Chapter 129 – Second-Realm Ink Jiao Sword, New Affix: Jiao Transformation!

“A Sword Cultivator from the Azure Cloud Sect? How could there still be Azure Cloud Sect disciples in this world? Weren’t they all wiped out!”

The leader of the Black Lotus Cultists, Wan Kaiyuan, stared at Lu Chen’s Azure Cloud Sect disciple robes.

His mind seemed to recall some unpleasant memories, and his expression instantly turned grim.

It had been a full five thousand years since they exterminated the Azure Cloud Sect!

Moreover, they had spent five thousand years hunting down the remaining Azure Cloud Sect survivors. There shouldn’t be any Azure Cloud Sect disciples left in this world!

Although Wan Kaiyuan hadn’t personally participated in that legendary sect-destroying battle,

he had heard many high-ranking Black Lotus Cult members describe the horror of that conflict.

That day, Golden Core Stage cultivators were scattered like stars, while Nascent Soul Stage cultivators’ Law of Heaven and Earth filled the sky.

The Domains unleashed by numerous Deity Transformation Stage cultivators covered tens of thousands of miles around the Azure Cloud Sect, capable of destroying heaven and earth.

Even though their Black Lotus Sect had allied with many other ancient Immortal Fiend forces,

they only achieved a pyrrhic victory in the end.

After the battle, the residual power of countless Great Divine Powers remained within ten thousand miles of the Azure Cloud Sect, turning the area into complete Forbidden Zones where even Immortal Fiends couldn’t set foot.

The terrifying remnants of these techniques hadn’t completely dissipated even after five thousand years.

The Azure Cloud Sect truly deserved its reputation as the number one sect of its time.

Although many new Schools had emerged within the Divine Land recently, with quite a few tracing their lineage back to the original Azure Cloud Sect,

such as the Supreme Purity Dao Palace in the east and the Myriad Enterprises Immortal Sect in the south,

all these sects had publicly severed ties with the Azure Cloud Sect and didn’t claim to inherit its Legacy.

Therefore, the true Azure Cloud Sect should have completely vanished into the river of history.

How could someone still appear before him wearing Azure Cloud Sect disciple robes!

Thinking this, Wan Kaiyuan concluded that Lu Chen must have merely learned about the Azure Cloud Sect from somewhere or accidentally obtained some fragmented Legacy, and was now pretending to be an Azure Cloud Sect disciple.

“Deceitful impostor! Comrades, join me in capturing him!”

“Let’s seize this Cultivator, feast on his flesh, drink his blood, and share in the Great Dao together!”

Whether it was because they thought twelve against one gave them overwhelming advantage,

or because they were enticed by the prospect of sharing Lu Chen’s Cultivator body,

the remaining eleven Black Lotus Cultists also grew excited and attacked with full force.

In Lu Chen’s calm gaze, these twelve Black Lotus Cultists quickly formed a special ‘Black Lotus Sword Formation.’

The next moment, their cultivation seemed to connect as one.

Even Wan Kaiyuan at the formation’s center received a massive boost.

[Black Lotus Cultist · Wan Kaiyuan]

[Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Perfection (200,000/200,000)]

[Foundation Quality: Seventh Grade Human Dao Foundation]

[Current Spiritual Power: 200,000 (+330,000)]

[Characteristics: An ordinary Cultivator from the ancient Immortal Fiend lineage, capable of performing some Black Lotus Sect special techniques]

After absorbing the power of eleven other Foundation Establishment Cultivators, he only reached ‘530,000 points’ of Spiritual Power?

Looking at Wan Kaiyuan’s status panel, Lu Chen felt deeply disappointed.He had initially thought that these people, relying on the effects of the formation, could allow him to somewhat test his strength after reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage. After all, since his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, he hadn’t experienced a proper battle and wasn’t clear about his current level of power.

But even after deliberately letting them set up the formation, the result he obtained was still… utterly unremarkable. Disappointing, truly disappointing.

To think that without using any Divine Abilities or techniques, his baseline Spiritual Power had already reached a full “1.5 million points.” And if he factored in the amplification from the Magic Treasure “Nine Luminaries Spirit Orb,” his baseline Spiritual Power value would astonishingly reach “1.55 million.”

Although Spiritual Power cultivation doesn’t necessarily equate to combat strength, with such a vast gap in Spiritual Power, Lu Chen could simply outlast Wan Kaiyuan and the others through attrition alone. Not to mention, he had also mastered multiple Dao Realm skills…

And whether it was due to the uniqueness of his “Great Dao Blessing: Fairy Lotus Womb,” after integrating the Magic Treasures into his Divine Soul, their effects had significantly improved. The most direct example was that the “Nine Luminaries Spirit Orb” could even increase his Spiritual Power limit, indirectly enhancing Lu Chen’s potential.

Using a Magic Treasure to boost a cultivator’s potential—something that would seem absurd to others—was actually happening to Lu Chen. Moreover, he discovered another hidden effect of the “Fairy Lotus Womb”: he could bring Magic Treasures from the game… into the Instance!

Because Lu Chen had just realized that he could also summon the “Shangqing Cloud Sword,” which he had been nurturing in his Divine Soul.

【Special Talent: Fairy Lotus Womb】

【Effect 1. Immortal Spirit Breath: Increases Spiritual Power limit by tenfold. Greatly enhances Spiritual Power recovery speed and purifies Spiritual Power within a hundred-meter radius.】

【Effect 2. Soul Lotus Embryo: Increases Divine Soul strength by tenfold. Can condense Soul Petals for movement, defense, attack, etc.… Can store Magic Treasures in the Divine Soul, slowly strengthening them.】

Storing Magic Treasures in the Divine Soul… an effect Lu Chen had previously considered somewhat redundant now revealed an unforeseen path: bringing Magic Treasures from the game’s main world into the real world!

Yes, not into the Instance world, but into the real world! After all, in a sense, the Instance world and the game’s main world were two different worlds—or rather, two different time and space. In this regard, they were no different from the relationship between the game’s main world and the real world.

Since he could bring the Shangqing Cloud Sword from the game’s main world into the Instance, there was no reason he couldn’t bring Magic Treasures from the game’s main world into reality by storing them in his Soul. Similarly, Lu Chen could perform the reverse operation.

Thus, the barriers between the game’s main world, the Instance world, and the real world were effectively bridged by the special talent “Fairy Lotus Womb.” This made Lu Chen realize once again how crucial First Grade Great Dao Foundation Establishment was for him. And if he could achieve First Grade Great Dao Golden Core in the future, he dared not imagine what kind of terrifying blessings he would receive.

In the sky, Wan Kaiyuan noticed Lu Chen hovering on his Sword, motionless, but paid it no mind.Because he only thought Lu Chen was frightened by his current formidable strength, thus losing his fighting spirit.

This… was perfectly normal!

Powerful, incomparably powerful.

Wan Kaiyuan felt the vast Spiritual Power within his body, even swelling to the point where he thought he might now have a chance to contend with a Golden Core Stage Cultivator!

With such immense power, wasn’t it only natural for Lu Chen, who was merely at the Foundation Establishment Stage, to feel despair?

It seemed this battle was about to end soon…

Thinking this, Wan Kaiyuan immediately took out his Magical Artifact.

[Name: Blood Infant Dao Sword]

[Type: Ancient Cultivation Technique Magical Artifact]

[Realm: First Realm]

[Effect: A sinister Magical Artifact infused with the resentment of hundreds of infants; attacks carry a curse effect]

[Side Effect: Consumes the user’s essence blood when used]

“A mere Foundation Establishment Stage impostor, daring to challenge our Black Lotus Sect? Ridiculous!”

Wan Kaiyuan activated the Blood Infant Dao Sword, sending it flying directly toward Lu Chen.

The eerie blood sword, resembling an infant’s umbilical cord, quickly transformed under the boost of Wan Kaiyuan’s over 500,000 Spiritual Power into a massive, twenty-meter-long Outer Path Blood Infant, resembling a centipede in appearance.

As this Outer Path Blood Infant emerged, a thick scent of blood and aura of resentment instantly filled the heavens and earth.

Like a Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, it was utterly terrifying.

The people in the distant Chen Family Village, witnessing this scene, knelt on the ground in fear.

They continuously pleaded for mercy toward the sky.

Facing this enormous Outer Path Blood Infant, Lu Chen merely glanced at it calmly.

Yet, that single glance instantly froze the expressions of the originally ferocious Outer Path Blood Infant, as well as Wan Kaiyuan and the others.

Suddenly, an Azure Profound Color Spirit Sword appeared behind Lu Chen.

Immediately after, vast amounts of ethereal white energy surged from the mountains and rivers, converging onto that Azure Profound Color long sword.

Ultimately, it transformed the Azure Profound Color Spirit Sword into a massive thirty-meter-tall Qi Sword!

Lu Chen looked at the terrified, hovering Outer Path Blood Infant and spoke calmly.

“Slash.”

As the word fell, the immense righteous sword hovering behind Lu Chen immediately descended toward the Outer Path Blood Infant.

Confronted with this terrifying righteous sword.

The Outer Path Blood Infant did not choose to wait passively for death.

It opened its blood-filled maw and spewed out countless vengeful spirits.

These vengeful spirits gathered together, forming a peculiar torrent of vengeful spirits that charged toward the righteous sword.

But what filled the Blood Infant and the distant Wan Kaiyuan and the others with despair was.

The torrent of vengeful spirits, capable of even corrupting a Cultivator’s Spiritual Power, seemed to meet its natural enemy upon touching Lu Chen’s righteous sword.

In an instant, it melted and was cleaved apart by the sword, unable to hinder the righteous sword in the slightest.

From a distance, it looked as if a black river of vengeful spirits was being split in two by the righteous sword on the spot.

One sword… two halves!

Seeing that its torrent of vengeful spirits had no effect on the righteous sword.

The instinct for survival made the Outer Path Blood Infant’s eyes turn fierce; it opened its mouth and bit directly toward the righteous sword.

Bang!

The Outer Path Blood Infant’s sharp teeth clamping onto the righteous sword immediately produced a sizzling sound like frying oil.

The fangs of the Outer Path Blood Infant, capable of crushing Magic Treasures and Magical Artifacts, now could not inflict the slightest damage on Lu Chen’s righteous sword.

Not only did it shatter several of the Outer Path Blood Infant’s teeth, but it also pressed down on its body, forcing it continuously downward.The reason for this was that the righteous and majestic Righteous Sword Qi naturally suppressed such heretical practices!

As a result, when the Evil Path Blood Infant bit down, it felt as though it had bitten into a ball of flames with its flesh and blood body, causing it excruciating pain.

Seeing that his Evil Path Blood Infant was about to be slain by Lu Chen’s sword strike, Wan Kaiyuan, who was in the distance, immediately released all the Spiritual Power within his body and channeled it into the Evil Path Blood Infant nearby.

Meanwhile, the other Foundation Establishment Stage Black Lotus Cultists within the Formation continuously provided him with an unending stream of Spiritual Power.

The immense Spiritual Power, gathered from the combined strength of twelve individuals, slightly slowed the Blood Infant’s descent, as if it could withstand the attack of the colossal Righteous Sword.

This gave Wan Kaiyuan and the others a glimmer of hope for survival.

However, this hope was as fleeting as it was brief.

For Lu Chen let out a cold snort and increased his own Spiritual Power output.

‘1.55 million Spiritual Power’ VS ‘530,000 Spiritual Power’.

Just from these numbers alone, one could see how overwhelming Lu Chen’s advantage was!

Not to mention that the Righteous Sword Intent inherently countered the Evil Path Blood Infant.

Without any surprise, the Evil Path Blood Infant, which had momentarily held its ground against Lu Chen’s colossal Righteous Sword through the combined power of twelve individuals, instantly felt the immense force transmitted from the sword.

In the next moment, it could no longer withstand the terrifying power of the colossal Righteous Sword and crashed heavily into the ground like a meteor.

Boom!

As the colossal Righteous Sword and the Evil Path Blood Infant struck the ground together, the Blood Infant’s body shattered instantly.

The astonishing force generated by the sword’s impact created a crater over twenty meters wide on the ground.

The resulting shockwave surged outward like a tsunami, toppling countless trees and plowing the earth, leaving behind sharp sword marks everywhere.

Even the scattered Sword Qi from the aftermath was enough to easily kill an ordinary Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator.

The terror of the Righteous Sword Intent was evident.

And this was merely the result of Lu Chen using only ‘300,000 points’ of Spiritual Power.

Of course, even if Lu Chen were to go all out, he could only maintain a ’50-meter-long’ colossal Righteous Sword at most.

After all, given his current Divine Soul strength, he could only convert this much Righteous Sword Qi.

However, when dealing with Wan Kaiyuan and the others before him, he didn’t even need to exert his full strength.

After all, it was just a simple test on his part.

Yet it completely shattered the morale of Wan Kaiyuan and the others.

As the Evil Path Blood Infant dissipated, Wan Kaiyuan, who was spiritually connected to it, immediately suffered severe damage.

Not only was his Divine Soul heavily injured, but about one-third of his Meridians ruptured due to the backlash of Spiritual Power he could no longer withstand.

However, compared to his physical injuries, what Wan Kaiyuan cared about more was the fact that he could no longer sense the infant spirit of the ‘Blood Infant Dao Sword’.

There was only one possible explanation for this.

Lu Chen’s sword strike had not only destroyed the physical form of the Blood Infant Dao Sword but had also annihilated the infant spirit within the Dao Sword.

It was important to note that this Magical Artifact was something he had spent over a hundred years to exchange from the Buddha Mother.

How could a mere Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator destroy something bestowed by the Buddha Mother? It was impossible!

[You have slain the Evil Path Abomination · Twisted Blood Infant. You have gained 5,000 experience points. You have obtained an Evil Path technique… Five Ghosts Transportation Art.]【Five Ghosts Transport Technique: (Beginner 1/1000)】

【Effect: After activation, summons a certain number of five ghosts. Upon paying a certain price, tasks can be assigned to the five ghosts for completion, including but not limited to theft, transportation, eliminating enemies, etc… The Rank of summoned five ghosts relates to the caster’s cultivation level, skill Rank, and quality of sacrificial offerings】

【Side Effect: When task difficulty exceeds the scope of sacrificial offerings, the five ghosts will forcibly demand the caster’s Lifespan as compensation】

【Note: After breaking through realms, experience points can be used to purify this skill】

Paying no attention to Wan Kaiyuan and the others’ reactions, Lu Chen looked at the flickering information on his panel, immediately confirming a certain idea in his heart.

He had originally felt that the Magical Artifact ‘Blood Infant Dao Sword’ was somewhat peculiar.

It didn’t appear to be a simple weapon, but rather a living creature resembling a weapon.

Initially, this had merely been speculation on his part.

But after seeing the panel information, he knew these external path Magical Artifacts were indeed special external path creatures.

Gu Xian bestowed these Magical Artifacts upon his followers – it was hard to say whether this was truly for their benefit or if there were other purposes.

After all, if followers used these Magical Artifacts excessively, they might eventually be devoured by them, ultimately becoming nourishment for the artifacts’ growth.

Perhaps for beings like Gu Xian, these special external path Magical Artifacts were, in a certain sense… another form of followers?

However, Lu Chen didn’t dwell too much on these matters, as he still needed to deal with Wan Kaiyuan and the others first.

Wan Kaiyuan and the others, having witnessed the external path blood infants being slain by Lu Chen with a single Sword strike,

Completely lost any remaining Battle Intent.

Fight?

What could they possibly use to contend with this Azure Cloud Sect remnant before them!

Even the external path blood infant that combined the cultivation of twelve people was no match for Lu Chen.

How could ordinary Black Lotus Cultists like them possibly win?

Don’t be ridiculous!

Run, run quickly!

The Imperial City was merely a few miles away – the Altar Lords within must have noticed the commotion here.

Though they were no match for Lu Chen, they refused to believe the Altar Lords couldn’t handle this guy.

Not to mention there were Protectors above the Altar Lords!

As long as they could run back to the Imperial City, they would be safe!

Thinking this, Wan Kaiyuan and the others immediately tried to flee.

But before they could take action, they suddenly stopped.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to run, but rather… they couldn’t run!

Or more precisely, they were being watched by some terrifying presence, too afraid to run.

Profound, icy, desolate…

Wan Kaiyuan and the others found their surroundings transforming from the open sky to some dark abyss.

A massive creature lurked within the abyss, watching them with cold vertical pupils.

Before this enormous mysterious being, they felt like tiny, helpless ants, incapable of mustering any thought of resistance.

As the gigantic creature approached within a certain distance, Wan Kaiyuan and the others finally saw its full form clearly.

A Flood Dragon – this was actually a massive black-scaled Flood Dragon!

Facing such a terrifying enemy, Wan Kaiyuan and the others seemed to be under a immobilization spell, forced to watch helplessly as the creature opened its bloody maw and lunged toward them…【You have slain a Black Lotus Cultist (Peak Foundation Establishment Stage/Seventh Grade Human Dao Foundation), you have gained 10,000 experience points, Soul Crystal Shard (Green)5, you have acquired skill: Black Lotus Sword Formation…】

【You have slain a Black Lotus Cultist (Third Layer Foundation Establishment Stage/Ninth Grade Human Dao Foundation), you have gained 3,000 experience points, Soul Crystal Shard (Green)1…】

【You have slain…】

【Current Experience: 410,000】

【Current Soul Crystal Shard (Green) Count: 20】

“As the Ink Dragon Sword reached the second realm, its compatibility with the Dragon Transformation Sword Intent grows increasingly higher.”

“I wonder whether the Sword Intent Dragon Transformation I manifest now is merely a Concept manifestation, or if it’s a genuine Flood Dragon materializing…”

Lu Chen mused for a moment before retrieving his Ink Dragon Sword and Shangqing Cloud Sword.

He then sighed: “Twelve Foundation Establishment Stage Immortal Fiends only provided 10% growth for the Ink Dragon Sword. If I want to advance it to the third realm, wouldn’t I need to slay nearly a hundred Foundation Establishment Stage Immortal Fiends?”

“Fortunately, I have this True Immortal Cultivation game. Otherwise, forget about killing so many Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators – I might not even be able to find this many…”

As Lu Chen stored both the Ink Dragon Sword and Shangqing Cloud Sword within his Divine Soul, he immediately checked the Ink Dragon Sword’s current status panel.

【Name: Ink Dragon Sword】

【Grade: Second Realm (10%)】

【Trait One·Blood Ink: Can nourish itself by devouring enemy blood, improving the Spirit Sword’s grade】

【Trait Two·Ink Spirits (7/7): Can imprison slain souls and summon them for battle when necessary】

【Trait Three·Flood Dragon Transformation: Can transform into an Ink Flood Dragon to engage enemies and autonomously execute certain special Divine Abilities】

Sword-to-Flood-Dragon transformation – this was the ability unlocked when the Ink Dragon Sword reached the second realm.

If his previous Sword Intent Flood Dragon had spirit but no form, then the current Flood Dragon Transformation possessed form but no spirit.

Unexpectedly, the two complemented each other perfectly, elevating the power of his Dragon Transformation Sword Intent to a level even he hadn’t anticipated.

For instance, the flood dragon that ultimately devoured Wan Kaiyuan and others wasn’t merely a Concept manifestation like before, but an actual flood dragon that truly consumed them!

Besides gaining the new Trait·Flood Dragon Transformation at the second realm, the original Trait·Ink Spirits also received significant enhancement.

The number of imprisonable Ink Spirits increased from five to seven.

Among these seven Ink Spirits, three were brought by Lu Chen from previous instances: Ye Chenglin, Fang Heng, and Pang Xiao…

Although Lu Chen had never summoned these three Azure Cloud Sect Direct Lineage Disciples’ Ink Spirits before, this didn’t reflect poorly on their capabilities.

On the contrary, these three Ink Spirits’ power… far exceeded ordinary Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators’ imagination.

After all, anyone capable of becoming an Azure Cloud Sect Direct Lineage Disciple was extraordinary by definition.

Each would demonstrate exceptional talent in at least one specific Domain, making them genuine Geniuses!

In his plan, if he wanted to destroy the four Buddha Mother Statues within the Imperial City in a short time, these three Ink Spirits and his Innate Divine Ability·Heretical Avatar would be absolutely crucial!

Lu Chen glanced toward the Imperial City direction, immediately descending to the ground before other Black Lotus Cultists could arrive.

After concealing his aura, he began making his way toward the Imperial City…

Next update before 12 o’clock.

(End of Chapter)