Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

Chapter 520: Chapter 317: Startling Revelation 2

Hearing this, the woman also chuckled bitterly, “This concubine also wants to try her luck. After all, I can’t always cower in my Cave Mansion and watch my Spirit Stones deplete, right?”

“That’s true,” someone responded.

“Damn that Sacred Place Immortal Sect!”

Hearing this, the three of them were also helpless and could only curse once more.

Thus, the Flying Boat sailed through, and they soon came upon a quiet mountain wilderness.

The wilderness was vast, and while it was not as illustrious as the Central Plains with various Ancient Secret Realms and True Immortal Cave Mansions, it still held its own opportunities.

For example, the Southern Sea adjoined the Endless Sea, and although it was plagued by sea creatures and demons, the ocean depths held many treasures, as well as Cave Mansions of ancient cultivators and drifting Ancient Secret Realms from ancient times.

Both the Eastern Abyss and the lands of the Western Barbarians were bordered by the two tribes of demons, having endured countless great wars; hence they housed numerous Cave Mansions and secret realms, the relics of fallen cultivators from the great demon wars. Among them were graves of Integrations, and even Mahayana cultivators, where disturbing just one could lead to sudden riches.

As for the Northern Domain, due to its severe coldness, there were very few cultivators, and so there were not many ancestral Cave Mansions or opportunities for secret realms, making it the most barren of the four borders within the Northern Domain.

This Black Mountain Secret Realm was a legacy from the ancestors of the Western Barbarians’ lands. It was said to have been left by the Great Return to Void Cultivator, “Lord of Black Mountain”. By now, it had appeared in the world for a hundred years and had been thoroughly searched by various powers and cultivators from all directions.

Still, each year, many Loose Cultivators would visit, holding on to a slim chance, looking for any overlooked scraps and remains.

The four of them were no different, and their Flying Boat descended into Black Mountain, heading straight into the depths of the secret realm.

“Fairy Fang and I will team up, Meng and Brother Zhou will form another group. Let’s search everywhere and see what fate has in store for us,” one suggested.

“Okay!”

The four wasted no words and split into two groups, scouring the secret realm.

Very quickly…

“Hmm?!”

The two expelled their divine consciousness, searching in all directions. Although they weren’t hopeful, they still gave their utmost effort.

Unexpectedly, a beam of Spirit Light suddenly flared, catching the edge of their divine consciousness.

“What’s that…?”

Their eyes sharpened as they flew towards the spot and darted into a cave, where they saw a jade box half-buried in the ground, partially exposed with flickering Spirit Light, quite extraordinary.

The woman surnamed Fang was quick to act. She rushed forward to dig it out, brushed off the dust to inspect it, and, finding no seals, cautiously opened it.

As the jade box opened, Spirit Light shone forth, revealing several Jade Slips.

“Jade Slips?”

“Cultivation Techniques!”

Her eyes sharp, she probed the Jade Slips with her divine consciousness.

“Mysterious Heaven True Skills!”

“Supreme Dao Records!”

“Duotian Thunder Method!”

“Subduing Dragon Subjugating Tiger Strength!”

“Thousand Swords Jue!”

“This…!!”

Staring at the Cultivation Techniques recorded within the Jade Slips, the woman surnamed Fang stood frozen on the spot.

At that moment…

“Boom!”

A loud sound resonated from outside the cave, followed by the noise of a battle.

“Bai Jiansheng, you’ve broken your oath, deceived me—blind I was to have misjudged you!”

“Enough of your prattle. Hand over the treasure, and I will spare you a complete corpse!”

“Pah! Even in death, I won’t make things easy for you. Fellow cultivators nearby, hear this—I have found a treasure chest containing six Jade Slips, all high-grade skills, inheritances of the Return to Void and Integration stages. Whoever aids me in repelling this foe shall receive this gift!”

“Ah, you stubborn old fool, courting death and still daring to be unruly, come and meet your fate!”

“…”

“…”

The clamor of battle and noise filled the air, reaching into the cave. The two glanced at each other, unsure of what action to take.

And so, three months later.

In a secret realm, the noise was tumultuous, with streaks of flowing light rising and falling, entangling in battle from time to time.

“Human hearts are like deep gorges, greed and desire are never satisfied!”

A soft sigh emerged, as two figures appeared as if from a dream. One, dressed in white, as pure as snow; the other, clad in blue like jade, both seemed detached from the mundane world, not like ordinary people.

The two landed outside the mountain, observing the chaos of the secret realm, the conflicts and killings. The woman in white sighed softly,

Looking beside her, the woman in blue was frowning in silence.

All one could see was her dress in blue, ethereal and otherworldly, with an elegance unmatched as though she was born from nature’s spiritual energy, dazzling and extraordinary. Like a lotus in clear water, like the spirit rain of a solitary mountain, as if dreamlike, not belonging to this world. Her eyes, even more so, permeated with wisdom and revealed the profoundness of Brahma, compassionate even in her frown. Carrying on her back a pair of Sword Artifacts, sheathed and unassuming, yet the concealed sharpness hinted at a firm resolve to defend the way amidst kindness and gentleness.

As she watched the commotion of the secret realm and the battles around, her brows knit tighter. Turning to the woman in white beside her, she said, “Sister, this is the ninth one, right?”

“Indeed!”

The woman in white nodded and said solemnly, “In these three months, throughout the Barbaric Wastes, opportunites within various secret realms have emerged frequently, all related to Cultivation Techniques, and their Quality Ranks are exceedingly high. There are not only Return to Void Skills, but also Integration inheritances, prompting a scramble from all corners, involving bloodshed and endless strife!”

“These secret realms have been thoroughly scouted before, how could there be more emerging, and in such numbers, all containing Cultivation Techniques?”

The woman in blue with a furrowed E’mei said, “Who is behind this, and what exactly are they plotting?”

“Who can say!”

The woman in white shook her head, “But such actions at this time, stirring up such turmoil, always seem to be connected to the Five Elements Immortal Mansion.”

“Five Elements Immortal Mansion?”

The woman in blue murmured to herself, “The Five Elements Big Dipper, the great war between the two sects, has already shattered the Void Spirit Cave Heaven wide open. There was no trace of the Immortal Mansion inside, but neither sect is willing to let it go. Now someone is taking advantage of the situation to cause chaos, are they really determined to fight to the death over a prophecy, or is there another motive…?”

“It could be either possibility.”

The eyes of the woman in white became focused, “The Five Directions Merit Pool is a treasured legacy of the Five Elements Immortal Sect. For its sake, that old Saint Lord of the sect personally visited the Haoyu Heavenly Sect, requesting Haoyu’s divinations to determine that the Five Elements Immortal Mansion must be within the Barbaric Wastes, sparking today’s turbulence.”

“The Haoyu Heavenly Sect, experts in divining Heavenly Secrets, should not be wrong in its predictions. Therefore, both the Five Elements Immortal Sect and the Big Dipper Immortal Sect are unwilling to cease and rest, determined to find the Five Elements Immortal Mansion.”

“This conflict between the Five Elements and the Big Dipper, involving the six sects and two factions, will bring disaster to the Barbaric Wastes and may well ruin the grand plans of our Brahma Sect,”

the woman in white shook her head, pondering in her heart.

“The ten Sacred Places, the Three Orthodox Sects, the six sects all have Tao Veins. Even though they are divided into two factions, they can still overpower the Buddhist and Confucian teachings,”

“Therefore, our Brahma Sect took root in the Western Barbarians, aspiring to raise the Western Barbarian Buddha Sect and establish the third sacred place of Brahma, to stand equal with the two Taoist factions.”

“For this purpose, our Brahma Sect spared no expense, resisting the Demon Path’s sects for ten thousand years. Now as the Buddha Fruit is about to ripen, the six Taoist sects and two factions stir up this incident, gathering their forces to come here. Ultimately, are they after the Five Elements Immortal Mansion or is it our Brahma Sect’s plan in the Western Barbarians they’re targeting?”

Her thoughts were in disarray, culminating in a sigh.

The woman in white turned her gaze to the woman in blue with E’mei creased, consoling her, “Junior sister, you possess a profound nature of Buddha, your heart filled with compassion. Yet by only cultivating in seclusion within the monastery, you cannot achieve the Great Way. That’s why the Monastery Head sent you into this mortal world, hoping you would refine your spirit amidst the worldly turmoil, to become clear and insightful. Only then can you wield the Wisdom Sword of our Brahma Sect, to cut through the myriad entanglements of past entanglements!”

The words were both comforting and cautionary.

“I understand the Monastery Head’s painstaking efforts,” the woman in blue said, knowing her intent. Looking at the constant conflict and noise in the secret realm, her E’mei relaxed, her gaze returning to serenity. Looking over her shoulder at the Sword Artifact, she whispered softly, “I must not fail this mission…”

“BOOM!!!!!”

Her words cut off as a thunderous explosion rocked the heavens and earth, causing the surrounding fields to surge.

“Hm!?”

Their eyes narrowed as they looked up, only to see in the midst of the secret realm, a brilliant flare of rosy radiance suddenly arose.

The light was multi-hued, revealing hues of ten different shades as if sword edges were spinning forth, breaking the boundaries of the void, annihilating all life from all directions.

“Ahh!!!!”

“This is…”

“RUN!!!!!”

In an instant, there were screams and cries across the fields, blood splattering everywhere. The cultivators within the secret realm failed to escape and were shredded by the spinning multi-colored light, with their Nascent Souls and Primordial Spirits unable to escape, all disappearing into the spectrum of light.

Eventually, the void shattered, the secret realm collapsed, leaving only a burst of multi-colored brilliance. Within it, one could faintly see a palace, ancient and fragrant with a profound Taoist Rhyme, revealing innate mechanisms, embodying the principles of the Five Elements.

Indeed…

“The Five Elements Immortal Mansion?”

“How can this be!!”