Nuclear-powered Sword Immortal-Chapter 609 - 601 Creation Gate

As a cultivator, Gu Jinlai acutely felt the drawbacks brought about by the lack of spiritual energy.

The path of the Innate Sacred merely reduced the oppressive force of the Heavenly Dao on him, it did not mean he could thrive in a world deficient in spirituality.

Even...

The less spiritual energy there was, the harder it became to supply the daily consumption of those top cultivators.

Fortunately, Gu Jinlai’s Eternal Furnace was renowned for its endless vitality; a single deep breath was enough to sustain his normal consumption.

For others, even those as strong as True Immortals, they probably had started to consider the issue of downgrading their consumption.

On his journey, he had seen Primordial Spirit True Monarchs riding horses for travel more than once.

Even those comparable to Devas in the Returning to Void stage or comparable to Saints in the Mahayana stage did not engage in casual midair flight; instead, they often used all sorts of valuable and exotic beasts as means of transport.

As for things like Flying Boats, massive ships?

Those were probably high-end items only affordable to the Void Immortal and True Immortals residing in the world.

It’s no wonder Jin Haoran said the Devas of the Longevity World placed in the Profound Immortal Realm could attack Mahayana Saints from the Returning Void Celestial Realm.

The cultivators in this world indeed gave off a tough vibe.

Gu Jinlai did not hurry on his way; instead, he took in the local customs to appear more like a local while managing his own cultivation system.

In doing so, a whole month passed, and he arrived at the sight of a towering city with walls that appeared to be forty to fifty meters high.

"Cliff City, finally arrived," Gu Jinlai said to himself.

He looked at the city and wondered if the Devas could cross those towering forty to fifty-meter walls.

With a flying sword, it was barely possible to fly up.

However...

Looking at the many defense mechanisms on the city walls, he felt that even the few Returning Void Celestials would likely be shot down before they could get close to the walls.

"I really wonder what the Saints of this world are like, and where they get enough materials to forge the Saint Body."

Gu Jinlai mused.

But...

It might not necessarily be the case.

He had seen more than once on his way Returning Void Celestials, even Mahayana Saints using gold in trade, as if gold was the hard currency for everyone below Void Immortal.

Considering that gold could be refined into Immortal Essence Gold...

It could not be said that this world was so poor that people were unable to make ends meet.

There were still plenty of materials that were not greatly affected by the decline of spiritual energy.

Having arrived at Cliff City, Gu Jinlai quickly sorted out the direction and soon came to the East City area, to a...

"Hm!?"

Gu Jinlai noticed the large courtyard complex before him, which seemed to have a higher concentration of spiritual energy than other places, and he carefully checked it against the information Zhao Xi had provided him.

"Jiang Family, a small cultivation family located in the East City area of Cliff City, it is right here."

As he spoke, he also glanced at the plaque above the main gate of the large courtyard—Jiang Mansion!

There’s no mistake, is there?

At this moment, some guards seemed to notice something unusual about Gu Jinlai, and considering the aura he displayed was no less inferior to that of a Returning Void Celestial, a middle-aged man who looked like the Guard Commander stepped forward with his hands clasped and asked, "This is the Jiang Mansion in Cliff City; may I know if this immortal friend is here to find someone or to visit a friend?"

"Jiang Mansion? The Jiang Mansion with Jiang Bieshan as the Family Head?"

As he spoke, Gu Jinlai recalled the information.

Jiang Family.

A small cultivation family in Cliff City with Family Head and Elders at the Primordial Spirit Realm, and has a few Core Formation, Foundation Establishment cultivators, and over a hundred martial masters in its ranks.

Yes, martial masters.

This world also possessed a pure body refinement cultivation system, namely the martial masters comparable to Foundation Establishment, the Innate Martial Masters comparable to Core Formation, and Grandmasters on par with Primordial Spirits.

Since the demon beasts of this world have been almost fully exterminated over the millennia and there is no Demon God Warrior System, Grandmaster was the pinnacle that Martial Arts could achieve.

But this is not the point; the point is that the Primordial Spirit Realm beings, who could originally serve as Family Heads or Elders, could now even be put in charge of guarding the door!?

"Family Master Bieshan retired eighteen years ago."

The middle-aged man replied, looking at Gu Jinlai, whose disguised face seemed to bear some resemblance to a certain dignitary of the Jiang family; he courteously asked, "May I know how to address this immortal friend?"

"My name is Jiang Yufeng, and I went out to seek a breakthrough in the way of the Primordial Spirit twenty years ago..." Gu Jinlai said.

Before he could finish introducing himself, the middle-aged man couldn’t help exclaiming in surprise, "Third Young Master!?"

"Hmm!?"

Gu Jinlai glanced at him.

The middle-aged man hastily gestured with an open hand, "Third Young Master!? Please come inside first, I will notify Manager Fang immediately."

"Manager Fang?"

Gu Jinlai pondered.

There seemed to be some mention of him in the information given by Zhao Xi.

About Jiang Yufeng, there was indeed such a person.

He was seeking Immortal paths overseas when a Devil captured his spirit and refined it into a Demon Path artifact.

Later that Devil was killed by a True Immortal sent by Zhao Xi to the Profound Immortal Realm, and for backup considerations, that True Immortal purified Jiang Yufeng, keeping one of his spirits.

All this had become part of Gu Jinlai’s disguise as Jiang Yufeng.

Unless commanded by a Heavenly Immortal personally, no one could see through his disguise.

Further, as time went on, once he fully merged with that spirit of Jiang Yufeng, even Heavenly Immortals wouldn’t be able to discern any anomalies in him.

The middle-aged man ushered Gu Jinlai into the parlor.

It wasn’t long before a somewhat portly old man rushed over.

When he saw Gu Jinlai, his expression was clearly very excited, "Third Young Master! It’s the Third Young Master! Has the Third Young Master returned!? That’s truly wonderful!"

"Manager Fang, you’re still in such high spirits... Eh, you’ve actually broken through to the Primordial Spirit Realm? That’s truly a cause for celebration."

Gu Jinlai, assuming the role of Jiang Yufeng, conversed with the old man, Fang Anping.

"Not as remarkable as you, Third Young Master... Could it be that the Third Young Master has achieved Returning to Void now!? I remember when you left home to gain experience twenty years ago, you were only twenty-nine. Even if you traveled abroad for twenty years, you’re only forty-nine now. Achieving Returning to Void at such an age is truly a cause for celebration, a cause for celebration indeed! The Eldest Young Master and the Second Miss will be extremely happy to learn that the Third Young Master has returned."

Fang Anping said excitedly.

"Oh, my brother has returned as well? Where are he and my second sister and fourth brother now?"

Gu Jinlai referred to the three without too much awkwardness.

He knew that Jiang Yufeng had an older brother named Jiang Yujian, a sister named Jiang Yuxue, and a younger brother named Jiang Yukong.

However, since the early passing of Jiang Yufeng’s parents, without any backing, their branch was not well-regarded within the Jiang Family.

This was also the reason Jiang Yufeng, despite having a decent talent and achieving Core Formation at twenty-nine, chose to venture overseas to seek opportunities.

In the Jiang Family, he hardly received any favoritism in terms of resources.

"The Eldest Young Master is quite impressive now."

As soon as Fang Anping mentioned Jiang Yujian, he couldn’t help but light up with excitement, "The Eldest Young Master has now become a Proving Dao Immortal, he is one of the most illustrious figures throughout the entire Baofeng Plain..."

"Proving Dao... Immortal!?"

Gu Jinlai was somewhat astonished.

Jiang Yufeng’s older brother, like Jiang Yufeng, had set out to travel at thirty-six.

Jiang Yufeng followed him, partly to learn from Jiang Yujian’s experiences.

Considering the time, he should have been traveling for about thirty years now, which would make him sixty-six years old.

But...

A sixty-six-year-old achieving Proving Dao as a Void Immortal?!

Is this some kind of cheating!?

"How could that be possible!?"

"It’s Grotto Heaven!"

Fang Anping explained, "After the Eldest Young Master left to travel, he caught the eye of the Creation Gate Sect Leader Ye Yan. After a ten-year assessment, he was taken in as a disciple by Master Ye. Over the years, with Master Ye’s unwavering support, he finally reached the realm of Proving Dao and took over as the Sect Leader of Creation Gate! Master Ye has personally declared that once the Eldest Young Master reaches the True Immortal realm, he’ll inherit the Creation Cave Heaven."

"Creation Gate?"

Thanks to three months of research on the Profound Immortal Realm, Gu Jinlai quickly recalled this sect.

Creation Gate was not some obscure and minor sect.

It might not be top-tier throughout the Profound Immortal Realm, but on the Baofeng Plain, it held a formidable reputation.

Its founder was a Heavenly Immortal Master.

The legacy of its Sect could be traced back ten thousand years.

However, since a Heavenly Immortal Master of Creation Gate fell ten thousand years ago, in the many millennia since, no second Heavenly Immortal has been born within the Sect.

Sixty years ago, the Sect even suffered a devastating internal conflict, resulting in countless casualties and leaving only Ye Yan as the sole True Immortal.

Ultimately, this sole surviving Sect Leader announced a retreat from the outside world in order to recover and rejuvenate.

Since Creation Gate possessed the power of Heavenly Dao, which allowed them to amplify their combat capabilities to match those of Heavenly Immortals, and considering there weren’t any top-tier powers on the Baofeng Plain at the time, no one dared to target Creation Gate then.

It was unexpected that they have now re-emerged.

"A Grotto Heaven with Heavenly Dao, indeed."

Upon hearing this, Gu Jinlai’s expression revealed understanding.

For the average cultivator, having the backing of a Grotto Heaven with Heavenly Dao was truly like cheating.

If Master Ye really was willing to cultivate Jiang Yujian without holding back, it was indeed possible to raise him from the Primordial Spirit Realm to Proving Dao within thirty years.

"The Second Miss is married, she became Daoist Companion to the Young Sect Master of the Yunxiao Sect and is currently residing with the Yunxiao Sect. The Eldest Young Master and Fourth Young Master are both with Creation Gate, while we stay behind at the Jiang Family to look after our ancestral business," Fang Anping gave a brief introduction before taking out a Communication Jade Token, "I will contact the Eldest Young Master right away, so that the Third Young Master can reunite with the Eldest and Fourth Young Masters."

Gu Jinlai nodded, not objecting to the idea.

At the same time, he understood why the Jiang Family, which previously had only a handful of Primordial Spirit Cultivators, could now afford to employ a Primordial Spirit expert as a Guard Commander.

When one person achieves enlightenment, even their pets ascend to heaven.

Although Jiang Yujian and the others were indifferent towards the Jiang Family, they were ultimately born into it.

Just by leveraging Jiang Yujian’s status as a Void Immortal who had Proved Dao and his identity as the Sect Leader of Creation Gate, even the slightest benefits that trickled down from him were enough to rapidly strengthen the Jiang Family, which was merely a minor cultivation family.

"Grotto Heaven! And it’s one left behind by a Heavenly Immortal, at that!"

Gu Jinlai pondered to himself, an idea forming faintly in his mind.

In the Profound Immortal Realm, the use of Spirit Mechanism and the power of Heavenly Dao had reached a pinnacle.

Having a Grotto Heaven was an entirely different matter from not having one.

Thanks to the amplification from the Spirit Mechanism, even a newly advanced True Immortal with a Grotto Heaven could, by virtue of this boost, demonstrate combat prowess comparable to a Top True Immortal, or even a Peak True Immortal.

The term Supreme True Immortal was specifically reserved for those who had cultivated to the peak in the True Immortal Realm, possessed a Grotto Heaven, and mastered the Spirit Mechanism.

If that Grotto Heaven also contained Heavenly Dao...

That would be even more incredible.

A True Immortal would be amplified by the power of Heavenly Dao to level comparable to a Heavenly Immortal.

Originally, Gu Jinlai had planned to deal with the threat of the Ten Thousand Stars Sword Sect in one fell swoop. However, due to the lack of clear direction on how to proceed, he had to temporarily suppress his intentions.

But now, the identity of Jiang Yufeng unexpectedly became tied to a legacy of Heavenly Immortal...

This presented him an opportunity to implement his plan.

For instance, by borrowing the power of Creation Gate, could he step by step swallow up the Ten Thousand Stars Sword Sect?