Chapter 475 - 436: 2 Chen Families

Chapter 475: Chapter 436: 2 Chen Families

"Excellent," Xu Lingtian said, his face full of praise. "The Great Dao is deceptively simple. All things are connected."

"A cultivator’s Golden Core and the art of Alchemy share a similar principle."

"When a Pill Master refines pills, their ultimate goal is to create one with Pill Patterns. And among those, a pill with three patterns is considered the most superior."

"When a cultivator undergoes Core Formation, the Three-Nine Thunder Tribulation tempers the Golden Core. The most superior Golden Core one can form is also one with three patterns."

"In the Cultivation Immortal Realm, this is known as a Top Grade Golden Core, signifying the highest possible quality."

"Pill Patterns are a work of nature, blessed by the heavens and the earth. An injury like this would be fatal to an ordinary cultivator, but for you, there’s no need to worry too much."

As he spoke, Xu Lingtian flicked his sleeve, and a Jade Bottle flew out, landing in front of Chu Mu. "This is a secret healing elixir from our Sect. It should speed up your recovery."

"Thank you, Elder."

Chu Mu didn’t refuse. He respectfully accepted the Jade Bottle, then fell silent for a moment before asking, "If I may ask, Elder, how exactly are the Golden Core Grades classified?"

"You don’t know?"

Xu Lingtian was astonished. "How did you manage to form a Top Grade Golden Core without knowing the details?"

Chu Mu was taken aback. He took a moment to organize his thoughts before slowly explaining, "My Alchemy Skill is fairly decent, and I can occasionally refine a pill with Pill Patterns."

"On the day of my Core Formation, after I noticed the effects of the Celestial Thunder, I used an alchemy technique, treating my Dantian as a furnace..."

Even with his usually unflappable senior demeanor, Xu Lingtian couldn’t hide his astonishment after hearing Chu Mu’s explanation.

It took him a long moment to process it. He seemed to ponder this, muttering to himself, "’Using the Dantian as a furnace and the Celestial Thunder as the fire...’"

Then, Xu Lingtian’s head snapped toward Chu Mu, his eyes filled with unconcealed admiration. "You kid... your comprehension is truly Extraordinary!"

Chu Mu smiled awkwardly.

Xu Lingtian, however, was not stingy with his praise. After complimenting him some more, he took out a blank Jade Scroll, engraved something onto it, and handed it to Chu Mu.

"Do you know why I’ve come to the Vast Sea?"

Perhaps because of the Top Grade Golden Core, Xu Lingtian’s previously aloof demeanor had noticeably softened. He leaned back slightly and looked at Chu Mu as he asked.

Chu Mu answered tentatively, "Is it because of the Chen Family?"

"More or less."

Xu Lingtian nodded slightly, his gaze turning to the window with an inscrutable look in his eyes. "For the Sect, the Vast Sea... isn’t chaotic enough. And for the Chen Family, the current threat isn’t great enough."

Chu Mu probed again, "The Vast Sea in its current state shouldn’t have the power to interfere in the affairs of Great Chu, right?"

"The Chen Family isn’t as simple as they appear."

Xu Lingtian shook his head, his voice growing heavy.

"Strictly speaking, the Chen Family has been around for far longer than our Sect."

"Legend has it that back when the Ancient Immortal Dao Sect ruled the Celestial South, the Chen Family was already entrenched in the Vast Sea. To this day, their history spans far more than tens of thousands of years."

A glint appeared in Chu Mu’s eyes as he keenly picked up on a key part of that statement.

’What does he mean... "strictly" speaking?’

’Does that mean that, not strictly speaking, the Vast Sea Chen Family hasn’t been around for that long?’

Chu Mu looked at the elder before him with a strange feeling. He was likely about to learn one of the deepest secrets of the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World.

"There are two Chen Families. The one we know is the Vast Sea Chen Family."

Xu Lingtian’s voice was low, his apprehension growing more apparent.

Chu Mu was startled and uncertain. "Elder, are you saying... there are two Chen Families?"

Instead of answering, Xu Lingtian countered with a question of his own. "Do you know what choice a Demon Beast faces when it reaches Tier Four?"

Chu Mu asked, puzzled, "Transformation?"

Xu Lingtian asked again, "And why do Demon Beasts undergo Transformation?"

But before Chu Mu could answer, Xu Lingtian continued, "A Demon Beast’s Transformation is into a human form."

"It’s just like how humans cultivate a Demon Beast’s bloodline to take on its power and compensate for their own physical shortcomings."

"Likewise, a demon transforming into a human is to take on humanity’s strengths and supplement their own demonic weaknesses."

"But if they can choose Transformation, they can naturally choose not to, and instead continue the evolution of their Demon Body."

"Thus, when a demon reaches Tier Four, it has two choices. The first is to take on a human form, adopting humanity’s strengths and gaining the ability to freely switch between a human and a Demon Body."

"The second is to forgo human form and continue evolving its Demon Body, pushing its demonic power to the absolute limit and wholeheartedly pursuing an Ancestral Return through its bloodline."

"These are the purest of the Demon Race. This was the most common path of Cultivation for the Ancient Demon Race, which is why such demons are also called Ancient Wild Demon Beasts."

Chu Mu swallowed hard. He was beginning to understand.

’A Demon Beast at Tier Four must choose between transforming into a human or becoming an Ancient Wild Demon Beast. So what choice does a Bloodline Cultivator face when they reach Tier Four?’

"For a Bloodline Cultivator who reaches Tier Four, the choice is even more grim!"

As he said this, just as Chu Mu had suspected, Xu Lingtian’s voice turned chilling.

"When a human cultivates a Demon Beast bloodline, they are fated to move closer and closer to becoming a demon, until they are completely identical to the Demon Beast whose bloodline they cultivate."

"Only then will the erosion from the Demon Beast Bloodline cease."

"Even in the Vast Sea, where many Secret Skills can suppress this erosion, the fact remains that for a bloodline cultivator, every advancement in their Cultivation is another step toward transforming into a Demon Beast!"

"The path of Cultivation, whether for humans or demons, is fundamentally about the transformation of one’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit."

"Essence, Qi, and Spirit are interconnected; they are a single entity."

"So how can a Human Soul and a Demon Body ever be compatible?"

"When forming the Immortal Golden Core, the Immortal Embryo within it can gestate either a human or a demon. A Bloodline Cultivator must make this choice at Tier Three."

"If they choose to gestate as a human, then from that point on, their bloodline path must be condensed and compressed, reduced to a mere Demonic Body Refining technique. This is to ensure the purity of their human Essence, Qi, and Spirit, which in turn ensures their path of Cultivation can continue."

"But if they choose to gestate a Demon Infant, then upon reaching Tier Four, the Demon Infant will form, and the person will completely transform into a demon, becoming an Ancient Wild Demon Beast!"

"From that moment on, any children they have will not be human, but Demon Beasts!"

Chu Mu’s mouth fell open. He wanted to say something, but for a moment, he was at a loss for words.

Human, demon...

’A demon that transforms into a human is still a demon, but a human who transforms into a demon becomes a demon completely...’

After a long moment, he seemed to process it and asked with difficulty, "Elder, are you saying that besides the Vast Sea Chen Family, there is also... a Flood Dragon Chen Family?"

"The so-called Flood Dragon Race currently entrenched outside the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World is, in fact, the Flood Dragon Chen Family!"

Hearing this confirmation, Chu Mu began to understand.

All his previous questions seemed to fall into place.

The choice faced by Bloodline Cultivators had directly led to the Chen Family splitting in two.

Despite sharing the same roots, this division and the racial gap between human and demon guaranteed a rift between them.

Furthermore, the choice of bloodline was a choice between human and demon, which also determined whether the Vast Sea Chen Family or the Flood Dragon Chen Family would become stronger.

If they chose to remain human, then upon reaching the Golden Core or Nascent Soul realm, they would become a Golden Core True Master or a Nascent Soul Great Power of the Vast Sea Chen Family.

If they chose to become a demon, they would undoubtedly become a Tier Four Great Demon of the Flood Dragon Race!

This explained why the Flood Dragon Race and the Chen Family were sometimes as close as allies, and at other times hostile enemies—their relationship was completely unpredictable.

It also explained why the Vast Sea Chen Family, which had once been powerful enough to cause turmoil in Great Chu, was now suffering repeated defeats and unable to resist the Profound Serpent Race’s assault.

Once a cultivator reached the Golden Core or Nascent Soul realm, if they chose Demon Transformation, they would undoubtedly switch allegiance from the Vast Sea Chen Family to the Flood Dragon Chen Family.

This transfer was obviously a good thing for the Flood Dragon Chen Family.

They gained a Golden Core or Nascent Soul expert without having to expend any effort or resources to train them. It was an incredible boon.

For the Vast Sea Chen Family, however, this was obviously not a good thing at all.

A Golden Core or a Nascent Soul cultivator is an extremely rare asset for any major power.

Even the most powerful faction could not withstand such a vampiric drain on their strength.

Conflict was inevitable. Even sharing the same origin, they could not escape it.

They had been retreating continuously, but at Chixia, they had suddenly rallied and blocked the advance of the Profound Serpent Race. The reason for this was now also clear.

The only possibility was that the Flood Dragon Chen Family had stopped watching from the sidelines and had finally intervened.

No matter how great the rift between the two Chen Families, the blood ties from their shared origin had clearly not disappeared entirely.

’This Sword Dao Nascent Soul, by coming to the Vast Sea, clearly wants to stir up more trouble. He must have realized this and wants to create more problems for the "Chen Family," hoping the chaos in the Vast Sea will bog them down for even longer!’

The thought flashed through his mind. Chu Mu suppressed his shock and asked tentatively, "There are real... Flood Dragons in the Vast Sea, right?"

"Of course."

Xu Lingtian nodded.

"The Flood Dragon Race has always been one of the overlords of the Endless Vast Sea."

"The Chen Family’s origins, according to legend, stem from receiving the blessing of an ancient Flood Dragon."

"As far as I know, the Chen Family’s connection to the true Flood Dragon Race has never been severed."

"However, the Vast Sea is boundless. Even the true Flood Dragon Race only occupies one part of it, and their territory lies in the extremely remote Deep Sea."

"Countless powerful Demon Beast races are entrenched there, spread like constellations throughout every corner of the sea. Given the distance, it’s impossible for the two sides to have a very close relationship."

"The Flood Dragon Chen Family can be considered a completely separate branch of the Flood Dragon race..."

"The fundamental reason the Chen Family has been able to hold the Southern Border for tens of thousands of years is this very fact. One human, one demon. Although there are racial divisions and significant internal conflict, when their heritage is at risk of being wiped out, they always stand together."

"With the chaos in the Vast Sea now reaching Chixia, the Vast Sea Chen Family must have made a compromise with the Flood Dragon Chen Family."

Chu Mu asked, "Can the Profound Serpent Race withstand the combined might of both Chen Families?"

"The Profound Serpent Race alone cannot, but the Endless Vast Sea is home to more than just the Profound Serpent Race."

Xu Lingtian chuckled. "The native Demon Races of the Vast Sea already resent the Chen Family for their humans who transform into demons. Over tens of thousands of years of history, the number of Demon Races they’ve offended is simply countless..."

"As long as the chaos in the Vast Sea continues to drain the Chen Family’s attention, there will be no shortage of opportunists looking to take advantage of the situation."

"Alright, for now, this matter has nothing to do with you."

As he spoke, Xu Lingtian stood up. He watched Chu Mu and gave a cryptic smile. "I had originally planned for you to accompany me in handling the affairs of the Vast Sea. But since you’ve formed a Top Grade Golden Core, you will no longer be involved in these trivial matters."

"You should focus on your Cultivation. When you have the time, remember to report back to the Sect. The Sect’s Ninth True Inheritor has to make an appearance eventually, after all."

"The benefits afforded to a True Inheritor of our Sect are excellent. You should be able to find much of what you need in the Sect’s Treasure Vault."

Chu Mu’s heart skipped a beat. He nodded silently, not daring to say more.

"By the way, have you refined a Lifebound Treasure?" Xu Lingtian suddenly asked.

Chu Mu didn’t hide it. "I’ve refined one."

Xu Lingtian’s brow furrowed. "A Blade Intent Supreme Treasure?"

"It’s just the Lifebound Treasure described in my Fire Attribute Technique."

"That’s good."

Xu Lingtian nodded. Without asking what kind of treasure Chu Mu had refined, he began to give his advice.

"Both Blade Intent and Sword Intent are concepts of Unrivaled Attack. This intent stems from conviction and requires a state of mind that is clear, pure, and without flaw!"

"A Lifebound Treasure based on Blade Intent must also be flawless and pure!"

"If it isn’t, it will inevitably hinder the growth of your Blade Intent, which is no different from destroying your own Dao Foundation."

"You are an Artifact Refining Master. You should understand better than I do how to make a Lifebound Treasure flawless and pure."

"I understand!"

...