78: Chapter 78 Foundation Building of Xuanhuang, The Pact with Sword Valley

Ice Soul Sword Valley, an extremely cold land in the Northern Region.

Bai Yunzhou woke up in the bone-chilling cold.

His consciousness felt as if submerged in ten-thousand-year-old profound ice, every breath accompanied by the crisp sound of shattering ice crystals.

He opened his eyes, his vision initially a hazy ice blue before gradually becoming clear.

This was an Immortal Cave entirely carved out of profound ice.

The four walls were smooth as a mirror, reflecting his pale face.

Beneath him was a crystal-clear cold jade bed. Wisps of cold air seeped through his spine into his body, strangely bringing no pain, but gently repairing his broken Meridians instead.

"You're awake?"

A cool, clear voice came from the entrance of the Immortal Cave.

Bai Yunzhou turned his head with difficulty and saw Ling Shuang dressed in white, standing outside the ice door. She held a jade tray in her hand, on which sat a bowl of steaming, cold medicinal soup.

"This is... Ice Soul Sword Valley?" Bai Yunzhou's voice was hoarse.

"Cold Jade Grotto-Heaven, the Sword Valley's healing Forbidden Ground." Ling Shuang walked in and handed the medicinal bowl to him. "Drink it. This is the 'Ice Soul Origin Returning Soup' personally brewed for you by Junior Martial Uncle Hanbing."

As the soup entered his mouth, it turned into an icy current that surged straight into his Dantian.

Bai Yunzhou trembled all over as his broken Meridians began to slowly heal under the flushing of the icy stream. Inspecting his inner self, he gasped in cold air—

The surface of his Golden Core was covered in cobweb-like cracks, looking as if it might shatter at any moment. In his Sea of Consciousness, the phantom of that Chaos green lotus had also turned dim and dull, with scorched marks appearing along the edges of its petals.

"You forcibly activated 'Qinglian: Sky Opening', causing backfire to your sword body's Origin," Ling Shuang said calmly. "If Junior Martial Uncle Hanbing hadn't used his Soul Transformation cultivation to reconnect your Meridians, you would already be a useless person."

Bai Yunzhou fell silent for a moment, then asked, "How long was I unconscious?"

"Three days."

"How is... Qingxuan Sect?"

"The mountain gate is half-destroyed, over half of the Disciples were killed or injured, but the core Legacy was not lost." Ling Shuang paused. "Senior Zhou Mu is acting as Sect Master for now, and Old Ancestor Xing Zhan is severely injured and in secluded cultivation. Senior Ye Jinglan protected your Immortal Cave and was gifted an ice soul marrow-washing pill by our Sword Valley; his cultivation is expected to recover to the Middle Stage Nascent Soul."

Bai Yunzhou breathed a sigh of relief.

He struggled to sit up, but Ling Shuang pressed him back onto the cold jade bed. "Don't move. Junior Martial Uncle Hanbing said you need at least seven days of quiet rest before you can begin repairing your sword body."

"Repair my sword body..." Bai Yunzhou's eyes flickered. "That warm, gentle power inside me, what is it?"

"Xuanhuang Origin." An aged voice came from outside the Immortal Cave.

Sword Sovereign Hanbing walked in at an unhurried pace.

Today, this Soul Transformation grandmaster was not wearing his sword robe, but only a simple ice-blue long shirt. Yet the pressure emanating from him made the chill of the entire Immortal Cave submit. Walking to the side of the cold jade bed, he extended a finger and tapped it between Bai Yunzhou's eyebrows.

"Hss—"

Bai Yunzhou felt a vast Divine Sense sweep across his entire body, as if trying to look through every single cell.

"Chaos Green Lotus Body... It truly is as I thought." Sword Sovereign Hanbing retracted his finger, a complex look flashing in his eyes. "Back then, Sword Monarch Qinglian spent a thousand years deducing it, but ultimately couldn't take that step. You, however, stumbled into it by chance, using Xuanhuang Origin to reshape your Foundation and touching the threshold of 'Chaos'."

"Senior, what is the Chaos Green Lotus Body?" Bai Yunzhou asked.

Sword Sovereign Hanbing did not answer directly, but turned to look out of the Immortal Cave.

Through the ice wall, one could see an ice Peak deep within the Sword Valley that pierced straight into the clouds. At its top was a faint green pillar of light connecting with the sky.

"Three thousand years ago, an astonishing talent emerged in the Northern Region who called himself 'Chaos Taoist'." Sword Sovereign Hanbing said slowly, "He was born with a Chaos Physique, capable of accommodating all Laws, and his cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds. Nascent Soul at thirty, Soul Transformation at a hundred, and at three hundred he had already touched the threshold of Void Refining."

"However, the Chaos Physique was too Heaven-Defying, unacceptable to the Heavenly Dao. At the crucial moment of his assault on Void Refining, the Nine-Fold Chaos Lightning Tribulation descended, blasting his body and soul into total annihilation."

"Sword Monarch Qinglian was once a Named Disciple of Chaos Taoist. Having witnessed his Revered Master's demise, he was stricken with grief. After a hundred years of secluded cultivation, he created the Qinglian Sword Canon, attempting to mimic the properties of the Chaos Physique with the 'Qinglian Sword Body'. Yet in the end, he failed to break through that barrier—"

"The Qinglian Sword Body is merely an 'imitation' and has its limits. But your sword body, after absorbing Xuanhuang Origin, lightning power, and Karma golden light, has undergone a qualitative change. If I am not mistaken, you should be able to sense... the power of more than one Law now, right?"

Bai Yunzhou was shaken in his heart.

He could indeed sense it.

In his Sea of Consciousness, besides the Sword Dao Law, there were also faint fragments of the Lightning Law and Blood Evil Law. And on the System panel, a new entry had quietly appeared:

[Chaos Green Lotus Body (Rudiment)]

[Awakening: 48%]

[Traits: Chaos Perception (Elementary), Law Affinity (Sword/Lightning/Blood)]

"This is the Chaos Green Lotus Body." Sword Sovereign Hanbing looked at him. "Though it is merely a rudiment, it already possesses the Foundation to 'accommodate all Laws'. In time, if you can gather fragments of various Laws such as Five Elements, Yin and Yang, and Time-Space, you might very well recreate the glory of the ancient Chaos Physique."

Bai Yunzhou took a deep breath. "Senior, telling me all this shouldn't be just to resolve my doubts, right?"

Sword Sovereign Hanbing smiled.

When this Soul Transformation grandmaster smiled, the chill in his eyes softened a little. "Smart. I indeed have a favor to ask of you—or rather, the Sword Valley has a request."

Raising his hand with a wave, an ancient scroll appeared on the ice wall of the Immortal Cave.

The painting depicted a massive Sword Tomb with myriads of swords standing like a forest, and in the center floated an ice-blue heart, slowly beating.

"This is the 'Eternal Sword Tomb', one of the oldest ruins in the Northern Region. It opens once every three hundred years, and the next opening is in three years." Sword Sovereign Hanbing said, "Deep within the Sword Tomb is an item called the 'bingpo sword heart', an ancient divine artifact that suppresses the Luck of the Northern Region."

"A thousand years ago, the founding Ancestral Master of my Ice Soul Sword Valley entered the Sword Tomb, saw the Sword Heart, and was imparted the Ice Soul Sword Scripture. But when the Ancestral Master left, the Sword Heart, possessing intelligence, left behind a prophecy—"

Sword Sovereign Hanbing spoke word by word:

"When the Chaos Green Lotus Body appears, blood shall overflow into a sea in the Northern Region. Only when the Sword Heart chooses its Revered Master can this tribulation be suppressed."

A dead silence fell over the Immortal Cave.

Bai Yunzhou stared at that beating heart in the painting, feeling as though his own heart was resonating along with it.

"Senior means..."

"I want you to enter the Eternal Sword Tomb three years from now and obtain the bingpo sword heart." Sword Sovereign Hanbing's gaze was sharp as a sword. "In exchange, the Sword Valley will spare no effort to help you grow and will protect the Qingxuan Sect for a hundred years before you enter the Sword Tomb."

"Also," Ling Shuang added, "the Sword Valley will gift Zhou Zhiting a portion of ice soul marrow-washing pill to help her awaken the Battle Blood Sacred Body."

Bai Yunzhou remained silent.

This transaction, to him right now, was nothing short of providing timely help in dire need.

Qingxuan Sect was severely weakened and urgently needed protection. Zhou Zhiting's Physique was also on the verge of Awakening; with the assistance of the Sword Valley's Medicinal Pills, she would certainly get twice the results with half the effort.

But... the Eternal Sword Tomb, the bingpo sword heart.

Just hearing the names, one knew that it was no benevolent place.

"Inside the Sword Tomb, what dangers are there?" he asked.

"Nine deaths, one Life." Sword Sovereign Hanbing spoke without reservation. "The Sword Tomb is the burial ground of ancient Sword Cultivators, housing countless sword spirits, sword evil, and sword demons within. Among those who entered throughout history, less than thirty percent came out alive. And as for touching the Sword Heart, in the past thousand years, our founding Ancestral Master was the only one."

"However, your Chaos Green Lotus Body might be the sole Opportunity."

Sword Sovereign Hanbing looked at him, a trace of complexity flashing in his eyes. "The Sword Heart has intelligence; no one without great Luck and great Opportunity can approach it. Your Physique... might break this limitation."

Bai Yunzhou closed his eyes.

In his Sea of Consciousness, the System panel flickered slightly:

[Triggered Opportunity Quest: Eternal Sword Tomb]

[Quest Requirement: Break through to Nascent Soul within three years, enter the Sword Tomb, and obtain the bingpo sword heart]

[Quest Reward: Chaos Qi × 3, Sword Tomb Legacy × 1, System Function Upgrade]

[Failure Penalty: Sword body shatters, all cultivation lost]

After a long time, he opened his eyes.

"I agree."

Sword Sovereign Hanbing nodded, as if having expected it long ago. He took out an ice-blue Jade Slip and handed it to Bai Yunzhou. "This is the Ice Soul Marrow-Washing Art, which can help you refine the Xuanhuang Origin and repair your sword body. In seven days, I will personally protect you."

"In three days, I will send someone to escort you back to Taixuan Holy Land. Ling Shuang will accompany you; she holds Guest Elder status in the Holy Land and can contact the Sword Valley at any time."

Having said that, Sword Sovereign Hanbing turned and left.

Ling Shuang cast a glance at Bai Yunzhou and quietly withdrew from the Immortal Cave as well.

Inside the Immortal Cave, only Bai Yunzhou remained.

He tightened his grip on that ice-blue Jade Slip, feeling the Xuanhuang Origin flowing slowly inside him as a fire gradually ignited in his eyes.

"Three years... Eternal Sword Tomb..."

"Then bring it on."

---

Three days later.

Escorted by Ling Shuang and Ye Jinglan, Bai Yunzhou returned to Taixuan Holy Land.

Zhou Zhiting was already waiting at Liuyun Peak in advance. Seeing Bai Yunzhou return, her eyes instantly turned red: "Senior Brother!"

"I'm fine." Bai Yunzhou ruffled her hair and looked toward Ye Jinglan behind him. "Old Ye, your injury..."

"Recovered seventy percent." Ye Jinglan said with a respectful expression, "Thank you, Young Master, for everything you've done for the Qingxuan Sect."

Bai Yunzhou waved his hand, turning his gaze toward the outer sect square in the distance.

The atmosphere... was somewhat off.

Though it was broad daylight, there were very few Disciples in the square. The occasional few walking past hurriedly were all looking nervous, as if guarding against something.

"While I was away these few days, what happened in the Holy Land?" Bai Yunzhou asked with a frown.

Ye Jinglan said solemnly, "Han Qiu broke through to Nascent Soul."

"So fast?" Bai Yunzhou was surprised.

"But something is wrong," Ling Shuang spoke up from the side. "I sensed his aura; it's unstable and floats, carrying a strong blood evil. He must have taken some taboo drug that burns potential to forcibly break through."

Bai Yunzhou's eyes went cold.

He recalled Old Man Xuefu and Qin Mo.

Has the Blood God Cult... already infiltrated to such an extent?

"Also," Ye Jinglan added, "more than a dozen outer sect Disciples recently went missing, all losing contact while out on missions. Law Enforcement Hall investigated without results; rumors say... they were abducted by demonic Cultivators."

Bai Yunzhou's heart stirred.

He remembered those hanging desiccated corpses inside Wanmo Cave.

"It seems I'll have to visit the Mission Hall."

The group returned to the Immortal Cave on Liuyun Peak.

Bai Yunzhou briefly informed Zhou Zhiting and Ye Jinglan about the Ice Soul Sword Valley agreement, and handed a copy of the Ice Soul Marrow-Washing Art to Zhou Zhiting. "Zhiting, this Cultivation Technique helps awaken the Battle Blood Sacred Body. Cultivate it well; I'll find a way for the Medicinal Pills."

"Senior Brother, what are you going to do?" Zhou Zhiting asked with worry.

"Take a mission."

Bai Yunzhou looked west, toward the direction of Wanmo Cave.

"Some things must be done by someone."

---

Mission Hall.

As Bai Yunzhou stepped through the hall doors, the originally noisy hall instantly fell silent.

Countless eyes fell upon him, filled with awe, curiosity, and... hidden hostility.

He walked straight toward the Mission Jade Wall, his gaze sweeping across the flickering screens of light.

[Heaven Rank Mission: Investigate Wanmo Cave Anomalies]

[Description: Wanmo Cave's Evil Qi has recently surged, suspected to be large-scale Demonic Path activity. Deep investigation required to gather intelligence.]

[Requirement: Team up with at least three Disciples of Late Stage Core Formation or higher]

[Reward: 50,000 Contribution Points, Ancient Secret Technique Chaos Scripture Incomplete Manual × 1]

[Status: Available]

Without hesitation, Bai Yunzhou reached out and pressed on that line of text.

"Wait."

A sinisterly cold voice came from behind him.

Bai Yunzhou turned around and saw Han Qiu standing at the entrance of the hall.

Compared to three days ago, Han Qiu's aura was several times stronger, but his eyes had turned blood-red, as if flames were burning deep within his pupils. A bizarre smile hung on his face, the corners of his mouth pulled wide in an inhuman arc.

"Junior Brother Bai, in such a rush to take a mission?" Han Qiu walked over at a measured pace, and the surrounding Disciples drew back one after another.

"Is something the matter?" Bai Yunzhou asked calmly.

"Three months from now, the Life and Death Stage." Han Qiu licked his lips, his voice hoarse. "We will decide both victory and defeat, and Life and death."

Bai Yunzhou looked at him as Chaos Perception quietly activated.

Inside Han Qiu's body, he "saw" a ball of wildly burning blood-red flame, with a twisted incantation seal at its center. That incantation seal was continuously devouring Han Qiu's Life force, transforming it into violent spiritual power.

Blood God Seal... indeed the work of the Blood God Cult.

"Fine." Bai Yunzhou nodded. "Three months from now, see you at the Life and Death Stage."

Han Qiu laughed, his laughter sounding like the screech of a night owl.

He leaned close to Bai Yunzhou and spoke in a voice only two could hear: "Revered Master said... your Physique is delicious. After I devour you, maybe I can break through to the Middle Stage Nascent Soul..."

Bai Yunzhou's eyes chilled.

But he didn't flare up, merely saying indifferently, "That depends on whether you have the ability."

Laughing loudly, Han Qiu departed.

The hall resumed its noisy chatter, but everyone's gaze had changed.

Bai Yunzhou accepted the mission and turned toward the team assembly area.

Song Xinghe and Deng Mufeng were already waiting there.

"Senior Brother Bai!" Song Xinghe came up to greet him. "We heard you're going to Wanmo Cave. Take us with you."

"This journey is perilous." Bai Yunzhou looked at them.

"It's precisely because it's perilous that we should go," Deng Mufeng said firmly. "We gained quite a lot in the Gloomy Forest, so it's time to test it in actual combat."

Bai Yunzhou pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. However, we need to add one more person."

He looked behind himself.

Zhou Zhiting clenched her fists, her gaze stubborn. "Senior Brother, I want to go too."

"Your cultivation..."

"I am already at Peak Foundation Establishment and can attempt Core Formation at any time," Zhou Zhiting gritted her teeth. "Besides, I have the rudiment of the Battle Blood Sacred Body, so my combat power is no weaker than Early Stage Core Formation."

Bai Yunzhou looked into her eyes and finally nodded. "Very well. But you must promise me that you will follow all orders."

"Mm!"

Team assembly complete:

Bai Yunzhou (Captain, Peak Core Formation)

Song Xinghe (Middle Stage Core Formation)

Deng Mufeng (Middle Stage Core Formation)

Zhou Zhiting (Peak Foundation Establishment)

Ye Jinglan (Middle Stage Nascent Soul Guest Elder, accompanying in secret)

That night, everyone gathered at the Liuyun Peak Immortal Cave.

Bai Yunzhou briefly informed Zhou Zhiting and Ye Jinglan about the Ice Soul Sword Valley agreement, as well as the Blood God Cult's "Blood Sacrifice Plan" and Jiuyou Blood Sea Formation.

"So Wanmo Cave might be one of the Formation cores?" Song Xinghe's face turned solemn.

"Very likely." Bai Yunzhou nodded. "Our mission isn't just to investigate, but to destroy the Formation core."

Deng Mufeng pulled out several Talismans: "These are sha-breaking talismans and aura-concealing talismans I rushed to craft overnight; they have a suppressing effect on blood evil Formations."

Meanwhile, Zhou Zhiting silently wiped a pair of gauntlets—a Low Grade Spiritual Artifact crafted from the Thunder Roc claw bones Bai Yunzhou brought back from Thunder Valley, named "Thunder Brilliance".

Deep in the night.

Elder Mo Yuan paid a quiet visit.

This monument-guarding Elder still wore that grey robe, but his gaze was even deeper than before. He handed three pitch-black sword Talismans to Bai Yunzhou:

"These are 'nirvana sword talismans' condensed with my Nirvana Sword Intent, each equivalent to a full-power strike from a Peak Nascent Soul. Use them with caution."

"Thank you, Elder." Bai Yunzhou solemnly accepted them.

Mo Yuan looked at him and suddenly sighed, "Kid, do you know that someone in the upper echelons of the Holy Land already has their eye on you?"

Bai Yunzhou's heart tightened.

"The Chaos Green Lotus Body... cannot be hidden." Mo Yuan whispered, "The perception of a Soul Transformation Cultivator is far beyond your imagination. I can tell, and others naturally can too."

"However, rest assured, with the Ice Soul Sword Valley's deterrence, no one dares move against you for now. But you must remember—"

Mo Yuan's gaze was sharp as a sword:

"Before you possess sufficient power, do not easily reveal your all."

Bai Yunzhou nodded heavily.

After Mo Yuan left, Bai Yunzhou stood alone outside the Immortal Cave, looking toward the starry sky.

In his Sea of Consciousness, the System panel flickered slightly:

[Time-Limited Quest: Destroy the Wanmo Cave Formation Core]

[Quest Requirement: Destroy the Blood God Cult Formation core inside Wanmo Cave within seven days]

[Quest Reward: Blood Law Fragment (Complete Version), Karma Golden Light × 500]

[Failure Penalty: Sword body backfire worsens]

He took a deep breath, determination flashing in his eyes.

"Wanmo Cave... then let me see what on earth you're scheming."