The main problem is that he is currently unable to condense the Nine Nether Ice on his own. Furthermore, the ice he obtained earlier has already been refined into the Yin-Yang Taiji Diagram and integrated into his demiplane. Therefore, he cannot use that divine power to encounter enemies for the foreseeable future.
Lu Xuan had also wanted to forge a set of natal magic weapons, the kind that could be both offensive and defensive. He envisioned a pair of magic weapons similar to the Sun and Moon Essence Wheels in the Legend of Shushan. However, over the years, he hadn't found materials that satisfied him. Therefore, the matter was shelved.
The magical artifacts he currently possesses are primarily support-oriented. The Five Elements Mirror was one of the earliest artifacts he developed. As the name suggests, it's a balanced artifact, used for defense against attacks of the five elements, while also capable of unleashing attacks with the effects of the five elements.
It wasn't exactly top-tier, but it was still on par with Lin Jingyu's Ice Blade and Zeng Shushu's Xuanyuan Blade from the original story. However, this magical artifact has now been completely destroyed.
Moreover, the red light remained powerful, heading straight for Lu Xuan's face. He formed a hand seal in mid-air. A vortex appeared in the middle of his left hand. The vortex, like some bottomless pit, directly swallowed the beam of red light.
The red light lasted only a short time before disappearing completely. But Little Gray's transformation was not over. The opening of its third eye was just the beginning. Its entire body was constantly changing.
Its originally gray fur began to faintly gleam, and its body swelled slightly, but did not become excessively large. Lu Xuan's eyes, which had been sealed by magic, were now fully open. Little Gray was already highly intelligent, and after activating the bloodline of the Three-Eyed Monkey, its eyes shone with a human-like radiance.
More importantly, a tremendous spiritual pressure emanated from the little creature. Lu Xuan could only conclude that Xiao Qing, Xiao Bai, and Xin Shisi Niang, the three demons, all possessed superior bloodlines. Among them, Xin Shisi Niang had the highest talent, followed by Xiao Bai, and then Xiao Qing. But even the weakest, Xiao Qing, had her own destiny to cultivate spiritual connection.
However, the talents of those three were far inferior to that of this monkey. As a legendary spirit creature in the world of Jade Dynasty, this little thing possessed the best talent Lu Xuan had ever seen.
Lu Xuan was uncertain about the Blackwater Serpent's talent. That thing had lived far too long, already reaching the limits of this world; its talent was no longer relevant. Even if its original bloodline was just that of an ordinary black serpent, it had now created a completely new divine beast bloodline.
The surrounding array shattered completely under Xiao Hui's spiritual pressure. Xiao Hui stood up like a human and gently bowed to Lu Xuan. Then, it opened its mouth and uttered a few words with some difficulty.
"Thank you...my mentor...for...my...approval!"
This thing can talk now. It's practically indistinguishable from a human in terms of consciousness. The only thing that bothers Lu Xuan is that it doesn't seem to have any sense of transforming into human form. But that's okay; once it can understand human speech, cultivation will be much easier. Lu Xuan believes that one day, this guy will transform.
In the following period, Lu Xuan, Xiao Qing, and Xiao Bai went into seclusion to help Xiao Hui stabilize his condition. Only after his bloodline was completely stable did the three of them finally emerge from seclusion. By this time, Xiao Hui's cultivation level had already approached that of Xin Shisi Niang, the most powerful demon, and was comparable to a Golden Core cultivator.
Bloodline awakening, reaching the Golden Core stage in a single day. Lu Xuan could only say that demons do have their advantages, especially those descendants with human bloodlines. Once awakened, they can roam freely across the world. At least in this world, Golden Core level demons are basically untouchable. As long as they don't court death, the three major sects won't easily provoke them.
Lu Xuan also tested Xiao Hui's third eye's supernatural power multiple times. It was undeniably an incredibly powerful ability. Its destructive power, especially against magical artifacts, was truly astonishing. This piqued Lu Xuan's curiosity, reminding him of the eyes he had seized from the evil cultivator on Mount Kongsang.
These eyes, now partially transformed into magical artifacts, are called Crimson Demon Eyes or Blood Demon Eyes, and their effect is specifically to destroy magical artifacts. Thinking of this, Lu Xuan decided to take some time to study this supernatural power.
Furthermore, the red light is merely the ultimate supernatural power of the Third Eye. This eye also possesses many other extraordinary uses. For example, the most basic is the ability to see a thousand miles away—literally, a thousand miles. With a single blink of this eye, Little Gray can see scenes a thousand miles away. It can even directly see through some magical restrictions, invisibility, ghosts, and other special forms.
In addition, Little Gray himself directly mastered the Five Elements Divine Powers. That's right, the Five Elements Escape Techniques that Zhang Xiaofan hadn't even mastered a single move of, this monkey learned them all in a single day. However, he wasn't yet proficient in using them. Besides escape techniques, he could also directly use some Five Elements spells to fight enemies. These were all memories inherited from his bloodline. After his bloodline awakened, he mastered them all overnight.
Xiao Bai, Xiao Qing, and even Xin Shisi Niang were extremely jealous of this. Because, to this day, they hadn't awakened any special magical abilities. It could only be said that their ancestors were just ordinary demons, nothing of note.
Lu Xuan, however, felt that the true great demons of the Liaozhai world had probably already been absorbed into the fold. Very few of their bloodlines remained outside. But this world was different; its cultivation world exhibited a distinctly barbaric state. That's why top-tier bloodline descendants like Xiao Hui could emerge.
After emerging from seclusion, everyone first celebrated for Little Grey. Then they received a report from their disciples.
In the wild west, a divine light shines brightly, seemingly indicating the imminent appearance of a great treasure. Legend has it that all the major sects in the world are already eager to claim their share.
Lu Xuan immediately knew that the Heavenly Emperor's Treasure Vault from the original story was about to appear in the world.
Speaking of the treasure trove of this world, it exists only in legend within the world of Jade Dynasty. However, the true identity of the so-called Heavenly Emperor and the era he lived in remain unknown. This precisely proves that the cultivation world of Jade Dynasty exists in the second, or even third, stage.
Moreover, besides the spiritual herbs and elixirs that would allow Little Grey to evolve, the Heavenly Treasure Vault also contained the second volume of the Heavenly Book. Furthermore, the very existence of the Heavenly Treasure Vault itself greatly intrigued Lu Xuan. Therefore, he gave the order without hesitation.
"Since a treasure has appeared, it will naturally be obtained by the capable. Let's set off immediately for the desolate lands. The Heavenly Emperor's Treasury, our Hidden Immortal Sect will take it."
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Chapter 435 Death Swamp
The news of the Hidden Immortal Sect's re-emergence reminded the entire cultivation world of the time when they were intimidated by Lu Xuan. The Hidden Immortal Sect had been in seclusion for ten years, just as the entire cultivation world was breathing a sigh of relief, but now they were about to re-emerge.
............
At the foot of Qingyun Mountain, there was a tavern where traveling merchants would rest. An elderly man with an air of otherworldly wisdom and a lively young woman sat in the middle of the tavern. Behind them, a cloth banner leaned against the wall, bearing the four large characters "The Immortal Points the Way." Around them, a dozen or so patrons listened intently to the old man's tale.
"Speaking of the biggest event in the cultivation world in the past ten years, it was the great battle in front of the Hidden Immortal Sect ten years ago. And speaking of which, the Hidden Immortal Sect is not far from here, only about two hundred miles away."
The people around were immediately confused.
"What kind of sect is this Hidden Immortal Sect? I've only heard of the immortals of the Azure Cloud Sect in this area."
"Don't rush, let me explain slowly. This Hidden Immortal Sect was originally a secluded sect. Do you know what a secluded sect is? It's the kind that avoids the world and focuses solely on cultivation. In fact, they've only been in the market for a little over ten years now."
"So the great war you mentioned, is it related to them?"
"It's more than just related. That great battle involved twenty-one righteous sects from all over the world besieging the sect leader of the Hidden Immortal Sect. Among them was the Azure Cloud Sect on this mountain."
"Even the immortals from the mountains have gone? What heinous crime has the Hidden Immortal Sect committed that has angered both heaven and man?"
"...Well, this is a terrible thing, really. Since the Hidden Immortal Sect entered the world, they haven't really done anything evil. They even participated in the campaign to suppress evil cultivators in Kongsang Mountain. But the problem is that the Hidden Immortal Sect is an ancient sect. They disdain the rules of the righteous path. Do you know what they did?"
The old man stopped halfway through his story, then started to keep everyone in suspense. One of the drinkers couldn't hold back any longer.
"Shopkeeper, bring me a pot of good tea."
Now the old man finally felt comfortable. He put on airs and took a leisurely sip of tea. Then, under the murderous glares of the surrounding patrons, he continued speaking slowly.
"The sect leader of the Hidden Immortal Sect had a personal disciple named Zhang Xiaofan. This Zhang Xiaofan was extraordinary; he had a renowned title in the cultivation world: Daoist Duobao, also known as Young Master Duobao. What does 'duobao' mean? Most ordinary cultivators only have one natal magic weapon, or at most one auxiliary magic weapon. But Zhang Xiaofan had a whopping twenty-one magic weapons."
Twenty-one items! These aren't ordinary swords and blades; they're magical treasures capable of soaring through the heavens and plunging into the earth, slaying demons and monsters. He alone obtained twenty-one of them. Even a small, ordinary sect couldn't gather that many magical treasures. Tell me, what kind of treatment is this?”
"Hiss..." The surrounding audience gasped in shock.
Seeing the stunned expressions on everyone's faces, the old man seemed quite pleased. He cleared his throat and continued his story.
"That great battle was instigated by this sect leader's personal disciple. Actually, he didn't do anything that would anger heaven and man. He just fell in love with a demoness from the Demonic Sect, Biyao, the daughter of the Ghost King Sect, the head of the four major sects of the Demonic Sect."
The Hidden Immortal Sect, being an ancient sect, completely disregarded the trivial rules of the present day. They actually directly acknowledged this relationship and even went to the Ghost King Sect in a grand ceremony to propose marriage.