Chapter 310 - 305: A Heaven Beyond the Heavens, a Person Beyond a Person

"That is indeed a problem." Du Youqian’s brow furrowed, finding the situation rather tricky.

He wasn’t afraid of Pang Master causing trouble for him, but he was afraid of Pang Master showing up while he was in the middle of his Core Formation.

With only Fang Hua to act as his guardian, it would be difficult to fend off an attack.

But finding a secluded place to attempt his Core Formation and completely escape notice would be incredibly difficult.

Even with the high standing granted by his Knowing the Celestial Mandate and his ability to obscure the heavens, which protected him from Divination, he couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t leave clues behind in other ways.

Even if he ran off to some godforsaken corner of the Hundred Thousand Mountains and extravagantly relied solely on the Spiritual Qi from Spiritual Diamonds for his breakthrough, the resulting phenomena might still attract attention.

After mulling it over, Du Youqian decided his only option was to find a Sect that could protect him and lay low for a while.

’Besides, doesn’t the Taihe Sect need something from me? They want me to cooperate with their Celestial Dao Sword Cultivator in the future to maintain the Spiritual Qi of Momenan, right?’

’In that case, I’ll just ask for a small favor in return—borrowing their territory to attempt my Core Formation. That’s not too much to ask, is it?’

If Pang Master dared to run rampant within the Taihe Sect... well, then there was probably nowhere he could hide to escape the man’s hunt.

’Pang Master probably isn’t that powerful, though,’ he reasoned. ’Otherwise, why would he have spent the last century-plus skulking in the shadows?’

Du Youqian was a pragmatic man.

Although asking the Taihe Sect for help felt a bit like losing face.

But if it guaranteed his safety during Core Formation, it was a price he was willing to pay.

’Worse comes to worst, once I reach a higher Realm in the future, I can just rewrite history a little.’

It wasn’t appropriate for Du Youqian to go alone, so he first sent Little Wukong off to play in the Hundred Thousand Mountains for a while. Then he collected Fang Hua, went to the Han Kingdom to pick up Zeng Baoming, and together they made their way to Sui Shou Mountain.

He didn’t bring Little Wukong because the Taihe Sect had over twenty Core Formation Masters, and there was a chance one of them might see through Little Wukong’s Demon Race identity.

Furthermore, the Rivers and Mountains Map was also there, so Du Youqian didn’t dare take any risks.

This wasn’t Du Youqian’s first time at Sui Shou Mountain.

His last visit, however, had been several hundred years ago when he’d slain the Great Saint Incarnation.

Outside the mountain gates, the scars from that battle had long been worn away by wind and rain.

Few people, aside from the handful of Core Formation Masters who had personally lived through that turbulent era, still knew that a Tier Six Great Power had been slain on this very spot by the Blood Slaughter Sword, his body and spirit...

’Wait a minute,’ Du Youqian thought. He remembered that the Great Saint Incarnation’s body hadn’t disintegrated at the time.

It was, after all, a Tier Six body. The Blood Slaughter Sword had first used a Blood Sacrifice to boost its power, then unleashed its Sword Intent of Slaughter to obliterate the Great Saint Incarnation’s soul, but the physical body hadn’t perished on the spot.

After Du Youqian had become one of the Living Dead, he’d sent Lin Sha, Fang Hua, and others to investigate.

They learned that when the Taihe Sect and the Holy Blood Sect later scoured the battlefield, neither had found the Great Saint Incarnation’s body. They concluded that it had been utterly destroyed, body and soul.

The Upper Grade Treasure the Great Saint Incarnation had wielded, the Bone Staff, had also vanished. It was assumed it couldn’t withstand the power of the Blood Slaughter Sword and had been turned to ash.

Presumably, Elder Blood Slaughter had fallen back into a deep slumber after executing that strike, leaving them unable to ask him what had happened.

But Du Youqian knew for a fact that the Tier Six corpse had absolutely not disintegrated at that time.

The only reason it wasn’t found was that it must have been hidden.

Du Youqian then connected this to another mystery: Pang Master’s corpse had clearly been in the underwater cavern that day, yet his own Divination told him Pang Master was not dead.

This contradiction had been difficult for him to comprehend at the time.

’Looking at it now, could there be some kind of connection between Pang Master and the Great Saint Incarnation’s corpse?’

The more Du Youqian thought about it, the more likely this seemed.

The speculation sent a storm of thoughts raging through his mind.

Seeing Du Youqian standing dazed outside the Taihe Sect’s mountain gate, Zeng Baoming chuckled. "Do the memories you’ve recovered include what happened here, You De? Are you perhaps reminiscing about that earth-shattering battle of yours?"

Du Youqian flashed a casual smile. "I remember. But you call that earth-shattering? I think I’ll do far more incredible things in the future."

Zeng Baoming let out a laugh. He clearly didn’t believe it, but there was no need to call him out on it.

Fang Hua, however, was recalling the first time she had come here and the sheer shock of the Sword Intent that had lingered in the air for so long.

’That sword strike was truly the work of a god.’

’But if it’s him... he should be able to surpass even that, right?’

’As long as he has enough time, he definitely can.’

Fang Hua stole a glance at Du Youqian before looking away. Her gaze turned cold and indifferent once more, filled with a sharp Sword Intent that dared not be met.

’I need to be a sharp Divine Sword now, to guard his Core Formation. This is no time for gentleness.’

Zeng Baoming found a contact in the Taihe Sect, a Core Formation Master who was also a True Inheritor. His Daoist name was Wu Jiu.

The Daoist names of the Taihe Sect’s True Inheritors followed no generational hierarchy, but all began with the prefix "Wu."

Upon meeting, Master Wu Jiu gave Du Youqian a long, deep look and said with a smile, "So, you are Master Baili. I’ve long admired your reputation."

It was exceedingly rare, though not entirely unheard of, for a Core Formation Master to address a Foundation Establishment Cultivator as a peer.

Du Youqian had no idea why the man was being so friendly.

It wasn’t the condescending friendliness of a superior, either; it was as if he wanted something from Du Youqian, with an attitude that bordered on ingratiating.

Du Youqian didn’t dwell on it, but he made a mental note to be cautious.

After he stated his purpose and Zeng Baoming added a few words of support, Master Wu Jiu readily agreed. He offered to lend Du Youqian a vacant cave residence fed by a Tier Two Upper Grade Spiritual Vein Branch to use for his Core Formation.

Du Youqian moved in and began to attune his body and mind in preparation for his breakthrough.

~~~~~~~

In a dark, gloomy cave, a faint light suddenly began to glow.

Five Core Formation Masters in varied attire were gathered around a Communication Array, waiting in silence.

Finally, a cold, emotionless voice spoke. "You failed again. Report. What happened?"

Hundred Refinement Master Luo Jinyu spoke grimly. "That Baili Jianxin is extremely cautious. Not only did he have Master Fang Hua, a Golden Core Middle Stage expert, accompanying him, but he also went out of his way to the Han Kingdom to get Drunk Master. With the three of them together, it would have been difficult for the five of us to gain an advantage. We never had an opportunity to strike. Once they entered Sui Shou Mountain, we had no choice but to give up."

"Is that so? Master Kuang Heng, your account."

A Core Formation Master who was portly and stout, yet not unpleasant to look at, and who wore an amiable smile, chuckled. "My Lord, Hundred Refinement Master speaks the truth. We truly had no opportunity to make a move."

The cold voice showed no anger or any other emotion; it remained impassive. "Then what is your plan? I may be peerless, but even I cannot charge into the Taihe Sect and kill someone while under the fire of their Mountain Protection Array. If I were to try, Elder Blood Slaughter and Elder Jiang Shan would be roused from their slumber and would try to slay me, even at the risk of dropping a Realm. And if we wait until that man completes his Core Formation, he will be a hundred times harder to kill."

Master Kuang Heng chuckled. "There’s nothing for it, then. I refuse to believe he’ll never be alone after his breakthrough. As soon as he’s isolated, our Master can locate him with Divination, and we’ll all swarm in and kill him. Won’t that be a fine thing?"

The cold voice was silent.

’Luo Jinyu knew perfectly well that Master Baili had some kind of supernatural protection. Though their Lord’s Divination Art was powerful, it couldn’t find Master Baili at all.’

After a moment, the voice spoke again. "Master Qingqiu, you’ve been observing this Baili Jianxin for a long time. Do you think he’s connected to that unfamiliar Core Formation Master who appeared at sea, killed Rongku and Red Jade, and forced you to flee in disgrace?"

Lin Sha’s surprise didn’t seem feigned in the slightest. "You think they’re connected, my Lord?"

The cold voice said, "Perhaps."

The connection was simple: both individuals were immune to his Divination, existing outside his calculations.

Lin Sha said, "I am ashamed, my Lord, but I have found no connection between them. This Master Baili appears to cultivate the Human Dao Sword of the Lingxiao Sword Pavilion, which is completely different from the Sword Intent of the unfamiliar Cultivator from the sea. However, since you have made this deduction, there must be a reason. I will continue to investigate."

The cold voice continued, "Baili Jianxin is unlikely to fail his Core Formation. When he succeeds and leaves the Taihe Sect, it will be up to you five to ambush and kill him. The other Core Formation Masters in the organization are occupied; only you are available."

Master Kuang Heng laughed, the fat on his face jiggling. "No matter. If Baili Jianxin is alone, the five of us are more than enough. Even with Master Fang Hua there, she won’t be able to protect him."

Then the cold voice added, "Great Dream Master, since you joined this organization, you’ve demanded many benefits, yet you’re always reluctant to contribute in a fight. This time, I expect you to show your true abilities. Otherwise, what I have given, I can also take away."

Meng Xiao replied with a pained expression, "I understand. I will serve you to the death, my Lord."

The glowing light faded, plunging the deep cavern once more into pitch-black darkness.

However, these Core Formation Masters could see in the dark as if it were day, and they could still read each other’s expressions clearly.

Master Kuang Heng looked at Lin Sha and chuckled. "Master Qingqiu, I may be some six hundred years your senior. I wouldn’t dare say I know every Core Formation Master in the world, but I know most, or have at least heard of them. This unfamiliar Core Formation Master you spoke of... with a Sword Intent so powerful he could kill Master Rongku in a single strike, yet he’s not from the Lingxiao Sword Pavilion? It’s truly hard to imagine such a person exists."

Lin Sha replied with a gentle smile, "I can understand why a Master like yourself might not be familiar with the principle that there is always a heaven beyond the heavens, and always someone stronger than the last."