Chapter 95: Dungeon: The Strongest Man (End)
"Immortal Slaying Sword? Why do you know about the Immortal Slaying Sword?"
"This is a method used by *** to deal with gods. How did you, a cultivator, learn this sword technique?"
Looking at Su Chen, who was wielding the 'Heretic Path Sword,' the little golden dragon screamed in fear. Su Chen still couldn't understand the strange nuances in the little golden dragon's speech, which seemed to contain some mysterious power.
It shielded most creatures from their perception.
Only a lucky golden dragon with a very high status, like the little golden dragon, could speak out without fearing the mysterious power.
But Su Chen did not have this status.
However, he didn't know who had killed the Qingyun Sect's Cangjian Pavilion with a single sword.
He also did not know which group the 'Ancient Beings' that the little golden dragon had been speaking about belonged to.
Though he wanted to ask the little golden dragon what this group of 'Ancient Beings' was, the Heretic Path Sword—or the Immortal Slaying Sword—was not his power after all.
He could only imitate it but could not control it.
Therefore, once it was used, it could never be stopped.
Cut!
As the swords of Su Chen and his clone fell, an invisible sword mark instantly appeared on the necks of the little golden dragon and the only remaining magic corpse dragon.
And this time, the little golden dragon had no way to escape.
Puff!
As the bloodlines on the necks of the magic corpse dragon and the little golden dragon burst, a huge rotten dragon head and a small golden dragon head fell to the ground.
The little golden dragon was not too angry about its defeat.
Its head lay on the ground, gazing speechlessly at Su Chen, who was lying in pain next to the golden cauldron due to the backlash from the Immortal-slaying sword.
There was no doubt that although this kid had severed its soul, he couldn't survive either.
Thinking of this, the little golden dragon couldn't help but say, "No, why are you doing this?"
"I don't understand what you cultivators are thinking. What does the life and death of mortals have to do with you?"
"It's foolish to use your life to exchange for theirs."
"Forget it; just be happy. I just don't know if you'll regret what you did today when the ancients regain control of heaven."
"Goodbye, or perhaps never see you again. After all, by the time I come out, you two should have turned into two dry bones."
"Alas, old thing Qingyun, who would have thought that you are dead, yet your juniors are still looking for trouble with me!"
"I shouldn't have been greedy back then. Why did I eat those dragon veins? What the hell!!!"
After the little golden dragon finished scolding, its head transformed into a stream of light and dissipated into the ether.
The golden dragon carving that was about to crawl out of the Dragon-Locking Golden Cauldron also returned to the golden cauldron at this moment.
---
[You killed the Dragon-Locking Golden Cauldron·Transformed Magic Corpse Dragon (first level of the Foundation Establishment Stage) and obtained 2500 experience points, Soul Crystal Fragment (Green) *4, Magical Fragment·Mountain Man Secret (1/4)...]
[You killed the Dragon-Locking Golden Cauldron·Transformed Magic Corpse Dragon (first level of the Foundation Establishment Stage) and obtained 2500 experience points, Soul Crystal Fragment (Green) *4, Magical Fragment·Mountain Man Secret (2/4)...]
[You killed the Golden Dragon of Luck·Split Soul (???) and obtained 10,000 experience points, Heavenly Dao fragment (???) *1...]
[Current experience points: 20,000]
[Mountain Man Secret]
[Type: Earth attribute magical power]
[Practice requirements: Earth spiritual roots must be of high quality or above, and cultivation must be at least the fifth level of the Qi gathering stage.]
[Effect: Gather spirits into a mountain, and when fully developed, it can transform into a mountain man with supreme power.]
---
Looking at the information that appeared on the panel, Su Chen understood that this dungeon trip was finally nearing its conclusion.
Bang!
On the high platform, Pang Xiao lifted the tilted golden cauldron with all his strength and completely straightened it.
In the next second, the many spiritual cauldrons in the Nine Dragons Cave seemed to be affected by something and began to emit a multitude of transparent light spots.
These light spots, like fireflies, flew into the air, forming a dazzling galaxy of spiritual power.
After accumulating in the air for a while, the Milky Way poured into the golden cauldron, like a spiritual spring washing the cauldron.
Before long, the areas of the golden cauldron that had been tainted by heretic path power were quickly cleaned.
An ancient and gorgeous golden cauldron reappeared before Su Chen.
"Daoyou... thank you for your help."
Pang Xiao approached Su Chen, his corpse-like face filled with gratitude.
Because, in his eyes, Su Chen had exchanged his life for that of the little golden dragon's soul.
Although he ultimately only delayed the lucky golden dragon's escape for a hundred years, even those hundred years were enough for the human race to catch its breath.
Though Su Chen had a splitting headache at this moment, he still gathered his wits and wanted to seize this last opportunity to ask Pang Xiao something.
"Fellow Daoist Pang, may I ask you some questions?"
Pang Xiao nodded, "Fellow Daoist, please speak."
"I don't know why our sect was destroyed, and what are the Ancient Beings the golden dragon spoke of?"
Hearing Su Chen's words, Pang Xiao immediately began to explain.
Soon, Su Chen finally understood what had happened outside this dungeon.
He also grasped why the Qingyun Sect had been destroyed.
Ultimately, it came down to the "fight between Immortals and Demons (Ancient Beings)."
Immortals refer to cultivators like Su Chen.
Although they occasionally act against the will of heaven, most of the time, they still choose to follow the will of heaven. Their strength derives from both themselves and the heavens and earth, and they advocate the law of nature.
This is somewhat like learning, and then, after learning, gradually training oneself to become a being akin to the way of heaven.
This will not only affect the heavens and the earth but also benefit them.
However, ancient beings (demons) are different. In Pang Xiao's description, the Ancient Beings' understanding of the Heavenly Dao is like a giant, delectable feast.
They continue to erode the Heavenly Dao in various ways, seizing its power to make it their own.
Due to this cultivation method, the mortals in the ancient world were no longer humans but mere beasts.
Whenever an ancient being wished to break through a realm, they required a significant amount of blood sacrifice.
In addition to consuming mortals, ancient beings would also devour other ancient beings.
This is because the value of consuming an ancient being far exceeds that of consuming countless mortals.
Thus, in the ancient world, from ancient beings to cultivators (heretics), if they wish to become stronger, they must consume others.
This is different from the cultivators in Kyushu, who can break through as long as they reach the appropriate realm.
The breakthrough process for cultivators (heretics) in the ancient world is very unique.
Because of the singularity of 'Tao' and the power they gain through continual consumption.
Therefore, the levels of the golden elixir stage and divine soul stage cultivators in the ancient world are limited.
Three thousand great ways, one hundred thousand small ways.
The number of Nascent Soul Stage and golden elixir stage cultivators (heretics) in the ancient world has consistently remained at two thousand and sixty thousand.
Some Nascent Soul Stage and golden elixir stage cultivators (heretics) master multiple Dao, while the majority possess only one throughout their lifetime.
As such, the conditions to break through from the foundation establishment stage to the golden elixir stage require that a golden elixir stage cultivator (heretic) must die, and the Dao they occupied must be vomited back.
At that point, one must seize this precious opportunity to break through immediately.
Otherwise, another peak-level foundation establishment cultivator (heretic) on the same Dao may take it instead.
However, this method of cultivation resulted in significantly fewer cultivators in the ancient world than in Kyushu, where Su Chen is situated.
Nevertheless, because they must consume a 'Dao' to achieve the Supreme Golden Elixir, the golden elixir stage cultivators (heretics) in the ancient world are far stronger than those in Kyushu.
To use Su Chen as an analogy:
It is akin to the 100,000 golden elixir stage cultivators (heretics) in the ancient world all having mastered magical powers exceeding the 'Dao Entry Level.'
This is terrifying because 'Dao Entry Level' and 'Dao Transformation Level' are two completely distinct concepts.
One is merely a beginner, while the other is fully mastered. The gap between them is enormous.
In terms of experience points, it only requires 30,000 experience points to upgrade a skill from 'Extreme State' to 'Dao Entry Level.'
Conversely, it takes a full one million experience points to upgrade from 'Dao Entry Level' to 'Dao Transformation Level.'
That is a staggering gap that is evident even to the naked eye.
However, it must be noted that significantly more often, things that are seized are indeed acquired much faster than those learned.
Thus, after the war between the two worlds commenced, the number and quality of True Immortals in Kyushu surpassed that of the Ancient Beings from the ancient world, granting it a clear initial advantage.
Due to the ancient beings' ability to gain power from robbing, as soon as they occupy territory in Kyushu, they can quickly produce numerous cultivators (heretics) above the golden elixir stage.
Moreover, even if ancient beings die in the conflict between the two worlds, they can swiftly compensate for their losses by consuming the bodies of other ancient beings.
Once an Ancient Being devours a vast number of others, they essentially acquire a greater mastery over more Tao, thus enhancing their strength.
However, the True Immortals in Kyushu are different.
Each True Immortal in Kyushu has endured thousands of years, gradually cultivating their power.
So for every one of them who falls, it takes at least thousands of years for a new True Immortal to emerge.
As a result, by the time the war between the two worlds reached its midpoint, the Immortals and Buddhas in the thirty-three heavens began to hesitate and dared not confront the ancient beings with the same fervor they had at the beginning.
With no obstruction from the True Immortals and Buddhas, more and more ancient beings were able to surge into Kyushu.
They greedily devoured the Heavenly Dao of Kyushu while constantly hunting down its cultivators.
After all, for the heretics, devouring a cultivator above the Golden Elixir Stage equates to consuming an additional Heavenly Dao.
It is a significant boon.
Even though a lone golden elixir stage cultivator cannot provide sufficient "Dao" for them to break through, as long as they consume enough...
Even if they fail to seize the "Heavenly Dao" in Kyushu, they can still achieve the breakthroughs they could not complete in the ancient world.
In this way, the power dynamics between the two worlds flipped from superior to inferior and top to bottom.
In such a vast world, the Qingyun Sect—being the leader of the righteous path—naturally bore the brunt of the conflict.
And because heretics can grow stronger through consumption, an unwritten rule later emerged within the Qingyun Sect.
Specifically, if sect cultivators were defeated by heretics, they should flee if possible; if not—the immediate course of action was to die.
No matter the outcome, the bodies of the sect's cultivators must never fall into the hands of heretics.
For if that were to happen, a grim fate awaited them.
Divided and consumed... This is not a mere description but the harsh reality of falling into the hands of heretics.
This is why Su Chen can only uncover the tomb of the 75th generation of disciples in the ancient tomb.
Because after the disciples of the Qingyun Sect beyond the 75th generation died, there were always only two potential endings.
Either killed in battle or... consumed by the heretics.
Regardless, both outcomes result in a death without a complete body, rendering them unable to be buried.
According to Pang Xiao, the Qingyun Sect's destruction occurred during the 80th generation.
It was at that time that the mountain gate of the Qingyun Sect was breached by thousands of heretics.
As for the specific events that transpired after the door was broken, Pang Xiao did not know.
He happened to be changing the new Suppression Cauldron in the Nine Dragons Cave.
Thus, he suddenly felt a violent vibration through the mountain. Following that, he noticed the Dragon Locking Golden Cauldron tipping, prompting him to rush up to secure it.
And that action... lasted until death.
He revealed that he had not seen a second cultivator from Kangding Peak come in to aid him in stabilizing the Dragon Locking Golden Cauldron until he had perished.
After hearing this, Su Chen finally comprehended why such a powerful Qingyun Sect had met its destruction.
They were not merely enemies of a specific person or force; they were at war with an entire world.
Considering this, Su Chen could not help but ask, "Didn't the True Immortals and Buddhas discover the situation in Kyushu and respond in advance?"
Upon hearing Su Chen's query, Pang Xiao smiled bitterly and replied, "Daoyou, what you don't know is that perhaps due to the ancient world's cruelty, the very first batch of heretics who fortuitously entered our world were exceedingly cautious. They quickly disguised themselves as ordinary cultivators, embedding themselves seamlessly within various factions in Kyushu."
"In addition, their ability to gain strength by consuming cultivators contributed to their rapid enhancement in power. Within just a thousand years, many of the hundreds of sects in Kyushu had been taken over by heretics."
"Since our sect values the integrity of its cultivators, most heretics with malicious intents were rejected by us, even if they were talented. Consequently, our sect has not suffered significant infiltration by heretics and managed to preserve its strength."
"And as fellow Taoists are aware, the Immortals and Buddhas of the mortal realm maintain a certain detachment from earthly matters. Unless something catastrophic occurs in the mortal realm, the Immortals and Buddhas residing in the thirty-three heavens will hardly intervene."
"Thereby, at first, they merely regarded it as a dispute among cultivators in Kyushu, not realizing it was the handiwork of the Ancient Beings."
"Moreover, the True Immortals and Buddhas initially did not take the Ancient Beings from the ancient world seriously. Thus, even when they later noticed something was amiss, they only dispatched a few lower Immortals to the mortal realm."
"And these lower Immortals, with the assistance of ancient beings, not only became fodder for the Ancient Beings but also masqueraded as these lower Immortals to infiltrate the thirty-three heavens, continuing to hide."
"However, the Immortal World is not the mortal realm; those Ancient Beings who ventured into the Immortal World were soon exposed by the True Immortals and Buddhas, igniting their fury."
"When the Ancient Beings realized the matter had been revealed and they were adequately prepared, they instantly initiated the war between the two worlds."
"This is the rebellion of the Ancient Beings."
"If someone had been able to detect the first batch of heretics arriving in Kyushu earlier and alerted the Immortals and Buddhas to the situation sooner..."
"Even if we were to face defeat, we would not suffer as severely."
"Our generation of cultivators witnessed far too many being slaughtered by the disguised heretics."
"Many mistook the enemy for their fellow disciples until their last moments, departing with their eyes wide open."
As Pang Xiao spoke, his eyes turned blood-red, brimming with rage against the heretics.
To him, these individuals resembled a horde of malicious vipers.
They lay dormant until the perfect opportunity arose to strike with their fangs bared.
After hearing this, Su Chen fell into deep contemplation.
'If I had discovered the existence of the heretics (ancient beings) in advance…'
As the saying goes, no egg remains unbroken when the nest is overturned.
Initially, Su Chen believed he could escape the calamity of the Qingyun Sect's extermination simply by hiding and surviving by chance.
However, it now seemed that his reasoning was far too naïve.
Where could he hide?
Once the entire Kyushu was dominated by heretics and ancient beings, his fate as a cultivator would be to become their food.
But... there was still a glimmer of hope.
Due to the unique circumstances of the dungeon, he effectively knew the existence of heretics in advance.
"Daoyou, do you know where the first batch of heretics appeared back then?"
Pang Xiao was taken aback, then after pondering for a long moment, he shook his head and replied, "The first batch of heretics that entered Kyushu has been traced; I still remember that the first batch of exposed heretics came from the Giant Spirit Sect in the eastern part of Kyushu."
"Because the Giant Spirit Sect practices the Heaven-Swallowing and Earth-Eating Art, which bears significant similarities to the heretics in some aspects, many of them chose to join this sect early on and disguised themselves as ordinary Giant Spirit Sect disciples."
"Giant Spirit Sect..."
Su Chen firmly etched these three words in his memory and vowed to investigate this sect thoroughly.
The Qingyun Sect is located in central Kyushu, the core area of the region, teeming with Golden Elixir and Nascent Soul Stage cultivators.
On the other hand, the eastern part of Kyushu is relatively remote and scarce in resources.
Often, a single Golden Elixir Stage cultivator can become the leader of a sect, with few Nascent Soul Stage cultivators present.
If Su Chen establishes the foundation of the Heavenly Dao, along with his current Dragon Transformation Sword Intent and Mountain Shaking Fist Intent, he felt that even if the heretics harnessed the power of the Heavenly Dao, it would be challenging for them to rival him at the same level.
After all, a heretic can only consume one Dao and continue advancing along that path. Few can master multiple Daos.
Only upon reaching the Golden Elixir Stage can a heretic begin to consume other Daos.
Thus, once he completes the Foundation Establishment stage unless he faces a heretic of the Golden Elixir Stage, a heretic of the same level will not pose a threat.
Although he also considered immediately alerting the sect leaders about the heretics, he possessed no evidence and was uncertain whether any heretics were currently infiltrating the Qingyun Sect.
If he rashly disclosed such information, he would only expose himself and become an easy target for a heretic siege.
That would squander his original advantage of the enemy being in the light while he remained in the dark.
As he pondered this, Su Chen suddenly had an epiphany.
How does this method of consuming others to gain strength parallel the Black Lotus Sect in reality?
Could it be that...
The moment this thought surfaced, Su Chen felt an icy chill wash over him.
If his speculation held, then the real world may not be as safe as he had imagined...
[PS:
[1] Ancient Beings are from the ancient world.
[2] The cultivators who are below the immortal level in the ancient world are called 'Heretics.'
[3] The cultivators of Immortal Level in the ancient world are referred to as 'Ancients' or 'Ancient Beings.']
____
Support me on [patreon.com/Thebeginning331] for access to advanced chapters and exclusive content
(End of this chapter)