Chapter 228: Chapter 227: Jade Void Luofu, Dao Embryo Dharma Aspect

Within the Cyan Profound Sect.

Tianhe spoke on, revealing secret histories.

Meanwhile.

In the Central Sea Region of the Yaoguang Islands.

There was a land so vast it transcended the very concept of an island.

This was the headquarters of the Jade Void Sword Sect.

Fifth-rank Spirit Vein—Luofu Continent.

At its heart, a steep and perilous peak stood tall, piercing the sky like a blade!

On this peak, Sword Intent had settled upon every flower, blade of grass, and tree.

The Sword Intent merged with all of nature, evolving into myriad forms. Sometimes it was as chilling as the dead of winter, sometimes as tough as the solid earth, and sometimes it flowed like a ceaseless stream...

It was a dazzling display of endless variations.

Any Sword Cultivator with decent comprehension living on this mountain...

...could gain insights from the ambient Sword Intent in every moment of their daily lives!

Therefore, this Ten Thousand Peaks Mountain was revered as a sacred land by all Sword Cultivators in the Yaoguang Islands!

...

On the rear side of the mountain.

A young girl in a Daoist robe walked up the stone steps.

Her beauty was stunning, her aura transcendent. She wore an ornate and magnificent Daoist robe of black and white.

Her amber-gold eyes were indifferent, as if nothing in this world could leave a lasting mark upon her heart.

The girl in the Daoist robe moved as gracefully as a swallow. The ground seemed to shrink with every step she took, and knowing the path well, she soon arrived at a secluded pool.

She paused for a few breaths, her eyes scanning, as if searching for something.

Finally, her gaze locked on a white stone by the secluded pool. She cupped her fists and bowed.

"Master."

"Tsk, tsk... Quite incredible. Reaching the Golden Core Realm before you’re a hundred, and even attaining the state of Sword Heart Clarity. If I wasn’t being careful, even I, your master, would have been sensed by you..."

A voice filled with gratification rang out.

On the white stone, the figure of an old man with white hair, white eyebrows, and a smile playing on his lips appeared.

"Qingli, your innate talent is nearly on par with the Sword Lord’s back in his day..."

"How about it? Care to vie for the title of the next Sword Lord? Your master will support you with everything I’ve got!"

As he spoke, a roguish look appeared on the old man’s face.

"Heh... I have no interest in being the Sword Lord myself, but raising a disciple to snatch the title away... now that sounds like fun."

"Ha! If that really happened, those old coots would be mad enough to die!"

The white-haired old man burst into laughter at the amusing thought.

Watching this unfold...

Qingli’s eyelashes fluttered. A trace of conflicted emotion flickered in her otherwise indifferent golden eyes.

Of the Jade Void Sword Sect’s Nascent Soul True Monarchs, her master, Hu Guang...

...was the most eccentric and whimsical of them all!

’Or maybe... this is what they call a pure, childlike heart?’

Qingli remained silent, standing quietly.

Hu Guang didn’t mind. He chuckled and called out to Qingli.

"My dear disciple, care for some chicken?"

Out of nowhere, a bonfire had appeared on the ground.

An alluring scent of meat faintly wafted out from the earth beneath the bonfire.

Qingli’s nose twitched. A flicker of interest crossed her face, and she obediently sat down on a rock, waiting for the meal.

"Heh... It’s ready!"

Hu Guang’s palm moved slightly, and from within the earth, he pulled out a beggar’s chicken.

He gently peeled back the lotus leaves.

The golden, crisp, and tender skin gave off an enticing, fragrant aroma that would make anyone’s mouth water.

The master and disciple shared the beggar’s chicken. The atmosphere was wonderful and deeply satisfying.

As Qingli savored the delicious food, she suddenly froze.

She could feel it.

In that instant, her physical body and her Golden Core seemed to have become a little more harmonized.

Several hidden injuries, buried deep and nearly undetectable, were also healed and repaired!

The circulation of her Golden Core became smoother and more stable!

"Ah..."

’Did I... have so many hidden injuries?’

Qingli’s golden eyes shifted.

Her emotions stirred with waves of lingering fear and a touch of heartfelt gratitude.

It wasn’t hard for her to guess that this beggar’s chicken had likely cost her master many of his precious treasures, prepared specifically to mend her Dao injuries...

"Thank you, Master..."

Qingli was not one for words. She immediately stood up and bowed.

"What are you getting up for?"

Hu Guang grumbled, "Sit down, quickly!"

Qingli nodded slightly and obediently sat back down.

Hu Guang let out a breath.

The master and disciple fell silent for a few breaths.

Hu Guang sighed, glanced at Qingli, and slowly began to speak.

"You deliberately lured out a fourth-rank Transformed Great Demon and led it on a ten-thousand-li chase... using it as a whetstone, dancing on the edge of danger..."

"Yes, you succeeded."

"Instantly shattering your Heart Demon, cleaving the Thunder Tribulation with your sword, achieving a Golden Core, and slaying the Transformed Great Demon..."

"The very picture of a Sword Immortal, admired by all cultivators!"

Hu Guang’s face darkened as he spoke with anger.

"But have you ever considered what would have happened if you’d failed?"

"The life-saving sword talisman I gave you—why didn’t you use it?!"

"Do you have any idea you were set up?"

Qingli suddenly looked up.

Her golden eyes were clear and bright.

"I know."

"So... I killed them all."

"Except for one... that Golden Core cultivator. He escaped."

Qingli said.

Hu Guang fell silent for a moment. "Good. They deserved to be killed..."

"But you, my child..."

"Too rigid and you will snap; too yielding and you will be broken... *Sigh*... Never mind. You must learn to grasp the balance yourself."

Hu Guang sighed lightly and shook his head.

Then, he changed the subject.

"Using a fourth-rank great demon as a whetstone... a Golden Core of how many methods did you achieve?"

"Five methods," Qingli replied.

"Five methods..."

Even though he had some inkling, upon hearing that number, Hu Guang’s pupils still contracted!

A Five-Method Golden Core!

He couldn’t help but feel a trace of regret rise in his heart.

’A pity it wasn’t six methods...’

For each additional Divine Technique, a cultivator’s power would increase in unimaginable ways.

And three, six, and nine were each major thresholds!

’If she’d reached six methods... that would be the Dao Embryo Dharma Aspect...’

’What a pity...’ A thought crossed Hu Guang’s mind, and his gaze darkened.

Then, he chuckled at his own thoughts.

’Wait... what am I thinking?’

In the Yaoguang Islands today, a Three-Method Golden Core is already exceedingly rare. A Five-Method Golden Core is definitively in the highest echelon of the younger generation!

’So why am I still feeling unsatisfied...’

Hu Guang was left speechless. He was being too greedy...

"Forget it. Go get some proper rest."

"Enter seclusion and stabilize your foundation..."

He imparted some wisdom regarding the Golden Core Realm.

With her Sword Heart Clarity, Qingli understood. She nodded and took her leave.

...

Watching Qingli’s figure disappear.

Hu Guang’s gentle gaze turned profound.

"A Transformed Great Demon... heh?"

The place Qingli went for her training...

...it wasn’t some Barren Sea Region, but the territory of other Righteous Sects!

And the result?

A fourth-rank great demon hunted down a prodigy of the Sword Sect as if it were in unclaimed territory...

What about the Righteous Sect’s Golden Core cultivators stationed in that sea region?

Were they dead?!

As he thought of this, a cold sneer appeared on Hu Guang’s face, his killing intent glacial.

"The Treaty of the End of War is set to expire in a few decades..."

After the Reversed Moon War.

The Jade Void Sword Sect led the charge, bringing the other righteous factions together to sign the Treaty of the End of War.

The treaty restricted their naval strength, creating a balance of power that had maintained a general peace for several hundred years!

"It seems someone isn’t too keen on renewing it now..."

Hu Guang mused, his eyes dark.

The long years of peace have caused the undercurrents in the sea region to surge even more fiercely!

Especially in the last hundred years...

"The Righteous Alliance harbors treacherous intentions."

"The remnants of the Demon Palace are rising from the ashes."

"This sea region is about to be plunged into turmoil again..."

Hu Guang shook his head.

"But..." His eyes flashed, filled with absolute confidence.

"Once Qingli reaches the Nascent Soul realm, she alone will be enough to secure another thousand years of destiny for our sect!"

"These Yaoguang Islands, in the end, still belong to our Sword Sect!"