Chapter 512: Zhou Shengqing’s Entrustment

Upon Chen Mobai’s return to Giantwood Ridge, he immediately sensed the continuous surging of the Grade 4 spiritual vein there. It felt as if it were being swallowed by an invisible black hole, ceaselessly channeling energy towards the Longevity Wood, where Zhou Shengqing was in secluded cultivation.

As the rich spiritual energy surged, showers of rain occasionally fell from the sky. The rainwater, imbued with abundant vital energy, landed on the spirit plants. The newly sprouted buds gradually turned tender green and vibrant, bursting with life. This was an unusual phenomenon caused by Zhou Shengqing absorbing the essence of water energy, signifying that his *Scripture of Eternal Youth* had reached the eighteenth level of completion. He was just one successful Nascent Soul formation away from entering the nineteenth level.

When Chen Mobai arrived, he felt a vast and boundless spiritual power covering the void near Zhou Shengqing's secluded cultivation spot. This spiritual power alone was already at the Nascent Soul level.

"Senior Brother Zhou." Chen Mobai stood before the Longevity Wood at the center of Giantwood Ridge and bowed to Zhou Shengqing, who was seated cross-legged above.

"Junior Brother Chen, you truly worked hard in this great battle against the Nanxuan Sect. If you hadn't formed your Golden Core and returned in time, I might have had to come out of seclusion by now."

Zhou Shengqing was at a critical juncture of Nascent Soul formation and couldn't move. However, as long as the process of shattering the Golden Core to form the Nascent Soul hadn't begun, there was still room to turn back. Nevertheless, Golden Core cultivators in the Eastern Wilderness who could reach this stage were few and far between. Even if it meant failure and death, they would grit their teeth and move forward without hesitation.

"Without the sect's support, I wouldn't have reached the Golden Core realm, so there's no talk of hardship," Chen Mobai replied. He had deep feelings for the Divine Wood Sect. As he spoke, he inquired about Zhou Shengqing's Nascent Soul formation progress.

"The spiritual energy has accumulated to overflowing. With just a thought, I can shatter my Golden Core and begin forming the Nascent Soul. However, once this step is taken, the hope of success is slim," Zhou Shengqing explained. "I was originally worried that if I failed to form the Nascent Soul, Junior Brother Fu alone wouldn't be able to sustain the Divine Wood Sect. I even left a last will, instructing him to return to the Five Elements Sect with Junior Brother Mo after my demise. But now that you've formed your Golden Core, even if I die, with both of you, the Divine Wood Sect will still be able to stand firm in the Eastern Wilderness. I can finally let go of all distracting thoughts and wholeheartedly take this final step."

As Zhou Shengqing spoke, his tone was filled with relief. Chen Mobai, standing below, met his gaze and couldn't help but feel a touch of pride in his heart. After twenty-three years of diligent cultivation under the protection of the Divine Wood Sect, he had finally become a pillar of the sect. From now on, it would be his turn to protect the sect.

Chen Mobai was still a very responsible person. He believed that the Divine Wood Sect deserved great credit for his achievements. Since he had received the sect's favor, he felt an obligation to repay it once his cultivation bore fruit.

"Senior Brother Zhou, please rest assured. As long as I live, the Divine Wood Sect's legacy will not perish in my hands," Chen Mobai stated firmly.

"Junior Brother, I understand your intentions. Take this letter," Zhou Shengqing said. He had watched Chen Mobai cultivate to his current realm step by step. He never doubted Chen Mobai's loyalty and even felt that, despite his youth, this junior brother was more reliable in his conduct than Fu Zongjue.

"Senior Brother, this is..." Chen Mobai received a letter that Zhou Shengqing flicked out from his sleeve, and his expression became puzzled. Was it a last will?

"This is a letter of apology and repentance for Zhou Ye," Zhou Shengqing explained. "In the future, if the Xuanxiao Dao Palace truly sends a massive army and you and Junior Brother Fu cannot stop them, take the sect and this letter to seek refuge with the Five Elements Sect. Also, please take my ashes back and place them next to my master's tombstone." This was the worst-case scenario. Even with Chen Mobai's Golden Core formation, the alliance of the Divine Wood Sect and Golden Light Cliff had no guaranteed victory against the Xuanxiao Dao Palace, a major Nascent Soul sect.

Zhou Shengqing was determined to shatter his Golden Core and form a Nascent Soul. This was the most intense method of Nascent Soul formation; once this step was taken, failure meant death. Even if he stopped halfway, he would at most linger for a few more days. This was also the retreat Zhou Shengqing carved out for the Divine Wood Sect with his dignity and potential death.

"Senior Brother's cultivation is profound; you will certainly succeed in forming your Nascent Soul," Chen Mobai declared. Upon hearing this, and understanding Zhou Shengqing's painstaking efforts, he immediately spoke words of encouragement.

"I have a Nascent Condensation Pill left by my master, two sets of insights on Nascent Soul formation, and on top of that, Junior Brother, the *Azure Emperor's Scripture of Eternal Youth* you obtained from the Longevity Sect. Compared to other Golden Core cultivators in the Eastern Wilderness, my chances of forming a Nascent Soul are already very high," Zhou Shengqing revealed another secret.

A Nascent Condensation Pill!? This was a pill Chen Mobai had never heard of, but its name alone suggested it was a miraculous elixir that aided in Nascent Soul formation. As expected of the direct disciple of Patriarch Hunyuan, Zhou Shengqing even possessed such a treasure.

Just as Chen Mobai was thinking about how truly abundant the resources were in the Sky River Realm, Zhou Shengqing had already laid out all his thoughts regarding the current situation that he had pondered during his seclusion.

"As for the Xuanxiao Dao Palace, Junior Brother Chen, you don't need to worry too much. Patriarch Jinfeng doesn't have much lifespan left, and every time he takes action now, he shortens his remaining years," Zhou Shengqing said. "If he truly comes to the Eastern Wilderness, with the help of Giantwood Ridge's grand formation, we can at least deplete over a decade of his lifespan. Such an uneconomical endeavor, even if he were willing, the elders of Xuanxiao Dao Palace would not agree to it. However, since you did kill Nan Xuanjing, the Xuanxiao Dao Palace, for the sake of its reputation, will certainly send Golden Core cultivators to seek revenge. By then, they probably won't resort to simple and crude methods of warfare as they are doing now. But that's not a big deal. If I form my Nascent Soul, they will have to roll back the way they came. If I die, then you can surrender the Rainbow, Rock, and Sky Nations to the Xuanxiao Dao Palace. If they push their luck, then at most, surrender the Thunder, Cloud, and Rain Nations as well. Just keep Jian Kingdom and Giantwood Ridge. Among your generation of disciples, although Yin Qingmei and Hong He's aptitudes are inferior to yours, they also have good prospects of forming Golden Cores. Endure until all of you have formed Golden Cores, and by then, Patriarch Jinfeng will also have died of old age. Then, one by one, uproot the Xuanxiao Dao Palace's influence in the Eastern Wilderness and reclaim all the territory that was taken from our sect."

Zhou Shengqing's words were truly insightful. After hearing them, Chen Mobai couldn't help but admire. The best strategy he had devised to counter the Xuanxiao Dao Palace, based on his studies of governance and warfare at the Heaven-Mending Dao Institute, was precisely this.

"Senior Brother's words, I have noted them down."

"Junior Brother, I won't be able to attend your Golden Core formation ceremony. Consider this gift as my congratulatory present." Just as Chen Mobai was bidding farewell and preparing to leave, Zhou Shengqing again flicked down a wooden box. Chen Mobai solemnly took it and thanked him respectfully.

After returning to his Longevity Wood cultivation ground, Chen Mobai immediately opened the wooden box. Anything given by Zhou Shengqing before his Nascent Soul formation must be his most prized possession, or perhaps the Divine Wood Sect's most valuable treasure.

"This... indeed, these are precious good things..." Chen Mobai looked at the four booklets inside the wooden box and couldn't help but smile wryly.

They were Zhou Shengqing's compiled inheritances for Talisman Masters from Grade 1 to 4, two sets of insights on Nascent Soul formation, and his complete understanding of the *Scripture of Eternal Youth* along with his thoughts as he lingered at the threshold of Nascent Soul formation. For the Divine Wood Sect and even the entire Eastern Wilderness, these were truly the most valuable treasures. If Yan Shaoyin were to trade them for the Heaven Valley's resources, he would likely be tempted. But for Chen Mobai, these were like tasteless chicken ribs – useful but not particularly desirable. As for insights on Nascent Soul formation, he could get as many as he wanted from the Immortal Sect. The Talisman Master inheritances were even less significant; the Immortal Sect even had Grade 5 ones.

Only the last booklet was somewhat useful to Chen Mobai. After all, the *Scripture of Eternal Youth* was undoubtedly the Divine Wood Sect's most profound foundational cultivation method. Furthermore, it had been personally cultivated by Zhou Shengqing and revised to combine with the original *Azure Emperor's Scripture of Eternal Youth*, making it the most suitable wood-attribute cultivation method for current practice. Although the Longevity spiritual power in Chen Mobai's body had been dissolved by the Two Phases Technique, if he wished to continue cultivating the Longevity Dao Body, he would still need to combine it with the *Scripture of Eternal Youth*. In fact, if the opportunity arose in the future, he might even need to find a way to re-cultivate the *Scripture of Eternal Youth*. This was because only by combining Longevity spiritual power and the Longevity Dao Body could one master the "Longevity Technique," one of the twenty-four great arts of the Longevity Sect. This was a secret longevity-extending technique that even a soaring mighty figure like True Monarch Yiyuan had painstakingly cultivated.

With this thought, Chen Mobai read through the *Scripture of Eternal Youth* that Zhou Shengqing had re-revised. This seemed to be the original version that Patriarch Hunyuan had imparted to Zhou Shengqing, and it contained a preface. It stated that after Patriarch Hunyuan obtained True Monarch Yiyuan's Dao Fruit inheritance, although he grasped all the profound meanings of the Hunyuan Dao Fruit, he still needed to cultivate the five-element spiritual power in the order of five-element generation and transformation to re-circulate and evolve the Hunyuan True Qi. Patriarch Hunyuan himself cultivated the Wutu True Art. Later, he collected cultivation methods for the other four elements. Among them, the wood-attribute *Scripture of Eternal Youth* was what he found in Giantwood Ridge, in accordance with True Monarch Yiyuan's inheritance. This *Scripture of Eternal Youth* was a simplified version that True Monarch Yiyuan had personally created after cultivating the Longevity Technique. Finding this ancient grand art too abstruse and difficult, he used his own cultivation and wisdom to break it down and provide step-by-step initiation instructions. Patriarch Hunyuan found it in Giantwood Ridge, cultivated it to Golden Core perfection, and then accepted Zhou Shengqing as his disciple, passing it down to him.

The preface concluded: "The Longevity Technique is the foundational method of the ancient Longevity Sect. It is said that upon mastering it, one can receive transmission from a Heavenly Venerate. If my disciple can successfully form a Nascent Soul in the future, they may attempt to merge the *Scripture of Eternal Youth* with the Longevity Dao Body and explore the secret realm for traces of the Heavenly Venerate." This was the last sentence left in Patriarch Hunyuan's preface. Chen Mobai recalled Zhou Shengqing's excited expression when he offered him the *Azure Emperor's Scripture of Eternal Youth*, realizing that Zhou Shengqing had clearly learned about it from this very source.

But this Heavenly Venerate was no good thing! Chen Mobai remembered his encounter before the Grand Dao Tree and couldn't help but narrow his eyes. Back then, the Grand Dao Tree couldn't do anything to the Purple Lightning Sword. Now that he had formed his Golden Core and could wield the Purple Lightning Sword with greater power through the human-sword unity, could he perhaps re-explore the most mysterious part of this divine tree's secret realm?

However, after thinking it over carefully, Chen Mobai decided it was better not to be arrogant. He was now an Ancestor of the Divine Wood Sect, commanding the territories of the Seven Eastern Wilderness Nations. In the future, spiritual stones and other resources would continuously gather in his hands. As long as he cultivated systematically using these resources, combined with the knowledge inheritance from the Immortal Sect that surpassed this realm by several dimensions, he was guaranteed to at least reach Golden Core perfection and possess the Nine Yang Body. He was already on a broad and prosperous path, so there was no need to take risks for a potentially faster but uncertain shortcut.

With his thoughts clear, Chen Mobai continued reading. After Zhou Shengqing's revision, the *Scripture of Eternal Youth* was indeed more refined and detailed than the version he had previously obtained from the sect's library. In addition to adding techniques like the "Spirit Light Myriad Transformations Art" and the "Spirit Light Weapon Assimilation Art," it also included some powerful spells and secret arts from the *Azure Emperor's Scripture of Eternal Youth*. Zhou Shengqing even added conjectures for the twenty-first level, theorizing that this cultivation method could be practiced up to the late Nascent Soul stage. Of course, whether it could truly be mastered still needed verification. He hoped that the one to verify this would be Zhou Shengqing himself.

After finishing reading, Chen Mobai offered another wish, then proceeded to read through the Talisman Master inheritances from Grade 1 to 4 and the two sets of Nascent Soul formation insights. Although the content was somewhat rudimentary, some of the knowledge still enlightened him. After committing it all to memory, Chen Mobai placed the items back into the wooden box.

Within the Divine Wood Sect, inheritances above Grade 3 were personally safeguarded by Golden Core cultivators. Zhou Shengqing had previously given a copy of these to Fu Zongjue. Coupled with the *Crimson Flame Sword Art* and Golden Core formation insights he had previously imparted to Chen Mobai, it could be said that all of the Divine Wood Sect's accumulated knowledge and resources had been laid bare before him. In the future, if the sect were to decline, these could be auctioned off.

After putting the wooden box into his storage bag, Chen Mobai suddenly had a rebellious thought, but he immediately shook his head. Although he came from the Immortal Sect and never hoarded knowledge, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Since Zhou Shengqing had entrusted these items to him, he had an obligation to preserve them and pass them on to Yin Qingmei or Hong He once they formed their Golden Cores in the future, thus fulfilling his duty of transmitting the Dao. However, his thought wasn't wrong either; these items, especially the two sets of Nascent Soul formation insights, would be fiercely contended for by all Golden Core cultivators in the Eastern Wilderness. He only hoped that the Divine Wood Sect would never have a day when it needed to sell these items.

Thinking this, Chen Mobai took out the original *Crimson Flame Sword Art* that Zhou Shengqing had given him. Although he had formed his Golden Core with the Pure Yang Scroll, in the Sky River Realm, he still needed to feign proficiency in the *Crimson Flame Sword Art*. It was said that this cultivation method had some connection with the Sunbathing Sea. It was precisely because of this that Patriarch Hunyuan and Patriarch Baiwu of the Sunbathing Sea had an encounter that led to an acquaintance. The latter initially mistook the former for having secretly learned their superior sect's cultivation method. After Patriarch Baiwu was thoroughly beaten, the misunderstanding was resolved, and the two surprisingly became fast friends despite their age difference. The patriarch of Sunbathing Sea also came from a major sect in the Eastern Land, which was said to have been a sacred land with a Spirit Transformation cultivator presiding over it thousands of years ago, named the Scorching Heaven Pure Land. Unfortunately, during a great catastrophe, the Spirit Transformation cultivator perished, and this sacred land was torn apart. A portion of the disciples fled to the Barren Ruins and established the Sunbathing Sea.