Innate Immortal Seed

Chapter 5: The Hollow Surge Sword Array

Azure Maple Cliff and Fufeng Ridge were both located on first-ranklow-grade spiritual veins, but Azure Maple Cliff’s area was slightly smaller. Nestled beside a steep escarpment was a flat plot of about ten mu, with a three-courtyard residence, five mu of neatly maintained spiritual farmland, a secluded spiritual pool, and several towering ancient trees that required a full human embrace to encircle. Compared to the rugged Fufeng Ridge, it looked far more refined.

Indeed, the daily lives of a family of three differed vastly from that of a bachelor like Bai Jiu’an. Bai Ying’s three-courtyard home had four bedrooms alone, plus a wing meant for housing mortal servants once they were hired.

Upon entering, a long corridor led inward. A shallow lotus pond lay in the inner courtyard, its surface covered with green leaves, beneath which a few silver fish darted through the water.

“These are Bitter-Heart Lotuses. Every summer, they produce lotus seeds with a really bitter taste. But I heard they’re used as an auxiliary ingredient in a pill that clears the heart and purges fire. My mom picks and dries them, and a batch can sell for more than ten spirit stones.”

“And those Silver Dragon Fish in the pond, they’re the same as the ones in the outer spiritual pool. My dad brought the fry back from the marketplace. Once they grow to two feet long, each is worth three spirit stones! I’ve eaten one before, so tasty! And it makes your whole body feel warm afterward.”

The happiest one about Bai Zichen moving to Azure Maple Cliff was clearly the chubby Bai Ying, who excitedly showed off every corner of his home.

It was obvious that Bai Ying’s family had a much more diversified way of making money than his uncle Bai Jiu’an.

After dinner, Bai Zichen returned to his west-side room. Lying in bed, he silently recalled the past few days, then suddenly sat up. He untied the pouch at his waist and dumped everything out in a clatter.

Two spirit stones, a dozen blank talisman slips, and fifteen low-grade first-rank talismans that Bai Jiu’an had given him.

The Vajra Talismans were ochre-colored. Once activated, they could render the user impervious to blades and boost arm strength by several hundred pounds. Five talismans in total, worth ten spirit stones.

The Fireball Talismans glowed bright red, so hot they felt scorching even when held. Once cast, they summoned fireballs capable of melting metal, five of these were worth twelve spirit stones.

The Swift-Walking Talismans were pale blue. When used, they made the body light as a feather and swift as the wind. Five talismans, worth eight spirit stones.

These talismans were Bai Zichen’s only lifeline in case of danger. He gently stroked each one, arranged them carefully by type, tucked them back into the pouch, and rehung it on his waist. After a moment’s thought, he drew out a few and carefully tucked them into the folds of his chest.

He had brought several books with him to Azure Maple Cliff, and now he picked up one titled Talisman Combination Guide for Qi Refining Cultivators and began reading in earnest, temporarily setting aside the Yi Wood Azure Spirit Art.

“Pairing Swift-Walking with Vajra, and mastering some mortal combat techniques, can simulate the power of a body-refining cultivator during early Qi Refining…”

“Frost Talismans are limited in damage, but three or more used together can immobilize a target. Cultivators below late Qi Refining may be paralyzed for ten breaths…”

“Using Thunderstrike Talismans during storms may attract true lightning. When successful, the effect rivals that of second-rank talismans but beware: the caster is just as likely to be struck.”

Time passed quickly as Bai Zichen read for over an hour without noticing. Whoever wrote this book might not have been a powerful cultivator, but their knowledge of low-grade talismans was unquestionably at the master level.

For the next several days, after completing his cultivation practice, Bai Zichen would hang around Azure Maple Cliff with Bai Ying. It was mostly to prevent the little rascal from getting into trouble. They’d either catch mountain pheasants in the bamboo groves or dive into ponds hunting fish, rekindling the carefree fun of childhood.

...

“The Hollow Surge Sword Array! Thank the heavens that after centuries, its sword intent has been worn down to less than thirty percent of its original strength!”

Several streaks of sword light crisscrossed the sky, cleaving two distant mountain peaks. A few unlucky cultivators who happened to be in their path were instantly sliced to pieces, blood and viscera raining down.

A thin Daoist gasped and secretly thanked his stars. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would be hard-pressed to survive a direct strike from such a remnant array.

“Looks like chasing off the loose cultivators while letting the clan cultivators handle this was the right move. Otherwise, it would’ve cost us dearly to break this array and many disciples, too.”

“Send word, ten families are to patrol the perimeter and disperse idle onlookers. The rest are to form five teams and take turns attacking the Hollow Surge Sword Array’s core. I want to reach the third level of the Five Peaks Temple within a week!”

“Understood!”

A group of Azure Maple Sect cultivators stood respectfully behind the thin Daoist. Among them, three wore purple robes embroidered with two crossed swords, the insignia of Azure Maple Sect elders.

Beneath their feet lay a wooden plaque made of century-old golden-thread ebony. The three gilded characters on it read: “Five Peaks Temple.” It had hung at the entrance of the mountain cave for centuries, now discarded in the mud.

The temple had been discovered by two loose cultivators, herbalists who roamed the Heishan Mountains. While digging for ginseng, they inadvertently triggered a mechanism, causing a landslide that revealed the entrance.

The restrictions and formations on the first level had all lost their effect over time, allowing two loose cultivators to sneak into the cave dwelling. Every few days, they’d smuggle out a few treasures and sell them around.

But after too many trips, they caught the attention of some watchful eyes. Not long after leaving the marketplace, they were intercepted by a group of raiders. Under soul-searching and torture, there was no secret they could keep, they spilled everything clean.

That group of raiders had come together purely for profit. With news of such a massive discovery in hand, there was no way they could keep it to themselves. Word quickly spread to the Azure Maple Sect and the major cultivation clans.

Hundreds of cultivators swarmed in like ants, scavenging every valuable scrap.

The first level of the Five Peaks Temple housed enormous quantities of basic crafting materials, iron essence, golden essence, meteorite motherstone piled in tons. No one knew why Five Peaks True Person had hoarded so much basic material. For someone of his level, such items should’ve been worthless.

The second level had been sealed with a five-element barrier that took several Foundation Establishment cultivators working together to break. Inside were over ten isolated chambers for secluded cultivation.

It was on this floor that the real slaughter began. Corpses lined every corridor leading to the chambers. It wasn’t until the Azure Maple Sect arrived and unleashed a thunderous show of force that order was finally restored.

But when the rooms were opened, the disappointment was palpable.

A few meditation cushions, a warm jade bed… that was all.

The cushion had the effect of calming the mind and settling the body, just barely qualifying as a mid-grade magical tool. As for the warm jade bed, its only notable quality was its sheer size, large enough to be cut into hundreds of warm jade pendants, useful for warding off evil and repelling spirits.

Such meager spoils didn’t match the towering reputation of True Person Chen Taige. Clearly, all the real treasures were locked within the third level.

“Patriarch, Azure Maple Sect is using us as cannon fodder,” said Elder Hong Gu, face pale. “They don’t dare risk their own disciples, so they send us charging forward. That sword array isn’t something ordinary magical tool can defend against!”

She had just seen a Huang clan elder try to block one of the sword lights with a bronze bell artifact only to be cleaved clean in half, man and the bell alike.

“Lead our clansmen closely behind me,” Bai Xianzhong said grimly, five golden rings spinning around him. “Stay alert, if anything seems off, retreat immediately. Even if it means offending Azure Maple Sect, we must preserve our lives. If we perish here, the Bai clan’s legacy will be buried with us!”

A Foundation Establishment patriarch, two elders, and twelve elite clan cultivators.

If this party were annihilated within the Five Peaks Temple, it would spell total ruin for the Bai clan.

They’d lose not just the present, but the future.

(Chapter End)