which of you two did it!?!?" he transmitted. "Dammit, you're completely throwing me under the bus!! The two of you had better explain yourselves!!"

When Bai Xiaochun realized that Chen Hetian was sending some messages, he stopped in place and blinked a few times, anticipation rising in his heart.

Earlier, both Bai Zhentian and Li Xiandao had been paying attention, and realized what was going on. Bai Zhentian didn't seem very fazed, but as for Li Xiandao, his face fell when he realized the truth.

Before he could do anything though, Chen Hetian's message came in.

Li Xiandao immediately began to wail in his heart. Although he was inclined to deny that he was involved, he could see how crazy Chen Hetian was going, and knew that lying now would only make things worse. So he sent a message back.

"Brother Chen… it's just a misunderstanding. Really… I asked around just now, and apparently one of the elders in my clan… accidentally kidnapped Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai."

As soon as the message came in, Chen Hetian whipped his head around to look at Bai Xiaochun. Eyes crimson, he threw the jade slip out and cried, "See that! Well, do you?! Your two friends weren't taken by me! I didn't do it!! I didn't!!! It was Li Xiandao! You got the wrong person, Bai Xiaochun!!!"

Bai Xiaochun caught the jade slip and looked at it, and immediately, anger began to burn in his heart. However, he kept that from showing on his face. Sticking his chin up, he snorted.

"Well, you can't blame me. Nobody forced you to go around looking like a villain all the time. Ah, whatever. Next time I have any problems like this, I'll just come to you for help. Alright, see you later." With that, he turned and blurred into motion toward Li Xiandao's residence.

If Chen Hetian hadn't put the pieces of the puzzle together by this point, then he didn't deserve to have lived for so many years.

"Heaven-damned Bai Xiaochun! Does he mean he's going to come cause problems for me whenever he has the slightest inconvenience?! He's going to force me to help him whether I'm actually involved or not?!?!" Chen Hetian's mood sank further. Were it not for the fact that he was a deva, he would already have been coughing up blood.

Off to the side, Zhao Tianjiao looked on, shaking his head and smiling wryly.

"This Bai Xiaochun is a complete scoundrel!!" Chen Hetian grumbled angrily. The mere thought of Bai Xiaochun coming to cause problems again in the future caused his vision to go dim. If he had known things would end up like this, he would never have done anything to offend him….

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Chapter 903: Its A Misunderstanding...

"What did I do to deserve this…?" Chen Hetian mourned, wishing he could weep. He felt even worse when he looked around at the devastation caused by the fighting earlier, including countless destroyed buildings and structures.

"Someone else kidnapped his friends, but he came looking for me…." he grumbled angrily. The main thing he was worried about was the possibility of this scenario playing out again, and then another time after that, and so on….

"However, this is also a good opportunity. If he gets into a fight with Li Xiandao, I can make a big fuss about it…. The demigod patriarch has surely noticed that Bai Xiaochun came to cause trouble. Although he didn't say anything, if Bai Xiaochun keeps up with this sort of thing, the patriarch will not be pleased!" Eyes flashing brightly with anger, he sent a message to Li Xiandao, hoping to secure his cooperation in turning the situation into a disaster for Bai Xiaochun.

"You're setting yourself up for a catastrophe, Bai Xiaochun!"

Even as Chen Hetian plotted, Bai Xiaochun was weighing matters over in his heart. He hadn't forgotten that the demigod patriarch was in charge of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, which meant that it wouldn't be a good idea to push things too far….

Now that he had determined who the true culprit was, he knew how he would handle the situation. Pushing forward with incredible speed, he left a string of sonic booms behind him as he headed toward Li Xiandao's residence.

As he closed in, a stream of deva will erupted out from the Li Clan.

Li Xiandao appeared and said, "Calm down, Fellow Daoist Bai. This is a misunderstanding, that's all. A misunderstanding…. I've already sent for your two friends. All you have to do is wait for a moment."

With that, he clasped hands and bowed, a friendly smile on his face. Considering how short of a temper he had, if this were any other person he was dealing with, he would have attacked immediately and killed them. But he truly feared Bai Xiaochun, and his heart still trembled with terror based on what he had seen back in the River-Defying Sect.

In retrospect, he wished he could go back and do something to put Bai Xiaochun in check before he reached his full potential. But now he was a true chosen of the sect, with a limitless future. He was not the type of person to provoke, and thus, smoothing things out with him right now was obviously the best choice.

By now, he had received Chen Hetian's message, and actually agreed with the other deva's plan. And yet, he still wasn't sure of exactly what to do. Until he decided for sure, the best thing was to still put on a show of deference in front of Bai Xiaochun. That way, Bai Xiaochun would look even more unreasonable and domineering to the demigod patriarch.

Based on what Li Xiandao knew of the demigod patriarch, the man might not necessarily intervene immediately when a deva started throwing his weight around, but he definitely wouldn't be happy.

Furthermore, showing deference to Bai Xiaochun wouldn't be a loss of face. After all, they were both devas, so taking the initiative to bow his head was an appropriate thing to do.

To Li Xiandao, anyone beneath the Deva Realm was nothing more than a bug. Only people in the same cultivation level as himself counted as powerful experts!

When Bai Xiaochun saw that Li Xiandao was acting deferentially, his eyes flickered, and he immediately came to the conclusion that something fishy was going on.

"You kidnap my friends and then tell me to calm down? What the hell, Li Xiandao?!"

Li Xiandao's eyes flickered, and he backed up a few paces.

Seeing that, Bai Xiaochun's eyes narrowed.

"Taking the initiative to bow his head, and trying to goad me into making a mistake? Well played, Li Xiandao!" Racing to come up with his next move, he accelerated, and then unleashed an attack. A moment later, he and Li Xiandao were fighting back and forth.

All of the cultivators on the other rainbows had shifted their attention from Chen Hetian to this new area. As for Chen Hetian himself, his divine sense was locked onto the area as well.

Chen Hetian really couldn't contain himself. He hated Bai Xiaochun so much, and was so invested in plotting against him, that he began to chuckle coldly as soon as the fighting broke out.

"Beat him! The harder the better!" Feeling wonderful about how things were going, he kept his focus directed completely on the scene playing out.

Least under pressure was Bai Zhentian, who was also pleased with how things were playing out between Bai Xiaochun and Li Xiandao. At the same time, he was feeling very glad that, other than the River-Defying Sect incident, he had never done anything to build up a grudge between himself and Bai Xiaochun.

"What an unreasonable lunatic!" he thought, sighing. By this point, he realized that something seemed to be a bit off about Li Xiandao's actions. But then he thought about what he knew of Chen Hetian, and quickly speculated as to what was going on. It actually made the current situation even more intriguing.

As the booms rang out, Li Xiandao fell back over and over again. Despite being in the mid Deva Realm, he found Bai Xiaochun to be a very tough opponent, with seemingly boundless energy. The divine abilities and magical techniques that Bai Xiaochun had at his disposal were as troublesome for Li Xiandao as they were for Chen Hetian, and left him feeling almost completely helpless.

What had him feeling even more frustrated was that, as a deva patriarch, there was no way that he would go around causing problems for measly disciples who weren't even in the Nascent Soul stage. From what he remembered, it was an elder from among his subordinates who had taken Bai Xiaochun's friends. Later, the man had sent one of Li Xiandao's own grandsons to ask for his approval in the matter, and for help to make sure that no sect rules were violated.

By this point, he truly detested that grandson of his. Although, what irritated him the most was not the trouble itself, but the fact that his grandson hadn't come to remind him of the situation after Bai Xiaochun rose to power.

That lack of a reminder was what had led to the current situation. If the matter had been pointed out to him earlier, he could have resolved the situation by numerous means.

As he considered all of these things, he decided that since Bai Xiaochun seemed inclined to push things too far, then the best thing was to go along with Chen Hetian's plan. Therefore, he put an even more deferential expression onto his face.

"Listen to me, Bai, old pal. I already took care of the situation with your friends. They'll be here any moment! There's no need for this fighting! I'll definitely compensate you for everything!"

When Bai Xiaochun heard that, he snorted coldly in his heart. Taking a step forward, he said, "That's not how this is going to work. Ai. I don't really want to beat you up either. But I treated Chen Hetian unfairly earlier, and got in a big fight with him. Now that I have the real culprit in front of me, if I don't beat him up a bit, how would Chen Hetian feel? It just wouldn't be fair! And what would other people think?!"

Many jaws dropped among the onlookers in response to his words. Strange expressions appeared, and many people even chuckled. At first, Bai Xiaochun's words seemed to make sense, but after thinking about it, most cultivators in the audience realized how nonsensical they were….

"What… what is that supposed to mean?"

"He had a misunderstanding with Elder Chen, and therefore has to go beat up Elder Li?"

Meanwhile, a stream of divine sense from the violet rainbow up above was focused on the events down below. It was the demigod patriarch, who earlier had been a bit irritated at Bai Xiaochun's actions. However, the words he had spoken just now caused the patriarch to smile. All of the irritation he had felt earlier quickly melted away.

The patriarch shook his head. He didn't like it when his subordinates started throwing their weight around too much, which could easily get out of control. However, Bai Xiaochun's words just now had revealed his true attitude!

Perhaps he had planned all along to word things that way, which would just go to show that Bai Xiaochun was somewhat audacious. People like that were often easy to control. Perhaps he hadn't planned the words out, but that would actually just make the situation more amusing.

The truth was that the demigod patriarch was actually very curious about Bai Xiaochun. Furthermore, the reason why he had been so quick to confer him with a title had to do with Du Lingfei.

In response to the words Bai Xiaochun had just uttered, Chen Hetian gasped.

As for Li Xiandao, he gazed deeply at Bai Xiaochun, and suddenly felt more on guard than ever. At the same time, he abandoned any thoughts of going along with Chen Hetian's plan.

"This guy doesn't just have incredible battle prowess, he's also a profound schemer! Not only did he resolve the situation, he did it brilliantly!" A smile broke out on Li Xiandao's face, and he clasped hands respectfully.

"Don't worry, Fellow Daoist Bai. Whatever misunderstanding you had with Fellow Daoist Chen has nothing to do with the two of us. Maybe this little conflict can be the start of a new friendship!"

At the moment, Li Xiandao actually wasn't very afraid of Bai Xiaochun; in fact, he actually felt no need to cause any problems for him.

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Chapter 904: You Dropped Something, Fellow Daoist Bai

Bai Xiaochun had already received the approval of the demigod patriarch, and was now just like the other devas, a prime elder of the sect. A single remark from him completely foiled Chen Hetian's plan, a fact that Li Xiandao refused to believe the demigod patriarch didn't realize. The fact that the patriarch had still not intervened went to show what was really going on.

"Well," Li Xiandao thought, "this is probably the best opportunity to work things out with Bai Xiaochun." He quickly performed an incantation gesture, causing a screen of light to spring out, covering the both of them and giving them a certain level of privacy. Then he patted his bag of holding to produce a jade pendant.

The surface of the pendant was carved with three dragons and six phoenixes, and possessed a remarkable aura. The dragons and phoenixes almost seemed alive, and caused a swirling mist to spring up in the area.

A single glance at the pendant would reveal that it was an extraordinary item. Furthermore, it seemed to pulse with the will of the heavens. It was obviously…. a deva-level magical item!

"Fellow Daoist Bai, is this your jade pendant? I happened to pick it up earlier, and just realized that, based on the fluctuations, it must belong to you." Smiling, he waved his hand, sending the jade pendant flying over to Bai Xiaochun in a beam of bright light.

Although none of the lower-level cultivators could see what was happening, Bai Zhentian and Chen Hetian were able to observe easily. Bai Zhentian seemed slightly confused about it, but not Chen Hetian, whose eyes went wide.

Never could he have imagined that Li Xiandao would use this method to try to work things out with Bai Xiaochun. It actually caused his heart to sink even further.

"How could this Li Xiandao ignore propriety so brazenly!? I can't believe he would do something so shameless!" As far as Chen Hetian was concerned, Li Xiandao was showing how much of a complete rogue he was!

Bai Xiaochun seemed surprised as he reached out to grab the pendant. Then he looked back suspiciously at Li Xiandao for a moment, before his eyes glittered.

"This old man isn't that bad after all!" he thought. Giving gifts to resolve a situation was oftentimes a good method, but could easily come across as insincere. Thankfully, Li Xiandao had worded things perfectly, making the situation much more palatable.

Bai Xiaochun was starting to calm down quite a bit, and actually resolved to use this method himself in the future. Clearing his throat, he tossed the jade pendant into his bag of holding.

"Eee? What do you know, this is my jade pendant! I knew I dropped it somewhere. It turns out you found it, Fellow Daoist Li!" Laughing heartily, he decided to see if he could push the envelope a bit. "You know what, Fellow Daoist Li? I happen to remember that, back when I lost that jade pendant, I also happened to lose a flying sword. A really expensive flying sword."

When Li Xiandao heard this, his expression turned a bit stiff. However, he patted his bag of holding to produce a small blue sword that sent intense frigid qi out in all directions. As it hovered there in midair, it began to turn translucent, as if it might disappear at any moment.

Feeling very pleased, Bai Xiaochun quickly said, "Hahaha! That sword is a family heirloom! Many thanks, Fellow Daoist Li!" He made a grasping motion, causing the sword to fly over to him. After fondling it admiringly for a moment, he put it into his bag of holding.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Bai," Li Xiandao said, chuckling. "At long last, your belongings have been returned to you. By the way, the elder who snatched your friends did it without permission, and had help from someone else from the junior generation. Don't worry, I'll definitely provide compensation to make up for their mistake!" As far as Li Xiandao was concerned, material things, and even the two culprits, were not worth anything when compared to resolving the grievance with Bai Xiaochun.

By now, Bai Xiaochun realized that he couldn't continue to cause problems. In fact, he was just about to say something more when his expression flickered. Then, he and Li Xiandao both looked down at the Li Clan ancestral mansion below.

There, Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai had just stepped out into the open. Their faces both shone with healthy glows, and they wore sumptuous garments. Not a single wound or injury could be seen on either of them. They were escorted by a throng of Li Clan cultivators, who treated them with the utmost respect.

However, both of them had blank expressions on their faces, as if they had been caught completely unprepared by what was happening. Clearly, the Li Clan had scrambled to make all of this happen.

When Bai Xiaochun saw that Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai were both in good condition, he breathed a sigh of relief. Smiling, he looked over at them, waved his hand, and called out a greeting.

Big Fatty Zhang looked back at him in shock, seemingly unwilling to believe his own eyes. As for Xu Baocai, when he caught sight of Bai Xiaochun, he gasped, and his eyes went wide in disbelief.

"Xiaochun!!"

"You're not dead!!"

Bai Xiaochun cleared his throat, flicked his sleeve, and loudly said, "How could there possibly be anything in this heaven and earth that could lead Bai Xiaochun into death!?"

A strange expression appeared on Li Xiandao's face. However, Xu Baocai and Big Fatty Zhang were used to Bai Xiaochun saying things like this. Therefore, it was at this point that the joy of being reunited with their old friend overtook their faces.

"You're finally back, Xiaochun!!" Big Fatty Zhang rushed forward and embraced Bai Xiaochun. He had gained weight recently, and although he didn't quite look like a mountain of flesh, he was still not thin by any means. In fact, his fat quivered with excitement as he hugged Bai Xiaochun.

When Xu Baocai recovered his composure, he hurried forward and instinctively began to offer some flattery.

"Junior Patriarch, you are definitely the most ultimate of chosen. Unmatched and unparalleled in the world! There is absolutely, positively nothing in this heaven and earth that could possibly lead Sect Uncle Bai into death. What's so amazing about the Wildlands anyway?!"

When Bai Xiaochun heard the excitement in Big Fatty Zhang's voice, and the flattery of Xu Baocai, warm happiness rose up inside of him. Back when he was out in the Wildlands, he had worried constantly about his friends Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai, who he had left behind in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect.

Clearing his throat, Li Xiandao interrupted Bai Xiaochun's reunion to warmly say, "Your friends are back, Bai, old pal. Don't worry, I'll definitely provide you with handsome compensation for all of this!"

Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai were both taken aback by what Li Xiandao had just said. After all, despite the many years they had spent in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, they hadn't had many dealings with devas, and thus didn't immediately recognize Li Xiandao.

However, they could tell that he was someone important. Otherwise, why would they have been escorted like royalty out of the Li Clan? Not only had they been given urgent treatment of their injuries, they had been treated with utmost respect. In fact, they had also been showered with gifts, along with pleas not to take their imprisonment to heart.

Neither of them could ever have imagined that they would be given so many gifts. However, when they realized that it was because Bai Xiaochun had used some unknown means to secure the help of someone extremely important in the sect, they were deeply shaken.

Bai Xiaochun glanced at Li Xiandao, then looked back at Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai. Thumping his chest, he said, "Eldest Brother, Brother Baocai, what do you two think? You must have had it pretty bad off recently. If there're any points of discontent you have, or anything in particular that you want, just say the word."

Li Xiandao smiled wryly, but didn't say anything. Instead, he looked expectantly at Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai.

All the other Li Clan cultivators also looked over nervously at Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai, pleading looks in their eyes.

The two of them blinked awkwardly, and exchanged glances, simultaneously rubbing their bags of holding. After all, they already had been given copious amounts of treasure.

Then they thought back to their imprisonment. Although it had been somewhat humiliating, they hadn't been in any mortal danger. It had only lasted for about a year, and in exchange, they had been given nearly a hundred years' worth of cultivation resources.

With such thoughts on their minds, they looked back at Bai Xiaochun and shook their heads. Bai Xiaochun wasn't inclined to let things go so easily, especially considering the weak position Li Xiandao was in. However, it didn't seem appropriate to push the matter. Nodding, he clasped hands to Li Xiandao, and then took Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai with him as he left.

Afterward, the Li Clan cultivators finally breathed sighs of relief. At the same time, Li Xiandao's expression turned very grim and cold.

"Bring Li Yuansheng and that elder over here immediately!" The rumbling thunder of his voice struck fear into the hearts of everyone in the clan. Obviously, the time had come to settle accounts. Furthermore, it wouldn't just be Li Yuansheng who was punished for what had occurred, it would be his entire bloodline.

Considering how angry the patriarch was, no one dared to try to beg for mercy. Besides, nobody wanted to incur the further wrath of the most glorious figure in the sect right now, the deva patriarch, Bai Xiaochun!

After all, not even their own Li Clan patriarch had been able to stand up to him!

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Chapter 905: Stop Joking Around, Xiaochun

Bai Xiaochun was bursting with happiness as he slowly led Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai across the blue rainbow toward his immortal's cave, reminiscing the entire way. It almost felt like they had gone back in time to when they had first arrived in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect.

Although Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai were happy to be reunited, they also couldn't stop thinking about how suddenly everything had just changed for them.

Finally, Big Fatty Zhang asked, "Xiaochun, which member of the senior generation was that just now?"

He could tell that Bai Xiaochun's cultivation base has made significant advancement. However, despite the fact that he himself was in the late Core Formation stage, he still couldn't assess its exact level.

Xu Baocai was only in early Core Formation, and as such, had even less of an idea of how strong Bai Xiaochun was. However, he could tell that there was something different and mysterious about him. In fact, if he closed his eyes, it was literally impossible for him to detect Bai Xiaochun's presence.

"Him? Bai Xiaochun blinked, and his eyebrows shot up. "Oh, that was Li Xiandao."

"Li Xiandao? Why does that name sound familiar?"

Big Fatty Zhang couldn't place who the name belonged to. However, Xu Baocai had a reputation for being able to know everything about a place, no matter where he went. Therefore, when he heard the name 'Li Xiandao', his eyes went wide, and he gasped.

"Li Xiandao!?!?" he blurted. "One of the five deva patriarchs of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect? That Li Xiandao!?!?"

In response to Xu Baocai's words, Big Fatty Zhang's jaw dropped.

"I remember now!" he said. "Li Xiandao is the deva patriarch of the Li Clan! He was the one who ordered Xu Baocai and me to be arrested! Xiaochun, you have no idea how wicked the Li Clan is!!" Shaken, Big Fatty Zhang went on to explain to Bai Xiaochun everything which had occurred in the years he had been gone.

Back when Bai Xiaochun left for the Great Wall, Big Fatty Zhang had been forming his Will Core. Neither he nor Xu Baocai had qualified to leave the sect, and thus had no choice but to stay behind in Sky City to manage the business at Bai Xiaochun's inn.

With guidance from Feng Youde, Big Fatty Zhang had eventually succeeded in his breakthrough. Because of his unique Will Core, he had achieved even greater success with his spirit enhancements. Furthermore, his battle prowess actually surpassed ordinary cultivators in his same cultivation level.

Eventually, he rose through the ranks of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Superstars and came to be viewed as one of the top chosen in the sect.

Perhaps because of Big Fatty Zhang's rise to prominence, Xu Baocai also achieved a higher level of success. He never truly became one of the superstars. However, he was careful to make the right friends in the sect, and avoid offending anyone important.

Things had proceeded like that for some time, with Big Fatty Zhang making the most progress in his cultivation base. Eventually, word came back to the sect that Bai Xiaochun had gone missing, which was very upsetting to Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai. Although they wanted to go back to the River-Defying Sect, the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect was not the type of place where they could come and go whenever they wanted.

Therefore, they continued to act with the utmost caution within the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. However, because Bai Xiaochun was missing, the Li Clan chosen Li Yuansheng finally came back for revenge. With Bai Xiaochun out of the picture, he felt confident enough to strike at Bai Xiaochun's inn in Sky City, and take it away from Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai.

During the process, he injured Xu Baocai so badly that, if Big Fatty Zhang hadn't been there to save him, he would have been killed.

The grudge with Li Yuansheng had started many years ago, and his act of taking the inn away made it even worse. Unfortunately, Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai weren't strong enough to do anything about it, and were forced to simply grit their teeth in frustration. Thankfully, Bai Xiaochun's old friend Zhao Tianjiao had come back to the sect by that time, and was able to look out for them.

The two of them were aware of the friction between the River-Defying Sect and the other three sects in the Middle Reaches, but being mere Core Formation cultivators, they couldn't get back to the sect easily. Therefore, Big Fatty Zhang had focused hard on his cultivation in an attempt to break into the top 20 of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Superstars.

According to the rules of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, the disciples in the top 20 were considered official chosen within the sect. If Big Fatty Zhang could reach that rank, then he would qualify to return to the River-Defying Sect.

Big Fatty Zhang went crazy with his cultivation. One year, he finally achieved his breakthrough and reached the late Will Core stage. That was when he went to make his attempt at the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Superstars. However, it was at around the same time that Li Yuansheng also reached late Core Formation, leading to a big competition between the two of them.

Li Yuansheng was a chosen, but in terms of battle prowess, he couldn't match up to Big Fatty Zhang with his Will Core. Therefore, Big Fatty Zhang defeated him, breaking into the top 20 and leaving Li Yuansheng behind in 21st place.

The conflict between them grew more intense after that, until it reached the breaking point. Ignoring the possibility of offending Bai Xiaochun's old friends, Li Yuansheng called upon the power of his clan to frame Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai. He even begged for help from his patriarch Li Xiandao, and a Nascent Soul elder, which ended up with Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai being arrested!

If Big Fatty Zhang hadn't broken through into the top 20 of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Superstars, then Li Yuansheng would have gone so far as to have him killed. But Big Fatty Zhang had achieved a high enough status that not even deva patriarch Li Xiandao dared to end his life. Instead, he had the two of them imprisoned. Li Yuansheng hadn't been willing to give up, and called upon his connections in the sect to have their sentence officially set at a full sixty-year-cycle!

That was the reason why Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai hadn't returned to the sect to help during the war; they had both been imprisoned, and didn't even know about what was happening on the outside.

When Bai Xiaochun heard about all of this, his expression turned grimmer and grimmer. Now that he knew the truth about everything the Li Clan had done, his heart turned as cold as ice.

And it all stemmed from the years-long grudge between himself and Li Yuansheng.

"Eldest Brother, Xu Baocai," he said through gritted teeth. "I'm definitely going to get you some major compensation for this! Let's wait and see how exactly Li Xiandao handles the matter. If it doesn't meet with my approval, or if he tries to cover for Li Yuansheng, then… I'll just go beat the crap out of him!" With that, he snorted coldly.

In response to his words, Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai exchanged awkward glances. A moment passed, and then Xu Baocai said, "Junior Patriarch, um… Li Xiandao is a deva…."

Bai Xiaochun stuck his chin up and flicked his sleeve.

"Who gives a crap that he's a deva!?" he said proudly. "I'm a deva too!"

Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai were visibly stunned. In fact, his words were so shocking that they didn't actually dare to believe him.

Big Fatty Zhang stepped forward nervously and felt Bai Xiaochun's forehead. "Xiaochun… are you okay?"

"I really am a deva!" Bai Xiaochun said, not sure whether to laugh or cry.

"Oh, Xiaochun, you don't need to explain. We believe you!" Changing the subject, Big Fatty Zhang said, "Oh, right. Who did you get to convince Li Xiandao to let us go?"

"Nobody, Eldest Brother, I--" However, instead of finishing his sentence, he looked up at a group of seven or eight disciples who had just come out from the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Superstars trials, and were preparing to leave the rainbow.

"Hey you, come over here and tell my friends who I am!"

The disciples were initially taken aback, but then quickly flew over and offered respectful bows.

"Greetings, Patriarch Bai!"

Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai were stunned. They actually knew two of these disciples, who were both in the top 50 of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Superstars. One of them was actually a top chosen who was in the teens in terms of the rankings.

"Um… stop joking around, Xiaochun…." Big Fatty Zhang said, panting a bit, still not quite able to convince himself that it was true. As for Xu Baocai, he was trembling, and his eyes shone with profound shock.

"I really am a deva! I'm the sixth deva of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect!" Having no other way to convince them, he unleashed the power of his cultivation base. Everything began to shake, and crashing sounds filled the air like thunder. At the same time, Bai Xiaochun's face appeared high above in the air, looking down superciliously at all creation!

His will descended from above like the will of the heavens!

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Chapter 906: Sun-Moon Vast-Sky Incantation

As Bai Xiaochun's cultivation base thrummed with power, the face up above emitted more and more pressure. A moment later, he retracted his cultivation base power, and the face vanished.

"Y-you… you…." Big Fatty Zhang could hardly breathe, to the point where his face turned crimson. Utter disbelief shone in his eyes, and his mind spun as surely as if someone were hitting him in the head.

Xu Baocai's reaction was similar. As he thought back to everything that had just happened, suddenly, it all made sense. Li Xiandao's politeness, and the fact that the Li Clan had suddenly treated him and Big Fatty Zhang like royalty… was all because of Bai Xiaochun's status in the sect!

"Bai Xiaochun… is a deva…." Big Fatty Zhang's heart began to pound with excitement, and then his eyes started shining. He slapped his thigh. "Hahaha! From now on, nobody in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect will dare to mess with me!!"

Bai Xiaochun was very pleased to see Big Fatty Zhang so excited. Thumping himself on the chest, he said, "That's right. Nobody in the sect will ever cause problems for either of you, ever again!"

Xu Baocai had obviously already reached the same conclusion. He couldn't help but think about all of the female cultivators he had taken a liking to over the years, none of whom had ever paid much attention to him. But things were different now….

"Now that the junior patriarch is a deva," he thought, "the fact that I'm so close to him means that those girls will start banging down the door to get to me!" His excitement about what was to come began to soar to epic heights.

As for Big Fatty Zhang, his heart was racing, both with excitement for Bai Xiaochun, and also anticipation for the future.

He had endured quite a bit of hardship in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, mostly because he had no powerful person backing him. He and Xu Baocai had been forced to swallow their anger and act with the utmost caution in everything.

But now everything had changed. His close friend was a deva patriarch, which meant he had free reign to act however he wanted to in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect.

And thus, Bai Xiaochun led the elated Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai back to his immortal's cave on the blue rainbow. Now that he was a sect elder and a deva, he had a residence that was roughly the same as those of the other devas.

The only difference was that he had no clan to occupy the area. And thus, he immediately invited Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai to live with him.

His residence was filled with countless spectacular buildings and structures, as well as strong spiritual energy from the Heavenspan Sea. As far as Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai were concerned, they were living in a dream now.

"Xiaochun, I've made a decision," Big Fatty Zhang announced. "We need to have a powerful faction of our own within the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. The other five deva patriarchs all have a bunch of powerful experts working for them, and we need the same thing! I've gotten to know a lot of people over the years, so we should have plenty to pick from!"

"That's exactly right," Xu Baocai said. "There are plenty of disciples in the sect who have yet to realize their dreams. Now that you're a deva, Junior Patriarch, it's the perfect way to give them their shot at glory." With that, he pulled a little notebook out of the folds of his robe and started flipping through it to identify potential recruits.

Bai Xiaochun was very pleased with how enthusiastic Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai were acting. After some thought, he decided that they were exactly right. After all, he already missed his army of corpse troopers from back in Arch-Emperor City. Therefore, he immediately gave Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai authorization to start gathering people to form a new faction.

In fact, at Xu Baocai's request, he issued a Dharmic decree, giving the two of them the power and authority to do it officially.

With that, they hurried away, Dharmic decree in hand, eager to make contact with their network in the sect, both to show off, and also to gather people to their side to go harass their enemies.

With an official Dharmic decree, the sky was the limit!

Now that he had rescued his friends, Bai Xiaochun could finally relax. Most of the important tasks he had set out to do had now been accomplished.

With Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai tasked with building up power within the sect, he could relax and start thinking about his cultivation.

"I need to keep working on my Undying Blood, but that requires a lot of life force…. Now that I'm a deva patriarch, that shouldn't be too hard to accomplish. But I still need a deva technique." After some thought, he stood up and vanished, to reappear in a central location on the blue rainbow, where a seven-story pagoda rose high into the air.

It was called the Starry Sky Pavilion, and was a repository for many of the legacies in the sect. Quite a few divine abilities and magical techniques were kept there. As for the deva-level Daoist magics, they were specifically stored on the seventh story.

An ordinary disciple could visit the lower six stories if they had a high cultivation base and plenty of merit points.

But Bai Xiaochun was a prime elder, which meant he had free access to the entire Starry Sky Pavilion. Furthermore, there were no merit point requirements for him. Including him, there were only seven total people in the sect who had such access: the devas, and the demigod patriarch.

Bai Xiaochun materialized directly on the seventh story of the pagoda. The only thing present there was a simple, unadorned table, in the middle of which rested nine ancient bamboo slips.

They were clearly items which had existed for countless years, and all of them had cracks covering their surfaces. Obviously, they were all originals, and not copies.

Surrounding the nine bamboo slips were three rings of jade slips, which contained several dozen different techniques. Obviously, the jade slips were inferior to the bamboo slips, and contained incomplete techniques.

He sent some divine sense out to scan the various slips, and was shocked by what he discovered. "They're all deva-level Daoist magics?"

Back in the River-Defying Sect, they only had two deva-level Daoist magics, which were both incomplete.

But the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect had many. Bai Xiaochun now had a much clearer understanding of how deep the reserve powers of the sect ran.

After scanning all of the techniques with divine sense to get a basic idea of what they were about, he confirmed his previous conjecture that the nine bamboo slips were the most complete of the various techniques. He saw Li Xiandao's sword technique, Chen Hetian's devil technique, and Bai Zhentian's cosmic chessboard.

Of course, before selecting a given technique, he could only see its basic description, and none of the important details.

The three concentric rings of jade slips all contained incomplete techniques, with the outermost of the rings containing the least complete of all. Some of the techniques he recognized as ones used by Patriarchs Starry River, Dao River, and Polarity River. There were also some that he had never heard of before.

"The ones in the middle of the table are the best…." he thought, frowning. After looking at the nine bamboo slips again, he realized that, despite how complete they were, they were all in completely different categories than the techniques he had cultivated up til now. They were core deva-level Daoist magics of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, and in order to cultivate them, one needed to have a certain foundation of techniques to work upon.

"Back in Core Formation, I worked on the Frigid School Will-Evolving Incantation. In the Wildlands, I reached the Nascent Soul stage by using spirit enhancement techniques, and therefore didn't get a special technique. Now that I'm a deva, it's very important that I get an appropriate Daoist magic." After more thought, he examined what was available, until something caught his eye on the outermost of the three rings. The only downside to it was how incomplete it was.

It was called the Sun-Moon Vast-Sky Incantation!

Just as its impressive name indicated, cultivating it allowed one to produce an additional sun and moon in the sky!

Supposedly, it was a technique that came from the ancient Arch-Emperor Dynasty. It had been incomplete when discovered, and its true origins had never been determined. However, after much research, it was determined that cultivating it all the way to the ninth level would allow one to break into the Demigod Realm, and consume suns and moons!

"It's too bad that this version of the Sun-Moon Vast-Sky Incantation only goes up to the third level…. That would get me to the mid Deva Realm. The rest of the technique… has been lost to the sands of time." Bai Xiaochun was torn about what to do.

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Chapter 907: Like A Fish Back In Water

Also inscribed on the jade slip was information from three deva patriarchs of the past, people who had long since perished, but who had cultivated the Sun-Moon Vast-Sky Incantation.

That information contained tips and bits of enlightenment from those three patriarchs. Most of them expressed regret at not having the full technique. One of them even pointed out that the full technique would be powerful even after breaking through to the Demigod Realm!

It truly was a domineering technique, and very different from other, ordinary deva-level Daoist magics. By refining the spiritual power of heaven and earth, one could create a sun and a moon inside oneself. When those heavenly bodies emerged out into the open, they would truly be a second sun and moon in the vast sky!

It was a level of power that was shocking to even contemplate! The technique didn't require any specific foundation, only a deva cultivation base. It contained countless variations within it, and could be used in combination with any other technique.

The main downside was that it only consisted of the first three levels…. Furthermore, the third level had been added by a past patriarch, and was therefore a derivative technique, and not authentic. The second level was the highest authentic level in the entire technique.

Anyone who cultivated it would eventually have to change to another technique after reaching the mid Deva Realm, which was exactly what the other three patriarchs who had cultivated it ended up doing.

"None of the other techniques will work for me, so I guess I'll pick this one…. Although it will only work for so long, considering that my apprentice is the Hell-Emperor, and an omnipotent genius, it's always possible that I might be able to work out the higher levels on my own." After a bit more thought, he gritted his teeth, grabbed the Sun-Moon Vast-Sky Incantation, and left the Starry Sky Pavilion.

He reappeared moments later back in his residence, where he went into secluded meditation and poured himself into the study of his new technique. The more he learned about it, the more he realized it was truly astonishing.

"This thing shouldn't be called the Sun-Moon Vast-Sky Incantation. It should be called the Sun-Moon Super-Overpowered Incantation!

"The first three levels are devoted to summoning a moon inside oneself. After reaching the third level, that moon can emerge into the world to hang in the sky!

"The missing middle levels are about summoning a sun….

"From what I can tell, the final three levels must be about bringing both the sun and the moon out into the open, and illuminating all creation with their brilliance!" Sighing, he set to work at cultivating the first level.

In terms of the life force he needed to work on his Undying Blood, now that he had such a high status in the sect, it was easier for him to request large amounts of plants and vegetation that had life force in them.

In fact, as a prime elder, he could set sect missions for apothecary cultivators in the sect to concoct medicine for him.

Although he happened to be of the opinion that the medicinal pills concocted by others would be of lower quality, after wrestling with the issue for a while, he sighed and made up his mind.

"I can't do the concocting myself. Whenever I do that, accidents happen. Now that the demigod patriarch is my direct superior, it would be a big headache if I caused some disaster." It was with a bit of regret that he decided to have lower-ranking disciples do the concocting for him. One upside was that it led to large amounts of pills flowing in, and allowed him to advance by leaps and bounds with his Undying Blood.

His regret at not being able to personally make the pills could only be shoved down to the bottom of his heart.

In the blink of an eye, three months passed.

During that time, Bai Xiaochun focused only on cultivating his Undying Blood and the Sun-Moon Vast-Sky Incantation. As he did, he came to realize what it meant to occupy one of the highest positions in the sect, and have access to so many cultivation resources.

In fact, he used so many resources that, if he had been back in the River-Defying Sect, he would have bled them dry. To the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, though, such usage of resources was considered negligible.

After all, back before the Great Wall had collapsed, the resources required to man it had vastly surpassed anything that Bai Xiaochun could match. Even that level of expenditure had not been a problem for the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect's reserves, which had been built up over tens upon tens of thousands of years.

Another thing Bai Xiaochun came to realize was that the four demigod heavenly kings in the Wildlands actually couldn't compare at all to the demigods in the riversource sects of the Heavenspan River region, at least in terms of wealth.

The resources at the disposal of the riversource sects vastly surpassed the heavenly kings. Of course, the Heavenspan River region wasn't without its weaknesses. There was something the Wildlands had that was sadly lacking the Heavenspan River.

And that was… fighting spirit and valiance!

In the Wildlands, soul cultivators lived hard and difficult lives. In contrast, the Heavenspan River cultivators were like flowers in a greenhouse. Whether it was in terms of bravery or ambition, they didn't even come close to comparing to the Wildlanders.

Perhaps that was why the two sides had been at a deadlock for so long. Now that the Great Wall had fallen, it was difficult to say which side would have the advantage.

It was a big headache to consider the matter for even a short time. Therefore, he put it aside and focused on his cultivation.

Another thing that happened during the three months that passed was that his faction grew with shocking speed.

Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai had not wasted their years in the sect. Although they had conducted themselves with the utmost caution over the years, they had also worked hard to expand their network of contacts.

It didn't take long for them to gather a group of disciples who had previously never had a chance to rise to prominence. They were the ones who formed the backbone of Bai Xiaochun's faction now that he was a prime elder.

They even had nine Nascent Soul elders, one of them being Feng Youde.

There were even more Core Formation and Foundation Establishment cultivators, and overall, they formed a very powerful group. After all, Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai had gained a lot of experience back in Sky City, which they drew upon to grow their organization both quickly and with great strength.

Li Xiandao followed through with his promise of compensation. Originally, he had planned to keep things low key, but after finding out the truth of the matter, he realized that if he didn't act decisively, the truce he had worked out would crumble, and his relationship with Bai Xiaochun would be grievously damaged.

As a deva patriarch, he had many descendants, and therefore, he acted with brutal decisiveness. The first thing he did was deliver up the head of the Nascent Soul elder who had been the primary culprit.

Then he crippled Li Yuansheng's cultivation base and locked him up in the very same prison where Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai had been held. Bai Xiaochun had no complaints about how the matter was handled, and Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai were both quite pleased.

After all was said and done, the relationship between Li Xiandao and Bai Xiaochun ended up relatively warm, and the friction from the matter of the River-Defying Sect was smoothed over.

At the same time, because of Bai Xiaochun's position, and the growth of his faction, there was no need for any requests or negotiations regarding his inn in Sky City. The Celestial Sky Society took the initiative to return it to him.

The Celestial Sky Society had the same boss as many years ago. Trembling with fear, he personally went to visit Bai Xiaochun to handle matters.

The man's heart was filled with endless sighs. Never could he have imagined that the same Bai Xiaochun with whom he had squabbled over resources in Sky City would, only a handful of decades later, become the sixth prime elder in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, a person of utmost power and authority.

Bai Xiaochun had an audience with the boss of the Celestial Sky Society, but didn't say much. After all, he had learned a lot from them. In fact, it was his experiences with the Celestial Sky Society that had enabled him to deal with the Nine Serenities King's heir apparent back in Arch-Emperor City. And it was by copying their tactics that he routed the two celestial necromancers who had plotted against him.

However, the fact that Bai Xiaochun didn't say much in the meeting caused the man's nervousness to mount, until he was soaked with sweat. Eventually, Xu Baocai gave him a good glare, frightening the man so much that he offered even more copious gifts of compensation than he had initially intended to. At that point, Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai were finally pleased with the outcome.

More months passed.

Bai Xiaochun now had a very solid foundation in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, and his faction was so big and powerful that people all over the Heavenspan River region had heard of them, including the other three riversource sects.

Rumors even began to spread in the Wildlands about the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect's sixth deva, Bai Xiaochun. Many people gritted their teeth in frustration at how Bai Xiaochun seemed to move about so mysteriously. After all, he had roamed the Wildlands for many years, without a single person ever being able to track him down.

Only the most powerful elites in the Wildlands knew who Bai Xiaochun really was, and they were all shocked by the rumors. That was especially true of the Grand Heavenmaster, who was struck speechless by the intelligence reports from the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect.

Back in Giant Ghost City, the Giant Ghost King heard the news, and muttered, "The little punk didn't even say goodbye to me when he left. Next time I see him, I'll definitely give him a good thrashing!"

Also in the Wildlands was an illusory river high in the sky, in the depths of which was a pitch-black palace. Bai Hao was there, clad in his imperial robes and wearing an imperial crown. Normally speaking, a cold expression covered his face. However, whenever he looked in the direction of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, his eyes shone with warmth and respect.

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Chapter 908: He Left?

The vast resources available in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect allowed Bai Xiaochun's cultivation to advance smoothly and quickly. By the time he had been in secluded meditation for the better part of a year, the River-Defying Sect had united the Middle Reaches cultivation world.

Of course, the River-Defying Sect knew how to maintain propriety. They didn't exterminate the Starry, Polarity, and Dao River Courts. They kept them around, but in check. In fact, in addition to the yearly tribute given to the Starry River Court, those three sects also gave tribute to the River-Defying Sect.

Although Chen Hetian, Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian weren't happy about that, they had enough experience in life to know when to keep their heads down. They were fairly certain that they would have their chance at a comeback eventually, and besides, considering how young Bai Xiaochun was, it wasn't likely that he would stay in the sect for very long.

Bai Zhentian had remained in secluded meditation the entire time, whereas Li Xiandao had smoothed out his relationship with Bai Xiaochun, and therefore didn't feel the need to remain in seclusion. As for Chen Hetian, he had no choice but to leave the sect indefinitely.

From all of that, it was possible to see how much of a name Bai Xiaochun had made for himself in the battle for the River-Defying Sect.

He had almost unlimited resources at his disposal, and because of that, was initially excited to be able to work on his cultivation.

However, after some time passed, he started to get bored. Eventually, he began to go for walks in the sect, and yet, because of his high standing, people would only treat him with formal respect.

Although he enjoyed that type of thing, eventually, it started to get annoying.

"This is so boring! There's nothing fun to do in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect at all…. The whole sect is so prissy and old-fashioned…. It was way better back in the Wildlands!" Sighing, he thought back to everything that had happened since he got back to the Heavenspan River region. Things had been interesting in the River-Defying Sect, but after returning to the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, he realized that it really was a very humdrum place.

He thought about going to hassle Chen Hetian, but two things held him back. First of all, he lacked a good excuse. Second of all, and of even greater significance, was the fact that Chen Hetian had left the sect.

Bai Zhentian was next on his list, but apparently Bai Lin knew Bai Xiaochun too well. Sensing what was about to come, he hurried over to reminisce about old times, until eventually, their conversation ended with Bai Lin gazing at him with helpless anxiety.

By that point, Bai Xiaochun realized that he couldn't go cause problems for Bai Zhentian.

That left only Li Xiandao. Unfortunately, Li Xiandao had been behaving himself perfectly…. He had compensated him for the matter with Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai, and that meant it would be very awkward to go bully him.

By this point, Bai Xiaochun was so depressed and bored that he felt like he was starting to grow mold…. At one point, he went out looking for some attractive female disciples, but the problem was that his status was too high, and he enjoyed carrying himself like someone from the senior generation. And for someone like that to try to seduce pretty female disciples didn't seem very appropriate.

"Ai," he sighed. "How come none of them will make the first move? Well, I can't just sit around practicing cultivation all the time. I'll end up cultivating myself into a moron." All of a sudden, he realized that, while he had missed the Heavenspan River region during his time in the Wildlands, now that he was back, he actually missed Arch-Emperor City.

Eventually, he came to the conclusion that he had nothing else to do other than work on cultivation. Unfortunately, he really was not happy using medicinal pills concocted by random disciples. And yet, he was still torn about whether or not to do his own medicine concocting.

"Don't tell me that a grand and mighty deva like myself will end up having to slink outside of the sect to concoct some pills…." He sighed again. "No. I have to concoct some pills of my own. If worst comes to worst, I'll just have to be extra careful….

"In the past, people would always come to cause problems for me when I concocted medicine. But now I'm a prime elder! Chen Hetian ran away, Bai Zhentian is in secluded meditation, and Li Xiandao doesn't dare to cause problems for me…. My bro in the Hall of Steel Veins is on my side….

"In the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, the only person who can tell me what to do is the demigod patriarch." The more he thought about it, the more antsy he got, until he finally made a decision.

"As long as I'm careful, everything should be fine." Encouraging himself in this way, he sent a list of required materials to the Internal Affairs Pavilion.

The list included medicinal ingredients and a large number of pill furnaces. Considering his standing in the sect, he had a sizable stipend that could get him things like this without having to provide compensation.

The staff at the Internal Affairs Pavilion immediately set to work filling the orders, sending large quantities of medicinal plants and pills to Bai Xiaochun. He was delighted to see the huge accumulation of resources, and quickly went into seclusion to start working.

East Wind Life Force Pill!

Intoxication Life Force Pill!

Spirit Flower Life Force Pill!

Nine Transformations Life Force Pill!

He immediately began to think back to all of the medicine formulas he knew that related to life force. He tried out each formula, but the resulting pills all had the same problem. They simply didn't provide the level of life force that he needed. However, he was very pleased to discover that no accidents were happening. As a result, his confidence grew, and he began working, not just with one pill furnace, but ten. Then thirty. Then fifty….

All the successes got him feeling very excited, and also lucky.

"I guess that all the trials I went through in the Wildlands ended up pushing my Dao of medicine to a much higher level. Yeah, that must be the explanation!" Feeling prouder of himself than ever, he continued adding pill furnaces until he was working with eighty at the same time. Slowly but surely, he was immersing himself in his concocting efforts.

Perhaps his skill in the Dao of medicine really had improved. Or perhaps it was because he was worried about the demigod patriarch, and was thus being very careful. Either way, his concocting went very smoothly, and not a single accident occurred.

The worst things that happened were the occasional explosion, which would release some black smoke. There was also an occasional bout of lightning. However, considering the level of Bai Xiaochun's cultivation base, he was able to negate these effects easily.

Few disciples even noticed what was happening, and of those who did, none dared to say anything….

A few months later, he was in the middle of a concocting session when a message came down from the demigod patriarch. It was actually a group message sent to all of the prime elders.

The patriarch explained that he had received a summons from the Celestial, and had to take a trip to Heavenspan Island. While he was gone, he was entrusting the safety of the sect to the devas.

It was something the other devas were used to. It was not a rare occurrence for the demigod patriarch to take a trip outside of the sect and leave them in charge.

However, this was Bai Xiaochun's first time experiencing such a thing. Although it was par for the course for the other devas, it was different for him. As soon as he heard the news, he gasped, and his heart started to race. He was so excited he almost jumped up into the air. He suddenly felt as if anything in the world was possible for him.

"The demigod patriarch… left?" For the first time… there was no one in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect who could tell him what to do!

"The demigod patriarch is gone…." He threw his head back and laughed uproariously. He had always been extremely careful when he went about concocting medicine. After all, there had been too many occasions when people chased him down angrily as a result of his work. The mere thought of what it was like trying to explain himself to an angry mob caused him to sigh incessantly.

But now… all obstacles had been cleared from his path. Furthermore, he had the strong feeling that things were going so well that no accidents could possibly happen.

"Concoct medicine. Concoct medicine! I'm going to concoct medicine to my heart's content!!

"I can finally perfect my Lightning Detox Grand Magic!

"I can refine my Aphrodisiac Pill. I can improve on my Fantasy Pill! And I can come up with some more mystery pills too!" Filled with excitement and anticipation, he jumped directly from eighty pill furnaces to three hundred!

Worried that it wasn't enough, he added several hundred more. Only when he had eight hundred pill furnaces going at the same time was he happy.

"I'm using my deva cultivation base to operate eight hundred furnaces at the same time! If word got out, people would admire me to no end!" He looked around proudly at all the pill furnaces, beneath which burned supreme-grade flamestones, causing ripples of heat to fill the air.

It was a sight that would surely strike fear into the hearts of anyone who saw it. After all, if eight hundred pill furnaces exploded simultaneously… then it would probably destroy most of the blue rainbow….

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Chapter 909: Breakup Pill...

On the morning of the third day after the demigod patriarch left, a huge boom erupted from the blue rainbow, startling numerous disciples in the sect.

"What was that sound?!"

"Scared me half to death! What's going on?!"

"Dammit! Who did that? I was in the middle of cultivation, and nearly experienced energy deviation!!" Countless angry curses filled the air, and dozens of cultivators actually flew up into the air angrily to determine what was happening.

However, when they realized that the noise came from the blue rainbow, their eyes went wide with shock, and they flew back down to where they came from….

The boom came when ten pill furnaces exploded, and startled Bai Xiaochun so badly that he immediately sent out some divine sense to see if anyone was going to come berate him. He even instinctively began to come up with an explanation.

However, after a long moment passed… the clamor in the sect died down…. Nobody came looking for him. The people who did fly up into the air only looked in his direction, then went back to where they had come from.

Only at that point did he finally realize what was happening.

"Hahaha! I was just being too jumpy, that's all. I forgot that nobody in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect can tell me what to do!" Feeling quite emboldened, he went back to concocting medicine.

A few days later, another boom rocked the sect. To most disciples, an occasional explosion like that wasn't anything to get upset about.

However, the booms continued every few days. On one particular day, there were eight in a row. Soon, the disciples on the rainbow were starting to go crazy.

It only made sense for them to react in such a way. The sect was usually a quiet place, like a celestial paradise. But now, startling explosions were interrupting them all the time, making it almost impossible to focus on cultivation.

Normally speaking, a person in the sect who did such a thing would be attacked and likely killed. But… the noise was coming from the blue rainbow. Soon, people began to ask around, and found that Patriarch Bai was concocting medicine.

Therefore, nobody dared to complain openly.

If the only thing they had to deal with were booms, it might have been possible to get used to the situation. But two days later, smoke begin to drift out, smoke that caused tears to well up in the eyes of everyone it touched.

"Agggghhhhh! What kind of medicinal pill is Patriarch Bai concocting!?!?"

"No. No! I can't take this!!"

It wasn't just the ordinary disciples who were affected. Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian were included, and yet, neither of them dared to interfere.

If they couldn't do anything about what was happening, then there was no need to even mention the lower-ranking disciples. All they could do was stare up resentfully at the blue rainbow.

Of course, Bai Xiaochun was too thoroughly engrossed in his work to have any idea that all of that was happening. His face was gaunt, but filled with excitement as he worked to make every type of pill he could think of that had something to do with life force. As he became more familiar with the various formulas, his skill in the Dao of medicine increased.

He made all varieties of pills, and eventually started to get bored with life force pills. As his confidence grew, he came to the conclusion that he had turned over a new leaf in his pill concocting ability.

"I need to make… a treasured pill that can counteract the effects of the Aphrodisiac Pill!" He had already been ensnared twice with Aphrodisiac Pills, and although he had to admit that he had actually enjoyed the results, it was still quite a loss of face.

"Hmmmphh. How ridiculous that other people would use my own medicinal pill against me! That won't do!

"I'm going to make a new pill that I'll call the… Turn Off Pill!" The more he thought about it, the more pleased he was with the idea. Furthermore, the name of the pill couldn't have been better.

"It's definitely a good name!" Feeling supremely proud of himself, he started concocting!

"You know what's a real turn off? Those uncaring fruits! They're disgusting! Only by adding that type of fruit into the formula can I truly quench the fire which burns deep inside one's heart!" Slowly but surely, a medicine formula was forming in his mind. After settling on an initial direction, he decided to run some tests. He started with thirty medicinal pills.

He was so engrossed in his work that he forgot to eat or sleep, and watched over the pill furnaces constantly for three whole days. Soon, the pills inside the furnaces were beginning to form. Unfortunately, just as the process seemed on the verge of concluding, one of the pill furnaces suddenly showed signs of instability.

Bai Xiaochun quickly placed sealing marks on it, only to find that a second, a third, and a fourth furnace were similarly destabilizing. Before he could do anything about it, all thirty pill furnaces were teetering on the verge of exploding!

"Not good!" Bai Xiaochun slapped down more sealing marks, and sent his divine sense out to try to keep any danger to a minimum. Actually, because there was no one in the sect who could tell him what to do, he had kindly decided that, as a sect patriarch, he should manage himself.

However, when the pill furnaces exploded, a black smoke erupted out that not even he could control. It completely negated his divine sense! Thankfully, there wasn't much of the smoke, and all it did was cover part of the blue rainbow.

One of the affected areas, though, was where the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Superstars trials were held…. Quite a few disciples were there, and before any of them could react, the smoke had covered them.

Bai Xiaochun anxiously looked over to see what was going to happen. However, the smoke simply faded away, and the disciples looked around with quizzical expressions on their faces. As for Bai Xiaochun, he initially stared in shock, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wait, nothing happened? Well, no harm no foul." Rubbing his nose a bit, he continued to watch until he was sure nothing bad had resulted. Then he started thinking about why he might have failed, and decided to try a different approach, this time with a hundred pill furnaces.

Worried about the lower-ranking disciples who had been hit by the smoke, he sent his divine sense out and prepared to react protectively at the slightest sign of danger.

Three more days passed, and soon, the second batch of pills was nearing completion. Up to this point, no unusual behavior had cropped up among the disciples from earlier.

However, it was on the night of the third day that some strange things started to happen….

The Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect was a huge sect with many disciples, so it was only natural for many of them to get together as Daoist partners. Among those disciples who had been at the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect trial, those who had no Daoist partners weren't affected at all, except that they were less interested in romantic relationships than before.

However, those who did have Daoist partners, whether they were men or women, found that, as the sun set on their immortal's caves….

"Junior Sister, we're just not suited for each other. From now on, you do your thing, and I'll do mine. Let's break up!"

"Elder Brother, why are there so many good-looking people in the world, but so few interesting souls? From now on, stay away from me!"

"I'm sorry, but we're just not meant for each other. My destiny is to pursue the great Dao! What's the point of romantic relationships? Don't even bring the subject up again!"

Quite a few people were taken aback by the breakup scenes going on. And of course, Bai Xiaochun noticed almost right away, and his heart began to pound.

"Wait a second, that's not right!" All of a sudden, he had a very bad feeling. After all, the primary ingredient in his Turn Off Pill was uncaring fruit. Using that in combination with some other medicinal plants he knew of, he had hoped to create a medicinal pill that would counteract the Aphrodisiac Pill. And Aphrodisiac Pills affected a person first physically, and then mentally.

Therefore, his plan for the Turn Off Pill had been to affect a person mentally first, and after that, to cleanse them physically. The current situation went totally beyond what he had imagined would happen.

And of course, it caused worry to gnaw at his heart.

"I wanted a Turn Off Pill, not a Breakup Pill…. I can't just let this happen. I have to do something!" With that, he settled his mind. After all, considering that only a few people had been affected three days ago, the situation shouldn't be very hard to remedy.

However, even as he made his decision about what to do, cracking sounds reached his ears, and his face fell as he looked at the one hundred pill furnaces, which had all reached the critical moment of the concocting process. Ten of those hundred pill furnaces had cracks spreading out over their surfaces.

"Noooo…." he screamed, rushing forward to try to contain the situation….

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

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Chapter 910: Must Concoct Antidote!

The pill furnaces exploded!

Not just a handful, but all one hundred of them, one after another in a rapid-fire chain reaction.

It happened in a single breath of time, and despite the fact that Bai Xiaochun had been prepared, he simply wasn't fast enough to contain the effects of a hundred pill furnaces all exploding at the same time! The force unleashed was shocking. Thankfully, he had his deva cultivation base, and very tough skin, otherwise… he would either have been killed, or at the least, badly injured.

"Noooo!" he screamed. His immortal's cave shook violently, and yet, that was not what worried Bai Xiaochun most. Most hair-raising was… the thick black smoke that blasted out at high speed in all directions.

The medicinal efficacy of this smoke vastly surpassed that of the previous smoke. Because of the deva power that Bai Xiaochun surrounded himself with, he was protected from its effects… but others nearby did not have that luxury.

As he let out a long cry of misery, the smoke covered the blue rainbow in its entirety. But things didn't end there. The smoke spread out toward the other rainbows, completely covering three of them before finally coming to a stop.

Bai Xiaochun's vision went dim, and his mind felt like it was being struck by heavenly lightning. He knew… that he had caused a major disaster.

"I'm finished. Kaput…." This was definitely not how he had envisioned things turning out, and it felt very unfair. Why did he, an awesome apothecary with incredible skill in the Dao of medicine, always cause strange things like this to happen?

Meanwhile, the disciples who were on the three affected rainbows stared around in shock. Some reacted quickly enough to speed away in the face of the black smoke, but others were inundated.

"Dammit, what is this stuff?!?!"

"Smoke? Heavens! How could there be toxic smoke inside the sect?!?!"

"Wait, are we under attack!?!?"

The three rainbows instantly devolved into chaos. Li Xiandao, Bai Zhentian, and Patriarch Steel Veins were all shocked, and rushed out to provide aid. When they saw how three of the other rainbows were covered in the smoke, their hearts were gripped with madness.

Thankfully, the smoke went away rather quickly. The entire thing only lasted for a bit more than ten breaths of time. Then, everything went back to normal.

It was only at that point that people realized that the sound of the explosion had come from the blue rainbow.

"Elder Bai is definitely concocting medicine again!!"

"Heavens! When is this going to end? Elder Bai isn't concocting medicine, is he? He's trying to destroy the entire sect!"

It only took moments for countless angry gazes to fall onto the blue rainbow. "Can't anyone stop him? If things keep going on like this, what are we supposed to do?!"

However, there was nothing more that they could do than glare. Any other person, even a Nascent Soul expert, would already have been surrounded and attacked, but Bai Xiaochun's status in the sect was too high. After all… he was a deva, and one of only six prime elders, a fact which filled the hearts of all disciples with fear.

Li Xiandao hesitated about what to do, and finally decided to do nothing. Bai Zhentian reacted similarly. However, Patriarch Steel Veins smiled wryly, and then sent Bai Xiaochun a message of inquiry.

Bai Xiaochun replied immediately. "This was the last time. I guarantee it!"

Deeply worried, he did his best to explain the matter, and then sank down into thought.

Although no one else had any clue at the moment, he was very well aware that, despite the fact that the smoke had dissipated without seeming to affect anyone, it would be, at most, three days… until the effects were seen. At that point, tens of thousands of disciples… would all break up with their Daoist partners.

Bai Xiaochun knew that a disaster like that was simply too much.

"People say that if you break up someone's relationship, you shorten their lifespan. Heavens! I might have just ruined the relationships of tens of thousands of disciples…. If I don't fix this, nobody in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect will be able to get a Daoist partner…. This generation of the cultivation world will be significantly harmed. And it will all be my fault!"

That thought made Bai Xiaochun feel like his head was about to explode. Scowling on the verge of tears, he gritted his teeth and murmured, "No! I can't let that happen. I have to concoct an antidote!"

He took a few deep breaths, and then nervously pulled out some more medicinal plants. His goal: create a medicinal pill that could dispel the effects of the uncaring fruit.

"I didn't want this to happen!" he grumbled guiltily. "I was just trying to concoct that Turn Off Pill…." He suddenly realized that not having someone around to tell him what to do wasn't that good of a thing after all….

Although his position in the sect ensured that no disciples would curse or attack him, he still felt bad. In fact, it had actually been better back when people did come after him.

Besides, he didn't even want to think about what would happen if the demigod patriarch happened to come back right now…. Shivering, he headed back into his private chamber to start working on a new pill formula.

One day. Two days. Three days…. On the afternoon of the third day, only about six hours before the uncaring fruit's effects would begin to manifest, Bai Xiaochun leaped up, hair disheveled, and eyes flashing with madness. Staring at the jade slip he held in his hand, he cried, "I did it! I created the antidote formula!!"

He threw his head back and laughed uproariously.

"Fear not, Fellow Daoists of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. I am here to save you!" With that, he ignored his exhaustion and set to work concocting the medicine.

In order to maximize the chances of succeeding, he used three hundred pill furnaces. He was putting everything on the line in the hopes of negating the effects of the uncaring fruit.

As time passed, he concentrated fully on the three hundred pill furnaces. None of them showed any signs of exploding, and whenever the slightest irregularity cropped up, he would make adjustments immediately. Finally, when there was only one hour left until the effects of the uncaring fruit manifested, the three hundred pill furnaces turned bright red, and sent a pungent odor out in all directions.

When Bai Xiaochun detected that odor, he finally relaxed a bit.

"Excellent. In order to negate the effects of the uncaring fruit, I added in black crabapple, which can affect all sorts of various human emotions and desires. By combining those effects with certain other types of plants and vegetation, I can definitely negate the uncaring fruit!" Although he was excited, he hesitated for a moment. According to his calculations, the effects of the uncaring fruit would begin to manifest at any moment. One last time, he sent his divine sense out through the sect, and could already see some disciples heading toward their Daoist partners with somber expressions on their faces….

There was no time to waste, and neither was there time to hand out pills one by one. Eyes burning with determination, he waved his hand out in front of him.

Immense force erupted out and landed on the three hundred pill furnaces… which exploded, resulting in a thunderous boom that vastly surpassed any of the previous explosions. At the same time, a massive shockwave spread out in all directions!

Everyone in the entire Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect heard the deafening boom, and many felt their cultivation bases destabilizing as a result. Quite a few were even struck senseless.

"Heavens! Don't tell me Elder Bai is concocting medicine again!?!?"

"I can't hear anything! Did you just say something?"

"I'm gonna go crazy!!"

As the cries of surprise and alarm rose up, the blue rainbow shook violently. Worse, a massive wave of black smoke rushed out from Bai Xiaochun's immortal's cave!!

This time, even the violet rainbow, where the demigod patriarch lived, was affected. Everything was covered with black smoke!

The entire Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect was enveloped in blackness, striking shock and fear into the hearts of all present.

"Heavens! What… what kind of smoke is this!?!?"

"Where did you guys go? I can't see anything…."

"Run! This smoke is so acrid, it must be poison! Aggghhhh!!"

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Chapter 911: Doubts!

The Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect had been plunged into chaos. Thankfully, the black smoke only affected the rainbow, and not the cities on the ground. The sudden sharp contrast between the two areas caused the disciples down below to stare up in complete astonishment.

As of this moment, the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect seemed to be covered with an obscuring darkness filled with cries and shouts of alarm.

The disciples down below were left feeling very unsettled.

"What's…. that?"

"Heavens! What divine ability is that?!?!"

The crowds in the four big cities down below were all gasping in shock. However, there were a few hundred people in Sky City who were frightened, but at the same time, rejoicing. They even began to express their gratitude verbally to two other disciples who stood in their midst. Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai.

"Brother Zhang, I have only you to thank for this. You have my complete and utter gratitude!"

"Brother Baocai, words can't express how thankful I am. If you ever have any problems in the future, come look for me, and I'll be sure to find a way to repay you!"

Xu Baocai and Big Fatty Zhang were trembling in fear just like everyone else was. They knew Bai Xiaochun far too well, and when they had learned earlier that he was concocting medicine, they had immediately fled in fear. After all, when Bai Xiaochun made up his mind, it was impossible to dissuade him, and therefore, the best option was to just leave.

Neither of them had felt that staying on the rainbow was safe, and therefore, they had gritted their teeth and gone all the way down to Sky City. Only then did they finally feel safe.

Of course, they couldn't bear to leave all of the people they had recruited into their faction behind, and had therefore sent messages warning them that something big was about to happen, and that the safest thing was to temporarily move down to Sky City.

Some had assumed that they were making a mountain out of a molehill, and had ignored them…. Others had been a bit hesitant, but still came down anyway.

After seeing the black smoke completely covering the rainbow structure, the group who had heeded the warnings couldn't help but rejoice at their good fortune.

"We're all bros here," Big Fatty Zhang said, his face still pale from fear, "so don't even mention it. Like I told you before, when Elder Bai concocts medicine, even gods and ghosts will run for cover!"

Xu Baocai took a deep breath, frowned in concentration, and then said, "Furthermore, you listen to me. Based on what I know about Elder Bai, and the things I've experienced… I can tell you that things aren't over yet. You absolutely, positively must not go back up there yet!"

Back up on the rainbow, the disciples were all descending into madness. As for Bai Xiaochun, he flew up to hover in the air above the blue rainbow, where he looked around anxiously at all the black smoke.

"I'm a deva, whose will can surpass that of the heavens. And yet I can't do anything about the smoke from some exploding pill furnaces…. Something seems off about this!" He really couldn't stop wondering about the whole thing. He had been working very hard to control the situation, and yet had been powerless against the smoke.

"You know, it's been like that ever since I started this concocting session…. I'm a deva, and yet I haven't been in control at all. It doesn't make sense. Even if something unexpected occurred, I should have been able to prevent anything bad from happening. And yet… the bad stuff just keeps happening." He couldn't come up with any answers, something that he found hard to accept.

"And that's not even mentioning the fact that my skill in the Dao of medicine has improved a lot…." There was no answer. It was just like how the Will he had begun to develop in the Gold Core stage had vanished without a trace when he formed his Heaven-Dao Nascent Soul…. There was absolutely no explanation he could think of. [1]

"Ah, whatever. I caused the problem, but I fixed it. I guess I should be happy." With his divine sense, he could confirm that all of the disciples who had been affected by the uncaring fruit were showing no symptoms at all thanks to the black smoke.

As for any disciples who had not absorbed any of the aura of the uncaring fruit, he had planned for that as well, and made sure that they wouldn't even feel the slightest discomfort.

"That black smoke doesn't have even an ounce of poison in it!" As the smoke began to dissipate, a smile broke out on Bai Xiaochun's face. He had already decided that, for as long as he couldn't identify the source of the problem and fix it, he wouldn't concoct any more medicine.

It was around this time that three beams of light suddenly shot through the air toward Bai Xiaochun. They were none other than Li Xiandao, Bai Zhentian, and the deva patriarch from the Hall of Steel Veins.

Li Xiandao and Bai Zhentian both had very grim expressions on their faces. Originally, they hadn't planned to interfere at all, but the matter had reached the point of affecting the entire sect, leaving them no other choice. As for Patriarch Steel Veins, he had a relatively good relationship with Bai Xiaochun, and yet, still had a wry smile on his face as he approached.

"Bai, old pal, didn't you say there wouldn't be another time…?"

Now that the danger had passed, Bai Xiaochun once again bore the demeanor of a deva as he replied, "I'm really sorry, my friend. You see, last time there was an accident that infected some of the disciples with a dangerous substance. Because I was so worried about that, I intentionally sent this smoke out to deliver the antidote to them. If you don't believe me, just watch. None of the people who the smoke touched will even get uncomfortable."

Smiling faintly, he gestured out at the crowds below.

The three other devas looked down, and immediately saw that Bai Xiaochun was telling the truth. Although most of the disciples were muttering curses and complaints, none of them seemed harmed in the least.

The three devas breathed sighs of relief. After all, if some problems had occurred, then all of them would have been in trouble when the demigod patriarch returned.

"Don't worry. See? The smoke is vanishing. If you're still worried, then just relax here for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Afterward, the entire sect will be completely back to normal!" Apparently, Bai Xiaochun had prepared for a situation like this in advance; he waved his sleeve, summoning a tea table, as well as an incense stick. Sitting down, he gestured for the other devas to join him. [2]

Bai Zhentian was hesitant, but Li Xiandao and Patriarch Steel Veins sat down and began to chat. Seeing that, Bai Zhentian steeled himself and also sat down.

Patriarch Steel Veins was a fellow prime elder, and had helped Bai Xiaochun back in the River-Defying Sect. Therefore, the two of them were actually rather close, so it was only natural that he wanted to make sure the incident with the smoke was smoothed out. "Bai, old pal, your Dao of medicine is shocking. You've really shown me a new world today!"

Feeling a bit guilty, Bai Xiaochun gave a dry laugh and said, "Oh, I'm just an amateur. My skill isn't even worth mentioning."

Li Xiandao chuckled and said, "Amateur? Are you kidding? You're so skilled you can transform the Dao of medicine itself! Brother Bai, you really are incredible."

Bai Zhentian was the only one who didn't say anything. As the group chatted, the incense stick continued to burn down until only about a third of it was left….

By now, much of the smoke had dissipated, revealing the buildings and cultivators beneath. It was at this point that Bai Xiaochun's expression flickered; something seemed off. Unable to believe what he was seeing, he rubbed his eyes vigorously and then looked around again.

He wasn't the only one to react in such a way. The other three devas all stared blankly at the areas being revealed by the dissipating smoke.

Although there was almost no smoke left at all…. The blue rainbow… from top to bottom, was now… black!

Beads of sweat popped out on Bai Xiaochun's head, and the other devas gasped.

"Calm down. There's no need to get antsy here. We still have some time left. Trust me, everything will be fine." In no mood to drink tea, Bai Xiaochun rose to his feet, trembling. The smoke continued to dissipate, and as it did, the seven rainbows, which had all been very colorful in the past…. were now completely black. Bai Xiaochun's mind began to reel.

Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Cyan, Blue, Violet…. Before, the seven rainbows that made up the rainbow structure had been seven colors…. But now, they were completely black, buildings and all…. The Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect was now as black as night!

It was around this time that the disciples began to notice that they were standing on black ground. Jaws dropped, and cries of alarm filled the air.

"Why… why is it black?!?!"

"Heavens! This is supposed to be a rainbow! Where did the color go?!"

"Don't tell me it got poisoned!!"

"Something big is about to happen!!!"

1. The part about Willpower and the Gold Core stage came up in chapter 505. Don't worry, this Willpower thing has not been forgotten. And I want to take this opportunity to point out that Will with a capital W is different from the ordinary 'will' that you hear a lot regarding the will of the heavens and the will of devas. In Chinese, they are two different characters with basically the same general meaning. Uniquely in AWE, they are being used as separate things.

2. Chinese tea tables generally look like this, with a tea set in the middle, a host seat, and then guest seats located around the table. Of course, there are all sorts of designs, and considering this is a xianxia story, I personally think the tea table would look something more like this.

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Chapter 912: Everyone Moves

A cacophony of voices thundered out to fill the rainbow structure. After all, the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect had existed for countless years, with the seven rainbows being its identifying standard.

Not only was that rainbow structure famous in the eastern Heavenspan River, but it was also praised by the other three riversource sects.

In terms of beauty and splendor, the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect took first place among all the branches of the river, which was a major source of pride to the demigod patriarch and ordinary disciples alike.

But now… the seven-colored rainbow structure was completely black. Even the buildings which covered its surface were pitch black, driving the disciples into near madness.

"Our rainbow!!"

"Is this still our sect?!?!"

"The rainbow!"

"Calm down everyone. We need to get out of here right now! Can't you tell that the rainbow has been poisoned!? I have the feeling that if we don't escape immediately, we're all dead!"

Down below, the cultivators in the four cities gasped, expressions of astonishment covering their faces as they looked up.

"Heavens! Who would have thought that it would be so terrifying for Elder Bai to concoct medicine!!"

"How did he do it?! I've never heard of pill concocting sessions going like this!!"

"The rainbow… is black now…."

Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai exchanged stunned glances. Although they had more experience in this regard than anyone, and had assumed earlier that the true disaster was yet to come, even they were nearly struck mute by what they were seeing.

They swallowed hard, their hearts racing madly as they stared at the pitch-black rainbow. The other cultivators who were with them were equally shocked.

About this time, the cultivators who were on the rainbow itself exploded into action like a hive of wasps. Shouting and clamoring, they raced off of the rainbow structure with all the speed they could muster.

They were absolutely terrified by the thought of Bai Xiaochun concocting medicine, and were convinced that the best thing to do was just move away….

From top to bottom, the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect's rainbow began to empty out. Those who couldn't fly fast enough used secret magics to get away as quickly as they could.

From the day the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect had been founded until now, nothing like this had ever happened before….

Before long, all seven rainbows were completely and utterly empty….

Back on the previously blue rainbow, Bai Xiaochun stood there, his jaw hanging open, trembling as he looked around at what was happening. And of course, his anxiety continued to build.

"Why is this happening? Dammit! I did everything to make sure no accidents happened! Something fishy is going on. Something very fishy!!" Terror and madness rising in his heart, he looked over at the Patriarch Steel Veins, a bitter smile on his face. "Fellow Daoists, you were here to see it all, right? I was fixing my previous mistake! I didn't want to change the rainbows' color…."

The other three prime elders were stunned into silence at the moment. Their eyes were blank, and they were so taken aback that they had no idea what to do.

It was around this time that transmission jade slips began to buzz in all three of their bags of holding. When they scanned them with divine sense, they immediately heard pleas of help coming from their fellow clan members.

"Patriarch, everyone else is evacuating the rainbow. We need to leave too!!"

"We can't stay here, Patriarch. It's too dangerous!!"

"Patriarch, Elder Bai is terrifying when he concocts medicine. Let's get out of here…. If we don't leave now, we might get destroyed along with the rainbow…."

When Bai Zhentian heard the messages from his clan members, he didn't say a single word. He just took a step forward and vanished. After arriving at his clan, he gathered up all the cultivators and left….

Although he was fairly certain the black rainbow hadn't actually been poisoned, he was still fearful of Bai Xiaochun's concocting methods. And since he couldn't do anything about it at the moment, he had no choice but to care for his clan members.

Bai Zhentian truly couldn't have been more shaken. "This Bai Xiaochun's pill concocting is even more terrifying than his battle prowess…."

He had already decided that if it came down to it, he would rather die fighting Bai Xiaochun in battle than allow him to concoct medicine outside of his front gate….

"Dammit, I can't believe a walking disaster like this has lived long enough to become a deva!" Wrapped up in depressed thoughts, Bai Zhentian hurried away as quickly as possible.

Li Xiandao was essentially thinking the same thing as Bai Zhentian. The only difference was that he was more profoundly afraid. He had the feeling that if Bai Xiaochun were given enough time, and the right circumstances, then he… could actually destroy the entire Heavenspan Realm.

"It's a good thing that when he came to cause trouble, he just beat me up, and didn't decide to concoct medicine instead…." Heart pounding with lingering fear, Li Xiandao quickly turned to say one last thing to Bai Xiaochun.

"Um… Fellow Daoist Bai, I have an errand to run, see you later!" With that, he turned and blurred into motion to begin moving his clan away.

By now, the only person left was Patriarch Steel Veins, toward whom Bai Xiaochun stared, nearly on the verge of tears.

Patriarch Steel Veins was inwardly cursing Bai Zhentian and Li Xiandao for fleeing with such haste. Smiling wryly, he looked back at Bai Xiaochun and said, "Bai, old pal, there's really nothing I can do about the situation. You… um, take care of yourself. I think… the demigod patriarch should be back in four or five days at the most."

With that, he hurried away to move the Hall of Steel Veins off the rainbow.

Soon, the previously bustling rainbow only had one person left on it. Bai Xiaochun.

"I just wanted to concoct a Turn Off Pill…. I never thought it would end up like this…. I know it's my fault…." As he stood there looking around with a weepy scowl, he found that he couldn't calm down. It was just like the old saying went: his heart was beating like fifteen buckets in a well--eight going down while seven were coming up. Earlier, he had thought it was great that no one came after him with violent intentions because of his pill concocting. But now that he was all alone, he suddenly felt guilty.

"The demigod patriarch will be back in four or five days…." The mere thought of how the patriarch would react left Bai Xiaochun shaking in terror.

"Will he end up regretting what he's done for me…?" The mere thought caused his face to drain with blood. A moment later, he was rushing back toward his immortal's cave.

"No! I still have four or five days. I can still fix the problem!! I can do it! I can definitely get the colors back into the rainbow!"

The total population of the four cities skyrocketed in the briefest of moments. At the same time, numerous bitter gazes were directed at the black rainbow up above.

"Good. Let Elder Bai stay up there by himself…."

"But when will it end? We can't live down here forever!"

"What do we do now? Even the other prime elders have moved down into the cities! From that, you can see how terrifying Elder Bai's medicinal pills are!"

"Let's hope things wrap up soon. If things go on like this, Elder Bai is going to run the sect completely into the ground…."

The next day, Bai Xiaochun burst out from his immortal's cave. He looked gaunt, with his hair in disarray, and his clothes in tatters.

"I figured it out," he muttered. "When black crabapple gets mixed with miluo wood, it creates a unique sediment…. That's what made the rainbow change color. Dammit. I did plenty of research ahead of time and never heard anything about that sediment. Why did it pop up after I started concocting…? Getting rid of it won't be easy, but I should be able to come up with a way!

"If I use the pollen of spiritpure daisy toward the end of the concocting process, I can drive out the black color. If I bolster the effect with my cultivation base power, then it should do the trick!"

His excitement surged as he was convinced that he had come up with a solution to the problem. But he quickly suppressed his excitement. Worried that he might end up causing yet another problem, he quickly concocted a single batch and then performed some tests. Afterward, when he was sure that there would be no side-effects, he excitedly set to work on a larger batch.

At first, he planned to take things slow and steady. He did some quick calculations, and came to the conclusion that it would take three days to finish the job of cleansing the rainbow.

And that was when he got a message from the Hall of Steel Veins. The demigod patriarch… would be back in only two hours….

As soon as he heard that news, he felt like he was about to explode.

"I have to put everything on the line!!" He pulled out all of the pill furnaces he had left, and even personally went to the Internal Affairs Pavilion. There wasn't anyone on duty, but as a prime elder, he could easily unlock the storage warehouse and take out more than a thousand new pill furnaces!

In addition to the several hundred he already had, it was a total of about 1,500 furnaces. He quickly set them all up in the courtyard of his residence, and then went about madly concocting… 1,500 batches of pills made from spiritpure daisy pollen!

Because time was limited, he pushed the concocting process along with his cultivation base. In the end… when about two hours had passed, all 1,500 pill furnaces had turned bright red.

"It worked!" He knew that time was running out, so he threw his hands out in front of him, sending a blast of cultivation base power into the furnaces and causing them all to explode!

The resulting explosion, bolstered by his cultivation base, caused the seven rainbows to return to their previous color!

It was at that exact same moment that the pressure of a demigod began to weigh down on the area.

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Chapter 913: The Demigod Returns

Moments before...

The demigod patriarch of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect was a tall, thin man with long, steel-gray hair. He wore a white robe, and while handsome, currently flew along with a completely expressionless face. Furthermore, a glint of anxiety was just barely visible deep in his eyes.

Apparently, he was somewhat unsettled by whatever it was he had learned on his most recent trip to Heavenspan Island.

Although he was currently still above the Heavenspan Sea, he could clearly see the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect off in the distance.

Every time he left the sect and then came back, he liked to spend a bit of time marveling at the seven scintillating rainbows that made up the sect.

This time, though, when he finally caught sight of the sect up ahead, his jaw dropped, and he stopped flying.

No longer did he see seven dazzling rainbows. Instead, he saw seven black, shadowy objects floating on the horizon. In fact, his first reaction was to mistakenly think that he had gone to the wrong sect.

And yet, before he could even react, an intense boom echoed out from what had once been the blue rainbow. The sky trembled as if from thunder, and a huge wave began to roll out across the Heavenspan Sea and River!

The demigod patriarch's face fell, and he took a step forward, placing him right above the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect!

Mere moments had passed since Bai Xiaochun had let out a powerful shout as more than a thousand pill furnaces exploded, sending a blast of pollen out in all directions.

Almost immediately, color had begun to spread out across what had once been the blue rainbow. A look of joy had erupted on Bai Xiaochun's face, but as of this moment, he went deathly pale.

"Not again…." Perhaps it was because of how many pill furnaces had exploded on the rainbow recently, weakening it, or some other reason. In any case, the explosion of this latest group of 1,500 pill furnaces, along with the influx of power from Bai Xiaochun's cultivation base, was simply too much for the rainbow to take.

Even as the shockwave of the initial blast still continued to echo out, the rainbow… began to crumble!

From a distance, it was possible to see a huge crater open up, into which tumbled the structures which had existed on top of it moments before. As that happened, the demigod patriarch up above, and the countless cultivators down below, all stared in mute shock….

The crater widened into a hole, consuming even Bai Xiaochun's immortal's cave….

Meanwhile, rumbling sounds continued to echo out as the incredible power of the pollen cleansed the other parts of the rainbow, and restored their color.

However, all the disciples in the four cities could look at was the rubble of the immortal's cave falling down through the enormous hole which had been punched in the blue rainbow. As for Bai Xiaochun, he hovered there watching the same thing happen, trembling in fear….

Soon, the shocked silence in the cities gave way to a huge commotion.

"It… it collapsed?"

"Dammit, how did he restore the colors? Hmph! Like I said from the beginning, the River-Defying Sect is nothing but a backwater sect. This Bai Xiaochun isn't one of us! This was actually a good chance to see him punished. How the hell did the bastard manage to turn things around at the last minute?"

"What right do these River-Defying Sect interlopers have to run amok in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect!? Bai Xiaochun got lucky, that's the only way he became a deva. If he kept his head down it would be one thing, but look how brazen he is! He completely looks down on our Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect! We definitely need to join forces and submit an official request to the court to have his cultivation base crippled!" When the demigod was gone, no one would have dared to say such things aloud. But now, they couldn't hold back any longer.

Bai Zhentian, Li Xiandao, and Patriarch Steel Veins all had varying expressions on their faces. They could sense that the demigod patriarch was back, and after exchanging nervous glances, they flew up into the air together.

At that point, a voice erupted that caused the sky to turn dim, and the lands to quake.

"What are you doing, Bai Xiaochun?!?! Do you have a death wish or something?!"

Bai Xiaochun currently hovered at the edge of the 300-meter wide hole in the blue rainbow, looking down at the lands on the other side. Profound anxiety currently gripped his heart, and his mind raced as he scrambled to come up with an explanation.

Thankfully, the pollen had the desired effect of cleansing the rainbow, and by now, the seven colors of the seven rainbows had been restored. Furthermore, the disciples who had been previously affected by the smoke from his medicine concocting were now coming to realize that their cultivation bases had actually been refined because of the torment they had been through.

Bai Xiaochun realized that too, and it alleviated a bit of his guilt. However, before he could say anything in his defense, the gaze of the demigod patriarch fell upon him, as sharp as the sharpest sword. Clearly, the man was furious beyond belief.

As the demigod's divine sense continued to spread out, and he heard all the things the disciples down below were saying, he came to realize what had occurred while he was away.

He also realized almost immediately that all seven of the rainbows were completely unoccupied, and that everyone had moved down into the cities below.

He almost couldn't believe that Bai Xiaochun's pill concocting could be so powerful and dangerous. But then he looked at the gaping hole in the blue rainbow, and his fury spiked.

"Cat got your tongue?!" he yelled in a voice that rumbled like thunder. He emphasized his words with a flick of his sleeve, which caused the seven rainbows to tremble, and left the disciples down below shivering with both fear and anticipation.

The other devas hesitated for a moment, with both Bai Zhentian and Li Xiandao thinking back to how, considering the disasters Bai Xiaochun had caused, it might be a good time to hit him while he was down.

Patriarch Steel Veins also held back, trying to decide whether or not to try to help Bai Xiaochun explain himself. But then he looked at the gigantic hole in the rainbow, and merely smiled bitterly.

Bai Xiaochun's heart pounded as he looked back at the furious demigod patriarch. Steeling himself, he prepared his reply.

"Hey, Patriarch. I, um… well this is what happened: I didn't really like my old immortal's cave. Yeah. That's what caused this!

"My old immortal's cave wasn't a very good place to stand guard over our Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. Therefore, I decided to tear it down completely and replace it with this hole. This way, I can look up at the violet rainbow to bask upon your glory, sir, but at the same time, can look down to the four cities down below. Now, I can keep track of everything that goes on in the entire sect!

"Only by doing this can I truly feel at ease, and it goes to show that in my heart, I care only about the patriarch up above, and the disciples down below. My entire being is devoted to our Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect!"

Although he had started out somewhat haltingly, as the words came out, he spoke more confidently, even thumping himself on the chest to emphasize his words. It really seemed like he would spare no effort to work hard for the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect.

When the disciples in the four cities hear his words, they immediately erupted in anger….

"Shameless!!"

"Completely incorrigible!!"

"He obviously wants to destroy our entire sect! It's a crime deserving of ten thousand deaths!"

The lower-ranking disciples weren't the only ones to react in such a way. The other three devas had strange expressions on their faces. However, the demigod patriarch actually seemed amused. He considered providing a harsh reprimand, but then he thought back to his trip to Heavenspan Island, and how Du Lingfei had once again reminded him to care for Bai Xiaochun.

That reinforced his impression that the two of them had a special relationship, and it caused him to hesitate over how to resolve the current situation.

After a moment passed, he snorted and said, "If you ever think of concocting medicine inside the sect again… I'll personally make you wish you hadn't!"

With that, he swished his sleeve and turned to leave.

When Bai Zhentian and Li Xiandao saw the demigod patriarch turn what everyone had expected to be a high crime with a severe punishment into a minor offense, they gasped in shock.

Patriarch Steel Veins was also taken aback.

Even Bai Xiaochun was stunned. Never could he have guessed that the demigod patriarch would say something like that, and in fact, not even ask any questions about what had happened. His heart began to race at the improbability of it all. Then he started wondering if, perhaps, the patriarch was doing it all because of his potential for future growth….

The disciples down below were flabbergasted.

When the demigod patriarch noticed how people were reacting, he realized that he might have let Bai Xiaochun off a bit too lightly. Looking back at him with a glare, he said, "Since you like this hole of an immortal's cave, then go ahead and keep living inside of it!"

With that, he headed back up to the violet rainbow.

Bai Xiaochun looked at the gaping hole, and his face fell. He had originally assumed he would be getting off scot-free. Instead, it turned out his punishment was to live inside of a big hole….

"Ah, whatever. This really was my fault, so I'll just grin and bear it…." Bai Xiaochun had been so nervous because of the demigod patriarch that he didn't notice at all how angry everyone was down below.

As for the other devas, they couldn't help but look at Bai Xiaochun a bit more closely. Based on what they knew of the demigod patriarch, they were sure that if any of them had done something like what Bai Xiaochun had just done, they would have faced severe punishments.

And yet, with Bai Xiaochun, he played everything down…. That led all three of them to the conclusion that Bai Xiaochun had some mysterious and unprecedented backers!

The disciples down below were all crestfallen. They had been itching to see Bai Xiaochun struck with bad luck, and some had even hoped he would be killed.

However, in the end, most people realized that no one had actually been hurt. The truth was that Bai Xiaochun, originally a nobody from the River-Defying Sect, had truly risen to prominence in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. That became the source of quite a bit of jealousy.

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Chapter 914: The Unpredictable Human Heart

Now that the demigod patriarch was back, the disciples of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect began to make their way back from the four cities and onto the rainbows again.

After being cleansed with pollen, the rainbows' color had been restored. However, the enormous hole remained in the blue rainbow. In fact, anyone who looked up at that hole would be able to see Bai Xiaochun inside of it….

Bai Xiaochun felt like leaving, but every time he was about to, a terrifying stream of divine sense would descend from the violet rainbow, forcing him to bow his head and remain in place, floating there cross-legged….

"If I'd known things would end up like this, I would have said I was planning to rebuild the immortal's cave instead of talking about how much I cared about the sect." He sighed. Being forced to live like this was just as bad as being strung up in front of the entire sect. It was very embarrassing.

"At least the color came back to the rainbows, and none of the disciples were hurt…." When he contemplated those things, his guilt lessened a bit.

To Bai Xiaochun, it was a big loss of face. However, that was only because he didn't know the demigod patriarch very well. The truth was that the man was extremely cruel and strict. Everyone who had ever had dealings with him had been under the impression that he would dole out severe sanctions!

"That's no punishment! That's not even a slap on the wrist…. It's clearly someone from the senior generation favoring someone from the junior generation!"

"Why does Bai Xiaochun get this kind of treatment?! He's not even one of us! It would be one thing if he kept a low profile in the sect, but instead, he does the opposite!"

"What a pity. Even after all that, he didn't get killed. You know, I never really liked the River-Defying Sect. What gave them the right to rise to prominence? And what gave this Bai Xiaochun the right to do what he did? Hmph! They're nothing but country bumpkins. Even the lowest person in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect is better than them!"

Talk like this had been spreading secretly from the moment Bai Xiaochun was appointed as a prime elder. The Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect was a riversource sect, and its disciples were a very proud lot. They always looked down on the sects from downriver, and viewed them as little more than rustic villagers. Therefore, it was only natural that Bai Xiaochun's rise to prominence would lead to some jealousy.

Before, no one had ever dared to speak such things in the open. But after he started concocting medicine, they simply couldn't keep their feelings inside anymore. In fact, they were so upset that they didn't even consider the fact that the pill concocting didn't actually harm them.

Now, new jealousies and grievances were piled onto the old. Soon, word about how everyone hated this 'country bumpkin' reached Bai Xiaochun himself, leaving him feeling both bitter and stunned.

"I guess there was no need to be so worried about them!" he thought. Yet again, he was reminded that the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect was not his home. No, he only had one home. The River-Defying Sect!

However, before the gossip could intensify too much, new news was broken, something that deeply shocked everyone.

The Celestial… was taking in a new apprentice!!

The news spread like wildfire, especially on the rainbows of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. At the same time, the enormous battleship on the Heavenspan Sea began to rumble with noise, causing the talk to spread even faster.

Bai Xiaochun was actually the first to notice the noise coming from the battleship. Shocked, he sent some divine sense out, and could immediately sense that the huge thing was powering up by sucking in the energy of heaven and earth in the area.

Back when his cultivation base was lower, he would never have been able to detect such a thing. But now that he was a deva, he picked up on the clues immediately. The battleship was clearly some ancient magical device that could operate only by absorbing large amounts of spiritual power from the surrounding sea water.

However, it needed a bit of time to power up. From what he could tell, it would be several days before it could set sail.

"The Celestial is accepting a new apprentice?" he murmured, eyes narrowing. "And the battleship is powering up?"

This was not his first time hearing the rumors about the Celestial taking in a new apprentice. Patriarch Spirit Stream had mentioned something similar, and in fact, that was one of the reasons Bai Xiaochun had returned to the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect to begin with.

"Isn't the Celestial doing fine as it is? What does he need a new apprentice for?" Bai Xiaochun already found the thing suspicious. Three days later, the noise from the battleship ceased, and fluctuations began to roll out from it, indicating that it could set sail at any time.

Around that time, cultivators began to arrive from the Middle Reaches and Lower Reaches. Even delta cultivators came.

All of them acted very cautiously, and none dared to enter the sect itself. Instead, they camped in the surrounding regions. The Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect did nothing to stop them, and as time went by, more and more arrived.

These were people from all over the eastern river region, people whose cultivation bases… were at the Nascent Soul stage!

Those who were friends with Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect disciples were able to enter the sect. All such people were from the Middle Reaches. None of the Lower Reaches or delta cultivators had friends in the riversource sect, and so none of them dared to do such a thing.

This influx of cultivators fueled all sorts of rumors about the Celestial taking in a new apprentice. The disciples in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect gossiped nonstop about the matter.

"It seems the rumors are true!"

"I can't believe the Celestial is actually accepting a new apprentice!! Heavens! This is basically a chance to rise to the highest heights in a single bound! The ultimate good fortune!!"

"You know what I heard? The Celestial is going to pick this new apprentice at any moment! And the apprentice could come from any of the four river branches. Up to now, he's only accepted four apprentices…."

"I heard the same thing. Supposedly, the Celestial's four apprentices… are the four demigod patriarchs from the four riversource sects!!"

Of course, Xu Baocai was on top of the situation from the very get-go. Before long, he had compiled a detailed report, which he brought to Bai Xiaochun.

After hurrying over to the gaping hole in the blue rainbow, he found Bai Xiaochun and said, "Junior Patriarch, something big is happening!!"

Bai Xiaochun was currently holding a jade slip in his hand, a message from Patriarch Steel Veins which contained detailed information about the matter of the Celestial accepting a new apprentice.

When he heard Xu Baocai's voice, he put the jade slip away, looking clearly shaken.

"Did you hear me, Junior Patriarch?" Xu Baocai gushed. "The Celestial is taking in a new apprentice!!

"Up to now, the Celestial has only ever had four apprentices, and one of them is the demigod patriarch of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect!

"Now he's accepting a fifth apprentice. As you can imagine… whoever becomes that fifth apprentice will also become a demigod expert one day!!

"I also heard that whenever the Celestial accepts a new apprentice, he'll do so, not just from the eastern part of the river, but from all four branches. The main limitation is that only people in the Nascent Soul stage or above can participate. Other than that, anyone can come register at one of the riversource sects. The riversource sects are prohibited from interfering, and in fact, are responsible for making sure that everyone who registers gets to Heavenspan Island!" Xu Baocai held nothing back, and told Bai Xiaochun everything he knew.

The reason Bai Xiaochun looked shaken was that all the information Xu Baocai had just told him was information he had already been made privy to in the jade slip that Patriarch Steel Veins gave him.

There was another bit of news that Xu Baocai hadn't uncovered, and in fact, very few people were aware of yet.

And that was… the Celestial planned to pick his new apprentice by means of a trial by fire. Apparently, there was an arcane pocket realm on Heavenspan Island that could be entered by anyone from the Nascent Soul stage to the Demigod Realm!

No one knew exactly what would happen inside that pocket realm, but they did know that there was one main requirement…. The first person to get out of it would become the Celestial's fifth apprentice!

Furthermore, the top 100 people who emerged from the pocket realm but didn't become an apprentice would get a special reward!

The mere chance to become an apprentice of the Celestial was viewed by countless people as a matter of unheard-of good fortune. That alone was enough to drive people crazy, even devas.

However, what captured Bai Xiaochun's interest was not the matter of becoming an apprentice, but rather, the special reward!

The runners up… would get a medicinal pill!

They were pills personally concocted by the Celestial, pills that were extremely rare, pills that were called… Millennium Longevity Pills!!

A single such pill would give a person an extra 1,000 years of longevity, and it was no exaggeration to call them immortal pills. Despite being a grandmaster apothecary, not even Bai Xiaochun would be able to make pills like that.

One of the reasons was that among the ingredients was a marvelous type of vegetation that had long since gone extinct!

Bai Xiaochun could tell that Millennium Longevity Pills would be extremely valuable, even to the Celestial!

For cultivators who were at a bottleneck with their cultivation, and had limited time, a Millennium Longevity Pill would be a crucial way to buy more time to make a breakthrough.

It could help Nascent Soul cultivators become devas, and could help devas prepare to become demigods!

As could be imagined, Bai Xiaochun was especially attracted to such pills. After all, his main focus in life was to live forever. Therefore, to have Millennium Longevity Pills dangled right in front of him caused his eyes to go bloodshot and even twitch because of the internal struggle.

How could a thousand years of longevity not profoundly affect him?

Unfortunately, his encounter with the Celestial back in the Wildlands had left him with a very bad feeling. For him to accept an apprentice at this particular critical moment… seemed very suspicious!

Had the Celestial not received a grievous injury, it might seem less odd. But Bai Xiaochun couldn't help but wonder why he would suddenly be interested in an apprentice, given his current state.

Xu Baocai could see that Bai Xiaochun felt torn about the matter, and couldn't help but wonder why. From what Xu Baocai could tell, Bai Xiaochun could participate and not even try to win. Even considering that it was a competition among chosen from all four of the river branches, Xu Baocai was still convinced that Bai Xiaochun would fare extremely well.

Bai Xiaochun didn't feel comfortable explaining his hesitation to Xu Baocai. He simply sat there, unable to prevent his heart from racing. After sending Xu Baocai away, he sighed.

"To go? Or not to go?" He shook his head, pondering what the best decision was.

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Chapter 915: Setting Sail

Bai Xiaochun sat there stewing about the matter for three more days. On the afternoon of the third day, a Dharmic decree came down from the demigod patriarch that was spread to all corners of the eastern Heavenspan River region.

The decree contained two announcements. The first declared that a battleship would be setting sail for Heavenspan Island in one month. Anyone who wished to participate in the trial by fire to become an apprentice of the Celestial needed to be on that ship by then!

The second announcement was that… in addition to selecting an apprentice, the Celestial was holding the trial by fire… to award medicinal pills to increase longevity!

The 1st place winner of the trial would become the Celestial's apprentice!

The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place winners would be given a Millennial Longevity Pill.

The 5th through 10th place winners would win a Quincentennial Longevity Pill, which would bestow 500 years of longevity. Everyone else down to the 100th place winner would receive a Centennial Longevity Pill!

The announcement caused a huge stir, especially among the cultivators who were camped outside of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. And many of the sect disciples who had been on the fence about the matter were immediately thrown into a state of madness.

"Millennial Longevity Pill!?!? With that pill, I could definitely realize my dream of becoming a deva!"

"I might not be able to win one of those Millennial Longevity Pills… but I could definitely get a Centennial Longevity Pill! I'm gonna go for it!!"

Commotions spread to the most remote mountains of the eastern Heavenspan River. Even many eccentric rogue cultivators were so excited that they decided to participate!

Longevity pills were especially attractive to aging cultivators, who would go to almost any lengths to get them.

As the eastern Heavenspan River went crazy, the other three riversource sects sent out similar news, leading to similar results in the other river branches. It wasn't just chosen disciples who responded. Anyone who held even the slightest bit of confidence decided to participate in this trial by fire!

Even the other devas in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect were excited, as well as experts from the Middle Reaches sects. The Nascent Soul cultivators from the Starry, Dao, and Polarity River Courts all hurried in the direction of the main sect….

The Nascent Soul cultivators in the River-Defying Sect, such as Song Que, were equally excited. Even Master Limitless decided to participate!

Li Qinghou hesitated over the matter for a short time before deciding to stay put.

When Bai Xiaochun realized that even more cultivators would be participating than he had originally imagined, he began to vacillate even more.

About a week later, Big Fatty Zhang came and asked if he would be willing to help. Big Fatty Zhang was worried that his cultivation base was too low, and yet still wanted to search for good fortune in the trial by fire.

At that point, Bai Xiaochun sighed and gritted his teeth. He obviously couldn't become the apprentice of the Celestial. How could he possibly do something like that, considering that he was the Hell-Emperor's Master!? However, he had been losing sleep and forgetting to eat recently because of those longevity pills.

"Fine, I'll go for it! Even if I don't get a Millennial Longevity Pill, maybe I can get one of the 500-year ones!"

Having made his decision, he decided to start getting ready. For one thing, he needed to be ready to help Song Que, Master Limitless, and the others from the River-Defying Sect. On the other hand, he also needed to prepare plenty of medicinal plants and pills.

"There's definitely going to be a bunch of fighting and killing in that trial by fire. Ai… I have to go in extra prepared." Thankfully, his status as a prime elder gave him easy access to plenty of resources.

Because he didn't know how long he would be gone, he also decided to put together an even bigger stockpile of life force pills than he had already built up.

And then there was the matter of Big Fatty Zhang. Unlike Song Que, Big Fatty Zhang was in late Core Formation, and didn't quite meet the requirements to participate. Although helping him make a breakthrough ahead of time would be difficult, Bai Xiaochun was certain he could do it.

Even after all the potential risks were explained to him, Big Fatty Zhang was still determined. Therefore, Bai Xiaochun nodded and prepared to help him push toward a breakthrough.

Unfortunately, they only had about ten more days until the battleship set sail. Therefore, Bai Xiaochun had to use his authority as a prime elder to secure Big Fatty Zhang a place onboard. The plan was for Big Fatty Zhang to achieve his breakthrough either on the ship or after reaching Heavenspan Island. Then he would be able to secure his spot.

If he didn't achieve a breakthrough, he could simply wait on the battleship until the trial by fire was over, and then return to the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect.

As Bai Xiaochun went about his various preparations, the days ticked by, and more cultivators poured into the region around the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect to wait for the battleship to set sail.

One morning at dawn, the Nascent Soul experts outside the sect flew up into the air and looked in the direction of the battleship with deep anticipation.

The battleship began to rumble as surely as if it were some ancient beast coming to life. Slowly but surely, the prow of the ship turned.

At the same time, the archaic voice of the demigod patriarch echoed out from the violet rainbow.

"Everyone who plans to participate in the trial shall board the ship now!"

Instantly, all of the Nascent Soul cultivators flew toward the battleship!

10. 20. 50… 100….

Not all of the Nascent Soul cultivators from the east were present, but most were. In the end, more than 200 beams of light descended onto the battleship.

Among them were Song Que, Master Limitless, and three other Nascent Soul cultivators from the Profound and Pill Stream Divisions. There were many others from the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect as well, including Bai Lin, Zhao Tianjiao, and others.

As for Bai Zhentian and the other devas, when they heard that Bai Xiaochun was going, they decided not to go. Therefore, Bai Xiaochun was the only deva to join the group.

As the only prime elder, he was responsible to act as the guardian of the battleship, and the leader of the forces onboard. Most of the cultivators who followed him onboard looked at him with the utmost level of awe, and offered respectful greetings as soon as he looked at them.

Although Bai Xiaochun was mostly used to his high status, and had started to tire a bit of everyone bowing and scraping all the time, to see so many Nascent Soul experts awestruck by him was quite pleasing.

"Ai. I guess I really am too outstanding. I didn't even try very hard, and yet, here I am, a prime elder." Clearing his throat proudly, he waved his sleeve. Then a wistful expression appeared on his face as he thought back to the last time he had boarded this ship, as a mere disciple. Back then, Chen Hetian had been the ship's guardian.

Now, Chen Hetian avoided him at all costs….

Song Que and Zhao Tianjiao also reacted emotionally upon boarding the ship. The main difference was that, upon seeing Bai Xiaochun there, Zhao Tianjiao sighed, whereas Song Que lowered his head and cursed inwardly.

"What's all the fuss about Bai Xiaochun and his deva cultivation base!? And what is he doing here!?!?"

Bai Xiaochun unhesitatingly arranged for everyone from the River-Defying Sect, as well as Zhao Tianjiao and Bai Lin, to be given the best cabins. With the exception of Song Que.

"Que'er!" he shouted into the crowd, waving his hand back and forth. "Come over here and share a cabin with uncle!"

Song Que's expression turned very dark, and he ducked his head down further. He had hoped to completely avoid Bai Xiaochun, and yet, still ended up being singled out.

"Dammit, Bai Xiaochun just won't give up, will he!? If I'd known he would be here, I would have beaten myself to death before coming along." Although he was nearly going mad with frustration, he couldn't resist the temptation of being able to stay in the biggest cabin on the ship. Steeling himself inwardly, he strolled over in Bai Xiaochun's direction, much to the envy of all the other Nascent Soul cultivators.

Before long, all the arrangements had been made, and Bai Xiaochun waved his hand in grand fashion.

"Set sail!"

In response, the disciples who had been assigned to power the ship set to work. Intense rumbling sounds could be heard as the ship then sped up, cutting through the waves as it headed deep into the Heavenspan Sea.

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Chapter 916: Big Fatty Zhangs Dream

The instant Bai Xiaochun waved his hand, and the enormous battleship sped off into the distance, the disciples who remained behind on the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect's rainbows erupted into excitement.

"Finally! He's finally gone!!"

"The heavens do have eyes! The freak Bai Xiaochun has left the sect! Every day that he's around is one lived in abject fear! I just hope he perishes over there. Let god take him as an apprentice!"

"That damned country bumpkin is finally gone! Hahaha! Keep the hell away from our Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect!"

The disciples were so excited that some even had tears in their eyes. A few even pulled out gongs and drums, and began to celebrate as enthusiastically as they did during New Year's.

An atmosphere of joy filled the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, and the gongs and drums were soon joined by cheering and delighted laughter.

After all, Bai Xiaochun's cultivation base was simply too high. Nobody could fight him, and everyone was jealous of him. Therefore, they normally couldn't give vent to their feelings, and were forced to keep them bottled up. Now that he was gone, they couldn't hold back from rejoicing.

Although the battleship was some distance off already, it was still close enough… that Bai Xiaochun was able to hear the commotion back in the sect.

He blinked a few times, and then cleared his throat, feeling very moved. Yet again, it was proven how outstanding he was. If he weren't, then why else would people give him such an enthusiastic farewell?

As thick-skinned as ever, he turned to Song Que, Zhao Tianjiao, and his other friends and said, "It's been a long time since I've heard that sound. See? Everyone hates to see me go. And when I do, they always throw me a big farewell party."

Song Que said nothing in response, and a strange expression could be seen on Zhao Tianjiao's face. As for Bai Lin, he simply smiled wryly.

However, it was at this point that Bai Xiaochun stuck his chin up and said, "Hold on! If they want to see me off, then as a prime elder, how could I possibly ignore them!? Men! Stop the ship!"

Although he was making a show of accepting the 'praise' of the disciples, the truth was that inside, he was feeling very prickly, and had decided that he couldn't let such behavior slide.

As the most powerful expert on the ship, no one dared to countermand his orders. Within moments, the ship had lurched to a halt.

Back in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, the disciples were in the midst of cheering wildly when, all of a sudden, someone noticed that the ship had stopped.

"Hey everybody, look! Why did the ship stop moving?!?!"

"Heavens, what's going on?!?!"

"There's no way that he decided not to leave, is there…?"

It only took a few moments for the entire Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect to go quiet. Countless eyes came to lock on the battleship, and innumerable hearts began to pound with restless anxiety.

On the battleship, Bai Xiaochun stood there, looking back at the sect, which was now completely empty of any sounds of gongs or drums. He cleared his throat.

"Seems they all really are going to miss me. Ah, whatever. I might as well turn the ship around and say some goodbyes." Marveling at what a master of etiquette he was, he smiled contentedly. Zhao Tianjiao, Bai Lin, and his other friends all exchanged awkward glances….

Under Bai Xiaochun's orders, the ship… slowly turned around and headed back toward the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect….

The disciples there suddenly felt like their heads were going to explode. Their faces fell, and their minds filled with thundering rumblings.

"What… what is he doing? Why is he coming back?!?!"

"What happened? What is he doing?!?!"

"This is all your guys' fault! You shouldn't have gone so overboard! He's not leaving. Oh, what are we going to do!?"

Even as everyone descended into trembling anxiety, the voice of the demigod patriarch erupted out from the violet rainbow.

"No dillydallying, Bai Xiaochun! Do you have a death wish or something!? Turn that ship around!"

The voice echoed out with such thunderous volume that the sky trembled, and huge waves broke out on the surface of the Heavenspan Sea.

"I just wanted to go say goodbye to everyone…." Bai Xiaochun shouted. "Ah, whatever. Fine, turn this thing around and head for Heavenspan Island."

There were no other options. He couldn't beat the demigod patriarch in a fight, after all.

It didn't take long for the ship to turn around again, and then sail off into the depths of the Heavenspan Sea. Soon, it vanished over the horizon.

At that point, when the disciples of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect were absolutely certain that Bai Xiaochun was gone, they sighed in relief, and then started to get excited again.

Bai Zhentian finally ended his session of secluded meditation, and walked out into the open, a smile on his face because of how wonderful life was now.

Although Li Xiandao had warmed up to Bai Xiaochun to a certain degree, he was also relieved to see him gone. At long last, his usual look of detachment appeared on his face again.

As for Chen Hetian, he had been living like a rogue cultivator outside of the sect. As soon as he heard that Bai Xiaochun was gone, he immediately grew very excited.

"The damned bastard is finally gone!" Brimming with anticipation, he headed directly back in the direction of the sect.

Golden waves rolled across the surface of the Heavenspan Sea. It was so beautiful that, even at night, cultivators would go out to take in the scenery. This was a very different scenario than when all of the chosen of the sect had gone to participate in deadly training. Therefore, everyone onboard was feeling quite relaxed.

Many people took the chance to get to know new friends. After all, they would likely be facing dangerous situations when encountering cultivators from the other three branches of the river, people with different techniques and customs.

By working in teams, they would be able to increase their chances of success. Besides, they were all from the eastern Heavenspan River. If one of them ended up as the Celestial's new apprentice, it would mean great benefits for everyone.

Of course, the Nascent Soul cultivators treated Bai Xiaochun very respectfully. However, the scene which had played out when they were leaving the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect had been somewhat unsettling, and therefore, none of them dared to go request an audience and offer formal greetings.

Bai Xiaochun was already feeling bored. Back when he had sailed to the Great Wall, the trip had taken about half a year. Based on his current calculations, this trip would take even longer.

After considering how long the trip would take, he decided that he needed to decide on something to do to pass the time. At the moment, the best thing to do was help Big Fatty Zhang with his breakthrough.

If he succeeded, then he would be able to participate in the trial by fire, and have a chance to become an apprentice of the Celestial.

With that, he headed toward Deck 2, where he had arranged for a very nice cabin for Big Fatty Zhang to stay in.

He found Big Fatty Zhang on the balcony, gazing out excitedly at the Heavenspan Sea.

The furthest he had ever traveled in his life was first from the Spirit Stream Sect to the River-Defying Sect, and after that, to the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. He had never actually left the Heavenspan River.

Although he had been in secluded meditation when Bai Xiaochun and the other chosen went to the Great Wall, when he emerged later and learned that he wouldn't have been able to go, he felt very down. Starting from that point, he had a big goal in life.

"I want to travel to the farthest corners of the earth!" That dream was one of the reasons he had been so set on taking this trip to Heavenspan Island. However, there was another reason. Only about half a month ago, he had suddenly dreamed a very peculiar dream.

In that dream, he saw a strange world. After waking up, it was for some strange reason that he felt certain that the trip to Heavenspan Island would be a lifechanging event for him.

"After I formed my Will Core, I very rarely experienced any premonitions like this. However, whenever I did… they turned out to be true. This trip is definitely going to bring me incredible good fortune!" Even as he stood there, eyes shining with determination, Bai Xiaochun arrived.

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Chapter 917: Different Means To The Same End

"I'm definitely going to reach the Nascent Soul stage, Xiaochun. Oh, by the way, let me tell you about this dream I had…." Looking very serious, he went on to explain everything about his dream.

As Bai Xiaochun listened, his eyes widened with shock. A strange expression overtook his face, and by the time Big Fatty Zhang finished, he couldn't hold back from reaching out to clasp his shoulder.

"You can do it, Eldest Brother!" Inside, however, he was a bit worried that Big Fatty Zhang was too obsessed with trying to make this particular dream come true. However, worried that he would discourage his Eldest Brother, he offered some more random encouragement. "Wow, Eldest Brother, if you really end up in that strange world you saw, then remember to tell me all about it. I'd like to go see it also."

Big Fatty Zhang laughed heartily. Then, he sat down cross-legged to meditate according to Bai Xiaochun's instructions.

Bai Xiaochun had come well-prepared to help Big Fatty Zhang with his breakthrough. Before leaving the sect, he had traded one of his deva souls for a set of five elements deva beast souls. After all, he didn't have enough deva souls to make the full set needed for a Heaven-Dao Nascent Soul.

Of course, even Earth-Dao Nascent Souls were incredible, and were considered the peak level of power among devas. As of this moment, Big Fatty Zhang was getting access to resources that only top chosen of the sect would normally see.

Big Fatty Zhang was very well aware of that, and was deeply grateful.

Three months passed relatively quickly. With Bai Xiaochun standing as Dharma protector, and also providing plenty of medicinal pills, Big Fatty Zhang's breakthrough was going along smoothly.

The truth was that Bai Xiaochun had only heard about Will Cores when Feng Youde brought them up all those years ago.

As for Feng Youde, he had only come to know about them by randomly coming across some information about them when perusing the sect's ancient records. Later on, Big Fatty Zhang came to find that, despite the boost in battle prowess it gave him, the sect in general didn't care too much about his unique type of core. That went to show how unusual it was for people to form Will Cores.

However, because Bai Xiaochun had been anticipating helping Big Fatty Zhang with this breakthrough, he did some of his own research in the ancient records. In fact, he had found the very passages that Feng Youde had come across.

The information wasn't very comprehensive, but he was able to confirm that, in the past, Will Cores had been commonly cultivated by spirit enhancers. In terms of battle prowess, they were roughly equivalent to Earth-Dao Violet Cores. Unfortunately, after being converted into nascent souls, they were merely average.

Furthermore, it was much more difficult for cultivators with Will Cores to achieve breakthroughs.

Because of that, many people viewed them as being of little value or interest. After much research, they were eventually abandoned as a subject of pursuit.

However, because he was so concerned about Big Fatty Zhang, Bai Xiaochun had done some intensive investigation, and had found something of note.

He discovered that within the spiritual power that existed in Big Fatty Zhang's body, there was a unique strand of energy. Most people who saw that strand of energy would find it unusual, but wouldn't think much about it. However, when Bai Xiaochun saw it, he gasped in shock.

The reason for his surprise was that he had seen the exact same strand of energy when he formed his Gold Core!

Thanks to his study of the Frigid School Will-Evolving Incantation, he realized that the strand of energy was actually Willpower!

Back when he had ascended to the Heaven-Dao Nascent Soul stage, that seemingly indestructible strand of Willpower had mysteriously vanished. It was something he had never understood, not even after becoming a deva.

Upon returning to the River-Defying Sect, he had asked Patriarch Spirit Stream about it, but hadn't received any new information. Eventually, he had stopped thinking about it. But now that he was working with Big Fatty Zhang, and saw the same type of energy inside of him, his eyes began to glitter.

"Could it be that the Willpower inside of me didn't actually vanish? What if it became an intrinsic part of the spiritual power in my cultivation base?" He did some more checks, but didn't find any evidence to support his theory.

"Just what exactly is this Willpower?" As of this point, he realized that his understanding of Willpower was very lacking. Therefore, he would have to carefully use a trial-and-error method to help Big Fatty Zhang.

Another month passed. Occasionally, the Heavenspan Sea would get choppy. Sometimes, strange and bizarre sea creatures would appear, leading to a buzz of excitement among the Nascent Soul cultivators onboard. However, after enough time passed, most of them went into meditation to further their cultivation.

Eventually, it came time for Big Fatty Zhang to go into seclusion himself. Based on what Bai Xiaochun could tell, his breakthrough would happen in the coming two months.

There was no need for Bai Xiaochun to constantly stand as Dharma protector. As far as the subject of Willpower went, he still didn't have any good ideas, and finally stopped worrying about it.

Because everyone was focused on cultivation, the ship was very quiet. After a bit of thought, Bai Xiaochun decided that he should also do the same. Whether it was his Sun-Moon Vast-Sky Incantation or his Undying Blood, he had packed plenty of supplies before leaving the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. After sending out a sliver of divine sense to keep an eye on Big Fatty Zhang, he went to work.

His Undying Blood was progressing much more slowly than his Sun-Moon Vast-Sky Incantation. After all, it required lots of life force, which made significant progress impossible.

He had acquired plenty of types of plants and vegetation that had life force. The best thing would have been to concoct them into medicinal pills. However, Bai Xiaochun had grown very leery of concocting anything he hadn't concocted before. Besides, doing so on a ship wasn't very appropriate. Therefore, he tended to just directly consume the medicinal plants he had stockpiled.

The profound levels of life force in those particular medicinal plants would make them impossible for any ordinary person to consume safely. But Bai Xiaochun didn't need to worry about such things. He was like a huge black hole that seemed impossible to satiate. As soon as he added any life force, it would immediately be sucked away.

After consuming enough life force, the black hole would glow bright red, and his blood would become more scintillating.

Finally, after an entire month of work, he added a second drop of Undying Blood!

Because of the presence of that second drop, the rest of the blood in his body became more vibrant.

At that point, he opened his eyes, his expression one of slight disappointment.

"The Undying Blood wastes way too much life force! I already ate about half of the medicinal plant I brought along, and all I got was a single drop." Rubbing the bridge of his nose in disappointment, he contemplated the fact that he had something like 20-30,000 drops of blood inside of him, and realized that mastering the Undying Blood was a very distant possibility. [1]

Even as he was trying to come up with a way to speed things up, he suddenly looked in Big Fatty Zhang's direction, then vanished. When he reappeared, he was inside of Big Fatty Zhang's cabin.

Big Fatty Zhang was trembling, had sweat pouring down his body, and thrummed with powerful energy. Bai Xiaochun looked at him closely, and immediately realized that his core was in the process of crumbling.

To step from Core Formation into the Nascent Soul stage, one needed to break down the core and transform it into a nascent soul!

Deva beast souls were used to assist the process, and refine the ultimate form of the nascent soul.

Without the slightest hesitation, Bai Xiaochun performed an incantation gesture with his right hand, sending a stream of white light out that formed a protective shield around Big Fatty Zhang. Big Fatty Zhang ceased to tremble as violently, and his energy surged even stronger. Finally, loud cracking sounds rang out!

His core was crumbling!

All of a sudden, dark clouds began to gather in the sky above the battleship. Lightning bolts began to crackle, causing many of the cultivators onboard to rush out to see what was happening.

"Tribulation clouds?"

"Someone is achieving a cultivation base breakthrough and making a nascent soul?"

Even as the shocked discussions began to play out, a piercing sound filled the air as… a huge face appeared right above the roiling tribulation clouds!

The face depicted Bai Xiaochun!

Rumbling sounds could be heard as he opened his mouth and directly swallowed the tribulation clouds!!

The tribulation clouds were clearly no match for him!

Everyone who saw this event play out was completely stunned.

1. I was curious about how many drops of blood exist in the bodies of us non-cultivator humans. Of course, a lot of depends on how big the 'drops' are. Anyway, check out the answer I found here

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Chapter 918: A Different Type Of Deva

"He… ate the tribulation clouds?" The Nascent Soul cultivators on the deck were completely and utterly taken aback. They had never even imagined that something like this was possible.

"So that's what devas can do…."

It would be hard for any of these people to be more shocked than they already were!

There were only a handful of devas in the eastern Heavenspan River region, and few cultivators ever had dealings with them. For most of the people present, this event was something they would commit to memory for a lifetime.

However, the cultivators from the other three great sects in the Middle Reaches were even more shocked than those from the delta and Lower Reaches.

After all, they had had close dealings with devas in the past, namely, their sects' former patriarchs. And what was shocking was that none of them remembered those patriarchs doing anything like this!

This was heavenly tribulation!!

To devas, Nascent Soul tribulation lightning wasn't anything particularly incredible, and yet, it was still tribulation sent by heaven and earth. It was a supreme level of power that few people would ever be able to interfere with.

And yet today… Bai Xiaochun had directly consumed it!

Of course, everyone was shaken, but there were a few in the crowd who were even more shaken than the experts from the Middle Reaches sects.

They were Zhao Tianjiao and Bai Lin!

After all, they had much closer relationships with devas than the other cultivators. One had a Master who was a deva, and the other, a grandfather. Therefore, they knew much more about devas than the average person, to the point where there were very few Nascent Soul cultivators alive who could match their knowledge regarding devas.

And that made the entire situation even more unbelievable, as both knew that neither Bai Zhentian, Chen Hetian, nor any of the other devas could do anything like this!

Most likely, the only person who could possibly do it would be the demigod patriarch!

After the shocking scene played out, the projection of Bai Xiaochun's face faded away, and back in the cabin, his eyes suddenly snapped open.

Even he was surprised by what had occurred. Looking up into the sky, he murmured, "Was that Hao'er helping me?"

One thing he had been wondering about for a while now was why no heavenly tribulation had appeared when he conjured his twenty-one-colored flame.

Actually, despite how terrifying the heavenly tribulation had looked moments ago, Bai Xiaochun had realized almost immediately that the explosive power inside of it had begun to disperse almost as soon as it formed.

It had been almost on a whim that he attempted to consume it, after which he absorbed the power into his own body as quickly as he could.

Even that little bit caused his Sun-Moon Vast-Sky Incantation to stir. Although he couldn't reach the second level, he made significant progress, and actually saved years of cultivation time because of it.

All of that caused him to think about his apprentice, who had become the Hell-Emperor, and actually controlled the cycle of reincarnation in this heaven and earth…. He was likely the only person who could affect matters such as this.

"It's too bad that Hao'er can probably only do that a handful of times. Otherwise, it would make my future cultivation just too easy." Although he couldn't be sure that his conjectures were correct, he still felt a fuzzy warmth inside of him when he thought back to his wonderful apprentice.

Of course, as for all of the Nascent Soul cultivators out on the deck, they were awestruck by what they had seen. The image of Bai Xiaochun consuming tribulation clouds would be imprinted into their minds and hearts for as long as they lived.

Because of how Bai Xiaochun got rid of the tribulation lightning, Big Fatty Zhang's breakthrough proceeded very smoothly. Soon, a Nascent Soul aura erupted out from him, which caused a smile to break out on Bai Xiaochun's face.

At this point, Big Fatty Zhang was past any danger. He simply needed time to stabilize his nascent soul, and then end the session of cultivation.

Feeling extremely pleased, Bai Xiaochun set up some restrictive spells to keep Big Fatty Zhang safe, then swaggered out of the cabin. When he reached the deck, the numerous Nascent Soul cultivators there all cast gazes of deep veneration at him as they clasped hands and bowed to him.

Bai Xiaochun had already been in a good mood because of Big Fatty Zhang's breakthrough, and it only got better to see so many people looking at him worshipfully.

"My apprentice really is incredible," he thought. "Not only did he help me speed up my cultivation, he made sure that everyone here adores me. He completely understands me!" For some reason, the weather seemed particularly good today, so he decided it was a perfect time to stay on the main deck and enjoy the sunshine. As he looked around, he noticed Song Que step out from deck 2, see him, and then try to duck back through the door.

"Que'er!" he cried. "Come over here. Uncle is in a good mood today, and wants to take you fishing!" Of course, Bai Xiaochun spoke the words much more quickly than Song Que could react.

Song Que stopped in his tracks. He had been working hard to avoid Bai Xiaochun throughout the entire trip so far, and had been caught completely off guard.

Not daring to refuse to comply, he gritted his teeth in frustration and walked over to Bai Xiaochun.

Bai Xiaochun wasn't bothered by Song Que's bad mood. Flying up into the air, he shoved his hand in the direction of the Heavenspan Sea. The water sank down so rapidly that a few dozen fish were too slow to react, and were left hanging in the air. Bai Xiaochun quickly made a waving motion with his hand, sending them all flying onto the ship.

Strange power existed within these fish, power that could be of great benefit to cultivators. Although Song Que was in a bad mood, when he saw them flopping there on the deck, his heart started to thump in his chest. Without even needing prompting from Bai Xiaochun, he walked over to pick them up.

The other cultivators looked on enviously, but, fearful of Bai Xiaochun, hesitated to step forward.

Bai Xiaochun was not the stingy type, though. As far as he was concerned, when he was happy, he liked everyone to be happy too.

"Come on, everybody!" he cried. "It's time for a fish feast!"

The Nascent Soul cultivators were thrilled.

"Many thanks, Senior Bai!" All of them began to rush around and pick up fish.

Some of them even flew up to where Bai Xiaochun was and joined in the fishing attempt. One of them was a Nascent Soul elder from the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect who had been sent along because of his knowledge of the sects from the other three river branches. Although he wasn't planning to participate in the trial by fire, this chance to advance his cultivation base along the way was very pleasing.

And thus, everyone on board the huge battleship had a rare chance… to feast on golden fish pulled right out of the Heavenspan Sea.

In the following days, Bai Xiaochun continued the practice. Sometimes he would fish, and sometimes he would capture other sea beasts that could even be used as ingredients for medicinal pills. He would also spend time practicing cultivation, and consulting with that one particular elder who knew so much about the other three river branches.

By helping to propel the ship with his deva power, he ensured that they made impressive time. All in all, the Nascent Soul cultivators made cultivation base advancement, and felt profound gratitude toward Bai Xiaochun because of it.

"Don't worry about it," he said in response to the expressions of thanks. "We're all from the eastern Heavenspan River, right? We're all on the same team! You know, now that I think about it, considering that there are so many longevity pills up for grabs in this trial by fire, we should definitely split up into teams. Let's not give the cultivators from the other three river branches any chances to get their hands on those pills!"

Sticking his chin up, he swished his sleeve and continued in a loud voice, "Remember, everyone, when we get to the trial by fire, stick together! And if you see anyone from our side getting picked on, roll your sleeves up and get into the fray!"

The Nascent Soul cultivators all laughed heartily. With every moment that passed, their impression of Bai Xiaochun improved, and they felt closer to him. At the same time, their sense of competitiveness toward their comrades on the boat lessened.

Although Song Que wasn't too happy about everyone coming to like Bai Xiaochun, he also realized why it was happening, and approved. Bai Xiaochun was doing everything he could to make sure the people on their side remained safe.

Zhao Tianjiao and Bai Lin were also reminded of the old Bai Xiaochun they had come to know.

Bai Xiaochun was very pleased to see everyone getting along and even making friends. The truth was that he had a bad feeling about this trial by fire organized by the Celestial. It seemed dangerous for some reason. The fact that he could get the eastern Heavenspan River cultivators to team up was a good thing. Even if they didn't actually manage to get more medicinal pills because of it, at least everyone would be safer.

Another month passed. Big Fatty Zhang finally emerged from secluded meditation, revealing his extraordinary Nascent Soul battle prowess. Relationships were forming among the cultivators on board, and fish feasts were held constantly.

And thus, the ship gradually approached its destination. Heavenspan Island… was getting closer and closer.

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Chapter 919: What Trouble Is He Here To Stir Up?

The closer they got to their destination, the less relaxed Bai Xiaochun felt. Not only was Hou Xiaomei on Heavenspan Island, so was that very same figure whom he hadn't seen for many years. Du Lingfei.

The truth was that, other than the chance to get some longevity pills, one of the big reasons he had agreed to come to this event was his desire to make sure that Hou Xiaomei was safe. He had missed her for a long time.

Another reason… was Du Lingfei!

As he stood there on the deck of the ship, looking off into the distance, he murmured, "Back before I left for the Great Wall, she said… that the next time we met, she would explain everything."

He had met many women throughout the years, and although they all had left varying impressions on him, there was something unique about Du Lingfei. Although he came to know her after meeting Hou Xiaomei, there was something about Du Lingfei that made her more unforgettable than anyone else.

They had faced death together in the Luochen Mountains. After the events of the Fallen Sword Abyss, she had suddenly vanished, only to reappear again in the Blood Stream Sect, in the trial by fire for the position of blood master. When the mask fell from her face in the heart chamber of the Blood Ancestor, they had gazed into each other's eyes, both of them shocked to the core….

When he came to the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, she had secretly protected him from the shadows, and then gave him a parting gift in the form of a deva soul….

All of those things were unforgettable memories. And yet, by this point, not even Bai Xiaochun was very certain of the true nature of their relationship.

Perhaps they had once had feelings for one another, but now… he wasn't sure.

Years ago, he had been obsessed with finding out how she truly felt about him. But as time passed, such desires slowly faded. Although they had never vanished completely, based on everything that had happened throughout the years, there seemed to be only one explanation.

"I can pretty much guess who you really are," he murmured, closing his eyes.

Bai Xiaochun wasn't the only one to lapse into solemn silence as Heavenspan Island neared. Everyone onboard felt the pressure building, and slowly became quiet.

No one missed any chances to look at the horizon in the hopes of catching sight of their destination. One day, it was Bai Xiaochun… who noticed a vague form off in the distance.

It looked like an island….

Soon, gasps could be heard on the battleship. At the same time, Bai Xiaochun's eyes began to glitter.

He could see things more clearly than anyone, and thus was able to make out many more details about the island.

It was actually gourd-shaped, with the larger of the two circles forming the main part of the island, and the smaller of the two circles made by the docks. Connecting them was a huge mountain range that rose up like the spine of a dragon.

Lush greenery and ornate buildings covered the place. Particularly noteworthy were three mountain peaks, all of which were covered by spectacularly shocking palaces. The middle peak was the largest, with the two mountains on either side being slightly smaller.

Steep stone staircases wound down the mountain like snakes, leading to various smaller palaces that dotted the mountains. Overall, the island looked like a combination of a beautiful garden and an imperial palace!

This was none other than Heavenspan Island!

The Celestial's Palace of the Dao!

Each and every palace on the island radiated terrifying pressure, and there were so many of them that they were difficult to count. After a short examination, Bai Xiaochun guessed that there were probably over a thousand.

The combined pressure of all those palaces was enough to topple mountains and drain seas, to overturn the world. It was almost as if this island were an enormous, almighty being, gazing down with impunity upon all living beings in the world!

In a grand hall on the primary palace in the middle of the three mountain peaks was an enormous throne crafted from pitch-black crystal. The crystal that made up the throne actually grew up from the very base of the mountain itself, apparently connecting it to the Heavenspan Sea. Black sparks of electricity danced across the surface of the throne, to eventually be absorbed by the mighty figure who sat upon it.

He was none other than the Celestial!

As Bai Xiaochun and his group neared the island, the Celestial opened his eyes, looked at the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect's battleship, and frowned slightly.

"Thanks to my wounds, I almost completely forgot…. That's the same kid the gravekeeper managed to reel in, the one rife with Willpower. What trouble is he here to stir up?

"Who would have thought that the old ghost actually let him come back to the lands of Heavenspan…. As calculating as ever, gravekeeper. Well, I'll use him just the same way I used the Blood Ancestor. I'll do everything the same. When all other plans fail, he will be my most powerful tool. Not only will I not harm him for the time being, I will protect him until he matures….

"You know me well, you old ghost…. The truth is that, unless I have absolutely no other choice… I won't take that final step…." After a long moment passed, the Celestial closed his eyes again.

Despite that, the pressure radiating out from Heavenspan Island grew even more intense!

It was at that exact same moment that Bai Xiaochun's gaze shifted to another location on the Heavenspan Sea.

Before long, three ships appeared, each one coming from one of the cardinal directions…. They were battleships, much the same size as the one from the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, although each one looked somewhat different in design and style. All of them were speeding toward the docks on Heavenspan Island.

The ship coming from the west was made of green stone, and seemed ancient beyond belief. It radiated power to shake mountains and dry up rivers as it sped through the sea water.

Bai Xiaochun could just barely make out a crowd of people on the deck of the ship. Furthest toward the prow was a person who attracted immediate attention. He was old, with the demeanor of a transcendent being, and profound deva fluctuations.

The ship coming from the south caused Bai Xiaochun's pupils to constrict. It was made of pitch-black wood, and was surrounded by sinister black smoke. Occasionally, a black dragon could be seen in the smoke, the mere sight of which caused Bai Xiaochun's heart to start racing. Clearly, that dragon was the soul automaton of the battleship!

Seated cross-legged on the head of the dragon was a figure too obscure to be seen clearly. Only a vague outline was visible, and yet, it was possible to tell that his hair was actually the source of all the black smoke!

Even more eye-catching than the ships from the south and west was the battleship coming from the north. It seemed to be made of pure ice, which radiated a strong frigid qi. Furthermore, countless bolts of lightning danced within the ice, causing booming thunder to echo out in all directions, terrifying thunder that shook the soul.

Most conspicuous of all was the person standing on the prow of the ship from the north. He was a burly man that looked as tall and strong as a tower. In fact, he was at least 9 meters tall, powerfully built, with an aura that caused Bai Xiaochun's pupils to constrict.

It didn't take any consideration or thought to realize that these three ships… were cultivators from the other three branches of the Heavenspan River!

All of the other ships had set sail at roughly the same time as the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect's, and had moved with similar speed. Thus, they all arrived at about the same time.

This was Bai Xiaochun's first time actually laying eyes on cultivators from the other river branches. Although he had been given a lot information from that Nascent Soul elder, it was still different to see them personally. Even as he looked them over, the other cultivators on the ship around him did the same.

The pressure they felt immediately mounted. At the same time, the four different ships continued on their way toward Heavenspan Island's docks.

As the ships got closer to each other, the cultivators on the decks became more clear.

It was at that point that the Nascent Soul elder who was an expert on the other three river branches began to provide more detailed introductions to everyone about the various cultivators!

"As you know, the east is controlled by the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. As for the other three rivers, the west is controlled by the Exalted Zodiac Moon Domination Sect. In the south is the Dragon Totem Ghost Sea Sect. And from the north is the Nine Heavens Cloud Lightning Sect!

"Everyone, watch out for the Exalted Zodiac Moon Domination Sect from the west. That old man with a transcendent air is known as Guru Spirit Immortal, and is adept with the Daoist magic of mountains and stones. He can transform living beings into nothing more than soil and rock! He's very formidable. In general, the Exalted Zodiac Moon Domination Sect is adept with the Daoist magic of the five elements. Although that might not seem like anything extraordinary, their skill has reached the level of being completely terrifying.

"I'm unfamiliar with most of the other Nascent Soul cultivators from the west. But there's one that all of you should pay close attention to. See that young man standing next to Guru Spirit Immortal? His name is Shi Yan, and he's widely known as the top Nascent Soul expert in their entire sect. He once fought a shocking battle with someone in the early Deva Realm, and came out alive in the end!"

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Chapter 920: Longing For Defeat

After hearing this information, Bai Xiaochun looked over at Guru Spirit Immortal and the arrogant-looking young man standing next to him.

"Another person to watch out for is from the southern Dragon Totem Ghost Sea Sect. See that cultivator sitting on top of the black dragon soul? He's Master Thousand-Ghost. His Daoist name comes from the fact that he was once an old ghost who had existed for a thousand years. By cultivating the Dao of ghosts, he achieved something completely heaven-defying, and became a deva. His battle prowess surpasses his cultivation level, and each of the one thousand strands of smoke that make up his hair contain a deadly Daoist magic!

"The Dragon Totem Ghost Sea Sect is skilled in shapeshifting arts. When they transform into vicious beasts, their battle prowess skyrockets. Furthermore, just like Master Thousand-Ghost, the disciples all cultivate the Dao of ghosts, giving them bizarre and unfathomable magical techniques.

"Although many people on that boat are rogue cultivators, the Dragon Totem Ghost Sea Sect definitely has one particular chosen who rises above everyone. His name is Sun Wu, the same 'wu' character from the word centipede. Look, he's standing right there on the main deck! His skin is as green as an evil ghost's! That's him!"

Looking at the ship coming from the south, Bai Xiaochun could see Master Thousand-Ghost sitting there on top of the black dragon. He seemed partially illusory, and emanated a sinister coldness. As soon as Bai Xiaochun looked at him, he seemed to sense it, and looked over with eyes that pierced like a sharp sword. At the same time, his aura seemed to weigh down on everyone on the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect's battleship.

"Want to stare at me? Fine. But why try to intimidate everyone else with me?" Bai Xiaochun was not convinced that this person was truly that impressive. Furthermore, Bai Xiaochun viewed himself as the type of person who could not be easily cowed. He instantly glared right back. When it came to high-level staring contests, Bai Xiaochun had never truly lost, and as such, was supremely confident.

Whether it was in the Spirit Stream Sect, the Blood Stream Sect, the River-Defying Sect, the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, or the Wildlands…. he was convinced that no one came even close to his skill in staring contests.

Perhaps some people might not believe that to be the case. But whenever he met people like that, he would simply use his gaze to remind them of how dangerous he truly was!

Bai Xiaochun's eyes almost seemed to contain lightning. There was even rumbling thunder, although no one would be able to hear it except himself and the person whose gaze met his.

Because of that terrifying lightning, Bai Xiaochun suddenly seemed profoundly more intimidating than before. All of his energy was focused on his eyes, which became like two sharp blades slicing through the air, cutting down anything in their path, crushing any life that got in his way until they stabbed directly into the pupils of Master Thousand-Ghost.

"A staring contest it is!" he thought, heart swelling with confidence in his world-wide supremacy in this field.

Master Thousand-Ghost was completely taken aback. Despite the fact that he had existed for a thousand years as an old ghost, he was still shocked to the core. This was his first time seeing this deva from the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, and the two of them had no feud. And yet, he was glaring at him like some sort of fiendish monster. His fierce gaze, and the way he gritted his teeth, filled Master Thousand-Ghost with a profound sense of unease, something he was not used to in any sense of the word.

He held his gaze for a moment, then cleared his throat and looked away.

When Bai Xiaochun confirmed that Master Thousand-Ghost was no match for his stare, his heart swelled with pride. As he stood there on the deck of the battleship, he flicked his sleeve, stuck his chin up, and radiated the lonely air of an invincible hero.

"Of course he's no match for me. Ai…. I wonder if I'll ever run into someone on my level? I can only hope that, one day, someone will defeat me!" As he stood there sighing, none of the other cultivators realized that Bai Xiaochun and Master Thousand-Ghost had just engaged in an epic staring contest….

Except for Song Que. Song Que knew Bai Xiaochun very well, and had stolen a glance at him moments ago. When he realized what was going on, a strange expression had appeared on his face, and he had to hold back from facepalming.

"They're both devas… and they're still into staring contests…?" Song Que simply couldn't understand the world Bai Xiaochun lived in.

Meanwhile, the Nascent Soul elder from the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect continued with his introductions.

"Last is the Nine Heavens Cloud Lightning Sect from the north.

"I once went on a mission to gather intelligence on this sect, so I happen to know that although they have a lot of territory, it's actually very sparsely populated. The climate there is horrible, not as bad as the Wildlands, but so intensely cold that the people from there have incredible physiques. The best in the world, actually!

"Their unique location makes them different from the rest of us in the east, west, and south. For all intents and purposes, all of the lands in the north are controlled by one sect. The Nine Heavens Cloud Lightning Sect. There are a good number of cultivator clans in the area, which is where the Nine Heavens Cloud Lightning Sect recruits their disciples from.

"The sect is organized by a delineation of heavens. Disciples start out in the first heaven, and rise through the ranks to the ninth heaven." At this point, the Nascent Soul elder providing the explanations lowered his voice. "Look over at the Nine Heavens Cloud Lightning Sect's battleship. See the burly fellow up at the front…? He might look like a single person, but he's not! Look more closely, and you will see the evidence…. He's really two people combined into one!" Shocked, Bai Xiaochun looked over at the Nine Heavens Cloud Lightning Sect with narrowed eyes. As he did…

He realized that the burly man on the deck of the battleship was indeed not a single person. He was in fact two people combined together in bizarre fashion.

One of them had an extremely burly left side. Whether it was his left hand, left leg, or the left side of his torso and head, all were very powerfully built. However, his right side was withered up and shrunken. Because of that, he looked very misshapen and odd.

The other person was exactly the same, except with the sides switched. His right side was powerfully built, and his left side was withered. When those two people stood together, they almost looked like a single person.

Furthermore, their facial features matched perfectly!

As Bai Xiaochun looked over, he realized that, shockingly, both people had mid Deva Realm cultivation bases.

"Together, they form the Nine Heavens Cloud Lightning Sect's illustrious… Master Cloud Lightning!

"Supposedly, Master Cloud Lightning used to be a single person. However, because of cultivating a heaven-defying magic, he failed in his attempt to break through to the late Deva Realm. The resulting backlash split him into two halves, each one of which contains a separate consciousness!

"However… the twin Master Cloud Lightnings possess a secret magic that allows them to temporarily combine back into the true Master Cloud Lightning. When they do, his cultivation base rises… to the late Deva Realm!" As Bai Xiaochun listened to the introduction, his eyes grew wider and wider. The devas from the other two sects were both in the mid Deva Realm, which wasn't very intimidating. However, when the twin Master Cloud Lightnings combined and rose to the late Deva Realm, that was something to pay close attention to.

After all, despite the fact that Bai Xiaochun could defeat someone in the mid Deva Realm, he wasn't quite sure about the late Deva Realm.

"Now take a look at the three people standing behind Master Cloud Lightning. Those are all ninth heaven experts in the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage. They are Han Yuemei, Zhong Zhenshan and… Master Lightning Origin! Master Lightning Origin is the one and only elite apprentice of Master Cloud Lightning. See, he's right there behind Master Cloud Lightning, the skinny one that's hunched over like a monkey….

"You have to be very careful around him. He's far more powerful than Han Yuemei and Zhong Zhenshan. Very dangerous! Furthermore, he's the type to seek revenge over the smallest grievance, and has a reputation for being vicious and merciless. He's not the type you want to mess with blithely!" By this point, everyone was getting much more familiar with the other three sects.

Bai Xiaochun took a bit longer to look over the Nine Heavens Cloud Lightning Sect. He had never forgotten what Patriarch Spirit Stream told him many years ago…. The Spirit Stream Sect had once been the Frigid School from the north. The Nine Heavens Cloud Lightning Sect formed only after destroying the Frigid School, and was their biggest arch-enemy!

Bai Xiaochun did not have a good impression of this sect at all. Lip curling, he murmured, "Their deva cultivated himself into two separate psychos…. Of the ninth heaven cultivators, the most dangerous, Master Lightning Origin, looks like a monkey…. What kind of a freak sect is this?!"

Around this time, the four battleships neared the docks. Then, rumbling sounds filled the air as they settled into place!

After the ships came to a full stop, the cultivators from the four river branches began to disembark, shivering apprehensively.

Even more than before, the various cultivators looked around to measure up their rivals from the other sects. Of course, the other three river branches also had Nascent Soul elders who were giving introductions to their compatriots.

Considering how many people were looking at him, Bai Xiaochun's curiosity was piqued. Sending some divine sense out, he began to eavesdrop on what people were saying….

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Chapter 921: The Noble Du Lingfei!

"Everybody pay attention to Bai Xiaochun from the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. Just because he's a deva doesn't mean that he'll hold back from fighting Nascent Soul cultivators. You'd be gravely mistaken if you thought he would. According to our intelligence report, he's a twisted individual who takes delight in bullying people weaker than him. He's definitely the most powerful deva from the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, and yet, for his entire life, he's done nothing but oppress those with lower cultivation bases than himself! He's the epitome of shamelessness, and all of you need to be very careful around him!"

"All of you need to be on guard against Bai Xiaochun. He's done a lot of very strange things in his life. He served on the Great Wall, then disappeared into the Wildlands for several decades. When he came back safely, he was a deva! What's most terrifying about him, however, is not his cultivation base. It's his medicinal pills! According to the limited information we have access to, if he's given the right opportunity, his pill concocting methods can destroy an entire riversource sect!!"

"Perhaps you people might not have heard of Bai Xiaochun. However, you've surely heard of the Fantasy Pills that come from the eastern Heavenspan River. Remember the catastrophes that resulted years ago because of those pills? Well… this guy is the despicable villain who created them!"

When Bai Xiaochun heard what the people from the other three river branches were saying about him, a strange, embarrassed look appeared on his face. Then he shook his head.

"I can't believe I'm so famous…. When did my Fantasy Pill end up reaching the west? Are they the same as the ones from Sky City? And who said I like to bully people with a lower cultivation base than me!? That's just called playing it safe!!" Despite being slightly irritated, he was generally pleased by how famous he was. Even he hadn't been aware of how far his name had spread.

"Hmmmphh! If they knew that the Giant Ghost King is my father-in-law, and that my apprentice is the Hell-Emperor, then they would definitely be scared out of their minds!" Thinking in that way made him feel even more pleased.

However, it was at about this time that he suddenly heard the sound of people talking… from the direction of the Nine Heavens Cloud Lightning Sect.

"Bai Xiaochun? Hmph. He just got lucky, and became a deva earlier than expected. It won't be long before I become a deva, and then I'll definitely defeat him in battle!"

"He's pretty good-looking. Too bad he's a guy."

The people who were speaking were Nascent Soul cultivators, and their words were not pleasing at all to Bai Xiaochun. He immediately glared over in their direction, which attracted the attention of the twin Master Cloud Lightnings, who looked back in his direction.

The instant their gazes met, Bai Xiaochun's spirits lifted.

"Hey hey! Another staring contest, huh?!" Obviously, Bai Xiaochun would never willingly be outdone at his own favorite hobby. Therefore, he intensified his glare. However, it was only moments later that he was shocked to find how incredibly intimidating Master Cloud Lightning was.

"Dammit, there are two of them!"

The twin Master Cloud Lightnings looked at him coldly with two sets of eyes. Their gazes were incredibly intense, which made it difficult for Bai Xiaochun to stand up to them alone. He quickly called Song Que over to help him. However, before they could team up, the cultivators from the four different battleships all fell silent.

That was when Bai Xiaochun noticed that a group of people had stepped onto the docks, having just emerged from the majestic mountains that linked to the main part of Heavenspan Island.

In the lead… was a beautiful young woman wearing a long, violet gown embroidered with nine phoenixes. She had a crimson mark on her forehead, and there was something about her that seemed profoundly noble. When she looked out at everyone, her gaze seemed like the type that no one could defy.

As soon as Bai Xiaochun saw her, a tremor passed through him, and complicated feelings rose up in his heart. He suddenly had no interest in the staring contest with the twin Master Cloud Lightnings. All he could do was look quietly at the young woman.

She was none other than Du Lingfei.

They hadn't seen each other in a very long time, and for some reason, she seemed more noble than she had in the past. As she stood there, it was clear that she was the focus of all the eyes present.

There was definitely something different about her, and it couldn't help but make him feel that she was a bit of a stranger.

Flanking Du Lingfei were two groups of cultivators. On her left side was a group of female cultivators in red clothing, while on her right side were males cultivators in blue clothing. All of them were spectacularly good-looking.

A mere glance at the two groups of cultivators would cause anyone's eyes to glitter. They were dressed alike down to the smallest detail, and were arranged in perfect ranks. Furthermore, they pulsed with incredible energy, as though all of them were capable of drawing upon the might of Heavenspan Island itself. Overall, they were very impressive.

Bai Xiaochun quickly spotted Hou Xiaomei in one of the groups, and Ghostfang in the other.

In almost the same moment, Hou Xiaomei caught sight of him, and the faintest shadow of a smile appeared on her face. A sparkle of joy could also be seen in her eye; if it weren't for the solemn responsibilities she held, she would clearly have run over and hugged Bai Xiaochun.

Ghostfang also noticed Bai Xiaochun, but his face remained expressionless, and he barely glanced at him.

When Bai Xiaochun saw Hou Xiaomei safe and unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief. However, he couldn't shake the mixed emotions that had risen up inside of him because of Du Lingfei.

At this point, Du Lingfei smiled and said, "Greetings, Fellow Daoists, and welcome to Heavenspan Island."

There was a dignity within her voice that was backed by the might of Heavenspan Island, something magical that caused it to penetrate deep into the hearts and minds of everyone present.

Somber expressions could be seen on the faces of all of the cultivators present. The deva experts all stepped forward, clasped hands and bowed.

"Well met, Emissary." The polite words were uttered by the twin Master Cloud Lightnings, Guru Spirit Immortal, and Master Thousand-Ghost. None of them had ever seen Du Lingfei before, but knew that she had a special status, and didn't dare to say anything that might offend her.

Bai Xiaochun almost didn't want to step forward. But considering that he was the deva in charge of the group from the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, he knew he had to. Sighing, he clasped hands and bowed. However, he truly couldn't think of the right words to speak.

The other devas noticed this, and were inwardly shocked. However, Du Lingfei's expression softened into a smile when she saw Bai Xiaochun bowing to her. However, she didn't say anything. Instead, she arranged for her special guards to formally receive all of the visitors from the four rivers.

Each river branch had brought a few hundred people. Added together, there were about a thousand, which made the docks relatively crowded at the moment. However, thanks to Du Lingfei's arrangements, there was no chaos or confusion.

"Fellow Daoists, it's already getting late, so please follow these special guards to your accommodations. Rest up, for early in the morning, when the bells toll seven times, people will come to take you for an audience with the Celestial." After a moment of thought, she added, "By the way, there are many restricted areas on Heavenspan Island. In order to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, I would like to ask you to remain indoors through the night. Otherwise… the guards in those locations might injure or kill you, and we wouldn't want that."

There was nothing threatening about the way Du Lingfei spoke. In fact, her voice was kind and warm. However, the words themselves struck fear into the hearts of all the cultivators present.

Even the devas were shaken.

Heavenspan Island was the nucleus of all the lands of Heavenspan, and although the Celestial's Palace of the Dao wasn't particularly large, it was clearly as dangerous as a dragon's pool or a tiger's den. In fact, even demigod experts who acted improperly would be killed instantly!

Because of that, the visitors didn't even need any reminders from Du Lingfei to keep them in line.

The accommodations that had been arranged for them were not on the large part of the island, but rather, in the buildings which surrounded the docks. Four main areas had been set up, with large buildings set aside for people who had come on formal visits.

As for the main part of the island, no one was allowed there without the express invitation of the Celestial himself. The only thing they could do was gaze from afar at the three mountain peaks, and the occasional patrols of special guards that wound their way among the countless palace buildings.

Bai Xiaochun didn't say anything as the Heavenspan Island special guards made their arrangements. Clearly, Hou Xiaomei wanted to come over, but she had been assigned to a different group, and could only gaze at him through the crowd.

By evening, the more than 1,000 Nascent Soul cultivators had been taken to their various accommodations by the special guards. As a deva, Bai Xiaochun had a special courtyard residence to himself, which was much closer to the main entrance leading to the mountains of the island.

The spiritual energy here was strong beyond belief, far stronger than in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. However, Bai Xiaochun was not in the mood for cultivation. As the sky grew dark, he sat there cross-legged, waiting.

He was sure that… Du Lingfei would come to visit him this very night!

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Chapter 922: Who Is Du Lingfei?!

Night fell. The only sound to be heard was the gentle lapping of waves against the island, making everything very peaceful.

As Bai Xiaochun sat cross-legged in meditation, his heart slowly grew calm. He had made his decision way back on the battleship. His trip to Heavenspan Island was for the purpose of getting a longevity pill, making sure that Hou Xiaomei was safe, and also… to find out why he had been so obsessed with Du Lingfei.

He didn't sit reminiscing about the past. He just waited quietly.

The same pressure from before weighed down on the island, and in fact, the lack of any sound other than the waves made that pressure seem even more intense. As a result, all of the visitors felt more awe and fear than ever.

Such feelings were more intense among those with higher cultivation bases, the reason being that they could more clearly sense… an aura that destabilized their cultivation bases and left their minds reeling. That aura could crush them out of existence at will!

It was the most paramount of auras, the type that could not even be threatened by the heavens. In fact, the heavens even seemed ready to bow to the source of that aura!

An aura like that, something completely domineering and elevated… could only belong to one person in the Heavenspan Realm… the Celestial!

That knowledge made the cultivators of the four rivers even more enthusiastic than before. The mere idea of becoming the apprentice of the Celestial was profoundly exciting.

Not even the devas could control their emotions. After all, the rules had not stipulated that only Nascent Soul cultivators could win the chance to become an apprentice.

The only qualification… was to be the first person to emerge from the trial by fire.

Although the level of one's cultivation base could play into that, luck was a larger factor. And therefore, although devas did have an advantage, that advantage would only help them to a limited extent.

As the night grew darker, most of the visiting cultivators sank into trances as they practiced cultivation. No one left their living quarters. It wasn't that they didn't want to; they didn't dare to.

Not only had Du Lingfei offered that warning of hers, but the pressure that weighed down made it clear that only someone suicidal would go out into the open.

Bai Xiaochun made the same decision, and simply sat waiting.

Late in the night… he opened his eyes and looked over at the front door.

In almost the same moment, an entrancing voiced drifted in from outside.

"Can I come in?"

Only that one sentence was spoken, nothing else. Bai Xiaochun sent some divine sense over to the door, and could see Du Lingfei standing outside. She wasn't dressed like she had been during the day. She wore a white gown that was not ostentatious like her earlier garb, and made her seem just like she had been back in the Spirit Stream Sect days.

That gave Bai Xiaochun pause for thought. A moment later, he waved his hand, and the door opened, revealing Du Lingfei standing there with a smile on her face.

Their gazes met.

They were the same people that they had been all those years ago. However, on this occasion, Bai Xiaochun chose not to call her 'boo'.

"It's been a long time," she said. When she saw that Bai Xiaochun wasn't inclined to say anything in response, she laughed softly and then walked inside. Tucking a stray strand of hair back over her ear, she said, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

As the moonlight tumbled down onto her from above, it made her look as delicate as fine jade. There was something beautiful, pure, and holy about her.

When Bai Xiaochun caught the fragrance of her perfume, his heart began to beat a bit faster. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to just tell the truth. "I don't know what to say."

Seeing that he was remaining seated, she sat down cross-legged in front of him and placed her hands on her knees.

"Why don't you tell me about your time in the Wildlands?" she said, not sounding the least bit irritated.

He took a breath, and smelled her perfume again. Then he went on to give a brief overview of his time in the Wildlands, leaving out the details of his secret identity.

In the end, he looked her in the eye, took a deep breath, and said, "Thank you for that deva soul."

He didn't tell her that he had ended up forming a Heaven-Dao Nascent Soul, and only casually mentioned some of the main events during his Wildlands adventures. She didn't press for details. It was almost as if both of them were holding back from saying the things they truly wanted to say.

Eventually, they lapsed into silence. Although they made a pretty picture, silhouetted against the moonlight, both of them felt like they were strangers to each other.

The sound of the waves surrounded them, seemingly attempting to draw them closer together, and yet failing.

After some time passed, Bai Xiaochun suddenly asked, "Who exactly are you…?"

It was the same question he had asked before leaving for the Great Wall. Way back then, she had told him that when he returned, she would tell him the truth.

Therefore, he finally decided to simply ask the question.

Du Lingfei didn't seem surprised at all, as if she had been waiting for him to ask. She didn't respond at first, and didn't even look at him. But after a moment passed, she looked up into his eyes.

"The Celestial… is my father."

Although Bai Xiaochun had suspected for a long time that this was the case, to hear the words spoken directly, and to have his suspicions confirmed, caused waves of emotion to surge in his heart.

He couldn't control his breathing at first. Despite the fact that he had considered the possibility, now that he knew the truth, there were many things that suddenly made sense.

It made sense why Du Lingfei had such a special status in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. If the rumors were true that the demigod patriarchs of the four riversource sects were the apprentices of the Celestial, then that made Du Lingfei their Junior Sister!

With an identity and background like that, Du Lingfei had an extremely unique status in the Heavenspan Realm. She was like a pearl of matchless quality!

However, there were still unanswered questions. As the Celestial's daughter, a person with incredible standing, what had she been up to in the Spirit Stream Sect? And why did she appear later in the Blood Stream Sect…?

Such questions popped into his mind, and they led to more questions. And then, all of a sudden, he remembered something that caused him to tremble involuntarily….

He had absorbed a blood-hair from the Celestial.

Back when he did it, he had hesitated. But the Celestial had been such a distant figure at the time, and the hair had been given to him by the gravekeeper. Therefore, he had simply braced himself and gone through with the plan to absorb it.

But now, he was on the Celestial's doorstep… and Du Lingfei was the Celestial's daughter.

"I see," he thought. "Now it makes sense why the demigod patriarch of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect only let me off with a warning when I caused so much trouble with my pill concocting…."

Settling his thoughts, he asked, "Did you arrange for Hou Xiaomei to be brought here?"

She actually didn't answer his question directly. She simply looked at him and smiled, much the same way she had back in the Luochen Mountains. She rose to her feet, walked over, and arranged his clothing in like a wife would her husband's.

Her proximity made the smell of her perfume even stronger, and caused his heart to beat faster.

After smoothing out his robes, she looked into his eyes, mixed emotions swirling in her own. Immediately, Bai Xiaochun could sense that her life had not been as happy and carefree as might be expected considering who she was. In fact, she seemed exhausted, and even forlorn.

The way she looked at him dredged up memories from the past that suddenly caused him to address her the way he had so long ago.

"Boo…."

She shivered as memories of her own overtook her thoughts. A moment passed, and then she leaned over, put her lips right next to his ears, and spoke in the quietest of voices.

"Xiaochun… be careful… of Hou Xiaomei."

With that, she looked him in the eyes one more time, then turned and faded away into the air….

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Chapter 923: Just Like Old Times

As Du Lingfei's words rang in his ears, Bai Xiaochun suddenly went slightly stiff. Turning his head, he looked in the direction in which she had just vanished. Despite the fact that she had used the power of Heavenspan Island to fade away, he could still make out the faint shadow of her figure.

He felt like going after her to ask more questions, but before he could, she entered the depths of the island.

"What did she mean by that…? I'm supposed to be careful of Hou Xiaomei?" The more he thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. Furthermore, he couldn't tell if she had been sincere or not.

Either way, his uneasiness at the fact that Hou Xiaomei had become a special guard on Heavenspan Island only grew more intense than it had been before.

"Why do I need to be careful of Hou Xiaomei?" He thought back to when he had seen her earlier that day, and from what he remembered, she hadn't seemed any different than she had in the past. And the happiness in her eyes when she spotted him had seemed real.

However, he couldn't stop thinking about what Du Lingfei had just said. As he did, his vexation grew. The truth was that, the entire time he had been on Heavenspan Island so far, he had felt uneasy.

After some more thought, he sighed. The best thing to do would be to find a chance to go talk with Hou Xiaomei. Even as he thought such things, his expression flickered, and he looked up.

Moments later, he saw a beam of light streaking through the darkness toward him.

It came to a stop outside his residence, converging into the form of a person who spoke in a sweet, sentimental voice.

"Big Bro Xiaochun!"

It was none other than Hou Xiaomei! She wore the same long, red garment that she had worn earlier in the day. She was beautiful, her normally fair face flush with joy, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.

Seeing Hou Xiaomei caused the things Du Lingfei had just said, and the suspicions they had aroused in his heart, to vanish for the moment. Hou Xiaomei looked exactly like she had earlier in the day, and the same as he remembered her from the past. This was the very same girl who had stuck so close to him in his early days in the Spirit Stream Sect. She was Xiaomei, and she really was like the perfect girl next door.

In sharp contrast to his somber reaction to seeing Du Lingfei, Bai Xiaochun rose to his feet and excitedly threw his arms wide. Blinking, he smiled mischievously and said, "Long time no see, Xiaomei. Come come, give your Big Bro Xiaochun a hug!"

The light flush of joy which had covered her face instantly transformed into scarlet. Then she glared at him angrily, and yet, at the same time, rushed over and embraced him, burying her face in his neck.

At first, she didn't hug him very hard, but as the moments ticked by, and she thought back to how lonely she had been since coming to the island, her grip tightened, as though she didn't wish to let him go.

When he felt how tightly she was hugging him, his mischievous smile faded into one of tender affection. He wrapped his arms around her, stroked her long black hair, and breathed in deeply. She smelled completely different than Du Lingfei.

He suddenly thought back to the first time he had ever laid eyes on Hou Xiaomei. She was the first girl that had ever truly captured his attention, although he had always been confused about how he felt toward her. All he knew was that right now, he was sure that he liked her, even though he didn't know why.

Throughout the years he had known her, he had seen her act like a hot pepper around other people, but charming to him. That had always made him feel very good about himself.

As he held Hou Xiaomei, he came the conclusion that there was nothing out of the ordinary about her. She had not changed. She was exactly like she had been before.

As she lay nestled in his arms, she murmured, "Big Bro Xiaochun, after all the years that have passed, I wasn't sure if you would even remember me…."

Already, her mood seemed to be sinking.

Bai Xiaochun quickly sat down with her and started telling her his stories about the Wildlands. He didn't go into all the details, only some of the most interesting parts. Soon, Hou Xiaomei's mood improved, and she even started laughing.

Covering her smile with her hand, she said, "Come on. There's no way that you bossed devas around."

When Bai Xiaochun realized that she didn't believe him, he gave up on being so humble. Glaring at her, he thumped himself on the chest and said, "That was nothing! A demigod gave me his daughter's hand in marriage! All of the nobility and aristocracy in Arch-Emperor Dynasty were scared of me!"

Hou Xiaomei laughed. "Alright, alright. I believe you. I do, alright? You were definitely awesome! My Big Bro Xiaochun is the most awesome person under heaven!"

When Bai Xiaochun heard her laughter and saw the gleam in her eyes, his heart suddenly began to race, and he realized that he had been mistaken. Hou Xiaomei had changed. Her immaturity was gone, to be replaced by a certain charm and charisma.

"Another vixen!" Bai Xiaochun exclaimed inwardly. "How could I have not seen it before…?" Swallowing hard, he contemplated how Hou Xiaomei might actually end up surpassing Song Junwan….

However, the fact that his heart had begun to race simply because she was looking at him was actually a bit embarrassing. Clearing his throat, he decided to change the subject, and asked Hou Xiaomei about how she had ended up being picked to go to Heavenspan Island.

She immediately gave a snort of irritation.

"What, you think I'm Song Junwan or something? That old crone has been plotting for years to get you, Big Bro Xiaochun. She might have put on a show of taking care of me, but she used her status as the leader of the Blood Stream Division's Middle Peak to beat me down over and over again!"

"What?" Bai Xiaochun blurted in shock. He couldn't envision Song Junwan being a person like that, and even opened his mouth to try to explain. However, Hou Xiaomei apparently realized what he was going to do, and continued speaking before he could.

"Big Bro Xiaochun, you really have no idea. That old hag Song Junwan always shows off every chance she can get. I can't even stand talking with her. As far as she's concerned, I'm just an annoyance!

"Back in the competition to come here, she and I fought a duel in the semi-finals. Her cultivation base was higher than mine, and she had already won several victories. Even if she lost to me, she would still have a chance to go on. But it was my last chance! If I lost, then I would be out. Can you believe that she didn't show the slightest mercy!? I even explained everything to her, and she still beat me." The more Hou Xiaomei talked, the madder she got.

"Thankfully, the elder in charge from Heavenspan Island saw something special in me, something that makes me suitable to the divine abilities of Heavenspan Island. That was the only reason that in the end, I got chosen, and that old crone didn't." As Hou Xiaomei blurted out all her accusations against Song Junwan, Bai Xiaochun's head started to swell.

From what he could tell, Song Junwan and Hou Xiaomei simply couldn't see eye to eye on anything….

And apparently, it all stemmed back to the days of the Spirit and Blood Stream Sects, after the war was fought and the two of them helped nurse him back to health….

He suddenly thought back to how both of them would brew medicine for him, and then watch closely to see which one he would pick. Then his heart trembled as he remembered how, on one occasion, they had waited to see which foot he would use to step outside the door….

He quickly changed the topic, worried that a bigger problem could arise if the current conversation continued.

Hou Xiaomei was just happy to see him, so she didn't mind that he changed the topic. She sat next to him and softly told him about some of the interesting and funny things that had happened while he was gone.

She also told him a few things about Heavenspan Island. Bai Xiaochun smiled, occasionally gasping in praise, and occasionally throwing in a few boasts of his own. Eventually, dawn approached, and Hou Xiaomei reluctantly left.

Soon, the cultivators from the four rivers would go to offer their respects to the Celestial, an important event in which Hou Xiaomei had her own duties to attend to.

After seeing Hou Xiaomei off, Bai Xiaochun took a deep breath and thought back to her visit. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't think of anything that had seemed suspicious at all.

In fact, that made him suspect Du Lingfei's words!

"Why would she tell me to be careful of Hou Xiaomei?" No amount of thought brought any insight. Eventually, the sun rose.

As the first rays of light shone out across the golden Heavenspan Sea, the sound of an ancient bell rang out across the island….

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Chapter 924: A Lock Of Father-In-Laws Hair

The bell tolled seven times, which was the summons for the cultivators from the four rivers to go see the Celestial.

The sound of the bell, coupled with the dazzling sunlight reflecting off of the golden sea water, made for a spectacular scene.

In the middle of the main island, the three mountain peaks caught the sunlight and reflected it, making for a particularly eye-catching scene. At the same time, the silent pressure weighing down grew more intense.

At about this time, the special guards who were tasked with leading the groups of cultivators into the main island appeared outside of the various residences. The person who had come to lead Bai Xiaochun was a beautiful female cultivator, and was not the same person that had led him to the residence the day before.

It was impossible to tell which river branch she had originally come from. However, considering that Bai Xiaochun was a deva, she treated him with the utmost deference. Even though she was an initiate special guard here on Heavenspan Island, she still didn't dare to act inappropriately in front of a deva.

The initiate special guards were only in the Core Formation stage, but even Nascent Soul experts would treat them politely. Despite that, the guards would not dare to use their status as an excuse to treat a deva improperly.

After all, devas were very important people to the Celestial, far more important than an initiate special guard.

The woman led Bai Xiaochun along a winding path deep into the mountains.

Their destination looked like a celestial paradise, complete with singing birds and blooming flowers. Lush vegetation grew everywhere, and spiritual energy abounded. There were also spirit beasts that dashed to and fro among the greenery.

Furthermore, Bai Xiaochun noticed quite a few varieties of extremely rare spirit plants!

In the outside world, they would be almost impossible to find, but here on Heavenspan Island, they grew everywhere!

He was quite taken aback. He even noticed some shocking medicinal plants which were supposedly extinct. If he took one of those plants outside, everyone in the world would go crazy….

"Such extravagance…." he thought. Although he had seen many extraordinary things in his life, he still had to swallow down his astonishment, and work hard to resist the urge to reach out and harvest some of the plants.

As he walked along, he saw more and more rare spirit plants, and also… extraordinary magical items!

Some of them even had spirit automatons, and flew about in groups as if they were alive. It was truly a shocking sight.

Occasionally, rivulets and streams could be seen, within which flowed water that wasn't golden, but rather, violet…. Based on what Bai Xiaochun could sense, the spiritual energy in that violet water surpassed even the golden sea water!

He could also sense auras near the streams and rivulets that were shockingly impressive. From what he could tell, they belonged to plants, magical items, or possibly… deva-level spirit beasts!

Everything that he saw reinforced his assessment that this was a shocking and extravagant place. Although Arch-Emperor City in the Wildlands had been impressive, it couldn't compare to this at all.

This really was a celestial paradise!!

The initiate special guard who was leading him glanced over occasionally to size him up. When she saw how shocked he was, she felt very pleased. She was proud to be an initiate special guard, and thirsted for the day when she might get a promotion to being a full special guard.

Bai Xiaochun didn't notice her change in attitude. All he could think about was how he was on a virtual mountain of precious items. Just about everything around him could increase his cultivation base or add to his longevity. He almost couldn't resist the urge to reach out and touch them.

Eventually, they reached the very depths of the island, a location very close to the three mountain peaks. At one point, Bai Xiaochun got the distinct sensation that they had just passed through some invisible barrier.

A sound met his ears like a rushing waterfall, and he looked up to see something completely unexpected!!

Waterfalls poured down from the summits of the two mountains on the right and left. It was almost like water cascading from the highest heavens, which then collected in a huge lake in the middle of the island!!

The very center of Heavenspan Island wasn't a flat plain…. It was actually an enormous lake!

It was a lake of violet water, and the three towering mountain peaks rose up from the very middle of it! The waterfalls from the two side mountains fed the lake, and created not only a thunderous roar, but also, a vast quantity of water vapor.

Numerous palaces could be seen within the mists, which rose up along with the three mountain peaks.

There were so many luxurious palaces constructed on the three mountains that Bai Xiaochun couldn't even count them all.

There was an enormous statue on the central mountain peak, which Bai Xiaochun instantly recognized. It depicted… the Celestial!

At the feet of the statue was the largest and most magnificent palace in all of the Heavenspan Realm!

The Palace of the Celestial!

The entire area had come to be known by a special name…. The Palace of the Dao!

Bai Xiaochun was completely shaken. Because of how much mist filled the area, the Palace of the Dao was difficult to see clearly. However, it was still possible to make out countless palace maids and numerous special guards, all of them standing silently with looks of proud arrogance in their eyes.

The female cultivator led Bai Xiaochun to a huge public square at the edge of the lake, just across from the main mountain peak. From this location, it was possible to look up and see the huge statue of the Celestial, which seemed to prop up the very heavens.

There were already quite a few cultivators gathered in the square, all of whom were looking up at the statue, eyes burning with veneration.

Big Fatty Zhang and Bai Xiaochun's other friends were there, all of them seemingly overwhelmed with emotion. When they and the other cultivators from the eastern Heavenspan River noticed Bai Xiaochun, they hurried over.

"The Palace of the Dao is the most extravagant palace I've ever seen in my life!"

"Did you guys see the medicinal plants? I saw an immortal asura orchid on my way over! Heavens! Those orchids only grew in ancient times! Supposedly, if a mortal ate one, he would immediately rise to the Core Formation stage!!"

"That's nothing. I saw a two-headed dragon! Did you hear me? A dragon! With two heads! You almost never see those in real life!"

Everyone was very excited, and couldn't stop talking about everything they had seen.

The truth was that the Palace of the Dao really was a profoundly shocking place.

Bai Xiaochun looked up at the huge statue of the Celestial, which was remarkably lifelike. Based on what he remembered of the Celestial, this statue looked exactly like him in every way.

In fact, he happened to notice that there on the statue's forehead… was a lock of blood-red hair!

He suddenly shivered. At the same time, he heard a voice speaking loudly from among the nearby cultivators from the Nine Heavens Cloud Lightning Sect. It was the twin Master Cloud Lightnings!

"Do you see that blood-hair on the exalted Celestial's forehead? According to the legends, that's actually a precious treasure of life force, forged by the Celestial himself. It contains boundless power, and is a rarely-seen type of good fortune containing unfathomable mysteries!"

The instant Bai Xiaochun heard the twin Master Cloud Lightnings introducing that blood-hair to the other cultivators, his anxiety and guilt grew.

He couldn't help but have a bit of a guilty conscience. Besides, if the Celestial found out that he had actually absorbed the blood-hair… he might very well refine Bai Xiaochun to replace it!

"That blood-hair wasn't as amazing as the twin Master Cloud Lightnings makes it sound. All it did was push me to the great circle of the Undying Bones!" All of a sudden, he thought about what would happen if his relationship with Du Lingfei went to the next step, and the Celestial ended up as his father-in-law.

If it was his father-in-law who found out later that he had absorbed that hair… it probably wouldn't be as big of a deal….

Having reached this point in his train of thought, he blinked a few times, and then looked around for Du Lingfei.

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Chapter 925: Let The Trial By Fire Begin!

Even as Bai Xiaochun started to look around for Du Lingfei, someone inside the grand hall on top of the main mountain peak looked down, casting a gaze onto the lands below that caused the sky to grow dim and a huge wind to kick up.

The Heavenspan Sea went still, as did the waterfalls and the surface of the lake. Because of that gaze, the entire island began to tremble.

Everyone in the square, including Bai Xiaochun, felt their minds reeling madly. All talk ceased, and all hearts began to race as an indescribable pressure suddenly weighed down on all of them.

It was so intense… that none of them could move a muscle!!

Not even Bai Xiaochun and the other devas could move. The level of pressure weighing down on them was so intense that rumbling sounds filled their bodies.

"The Celestial!" This was not Bai Xiaochun's first time sensing the might of the Celestial. Back in the Wildlands, he had felt this very same pressure.

Now, though, things were different than in the Wildlands. The Celestial's aura seemed more explosive and violent, to the point where Bai Xiaochun felt his internal organs trembling.

It was energy that surpassed the Deva Realm by many times, and even the demigod level. This was the absolute peak level of power in this world!

"He's not injured?!?!" Bai Xiaochun thought, shivering. The other devas were shaking uncontrollably, so there was little need to mention the Nascent Soul experts, whose minds were almost complete blanks.

It was at this point that a young woman walked out from the palace at the foot of the huge statue. She wore garments adorned with phoenixes, and radiated nobility. She was none other than Du Lingfei!

As she floated there in midair, with the enormous statue behind her, she spoke in a mighty voice that echoed out in all directions.

"Bow!"

In immediate response, everyone in the square, including Bai Xiaochun, involuntarily clasped hands and bowed deeply to the statue of the Celestial.

"Greetings, Celestial!"

Their combined voices created a sound wave that caused heaven and earth to tremble. Their voices quavered with zeal and fervor, the raw adoration for someone who commanded the ultimate level of power!

As everyone bowed, Du Lingfei turned to the side in deference. Then, when the crowd below had finished offering formal greetings, she turned back and looked over the crowd. Her gaze lingered on Bai Xiaochun for only the slightest moment, and didn't reveal any sign of recognition.

"Fellow Daoists, you already know the rules of this trial," she said coolly. "The first person to emerge will become the Celestial's next apprentice.

"In terms of the time limit… there is none!" With that, she waved her hands, whereupon the special guards in the square began to distribute jade slips to all the cultivators present.

"These jade slips will record your activities in the trial by fire, and when you find the exit, they will act as authentication devices to bear witness to your success!" After finishing her explanation, she extended her hand to summon a violet rock. Waving her hand, she sent the rock flying down toward the lake below.

The rock became a violet beam of light that, just before it hit the surface of the lake, exploded. Water sprayed out in all directions, and then… a huge stone gate rose up from the bottom of the lake!

It was fully 300 meters tall, and radiated an aura of profound ancientness. It was engraved with countless vicious and snarling faces, lifelike to the extreme, to the point where it was almost possible to hear them howling.

Black mist swirled off of the surface of the gate, transforming into ninety-nine black dragons whose howls shook heaven and earth. Each dragon was 3,000 meters long, and they all twisted and spun up into the sky, as though they wished to break through to the area beyond the heavens.

Compared to the dragons, the stone gate was so tiny as to be insignificant.

Everyone in the square was shaken to the core by what they were seeing.

As the dragons howled, a cold snort suddenly echoed out from the enormous statue of the Celestial, a snort that was as heaven-rending and earth-crushing as a bolt of lightning from the heavens.

The dragons' howls of rage transformed into piteous wails of despair and defiance, and then they shattered into pieces.

The entire process only lasted for a few breaths' worth of time. The dragons collapsed into black mist that swirled around the stone gate and transformed into an enormous vortex.

As the vortex spun, immense levels of power gripped the stone gate, tugging at it… until cracks began to spread out on its surface!

At the same time, a dark and sinister aura began to seep out from the cracks, making it seem as though all the lands would be plunged into wintery cold!

It was a frigid qi that seemed capable of freezing souls. Even Bai Xiaochun shivered as he looked at the cracks which, despite not seeming very big, were actually dozens of meters wide.

Not even by calling upon the full power of his deva cultivation base was he able to see the world that existed beyond those cracks clearly.

Despite that, both Bai Xiaochun and everyone else present could tell… that this trial by fire would be very difficult. The twin Master Cloud Lightnings, Master Thousand-Ghost and Guru Spirit Immortal all had very serious expressions on their faces, and it was the same with all of the various Nascent Soul cultivators.

Song Que, Bai Lin, Zhao Tianjiao, Heretic, and everyone else present was completely shaken.

The gate leading to the trial by fire was completely bizarre, and at the same time, led almost everyone to the same question: why was the Celestial using these rules and this dangerous trial by fire in order to select a new apprentice?

After all, the Nascent Soul cultivators who were participating in the trial were cunning foxes whose understanding of the art of scheming surpassed cultivators of lower levels. It would be almost impossible for them to avoid being suspicious of situations like this.

Everyone in the crowd was so shocked that none of them noticed how Big Fatty Zhang's eyes were wider than anyone else's. And that was because… he had seen this stone gate in his dream!!

"One last reminder…." Du Lingfei said softly. Instantly, the cultivators in the square looked over at her.

"The trial by fire consists of an enormous land that, despite not being endless, is so huge it defies description…. It consists of four main areas: a deep marsh, a wild jungle, a vast plain, and a barren desert!

"Whatever magical items you bring with you into the trial by fire will not function…. Pay attention to your spiritual power. In the land of the trial by fire, spiritual energy is scarce….

"To come out on top in the trial by fire, and in fact, to simply survive, you will need to carefully control your spiritual power. However… there are many unbonded magical items inside. If you can acquire them, they will increase your battle prowess and make it much easier for you to succeed!

"You won't be the only ones inside the trial. I will lead a group of Heavenspan Island's special guards inside, and we will be tasked with supervising, appraising, and adjudicating disputes!" Du Lingfei's words caused most of the crowd in the square to relax a bit. Now that they knew they wouldn't be alone, but would have Heavenspan Island's special guards in the trial with them, they felt much safer.

Furthermore, Du Lingfei, who was the Heavenspan emissary, would also be going in. Because of all of that, everyone felt much less nervous. The twin Master Cloud Lightnings, Master Thousand-Ghost and Guru Spirit Immortal were also relieved.

Although they weren't personally aware of all the details of Du Lingfei's identity, they had been devas for many years, and had many speculations. The fact that Du Lingfei was personally entering the trial by fire led them to the conclusion that, although there would be danger, it truly was being held to pick an apprentice for the Celestial!

When Du Lingfei saw everyone breathing sighs of relief, she reached out and pointed at the stone gate.

"Let the trial by fire… begin!"

A gravitational force sprang out from the vortex, causing rumbling sounds to fill the air. At the same time, the cracks on the door widened, sending even more frigid qi out.

Although the frigid qi was intense, it couldn't match the burning passion in the hearts of the trial-takers. Without any hesitation, they began to fly into the air, and then pass through the stone gate!

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Chapter 926: Land Of Dangers!

The cultivators from the west, south, and north made for a total of over 600 people. There were also several hundred special guards from Heavenspan Island. All of them flew into the air toward the stone gate.

The group from the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect exchanged glances, then took deep breaths and did the same. Big Fatty Zhang hesitated for a moment, then looked over at Bai Xiaochun, nodded, and also headed toward the gate.

As Song Que, Zhao Tianjiao, Bai Lin, and many other familiar faces headed toward the gate, Bai Xiaochun's eyes flashed with determination, and he also headed forward. However, before entering, he noticed a group of seven or eight special guards approaching.

One of them was Hou Xiaomei.

"Good luck, Big Bro Xiaochun!" she said, keeping her voice down, but smiling broadly. Bai Xiaochun was actually a bit surprised. Although he had seen Hou Xiaomei in the special guards earlier, it hadn't occurred to him that she would actually be participating in the trial by fire.

Hou Xiaomei was only in Core Formation, so as far as Bai Xiaochun was concerned, going into the trial by fire would be a very dangerous thing for her.

"You're coming too?" Bai Xiaochun said nervously. "Well, why don't you go in with me? It's going to be dangerous!"

She blinked a few times, and then covered a smile with her hand. "Okay, sure! It would be great to have you there to protect me, Big Bro Xiaochun."

There wasn't anything particularly strange about her words, but for some reason, Bai Xiaochun felt that there was something odd about her. In fact, he could even detect an unusual, sinister aura on her that felt distinctly uncomfortable.

However, there wasn't any time to think about it right now. After all, the frigid qi from the stone door had filled the area, and he couldn't quite tell for sure if what he was sensing was that, or something specifically coming from Hou Xiaomei. Either way, it put him on guard.

It was difficult to see anything in the area, but it was possible to detect a powerful force of teleportation building up. As the teleportation formation inside of the stone gate was activated, intense rumbling sounds erupted into the ears of everyone present.

It felt as if the air were being ripped open around them, as though powers of both gravitation and repulsion were being exerted at the same time. Then, Bai Xiaochun's vision swam.

When it cleared… he was in a completely unfamiliar world!

A desert stretched out around him, and off in the distance, he saw a sandstorm that looked like a massive ocean of sand. And it was heading in his direction! It was so shockingly powerful that any dunes it encountered were instantly razed flat!

Shockingly, he could see a cultivator tumbling through the air inside of the sandstorm. Although he couldn't see the man's face, based on his clothing, he was from the Dragon Totem Ghost Sea Sect. At the moment, he was letting out a bloodcurdling scream.

A moment later, the cultivator exploded, sending blood spraying out in all directions, and staining the sand around him bright red. However, in the blink of an eye, the screaming winds erased any evidence of the blood!

Bai Xiaochun was completely shaken by what he was seeing. Looking around, all he could see was endless desert, without a single person visible anywhere.

The sky was violet, and yet the light it cast down didn't make anything difficult to see. Right now didn't seem to be the time for protracted thought, so Bai Xiaochun immediately began to edge backward.

As he did, twinges of pain shot through his leg, only to vanish moments later. It only took a moment to realize that the pain had come when he moved backward, and the sand shifted against his leg.

When that happened, he came to a shocking conclusion about how the Dragon Totem Ghost Sea Sect disciple he had just seen ended up dying. He simply couldn't fight back against the power of the sand storm, and had been shredded to pieces.

Shockingly, each grain of sand in this desert contained the power of a divine ability from the early Nascent Soul stage. Every single bit of sand contained deadly power if it hit a person, not to mention if someone was tossed into an entire storm of it.

The sandstorm also exerted a powerful gravitational force that would make it very difficult to escape once sucked in. As Bai Xiaochun realized these things, he gasped in shock. Although he had a deva cultivation base, and shocking fleshly body power, both of which made it possible for him to shrug off an attack from an early Nascent Soul stage cultivator, his keen senses told him that the power of the sandstorm increased the further one went inside. In fact, he wasn't sure how long he would last if he got sucked in that far.

"What the hell kind of trial by fire is this? How come this place is so dangerous!?" Already, the gravitational force was tugging at him. Furthermore, the haze of the sand being kicked up into the air made it difficult to see very far.

A Nascent Soul cultivator, or even a half-deva, would have almost no hope of surviving in this area. However, Bai Xiaochun was a deva. Despite being shaken, he unhesitatingly called upon his Undying Hex, and began to flee at incredible speed.

Because of the conflict caused by the gravitational force and his incredible speed, intense rumbling sounds rang out. Thankfully, though, he shot like an arrow off into the distance, buffeted by the wind and pelted by sand and rubble.

Even after breaking free, he kept flying at top speed for several hundred kilometers. Only then did he stop and look back at the distant sandstorm, his heart pounding with residual fear.

Only at this point did he realize that occasional lightning bolts danced through the sandstorm, releasing muffled cracks of thunder.

"This trial by fire is terrifying!" he thought, his eyes wide. As of this point, he was absolutely certain that the sandstorm would be the death of any Nascent Soul cultivator who was unlucky enough to encounter it, and didn't have any special means of fleeing.

"I felt like I was almost ripped to pieces by the teleportation power of that gate. That was much more power than any ordinary teleportation. That means that we've either ended up in a very distant location… or had to pierce through an indescribably powerful barrier!" Already, he was starting to regret coming here.

And yet, the thought of the longevity pills caused him to grit his teeth and push forward. Along the way, he tested some of his magical items. Unfortunately, accessing his bag of holding wasted spiritual power, and furthermore, anything he brought out seemed locked down in some way, making it completely useless.

The teleportation had sent the nearly one thousand cultivators from the various river branches to different locations within the enormous land that made up the trial by fire. Because of that, the only way they could run into each other was by blind luck.

One upside was that his transmission jade slip still worked. Sadly, based on the fluctuations coming from it, he could tell that, even with his deva cultivation base, it would only have a range of about 500 kilometers.

Messages that weren't received by another jade slip within that area would simply vanish.

Another disquieting fact was that the spiritual power… was far weaker here than in the outside world. To most of the cultivators present, that would be very difficult to deal with.

Of course, to Bai Xiaochun, it wasn't a problem at all. After all, there was actually more spiritual power here than in the Wildlands, where he had lived for many years. He had long since grown used to the practice of conserving energy, and only using it in bursts when necessary.

Furthermore, his impressive fleshly body made it so that he didn't actually need to use divine abilities powered by his cultivation base to unleash deva-level battle prowess.

"This place is so dangerous! Hou Xiaomei, Big Fatty Zhang, Song Que, Bai Lin, and everyone else… are in great danger!" Then he thought about that strange, sinister feeling he had sensed from Hou Xiaomei earlier, and he started to get more nervous. He pulled out his transmission jade slip and sent some messages. Unfortunately, only people within 500 kilometers would get them. When he didn't receive any replies, he picked up speed and proceeded along anxiously.

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Chapter 927: Evil Intentions

The lands that made up the trial by fire were split into four major areas, a desert, a swamp, a plain, and a jungle. They didn't interlock, but rather, were separated by enormous mountain ranges and other terrain features.

Although the lands were not endless, they were certainly vast.

Furthermore, hidden dangers lurked everywhere. That included both natural occurrences like the sandstorm, and bizarre entities of every sort. All of them could be extremely deadly.

Before entering the trial by fire, the cultivators from the four major rivers had all assumed it would be dangerous. Even still, now that they were inside, they were completely shocked by what they were facing.

In fact, the word 'danger' couldn't be used to describe the place. It was more like… a land of death!

Currently, Shi Yan, chosen from the Exalted Zodiac Moon Domination Sect in the west, was traversing the swamp area of the trial by fire. Despite being in the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage, his face was ashen with terror as he proceeded along with the utmost caution.

His clothing was ripped and torn, and also stained with blood. After teleporting into the trial by fire, he had seen three people killed right in front of him. Most terrifying of all… was that the creatures responsible for those deaths were a variety of leech that lurked in the marsh waters. They traveled in swarms numbering in the thousands, which could, in only a single breath of time, completely cover a cultivator. Upon vanishing back into the swamp, they would leave behind only a dry and desiccated corpse.

Within moments, countless larvae would burrow into the desiccated corpse and nest inside of it….

Because of that, Shi Yan was gripped with terror as he proceeded along.

He wasn't the only one in the swamp. Sun Wu from the Dragon Totem Ghost Sea Sect was present as well. He was also chosen, with a cultivation base in the great circle of the Nascent Soul, who bore the physical appearance of an evil ghost. Although he wasn't currently wounded, he trembled as he stood in place… unwilling to take a single step forward.

The reason he refused to move was that he was surrounded by more than 10,000 shocking mosquitos!

The mosquitos were human-sized, and created a thundering rumble with the buzzing of their wings. Were it not for the fact that Sun Wu had a secret magic to keep himself invisible to them, they would have long since sucked the life completely out of him.

The monkey-like Master Lightning Origin from the Nine Heavens Cloud Lightning Sect was in a similar position in the jungle. An unsightly expression could be seen on his face, which dripped with sweat as he rushed along, chased by a troupe of crimson-eyed monkeys who thrummed with shocking power.

Big Fatty Zhang, Bai Lin, Zhao Tianjiao, Heretic, Song Que, and many other friends of Bai Xiaochun were in similarly terrifying situations.

The level of danger in this trial by fire surpassed what anyone could have imagined. Right now, they had no other options than to flee for their lives!

It was the same with Bai Xiaochun, who sped through the desert at top speed. So far, he had spotted seven sandstorms, all of which radiated incredible power than left his heart pounding in his chest.

If all he had to deal with were natural disasters, then it might not have been as terrifying. However, Bai Xiaochun's deva-level divine sense had long since revealed to him that there were terrifying fluctuations hidden within the desert. There were some brutal entities there which seemed to be on the same level as devas. Even worse, there were certain creatures which seemed to be trailing him, as if they were predator and he was prey!

"This trial by fire is not suitable for Nascent Soul cultivators at all! Only people with deva cultivation bases could possibly be of use here!

"Dammit! The Celestial used the pretext of selecting an apprentice to gather a whole group of Nascent Soul cultivators to come into a place like this…? Just what is he up to!? This… is definitely not an arcane pocket realm!"

Bai Xiaochun was really starting to feel nervous, both for Big Fatty Zhang and his other Nascent Soul friends, and also, for Hou Xiaomei.

Thankfully, Hou Xiaomei was a special guard, and therefore, would likely be in a much safer position than the other cultivators. However, Bai Xiaochun still couldn't stop worrying about her.

Even as he sped along, his heart suddenly leapt up into his throat. Without any hesitation, he utilized the Mountain Shaking Bash, bursting forward with speed that bordered on teleportation. In the blink of an eye, he was 300 meters away.

In almost that exact same instant, numerous booming sounds echoed out as eight crimson figures blurred through the spot he had just occupied.

As soon as they flew back up into the sky, Bai Xiaochun could see them clearly. Shockingly, they were eight enormous sandworms!

They looked like crimson maggots, hundreds of meters long, with no eyes, but terrifying, gaping maws, within which glistened row upon row of razor-sharp teeth!

One of the sandworms had a red aperture on its head that emitted a strange power in the form of a loud cracking sound. From the nature of that aperture, it was obvious that some incredible magical device was imbedded inside of the sandworm. It was the strongest of the bunch, being comparable to the mid Deva Realm. The others were similar to the early Deva Realm. As soon as the entire group regathered up in the air, they turned back in Bai Xiaochun's direction and shot toward him again, screeching in bizarre voices.

Bai Xiaochun was already panting in anxiety. If he only had these eight sandworms to worry about, it might not have been a big deal. But he could sense countless similar fluctuations in the surrounding area, all of them rushing toward him at high speed.

It wouldn't be long before even more sandworms were upon him.

The idea of innumerable sandworms beneath the surface of the desert, all closing in on him, caused him to shiver and push forward with renewed speed.

Unfortunately, no matter how he zigged or zagged, a sandworm would end up bursting out of the ground to block his path. It continued to happen over and over again, until he started to really get angry.

"Complete and utter bullying!" He knew that he couldn't keep up this same tactic, otherwise he would never escape, not unless the sandworms just gave up.

He only had one option… strike fear into their hearts!

With that, he gritted his teeth and spun to face the group of eight. Howling, he singled out one of the sandworms that was in the early Deva Realm and unleashed a vicious fist strike!

He didn't draw upon his cultivation base, only his fleshly body. And yet, that still enabled him to strike with mountain-toppling, sea-draining force. A cultivator in the early Deva Realm would be crushed by this attack, much less a sandworm the likes of these.

Rumbling sounds echoed out into the far distance as the front half of the sandworm exploded, and the back half dropped down with a thud onto the desert floor, sending sand flying out in all directions.

When the other sandworms saw that one of their own had been destroyed, they reacted with utter madness. Opening their mouths, they sent countless bolts of lightning shooting out. However, it was at that exact same moment that a figure blurred onto the scene from off in the distance.

It was none other than one of the twin Master Cloud Lightnings from the Nine Heavens Cloud Lightning Sect. If one considered them to be brothers, then the older brother was the one whose left side was withered, with the right side being strong.

The younger brother was the opposite. He made a bizarre sight as he shot forward with astonishing speed that seemed even faster than Bai Xiaochun. After all, he was in the mid Deva Realm, and used a secret magic from the Nine Heavens Cloud Lightning Sect to add further speed to his movement. He sped through the desert, pursued by more than 10,000 sandworms, who were dogging him relentlessly, making escape impossible.

When Master Cloud Lightning noticed Bai Xiaochun, his eyes glittered, especially because of the sandworm with the red aperture on its head.

He stopped for a brief moment, until the sandworms behind him were almost right on top of him. Then, he turned and shot toward Bai Xiaochun!

Clearly, he hoped to pass his huge group of sandworms onto Bai Xiaochun!

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Chapter 928: Bullying Me?!

Bai Xiaochun noticed Master Cloud Lightning almost as soon as he appeared, and most especially, the horde of sandworms following him.

"So, this Master Cloud Lightning is trying to pull a fast one on me, huh?!" He could immediately sense Master Cloud Lightning's ill intentions, especially because of the way the man was eyeing the sandworm with the red aperture on its head.

"He wasn't originally heading in this direction. He changed directions when he saw that one particular sandworm…." Having reached this conclusion, Bai Xiaochun immediately attacked that same sandworm.

"See me coming, and refuse to stand down?" Master Cloud Lightning said with a growl. "Well, you're just looking to die!" His eyes shone with cold light as he accelerated in Bai Xiaochun's direction, bringing countless howling sandworms with him.

As Master Cloud Lightning closed in, Bai Xiaochun spun, changed directions, and then headed, not toward the sandworm he had been fighting, but toward Master Cloud Lightning!

Master Cloud Lightning's lips turned up into a sneer, as if he had anticipated Bai Xiaochun's actions. Even as Bai Xiaochun closed in, he suddenly blurred, making him impossible to see with the naked eye, and almost impossible to detect with divine sense.

Even as Bai Xiaochun's eyes flickered in surprise, the vast number of sandworms that Master Cloud Lightning had brought over locked onto him. Howling, they opened their mouths and swept forth to encircle Bai Xiaochun.

An unsightly expression could be seen on his face. The divine ability that Master Cloud Lightning had just used had already affected him dramatically. Although most of the more than 10,000 sandworms were at the Nascent Soul level, there were some who were in the Deva Realm, which meant that it would be very difficult to handle the entire group.

That was especially true… considering that Master Cloud Lightning was lurking menacingly in the vicinity.

Rumbling sounds could be heard as the shadowy form of Master Cloud Lightning backed away, a sneer on his face the entire time.

"Measly rookie deva! They might say he has incredible battle prowess, but rumors like that are usually just fabrications. If he had fled the moment he saw me, he might have had a chance. Unfortunately for him, he's just an idiot." Chuckling coldly, Master Cloud Lightning watched through narrowed eyes as the hordes of sandworms closed in on Bai Xiaochun.

The truth was that Bai Xiaochun was starting to get very angry at how this Master Cloud Lightning seemed to abound with wickedness. They had no beef with each other, and yet he had acted with utter viciousness, all because of a sandworm!

"Maybe if I were a Nascent Soul cultivator, this would make sense. But I'm a deva too! This Master Cloud Lightning is obviously looking down on me! The bully!" Having reached this point in his train of thought, Bai Xiaochun's eyes narrowed. Blurring into motion, he unleashed attack after attack, blowing up sandworms with each one.

"Based on the speed he used earlier to fall back… he's obviously no ordinary deva…. If I simultaneously used my Undying Hex and the Mountain Shaking Bash, I might be able to get close to him. But if he kept running afterward, the sandworms would still be after me, and that would put me in a bad position. I need to get him to come a bit closer to me…." Scrambling to come up with an idea, he took a deep breath, then shot forward toward Master Cloud Lightning with a burst of speed.

As he did, a faint smile of ridicule could be seen on Master Cloud Lightning's face as he accelerated away. After a few such exchanges, Bai Xiaochun not only didn't catch up to him, but actually seemed to be getting himself into a worse situation with each moment that passed.

Finally, a vicious expression overtook Bai Xiaochun's face. Gritting his teeth angrily, he ignored Master Cloud Lightning and spun to attack the sandworm with the red aperture.

Booms rang out as the sandworms spat lightning out of their mouths, filling heaven and earth in such fashion that it seemed it would be impossible for Bai Xiaochun to fight back. However, it was at this point that the sandworm let out a terrifying shriek; it had been battered so badly by Bai Xiaochun's divine abilities that it seemed on the verge of collapsing completely.

Master Cloud Lightning noticed what was happening, and it caused his eyes to flash with bright light. Although he couldn't be sure whether Bai Xiaochun was feigning weakness or not, he was supremely confident in himself either way.

"The point here isn't to kill this guy, it's to get the magical item in that sandworm's body…." Eyes narrowing, he began to search for an opportunity. At this point, Bai Xiaochun landed a fist strike onto the sandworm, causing it to shriek and fall back.

That was when Bai Xiaochun made his move. He shot forward with such incredible speed that it bordered on teleportation, leaving a string of sonic booms behind him. In the blink of an eye, he was on the sandworm, reaching out with his right hand, the fingers of which glittered with black light.

However, just before his hand landed on the sandworm, his eyes glittered with gold light, and he utilized the Mountain Shaking Bash. Rumbling sounds echoed out as he accelerated with shocking momentum, surpassing the sandworm.

Any sandworm in his way was bashed to pieces, allowing him to shoot as straight as an arrow toward Master Cloud Lightning.

The speed was such that Master Cloud Lightning was struck with absolute shock. Snorting coldly, he gave up on his designs for the sandworm, and shot backward, still confident that not even someone in the late Deva Realm would be able to catch him. At the same time, he reinforced the secret magic he was using to make sure the sandworms couldn't detect him.

In that moment in which Master Cloud Lightning accelerated again, Bai Xiaochun utilized his Undying Hex. In the blink of an eye, his speed broke past its previous limit, causing him to shoot after Master Cloud Lightning like a bolt of lightning.

Because they had already been relatively close, he didn't hesitate to follow through with… the Throat Crushing Grasp!

Considering that Master Cloud Lightning was in the mid Deva Realm, Bai Xiaochun's goal with the Throat Crushing Grasp wasn't to kill him, but rather… to limit his speed and drag him in with gravitational force.

As soon as he unleashed the technique, the gravitational force erupted out, and Master Cloud Lightning's face fell with the realization that he was decelerating.

"This Bai Xiaochun really is a strange one!" he gasped. Everything happened in the time it takes a spark to fly off a piece of flint. There was no time to ponder what to do, so Master Cloud Lightning bit his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood. Despite the difficult situation he was in, he still managed to speed up again!

A faint buzzing sound could be heard as he faded away even more; it almost seemed like he had limitless stores of energy to draw upon. A single step backward took him 3,000 meters away, and yet, even as he moved away, a smile appeared on Bai Xiaochun's face.

This was just what he had been waiting for; for Master Cloud Lightning to use a trump card to gain more speed.

It was in that exact moment that Bai Xiaochun's Heavenspan Dharma Eye opened, causing violet light to spill out and latch onto Master Cloud Lightning like fetters.

Master Cloud Lightning could tell that trouble was brewing, and it caused his face to fall. It suddenly felt like he was stuck in sludge, and in fact, was temporarily incapable of moving at all.

Although it only lasted for a short moment, when devas fought, many things could happen in that amount of time.

"Undying… Emperor's Fist!" Bai Xiaochun shouted. A black vortex sprang up around his hand, and a shadowy emperor appeared behind him. Then, the fist strike was unleashed!

It was a quintuple strength Undying Emperor's Fist!

Sand blasted out in all directions, and the nearby sandworms trembled and screamed. At the same time, Master Cloud Lightning's eyes widened.

Never could he have imagined that a single lapse in judgement on his part would lead him into such a deadly moment of crisis!

"What divine ability is that!?" All of a sudden, the burly right side of his body swelled, erupting with black light. At the same time, he drew upon as much spiritual power from his cultivation base as he could, causing the black light to take the shape of an enormous devilish god!

The devilish god radiated extraordinary energy, the type that could crush even the heavens. However, it only had half a body! It wasn't complete! Even still, it lunged forward to defend against Bai Xiaochun.

In the blink of an eye, it slammed into the Undying Emperor's Fist!

A huge boom erupted out in all directions!

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Chapter 929: Whats The Big Deal?

RUMBLE!!

Nearly half of the desert area was shaken by the intense boom. Master Cloud Lightning let out a miserable shriek as his devilish god collapsed into pieces, and the black light which surrounded him was destroyed.

Blood spraying out of his mouth, he tumbled backward like a kite with its string cut. Even as he did, he touched his forehead, causing a stream of black light to fly out.

Shockingly, it transformed into a semi-translucent buckler, which he grabbed and threw out in front of him.

"Detonate!!" he shouted, and the buckler exploded, sending a blast of energy out to meet Bai Xiaochun's heaven-destroying, earth-extinguishing fist strike. That brief opportunity was what Master Cloud Lightning needed to shoot away at top speed, coughing up blood the entire time.

Most of the energy passageways in his body were destroyed, and his vision swam. Mentally, he was completely shaken.

"How could he be so strong?!?! I'm in the mid Deva Realm, and he's only in the early realm!!" Master Cloud Lightning felt like he was going crazy, and still couldn't keep the blood from spraying out of his mouth.

For the first time, he regretted his earlier conceit, and realized that he should never have been so impulsive as to provoke the terrifying Bai Xiaochun, all because of a simple magical item.

Some of it stemmed from the fact that the buckler he had just destroyed was a treasure he had only just recently acquired, which was what had enabled him to maintain a state of near-complete invisibility. It was that shield that made him realize that this trial by fire… was full of hidden treasures!

After seeing the glowing red aperture on the sandworm, his greed had been awakened.

Meanwhile, the shockwaves caused by his exchange of blows with Bai Xiaochun caused many more sandworms hidden beneath the surface of the ground to be reduced to nothing more than ash.

Even the sandworm with the red aperture on its head, having been damaged by both Bai Xiaochun and Master Cloud Lightning, finally couldn't hold out any longer, and was destroyed.

As it collapsed into pieces, a red glow shot out from inside of it, coalescing into the form of a flying shuttle. Astonishingly, the shuttle was covered with magical symbols that clearly did not originate in the Heavenspan Realm.

The symbols almost looked like tadpoles, wriggling in bizarre, lifelike fashion. As soon as the flying shuttle was out in the open, it swiveled as if to spin off into the distance. However, Bai Xiaochun had been watching it the entire time, and quickly reached out to grab it.

The shuttle struggled a bit, but to no avail. As soon as Bai Xiaochun had it, he sent some divine sense inside to study its structure. It was different from any other type of magical item he had ever seen before, and yet, he could still leave a branding mark on it, allowing him to control it.

As soon as the branding mark settled down inside, the flying shuttle became calm, and then, began to power up as if to unleash an attack!

"An assault treasure!" Master Cloud Lightning blurted, his eyes going wide, and his heart dripping with figurative blood. The only things he had acquired so far were utility treasures. The fact that this flying shuttle was an assault treasure meant that its value was beyond compare.

Now was not the time for jealousy, though. He was already seriously injured. And considering how terrifying Bai Xiaochun was, he decided to use a secret magic that drew upon his longevity in order to put some distance between the two of them.

Lightning and thunder crackled as Master Cloud Lightning became a lightning bolt that shot off toward the horizon, leaving a trail of frozen air behind because of the frigid qi that surrounded him.

The faster he moved, the less likely it would be that anyone would be able to attack him. As such, he managed to escape with his life.

Unfortunately, the drainage was significant, and potentially dangerous.

In the hopes of not wasting too much longevity, he looked over his shoulder and shouted, "This was a misunderstanding, Fellow Daoist Bai! Our sects have been friends for years, and therefore, I can offer an explanation for--"

"Explanation my ass!" Bai Xiaochun roared.

At the moment, he was really angry. He hadn't done anything to provoke anyone. Master Cloud Lightning had been the one to attack him. It might have been one thing if he just tried to unload a bunch of sandworms on him. But then there was his overt sneering, and the fact that he had tried to steal that magical item.

Bai Xiaochun cared about his poor little life more than just about anything else, and therefore, it was something sacrosanct as far as he was concerned. The fact that Master Cloud Lightning had plotted against him in deadly fashion was something he couldn't ignore.

Furthermore, he had been forced to use his Undying Emperor's Fist, something he had hoped to avoid in the early stages of the trial by fire. His plan had been to conserve as much power as he could, but thanks to Master Cloud Lightning, he had done the opposite.

Because of how furious he was, there was no way he would just let his enemy escape. Cursing, he unleashed his top speed as he gave chase. Although he had already wasted significant fleshly body power, he was now in the Undying Blood level, not the Undying Bones.

Therefore, his regenerative capabilities were shocking, to say the least. As his qi and blood returned to normal, he used his Undying Hex to close in on Master Cloud Lightning with incredible speed.

Master Cloud Lightning was wailing inwardly, but had few options at his disposal. He could only steel himself, and draw further upon his longevity to try to escape.

And thus, the two of them sped through the desert in a deadly chase.

Before long, half a day had gone by, and evening was falling. Bai Xiaochun was amazed by how things were going.

"So the old guy is fast, I can accept that. But how can he keep it up for so long?" Bai Xiaochun had always thought himself to be fast, so it was nothing less than shocking to find that Master Cloud Lightning was actually outdoing him.

Bai Xiaochun had his Undying Hex, but that could only give him bursts of speed. It was the same with the Mountain Shaking Bash.

The only thing he had been left which he still hadn't used was the Godkiller.

He only had a few drops of Undying Blood, and every time he used the Godkiller, he would lose one. As far as he was concerned, each of those drops of blood was as valuable as a deva soul.

And it was impossible to say whether or not Master Cloud Lightning's soul would count as a complete deva soul.

Were anyone else chasing Master Cloud Lightning, that person would already have given up. But after some thought, Bai Xiaochun snorted and thought, "Maybe I can't kill him, but I can scare him to death. I refuse to believe that he can flee like this for so long without wasting a bunch of energy."

Having reached this point in his train of thought, he shouted, "Hey, you old punk. Better use a trump card now, or you're dead!"

Then he used his Undying Hex and Mountain Shaking Bash to accelerate dramatically.

Master Cloud Lightning had built up a bit of distance between the two of them, but when he heard what Bai Xiaochun had just shouted, and saw that distance being eaten up, he bit down on his already mangled tongue, spitting out some blood to build up more speed.

However, as soon as he did that, Bai Xiaochun slowed down.

Realizing that he had been played, Master Cloud Lightning grumbled angrily, then gritted his teeth and continued onward.

However… how could Bai Xiaochun end things so casually? He suddenly let out a shout as if he were about to accelerate, which immediately pushed Master Cloud Lightning closer to the brink of madness.

However, he didn't accelerate. Then, moments later, he did. Slowly but surely, Master Cloud Lightning was being driven insane. After all, whether Bai Xiaochun accelerated or not, every time he shouted, Master Cloud Lightning had no choice but to use his secret magic.

Before long, the man's hair was white, and his face was covered with wrinkles.

"How could this Bai Xiaochun be so difficult to deal with?" he despaired. "If things keep going on like this, he'll kill me without even having to catch up to me!!" Finally, he slapped his bag of holding and began throwing random things out left and right in the hopes of distracting Bai Xiaochun.

Bai Xiaochun was delighted by this development, and felt prouder of himself than ever. After all, he was so awesome… that his enemies resorted to throwing random magical items out in the hopes of slowing him down.

"This is definitely the ultimate level of giving chase. Nothing tops this!" Sighing, he began to collect the random items. Finally, distance began to build up between the two of them, and Master Cloud Lightning sighed in relief.

And yet, despite the distance being built up, Bai Xiaochun was still chasing him, and therefore, he didn't dare to stop using his secret magic….

"He's still not giving up! What's the big deal? I just ambushed him, that's all! And it didn't even work! Devas do that kind of thing to each other all the time!" Master Cloud Lightning felt like he might collapse mentally at any moment. As of now… he deeply regretted provoking the heaven-damned Bai Xiaochun.

At the same time, he used a different secret magic to try to make contact with the other Master Cloud Lightning. Unfortunately, his other half was too far away to provide any help.

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Chapter 930: Hi There, Little Fei

Three days passed in a flash. The distance between Master Cloud Lightning and Bai Xiaochun continued to grow. Eventually, they were nearing the border of the desert area.

Master Cloud Lightning's mood continued to sink, and he cursed constantly in his heart. His hair was now so white, and his skin so full of wrinkles, that it seemed likely he had lost an entire sixty-year-cycle of longevity during the last three days alone.

The mere thought of all that longevity caused Master Cloud Lightning to slip further into madness.

"Three days! This guy has been chasing me for three whole days!" Master Cloud Lightning's hair was disheveled, and his eyes completely bloodshot. The longer he fled, the worse off he was. And yet, Bai Xiaochun's regenerative capabilities made it so that taking part in this protracted chase wasn't difficult at all for him.

Master Cloud Lightning felt like weeping, and yet, had no choice but to continue running away.

Bai Xiaochun knew that he wouldn't be able to catch up, but hoped to instill even more fear into Master Cloud Lightning's heart, and also force him to waste as much energy as possible.

"It's too bad Chen Hetian didn't come along. This would be the perfect situation to vent on him a bit." Sighing, he prepared to shoot forward with another burst of speed, when all of a sudden, his expression flickered. Just now, he had noticed a familiar figure within the range of his divine sense.

Other than Master Cloud Lightning and some corpses, he hadn't seen anyone for several days, so he was immediately delighted.

As he got closer, and he confirmed the identity of this newcomer, his delight grew, and he even shifted directions to head in their direction.

Before long, five people came into view, speeding along near the border of the desert.

Among those five… was Du Lingfei!

Her four companions all wore the garb of special guards. Three of them flew in defensive positions, scanning everything in the area for signs of danger. As for the fourth, he was a young man who seemed ordinary in every aspect, and yet flew very close to Du Lingfei.

Although Bai Xiaochun still wasn't quite sure how he felt about Du Lingfei, the fact that he had suddenly run into fellow cultivators after so many lonesome days ensured that he was still very happy.

Just when he was about to call out a greeting, Du Lingfei's group noticed him. As for the young man who was in position next to Du Lingfei, he merely glanced over, and then looked away indifferently.

A smile broke out on Bai Xiaochun's face. The truth was that he was getting tired of scaring Master Cloud Lightning. Reaching up with his right hand, he waved enthusiastically in greeting.

A look of surprise flitted across Du Lingfei's face. Then, she seemed to suddenly recall something, and cast a surreptitious glance at the young man positioned next to her.

Bai Xiaochun noticed that, and looked at the young man in surprise. As soon as he looked at him closely, he didn't like what he saw.

The young man was very good-looking, with sword-like eyebrows and eyes that shone as brightly as stars. Based on his energy fluctuations, his cultivation base was in the great circle of the Nascent Soul stage. And yet somehow, he seemed to be on somewhat intimate terms with Du Lingfei.

The fact that Du Lingfei's first reaction was to glance at that young man caused a prickly sensation to rise up in Bai Xiaochun's heart, which he suppressed with a cold snort. After all, this young man was in the Nascent Soul stage, while he himself was a deva. The young man might be good-looking, but he obviously couldn't compare to him.

Suddenly feeling very confident, he flew over to Du Lingfei's group.

"Hey, boo!" he called out in a loud voice. "You know, this desert is a really dangerous place. If you plan to cross it, you need to be very careful. Besides, I've been all over the place, and didn't find an exit of any kind."

The three special guards with Du Lingfei all clasped hands respectfully toward him upon his approach. After all, even as Heavenspan Island special guards, they still had to show respect to devas.

However, the young man who seemed to be so close to Du Lingfei didn't react at all. He didn't so much as look at Bai Xiaochun, much less clasp hands in formal greeting.

Bai Xiaochun hadn't been too pleased with him to begin with, and was even less pleased by the treatment this young man was giving him now.

However, he was worried about possible misunderstandings, so he decided to probe for a bit of information. "Who's this, boo? Your brother? He seems familiar for some reason."

Du Lingfei hesitated slightly. Glancing subconsciously at the young man, she looked back at Bai Xiaochun, shook her head, and said, "Just be on your way, Bai Xiaochun. You never know where the exit to this trial by fire might be. I hope that you can find it and win all the rewards."

Bai Xiaochun was a bit taken aback by the strange tone of Du Lingfei's voice. Just when he was about to inquire further, the young man spoke up.

"Let's go," he said, and then proceeded forward. Du Lingfei hesitated for a moment, then chose to follow along. She even reached out, touched the young man's arm, and quietly offered some sort of explanation to him. The other three special guards fanned out into defensive positions as they began to move.

Bai Xiaochun's anger from before had not yet died down, and now Du Lingfei was acting intimate with this young man right in front of him?

"I can't believe this is happening right in front of my own eyes!" he thought. At this point, he gave up on any effort to hold back. Heart feeling even more prickly than before, he looked up in thought for a moment. Then his expression brightened, and he hurried after the group of five.

Pointing at the young man, he exclaimed, "Eee! Hey, I remember now! You're… you're Little Fei from the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, aren't you!?"

Du Lingfei's expression flickered, and the young man's brow furrowed as he looked over coldly at Bai Xiaochun.

"Get out of here, Xiaochun!" Du Lingfei said. "He's not the Little Fei you're thinking about!"

"Huh? Wait, did I really mistake him for the wrong person?" Hurrying forward, he looked the young man up and down a bit more carefully. Then, he gave a wry smile and gestured for them to continue on their way.

"Sorry about that. I guess I really mistook you for someone else…."

In response, the young man remained as expressionless as ever as he said, "Well, if you really mistook--"

However, before he could say anything else, Bai Xiaochun lunged forward and smacked him directly across the side of the head.

It happened so quickly, and so unexpectedly, that neither Du Lingfei, the three special guards, nor the young man himself could even react.

Bai Xiaochun's movement was smooth and skilled, as though he had a lot of practice doing this type of thing, which was true, considering how many times he had slapped a demigod. Even as the smacking sound rang out, everyone looked over at him at astonishment.

Du Lingfei gasped, and the young man, who had just been interrupted right in the middle of his sentence, stared at Bai Xiaochun in shock. Never could he have guessed that Bai Xiaochun would do something like that, nor that he would accomplish it with such utter smoothness.

For this young man, it was a unique set of circumstances. His reaction speed was slower than normal, and therefore, the slap hit him with perfect accuracy….

"Hahaha! Are you still going to pretend you're not Little Fei? I'd recognize the feeling of slapping you in any circumstance! Little Fei, it's me! Xiaochun! We're good friends, remember!?" Although Bai Xiaochun kept a delighted expression on his face, inside, he was shocked. His slap had landed just as expected, but how could he have ever guessed… that it would hurt his hand so much?

"This guy is definitely not a Nascent Soul cultivator," he thought. "What's his head made of anyway!?"

By this point, the young man was beginning to pant, and was staring at Bai Xiaochun with icy coldness. There also seemed to be a shocking pressure rolling off of him that he couldn't control.

Du Lingfei's face had drained of blood. Grabbing the young man's arm, she began to pull him away.

"What do you think you're doing, Bai Xiaochun!?" she said. "Why are you being so rude? He said he's not Little Fei! You're mistaking him for someone else! Get out of here!" She blinked at him meaningfully as she dragged the young man away.

Bai Xiaochun could tell that something was very off, and was already starting to come up with an idea of what exactly it was.

"Uh… I guess I really did confuse you with someone else. Aiya! My apologies! A real case of mistaken identity, I guess…." As he turned away, he glanced at the young man out of the corner of his eye, and suddenly, his heart trembled as he thought back to the stinging sensation he had felt when slapping him. That head seemed even harder than the Giant Ghost King's….

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Chapter 931: He Couldnt Be The Celestial, Could He?

"Who is that guy?" That was what Bai Xiaochun was thinking as Du Lingfei and her group left. His hand still hurt from delivering that slap.

It was only now that he realized that the energy passageways in his hand seemed dangerously close to collapsing.

"Don't tell me he's a demigod? But demigod's aren't that tough. Besides, I'm a deva now…. Wait, could he possibly be… the Celestial?!?! Did he slip into the trial by fire to check out the trial-takers first-hand, and see who would be a good apprentice?" The mere thought caused him to shiver with fear.

"Impossible. If he were really the Celestial, then why was it so easy to slap him…? Also, if he were really the Celestial, wouldn't he have exterminated me instantaneously?" After putting some more thought into it, he calmed down a bit, and told himself that he was overreacting, and that the young man couldn't possibly have been the Celestial.

Either way, he realized that his actions before had been too impulsive….

Sighing, he turned and made his way off in a different direction. A few days later, he had left the desert, and was staring out at a seemingly endless swamp.

The ground was made up of either sludge, or puddles of bubbling water. When those bubbles popped, they released turbid mist that swirled in the area.

As a result, even the sky above the swamp was overcast and murky.

He hesitated before entering the swamp; something about it seemed very odd, and the entire place fairly thrummed with vile fluctuations. He immediately felt the need to be more on guard than ever.

"This trial by fire is completely bizarre." He thought about trying to go around it, but the desert was dangerous in its own way, so in the end, he proceeded forward.

At the same time, he continued to send out messages with his transmission jade slip. In terms of his own safety, he wasn't too worried. As long as he was careful, he should be fine. But he couldn't stop thinking about Big Fatty Zhang, Hou Xiaomei, and his other friends. Every day that they were in the trial by fire alone meant more danger for them.

He proceeded through the swamp with the utmost caution, and as a result, didn't encounter any risks to his life. Before long, half a month had gone by.

He did see some dangerous situations. For example, he saw a flock of vicious-looking birds flying in the air. Moments later, an entire horde of leeches shot up into the air and ate the birds alive.

He saw tiny larvae swimming in the swamp water, and also saw seven or eight corpses….

Once he saw a huge spider, fully 300 meters tall. It glared at him, but could sense that he was not worth provoking, and eventually sank back down into the waters of the swamp.

"This place could be completely deadly to someone in the Nascent Soul stage!" Even as he proceeded along, his mood sinking, he faced the first truly life-threatening situation.

A huge, rotten hand burst out of the water like the hand of a giant. Rotten flesh and chunks of coagulated blood flew off of it as it rocketed with lightning speed toward Bai Xiaochun.

If it had only been a hand, it might not have been as shocking. But an arm followed the hand, and it was only by drawing upon significant fleshly body power, his Undying Hex, and his newly acquire flying shuttle that he was able to extricate himself from the danger.

After reaching safety, a defiant howl echoed through the swamp behind him.

"Forget the Nascent Soul stage. This place is even dangerous for devas!" His nervousness and anxiety continued to mount. In the following days, he ran into some other cultivators from the four rivers. Only a few were from the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. However, so long as they weren't from the Nine Heavens Cloud Lightning Sect, he would still help them as best he could.

They were always profoundly grateful, and he would always ask them about Big Fatty Zhang and his other friends. He would even show them pictures he had stored in jade slips.

Finally, after relentlessly asking everyone the same questions, he finally found someone who gave him a clue about Big Fatty Zhang!

"Senior Bai, I saw that person about two days ago. It was to the west of here, and I'm pretty sure that Master Lightning Origin from the Nine Heavens Cloud Lightning Sect was chasing him!"

Bai Xiaochun's eyes immediately began to glitter with cold light.

"Two days ago… to the west…." After expressing his thanks, he sped off as fast as he could to the west, sending repeated messages to Big Fatty Zhang along the way.

As a deva, Bai Xiaochun could move much more quickly than a Nascent Soul cultivator. Sonic booms stretched out behind him as he shot through the swamp.

Not being exactly certain of where Big Fatty Zhang had been, or where he was heading as he was chased, his only option was to search blindly.

Big Fatty Zhang was in an area not too far from Bai Xiaochun, huffing and puffing as he sped along, picking leeches off of himself as he went, which was a very painful process.

At the moment, he didn't dare to fly in the air. After being teleported here, things had started out safe enough. With the residual power his Will Core had provided to his nascent soul, he had been able to evade any major dangers.

Unfortunately, his actions had attracted the attention of Master Lightning Origin, who mistakenly believed him to be in possession of some extraordinary magical item. No matter how Big Fatty Zhang had attempted to explain himself, Master Lightning Origin didn't believe him.

Master Lightning Origin's cultivation base was much higher than his, plus he was accompanied by two other cultivators from the Nine Heavens Cloud Lightning Sect. Just when it seemed like they had been about to catch up with him, he had taken to running on foot through the swamp, and thus escaped them.

Unfortunately, running through the swamp caused countless leeches and other vicious entities to swarm him. Thankfully, his Will Core power kept him mostly safe, although he still ended up getting injured, and was still in danger because of Master Lightning Origin and his companions, who continued to give chase by flying through the air.

It was now the third day of the chase, and Big Fatty Zhang was starting to lose hope. He was tired, his eyes were bloodshot with fury, and his cultivation base was teetering unstably. He was almost out of energy.

Furthermore, things were made more difficult by the fact that he didn't want to fly through the air higher up, and thus had to brave the dangers of the swamp. On more than a few occasions, he had nearly been killed by leeches….

"What the hell kind of place is this? And what's the deal with that Master Lightning Origin!? He's such a bully!!" Big Fatty Zhang was infuriated, but had no options at his disposal. As he fled, he would occasionally try to send messages to fellow cultivators from the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect.

He was reaching his limit. If it weren't for the fact that his pursuers didn't want to go down into the swamp to find him, he would likely already have died.

Furthermore, none of the messages he had transmitted had received any responses.

He was like an oil lamp sputtering on the verge of going out. Chuckling bitterly, he realized that his speculations had been off, and that he likely wouldn't make it out of this trial by fire alive.

However, that was when a tremor passed through him. His Will Core intuition was telling him that a profoundly powerful entity was making its way through the swamp toward him, and that it was only about 3,000 meters away.

From what he could tell, this newcomer seemed like a deva, which meant… that he had no chance of surviving!

"Well, if I'm going to die, I'll take some of them with me!" Eyes flickering with madness, he shot up into the air, which was right about the time that the monkey-like Master Lightning Origin approached, flanked by two other cultivators wearing northern-style robes.

At the same time, the air several hundred meters away rippled as a 300-meter-tall spider suddenly reared up from within the swamp!

Master Lightning Origin and his companions were clearly shocked, and prepared to flee. As for Big Fatty Zhang, he was just about to try to block their path when, all of a sudden, the transmission jade slip in his bag of holding vibrated.

"Where are you, Eldest Brother?!?!"

Big Fatty Zhang's jaw dropped. Facing this sudden chance to escape, he ignored Master Lightning Origin and his companions, threw his head back, and roared at the top of his lungs.

"Help me, Xiaochun!!"

His cry echoed out into the ears of Bai Xiaochun, who was some distance away. Stopping in place, he jerked to face the direction of the sound. Then, energy surging, he shot like a lightning bolt in that direction. The will of the heavens stirred, and a huge version of his face appeared in the sky as he closed in on Big Fatty Zhang!

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