From a martial arts disciple to a god through countless trials and tribulations

Chapter 358 The Boundless Army of Immortal Seeds

The giant mirage closed, plunging the light into darkness. Chen Xuan was startled to hear the voice of Little Black True Monarch behind him. In an instant, he turned around to look.

At this time, he had been cultivating in the giant mirage for some time. After completing the Daoist chapter of the "Ultimate Dao True Scripture", he divided his mind in the empty inner world of his body and personally set rules for the rebellious and unruly villain of the Ultimate Dao Destiny.

"Ouch!"

The wicked man, with his keen senses, immediately detected the ominous presence. He flew out to protect his master in a flash, attacking Little Black True Monarch with incredible speed, like a young tiger descending a mountain.

It was a little over a foot tall, with eyebrows like sharp swords and bright, determined eyes. It wore a light and comfortable linen martial arts uniform embroidered with martial arts patterns such as Bagua and Tai Chi. As it moved, ripples of immortal energy flowed from under its linen shoes.

"A master..." Little Black True Monarch was shocked to see this. In an instant, his robe transformed into two fists and he punched forward. This was Little Black Divine Fist, which made countless True Monarchs tremble with fear.

"Bang! Bang!"

In an instant, the two were locked in a fierce battle, their fighting styles dazzling and exhilarating.

The cunning villain was as agile as a cheetah, moving like the wind and striking like thunder, attacking from all directions. But Xiao Hei remained unmoved, parrying every move, his two fists dancing like phantoms, defending flawlessly.

"This..." Chen Xuan's eyes widened, and he quickly grabbed the back of the Extreme Dao Little Man's neck with one hand and pulled him back, stopping the astonishing battle that was about to pierce through the giant mirage.

What a joke! Little Black Fist can shatter a True Monarch with a single punch. Although the Extreme Path Villain is just like the Extreme Path God, ready to fight at the slightest provocation, he really can't see his own strength clearly!
"Awoo!" The extreme-path little man struggled and cried out, refusing to give up, but was suppressed by Chen Xuan with one hand.

Held in mid-air, it could only helplessly cross its arms, pout, and stare at Little Black True Lord with eyes full of resentment. Judging from its posture, it was determined to seize any opportunity to go up and fight again.
"Buzz!" Little Black True Monarch transformed his fists into palms, raised them to his chest and slowly pressed them down, withdrawing his divine attack. Then, he focused his energy into his dantian and pointed at Chen Xuan.

"Your foundation is getting stronger and stronger." It commented on Chen Xuan.

Whether they are contemporary true rulers or ancient immortals, each of them has had their glory days, reaching the pinnacle in a certain aspect when they were young. But a foundation as solid as Chen Xuan's is rare in both ancient and modern times.

After all, if Chen Xuan had focused on one path, breaking through the limits of the cauldron would have been a piece of cake. But because he had taken too many different paths, finding his way through the mortal world was many times more difficult than for others.

“The Ninth Qi is currently just a castle in the air; it may not necessarily succeed in the end,” Chen Xuan said.

Nourishing the Ninth Qi and fusing with the Immortal Body Scripture are two completely different things.

Although he had painstakingly cultivated the Ninth Qi and temporarily kept it in his body, if the Doubu True Scripture could not be integrated into his immortal body in the end, he would probably have to give up the Doubu Qi.

But he had a premonition that after doing these two things, he would be able to break through the limit naturally... Fighting the plague side by side is like yin and yang being equal. The reason he could not break through the limit was probably due to the plague. Although he relied on the flawed fake Golden Elixir Method to forcibly stick to the plague, the problem was not eradicated.

If Chen Xuan cannot advance, he can only retreat, dispel the plague, and use the perfectly functioning Yin-Yang and Five Elements Dao to determine the path of the mortal world.

After all, what he is doing now is unprecedented in history, and the difficulty is unimaginable.

If one could accomplish something unprecedented in ancient history simply by eating some rare and precious herbs or having a sudden enlightenment, wouldn't that mean that ancient geniuses and sages of all ages were useless and incompetent?
"Master Xiao Hei, how did you find me?" Chen Xuan asked in confusion.

“The kitten that Da Bai picked up… is gone,” Little Black True Monarch replied.

As usual, it spoke only a few short keywords, but Chen Xuan clearly understood its meaning: the Mysterious Cat Lady had gone on an adventure with the two Realm Lords and disappeared together, so Little Black True Lord came to look for her.

"Are you here to find the kitten? Not me?" Chen Xuan asked.

During that year, Xiao Hei Zhenjun almost disappeared without a trace, and he lost contact with him.

"Big White... looking for the kitten." Little Black True Lord shook his head, then tapped the brim of his hat, and whispered, "And... sneak a peek..."

Chen Xuan frowned upon hearing this. "Even the Great White True Monarch has arrived?"

"Can you find the missing kitten?" he asked slowly.

When he first arrived in this area, he used the Qingnang Technique to patrol for several hours, but he only found some wild, deep-sea medicinal herbs and many traces left over from battles between Qi practitioners.

“Not necessarily… Daze… is a mysterious ancient land shrouded in mist.” Little Black True Monarch shook his head.

It told Chen Xuan that the Great Swamp of Yunmeng Prefecture has been unfathomable since ancient times, with countless secrets. It contains the Yunmeng Swamp, which is as famous as the Heavenly Court and Yaochi. Even the current True Monarch cannot fully understand the secrets of this place.

"Under the illumination of the Celestial Palace, is there any place that can remain mysterious?" Chen Xuan asked.

The Celestial Palace once stood majestically high in the heavens, overlooking all living beings. Almost nothing could escape their gaze.

"This is one of the oldest regions on the Five Directions Land. There are countless mysterious areas in the mist that have never been explored. Feng shui masters once used ancient artifacts to enter the lost Yunmeng Marsh." Xiao Hei Zhenjun's body suddenly tensed up, and he spoke fluently.

"This..." Chen Xuan was stunned upon hearing this.

He no longer practiced fasting of the mind and became normal, but he could no longer see the various illusions that entangled the present world.
However, when he first came to Yunmeng Market, he saw a corner of what appeared to be Yunmeng Marsh when Hua Liuli used the Qingnang Technique.

"In the vanished Yunmeng Marsh, ancient spiritual objects such as peaches of immortality can be seen everywhere, making it a completely different environment from the present world."

"Yunmeng Marsh seems to be stuck in ancient times, out of sync with the present world. Could there be ancient creatures still living inside?"

Chen Xuan pondered that since his Shangyang Cave was nowhere to be found, perhaps it was located in some fragment of Yunmeng Marsh.

"This fragment of the Great Ruins of the Five Directions Land is called the Ancestral Land by many people, and this place is the Ancestral Land within the Ancestral Land. It holds many secrets, and the higher one's cultivation level, the more awe one will feel," said True Monarch Xiao Hei.

Chen Xuan was taken aback. Even a near-immortal like the Heavenly Mandate Black and White True Monarch felt awe towards this land? He could even sense a hint of panic in the other party's tone.

"Why are there so many big events happening in this area?" Chen Xuan asked, voicing his doubts. Since a Taiyin cultivator like the Black and White True Monarch had come in person, he should be able to see many things that were unknown to others.

Little Black True Lord said, "Perhaps the commotion was caused by the remains of Xinzhai."

Chen Xuan was startled by the sound, not expecting the other party to make such a guess.

Xiao Hei said, "More than a year ago, the evil spirit in mourning clothes that you released from Xinzhai, while fleeing, passed through the Great Swamp, and the remains of the ancient Xinzhai in the Taiyi Forbidden Land showed a special reaction."

Chen Xuan looked surprised; this was mysterious news that did not circulate in the mortal world.

"Some True Lords speculate that Xinzhai, like the Mandate of Heaven, will not completely disappear, but will only shift. Therefore, many people have their eyes on the evil spirit of the Mourning Child. Many forces that have the potential to become immortals, after several secret contests, finally broke out into a great war a few months ago."

Chen Xuan's heart skipped a beat; he had heard similar news from the White Grass Goddess.

In fact, many True Lords were more anxious than he was after he lost Xinzhai. After all, if True Lords wanted to become immortals, they would eventually have to fight a major battle with the Immortal Palace. But Xinzhai, a weapon against cultivators, was destroyed in advance, which was undoubtedly a bad situation.

Many near-immortal Great True Lords were heartbroken by this, and if Chen Xuan's fasting for the mind could be revived, they might be happy to see this happen.

However, Xinzhai eventually disappeared, and many True Lords have shifted their attention to more useful alternatives such as Wanshizun.

"Who took Xiao Sang away?" Chen Xuan asked. As a Taiyin cultivator, the Black and White True Lord was the True Lord most capable of gaining a great advantage.

“I don’t know. The power of the Heart Fasting is difficult to observe. I don’t know who it will ultimately belong to…” Little Black True Monarch said. Suddenly, the transparent lines at the joints of his body lit up, and then it was as if he was pulled into the darkness by a hand.

Chen Xuan frowned, remaining motionless. His intuition told him that the elusive Great White True Lord was approaching. The Little Black True Lord's sudden fluency in speech was perhaps also due to the fact that the other party was nearby.

"Wow!"

Suddenly, a gaunt humanoid figure fell into the giant mirage. Its face was deathly pale, like a dead person who had just been buried in a coffin. There was a vertical pupil between its eyebrows, which was bleeding continuously.

The blood of the three-eyed holy spirit fell down and transformed into dense ancient characters, exuding a strong smell of decay, gradually rotting and turning into ashes.

"Who...is this?" Chen Xuan stared at it in a daze.

Little Black True Lord reappeared, his black robe transforming into two small feet that stepped on the three-eyed man. He said, "It's not from the Five Directions Land. It was hiding in the nearby Taixu, acting suspiciously, and was discovered and dragged out by Big White."

Unfortunately, the other party possessed a special forbidden spell. Once discovered by the Black and White True Lord, the spell was immediately activated, making it impossible to uncover the secrets within him.

"Either the beings from beyond the heavens have returned, or the creatures from the mysterious Yunmeng Land have escaped. The decay of the Immortal Palace has been witnessed by many, and the world is now in complete chaos."

In the former case, Hengjun's return to immortality at the Mountain and Sea Banquet was not the only one; there were definitely many other extraterrestrial rewards smuggled in with personal benefits... After all, most of the attendees were just there to make up the numbers, and those extraterrestrial forces associated with them should know that their investments were essentially wasted.

Indeed, of those who attended the final banquet on the ascension platform, only one or two out of ten survived.

The latter is also possible; after all, if outsiders can enter the mysterious Yunmeng Land, it wouldn't be too surprising if the creatures inside escaped. Little Black True Monarch was unaware that a Shangyang Cave was hidden in this area, therefore, it didn't speculate that the three-eyed creature came from the Shangyang Cave.

Chen Xuan examined the three-eyed creature that was rapidly decaying into ashes. What kind of monster race was it? It actually had a third eye.

In a daze, he heard a shrill roar, like a vengeful ghost howling in pain, which sent chills down his spine.

This decaying creature, its clothes and flesh inside, was slowly withering and dying, soon turning into ashes.

“There’s no going back…” Its aged and pale face, filled with a look of astonishment, confusion and fear, slowly disappeared. It seemed that before it died, it tried to return to the place it came from through some special means, but it failed.

"What's wrong with him?" Chen Xuan asked, sensing that Little Black True Monarch had not attacked the man; he had acted on his own.

"Fearing that I would trace it back to its origin, it decisively destroyed itself," said True Monarch Xiao Hei.

"There are more and more strange and unusual people around," Chen Xuan sighed. Just a few days ago, he had encountered the remnants of the mountains and seas that came from outer space.

Xiao Hei said, "The rebellion against the Immortal Palace is imminent. Within the next year or two, someone will surely be the first to attain enlightenment and ascend to immortality."

It aspires to become an immortal, though that is very difficult.

Because the world is still unaware of who the Golden Elixir Immortal of the Immortal Palace above the Taiyin Path is. It has made many preparations for this, even going so far as to align itself with Chen Xuan of Xinzhai... although Xinzhai is no longer around.

"Master Xiao Hei, is there still hope for you?" Chen Xuan asked.

Xiao Hei thought for a moment and replied, "Even someone like the Old True Lord Tai Xuan could not successfully ascend to immortality, which shows how difficult the path to heaven is... There are heavens beyond heavens, and the foundation of the Immortal Palace is more powerful than imagined."

As the veil of mystery surrounding the Celestial Palace is gradually lifted, many people now have a deeper understanding of it.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan couldn't help but sigh, "Becoming an immortal is too difficult."

It's no wonder that True Monarch Xiaohei had such feelings. Even Zhang Daoyin, the True Monarch Taixuan who once dominated the Southern Region for six thousand years, was neither human nor ghost.

After all, even a chosen one as powerful as Hei Bai had to lie low in the shadows for nearly a thousand years before emerging into the world and faintly reaching the pinnacle of the mortal realm. But Tai Xuan Zhenjun didn't need to do that; he was just a newly ascended Zhenjun, yet he was already an unparalleled powerhouse who dominated the entire Southern Region.

Sword Fairy Su Fuyao regarded the previous immortal being of Yunmeng Prefecture, Tai Xuan Zhenjun, as the source of her confidence.

"I have to leave immediately. If I stay out of sight for too long, many True Lords will come looking for me." Soon, True Lord Xiao Hei left, saying one last thing: "If you have time, please help me find Little Cat."

He appeared briefly, but disappeared again in the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, and went into seclusion once more.

"Hmm..." Chen Xuan nodded. In fact, he had many questions he wanted to ask Little Black True Monarch, but the other party was in a hurry, so he had no choice but to give up.

The other party did not discuss the matter of Xinzhai with him. It was clear that Xiaohei Zhenjun's attitude towards Chen Xuan remained unchanged, but indeed, there were some dangerous and important matters concerning the attainment of immortality that did not need to be interfered with by him any longer.

Not long after, Chen Xuan once again immersed himself in solitary cultivation. First, he set rules for the Extreme Dao Petty Man, and then he began the Cauldron Chapter of the Extreme Dao True Scripture.

About half a month passed in the blink of an eye. He used the enlightenment light of the Migu Tree to successfully learn the Cauldron Chapter of the "Ultimate Dao True Scripture". He then used the spirit essence of the fighting demons he obtained at the Mountain and Sea Banquet to cultivate the Daoist Canon Little Man into a thousand-foot Cauldron Giant.

Because it was his first time encountering the Doubu True Scripture, it took him a lot of time... If it were any other Shan Hai True Scripture that had achieved mastery of the Eight Qi, he could draw inferences from similar cases and, with his rich experience, could basically master it to the Cauldron level in one or two days.

"Still no movement. Could it be that those people from the two realms have disappeared forever?" Chen Xuan finished his cultivation, walked out of the giant mirage and wandered around to relax his tense mind.

By this time, he discovered that the treasure-hunting spirits had changed many of their faces, and there were now more spirits lingering in the vicinity than when he first arrived.

Clearly, as news of the disappearance of a large number of chosen ones and immortal gods spread, more people were drawn to the area. However, after investigating the situation, everyone found that there was nothing they could do but wait in vain.

"I've reached another bottleneck." The nine energies within Chen Xuan's body circulated continuously, reaching a state of balance.

However, Rong Doubu's "The Ultimate Scripture" still left him feeling quite confused.

Although thanks to the Jade Paper of Creation, he gained many insights into the origin of the Great Dao in the cultivation of the Dou Department, and vaguely developed some unique ideas, his understanding of other immortal paths was not so profound.

"Will Shangyang Cave help me?" Chen Xuan wondered if using the Qingnang Technique to find the other side of Shangyang Cave would be easier than waiting here. After all, he had the Mountain Demon Goddess's hairpin and token, as well as the old tortoise's severed hand.

The relics of Shangyang are not only found in Daze.

……

At this moment, on a land shrouded in mist, there were many teams of all kinds of races, including the Kunpeng demon with black wings and the mermaid Yu Shidao with fine fish scales around his eyes. They were being driven towards a large mountain.

Two beautiful women, deliberately making themselves look dirty and disheveled, were now cautiously following a group composed entirely of humans, their eyes darting around furtively.

A person holding a black kitten.

A golden-haired monkey is being led by a rope.

Clearly, these two people, who looked extremely disheveled, were the two realm lords and the Six Desires Heaven. For some unknown reason, they had somehow come together.

"The situation is bad. They were all captured. There are those with destiny, immortal seeds, and even those who have reached the ultimate realm..." Ahead, Xiao Hou, dressed in black robes, lowered the brim of his hat and walked towards the two women after inquiring about the news.

Upon hearing this, Hua Liuli and Yan Yushu looked up and saw countless pairs of dazzling golden eyes staring intently at their group from the thick, lingering mist around them.

That's a seed of immortality...

Countless celestial beings, with golden eyes tinged with wisps of black energy, appeared and disappeared in the mist, exuding terror and a powerful sense of oppression that made even the divine travelers feel suffocated.

They were like a vast army of cultivators, driving the vanished cultivators forward.

In the mountains ahead, an ancient cave can be vaguely seen, but it can only be viewed from afar and cannot be approached, as if it has been so since time immemorial.

Shangyang!

Hua Liuli recognized the ancient characters above the cave, thus understanding what the cave they had seen in the misty swamp was.

……

"What? Someone dares to come and disturb my cultivation?" Chen Xuan pondered deeply in the swamp, but the tranquility was broken once again.

Hundreds of miles away, a large black ship sailed into the area shrouded in his spiritual light in the swamp. Undoubtedly, the other party had invaded Chen Xuan's safe distance, which was a provocation.

Chen Xuan strongly suspected that the large black ship was provoking them, because the waves it created as it moved forward brought up many strange things.

In the vast swamp, the sharp, childlike laughter rang out, and countless babies with delicate skin crawled among the waves.

Among the infants, many heads were swept out by the swamp, bloody, disheveled, and with ferocious faces, all staring at Chen Xuan's location with a sinister smile.

A black ship carried forward by evil images such as babies and heads? This scene looks eerie and sends chills down your spine.

"A Plague Cultivator? Trying to scare me?" Chen Xuan felt a chill run down his spine.

As True Lord Xiao Hei said, there are many strange things deep in the Yunmeng Great Swamp, many of which are incomprehensible.

"Could it be that Hua Hua and the others were captured by this ship?" Chen Xuan suspected that this black ship was the mastermind behind it all. It appeared out of nowhere, with a ferocious appearance, and it didn't look like a good guy at all.

"I sense... an ancient and familiar aura." The fragment of Gu Yao suddenly transmitted its voice, as if it had noticed something was wrong.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuan was immediately startled. The fragment of Gu Yao felt familiar and took the initiative to appear, which was very rare. The last time this happened was when he met the Empress Nian... The treasure of Yunmeng Great Swamp has attracted an ancient being of this level today?
He stared intently at the black ship, a sense of unease creeping into his heart, for it was clear that the ship was heading towards him.

"Huh? This area is where he cultivates. Is he going to board the ship too?" On the black ship, a withered and emaciated ape poked out its fangs and looked at Chen Xuan with a puzzled expression.

"What a small world! Why are you hiding like this?" On the other side, a tall, thin figure with three eyes also noticed Chen Xuan's presence.

In an instant, the three-eyed deity's horizontal pupil between its brows shone brightly, and a divine light pierced through the pervasive Yin Qi, aiming to directly gaze upon Chen Xuan's true face.

(End of this chapter)