Chapter 1316: The Most Orthodox Method of Sacrificially Refining a Flying Sword

The outside world had only been a few months.

Yet within the Six Paths of Reincarnation, those two Void Refinement-grade divine souls had already undergone billions of cycles of reincarnation, countless times reborn as cattle, sheep, horses, pigs, dogs, and mortals, becoming emperors, beggars, officials, merchants, bandits, experiencing all manner of lives, birth, aging, sickness, and death, their true selves on the verge of collapse, their defenses drastically reduced.

Now, within the Six Paths of Reincarnation, Jiang Ding could already see some of Mud Swamp True Venerable's memories and could directly perform a soul search on him.

However, this kind of soul search was extremely crude, very likely unable to obtain all the information, with many parts missing.

This was actually normal; soul searches between those of the same realm were like this, and being able to have such an effect was already an extremely rare thing.

In fact, in the Cultivation World, soul searches between those of the same realm essentially did not exist.

If you couldn't beat someone of the same realm, they could still self-detonate without any problem, and cultivators usually wouldn't fall to such a state.

Jiang Ding took out two items.

"Quasi-seventh-grade Soul Search Talisman."

"And it's very expensive; even at the sect's cost price, it's the price of seven Void Refinement battle merits, and this is one I made myself… in the future, if it's not necessary, it's better not to do soul searches."

Jiang Ding muttered to himself, taking out two dark blue talismans and pressing them onto the foreheads of Mud Swamp True Venerable and the Emerald Toad.

Yes, this talisman was one he had made himself.

With the help of the Central Array Spirit Computer, and the seventh-grade optical talisman engraving machine the sect had refined several hundred years ago, with the help of this seventh-grade software operating system and the fully equipped hardware of this super-large immortal Dao industrial instrument, Jiang Ding had the ability to produce quasi-seventh-grade talismans and magic treasures.

If a large number of Void Refinement True Venerables and Soul Transformation cultivators were mobilized, along with tens of millions of cultivators upstream and downstream working together, the sect had the ability to produce Dao Merging-grade magic treasures.

The Dao Merging military formation could do more than just fight; production was also its strong suit.

In fact, production was the main function of the sect's Dao Merging military formation, using vast immortal Dao productive forces to change realm domains, reshape immortal Dao nature, becoming what it was in the citizens' hearts.

Of course, among these, the role of the Central Array Spirit Computer and many super-large immortal Dao industrial instruments was enormous.

The two quasi-seventh-grade dark blue talismans were applied, and Mud Swamp True Venerable struggled for a moment before going completely still.

"Mud Swamp Demon City… this is a decent platform."

Jiang Ding said lightly.

Yes, from now on, Mud Swamp Demon City would still exist, Mud Swamp True Venerable would still exist, everything would be as it was, and no changes would occur.

Therefore, Mud Swamp True Venerable's complete memories were so important, worth a quasi-seventh-grade talisman.

Several months later, Mud Swamp True Venerable's divine soul completely collapsed, turning into a ball of spiritual light, his divine soul destroyed, vanishing completely.

In place, only a ball of light covered in dark blue runes remained.

Jiang Ding's divine sense surged in.

Within, he rapidly read through the memories, sorting and processing all kinds of valuable information, especially the various events that had occurred in the last several thousand years.

"…Several secret vaults, with some heavenly materials and earthly treasures…"

"…The formations of Mud Swamp Demon City, the many subordinate divine soul restrictions… a merchant guild with a background in the Qi Sect, the Heavenly Craft Pavilion will appear in the Thunder Flame Domain once within a thousand years, together with the Qi Sect's tribute envoys, and one can order the heavenly materials and earthly treasures, pills, Gong Fa, etc. one needs from the Heavenly Craft Pavilion's steward…"

"Very expensive, several times the market price, this is a monopoly."

When Jiang Ding read to this point, he could feel the heartache in Mud Swamp True Venerable's heart.

This was clearly another systematic harvest of the various domains, obtaining many heavenly materials and earthly treasures while preventing the uncontrolled growth of cultivators' strength in the lower domains.

As for the tribute envoys, they were responsible for collecting taxes on behalf of the Qi Sect, directly representing the Qi Sect's authority.

Any force beneath any Xianzong in Fallen Immortal Realm, no matter how remote, no matter how carefree, had to pay taxes to the Xianzong, and heavy taxes of eighty percent or more!

This was the important reason why Mud Swamp True Venerable, an upper-realm Void Refinement cultivator, was so impoverished.

"The next tax collection year is one hundred and seven years from now, and Mud Swamp True Venerable has already prepared, so I don't need to worry about it…"

Jiang Ding's heart also began to ache.

This was already his money!

However, he could still control himself; wealth could not make him lose himself.

"This channel can be used; my sword-forging materials can be entirely pre-ordered from the Heavenly Craft Pavilion, mixed with many materials, so there's no fear of the purpose being discovered."

Jiang Ding made his decision.

His Natal Flying Sword was his foundation; the Natal Flying Sword had to be changed, using the brand-new "Solar Sword Sacrifice Method" to cause the Taiqing Flying Sword to undergo a qualitative transformation, possessing definite potential above Dao Merging.

For this, he was willing to take some risks.

To speak of it was also helpless; as his strength grew, he kept making compromises, no longer so foolproof, because the sect could no longer provide everything as a guarantee for him, and he had to start fighting.

At this moment, a piece of news that Mud Swamp True Venerable had valued greatly caught Jiang Ding's attention.

"Two hundred and nineteen years from now, the 'Blood Sword Trial Path' of Light Thunder Canghai Tianjun, the inheritance disciple of Thunder Yang Heavenly Sword Realm, will pass through the Thunder Flame Domain, and Light Thunder Canghai Tianjun will choose a Void Refinement cultivator for a life-and-death blood duel; that Void Refinement cultivator may not refuse…"

"One Void Refinement cultivator per domain, this is the inheritance disciple Blood Sword Trial Path of Thunder Yang Heavenly Sword Realm."

"Starting from the sect, they will undergo five thousand years of wandering, five thousand years of sword duels, passing through their own sect's territory, allied sects' territory, enemy sects' territory… finally returning to the sect, if they are still alive."

"Should this old man run away first?"

This was Mud Swamp True Venerable's thought at the time.

Theoretically speaking, when a sword cultivator of Thunder Yang Heavenly Sword Realm issued a life-and-death challenge to a Void Refinement cultivator, the Void Refinement cultivator could kill the Thunder Yang Heavenly Sword Realm sword cultivator and take everything except his Natal Flying Sword; this was a very substantial fortune, with enormous benefits for many Void Refinement cultivators.

Theoretically speaking, the Dao Protectors of Thunder Yang Heavenly Sword Realm would not retaliate, would not intervene.

However, Mud Swamp True Venerable was unwilling to believe it.

In his life, all disciples of great sects were sanctimonious, one set of words on their lips, another set in their hands, completely untrustworthy.

Even for a Xianzong like Thunder Yang Heavenly Sword Realm, he did not trust them.

Otherwise, Mud Swamp True Venerable would still be quite interested in hunting inheritance disciples of Xianzong who were a major realm below him in cultivation.

However, it was not so easy for Mud Swamp True Venerable to escape; a Void Refinement cultivator leaving the domain barrier would inevitably be severely injured, and for a rogue cultivator like him, severe injury meant danger to his life, so he was hesitating.

"Thunder Yang Heavenly Sword Realm sword cultivator, inheritance disciple, Light Thunder Canghai Tianjun…"

Jiang Ding's eyes lit up.

His heart stirred, his blood boiling.

Clang!

The Taiqing Flying Sword let out a pleasant, cheerful sword hum.

"How delicious…"

"Of course, I mean his flying sword…"

Jiang Ding could not help but let his imagination run wild.

The Taiqing Flying Sword's foundation had been elevated, and there was the orthodox method of cultivating the "Great Sun Sword Sacrifice Art."

There was also an even more orthodox method.

And that was—

To kill a sword cultivator in a sword duel, then use the Sword Sacrifice Art to smelt the fallen cultivator's life-bound flying sword and forcibly devour it.

To fight and slay all the way, smelting opponents' flying swords along the path, constantly tempering one's own sword intent and sword soul, embracing a hundred rivers into its sea, forging an supreme, razor-sharp immortal-path flying sword.

This was the most orthodox method of sword-forging.

Cultivating step by step — that was the heresy.

In this process of sword duels and slaughter, the stronger the opponent, the fierier the sword soul, the better the flying sword — and the better the victor's flying sword in the end.

A disciple of inheritance from the Thunder Yang Heaven Sword Realm, a near-immortal faction — second only to the sect's Sword Son among inheritance disciples — Chong Guang Lei Canghai Tianjun.

Just how fine would his flying sword be?