Chapter 752: Lotus-Born Sword Seed

A lotus flower has given birth to a living being?!

Yang Yang Zhengsi's heart jolted, and in the next instant he had already seized that person up.

In a flash, he had crossed a thousand miles and arrived above a vast lake.

It was near the depths of winter, yet this Cold Water Lake had not frozen over; on the contrary, it teemed with vitality, all manner of water grasses and spirit plants swaying in the bitter wind.

At the center of the lake bloomed a lotus flower, radiating a soft, glimmering light.

"Immortal Master!"

Beneath an old tree by the lakeside, an old man curled up; seeing someone descend from the sky, he dropped to his knees in terror, his face ashen.

In his arms he clutched a thick lotus leaf, within which lay a small child of fair skin, as delicately carved as jade.

"This is…"

Yang Yang Zhengsi's heart gave a start; his hands slowed at once, and he carefully took the lotus leaf.

He saw that between the child's brows was a faint golden sword-mark; as if sensing his arrival, the child opened its eyes, and within those clear, limpid pupils shone unmistakably the reflection of a green lotus.

"Hum~"

The instant the child opened its eyes, the lotus in Cold Water Lake withered in a flash; its glimmering light surged skyward, transformed into the shadow of a green lotus, and sank into the child's body.

"A spirit root birthed, a heaven-born aberrant spirit!"

Witnessing this, Yang Yang Zhengsi was overjoyed beyond measure: "Xuanhuang above, Old Yang is about to strike it rich!"

Heaven-born aberrant spirits were rare enough, let alone one birthed from a spirit root.

In the Xuanhuang world, wood is revered above all; a living being birthed from a spirit root was far, far more noble than an ordinary holy spirit.

"The merit of bringing this child into our Calamity Sect alone is enough to offset a thousand years of bitter cultivation!"

"A single step to the heavens, a single step to the heavens!"

Yang Yang Zhengsi's spirit soared, his long horse-like face flushing red; his hands cradling the lotus leaf grew ever more careful, as though holding a priceless treasure of the world.

He had no one behind him, nor was he a once-in-an-age genius; only through bitter cultivation and scheming had he gained the chance to face his Dao Tribulation, yet without some earth-shaking merit, he might well never live to see the day he reflected the Dao.

But now, that great merit was right before his eyes!

"Immortal Master…"

The man Yang Yang Zhengsi had tossed to the ground, and the old man still kneeling, both trembled in fear; neither of them had even reached the First Realm—how could they possibly bear the surging emotions of a Fifth Realm cultivator?

"A reward is due, a reward is due!"

Yang Yang Zhengsi gave a light shake of his sleeve, scattering over a hundred spirit pills, and in the next instant had already vanished from the spot.

This was a holy spirit birthed from a spirit root; if word got out, cultivators from the Hongmeng Sect and the Suming Sect would surely come swarming at the scent. To avoid complications in the night, he wished only to hurry back to the sect's altar.

Whoosh whoosh~

The bitter wind howled, yet was entirely shut out.

The small child wrapped in the lotus leaf contentedly closed its eyes.

……

"It should have worked."

In Heishan City, within the small courtyard of a medicine shop, a rocking chair swayed gently as Li Li Yuanzhong squinted slightly.

What followed was no ordinary transaction; especially after months of martial display, with the Xuanhuang Great World very likely aware of an outside cultivator's presence, caution had to come first.

A spirit root birth, a heaven-born holy spirit—this was the identity he had crafted for his second avatar.

Unlike his true body, this avatar was a being truly born within this world; coupled with the might of the Great Luo Catalogue, he judged his integration to be flawless.

"The Xuanhuang Realm reveres wood above all; a holy spirit birthed from a spirit root will surely be taken in by the Three Saints Sect. Since ancient times, there has been no exception."

Li Li Yuanzhong reviewed the situation in his heart.

Whether the Law Net had any loopholes, he did not know, but judging from the intelligence he had gleaned through his Listening Sound ability, there was still a distinction between the strict and the lax.

Living beings were strictly watched—anyone practicing arts without registering would surely alarm the Law Net—but non-living beings had no such prohibition; otherwise, no spirit grass or spirit plant could ever grow.

And the foundation of the Xuanhuang Great World was the Xuanhuang World Tree, which naturally gave rise to vast quantities of spirit plants.

"Even if it fails, it's only the loss of a single lotus seed; the true body of the Sword Lotus avatar is still within my divine realm…"

Li Li Yuanzhong entered the Ni Wan Shen Jing.

Beneath the Mysterious Vine Tree, the Sword Lotus had taken root within the 'Yin Yang Lei Chi'; this was originally the Mysterious Yin Lei Chi, and after fusing with the Pure Yang Divine Thunder, it had become a top-grade Lei Chi, possessing all manner of profound wonders.

At this moment, the Sword Lotus swayed within the Lei Chi; upon the lotus platform sat cross-legged a youth's phantom that bore almost no resemblance to him—this was a wisp of the Sword Lotus body's origin.

So long as the phantom did not disperse and the Sword Lotus remained undamaged, even if the body perished in the outer world, it could be nourished by the Lei Chi and once again gestate a new body within a lotus seed.

"Truly the foundation of a great medicine—this Sword Lotus avatar's potential far surpasses that of the Ying Mo Shen."

Sensing his second avatar, Li Li Yuanzhong was well pleased.

The foundation of the Sword Lotus body was the great medicine, the Sword Lotus; and its divine marrow was the divine marrow he had poured into it by wielding the Grand Mystery Sword Scripture—in theory, it was the equivalent of a Dao Lord's juvenile form!

"Hum~"

At Li Li Yuanzhong's thought, the Western Extreme Mountain trembled slightly; a sword light burst forth from within the Bai Di Temple, landed upon the lotus platform, and hovered before the Sword Lotus phantom.

The body of the Sword Lotus holy spirit was perfect for nurturing the Refining Demon Sword, and the Refining Demon Sword's aura, in turn, could nourish the Sword Lotus body.

The two truly complemented each other.

"To be safe, before entering the Three Saints Sect, the Sword Lotus body must not cultivate the Grand Mystery Sword Scripture; however, the Refining Demon Sword can be used to nourish this Sword Lotus."

"This great medicine is the true foundation; as its body grows strong, the Sword Lotus body will grow in tandem…"

Li Li Yuanzhong had his calculations in mind, while the Refining Demon Sword let out a faint sword-chirp, as if it could barely wait to emerge into the world.

"Don't rush—there will come a time for you to emerge. The Xuanhuang Realm is hardly lacking in experts to sacrifice to the sword."

Li Li Yuanzhong soothed the Refining Demon Sword, his attention split as he sensed the Sword Lotus body.

He was deeply interested in the Three Saints Sect—or more precisely, in the bestowal of registers by the Three Saints.

……

The cold wind howled, the sea of clouds churning.

Yang Yang Zhengsi rode the wind, and in the blink of an eye had crossed ten thousand rivers and a thousand mountains, arriving at the Nine-Layered Gang Wind Heaven, where a colossal shadow streamed down.

Looking up, one could see clusters of palaces and floating islands everywhere; between the gang winds, figures of people moved in and out, with occasional thunder and lightning, sword-light whistling through — these were cultivators practicing Xing Gong and refining their arts.