Chapter 731: Fusion (I)
"With a mid-stage Nascent Soul realm powerhouse, it should rank among the top ten," Cao Hongchang replied after some thought.
"Only the top ten? Are Nascent Soul realm powerhouses really so commonplace in the Chaotic Star Sea?" Lin Zheyu asked in surprise.
They were talking about the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm, not the mid-stage Golden Core realm. Yet in the Chaotic Star Sea, a faction backed by a mid-stage Nascent Soul realm powerhouse could only rank among the top ten. That was far lower than Lin Zheyu had expected.
"It cannot be helped. The Chaotic Star Sea borders Great Wei and the Eastern Sea, caught between Great Wei and the sea clans of the Eastern Sea. Many factions here are backed by powerhouses from either side. A mid-stage Nascent Soul realm powerhouse is simply not enough to contend with them," Cao Hongchang explained helplessly.
Very few powerhouses had truly risen from within the Chaotic Star Sea itself. Some were formidable outsiders from elsewhere, while most were proxy factions serving Great Wei or the sea clans of the Eastern Sea. Although Cao Hongchang was a demonic cultivator, he was no madman like those from the Painful Holy Sect. Provoking these proxy factions recklessly could easily bring the powerhouses behind them down upon him.
"Then the top ten will have to do. The corruption of the yao will within you will no longer pose a problem for the time being. Are you interested in expanding our territory and strengthening the Evilheart Sect?" Lin Zheyu asked with a smile.
Seeing that Cao Hongchang showed no interest whatsoever, he added, "Oh, right. I have revised the sect's rules.
𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
"The price I offered you last time was an introductory rate. If you want me to continue purging the corrupting yao will from your body in the future, it will cost three thousand high-grade spirit stones. That is the standard price for all early Nascent Soul realm demonic cultivators. The weaker the cultivator, the lower the price.
"However, Evilheart Sect cultivators who redeem my services with sect contribution points will receive different discounts depending on their contributions and positions. The rules are still being drafted. Once they are ready, I will show them to you," Lin Zheyu said with a smile.
With that, his figure blurred and disappeared into the black mist as he resumed comprehending the imitation Yao Demon Nest.
Cao Hongchang stared at Lin Zheyu's retreating figure with a constipated, aggrieved expression tinged with the resignation of someone who had seen this coming.
Cao Hongchang sighed helplessly. "I knew it. That bastard... Three thousand high-grade spirit stones? He might as well rob me! This fellow is forcing me to work for him. It seems that once my strength recovers, I'll have to put these old bones to work."
Still, if Cao Hongchang had to choose between his present circumstances and being confined to the secret chamber as before, he would choose to work for Lin Zheyu. Although the man was somewhat insufferable and utterly unscrupulous, his powerful divine ability was truly extraordinary.
Cao Hongchang could clearly feel that the Sword of Damocles[1] formed from the yao will, which had once hung over his head, had vanished. At the very least, he had gained another ten years or so in which he could move about freely.
"Fellow friend, I am going to test the defensive strength of the imitation Yao Demon Nest next. I thought I should warn you in advance."
Lin Zheyu's voice suddenly rang out. Cao Hongchang narrowed his eyes and sighed speechlessly before rapidly forming hand seals to cooperate with Lin Zheyu's experiment.
In an instant, the black mist began churning as one thunderous explosion followed another, shaking the entire island.
Cao Hongchang narrowed his eyes as he studied the massive figure clad in black armor within the mist, admiration showing in his gaze. "What kind of technique does this fellow cultivate, and how did he break through to the Nascent Soul realm?"
The demonic body Cao Hongchang had cultivated was vastly inferior to the enormous one within the mist. That sleek and magnificent armor, that pure and boundless demonic qi... Had someone claimed it belonged to a true yao, Cao Hongchang would not have doubted them in the slightest if he had not known the truth.
***
One year later, a young man sped through the endless darkness of the deep sea. It was none other than Lin Zheyu, who was heading toward the Honggedis Trench after leaving the Evilheart Sect.
Following more than a year of dedicated cultivation, Lin Zheyu had used his powerful spiritual Heavenly Eye and Cao Hongchang's cooperation to comprehend many of the Yao Dao's profundities from Cao Hongchang's sea of consciousness, Nascent Soul, and imitation Yao Demon Nest. All that remained was for him to fully digest and absorb these accumulated insights, then transform them into his own strength.
[Heaven Rewards the Diligent]
[Name: Lin Zheyu]
[Origin Force: 691]
[Skills: Seven Absolute Sabers (Seventh Stage: 100%), Martial Dao True Scripture (Third Stage: 100%), Heaven-Deceiving Art (Second Stage: 100%), Ten-Thousand-Miles Divine Travel Art (Third Stage: 100%), Martial Divine Pattern Secret Manual (Second Stage: 59%)]
A little over 600 units of Origin Force is not much, but it should be enough to cultivate the second stage of the Martial Divine Pattern Secret Manual to Perfection, Lin Zheyu mused as he glanced at the data within his mind.
Unfortunately, the amount of Origin Force he obtained each time he surpassed his limits had remained at 6 units. Even though his strength had improved considerably, that amount had not increased. Lin Zheyu suspected this was closely related to the Heavenly Dao shackles within his body. Whenever he surpassed his limits and his spirit and spiritual soul underwent sublimation, his spiritual Heavenly Eye allowed him to see that the Heavenly Dao shackles sealed away most of his essence, qi, and spirit energy. This was why the Origin Force he gained from surpassing his limits had failed to increase despite his tremendous growth in strength.
Lin Zheyu soon arrived outside the Honggedis Trench. Sensing the familiar, violent, and chaotic spatial power within, his figure blurred as he plunged into the trench.
***
In the Chaotic Star Sea, an elderly man dressed in green robes silently appeared above Yao Island where the Evilheart Sect was located. Although his hair was as white as a crane's feathers, his face remained youthful.
The Evilheart Sect has been making quite a stir lately. Could that old bastard Cao Hongchang have overcome his crisis and achieved a breakthrough in the Yao Dao? the elderly man wondered.
With a thought, he stopped suppressing his aura, and the faint pressure of a Nascent Soul realm powerhouse spread outward. He had not come to provoke them, but to probe the situation. Until he had ascertained Cao Hongchang's true condition, the elderly man had no desire to clash with him. These cultivators of the Yao Dao were all madmen, and fighting them would leave him mired in trouble regardless of whether he won.
Moreover, the elderly man was even more concerned that Cao Hongchang had not achieved a breakthrough at all, but was instead approaching his limit, and that the Evilheart Sect's recent actions were one final bout of madness before his death.
"I was wondering who it was. So it is Fellow Zhao Lang. It has been a long time, yet you remain as distinguished as ever. Since you have come all this way, do you dare enter the sect for a chat?" Cao Hongchang's calm voice rang out.
Under his control, the grand formation enveloping the Evilheart Sect suddenly opened, and a projection of Cao Hongchang slowly condensed before the elderly man.
"Why wouldn't I dare?" Zhao Lang replied calmly as he regarded the projection formed from black mist before him.
His figure blurred as he entered the Evilheart Sect. His powerful perception spread through the sect, revealing an orderly, bustling scene. Every cultivator wore a faintly joyful expression and brimmed with enthusiasm. Compared to before, the sect's entire atmosphere had completely transformed.
This... A sect composed of demonic cultivators is actually thriving like this. Could that old bastard Cao Hongchang truly have achieved a breakthrough? Zhao Lang wondered, caught between shock and doubt.
He involuntarily quickened his pace and entered the great hall where Cao Hongchang awaited him, finally seeing that familiar face after so long. Cao Hongchang was brimming with vitality, and a powerful momentum qi surrounded him. Zhao Lang's expression grew slightly solemn at the sight.
1. The Sword of Damocles is a metaphor for an ever-present danger hanging over someone, even when their circumstances appear secure. ☜