Chapter 289 - 114: Posthumous Child, 10-Form Inquiry Scripture! A Sudden Change

"Hooo..."

Su Bai slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

The stream of air was like a silver blade, piercing the void and stirring the residual golden mist, rumbling as it rolled into the distance.

Watching that golden Finger Seal, many people stood frozen in place, as if in a trance, feeling like it was all a dream.

The aftershocks of this clash alone could shake the mountains and rivers in every direction. Such terrifying might was beyond anyone’s imagination.

"Though I only slew a Divine Thought Incarnation this time, you must have gotten a taste of death,"

Su Bai said softly, his gaze deep and profound.

Just now, he had unleashed his Immortal Golden Body. With the fall of a single finger, he had annihilated the Leader of Gui Chen Sect’s Divine Thought Incarnation, along with the ten-thousand-zhang Black Dragon that was swooping down from the sky.

To outsiders, the entire process seemed to have taken a long time, but in reality, it was over in just three or four breaths.

...

Far outside the Prefecture City, in a patch of woodland, dozens of Gui Chen Sect followers were resting and regrouping.

After experiencing the earlier tempestuous clash, even with their not-insignificant Cultivation, they were still shaken and didn’t dare to advance.

That violent celestial phenomenon had clearly surpassed the scope of the Void Realm. How could Cultivators like them, at the Nine Tribulations Realm or Void Realm, possibly get involved?

"Besides the Mansion Master, there’s another figure like this in the Desolate State Mansion?"

Many of the Daoists felt their hair stand on end in disbelief.

While cultivation doesn’t necessarily mean one must become famous, once someone achieves the Feather Transformation Realm, it’s impossible to hide. Who doesn’t have a master, a sect, friends, or fellow Daoists?

If even one of them knew, it would be impossible for such an expert to pop up out of nowhere.

And how could Desolate Province possibly hide such a person?

One must understand that the Gui Chen Sect had branches and Daoist Temples scattered throughout the Thirteen Provinces of the World, and they secretly kept tabs on and investigated every expert.

Even though Desolate Province was the most remote province, their clandestine surveillance was still quite thorough.

Furthermore, it wasn’t just the Gui Chen Sect monitoring Desolate Province; there were other powers, large and small, such as the Wansheng Institute and the Dayu Immortal Slaughter Bureau.

"No wonder the Vice Sect Leader told us to act with caution. So there was such a terrifying Feather Transformation expert in Desolate Province all along."

Someone said with dawning realization.

At this moment, Chu Ping’s chest heaved. As he felt the powerful aura gradually recede, cold sweat dripped from his forehead.

He also felt a trace of resentment toward the higher-up who had given the order, the Vice Sect Leader Xiao Yu, and couldn’t help but curse him under his breath.

’There’s such a terrifying grandmaster in the Desolate State Mansion, yet Xiao Yu didn’t share the specific intelligence with us. He clearly doesn’t care about our lives at all.’

Hooo—

Just as a Daoist was about to agree, his heart suddenly jolted. His eyelids twitched, his pupils widened as if he had seen something, and he immediately fell to his knees.

Hm!?

Chu Ping’s heart also jolted, and he spun around to look.

A figure tore through the sky. One moment, they were more than ten li away; the next, they were right in front of them.

"Sect Leader!!"

Instantly, all the Daoists, including Chu Ping, fell to their knees. "We pay our respects to the Sect Leader!"

BOOM—

The Leader of Gui Chen Sect stood with his hands behind his back, his face somewhat pale. The air currents he stirred up followed in his wake, roaring and blasting the group of followers until they were covered in dust.

The Leader of Gui Chen Sect’s expression was indifferent. After a moment of silence, he spoke faintly,

"All of you, rise."

The group of followers then got to their feet. Chu Ping, feeling a chill run down his spine, also rose slowly, keeping his head down, not daring to look at the Leader of Gui Chen Sect before him.

The Gui Chen Sect had strict rules. Insulting the Sect Leader was a grave crime.

Xiao Yu was the Vice Sect Leader, which was still a type of Sect Leader.

He was naturally feeling guilty.

"May I be so bold as to ask the Sect Leader, has something happened in Desolate Province for you to descend here? Or is there something amiss?"

a Daoist asked cautiously, choosing his words with care.

Some other Daoists were also trying to guess the Sect Leader’s purpose. They knew that Qin Wuliang had not yet been completely suppressed, so for the Leader of Gui Chen Sect to send an incarnation at this time, it must be for an important matter.

A few followers with sharp Divine Sense had already made the connection to the earlier battle.

’But since the Sect Leader came personally, the matter in Desolate Province is surely settled.’

The Leader of Gui Chen Sect didn’t waste time with pleasantries. He said directly,

"Notify all members of our sect to withdraw from Desolate Province immediately."

"Ah!?"

The dozens of Daoists were instantly stunned.

The hearts of the few Daoists who had guessed the Sect Leader’s intentions pounded wildly.

’Could it be... that even the Sect Leader couldn’t take down that expert in Desolate Province?’

Their Heart Spirits trembled, but they dared not ask.

A Daoist who looked extremely young and extraordinarily talented couldn’t help but speak up, "Sect Leader, don’t tell me even you..."

He stopped halfway through his sentence.

Because all the other Daoists were looking at him with expressions of disbelief and pity. The Leader of Gui Chen Sect’s gaze was as cold as a winter wind, making him shiver involuntarily.

"Are you questioning me?"

The Leader of Gui Chen Sect’s eyes turned cold.

The young Daoist immediately fell to his knees in terror, stammering,

"Sect... Sect Leader, this subordinate meant no disrespect."

"Enough."

The Leader of Gui Chen Sect couldn’t be bothered to argue with a mere sect disciple. He spoke coldly, "Heed my command. Notify all followers to leave Desolate Province."

"Without my order, no one is to set foot in Desolate Province again."

After speaking, the Leader of Gui Chen Sect flicked his sleeve and departed, vanishing into the distance.

He showed no intention of lingering, flying directly toward Yu Province.

Su Bai’s guess was correct. After that single strike, the Leader of Gui Chen Sect lost a Divine Thought Incarnation and suffered a significant backlash. His true body was bleeding from his mouth and nose, and his other incarnations had all turned pale.

He would need several days to recover.

"The Sect Leader..."

In the woods, many Daoists looked at each other, seeing the confusion and terror in each other’s eyes.

Just what kind of person was the Leader of Gui Chen Sect?

Even a single Divine Thought Incarnation was enough to run rampant across the world; not even a Cultivator at the Ninth Level of Void Realm could withstand it.

Just how strong was that person in Desolate Province?

"Go! Let’s go now!"

Looking at the tranquil and serene sky in the far distance, everyone’s expression turned cold. A wave of terror washed over their hearts, and any thought of lingering vanished.

WHOOSH!

Each person used their own technique, transforming into streaks of Escape Light and disappearing high into the heavens.

...

In the small courtyard, Su Bai, having refused all visits from other Daoists, sat alone on a wooden chair.

"Leader of Gui Chen Sect..."

Su Bai murmured the name, a Divine Light flashing in his eyes.

After the battle with the Leader of Gui Chen Sect’s Divine Thought Incarnation, the man held few secrets from him anymore.

The next moment, he immersed his Heart Spirit in the Purification Tripod. On a rather large silver point of starlight, he saw the information about the Leader of Gui Chen Sect.

[Criminal: Leader of Gui Chen Sect]

[Sin Level: Nine-Star]

[Strength: Ninth Level of Feather Transformation Realm]

[Status: At Large]

[Suppression Involvement: 1%]

[Reward: 900,000 Experience Points/Hour]

Previously, by annihilating one of the Leader of Gui Chen Sect’s Divine Thought Incarnations, he had obtained one percent Suppression Involvement.

He didn’t much care for the Experience Points reward from the Leader of Gui Chen Sect. What he valued more were the man’s criminal memories.

With a single thought, vivid scenes unfolded before his eyes.

Every Feather Transformation expert has their own magnificent legend.

The Leader of Gui Chen Sect was no exception.

He was the posthumous son of a Female Evil Cultivator. With transcendent talent, he specialized in the Demon Dao and was revered as the Demon Path Divine Infant, proficient in the Cauldron Creation Power.

This man had walked his path step by step, ascending to the Feather Transformation Realm in a mere thousand years. He had dominated the world for tens of thousands of years and was one of the supreme Feather Transformation experts of the current age.

How magnificent must his life’s journey have been?

However, Su Bai had no interest in his life story.

He was more concerned with the Divine Technique the Leader of Gui Chen Sect had used earlier.

The Leader of Gui Chen Sect’s lifetime of learning was extremely eclectic. Using the Nine Techniques of Gui Chen as his foundation, he also cultivated methods from the Buddhist Sect, Demon Skills from the Demon Sect, and even the path of Incense.

Some are jacks of all trades but masters of none; others are masters of all they learn.

The Leader of Gui Chen Sect was the latter.

With the Nine Techniques of Gui Chen as his foundation, he cultivated various techniques with the momentum of a river that accepts a hundred streams. Through thousands of years of arduous cultivation, he painstakingly refined nine special Divine Thought Incarnations.

These nine Divine Thought Incarnations were different from ordinary incarnations; they were nearly independent entities capable of cultivating on their own.

The Leader of Gui Chen Sect he had seen earlier was one of these nine Divine Thought Incarnations.

The source of its existence was the Black Dragon’s Roar from the Nine Techniques of Gui Chen.

According to the Leader of Gui Chen Sect’s plan, once all nine of his incarnations reached the Ninth Level of Feather Transformation Realm, he could merge the ten bodies into one. This would allow him to break through the bottleneck of the Feather Transformation Realm in a single stroke and achieve Ascension to Immortality!

And at that time, the Nine Techniques of Gui Chen he cultivated would perfectly transform into an even more powerful Divine Technique.

The Ten Forms Inquiry Scripture!

This was the Leader of Gui Chen Sect’s greatest ambition, and also his only path to Ascension to Immortality.

If he followed the ordinary path of arduous cultivation, he would never break through to Ascension to Immortality, even if he exhausted the rest of his lifespan.

This was his only way to break through!

"Ten Forms Inquiry Scripture..."

Coming back to his senses, a thought stirred in Su Bai’s mind.

’I’m actually a little interested in this Divine Technique.’

...

"Even a Divine Thought Incarnation of the Leader of Gui Chen Sect was annihilated by that senior. This person is truly remarkable. I’m afraid even a Great Power who has just passed the Thunder Tribulation and achieved Ascension to Immortality would be no match for him."

Somewhere in the mountains, numerous injured True Masters were gathered, all expressing similar sentiments.

"Why don’t we go and ask that senior to come out of seclusion and lend Lord Qin a hand?"

a Daoist suggested.

"We can’t!"

Mu Guihai frowned. "That old dog Gui Chen’s true body is a supreme Feather Transformation expert. If you ask that senior to come out of seclusion, aren’t you just putting him in a dangerous situation?"

At these words, all the Daoists fell silent.

"Lord Qin is a ten-thousand-year-old ghost god, the closest to the Lord Venerable besides the two Venerables. Even if the Leader of Gui Chen Sect runs rampant, he might not be able to do anything to Lord Qin."

Taixu True Master offered some words of comfort, but in truth, he wasn’t confident either.

Sigh!

After a long while, deep sighs emerged from the mouths of the Daoists one by one.

...

The battle between the Gui Chen Sect and the Gui Dao Mansion continued, and it seemed unlikely a victor would emerge anytime soon.

The only tacit agreement was that both sides avoided harming innocents. Their battlefields were either in remote locations in the Outer Realm or within the illusory Incense World.

But as time passed, the Daoists of the Gui Dao Mansion were steadily pushed back, and a new change occurred.

"ROAR!!"

Under the night sky in Celestial Peace County, a roar filled with endless Evil Qi suddenly erupted:

"You have all abandoned me! I am willing to become a Demon!"

A Daoist who held a Divine Position tore through the air, wearing a crown of Incense.

At a certain moment, however, he violently tore the crown of Incense from his head. With his hair disheveled, he roared at the heavens!