Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 684 - 679: Taoist Seed Three

Chapter 684: Chapter 679: Taoist Seed Three

At the deepest core of matter lies the door to all material essence, the gate to the very existence of everything.

Through this door, one can reach the opposite domain of existence, known as the abyss, or as some call it, hell.

Just like the Thirty-Three Heavens, each layer of the abyss can be accessed by finding the door at the limit of matter to enter the next depth.

These entries are everywhere, accessible with sufficient strength and the right level of perception.

Unlike the conditions to enter the Thirty-Three Heavens, the abyss not only requires immense power to break through the core structure of matter but also a powerful passion in perception.

Lin Xin once discussed this with his senior brother Oro during a casual conversation.

Oro mentioned it at the time.

’We can barely break through to enter the first heaven of the Thirty-Three Heavens, but the Abyssal Hell, I have never entered. It is said that one requires demon-level perception to do so.’

’Demon-level?’

’Correct, when perception reaches a certain limit, it gradually breaks through a transformation and enters a new level. This level of perception, as it can start sensing the door to the limits—the door to the abyss, is thus called demon perception.’

’Whereas in the Thirty-Three Heavens, one only needs enough strength to break the spatial structure to advance to the next layer. The requirements for these two are quite different. Unless one is a Sixth Rank Earth Immortal, ordinary cultivators can’t even find a shadow of the abyss’s door.’

Now recalling what Oro had said, Lin Xin realized just how precious this item was for cultivators, especially those practicing certain special cultivation techniques.

’The Third Abyssal Mark...’

He clearly felt the terrifying power contained within it but still hesitated to destroy it.

’Unfortunately... I currently lack the power to delve into the Third Abyss.’

He sighed. Suddenly, the light of purification spread all around him, and a pair of white wings slowly unfolded behind him.

The light of purification brightened instantly and, in just a few breaths, completely purified the darkness of the mark before him.

After all, it was only a Second Rank Taoist soldier that had evolved, so the energy concentration was not very high.

’However, should I need it, I can recreate it anytime, which is not too bad.’

With this thought in mind, Lin Xin also inadvertently smiled.

After getting a clear understanding of the evolution of the Ground Binding Spirit, Lin Xin walked directly to the third tree demon Taoist soldier.

The tree demon, sturdy like an elephant, resembled an ordinary large tree when stationary, with its body dark and dry, showing no signs of vitality.

’Master.’

This tree demon, clearly twice as soulful due to its larger soul sphere, respectfully saluted Lin Xin at that moment.

’Begin.’

Lin Xin did not waste words and told it to stretch out an arm, which he then pressed upon.

The transmission of white light began.

The evolution of the tree demon did not encounter any anomalies.

It evolved twice, each time becoming larger and sturdier, its skin tougher, and its rank directly leapt from the Third Rank to the Fifth Rank.

This was the first Fifth Rank Taoist soldier Lin Xin had created, and he was extremely pleased.

After all, he was also currently at the Fifth Rank level, and the evolved Mother Tree Guardian was supposedly one of the ultimate soldier types at the Fifth Rank according to the manual.

Its price was naturally extremely high, usually only affordable by Sixth Rank cultivators, though he had inadvertently evolved one himself.

The Mother Tree Guardian had strength comparable to the Fifth Rank of Body Cultivation, formidable recovery power, and resistant skin. Aside from its slow speed, it had practically no drawbacks.

After some testing, Lin Xin immediately designated the Mother Tree Guardian as the main defensive force of his territory.

This Mother Tree Guardian, moving slowly, could only defend fixed locations, which was perfect for planting around the periphery of the wasteland.

For several consecutive months, Lin Xin kept reinforcing the defenses of the wasteland. He planted ten Mother Tree Guardians along its edges, then dispersed the evolved Soul Reapers, ready to annihilate any minor void demon that intruded. This type of Taoist soldier was extremely efficient against weaker species, flashing by and hooking a claw to claim a life in an instant.

They were almost exclusively used for annihilating weaker void demons.

Meanwhile, the Mountain Spirit Dwarf was partly responsible for construction, while the rest Lin Xin evolved into Cores of the Melting Nucleus.

This Secret Treasure not only facilitated enlightenment but also served as an enduring power source, replacing the effect of the Burning Furnace.

Lin Xin directly used it as a dispersed energy source for the formations in the wasteland, burying it in various places.

A previous explosion had broken his formation and leaked Qi.

He needed to find a way to strengthen the defenses further.

If he wanted to attract living beings to settle, a sufficiently safe and stable environment was essential.

With the Cores of the Melting Nucleus available, unburdened by the overload of the Burning Furnace, Lin Xin prioritized this task even more.

He directly contacted Lin Youke and others through the Jade Talisman, asking them to purchase Formation Maps for him, all at the Fifth Rank level.

Lin Xin also planted the Spirit Mile Tower and directly requested to buy materials for setting up formations.

Soon, Lin Youke withdrew all the funds and purchased five Formation Maps for Lin Xin.

The functionality of the Jade Talisman was indeed powerful—as long as it wasn’t in an area with extreme interference like the Void Battlefield or too far away, communication generally faced no significant issues.

******************

The Void Spirit Tower frontline.

Within a Void Spirit Tower near the Dragon Serpent Realm.

Two middle-aged cultivators in green robes yawned as they sat at the top of the tower, guarding against any void demon spirit that approached their protective range.

The immense mana of the Void Spirit Tower illuminated all movements within a radius of several hundred Spirit Miles, revealing everything in meticulous detail.

Countless mana fluctuations surrounded the two people, converging into a semi-transparent, screen-like surveillance device.

"How much longer until the shift change?"

One of them continuously scanned with his eyes, watching the movements on the surrounding screens, casually asking.

"About half an hour. If you’re tired, you can go rest first, and I had no problems holding the fort alone for now."

The other cultivator spoke gently.

"No need." The male cultivator yawned and his gaze suddenly swept to a tiny corner of a screen, "Huh? The Class C Ninety-fourth Legion has begun to move."

"Which direction?"

"Toward the isolation zone, not sure what they’re up to."

"Observe it for a while, see if it has any intention to attack."

The two became tense, carefully watching the red dot on the screen.

The red dot, the size of a fingernail, slowed down after moving for a while.

"There’s a newly established Fifth Rank territory here, looks like they’re heading this way. Notify the lord over there."

The female cultivator instructed.

"Understood."

Because it was in the isolation zone and not within the defense range of the Void Spirit Tower, they couldn’t offer much help, but a simple alert via the Spirit Tower was still feasible.

"Class C legions... tsk, tsk,, to confront a pioneering territory in the isolation zone, seems they’re out of luck."

The male cultivator clicked his tongue.

"Class C can barely contend with Sixth Rank powers, yet they’re dispatched to confront a forward outpost in the isolation zone."

They had assumed Lin Xin’s cultivated wasteland was a temporary outpost created by monks on a sojourn and did not take it seriously.

"Record it." The female cultivator said nonchalantly.

"Right."

The male cultivator quickly pulled out a Jade Talisman to record the information and sent it out.

"Recently, it seems to be a time of many troubles. People from Shadow City seem to have started sneaking around and assassinating again, I hear many from our Green Lake Mountain have been successfully assassinated." he casually remarked as he flipped through the information in the Jade Talisman.

"Shadow City appears to have reached some agreement with the Demon God King to jointly target our Green Lake Mountain. Looks like war might break out again." The female cultivator responded.

"Seems like they didn’t get a harsh enough lesson last time." The male cultivator joked.

"We just need to do our jobs well, don’t worry about anything else." The female cultivator rolled her eyes.

********************

In the depths of the void, near the isolation zone.

An ancient sailing ship, completely black, slowly floated through the void.

A peculiar, naked man lay reclining on the deck.

The man was muscular, with silver hair. At that moment, he was resting with his eyes closed. However, the peculiar aspect was that his neck did not hold just one head but, remarkably, five identical heads of equal size.

"Brother Huanniu, you really know how to relax." A figure cloaked in black suddenly appeared at the edge of the ship.

"Wang Zhu? Is it time for you to sweep this side?" the five-headed man opened his eyes, speaking in a cold voice.

"No, it’s a designated assassination order from Wang Zhu. He requests Brother Huanniu to take care of a Green Lake Mountain cultivator nearby named Lin Sherie."

The cloaked figure flicked his hand, and immediately a piece of jade flew out, landing silently beside the five-headed man.

"This is the location and information."

"Lin Sherie... hmm... I’ve heard of him. He’s the True Disciple of the realm master of the nearby Dragon Serpent Realm, just like that Suhor, frequently foiling the plans for this district." The five-headed man frowned. "But killing him now is very risky. With the protection of the Dragon and Serpent, I can’t succeed."

"He began performing a ritual, right there in the isolation zone."

The cloaked figure spoke softly.

Huanniu pondered for a moment, looking down in silence.

After a brief pause, he slowly raised his head, his five heads shook simultaneously, producing a series of cracking sounds as if limbering up.

"Since he has started the ritual, then he can only fight to the death, that makes it easier. But the Dragon and Serpent will definitely have a backup plan."

"Don’t worry about that, we will coordinate with you. Three Void Shadows are coming to act together, plus you, it’s absolutely foolproof!" The cloaked figure added. "This time we will also have Void Demon Spirits cooperating with us."

"Three Sixth Rank..." Huanniu narrowed his eyes, "A hunting squad? Coming from the north?"

In recent times, the northern territories of Green Lake Mountain experienced numerous assassination cases ranging from Fourth to Sixth Rank, all targeting core disciples of Green Lake Mountain. Were they organized by these squads?

He speculated.

"Just some temporary hands pulled in for the task. Additionally, these few people, after killing Lin Sherie, you guys will take care of them together. The payment will be directly given to the three Void Shadows."

The cloaked figure spoke softly, flicking another piece of jade over.

"Accepted." Huanniu assessed Wang Zhu’s usual generosity and nodded. With his Sixth Rank Origin Earth Realm cultivation, not to mention the small fries of the Fifth Rank, even if a clone of the Dragon and Serpent personally came, he still had a chance to escape, so safety was not a big issue.