Chapter 356: Overwhelming Merit |
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall was shaken with shock!
Within the withered forest, everyone stared at the golden alms bowl in Chu Huaixu’s hand, looking at the Nascent Soul drifting within it. Their gazes all subtly tightened.
Even the middle-aged scholar, who usually appeared the most composed, could not help but step forward at this moment.
He stood roughly ten meters away from Chu Huaixu. Yet with a single step, as if shrinking the ground to an inch, he instantly arrived before him.
The other major cultivators were much the same, all gathering around one after another.
These cultivation powerhouses who had seen countless storms now wore varied expressions.
Even the Guardian of the Nation from Moon Country merely showed a slight “tsundere” reaction before ultimately failing to resist the “temptation,” stepping forward to observe the golden alms bowl.
Such a feat could be said to be the only one of its kind in a thousand years!
Unprecedented! Unprecedented!
The reason was simple—the golden alms bowl did not contain a soul seed, but a complete Nascent Soul!
This was vastly different from the soul seed once sealed by Zhong Ming.
The Xuanhuang Realm had always only partially understood the cultivation system of the Kunlun Grotto-Heaven.
As for the troublesome matter of the Nascent Soul, they had been even more confused.
To capture a Nascent Soul alive—its research value alone was immense!
And one must know, back when Zhong Ming sealed a Nascent Soul soul seed, what price had the Dao Gate paid?
The prodigies of that generation of the Dao Gate had nearly all perished!
How powerful had the Dao Gate been back then?
Among the Four Great Sects of the Eastern Continent, the Dao Gate could stand against three alone.
If the disciples of the Gentleman Temple from that generation were still alive, when Chu Huaixu caused trouble in Moon Country and publicly slew the Heir of Prince Rui, would there have been any need to use the Eastern Continent Token? Would there have been any need to invite the Sword Sovereign of the Sword Sect to act?
The Dao Gate had only managed to forcibly seal a soul seed after suffering severe losses.
But what about Chu Huaixu?
He was merely at the Third Realm.
No one knew how he had accomplished this.
This was a Nascent Soul of the Nascent Soul Stage!
The gathered cultivation powerhouses could not help but click their tongues in amazement.
Jiang Zhi stood there, a trace of pride appearing on his face.
There was no helping it—his precious grand-disciple had truly brought him honor.
As for his former arrogant demeanor, it had long since vanished without a trace.
“Hey! Look if you want—but don’t touch!”
Seeing Heavenly Net reach out to touch the golden alms bowl, Jiang Zhi raised his hand and slapped the back of the old man’s hand.
“Hey! You—!” Heavenly Net glared at him, somewhat speechless.
Looking at Jiang Zhi’s smug expression, Heavenly Net felt a surge of irritation.
Yet deep down, he could not help but feel a bit envious.
“If Chu Huaixu were my grand-disciple, how wonderful would that be?” this Ninth Realm cultivator thought to himself.
It had to be said—the Dao Gate truly possessed great fortune!
“Although Jiang Zhi’s generation has mostly perished, the next generation of disciples is still quite promising. And as for Chu Huaixu’s generation…”
Luo Tian could not help but glance at Xu Ziqing and Han Shuangjiang, thinking, “These two are also dragons among men!”
At this moment, surrounded by these great figures, Chu Huaixu showed not the slightest nervousness.
Instead, he returned to his usual slightly cheeky demeanor and said:
“I wonder if this disciple might once again be fortunate enough to receive an Eastern Continent Token as a reward from the Four Great Sects?”
He actually began asking for rewards on the spot.
“Of course,” the middle-aged scholar replied with a smile, finding the young man rather interesting.
However, when the Guardian of the Nation from Moon Country heard the words “Eastern Continent Token,” he could not help but feel a bit triggered.
The last time this boy used the Eastern Continent Token, he had slain Qin Xuanxiao, the Heir of Prince Rui, and even destroyed four strands of Emperor-level Divine Sense in public!
Who knew what earth-shattering act he might commit the next time he used it!
At that thought, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
There was no helping it—at present, a Sword Sovereign who had entered the Ninth Realm truly stood as the undisputed number one under heaven!
At this moment, the middle-aged scholar lowered his gaze toward the Nascent Soul inside the golden alms bowl, still harboring some caution.
In fact, the reason all these Ninth Realm cultivators had gathered so quickly was precisely because of this.
Although the Nascent Soul had been captured alive by Chu Huaixu and was currently resting quietly inside the golden alms bowl, it could not be taken lightly.
Everyone knew that while the golden alms bowl could seal a soul seed, it could not seal a complete Nascent Soul!
The middle-aged scholar looked up at Chu Huaixu and asked, “Little Friend Chu, could you tell us how you managed to seal it within this golden alms bowl?”
Yet in the next moment, Chu Huaixu spoke again—uttering something even more shocking.
And the shock far surpassed that of capturing a Nascent Soul alive.
“Very simple.”
“This junior used a few methods and has already made this Nascent Soul acknowledge me as its master.”
As soon as these words were spoken, the scene fell into brief silence.
Then even Xiahou Yue, the Guardian of the Nation who found Chu Huaixu the most irritating, could not help but exclaim:
“What?!”
He then looked at the young man with a serious expression and frowned.
“Chu Huaixu, do you realize this is not something you can joke about?”
Capturing a Nascent Soul of the Nascent Soul Stage alive—and possessing the power to destroy such a soul—was already astonishing.
But after all, everyone had personally witnessed him, under countless gazes, destroy four strands of Emperor-level Divine Sense—one of which had been the main soul—using a method no one could comprehend.
So at least they had some precedent.
But to say you enslaved it—
What kind of joke was that?
With merely Third Realm cultivation and such weak Divine Sense, how could he possibly form a master-servant contract with a Nascent Soul of the Nascent Soul Stage?
In the Xuanhuang Realm, similar master-servant contract techniques did exist, but they were regarded as evil cultivator methods.
Yet when the target became a Nascent Soul, no one bothered to argue whether it was an evil method.
People, after all, knew how to be flexible.
Bottom lines were always flexible lines.
But regardless, this defied all logic.
During the formation of a master-servant contract, Chu Huaixu should have suffered backlash!
The moment the connection within the Sea of Consciousness formed, the backlash should have struck!
Because the opposing Nascent Soul’s power was simply too vast.
Chu Huaixu glanced at Xiahou Yue. Without saying a word, he raised two fingers and gently tapped his brow.
Golden patterns began to form in the air, one end connected to Chu Huaixu, the other to the Nascent Soul inside the golden alms bowl.
He directly manifested the master-servant contract.
Xiahou Yue’s pupils shrank, and he was instantly rendered speechless.
“This…” Heavenly Net could not help but glance at the others before staring intently at the contract.
An ancient power and aura emanated from it.
They did not know what kind of power it was.
But its rank was terrifyingly high!
These Ninth Realm experts all possessed the highest-ranked power of the Xuanhuang Realm—the Power of the Origin.
Yet the ancient power within this contract was not inferior to the Power of the Origin at all!
This shocked them once again.
Xiahou Yue stared at Chu Huaixu and questioned him sternly:
“How exactly did you accomplish this?”
At once, Jiang Zhi let out a cold snort and stepped forward, shielding his grand-disciple behind him.
“Xiahou Yue, asking such things in front of everyone as an outsider—isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”
“How my grand-disciple accomplished this is none of your concern.”
“You only need to report back to your Emperor that Chu Huaixu has captured a Nascent Soul.”
“As for the rest…” he paused slightly, “no comment!”
“You—!” Xiahou Yue was furious.
But he also knew Jiang Zhi was right—his tone was simply too domineering.
This was clearly a great secret belonging to Chu Huaixu, perhaps even a secret of the Dao Gate!
He did not believe such terrifying ability was cultivated by a mere Third Realm cultivator alone.
He had heard that Chu Huaixu had entered several Dao Ancestor inheritance secret realms.
Perhaps some of his special abilities were related to the Dao Ancestor himself!
Though Xiahou Yue was from Moon Country, he still held immense reverence for the Dao Ancestor.
Some matters should indeed first be reported within the Dao Gate.
Then Xiang Yan and the others would decide what could be shared with the other Three Great Sects and Moon Country.
In this regard, the Dao Gate had always acted well—never hoarding knowledge excessively, always placing all living beings first.
Jiang Zhi swept his gaze over the crowd, feeling it was time to return to the sect.
“Let’s go. We return to the sect first.”
With a single command, they set off.
Xiahou Yue watched coldly but ultimately said nothing.
After Jiang Zhi left, the middle-aged scholar and the others exchanged glances, smiled helplessly, and quickly followed.
With both Origin Fragments and a Nascent Soul involved, escorting them was necessary.
Once they returned to the Dao Gate, there would be nothing to worry about.
After all, the Dao Gate’s Mountain-Protecting Formation had been established by the Dao Ancestor himself—its power rivaled even the Imperial Capital Grand Formation of Moon Country, which was infused with vast national fate.
Along the way, Chu Huaixu kept looking around curiously.
“What are you looking at?” Jiang Zhi asked.
“Grandmaster, I’m wondering whether people from ‘Divergent Path’ will follow us again this time,” Chu Huaixu replied.
Jiang Zhi could not help but laugh.
“With so many of us escorting you, what would be the point of them coming? How would they even dare?”
Chu Huaixu smiled and nodded, thinking it made sense. He had only asked casually to lighten the mood.
At this moment, he was in an excellent mood.
The gains from this journey were simply too great!
With an additional Nascent Soul Stage servant, the Xuanhuang Realm could comprehensively deepen its understanding of the Kunlun Grotto-Heaven—knowing both itself and its enemy.
This included their cultivation system, as well as their various plans and schemes!
A Nascent Soul Stage cultivator was already considered a high-level figure.
Chu Huaixu had indeed achieved an overwhelming merit!
This contribution was enormous!
As for himself, he still had System mission rewards yet to claim, and he was itching with anticipation.
The group flew at great speed.
By the time they reached the skies above the Dao Gate’s Gentleman Temple, Xiang Yan and the others had already come out to receive them.
They looked up and immediately saw the two Origin Fragments floating in Chu Huaixu’s hand!