Chapter 510: Mo Douguang Breaks Through

“No, compared to Senior Brother Mo, I’m still far behind.”

Chen Mobai was always quite modest in front of his own people.

And it was true; Mo Douguang was widely acknowledged as the foremost sword cultivator in the Eastern Wilderness for the past century, a true genius of the sword.

Unlike Chen Mobai, who relied entirely on empowerment and felt rather hollow.

At this point, Mo Douguang said something that surprised Fu Zongjue even more: “Nanshidao also died by my hand. You can send people to take over Hong Country’s territory.”

“Nanshidao is dead?!”

“Yes. Don’t you puppeteers always like to hide your true bodies near the battlefield for micro-management? After Junior Brother Chen cut down the Six-Armor Heavenly Soldiers with one strike, I used my sword heart to sense the surroundings and indeed found his leaked spiritual presence below. He was disguised as a rogue cultivator on the battlefield, so I went down and killed him.”

“Senior Brother Mo is incredible!”

Chen Mobai couldn't help but admire him upon hearing this.

He had been so focused on his fight with Nan Xuanjing that he hadn't noticed when Mo Douguang killed Nanshidao.

It just goes to show that once a sword cultivator reaches a certain level, killing cultivators of lower realms is truly as easy as slicing melons.

Mo Douguang shook his head, taking no credit: “If you hadn't destroyed the Six-Armor Heavenly Soldiers, I probably wouldn't have been able to kill him. For this victory, Junior Brother Chen, your primary contribution is undeniable.”

“Six-Armor Heavenly Soldiers?! Nanshidao actually managed to cultivate those!”

Fu Zongjue, standing nearby, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. As a puppeteer, the only puppetry art in the Eastern Wilderness he truly respected was the Six-Armor Mountain's legacy.

“Here, I knew you'd want this, so I found it in his storage bag.”

Mo Douguang tossed a yellowed book to Fu Zongjue, who accepted it with delight and eagerly began to read.

As he read, Fu Zongjue's expression was remarkably varied: at one moment nodding, at another frowning, then suddenly enlightened.

“What's wrong?”

“This Six-Armor Heavenly God Puppetry seems to be a different system from my Longevity Puppetry, but it also appears to be related. I need to carefully consider its profound mysteries. Moreover, compared to the Longevity Wood Dragon, the Six-Armor Heavenly Generals seem easier to master. I think if I want to become a Fourth-Tier puppeteer, I might need to shift my focus to this.”

After hearing Fu Zongjue's words, Chen Mobai and Mo Douguang were genuinely happy for him.

In the Eastern Wilderness, reaching the Nascent Soul stage was incredibly difficult.

With Nascent Soul being an extravagant hope, mastering a Fourth-Tier immortal cultivation art became the dream of Core Formation cultivators.

However, in the Eastern Wilderness, publicly, only Zhou Shengqing was a Fourth-Tier Talisman Master, and Yan Shaoyin was a Fourth-Tier Alchemist.

Becoming a Fourth-Tier puppeteer was even more challenging. After all, this immortal cultivation art was considered uncommon in the Eastern Wilderness. If Fu Zongjue hadn't invested so much effort into this skill, he might have even given up and switched to artifact forging.

But now, with the Six-Armor Mountain's legacy, Fu Zongjue saw hope of becoming a Fourth-Tier puppeteer.

“Thank you, Senior Brother Mo.”

After finishing the book, Fu Zongjue solemnly thanked Mo Douguang, who shook his head and, in turn, cupped his hands towards Chen Mobai.

Mo Douguang said, “I should be thanking Junior Brother Chen. The Purple Radiance Sword Canon showed me the path forward.”

Chen Mobai replied, “I'm also very pleased that I could help Senior Brother Mo.”

Mo Douguang stated, “I'll leave the battlefield clean-up to you. I'm heading back to Golden Light Cliff now.”

After saying this, Mo Douguang suddenly threw his Longevity Sword towards Chen Mobai, who caught it with a surprised expression: “Senior Brother Mo, what is the meaning of this?”

“My master left me three strands of Primal Chaos True Qi back then so I could comprehend the Primal Chaos Dao Fruit.”

“One strand merged into my body, one was refined into this Longevity Sword, and another remained in the Primal Chaos Stone.”

“The Primal Chaos Stone is the core of Golden Light Cliff's formation and cannot be moved. So, you can take this Longevity Sword and study it for now, though the Primal Chaos True Qi within this sword has been somewhat tainted by my essence, qi, and spirit. If you have time in the future, you can come to Golden Light Cliff to comprehend the most pristine Primal Chaos True Qi left by my master in the Primal Chaos Stone.”

While Mo Douguang was speaking, Fu Zongjue also transmitted a message to Chen Mobai, explaining why Mo Douguang was giving him the Primal Chaos True Qi to comprehend: it was in gratitude for the Purple Radiance Sword Canon Chen Mobai had given him.

“Isn't the Primal Chaos Dao Fruit only cultivable by those with Heavenly Earth spirit roots?”

Chen Mobai asked, somewhat puzzled after hearing this.

“That's the orthodox cultivation method. My master had another hypothesis back then and chose me, but I swore a Dao-heart oath before him regarding these matters, so I cannot tell you the details.”

By saying these things, Mo Douguang was essentially treating Chen Mobai as his most trusted confidant.

Chen Mobai nodded after listening, then raised the Longevity Sword with both hands, intending to return it: “This sword is Senior Brother Mo's life-bound artifact, and my spirit root is fire-attributed, so I cannot cultivate the Primal Chaos Dao Fruit. Please take it back, Senior Brother Mo.”

He was clear about his own talents. If he truly wanted to reach the Nascent Soul or even Spirit Transformation stage, it would be best to focus entirely on the Pure Yang Scroll.

After all, with this immortal sect's Spirit Transformation cultivation method, as long as he had enough spirit stones, there was hope for breakthroughs and advancement.

It was most suitable for him.

Even if he were to divert his attention to the Primal Chaos Dao Fruit, it would only be when his cultivation reached a bottleneck and he couldn't break through, at which point he might consider exploring other paths to try and comprehend it.

“Junior Brother Chen truly has the temperament of a sword cultivator. His sword heart is pure and unstained by dust.”

Fu Zongjue couldn't help but praise him upon hearing this.

Mo Douguang was also taken aback, then seemed lost in thought, standing motionless in a daze.

About a quarter of an hour later, a loud laugh rang out.

The aura around Mo Douguang seemed to break through a certain limit, expanding nearly twofold in an instant.

The Longevity Sword in Chen Mobai's hand also hummed softly and flew back into Mo Douguang's grasp.

Then the flying sword sliced through the air, unleashing a pure, clear sword light that sent shivers down Chen Mobai and Fu Zongjue's spines, instantly slicing off the top of a small mountain nearby.

“Congratulations, Senior Brother Mo, on your cultivation breakthrough!”

A radiant light flickered in Chen Mobai's eyes as he congratulated Mo Douguang with a joyful expression.

“It was only with your guidance, Junior Brother Chen, that I could realize this. I discovered that for the first half of my life, I was trapped by my master's Primal Chaos Dao Fruit, and my sword became impure. Now that the burden on my sword is gone, I've finally overcome the bottleneck and entered the late Core Formation stage.”

Mo Douguang, whose face was usually serene, couldn't help but burst into laughter after breaking through his bottleneck.

Fu Zongjue, standing beside them, listened with a mix of emotion and shock, both happy for Mo Douguang and awestruck by Chen Mobai's astonishing talent in the Way of the Sword.

This junior brother not only made rapid progress in his own sword cultivation, but his every casual movement was in harmony with the sword heart. He even enabled Mo Douguang, who had been stuck at a bottleneck for decades, to achieve a breakthrough in a single day. He was truly the embodiment of the Way of the Sword in the mortal realm.

“This... it's all Senior Brother Mo's own understanding, a result of his astonishing talent.”

Chen Mobai, however, waved his hands repeatedly, indicating it had nothing to do with him, but the other two only took it as modesty.

“Junior Brother Chen, come to Golden Light Cliff when you have time. I'm going back to secluded cultivation to consolidate my realm.”

Mo Douguang was not a man of many words; he preferred to remember kindness in his heart. Since Chen Mobai didn't want the Longevity Sword, he thanked him again, then turned and flew back to Northern Abyss City.

Before leaving, he summoned a Golden Light Cliff Foundation Establishment cultivator, gave a few instructions, and then vanished from everyone's sight via a teleportation array.

“Senior Brother Mo is truly a sword cultivator.”

Seeing Mo Douguang's carefree demeanor, Chen Mobai couldn't help but remark.

“Senior Brother Mo left too quickly! I was originally thinking of letting Golden Light Cliff take over Hong Country's territory. Our Divine Wood Sect is running a bit short on manpower.”

Fu Zongjue shook his head as he watched Mo Douguang depart.

The Divine Wood Sect originally controlled four countries. After annihilating Shake Mountain Peak, they gained Yan Country and Xiao Country. Because they were contending with the Southern Profound Sect here, nearly a third of the sect's and its subordinate forces' Foundation Establishment cultivators had been dispatched to this region over the past decade or so to consolidate their territory.

Now, if they added Hong Country, they would have to send many more Foundation Establishment cultivators to suppress Six-Armor Mountain. Fu Zongjue genuinely felt they had too much territory and were stretched thin.

These were all fortunate troubles.

However, even if he suggested it, Mo Douguang definitely wouldn't agree.

This was because Golden Light Cliff lacked talent for management. Even Feng Country, under their direct control, yielded little profit. If not for a spirit stone mine and some other ore veins, they probably wouldn't be able to provide cultivation resources for their disciples annually.

Currently, most of Golden Light Cliff's annual income came from their share of profits from the Divine Wood Sect.

Accustomed to receiving resources effortlessly each year, the sword cultivators of Golden Light Cliff were even less willing to go out and manage affairs.

Anyway, they were experts at killing, so they just needed to be called whenever there was a need for it.

After Mo Douguang left, the Golden Light Cliff team leader in Northern Abyss City was a Foundation Establishment cultivator named Ning Leshan.

Chen Mobai actually knew this person. Back on Azure Light Island, he had been under Ning Leshan's command, resisting demonic beasts alongside Qi Rui and others.

He hadn't expected that the Foundation Establishment sword cultivator, once seemingly out of reach, now respectfully bowed to Chen Mobai, addressing him as “Ancestor.”

“Greetings, Ancestor Chen. Before Ancestor Mo departed, he instructed us to obey your every command.”

“No need for such formality. When I was a rogue cultivator, I even received your protection. Do you remember?” Chen Mobai was very pleased to see Ning Leshan with his three long whiskers. The higher one's cultivation, the more one enjoyed recalling the past.

“This... please forgive my poor eyesight, but I don't recall when I might have met Ancestor Chen?”

Ning Leshan, however, couldn't remember at all. After all, at that time, he had only paused in mid-air for a moment to say a few words to Wang Yuanwu, the Divine Wood Sect leader. As for Chen Mobai and the other rogue cultivators nearby, he hadn't even paid them any attention, so he had no memory of them.

“Cloud Dream Marsh, Azure Light Island. You were only at the Mid Foundation Establishment stage then, and now you're at the Late stage. No wonder Senior Brother Mo had you lead the team. Keep cultivating diligently, and perhaps in the future, I can address you as Junior Brother.”

Chen Mobai recounted their first meeting, speaking to Ning Leshan with an encouraging expression.

Upon hearing this, Ning Leshan first realized, then looked at the refined young man before him with a horrified expression.

Just over twenty years ago, this Ancestor Chen was actually just a rogue Qi Condensation cultivator!

Ning Leshan had prided himself on his excellent talent for breaking through to the Late Foundation Establishment stage in these past years, even hoping to reach Core Formation.

Who would have thought that what he had dreamed of achieving his entire life, Ancestor Chen had accomplished in just over two decades.

And from Qi Condensation to Core Formation, spanning two major realms.

Is this... a peerless genius of the Way of the Sword?!

For the first time in his life, Ning Leshan felt profound admiration for someone's talent, like gazing up at a towering mountain.

Mo Douguang was also formidable, but by the time Ning Leshan began cultivating, Mo Douguang had already reached Core Formation. And from Ning Leshan's own entry into Qi Condensation and then Foundation Establishment until now, Mo Douguang had remained at Core Formation.

Ning Leshan believed that given enough time and resources, he could reach, or even surpass, Mo Douguang's realm.

But as for Ancestor Chen before him, Ning Leshan felt that even if he expended ten or a hundred times the resources, he would likely only be able to glimpse his back, never to truly surpass him.

If he had known this, he should have paid more attention back then. For such a peerless genius of the Way of the Sword, joining the Divine Wood Sect was a waste; only by coming to their Golden Light Cliff could his true brilliance be fully displayed.

Just as Ning Leshan was regretting his oversight, Fu Zongjue walked in. After the great battle, he had led the Divine Wood Sect's allied cultivators to clear out the remnants of the Southern Profound Sect.

Unfortunately, the opposing forces were all cunning individuals. Seeing Nan Xuanjing killed and Zhao Xuankang flee, they immediately scattered and fled.

The Southern Profound Sect members had even used pre-arranged teleportation arrays to escape back to Baose Market City. By the time Fu Zongjue pursued them, those people had long since vanished without a trace, taking most of their spirit stone resources with them.

Relying on his Core Formation cultivator's divine sense, Fu Zongjue pursued in one direction and caught up with two Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Southern Profound Sect, ruthlessly dealing with them.

However, Fu Zongjue had no interest in bullying the weak. After killing the two, he handed over the pursuit to Zhou Wangshen and the command of the cultivator army to Yue Zutao, then returned himself.

“Junior Brother Chen, you're familiar with this area. How about you handle the clean-up here, and I'll make a trip to Hong Country to pressure Six-Armor Mountain and acquire their puppetry legacy?”

Although Fu Zongjue had obtained the most profound puppetry art of Six-Armor Mountain, some foundational puppetry legacies were essential for him to fully comprehend and master it.

Six-Armor Mountain's legacy was far older than the Five Elements Sect's. Their research into the Six-Armor Heavenly God Puppetry was certainly more thorough than Fu Zongjue's alone. If he could plunder these and add them to his own puppetry knowledge system, Fu Zongjue would be even more confident in becoming a Fourth-Tier puppeteer.

“Senior Brother Fu, please go ahead. Do you need to bring some people?”

“Yes, I'll take some Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Punishment Hall and the Puppet Division to assist. However, with Nanshidao dead, if Six-Armor Mountain's sect master is wise, they should open their gates wide and offer all their puppetry legacies when I arrive. That way, I might even be pleased enough to spare their lives.”

As Fu Zongjue laughed heartily, Quan Shanlin, the deputy hall master of the Punishment Hall, An Jinghui, the head of the Puppet Division, and four other Foundation Establishment cultivators had already arrived outside the door.

Once his personnel were assembled, Fu Zongjue wasted no time and flew directly towards Hong Country, which bordered Yan Country.