Chapter 725: The Holy Land's Hidden Foundation: Yin Gives Birth to Yang (Combined Chapter)

Amid the starry sky, long vines cradled a lotus, three ancient temples stood, and the Dao's essence curled around them.

Jiu Yunji's heart turned bitter.

Before entering the Sword Realm, he already knew he was no match for that Li Yuan, but seeing his Master suppress his own temperament, a breath of frustration lodged in his chest, and he swore to gather all three scrolls of the Tai Shan Xuan Sword Scripture for his Master.

Yet those two battles on the tenth floor nearly extinguished his ambition.

The Spirit-Splitting Pill was a rare pill of the Jiujiang Fa Jie; once consumed, it could elevate the Three Primordials in an extremely short time, thereby driving a dual metamorphosis of magic power and spellcraft.

But this pill was extremely damaging to the spirit; any cultivator could consume no more than three in a lifetime — any more, and the spirit would surely be destroyed.

"Only one scroll left…"

Jiu Yunji steadied himself.

The Dao Lord's edict had altered the Sword Realm's rules: the ninth floor granted the upper scroll, the tenth floor granted either the middle or lower scroll at random; now, he lacked only the lower scroll.

But before him stood three Dao Lords.

"Must I fight all three, or choose one?"

Jiu Yunji's thoughts churned; he had already swallowed his third Spirit-Splitting Pill, and even setting aside life and death, he had only enough strength left for one battle.

Jiu Yunji's heart wavered.

In that instant, the many Ren He San Jing cultivators watching through the projection could even sense his mood, and all fixed their attention on the battle.

"Choose that old Sword Lord!"

After a long while, Jiu Yunji made his decision in his heart, and looked toward the old Sword Lord:

"That one is the strongest!"

"Boom!"

The moment the thought arose in Jiu Yunji's heart, atop the sword lotus, the old Sword Lord rose to his full height.

Then, he pointed a single finger!

……

"Defeated!"

Within the Sword Realm, seeing Jiu Yunji choose the old Sword Lord, Master Master Fujiu already knew the outcome in his heart.

As a bearer of the Innate Sword Dao Sacred Body, he understood the old Sword Lord's strength better than anyone; limited to the Three Realms alone, even if he took the Spirit-Splitting Pill, he would have almost no chance of victory.

"Hiss!"

The sword-light annihilated the starry sky, and the light and shadow dispersed.

Just as Master Master Fujiu had foreseen, the old Sword Lord's single sword birthed and destroyed ten thousand laws, rolling like a flood, filling heaven and earth; had Jiu Yunji not retreated decisively, he would have been slain by the sword-light in an instant.

"The birth and destruction of ten thousand laws gathered within a single sword — this sword appears to be within the Three Realms, yet in truth no Ren He San Jing cultivator could deliver the same strike…"

"This lad has fully inherited Fellow Daoist Master Fujiu's teachings, and can be called a prodigy, but if he wishes to ascend to the twelfth floor of the Sword Realm, I'm afraid he has no chance at all."

"That Li Yuan of Mount Mount Dongxuan…"

Outside the Sword Realm, divine thoughts rose and fell in waves; many great cultivators were observing the battle.

Not a few among them had watched Jiu Yunji fight his way from the ninth floor up to the eleventh, and they quite admired his innate talent and attainments, privately conceding they might not have matched it in their own years.

Only this one floor stood between Jiu Yunji and the complete inheritance of the Tai Shan Xuan Dao Lord.

Yet none of the great cultivators felt the slightest regret, for upon seeing three Dao Lord manifestations appear on the Sword Realm's eleventh floor, they had already foreseen his defeat.

A moment later, Jiu Yunji tumbled out of the Sword Realm, his white robes stained with blood, his aura withered; even though he dodged with extreme speed, that sword had wounded his Ni Wan Shen Jing.

"This disciple has failed the trust Master placed in me…"

"You fought very well."

Master Master Fujiu pressed a finger to his brow, dispersing the sword-qi that lingered within him, and his stern expression softened:

"Two of the three scrolls obtained — that alone has spared your Master a thousand Qian Da Gong!"

"Master…"

"Sit down and meditate. Heal your wounds!"

Master Master Fujiu raised a hand to cut him off: "The Dao-Nurturing Grass can help you refine your Ni Wan Shen Jing; once your injuries are healed, you may refine a first-grade Longhu Longhu Dadan, and the Great Sword Scripture shall be passed on to you as well!"

"…Thank you, Master."

Jiu Yunji opened his mouth but said nothing, knowing this was his Master comforting him.

He calmed his emotions and sat down to meditate on the spot.

Master Master Fujiu stood with arms folded; the surrounding great cultivators had long since dispersed, but he paid it no heed, simply standing guard for his disciple.

After a long while, once his injuries had stabilized, he turned and walked toward Master Master Fufa's cave abode.

Preparing to transcribe the lower scroll of the Tai Shan Xuan Sword Scripture.

……

Within the same great dragon-ship, Lin Henglong extinguished the projection before him.

"The birth and destruction of ten thousand laws — the pinnacle of the Three Realms."

Lin Henglong sat by the window, gazing into the deep, dark Opening Gui Xu; faintly, he could make out the two intersecting Dao Lord sword-qi atop the Sword God Tomb.

"In the present age, within the Three Realms, almost no one can break through this sword."

The speaker was a middle-aged man in a purple robe, seated cross-legged, who had watched in full the entire process of Jiu Yunji fighting his way into the Sword Realm's eleventh floor and suffering a crushing defeat.

His Dao title was Shan Xuan Shan Xuan Weizi, Lin Henglong's Master, the previous master of the Poison Dragon Academy, who had stepped down after achieving the Fa Tian realm.

"Jiu Yunji's innate talent has not reached the Divine Demon level; his reaching the Sword Realm's eleventh floor is due to Master Master Fujiu's dedicated cultivation over more than two hundred years, the Spirit-Splitting Pill, and the Dao Lord's alteration of the Sword Realm's rules…"

Lin Henglong's brow furrowed tightly, his heart shaken beyond calm.

Jiu Yunji's performance did not surprise him.

For this man had been a disciple Master Master Fujiu had specifically cultivated for the Sword Realm; he had already been at the peak of the Divine Palace for over a hundred years, and his entire spellcraft had been carefully assembled by his Master for him.

But what about that Li Yuan?

Just thinking that this person only entered the Dao a little over ten years ago, Lin Xinglong felt a chill of dread.

"After today, the sacred lands and grotto-heavens of every realm will specifically cultivate disciples to brave the Sword Realm."

Shan Xuan Shan Xuan Weizi toyed with the cognition orb, yet his expression was not as solemn as that of his own disciple:

"A hundred and twenty years is not short. If Chao Ying Shan Xuan Long is carefully cultivated, perhaps he too might have a chance to fight his way into the tenth layer of the Sword Realm?"

As for the eleventh layer of the Sword Realm, he didn't mention it at all.

Not everyone has the wealth and methods of Master Master Fujiu. Find a prodigy with the innate gift of a god or demon, suppress him for a hundred and twenty years, and perhaps it could be done.

But how could that possibly happen?

"…Master sure has it easy."

Lin Xinglong's face twitched.

"After all, you are the master of the Venomous Dragon Academy."

Shan Xuan Shan Xuan Weizi smiled.

"This person uses the alias 'Eighty Thousand Li'. He first made his name in Tian Shi Yuan, and at the very peak of his fame, he declared himself a native of Tian Shi Yuan. In the future, if he were to found a sect, the response would surely be overwhelming!"

Lin Xinglong's expression went blank.

Just thinking that in a few hundred years he might have to face that Li Yuan, he felt his scalp go numb.

"You're probably overthinking it."

Shan Xuan Shan Xuan Weizi shook his head, feeling his disciple was still too young: "With this person's innate gift and potential, he must surely be a beloved disciple of a Dao Lord. How could he possibly be sent to do such trivial work?"

"This…"

Lin Xinglong froze, then came to his senses: "Right, Eighty Thousand Li and Li Yuan are not the same…"

The former is number one on Tian Shi Yuan's Combat Rankings; the latter is the once-in-nine-epochs, the sole supreme prodigy to ever reach the top of the twelfth layer of the Sword Realm!

"A Dao Lord's beloved disciple, a direct lineage of Weitian — you think just anyone is qualified to enter his tutelage?"

Shan Xuan Shan Xuan Weizi still couldn't help but offer some reassurance, after all they had once been master and disciple.

But he also found it rather speechless that his own disciple would treat this prodigy as an imaginary foe.

"True."

Lin Xinglong's brow eased upon hearing this.

"You need not pay this person too much mind. Suppressing his peers at the Third Realm doesn't mean he'll have such Gu Gu Shentong at the Fifth Realm. In his day, Feng Feng Qingcang at the Third Realm was even inferior to you,

yet after the Fifth Realm he even suppressed that 'Fa Fa Wushe', suspected to be the incarnation of some god!"

Shan Xuan Shan Xuan Weizi paused briefly, then said:

"In that case, leave Chao Ying Shan Xuan Long to me. This boy's innate gift is not bad; though not a god or demon, he still has quite a few tricks. With a hundred or eighty years of careful tutelage, he should at least be able to obtain a volume of the Grand Mystery Sword Scripture!"

"Thank you, Master."

Lin Xinglong cupped his hands in thanks.

"As for the rest…"

Shan Xuan Shan Xuan Weizi transmitted his voice in a low murmur, with a pointed meaning:

"Wait. Wait until that one opens up the 'Immortal Sun Great Realm', then we'll see. When the time comes, it might get quite lively…"

"Mm?"

Lin Xinglong's pupils contracted.

"To prove oneself Sovereign of Heaven, one must take Weitian!"

Shan Xuan Shan Xuan Weizi toyed with the cognition orb, and on the friend-visitation interface where no one could see, the two characters 'All Gods' faintly flickered.

"The future — who can say for certain?"

Looking at the smiling Shan Xuan Shan Xuan Weizi, Lin Xinglong only felt a stranger, as if seeing him for the first time:

"You are…"

……

……

【Dragon-Serpent's Scale (Fifteenth Order)】

【……Qi Jing exotic beast Dragon-Serpent's Scale……This Dragon-Serpent is one of the natal spirit beasts refined by Mount Mount Dongxuan's true lineage 'Daoist Mingquan', who cultivates the 'North Pole Hei Di Mingyuan Scripture'……】

【……The Dragon-Serpent is not a serpent and thus does not shed……Because it has long been paired with the 'Dragon Tortoise', it bears the aura of the Black Tortoise……】

【Control Requirement: Eighty-one strands of Hei Di Fa magic power】

【Control Effect: Fifteenth Order: Di Qi Zhong of the Hei Di Mingyuan Scripture, Form of the Black Tortoise】

In his cave abode, Li Yuan toyed with a palm-sized black scale, upon which divine patterns interwove. It was heavy as a small mountain, and carried a violent, ferocious aura.

"The Dragon-Serpent and the Dragon Tortoise, together bearing the Form of the Black Tortoise — these are also top-grade natal spirit beasts."

Li Yuan focused his perception, feeling satisfied within.

This Dragon-Serpent's Scale was a gift from Daoist Mingquan. Its grade was extremely high, and the control effect was exactly what he needed most.

"My senior brothers of Mount Mount Dongxuan are still generous."

Li Yuan took out the cognition orb and replied to Daoist Mingquan, who smiled and said there was no need for thanks.

Daoist Mingquan was a true lineage disciple of Mount Mount Dongxuan from over four thousand years ago. He cultivated the Primordial Five Extremes Dao, and was already a Ba Jing cultivator.

This Dragon-Serpent's Scale had been shed during an early battle of his when the Dragon-Serpent fell away.

Hearing that Li Yuan wanted it, he had it sent over directly through someone.

And besides Daoist Mingquan, several other senior brothers and sisters who cultivated the Five Extremes Great Scripture had also agreed, waiting only for his return to Mount Mount Dongxuan to gather all the control items for the Five Extremes Great Scripture.

"Too bad my Hei Di Fa magic power is short of eighty-one strands."

Li Yuan carefully put away the dragon scale and continued chatting with the senior brothers and elders of his sect, mainly inquiring about 'Yin Extremity Giving Birth to Yang'.

The benefits of one's network became apparent at this moment.

Among the successive true inheritors of Mount Mount Dongxuan, quite a few cultivated the "Mystic Mystic Dual Aspects Dao"; to them, the principle of extreme yin giving rise to yang was never any real difficulty.

"Lone yin cannot birth, solitary yang cannot grow. Even if a being of the present world possessed the Nine Yin Divine Physique, it could not lack even a single thread of yang. Conversely, across all the realms of the Opening Gui Xu, even the utmost yang and utmost hardness must be tinged with a single thread of yin…"

"Junior brother, you've raised a pure-yin exotic beast from the Opening Gui Xu? That's easy. Yin extreme — what is yin extreme? When wood burns to ash, yang fire is born. You drive this beast to its absolute limit, and then…"

The divine-sense message came from "Daoist Tonghan."

"Hahaha, Junior Brother Li has asked the right person. Within the Opening Gui Xu there is a small realm called 'Yuan Ying Fa Jie,' where all living beings are pure yin. In years past, your elder brother, in order to comprehend the method of yin-yang transformation, once went there…"

The divine-sense message came from "Daoist Daoist Zhiqing."

"Water (yin) gives birth to wood (the first stirring of yang). Junior Brother Li cultivates the Five Extremes Great Scripture — why not try using water to nourish wood, and wood to strengthen fire? When the three extremes cycle, yang may be born…"

The divine-sense message came from "Daoist Bai Yuangang."

……

"Many thanks, senior brother."