Chapter 470: The Cultivation of Heaven and Mortal, Nine Fishes Chase and Flee

He brought it upon himself—what's it to me?

Yet his inner justifications had no effect whatsoever.

Gradually, the signs of his cultivation draining grew stronger, and Xu Xing could no longer afford to neglect it.

He could only summon a projection to rush to the location of Mu Yong's Heavenly Spirit Legacy Seed.

Damn it!

Who the hell is your disciple?!

The projection flashed like a streak of light, vanishing instantly amid the ethereal clouds formed by spiritual energy.

The other Reversal Void cultivators were mostly focused on Lin Changsheng and Wu Zhongfeng, and since Xu Xing's own cultivation was higher than theirs, no one noticed his actions.

He, a Reversal Void cultivator, Second Founder of the Heavenly Spirit Sect, had sunk to the level of a babysitter.

Damn that old devil Xu Qi!

Yet though Xu Xing cursed inwardly, his outward demeanor remained calm and composed, showing not the slightest anomaly.

True enough, he had told no one about this matter so far.

After all, he didn't know whether Mu Yong's peculiar trait affected only him—or also other Reversal Void cultivators.

What if it only worked on him? Wouldn't that be handing his enemies a perfect weapon?

Look at how calmly they sit together now, discussing the Outer Heaven Reversal Void matters—but the moment they get a chance to "devour" him, these Reversal Void cultivators will strike without hesitation!

It's all that damn Xu Qi's fault!

He cursed again in his heart.

Then he calmly regarded the Reversal Void cultivators before him: "My fellow cultivators, I have a suggestion."

His voice carried evenly, and as he slightly raised his sleeve, he concealed all traces without a word.

Hearing Xu Xing's words, several Reversal Void cultivators paused, withdrawing their gazes from Lin Changsheng and Wu Zhongfeng to turn toward him.

The Reversal Void cultivator from the Heavenly Mechanism Palace, clad in moon-white ritual robes and previously saved by Xu Xing, spoke respectfully:

"What is your esteemed opinion, Elder Brother?"

Had it not been for Elder Brother Xu Xing's intervention, he would have been turned into a Second Primordial Spirit by his own senior brother.

His posture now was naturally extremely humble.

"No lofty opinion," Xu Xing said calmly. "I merely thought of a method that might grant us some self-preservation in the coming upheaval."

"At the very least, it could give us more weight when the Outer Heaven Soul Transformation beings' masters descend."

"With this as leverage, perhaps we won't have to 'be dogs' anymore."

Hm?

Hearing this, the others stirred slightly in thought.

After all, serving Soul Transformation cultivators as dogs was already the last resort of desperation.

If there was another way, that would be best!

"Please, Elder Brother, enlighten us," they said in unison.

Seeing all eyes on him, Xu Xing nodded slightly: "You all should know that the 'Heavenly Track Absorption System' was established solely because my master transformed himself into the Heavenly Track, overseeing all directions."

At these words, some showed surprise, while others nodded in agreement.

But none spoke—they waited for him to continue.

"Defining spiritual energy flows, regulating cultivation—that is the act of Creation, benefiting all living beings…"

The others: …

You can fool your disciples with this nonsense—why drag it out now?

Can't you just get to the point?

Though they were all speechless, they still listened patiently to the end.

"My master's transformed Heavenly Track can bless all beings, its applications boundless…" Xu Xing finally reached the point. "Why not attempt to break and master it, to better face the coming times?"

After saying that, he swept a glance over the crowd.

What do you all think?

What do you think?

The others were still formulating their thoughts when Xu Xing spoke again.

"To be honest, after being stuck at the peak of Reversal Void for so long, I've been thinking that breaking the Heavenly Track might let me glimpse a path to further advancement, using what my master left behind."

He spoke with utter sincerity, as if it were truly his heart's words.

But in truth, this proposal owed its origin to Mu Yong's memories…

Seven hundred years later.

The number of Reversal Void cultivators reached saturation; no new Reversal Void could be born, and even existing ones struggled to advance further.

The Reversal Void cultivators of the Heavenly Mechanism Palace and the Canglan Jiangong had been stuck at the Reversal Void peak for centuries, unable to suppress their desire to advance further.

Only then did the Reversal Void cultivators decide to break through the Xuanxiang Heavenly Track.

The result?

They were instead absorbed and consumed by the Heavenly Track—in a single night, all Reversal Void cultivators perished.

"This… might be too disrespectful to Ancestor Xu Qi," hesitated the Reversal Void cultivator from the Flame Hell Mo Sect.

"No harm," Xu Xing's tone grew reflective. "If my master willingly transformed into the Heavenly Track to benefit all beings back then, surely he wouldn't mind our slight transgression. If he knew, he might even support us."

"…Alright," they exchanged glances, then nodded in agreement. "Then let's follow Elder Brother's suggestion."

To be honest, as Reversal Void cultivators, they were revered and worshipped by mortals.

And they weren't even at the Reversal Void peak yet—they still had room to advance—so they'd never once entertained such thoughts.

Who would have thought that Xu Xing, the eldest disciple of the old devil Xu Qi, would propose it himself!

Then naturally they had no reason to object.

emm……

Say what you will, it really is a case of like master, like disciple.

One dissolved himself into the Heavenly Track to harvest heaven and earth, fleecing all creation, treating all living beings as cattle and sheep.

The other crushed bones and sucked out the marrow, not even sparing his own master's remains (the Mysterious Phase Heavenly Track).

Xuan Xing then continued: "But Master's cultivation shook heaven and earth, and now he has no spiritual intelligence. He may very well harm us, so we must bring along a few Soul Transformation disciples to scout the way for us."

A Return-to-Void cultivator of the Blazing Prison Mo Sect immediately added:

"Soul Transformation alone may not be reliable enough. Since this involves the Heavenly Track, naturally we should bring some from every realm, and even mortals."

They were Return-to-Void cultivators—bodies more precious than ten thousand gold—and naturally the more cautious the better.

"How about this: my Blazing Prison Mo Sect, having suffered heavy losses from the extraterrestrial Soul Transformation, can still scrape together one hundred thousand mortals of excellent aptitude, five thousand Qi Refining consumables, one thousand Jin Dan consumables, fifty Nascent Soul consumables, and four Soul Transformation cultivators…"

"My Celestial Mechanism Palace can provide one hundred fifty thousand mortals, Qi Refining consumables…"

"My Canglan Jiangong…"

Having reached a unanimous decision, the several Return-to-Void cultivators began discussing openly, and in just a few words decided the fate of a million people.

Moreover, this was only the initial investment.

Xuan Xing watched calmly.

In his heart, however, he was thinking about Mu Yong.

Since he was affected by the Heavenly Track, bringing him to the side of the Heavenly Track shouldn't count as harming him, right…?

Sure enough, things went exactly as he had thought.

Even as he thought this, no signs of cultivation loss appeared within his body.

…………

The border between the Tianling Sect and the Canglan Jiangong.

The battle between Lin Changsheng and Yue Wu Zhongfeng had already reached a complete white-hot stage.

Terrifying sword intent filled the nine heavens, with slender red threads weaving through it, and golden needles several inches long crisscrossing. Every time they collided with the sword qi, a blinding light burst forth like a great sun falling.

The overwhelmingly powerful qi, compressed to the extreme, yet covered several li of land, forming a unique 'domain,' dyeing even the void a shade of grey-white.

The bone-chilling, soul-freezing killing intent caused all living beings to instinctively give it a wide berth.

Even the surrounding contestants did not dare approach.

After all, once one entered the 'domain' formed by the clashing qi, through sympathetic resonance one would inevitably receive the full-force strike of both of them.

Among the contestants of this Bencixian Sect Grand Competition, name one who could withstand the full-force strike of these two?

Better to sit on the wall and watch, reaping the benefits of the fisherman's fight.

That was what the contestants who remained in place were thinking.

But then, within the 'domain' formed by the clashing qi—

A figure tread the heavens, skin crystalline as if transparent, complexion fairer than snow, neck long and slender, eyes bearing strange phenomena.

The left eye was crimson-gold, bearing the Yang Flame Golden Pupil.

The right eye was ice-blue, containing the Yin Dark Silver Pupil.

At various points on the collar were tears as if cut by a sharp blade. Through them, beneath that nearly transparent skin, a nebula vortex could be seen slowly turning.

Tiptoeing lightly on the red threads, light as a feather.

"Take this fist!"

The Supreme Yang True Flame ignited in the pale palm; as the five fingers closed together it resembled the flowing radiance of a solar corona, blazing and resplendent.

With merely a preparatory stance, rolling waves of flame surged outward in all directions, rushing forth like a tsunami.

Boom—!

A single punch struck out as if the heavens were pressing down; the all-encompassing waves of flame gathered and vanished, leaving only a golden fist imprint crashing down.

Amid the heat waves, Lin Changsheng seemed like an ant, utterly insignificant.

But his figure remained upright; he neither dodged nor evaded, holding his sword horizontally before him, his eyes fixed straight on the brilliant fist imprint crashing toward him!

……

……

"They're really going at it…"

Outside the domain, on a cliff.

A man in a grey Daoist robe had yin-yang fish patterns slowly rotating in his eyes as he watched the terrifying sword light that surged up and violently sliced the fist imprint clean in two.

It was Chang Xiao!

"This decision was indeed the right one…"

Watching the two inside the domain completely lose themselves in the fight, Chang Xiao was very satisfied.

Just as Old Lin said, Old Yue was an extremist who would not stop until he achieved his goal.

And as for Old Lin…

Although it couldn't be seen normally, he was actually stubborn-tempered too.

When these two collided, it would be strange if they didn't fight!

A very simple stratagem, but extremely effective.

"Fight on; once you've worn each other down enough, I'll make my move."

Once these two fellows were both badly wounded, he would step in and eliminate them. Among those remaining, who could possibly be his opponent?

Chang Xiao's goal had always been very clear.

He had come this time to claim the championship!

As for the process……

Since the rules didn't say this wasn't allowed.

That means the Ancestors and Sect Lords of this Grand Competition all encouraged them to use tactics reasonably.

"But Old Yue's progress is truly immense…" Chang Xiao commented.

Yet now, within the battlefield, their figures flickered frequently across the sky.

Their power was weaker than before, but now their strength was condensed to the extreme, and the danger within far surpassed the brilliant fist imprints and soaring sword light just moments ago.

Gradually, Yue Zhongfeng's hair turned silver-white.

His already terrifying aura rose another level!

With nothing but needle and thread, he briefly held his own against Lin Changsheng, a master of close-quarters combat.

Clearly, he had endured great hardship.

"Yin-Yang Transformation Method…"

It looked like Old Yue would soon move to the next stage.

Thinking of this, relevant details surfaced in his mind.

The Yin-Yang Transformation Method is a standout branch of the Hehuan Sect's Celestial inheritance, the Grand Primordial Dao.

In its early stages, one must either "excise the yang root" or "sew shut the xuanpi"—extremely perverse.

But Celestial cultivators all follow the principle: "Sever the red dragon, subdue the white tiger, transform Kan and Li into chaos, use the physical form as a raft, and finally see one's true face"—so the cultivation process is immensely perilous.

According to him, Celestials like Old Yue who pursue the "extreme" path have five stages—

Kan-Li Harmonization Realm.

Qi Transformation Stage.

Xuanpi Rebirth Gate.

All Phenomena Return to Void Period.

Grand Primordial Dao Embryo Body.

Each stage requires extreme caution; a single misstep could cause cognitive distortion, requiring a huge sum of Spirit Coins to cure.

But Old Yue need not worry—he is the most outstanding Celestial cultivator of this generation, constantly watched over by the Hehuan Sect's Dongzhen Celestial elder.

It is said that once Old Yue completes the Dao union and achieves the Grand Primordial Dao Embryo Body, the Dongzhen Celestial elder will enter seclusion.

As Chang Xiao thought, he continued observing their battle, constantly making evaluations.

Occasionally, he even complained.

Old Lin is so disgusting—still the same old tricks.

Lin Changsheng, of course, is a pure sword cultivator, following the path of "One Sword Breaks All Methods."

He's the type you know exactly what he'll do—but have no way to stop him.

Extremely disgusting!

……

……

On the other side.

Just before the real-time map's precise coordinates faded, Chi Jiuyu finally left a sword intention mark on the attacker.

Although she was not primarily a sword cultivator specializing in "Sword Intention Locks Soul, Slays Enemy a Thousand Li Away."

But because she thought the method looked cool, she had dabbled a little.

Of course, she couldn't possibly match a specialist in this art—but tracking via sword intention marks was still feasible.

Thus, after a period of pursuit, Chi Jiuyu finally caught up with the Tai Shang Dao Sect contestant who had attacked her.

More accurately, the Tai Shang Dao Sect contestant no longer wished to flee.

After all, with the sword intention mark on him, Chi Jiuyu could sense his location at any moment, and erasing it would take considerable time…

"Come on, we're in the final round—why are you still chasing me?" he said helplessly. "I did try to ambush you, but I failed, didn't I?"

Chi Jiuyu ignored him, raising her sword to point at him: "Cowering in shadows—have the guts to show your true face!"

"No guts."

He had specifically concealed his face and masked his aura.

He wouldn't remove them just because Chi Jiuyu taunted him.

"Honestly, I still have seven hidden tricks—you can't trap me. Why not we make peace, or fight in the final round instead?"

In truth, he had fifteen hidden tricks.

With Chi Jiuyu's current ability, it was genuinely hard to hold him.

But the problem was—he couldn't waste all these tricks on Chi Jiuyu alone!

"You're dreaming!"

Zhum~!

Suddenly, several pure white sword lights flashed from the void, crossing to slash at the central figure.

"Sigh~"

But the man merely sighed.

A wisp of green smoke rose; ripples spread through the void, and a golden-patterned pearl, cut into pieces, fell to the ground.

As for the man himself—his figure had long vanished.

"Damn!"

Damn it, he ran again!

Can't this guy just fight me properly for once?!

After sensing the direction with focus, Chi Jiuyu was about to follow when a voice came from behind.

"Chi Jiuyu!"

A strand of dark light circled toward them.

It was Zhao Ruoming! (End of Chapter)