This humble Taoist priest, Qianhe, begins his quest for immortality by slaying demons and monsters.

The ancient Nanzhao Kingdom.

Zhong Bai could not possibly know about Tianning Shangren's spying, but he still had some vague guesses. After all, Maoshan couldn't possibly not know that he had left, and his own identity was now so special.

Of course, Zhong Bai also believed that even the hidden immortal patriarchs of Maoshan in this world would never be able to see his demon-slaying panel.

You should know that even the Ten Kings of Hell, the Wheel King, of the Underworld, like the Fourth Ancestor, did not discover it, let alone these scattered immortal ancestors of this world.

At this moment, Zhong Bai was very calm.

Beads of sweat dripped slowly from his forehead, gradually soaking his Taoist robe. Even so, Zhong Bai remained completely calm. Streams of spiritual energy from heaven and earth surged toward his body like an ocean, and Zhong Bai accepted them all without hesitation.

With the acceleration of the exorcism point, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was being refined at an extraordinary speed. Pure true essence surged into the nascent soul, and Zhong Bai's aura began to rise little by little until Zhong Bai suddenly opened his eyes!

Two beams of divine light emanated from his eyes, and Zhong Bai's aura had now stabilized at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.

"With my current strength, I could even fight a demon emperor at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, but that azure dragon would probably be a bit more difficult..."

Zhong Bai estimated his own strength. Of course, this was not the final result. After reaping so many demon-slaying points, Zhong Bai had only used 10 million, leaving 150 million. If he put all of them into the Shangqing Dragon Elephant Technique, he would most likely be able to break through to the fifth level and have a physical body comparable to the Nascent Soul realm. With such a powerful physical body, what would happen if he faced a Nascent Soul Demon Emperor?
Taking a deep breath, Zhong Bai continued to sit cross-legged. After exhaling a breath of stale air, his gaze became profound.

"Keep cheating!"

Muttering to himself, Zhong Bai then took out a small jade bottle from his bosom. Although it was just an inconspicuous jade bottle, the essence blood of a demon saint at the Nascent Soul stage contained inside was definitely enough for Zhong Bai to break through to the fifth level!

"Let's start with 3000 million to test the waters!"

Zhong Bai's idea was quite good, and he quickly calmed down.

[Consuming 3000 million Demon Extermination Points to exchange for 3 days of cultivation time for the Shangqing Dragon Elephant Technique]

In an instant, Zhong Bai's body became fiery hot, his blood-red body appearing in the void like a great sun descending. It was dusk, and the blood-red light illuminated an area of ​​ten miles. This was due to the fluctuation of his blood and qi. As the bones within Zhong Bai's body resonated, drops of demon saint's essence blood began to flow into his body. During the process of being refined, his power increased.

He was already just one step away from the fifth level of the Shangqing Dragon Elephant Technique, but now, with the acceleration of the Demon Extermination Points, that tiny distance is being rapidly bridging.

With a deafening roar, Zhong Bai's power reached its peak. The fifth level of the Shangqing Dragon Elephant Technique possessed the power of 1 dragons. Just as Zhong Bai completely crossed this barrier, the blood and qi within his body could no longer be controlled and surged out uncontrollably. The area within a radius of ten miles was shrouded in blood-red mist. Even though the scorching blood and qi did not ignite the Samadhi True Fire, all the flowers, plants, and trees within the range of the blood-red mist began to carbonize.

The moment Zhong Bai stood up, his internal organs, bones, and meridians trembled—it was a qualitative change!
"With just 3000 million demon-slaying points, I was able to cross the barrier of the fifth level. I must say, the demon beast essence blood given by Venerable Tianning is truly terrifying!"

Zhong Bai knew very well that while accelerating his demon-slaying points was good, the purity of the demon beast's blood essence was equally crucial.

Having broken through to the fifth level of the Upper Clarity Dragon Elephant Technique, Zhong Bai's aura became unfathomable, resembling a coiled dragon, and the strength of his internal energy was unbelievable.

......................................................

Just as Zhong Bai stood up, he heard a roar break through the clouds in the void. A huge head emerged from the clouds, its lantern-like eyes bloodshot and filled with murderous intent.

So that's where you were hiding...

Without the protection of the Moon Worship Cult Leader, I, the Emperor, will take your life!

Zhong Bai was somewhat surprised that the Demon Emperor of the Ancient Dian Water Palace had finally found him.

Fortunately, they found me when I was breaking through to the fifth level of the Shangqing Dragon Elephant Technique, not during my breakthrough...

Maoshan.

Master Tianning rolled his eyes as he looked at Zhong Bai's somewhat relieved expression in the illusory world.

"That Zhong Bai kid is really something..."

This dragon was trapped by the old Taoist for over ten days, waiting for you to break through. If it weren't for the old Taoist's methods, it would have arrived on the very day you broke through...

"Very well, let's see what Zhong Bai's methods are. There aren't many people who cultivate the Shangqing Dragon Elephant Technique."

Zhong Bai looked at the Azure Dragon Demon Emperor in front of him, and a hint of solemnity appeared in his eyes as he looked up.

It's fine to boast, but when it comes to actually facing such an existence, Zhong Bai still needs to be careful.

"I have only killed some small fry and crab generals. Is it too much for you to pursue me so relentlessly? Or do you think I am truly at your mercy?"

Zhong Bai now had confidence and was full of energy, while the Azure Dragon Demon Emperor no longer showed the same disdain as when he first met Zhong Bai.

The sheer volume of blood and energy emanating from Zhong Bai was enough to startle even the Azure Dragon Demon Emperor.

Such a huge change in just over ten days would surprise anyone.

"Humph!

You stinking Taoist priest, you killed my Water Palace demon and you still dare to say that I, the Emperor, have gone too far?
Don't think you can stop me just because you have boundless energy! Die!

In an instant, the Azure Dragon Demon Emperor's hundreds-of-foot-tall body leaped down from the void, heading straight for Zhong Bai as he spat out a mouthful of icy cold air!
Seeing this, Zhong Bai did not choose to confront him head-on. Instead, he stepped on the spirit sword and shot backward. The Azure Dragon Demon Emperor crashed into the mountain peak with a loud bang, shattering the entire peak instantly. Then, it continued to come towards Zhong Bai. Seeing this, Zhong Bai used a stream of extremely pure blood energy to transform into Samadhi True Fire and strike the demon emperor's face directly.

Ice and fire are colliding...

After reaching the Nascent Soul stage, Zhong Bai's Samadhi True Fire was definitely no weaker than the divine power of an ordinary Nascent Soul demon emperor, a fact that the Azure Dragon demon emperor quickly realized.

At the same time, Zhong Bai knew that his advantage was his physical body.

After a burst of Samadhi Fire, he stopped in mid-air, took a deep breath, and began to silently recite the incantation.

"Follow the laws of heaven and earth, emerge!"

After silently reciting the incantation, Zhong Bai unleashed the true terrifying killing move of the Shangqing Dragon Elephant Technique for the first time, the Dharma Heaven and Earth Divine Power after reaching the fifth level!
In an instant, Zhong Bai's body began to swell, rapidly growing from one or two meters to a thousand meters, until it reached a Dharma form three thousand meters tall, at which point the growth stopped.

The moment the thousand-foot-tall Dharma Form appeared, even a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator like the Azure Dragon Demon Emperor had to become serious.

"Damn it, he can even have such supernatural powers..."

However, being a demon emperor who had cultivated for thousands of years, he could not be frightened by a mere Dharma Transformation. His body suddenly rushed towards Zhong Bai, and in an instant, Zhong Bai's huge palm fell directly down, boom!

A terrifying shockwave spread outwards, but the Azure Dragon Demon Emperor's body was blocked by Zhong Bai and even sent flying tens of thousands of meters away.

Having retreated 10,000 meters, the Azure Dragon Demon Emperor had regained some of his senses, and the killing intent in his eyes gradually became hidden.

He knew that he would have no chance to kill Zhong Bai in this state.

"Hmph! I don't believe you can maintain such a divine power for long!" The Azure Dragon Demon Emperor was very clever. It was true that he couldn't do anything to Zhong Bai when he was using the Heaven and Earth Divine Power, but such a divine power was definitely extremely taxing. Even the Azure Dragon Demon Emperor himself had never had the chance to use it. How could Zhong Bai, a junior at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage with a physical body comparable to the early stage of the Divine Transformation stage, withstand it for too long?

When Zhong Bai saw that the Azure Dragon Demon Emperor was no longer going to confront him head-on, he understood what the other party was thinking. He was just waiting for Zhong Bai to be unable to withstand the consumption of his Dharma Form.

"I couldn't have killed you anyway, you're really cunning, but I have plenty of demon-slaying points to supply you!"

Zhong Bai took a deep breath. He estimated that his current true essence and physical strength were only enough to use the Heaven and Earth Manifestation Technique for one hour. However, if he forced himself to use the Demon Extermination Points, he could easily do it for ten days or so. But the Demon Extermination Points were hard to come by, and Zhong Bai did not want to waste them on this.

Just as Zhong Bai was struggling with this decision...

In the void, a sword light flashed by, and in an instant, thousands of sword energies flew across. The Azure Dragon Demon Emperor, who was originally waiting for Zhong Bai to run out of strength, suddenly had his pupils dilate and his expression became frightened.

"The leader of the Shu Mountain Sect!"

No sooner had he uttered those words than the Sword Saint appeared before him. In an instant, the Azure Dragon Demon Emperor let out a scream and flew tens of thousands of meters away, covered in blood.

Without the slightest pause or hesitation, the Azure Dragon Demon Emperor instantly transformed into a streak of azure light and vanished from the spot, fleeing into the distance.

When Zhong Bai saw that the Sword Saint, the head of the Shu Mountain sect, had actually come to him, he frowned and stopped using the Heavenly Manifestation Divine Power. In any case, his divine power was not very useful in front of this person.

The Sword Saint did not choose to chase after the Azure Dragon Demon Emperor, but instead looked at Zhong Bai with a complicated expression.

"If I hadn't come, were you planning to die at the hands of this dragon...?"

The Sword Saint was quite straightforward, while Zhong Bai shook his head and said, "Sword Saint, you flatter me. I naturally have a way to deal with this. However, the arrival of the Sword Saint has saved me a lot of trouble. Thank you!"

Zhong Bai clasped his hands in thanks, while the Sword Saint remained motionless, his gaze still fixed on Zhong Bai with a complex expression.

"How is Ling'er doing?"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Bai instantly realized that it was no wonder the Sword Saint had appeared; it was all because of Zhao Ling'er.

Looking at the head of the Shu Mountain sect in front of him, who was actually his father-in-law, Zhong Bai had a strange feeling. The pressure wasn't fear, but rather a feeling that made it difficult to speak.

"Um... Ling'er is doing very well. She has a group of fellow disciples in Maoshan taking care of her. Perhaps in a few more months, Ling'er will be able to give birth to her child."

Upon hearing this, the Sword Saint's lips twitched noticeably, and his gaze toward Zhong Bai shifted from initial complexity to barely concealed rage.

"So, Ling'er is about to give birth and you're not by her side, but instead you've come to the Nanzhao Kingdom?"

Faced with the Sword Saint's question again, Zhong Bai could only smile faintly.

"Zhong Bai doesn't want to see my child with Ling'er need to inherit Nuwa's bloodline before they can cultivate. The patriarchs of Maoshan are confident that they can solve the drawbacks of Nuwa's bloodline, provided that they can find the Water Spirit Pearl. I heard that the Water Spirit Pearl is in the ancient kingdom of Nanzhao, so Zhong Bai came to try his luck."

"I wish to give the Water Spirit Orb to my daughter, whom I have never met."

Upon hearing Zhong Bai's words, the Sword Saint's expression changed instantly, and his body even began to tremble. There were some things that only he himself knew.

This problem also troubled him.

"Do you mean what you said?"

"What Sect Leader Tianning said goes!"

Taking a deep breath, the Sword Saint turned around and said, "I will keep an eye on the Water Spirit Orb for you. Remember, the Nanzhao Kingdom is not as simple as you think, and you can't just run rampant. There are people behind you waiting for your safe return. Be careful."

Furthermore, that dragon has been severely injured by me and will not have the opportunity to cause you trouble for the next three to five years.

After saying this, the Sword Saint transformed into a stream of light and disappeared into the void. Zhong Bai couldn't help but chuckle when he saw this.

"She has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. She clearly cares about Ling'er, but she's still acting all coy..."

Zhong Bai shook his head. In any case, the arrival of the Sword Saint meant that he didn't need to consume Demon Extermination Points to maintain the Heaven and Earth Transformation Divine Power, nor did he need to invite all the elders and patriarchs of Maoshan. It was a small but significant help to him.

After taking out the Thunder Spirit Pearl from his body, Zhong Bai began to sense it with his divine sense.

"Alas, there is no trace of the Water Spirit Pearl within a radius of three hundred miles. The road ahead is long and arduous, and finding the Water Spirit Pearl will not be easy."

Zhong Bai quickly began to ponder.

He couldn't remember the plot of the Legend of Sword and Fairy anymore, and didn't know who had the Water Spirit Orb. Besides, after Zhao Ling'er was taken away by him, everything was no longer in the original plot, so finding the Water Spirit Orb was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

"Keep searching!"

After encouraging himself, Zhong Bai also flew away on his sword.

Maoshan.

Master Tianning naturally took in all the scenes; he had not anticipated the arrival of the Sword Saint.

However, when he thought of Zhao Ling'er, Master Tianning suddenly felt that it made perfect sense.

"The Path of Ruthlessness, the Path of Ruthlessness... The head of the Shu Mountain Sect has truly gone down the wrong path. Who in the world can truly be the Supreme Ruthless?"

Perhaps once you understand this, you'll have a chance to step into the realm of the primordial spirit.

Shaking his head, Master Tianning stopped watching Zhong Bai's condition and got up to leave Yuanfu Wanning Palace.

Shushan.

Since returning a few months ago, the Drunken Sword Immortal has been drunk every day. The scene of seeing Zhao Ling'er appears in his mind all the time. The son of an old friend has the same appearance as the old friend. The pain that could only be numbed by strong liquor once swallowed up the Drunken Sword Immortal like a flood that has broken its dam.

"Qing'er, oh Qing'er, you were so foolish to choose Senior Brother back then, hehe..."

"If you had followed me, Ling'er wouldn't be in this predicament, and you wouldn't have had to risk your life to seal the water demon beast."

Just as he swayed to his feet, Li Xiaoyao slowly walked towards the Sword Immortal, carrying his long sword.

"master!
The sect leader, Senior Uncle, just sent a message, telling us Shushan disciples to keep an eye on the Water Spirit Orb.

"Master, what is the Water Spirit Orb? Isn't our sect leader already at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage? Why would he care about this?"

(End of this chapter)