mousepad-d2 Chapter 1126 Body Cultivation
Chapter 1126 Body Cultivation
Seven days later, the temporary camp, which was no less impressive than the city, was bustling with activity. The thick array of defenses slowly dissipated, and more than thirty giant ships, each a hundred feet long, slowly rose into the sky. Their magnificent momentum swept across the heavens and earth, forcefully breaking through the wind barrier and flying north.
In the top pavilion of one of the giant ships, Chen Yuan, Elder Yuan, and Wei Wushang stood side by side, gazing at the vast, boundless, pale yellow plains ahead.
After being weakened by the formation, the gale was reduced to a mere wisp of wind, gently stirring the strands of hair hanging down Chen Yuan's temples.
The giant ship was spacious enough to accommodate 20,000 to 30,000 cultivators. The three of them gathered their cultivators on one giant ship, so that if any unexpected event occurred, they would not be caught off guard.
If something goes wrong with this giant ship, there are two more giant ships in reserve, so it won't delay the march of the thousands of cultivators under his command.
Many other Nascent Soul cultivators also chose to join forces, gathering their cultivators on a single ship, resulting in fewer giant ships compared to the number of Nascent Soul cultivators on the expedition.
Originally, Chen Yuan and his two companions had a large number of cultivators under their command, plus the Green Mantis Clan and the Dragon People, totaling more than 30,000, which was still slightly insufficient for a single giant ship.
However, Master Fu issued an edict to draw 20% of the cultivators from the various peaks of the Tai Xuan Sect and its affiliated sects and alien races to stay and guard the main camp.
The Green Mantis Clan had the largest population, with over four thousand members being taken away. The Dragon People, the Wei Family, and Huayu Peak also had one to two thousand cultivators taken away from each of them.
Lingyun Peak only has thirty-eight disciples, but they are treated equally. Eight disciples were taken away, including Daoist Cangsong, a talisman maker in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm.
With this reduction in the number of people, a single giant ship could accommodate them completely.
In addition to the cultivators under Chen Yuan and his two companions, there were also several cultivators from the Cleansing Heart Hall accompanying them.
Their role was not to supervise the army, but to record the army's achievements and mark the scouting, dark areas on the map.
Other giant ships of the Tai Xuan Sect also carried cultivators from the Xi Xin Hall, while the giant ships of Lie Xiao City and Ba Chu City were accompanied by law enforcement cultivators from their respective cities.
At this moment, apart from the hundred or so guards on the deck of the giant ship, the other cultivators were meditating and recuperating in their cabins, preparing for the great battle that could occur at any time.
After the giant ship flew out of the camp, the array re-condensed, and the pale yellow mist dispersed, obscuring the view inside the camp.
With four Mahayana cultivators stationed there, this temporary camp was more fortified than any giant city on Turtle Island.
However, if the Burning Demon Realm were to launch a full-scale attack, it would be impossible for only one Great Sage to take action. This grand formation, jointly set up by two Grandmasters of Formations, is equivalent to half a Mahayana cultivator and can play a significant role.
After flying a hundred miles north, the giant ship scattered and flew in different directions, disappearing into the vast sea of clouds.
The giant ship beneath the three of them also changed direction slightly. Naturally, they didn't need to steer the ship; the Void Refining Steward was in charge of controlling the formation.
This giant ship is called the "Sky-Crossing Ship". It was meticulously crafted by the Tai Xuan Sect's Refining Hall using mechanical techniques, and the method of its creation was passed down from the Fa Tian Pavilion.
The Sky-Crossing Boat can accommodate tens of thousands of cultivators for flight. It is extremely sturdy, capable of traversing various dangerous terrains and resisting attacks from Nascent Soul cultivators. It is also very easy to control, greatly increasing the speed of marching, although it consumes more spirit stones.
Three years ago, the sect bestowed upon Chen Yuan a flying boat, which in his view already resembled the World Annihilation Warship, except that it lacked the terrifying mechanical cannons and mechanical crossbows of the World Annihilation Warship.
This airship is the one in Chen Yuan's hands. Although it is being controlled by the Void Refining Deacon, the array plate is still in his hands, and he can take back control at any time.
During the process of refining the Sky-Crossing Boat, Chen Yuan felt the ingenuity of mechanical arts and couldn't help but admire it.
The art of mechanisms combines the art of weapon crafting, talisman making, array formations and restrictions, and even alchemy. It is essentially based on weapon crafting, but it is much more complex.
The highest achievement in mechanical arts is the World-Destroying Warship, which is also one of the reliances that allows the Spirit Realm to traverse the myriad realms.
The Ba Chu Sect and the Lie Xiao Sect, both with histories spanning tens or even hundreds of thousands of years, possess profound foundations and have already crafted world-destroying warships, which are now docked in the spatial secret realms of Ba Chu City and Lie Xiao City.
When the passage leading to the Demon Realm through the spatial rift opens, a great war between the two realms erupts, and the World Destroyer Warship awakens from its slumber, traversing the heavens and displaying its terrifying power.
To conserve spirit stones, the speed of the Sky-Crossing Boat wasn't too fast, but it was still comparable to that of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
Half an hour later, the giant ship had flown more than a thousand miles away, and no other airships could be seen anymore.
Chen Yuan suddenly flipped his hand and took out a formation plate about a foot in size, raised his hand to form a hand seal and pointed at it.
A thin, transparent array enveloped the entire giant ship, blocking the gale and divine senses from probing. It began to shimmer gently, the upper half turning pure white and the lower half pale blue, almost blending into the sky and sea of clouds.
This is an illusion array that comes with the Sky-Crossing Boat, which can hide the boat so that even those below the Void Refinement level cannot detect it.
Wei Wushang frowned: "We are only a little over a thousand miles away from the main camp. Fellow Daoist Chen has already activated the illusion array. The consumption of spirit stones will increase by at least 20%."
Chen Yuan said, "Now that we've left the main camp, we're entering enemy territory. The demons of the Burning Demon Realm are fierce and cunning, so we should be careful to avoid letting them figure out our movements."
Wei Wushang shook his head: "This illusion array can only block the demon general's spying, and its effect is still somewhat lacking. It will be of no use if we really encounter a large demon army."
Elder Yuan smoothed things over, saying, "Junior Brother Chen comes from the Burning Demon Realm and knows the demons of this realm best. This Tyrant Turtle Island is also known for its dangers, so it's not unreasonable to be cautious."
"The illusion array can avoid the scattered scouts of the demon race. Once we have set up the formation, we can lure them into the trap and take the initiative."
"Although activating the illusion array consumes more spirit stones, our expedition is scheduled for three years, and we have plenty of spirit stones with us, so there is no major problem."
Wei Wushang was still somewhat unconvinced, but he didn't say anything more. He changed the subject: "The key to this battle is to find the spatial rift as soon as possible. However, 20% of our cultivators have been withdrawn, while Liexiao City and Bachu City do not need to send cultivators to guard the main camp. Could it be that someone is interfering?"
Elder Yuan frowned: "Fellow Daoist Wei is right. Two-tenths of the cultivators are indeed too many, and half of them are Core Formation cultivators or above, with as many as fifty Nascent Soul cultivators, which has greatly weakened our strength."
“If the three of us hadn’t joined forces, we would have had a very difficult time dealing with the demon race and wouldn’t have dared to get too close to Luo Du City.”
"The cultivators of Liexiao City and Bachu City have preserved their strength intact, allowing them to penetrate deep into enemy territory and search freely, giving them far more opportunities to make merit than we do."
Chen Yuan's eyes flashed, and he said, "The cultivators from Liexiao City and Bachu City have been on Bagui Island for a long time, and have fought against the demons of the Burning Demon Realm for many years. They are experienced and should take on important responsibilities."
"As far as I know, on Turtle Island, our Spirit Realm and the Demon Burning Realm have an agreement that Mahayana cultivators are not allowed to attack lower-level cultivators at will."
“If the demon race really launches a full-scale attack, we will need low-level cultivators to fight them. That is probably why we have been assigned some of our cultivators to guard the main camp.” Wei Wushang snorted coldly. “In any case, it is a fact that the cultivators from Liexiao City and Bachu City are eager to take credit, and they have chosen the most densely populated dark areas.”
"However, they never expected that although Junior Brother Chen is only at the Refinement stage, he has the strength of the Integration stage and is an extremely rare body cultivator in the Spirit Realm. Even if they wanted to steal the credit, they might not be able to beat us!"
This search for spatial fragments requires exploring all the dark places within a radius of millions of miles, akin to finding a needle in a haystack.
To speed things up, each person can choose a direction and lead their cultivators step by step over a three-year period, exploring all the dark places along the way.
The distribution of the dimly lit areas is irregular, with some areas sparse and others dense.
Some directions are densely covered with dark places, which increases the chances of finding spatial fragments.
In some directions, the dark places are sparse, and you might have to fly tens of thousands of miles to encounter one, so the chance of finding a spatial rift is smaller.
Most importantly, the demon race will also search for spatial fragments within a radius of millions of miles. The denser the dark places, the greater the chance of encountering a demon army and the greater the opportunity to make meritorious contributions.
According to Fu Zhenren, this battle was extremely dangerous, with the demon race seemingly going all out, and a bloodbath appearing to be imminent.
But the Nascent Soul cultivators didn't think so. With four Mahayana cultivators in charge, what risks could there be?
They all regarded this battle as an opportunity to make meritorious contributions. They were not afraid of fighting to the death against the demon race, but they were afraid of not encountering the demon army.
That's why Wei Wushang was somewhat dissatisfied when Chen Yuan activated the illusion array as soon as he left the camp.
But Chen Yuan is the key to whether the three of them can make meritorious contributions in this battle, and with Elder Yuan mediating, he would not offend Chen Yuan over such a trivial matter.
Moreover, Elder Yuan's words were not without reason. The three of them had planned this battle long ago, but it was not yet time to use it. Now that they had concealed their presence, they could save themselves some trouble.
……
Wei Wushang's words were somewhat arrogant, but Elder Yuan agreed with them, saying, "If the three of us join forces, our speed in finding the spatial rift will inevitably be reduced considerably."
"The dark areas in this direction are also quite sparse, making it extremely difficult to achieve merit here."
"But as long as we can kill a few demon saints, even if we can't find the spatial rift, this battle will still be very rewarding."
Chen Yuan nodded slightly: "What Senior Brother Yuan said is very true. I have heard that besides me, there is another body cultivator in the camp. He seems to come from a True Spirit family in the Chu Spirit Domain and can hunt down demon saints just like us. Are you two aware of this?"
In the past few days, Chen Yuan has been discussing with the two how to deal with the demon race, dealing with Bai Zangzhou, receiving missions, and inquiring about the situation of the cultivators in the other two cities, as well as the identity of that barefoot old Taoist.
Knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle. According to Master Fu, this battle may last for thirty years. If one is not even clear about the identity of a Mahayana cultivator, or does not understand the cultivators from the two cities fighting side by side, there will be many inconveniences.
However, Bai Zangzhou was also unaware of the origins of the barefoot old Taoist, only knowing that this mysterious Mahayana cultivator's surname was Zhang, and that he was addressed as Zhang Zhenren.
Bai Zangzhou had a much deeper understanding of the cultivators of the Liexiao Sect and the Bachu Sect. Clearly, he had not only stayed on Luosong Peak to cultivate over the years.
He also revealed something to Chen Yuan: there was a Nascent Soul cultivator in the camp who came from a True Spirit Family in the Chu Spirit Domain, but his specific identity was unknown.
He only knew the Nascent Soul cultivators of the two Mahayana sects, while the True Spirit Family was extremely low-key and rarely appeared in the cultivation world. They mainly relied on conquering other worlds to obtain cultivation resources, and outsiders knew very little about them.
Chen Yuan cultivated the "Nine Revolutions of True Spirit" and was extremely interested in matters concerning True Spirits. After joining the Tai Xuan Sect, he collected many books about the blood of True Spirits and True Spirit families.
However, the True Spirit Clan holds an extremely special position in the Spirit Realm. Despite possessing the True Spirit bloodline and naturally being stronger than other cultivators of the same level, they can cultivate to higher realms much more easily than other cultivators, yet they have never produced a Mahayana cultivator.
The True Spirit Clan's reliance on bloodlines prevents them from recruiting members of other clans from the endless stream of mortals, and for some unknown reason, they rarely appear in the spirit world.
Only a few ancient texts mention that the True Spirit Family's mission was to conquer other worlds; otherwise, there are very few other records about the True Spirit Family.
Chen Yuan was greatly interested when he suddenly learned that there were members of the True Spirit Family in the camp. However, due to the tight timeframe for the expedition, he had no time to make friends with them and had to give up for the time being.
Chen Yuan wasn't interested in the true spirit blood in this person. Although he wasn't exactly a gentleman, he wouldn't kill someone to steal treasure without a reason.
The Spirit Realm is so powerful that it has conquered all the heavens and myriad realms. The demon race of the Burning Demon Realm, which is its current opponent, is not lacking in true spirit descendants. Zhu Mingzi also has a Ferocious Tiger Demon Core waiting for him to retrieve, so there is no need for him to kill his own kind.
However, the True Spirit Family, inheriting the blood of the True Spirit, has a far greater understanding of the True Spirit than other cultivators, and is also searching everywhere for treasures related to the True Spirit.
They did not cultivate the "Nine Revolutions of True Spirit," but could only refine the blood of one kind of True Spirit.
If one obtains other types of true spirit blood, it can only be used for alchemy, treasure making, or cultivating some kind of supernatural power; perhaps some of it will remain.
At the very least, cultivators from true spiritual families naturally cultivate both physical and magical bodies, and may possess body-tempering spiritual items, which can be exchanged for some.
Elder Yuan and Wei Wushang gave Chen Yuan a deep look. Both of them were deeply impressed by the four True Spirit Dharma Forms that he had displayed in the Xuanli Realm.
They had obviously also secretly inquired about the situation of the cultivators in the two cities. Wei Wushang slowly said, "I have also heard about him. This person seems to be surnamed Liu. Fellow Daoist Chen, you can focus on inquiring about him when you return to the camp next time."
Elder Yuan said, "Body cultivators are rare in the Spirit Realm, especially those at the Integration Realm. I didn't know there were any True Spirit Families in the camp, but I heard that there is a Body Cultivator in the middle stage of Integration Realm in Ba Chu City. He is quite strong and should be the person Junior Brother Chen is looking for."
Chen Yuan's heart stirred, and he made a note of the matter. He clasped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Yuan and Fellow Daoist Wei."
The three talked for a while longer, and Elder Yuan offered to stay and oversee the situation. The two could not refuse, so Chen Yuan had no choice but to hand over the array plate to Elder Yuan and return to their respective rooms to meditate and regulate their breathing.
Two days later, Chen Yuan was cultivating when a clear sound suddenly rang out in the room, penetrating his soul and waking him from his meditation.
Chen Yuan immediately stopped cultivating, got up and walked out of the cultivation room, turned through several passages, and came to the pavilion.
The Sky-Crossing Boat is designed for military use and is often used in the event of enemy attacks. However, cultivators are extremely sensitive to being disturbed during their cultivation and require the protection of an array. Therefore, this method was used to wake up the people inside the house.
Elder Yuan stood by the window. Chen Yuan looked out and saw that dozens of miles ahead, the clear sky suddenly darkened, with thick, dark clouds covering the earth like mountains. Thunder roared, lightning flashed, and torrential rain and strong winds raged. Huge spatial rifts appeared from time to time, creating a scene of apocalypse.
A moment later, Wei Wushang also entered the pavilion. Elder Yuan turned around and said in a deep voice, "Junior Brother Chen, Fellow Daoist Wei, we have arrived at the Dark Land. We must awaken our disciples and immediately set up an array to investigate the spatial rift!" (End of this chapter)