Seeking the Flying Sword Path

"Bojia."

A sound boomed.

Patriarch Bojia looked ahead as an incorporeal figure gradually materialized in the middle of the hall. He was lanky in build. His blood-colored brows were long, while the eyes under his brows were stunningly sharp. A red robe was draped over him. He looked at Bojia with a smile. Despite his smile, his eyes still left one shuddering.

"I failed," said the lanky figure with a smile. "Primordial Unity had laid in ambush without any regard for his status. I could not rescue that descendant of your bloodline."

"Brother Spirit Devouring, I’m already very thankful for your help," said Bojia immediately. He acted with a lowered stature.

Back when Daoist Wen was pursued by the Buddhists, he was reduced to quite a wretched state. He eventually sought refuge under the Fiend Ancestor in the Tenebrous Fiend Abyss. Bojia found it disdainful, since he had been a follower of the Fiend Ancestor shortly after Pangu split the world apart. He was also the patriarch of one of the nine largest clans in the Tenebrous Fiend Abyss. He naturally showed contempt towards Daoist Wen who had no foundations.

However, after Daoist Wen digested the numerous Connate Numinous treasures he received and converted to the fiendish way, he managed to make a direct breakthrough.

Daoist Wen first cultivated in the Dao, before he cultivated in Buddhist way, and finally in the fiendish way... With his talent as a Chaos Godfiend, he eventually perfected his own Great Dao and forged the Spirit Devouring Fiendish Dao! He was labeled as a fiend among fiends in the Three Realms!

He enjoyed a high standing and was truly one of the most powerful beings in the Three Realms.

After Daoist Wen underwent his transformation and became a truly powerful being, even Bojia took the initiative to befriend him! If he hadn’t, how could he have gotten Patriarch Spirit Devouring to help? They just never expected that the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Unity would lurk in ambush while disregarding his status. Even Patriarch Spirit Devouring himself was unable to save Black Wing.

"Bojia." Daoist Wen’s avatar stood there with a smile. "The price you paid this time is nothing trivial. You even lost that little guy, Black Wing. Was it all really just to occupy the Great Chang world?"

Patriarch Bojia was alarmed.

"If I’m not wrong, you should have some ulterior motives." Daoist Wen looked at Bojia with a smile. "Might you tell me?"

"I won’t lie to you, Brother Spirit Devouring," said Bojia with a smile. "The reason why I sent Black Wing and company on this mission to occupy the Great Chang world was actually to deal with that Qin Yun."

"Deal with Qin Yun?" Daoist Wen’s brows pricked up.

Bojia nodded. "Yes. I’ve been investigating certain news leads. This Qin Yun has had tremendous opportunities. He has a top-grade Connate Numinous treasure."

"A top-grade Connate Numinous treasure?" Daoist Wen was astonished.

"It’s that flying sword of his," said Bojia. "He is an Essence Soul sword immortal which means his Dharmic powers are extremely weak. Yet, he is able to use that flying sword at the level of a mighty figure. Even with a Golden Immortal level sword move, that flying sword is definitely not your ordinary Connate Numinous treasure. It’s very likely to be a top-grade Connate Numinous treasure. In all my life, from before the Chaos developed until today, I, Bojia, have never even had a top-grade Connate Numinous treasure. I naturally needed to scheme for it. Unfortunately, Black Wing and company were discovered ahead of time by Qin Yun while they were setting up the array formation. It was all for naught."

Connate Numinous treasures had different grades.

Even the weakest Connate Numinous treasure was extremely precious! Ancestral Master Zhang, Sa Xu, Zou, and Black Wing did not even have an ordinary Connate Numinous treasure, much less a top-grade Connate Numinous treasure. Even Patriarch Bojia, the patriarch of one of the nine major clans of the Tenebrous Fiend Abyss, did not have one.

"He is an Essence Soul sword immortal, yet he has a top-grade Connate Numinous treasure?" Daoist Wen frowned. "Perhaps his Intrinsic Flying Sword is a Connate Numinous treasure."

"When sword immortals nurture their Intrinsic Flying Swords, they normally can nurture a superior-grade Numinous treasure flying sword if their Sword Dao reaches the pinnacle Skyimmortal realm," said Bojia. "Above a superior-grade Numinous treasure is a supreme-grade Numinous treasure. And further up is the Connate Numinous treasure! To break through the shackles of the grades, one needs large amounts of Connate Wonders."

"I’ve investigated his activity before," said Bojia. "He had used the available spots for entering the Lightning Beast Manor to exchange for some Connate Wonders, but the amount he received was pitifully tiny. None of it was worth mentioning, which also means it’s impossible to nurture an Intrinsic Connate Numinous treasure. Of course, I do not dare say for sure, but I feel that his flying sword is likely a top-grade Connate Wonder Numinous treasure!"

Daoist Wen nodded before he departed by dissipating his figure.

Bojia heaved a sigh of relief.

"I finally managed to fool him," thought Bojia. "But I wasn’t wrong. That flying sword is indeed extraordinary."

"The Stellar Stone, a thousand-foot-long Stellar Stone. That is the true treasure of the Great Chang world." Bojia’s eyes shimmered. "The only ones who know about this secret are me and that punk, Kuifu. I’m keeping that punk imprisoned, and no one can come into contact with him."

"One failure doesn’t matter. I have plenty of patience." Bojia began making his next plans.

******

Great Chang world.

Qin Yun and Ancestral Master Zhang were setting up an array formation on a sea island in the East Sea. The sea breeze blew over with the smell of the sea.

"We prepared eight protective arrays this time. Junior Brother Qin, do you feel the pinch?" asked Ancestral Master Zhang jokingly. "All of these added up can could get us a hundred supreme-grade Numinous treasures. If our luck were good, it would even be possible to exchange for a Connate Numinous treasure."

"Why would I feel the pinch?" Qin Yun was also setting up the array. "These were all left behind by those half-step Ancestral Fiends. Some of them come from the proceeds of selling the array formations the fiends had set up. Using the treasures of the fiends to exchange for an array formation to protect our Great Chang world against fiends is simply perfect. Besides, to exchange these for a Connate Numinous treasure? Who would really want to make the exchange?"

Ancestral Master Zhang nodded as he continued the setup.

The five half-step Ancestral Fiends had left their treasures in the Great Chang world. They were all swept up by Qin Yun’s Heavenly Cycle Stellar Realm, and now they had been exchanged for array formations.

"Oh. These eight array formations are all highly impressive. They can fuse together, making our world impregnable," said Ancestral Master Zhang.

"Unfortunately, they can only protect certain regions."

"It’s already pretty good that they can protect the continent where the Great Chang’s nineteen Prefectures are and five hundred kilometers of the surrounding sea," said Ancestral Master Zhang. "Senior Brother Yellow-robed’s Skywolf world has eight continents, and all Senior Brother Yellow-robed did was guard one continent. The bigger the area defended, the higher the requirement of the array formations. Qin Yun, what you have done is already sufficient."

Qin Yun nodded as they continued setting up the array formation.

After spending half a month, they finished setting up the eight array formations. Qin Yun and Ancestral Master Zhang heaved a collective sigh of relief and felt a lot more relaxed.

"It’s finally done." Qin Yun’s face was also filled with glee.

"There are eight massive arrays. Even if another ten experts like Fiend Supremacy Black Wing come, they can forget about cracking this." Ancestral Master Zhang was filled with confidence now.

Qin Yun nodded slightly.

Regardless of what the fiends were up to, the both of them were bent on protecting the Great Chang world.

"Qin Yun, I’ll be entering seclusion now. I hope that I’ll succeed in my breakthrough," said Ancestral Master Zhang.

"If you are able to become a ninth firmament Skyimmortal, with the might of the Divine Firmament Lightning Dharma, you should be able to match a mighty figure. That way, there will be nothing to fear with our combined might," said Qin Yun with a smile.

"I’ll count on your blessings." With that said, Ancestral Master Zhang departed amid laughter.

Qin Yun also returned to Grand Dominance City.

...

Outside Grand Dominance City.

After the last smite of lightning from the Heavenly Tribulation, Ninth Hong stood in midair as the lightning fused with him. It caused his Essence Soul to begin transforming as his spirit and body gradually fused as one, turning him into a Skyimmortal.

His Skyimmortal aura released.

"Ninth Hong, congratulations on successfully surviving the tribulations to become a Skyimmortal. Now, you share the same age as the heavens and there will be more catastrophes in your long life." Qin Yun went forward to congratulate him. Yi Xiao also went forward with a smile. "Ninth Hong, congratulations. You really left Eighth Zhu in the dust and became a Skyimmortal first."

Ninth Hong was beaming at the moment as he flew over. He immediately bowed deeply. "It’s all thanks to Brother Qin Yun and you that I, Ninth Hong, can have such an achievement today."

"We did not do much. It’s only three books," said Yi Xiao. Qin Manor currently had a huge stockpile of treasures, manuals, and pills. Although the treasures were things they did not really use, the ones placed in their family’s vault could match the wealth of an ordinary half-step Golden Immortal. Qin Yun and Ninth Hong had an extraordinary relationship, so he agreed to allow Ninth Hong to choose any three books.

"The Dao is not something easily instructed. It’s already a huge opportunity for me to obtain three pinnacle Skyimmortal realm manuals," said Ninth Hong. "My achievement today is all thanks to these three manuals."

Qin Yun also felt happy for Ninth Hong.

But then, he thought about himself...

"I wonder when I can figure out a Skyimmortal Dharmic formulation," thought Qin Yun.

Although he was presently pondering over his Sword Dao constantly and occasionally ruminated over a sword immortal Skyimmortal Dharmic formulation and had a version in mind, it was just too crude. There was a high chance of failure if he attempted to make a breakthrough.

Any of the breakthroughs involved in creating a Skyimmortal Dharmic formulation and obtaining a Golden Immortal Dao fruit would increase his strength drastically, but they were all extremely difficult things to him.

******

In the void of the Tenebrous Fiend Abyss, there was a massive array formation.

Bojia came over while stepping across the void.

"Halt." A figure materialized. It was a blood-armored Fiend Soldier.

"I wish to meet your master," said Bojia with a smile. "Please inform him."

"Master has said that he is in seclusion. He will not meet anyone," said the Fiend Soldier.

"Even me?" Bojia frowned slightly. He was a patriarch of one of the nine major clans in the Tenebrous Fiend Abyss. He was definitely one of the highest-ranked existences in the Tenebrous Fiend Abyss. He had several Ancestral Fiends under him too.

However, the Fiend Soldier bowed and said, "Master said he is not meeting anyone! When Master exits seclusion, I will pass the message for you, Patriarch Bojia."

Bojia was a little vexed, but he had no other choice.

"Remember to pass the message." With that said, Bojia returned to Bojia Palace.

(End of Volume)