Chapter 583: Distributing Treasures (Part 2)

He didn’t mind appearing to get the short end of the stick by accepting these flawed High-Tier Flying Swords.

The Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword, however, was a special case. Its Origin Power had been continuously drained to sustain the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box, a Celestial Treasure, which was what left it in such a sorry state.

Otherwise, given the sword’s tier, it would never have ended up in such a pitiful state, not even in a Land of Absolute Spirit.

There were two possible reasons for the Po Jun Star Monarch’s choice.

First, he might have believed there weren’t many treasures left in the Sword-Cleansing Grotto Heaven, so he decided to secure what he could.

The second possibility was that there were certainly enough treasures in the Grotto Heaven for more than one round of picks among the five of them, so if he saw a suitable Tier Four Flying Sword, he would just grab it without overthinking.

Considering that five of the seven flying swords in the Seven Cultivator Sword Light had deviated from their paths, the second possibility seemed far more likely.

And just as he’d thought, the harvest was only just beginning.

The second fragmented space was covered in turquoise water; more than ninety-nine percent of the area was an aquatic expanse.

Only a few scattered coral reefs broke the surface, providing a place to stand and rest.

Even the largest coral reef was only a few dozen feet across, offering no room to maneuver at all.

It took the five Nascent Soul True Monarchs a full six months in this small world before Bai Zichen finally discovered a springhead, one that was constantly swallowing and spewing out immense turquoise waves.

When he reached into the springhead, a vortex powerful enough to shred Hundred-Refined Steel swirled around his arm, instantly tearing his Daoist Robe to ribbons.

But his seemingly fragile flesh collided with the Water Eye’s vortex, creating a piercing shriek, yet he remained completely unscathed.

From the Water Eye, his bare forearm slowly extracted a water serpent formed from concentrated sea essence. It was still expanding, growing larger by the second.

Within a few breaths, it had become a thousand-foot-long giant python, viciously whipping up a storm.

But in its wake, the once-turbulent Water Eye instantly grew calm.

“Hah!”

Bai Zichen channeled his True Essence, grabbed the python’s tail, and gave it a vicious crack, sending a series of monstrous, tsunami-like waves across the water.

After dozens of lashes, it finally quieted down, shrinking into a thumb-thick chain of water that coiled twice around his arm.

Separation and Union Gui Water Sword. Tier Four. Forged from Infinite Sea Water Essence Qi, with a Sword Heart integrated during its creation.

On the day of its completion, it endured a Spirit Tribulation and instantly became a Tier Four Flying Sword.

“Fellow Star Monarchs, it seems this round’s pick is mine.”

Bai Zichen received the information about the Separation and Union Gui Water Sword’s creation and nodded in satisfaction toward the other four Star Lords.

Since he already possessed multiple High-Tier Flying Swords, he wasn’t particularly demanding about the power of any single one.

After all, no matter how powerful it was, it couldn’t possibly surpass his Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword.

As long as it reached Tier Four and met the requirements for the Array Formation, it was good enough to boost the power of his Star River Sword Array.

However, this Separation and Union Gui Water Sword was unexpectedly good. It showed few signs of Acquired refinement; he couldn’t imagine how much Sunflower Water Spirit had been used to create it.

To forge a Tier Four Flying Sword like this, one would probably have to refine down more than half of the Jishui River.

In this day and age, if anyone even dared to entertain such an idea, all the Sects on both banks of the great river would set aside their past grievances and unite to fight that person to the death.

Such an extravagant method of Sword Refinement would only have appeared in the distant past or Ancient Times. In later eras, no one would ever do such a thing.

It was tantamount to uprooting the very foundation of the Cultivation Realm, and all for a single Tier Four Flying Sword.

With the cost so disproportionate to the reward, such methods naturally vanished over time.

‘It’s a pity I don’t walk the Water Element Path. Otherwise, with this sword in hand, its usefulness would be no less than one of those Great Dao True Fruits. It would be of immense benefit for mastering the application of True Intent…’

Seeing the others’ tacit agreement, Bai Zichen gave the Separation and Union Gui Water Sword a flick. Unwilling to reveal the existence of the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box, he stored the sword away in his personal Realm for the time being.

The Deity of the Moon and the others had eyes red with envy. They said nothing, but their pace quickened as they resumed their exploration.

In the next two fragmented spaces, it seemed their earlier luck had run out.

First, they discovered three Sword Pills. They were not the prized Taibai Sword Pills that aided in Sword Dao cultivation, but merely ordinary Five Metals Sword Pills forged from Geng Metal Qi.

With a bit of refinement, each could become a superior Tier Three Flying Sword.

However, compared to the Tier Four Flying Sword from before, the disparity was simply too great. The three whose turn it was remained silent, no one speaking up to make a choice.

Who could bear using their precious turn on a Tier Three Flying Sword, only to watch someone else claim a Tier Four Flying Sword later? The thought was unbearable.

‘If the Po Jun Star Monarch hadn’t been right under my nose this whole time, I’d suspect he was pulling some strings,’ Bai Zichen thought.

‘How could it be such a coincidence? Three Five Metals Sword Pills, just enough to use up the turns for the Deity of the Moon, the Jumeng Star Monarch, and the Tiann Xiang Star Monarch. Then it would be the Po Jun Star Monarch’s turn to pick again.’

After a moment of silence, it was the Tiann Xiang Star Monarch who first discovered the secret within the Sword Pills. “These three Sword Pills are interconnected. They can form a three-part array and should be considered a single item…”

“Fine. We’ll count it as one flying sword.”

The Po Jun Star Monarch exchanged a look with Bai Zichen and quickly made the concession.

‘Perhaps he doesn’t want the already fragile Star Palace to end on his watch. When it comes to the Cave Profound Godslaying Sword Scripture, the Guiding Envoys of every generation have indeed been deceiving the other Star Lords.’

As for Bai Zichen, he had just obtained a new Tier Four Flying Sword and was feeling quite satisfied.

A set of Tier Three Flying Swords, even one with the destructive power of a Tier Four, held no interest for him. In his eyes, only true Tier Four Flying Swords were worthy of being added to the next stage of his Star River Sword Array.

The three Star Lords must have discussed it among themselves, as the Tiann Xiang Star Monarch was the one who claimed the three interconnected Five Metals Sword Pills.

In the next fragmented realm they reached, their only discovery was a number of Ice Soul Snow Fruits, hanging from icicles atop a snow peak.

Eating a single fruit would allow one to comprehend a Divine Technique called Ice Soul Aurora. The technique involved gathering the world’s most ultimate yin and frigid Cold Qi. Once refined, the resulting aurora would function like a flying sword forged from pure Ice Soul Qi, possessing power equivalent to a Tier Three Flying Sword.

In other words, by spending a dozen or so years, one could obtain an Ice Element Flying Sword that was fearless of collision and damage.

For many Core Formation Sword Cultivators, this was an extremely practical Divine Technique, since refining a Tier Three Flying Sword was a considerable burden for them.

But everyone present was a Nascent Soul True Monarch, and each held a prominent status in the outside world.

Even for someone like the Po Jun Star Monarch, who had to conceal his true identity and couldn’t openly spend resources on the Sword Dao, a Tier Three Flying Sword was never something he would lack.

To them, a Divine Technique like Ice Soul Aurora was practically useless.

The only silver lining was that there were plenty of the snow fruits on the icicles, so everyone was able to receive the technique’s inheritance.

The Deity of the Moon and the Jumeng Star Monarch both showed visible signs of relief.

‘A hundred years ago, before I had gathered all twelve of my Array Flying Swords, this might have been useful… But now? I’ll just make a copy and toss it into the Transmission Hall when I get back to the Sect.’

Bai Zichen glanced over the Divine Technique. Its concept was quite novel; it seemed to have been created by a Great True Monarch of the Taibai Sword Sect. The original purpose was to solve the perpetual problem of Sword Sect Disciples having an insufficient supply of flying swords.

The end result was what lay before them now—a partial success, at best.

Just as he was shifting his attention from the Ice Soul Aurora and preparing to head to the final fragmented space, a flash of inspiration suddenly sparked in his mind.

A sudden, outlandish idea came to him—this Divine Technique might have another, entirely different use.

If his idea could be realized, this Divine Technique’s value would be far greater than even the Tier Four Separation and Union Gui Water Sword.

…

Broken walls and ruined ramparts, scorched by Demon Fire.

An overturned Pill Furnace, a collapsed Sword Pavilion, and Sword Testing Puppets strewn haphazardly across the Sword Testing Platform.

This final fragmented space was the most lived-in of all the places they had visited so far.

One could clearly see traces of Taibai Sword Sect Disciples having lived here—of course, only those at the rank of True Disciple or higher were ever allowed to enter the Sword-Cleansing Grotto Heaven.

Strangely, despite the clear evidence of a brutal battle, there wasn’t a single corpse to be found.

Outer Celestial Demons left no corpses upon death; they simply dissipated into a wisp of black smoke and returned to the void beyond the Nine Celestial Heavens.

They would wait for a cycle of tens of thousands of years, until malevolent thoughts overflowed once more, creating Outer Celestial Demons in numbers that exceeded the limit, and then they would again assault the Cultivation Realm.

But the Taibai Sword Sect Disciples must have suffered heavy casualties; it was more likely they had all perished here.

With the Sect on the verge of annihilation, it was impossible that someone would have come to clean up the battlefield and collect the bodies.

Despite this, everyone looked energized. With an Alchemy Room and a Sword Pavilion present, the odds of finding a true treasure had just increased dramatically.

The five of them exchanged a knowing glance, then each picked a direction and rushed into the area, using their own methods to search for treasures.

The Jumeng Star Star Monarch carefully turned over a Pill Furnace, pushed aside the still-steaming Fire Stones, and saw several Elixirs that had yet to be retrieved.

Suppressing the frantic beating of his heart, he feigned indifference by kicking the Pill Furnace and muttering a curse. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, he swept the Elixirs into his possession.