Chapter 138 – Tallying the Harvest, Comprehending New Sword Intent: Blood Kill

On the plaza outside the Great Yan Imperial Mausoleum.

As Lu Chen removed the four Buddha Mother statues from the sub-altars that had been locking down the Dynastic Luck,

The four massive Eternal Lamps within the Imperial Mausoleum underwent tremendous changes.

After a golden radiance flashed, they transformed into a massive “Imperial Decree List,” densely covered with numerous names.

The names of Lan Yan and other Great Yan military generals were prominently displayed on this list.

This was one of the pillars of the Great Yan Dynasty… the supreme treasure, the Great Yan Imperial Decree List.

As long as this list remained intact, and Ji Ling’er did not abandon them,

No matter how many times they died, they could be resurrected within a certain period.

The Immortal Fiends feared no death, and the Great Yan soldiers… were the same!

Boom, boom, boom…

As deep drumbeats resounded, the Great Yan army that had been hidden underground for five thousand years finally emerged from that sunless place.

At the deepest part of the army was a magnificent carriage pulled by six golden Dragon Horses,

Quietly following the troops as they advanced toward the Great Yan Imperial City.

Along the way, countless citizens of the Great Yan Dynasty knelt in fear at the sight of the suddenly appearing army.

But when they saw the military banners fluttering within the army,

The fear in their hearts was quickly replaced by joy.

Because they knew this meant the true master of the Great Yan Dynasty… had returned.

Meanwhile, the Black Lotus Protector who had been using the main Buddha Mother statue in the Imperial Palace to suppress the Great Yan Dynasty’s Luck suddenly turned pale.

He then looked in a certain direction outside the Imperial City, his face filled with despair.

In fact, he had sensed Lu Chen’s arrival as soon as he entered the city.

But whether intentionally or not by the Emperor of Longevity,

From the moment Lu Chen appeared, she had been using the remaining Dynastic Luck to continuously assault the Dragon-Locking Formation within the Imperial City.

To prevent the Emperor of Longevity from breaking free, the Black Lotus Protector had no choice but to remain in the Imperial City to maintain the Dragon-Locking Formation.

Naturally, he couldn’t provide support to Rong Gongming and the others.

What he never expected was that Lu Chen, a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, could actually defeat four Golden Core Stage Black Lotus Altar Lords.

And ultimately succeed in destroying the sub-statues the Black Lotus Sect had placed within the Imperial City.

The Dragon-Locking Formation was interconnected throughout.

Without the four sub-formations as restraints, it became even more difficult for the Black Lotus Protector to suppress the Aura Golden Dragon controlled by the Emperor of Longevity.

And just moments ago, the Dragon-Locking Formation that had suppressed the Aura Golden Dragon for five thousand years… shattered.

The visible manifestation was the complete collapse of the Buddha Mother statue at the main formation.

The Black Lotus Protector, who was mentally connected to the Buddha Mother statue, not only suffered severe cultivation damage but was also gravely injured.

Just as the Black Lotus Protector was about to rise and leave the Imperial City, a figure clad in golden armor stepped into the Great Hall.

The Black Lotus Protector looked at the figure, his expression bitter.

Because he knew… he had no chance to escape.

Shortly after, when Lan Yan and the others had completely purged the Black Lotus Cultists within the city,

The Imperial City, which had been shrouded in gray mist, unusually welcomed a warm dawn.

For the majority of the Imperial City’s residents, they didn’t actually know what had happened.

But one thing was clear to them – the heavens of the Great Yan Dynasty… had changed.

Though they didn’t know whether this change was for better or worse.Things couldn’t possibly be worse than when the Imperial City was occupied by the Black Lotus Sect.

After completely eliminating the Black Lotus Sect within the Imperial City and the puppet royal family they supported,

Ji Ling’er emerged from the Undying Longevity Coffin for the first time and sat upon the Dragon Throne in the Imperial City.

Though she had regained her freedom, Ji Ling’er wasn’t particularly excited at this moment.

Watching Lan Yan return after hunting down the remaining Black Lotus Sect remnants in the Imperial City, she immediately asked: “Still no trace of Azure Lotus Daoist?”

Lan Yan shook her head, indicating she didn’t know where Lu Chen had gone.

Hearing this, Ji Ling’er was deeply disappointed.

Seeing Ji Ling’er’s distracted state, Lan Yan seemed to recall something and said: “Your Majesty need not worry too much. Azure Lotus Daoist moves like a ghost – he’s likely dealing with Immortal Fiends elsewhere.”

“Although more than half of the Thirty-Three Heavens have been shattered, the Immortal Fiends have also suffered heavy losses. We just need to accumulate strength, and there will surely come a day when we can completely drive these creatures out.”

“Once I find a Nine Yin Body as a vessel, we’ll be able to move freely even outside the Great Yan Dynasty’s territory.”

“Then we can help Your Majesty search for the Daoist’s traces. Your Majesty just needs to wait patiently for news.”

Hearing this, Ji Ling’er seemed to remember something and finally sighed: “Very well. Let’s first rebuild the Nine Luminaries Star Platform and Heavenly Capital Mansion, then bring as many common people into them as possible.”

“After all, the final battle between the Immortals/Buddhas and Ancient Fiends is approaching.”

“Regardless of the outcome, the Divine Land will experience a period of severed heaven-earth connection.”

“In such an environment, forget cultivation – maintaining one’s current cultivation level without regression would be an achievement.”

“Understood.”

As for Lu Chen, whom Lan Yan and others had been searching for, he had actually entered the instance settlement interface and temporarily left that world shortly after defeating Rong Gongming and destroying the Black Lotus East Altar.

Because he had entered a special instance this time, he could only enter it once.

Though only once, this experience brought tremendous changes to Lu Chen.

It also gave him clear understanding of his current strength.

Ordinary Golden Core Stage cultivators – as long as they hadn’t mastered Harmony Realm skills or exceeded Fourth Transformation cultivation – would find it difficult to oppose him once his Sword Domain unfolded.

The power of the Harmony Realm Sword Domain was fully demonstrated during the Imperial City battle.

However, after reaching the Harmony Realm, his skill level had temporarily peaked.

Lu Chen had a premonition that unless he reached the Golden Core Stage, he absolutely couldn’t step into the Transformation Dao Realm.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen quietly formulated a plan in his heart.

Once his experience points reached the critical point of one million, he would use all excess experience to improve his cultivation.

Because after the Foundation Establishment Stage, the cultivation gap between different Realms would become increasingly significant.

Improving cultivation, practicing the complete ‘Minor Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation,’

and achieving the Golden Core Stage as soon as possible – these were Lu Chen’s current objectives.

Moreover, the Golden Core he aimed to form would be of the First Grade Great Dao!

With this in mind, Lu Chen immediately examined the rewards from this special instance…

【Name: Immortal Slaughter Sword Finger Diagram (Incomplete)】

【Type: Ancient Fiend Treasure】

【Realm: Second Realm】

【Effect: Upon use, can unleash a special Sword Domain… named Fiend Slaughtering】【Side Effect: Each activation of the Sword Diagram requires the user to break one finger, which cannot be healed for a century】

【Note: You can spend 100,000 EXP to purify it, or 500,000 EXP to extract its Sword Intent for a Sword Path Epiphany】

Seeing the options provided by the game, Lu Chen only needed a moment of consideration before making his decision.

He currently lacked no shortage of Magic Treasures, especially ones like the Sword Diagram. With the Righteous Azure Lotus Sword Domain at his disposal, the “Immortal Slaughter Sword Finger Diagram” offered minimal improvement. Instead, the Sword Intent contained within the “Immortal Slaughter Sword Finger Diagram” was crucial to him now.

Immortal-Slaying, Fiend Slaughtering, Immortal-Trapping, Immortal-Severing. Among these, the Dragon Transformation Sword Intent corresponded to Immortal-Slaying, while the Azure Lotus Sword Intent corresponded to Immortal-Trapping. The Sword Intent extracted from this “Immortal Slaughter Sword Finger Diagram,” Lu Chen believed, would undoubtedly become the core Sword Intent for the Fiend Slaughtering Sword Formation—or more accurately, the “Fiend-Slaughtering Sword Formation.” After all, the targets of his Sword Formations were all Ancient Fiends. Thus, replacing “Immortal” with “Fiend” in the original Sword Formation name was undoubtedly more fitting.

Moreover, Rong Gongming had explicitly stated that this Sword Diagram was replicated by the Buddha Mother from his future self. Without a doubt, his future self had used the Sword Intent from this “Immortal Slaughter Sword Finger Diagram” to create the complete Fiend-Slaughtering Sword Formation. Knowing the answer in advance, copying it was undoubtedly the best choice.

【You consumed 500,000 EXP to extract a special Sword Intent from the Ancient Fiend Treasure·Immortal Slaughter Sword Finger Diagram (Incomplete)…】

【You obtained an “Unknown Sword Intent Fragment.” Will you undergo Epiphany?】

【Current EXP: 250,000】

After obtaining the Sword Intent Fragment, Lu Chen immediately crushed it. Soon, he entered a mysterious state of Epiphany. The last time he had entered such a state was when he comprehended the Righteous Sword Intent.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Lu Chen finally awoke from the profound Epiphany.

【You acquired a new skill…Blood Killing Sword Intent】

【Blood Killing Sword Intent: Dao Entry Realm 1/1,000,000】

【Effect: Killing intent manifests as presence, killing intent becomes a sea, materializing into Mountains of Corpses and Seas of Blood.】

【Special Effect·Blood Killing: You can attack without using Spiritual Power, relying solely on your own vitality and killing intent. You can also use the blood of enemies to attack.】

Blood Killing Sword Intent—a special Sword Intent born solely for slaughter. Its greatest characteristic was its utilization of presence. If the presence of Dragon Transformation Sword Intent was meant to intimidate enemies, the presence of Blood Killing Sword Intent could truly kill. Slaughter was the essence of Blood Killing Sword Intent.

“A Sword Intent born for slaughter…” Lu Chen contemplated for a moment longer, consolidating his understanding of the Blood Killing Sword Intent, then turned his attention to the Magic Treasure he had obtained from the Instance—the “Ghost Infant Sword” once used by Rong Gongming.

【Name: Ghost Infant Sword】

【Type: Ancient Fiend Treasure】

【Realm: Second Realm】

【Effect: When activated, it imbues Swordsmanship with ghost infant resentment, dealing Divine Soul damage to enemies.】

【Side Effect: Requires nourishment with the blood of hundreds of infants monthly.】

【Note: You can spend 100,000 EXP to purify it.】

Looking at this eerie Ancient Fiend Treasure, Lu Chen effortlessly chose to purify it.【You have purified the Ancient Fiend Treasure·Ghost Infant Sword, you have obtained a new Magic Treasure… Bloodthirsty Spirit Sword】

【Name: Bloodthirsty Spirit Sword】

【Type: Magic Treasure】

【Realm: Second Realm】

【Effect: Devours the blood of those attacked to nourish itself, wounds caused cannot heal for a short time】

Looking at the description of the Bloodthirsty Spirit Sword, Lu Chen quickly understood the use of this Spirit Sword.

Clearly, this was a special Magic Treasure specifically designed to counter Body Cultivators.

Unlike Dao Cultivators who rely on Spiritual Power for combat.

Body Cultivators depend on their own Physical Body to fight.

Essence blood is to Body Cultivators what Spiritual Power is to Cultivators.

If he encountered particularly robust Body Cultivators in the future.

He could simply focus on attacking a specific part of their bodies and continuously drain their blood.

Moreover, the larger the enemy’s physique, the more effective the Bloodthirsty Spirit Sword would be.

Looking at the Bloodthirsty Spirit Sword on his phone screen, Lu Chen immediately decided to test the idea he had earlier in the Instance.

That was to see if he could bring this Magic Treasure out from the game through the special talent of ‘Fairy Lotus Womb’.

Lu Chen controlled his game character to absorb the Bloodthirsty Spirit Sword into his Soul.

Soon after, the real-world Lu Chen felt something additional appear within his actual Divine Soul.

“As expected, it works.”

Lu Chen summoned the Bloodthirsty Spirit Sword originally stored in his Divine Soul and examined it curiously.

This sensation of breaking the boundary between game and reality sparked more ideas in Lu Chen’s mind.

However, since these ideas currently lacked means for verification.

Lu Chen couldn’t determine whether they were feasible yet.

For example, if he could use his Divine Soul to contain special spirits.

Wouldn’t that mean he could bring spiritual entities from the game into reality?

Or perhaps take spiritual entities from reality into the game?

Since he hadn’t encountered any spirits that could be contained within the Divine Soul yet, he couldn’t guarantee this would work.

His thinking wasn’t without basis though.

The Mythical Beasts in the real-world Shanhai Bureau were essentially special spirits sealed within the Mountains and Seas Scroll.

Therefore, if he could contain the Mountains and Seas Scroll within his Divine Soul.

That would indirectly integrate the Classic of Mountains and Seas Mythical Beasts from the scroll into his own Soul.

This way, there was a high probability he could bring real-world Mythical Beasts into the game.

However, he hadn’t joined the Shanhai Bureau yet, nor had he contracted any Mythical Beasts.

So he temporarily couldn’t verify this idea.

But it didn’t matter, because this idea would soon be testable.

【Yu Tianqi: Little Lu, come find me with Little Yezi in three days. I’ll take you to a good place.】

As for what exactly this “good place” Yu Tianqi mentioned was, Lu Chen felt it could only be the Qingzhou branch of the Shanhai Bureau, nothing else.

Regarding the Shanhai Bureau, an organization comparable to the Four Great Academies, Lu Chen was naturally quite curious.

Recalling his first encounter with the Shanhai Bureau, Lu Chen narrowed his eyes slightly.

Shanhai Bureau…

I wonder if anyone in the Shanhai Bureau can withstand my Sword Domain?

A little sparring between Cultivators shouldn’t be a problem, right?

As for whether Lu Chen was truly going for sparring or to cause trouble – only he himself knew.At the same time, on the rooftop of a department store in Luocheng.

This was the secret meeting spot Shen Feiyang and Yu Tianqi had agreed upon.

“Boss, are you sure this is alright? They want me to temporarily serve as the Vice-Altar Lord of Luocheng’s branch, assisting the real Altar Lord who’ll be arriving soon!”

“Maybe I should turn it down?”

Shen Feiyang looked at Yu Tianqi smoking beside him, still feeling there were… quite a few areas for improvement in this plan.

For example… having him decline the Black Lotus Sect’s promotion offer.

Shen Feiyang couldn’t understand it – he was just a minor Cultivator at the Qi Condensation Stage Perfection.

Had the Black Lotus Sect lost their minds or something?

They actually wanted him to serve as Luocheng’s temporary Vice-Altar Lord and help identify promising newcomers to join the sect.

Seriously? He’s an undercover agent from the Shanhai Bureau!

Not only did the Black Lotus Sect let him join, but they’re also giving him the authority to select new members.

What is this?

Isn’t this basically inviting him to plant more undercover agents!

Although the Vice-Altar Lord position came with many privileges, Shen Feiyang still felt this was… somewhat beyond his capabilities.

It wasn’t that Shen Feiyang feared danger – he simply felt his cultivation level was too low to handle this properly.

At this point, he had long stopped worrying about danger.

He just wanted to quickly uproot this cancer called the Black Lotus Sect that had entrenched itself in the Nine Provinces Immortal Alliance.

And let himself walk openly in the sunlight.

Rather than carrying the banner for developing the Black Lotus Sect’s branch in Luocheng like he was now.

He was just a student – could he really shoulder this responsibility?

No way!

Moreover, Shen Feiyang worried that if things continued developing like this…

Would he eventually end up becoming… the Leader of the Black Lotus Sect?

If things really reached that point, that would be quite the situation.

After all, who would let an undercover agent become the sect Leader?

After weighing the pros and cons, Yu Tianqi finally reached a decision.

“Accept it. This benefits both you and us more than it harms.”

“Ah?!”

Shen Feiyang stared at Yu Tianqi in astonishment, seemingly never expecting that one day he would become the Black Lotus Sect’s temporary Vice-Altar Lord.

With his mere Qi Condensation Stage cultivation, who would respect him?!

Perhaps guessing Shen Feiyang’s concerns, Yu Tianqi calmly analyzed: “Actually, you don’t need to overthink this. The current situation in Luocheng is special – the Black Lotus Sect absolutely won’t dare send more people here in the short term, yet they must retrieve the ‘Holy Son’ who remains in Luocheng.”

“To accomplish this, they must reestablish surveillance within Luocheng.”

“Plus, with our cleanup operation in Luocheng, everyone from Altar Lords down to ordinary followers has basically been captured.”

“So aside from you, they genuinely can’t find any suitable personnel in Luocheng.”

“Therefore, selecting you as the Vice-Altar Lord of Luocheng’s Black Lotus Sect branch to assist the incoming new Altar Lord in understanding the local situation isn’t really that strange.”

Hearing this, Shen Feiyang interjected: “Boss, I understand all that, but…”

“Don’t rush. I know you’re anxious, but first, don’t be anxious.”Yu Tianqi gestured for Shen Feiyang not to rush to refute him, then continued: “I know your concern – you’re worried that after entering the Dao Academy in six months, you won’t be able to handle matters here, right?”

Shen Feiyang nodded, confirming this was indeed his concern.

“No problem, I’ve already figured out how to resolve these issues.”

“First, regarding the situation at the Luocheng Branch Altar. Given your current cultivation level, if I rashly inserted a Golden Core Stage cultivator into the Luocheng Branch Altar, it would undoubtedly be highly inappropriate.”

“Fortunately, I have some absolutely trustworthy people under my command. With your help, I believe getting him into the Black Lotus Sect’s Luocheng Branch Altar shouldn’t be difficult.”

“By the time you leave, as long as he gains the absolute trust of the Altar Lord of the Black Lotus Sect’s Luocheng Branch Altar, we’ll have complete control over the Luocheng Branch Altar’s situation.”

“As for you, this matter has reminded me that I might have underestimated how much the Black Lotus Sect trusts you.”

“Tell me, kid, were you already a Black Lotus Cultist before meeting me? Otherwise, why would they trust you so much? You’ve only recently joined the sect…”

Hearing Yu Tianqi’s half-joking words, Shen Feiyang instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

Seeing Shen Feiyang’s nervous reaction, Yu Tianqi suddenly laughed.

“Alright, alright, don’t worry. I was just teasing you. We judge by actions, not intentions – if we judged by intentions, no one would be perfect.”

“Back when Luocheng High School was in such danger, you risked your life to stop those Black Lotus Cultists from destroying the Qilin Statue.”

“I don’t believe someone who would sacrifice their life for others could be one of those selfish Black Lotus Cultists.”

“The reason I’m telling you this is because I think the plan we previously made might need some appropriate adjustments.”

“After all, given how much the Black Lotus Sect trusts you, you might actually have a chance to enter their main altar in the future.”

“Once that day comes, we won’t be far from completely eradicating this cancer called the Black Lotus Sect.”

“But to achieve this, we must first get you as high up in the Black Lotus Sect as possible. That’s why I called you here today.”

“Feiyang, I wonder… are you interested in the Profound Water Academy?”

“Profound Water Academy? The one located in northern Nine Provinces, bordering the ‘Chaotic Blue Sea’?”

Yu Tianqi nodded, then said with a serious expression: “We plan to help you establish a new Black Lotus Branch Altar from scratch in the Chaotic Star Sea beyond the Nine Provinces, and even reorganize the entire Chaotic Star Sea.”

“After all, throughout history, expanding territory has always been considered a great achievement.”

“With this accomplishment, plus the Black Lotus Sect leadership’s trust in you, I believe you can definitely use this to enter the mysterious main altar of the Black Lotus Sect.”

“What?!”

Shen Feiyang stared at Yu Tianqi in shock, seemingly unable to believe what he was hearing.

Establish a new Black Lotus Branch Altar? Reorganize the Chaotic Star Sea?

Boss, are you serious?

Am I, Shen Feiyang, cut out for this?!

And if things really reach that point, will I still be able to make a clean exit from the Black Lotus Sect?

Something doesn’t feel right here, boss. Can your plan really be completed within three years?

It won’t end up being three years after three years, will it…

(End of Chapter)