A Will Eternal

Also inscribed on the jade slip was information from three deva patriarchs of the past, people who had long since perished, but who had cultivated the Sun-Moon Vast-Sky Incantation.

That information contained tips and bits of enlightenment from those three patriarchs. Most of them expressed regret at not having the full technique. One of them even pointed out that the full technique would be powerful even after breaking through to the Demigod Realm!

It truly was a domineering technique, and very different from other, ordinary deva-level Daoist magics. By refining the spiritual power of heaven and earth, one could create a sun and a moon inside oneself. When those heavenly bodies emerged out into the open, they would truly be a second sun and moon in the vast sky!

It was a level of power that was shocking to even contemplate! The technique didn’t require any specific foundation, only a deva cultivation base. It contained countless variations within it, and could be used in combination with any other technique.

The main downside was that it only consisted of the first three levels…. Furthermore, the third level had been added by a past patriarch, and was therefore a derivative technique, and not authentic. The second level was the highest authentic level in the entire technique.

Anyone who cultivated it would eventually have to change to another technique after reaching the mid Deva Realm, which was exactly what the other three patriarchs who had cultivated it ended up doing.

“None of the other techniques will work for me, so I guess I’ll pick this one…. Although it will only work for so long, considering that my apprentice is the Hell-Emperor, and an omnipotent genius, it’s always possible that I might be able to work out the higher levels on my own.” After a bit more thought, he gritted his teeth, grabbed the Sun-Moon Vast-Sky Incantation, and left the Starry Sky Pavilion.

He reappeared moments later back in his residence, where he went into secluded meditation and poured himself into the study of his new technique. The more he learned about it, the more he realized it was truly astonishing.

“This thing shouldn’t be called the Sun-Moon Vast-Sky Incantation. It should be called the Sun-Moon Super-Overpowered Incantation!

“The first three levels are devoted to summoning a moon inside oneself. After reaching the third level, that moon can emerge into the world to hang in the sky!

“The missing middle levels are about summoning a sun….

“From what I can tell, the final three levels must be about bringing both the sun and the moon out into the open, and illuminating all creation with their brilliance!” Sighing, he set to work at cultivating the first level.

In terms of the life force he needed to work on his Undying Blood, now that he had such a high status in the sect, it was easier for him to request large amounts of plants and vegetation that had life force in them.

In fact, as a prime elder, he could set sect missions for apothecary cultivators in the sect to concoct medicine for him.

Although he happened to be of the opinion that the medicinal pills concocted by others would be of lower quality, after wrestling with the issue for a while, he sighed and made up his mind.

“I can’t do the concocting myself. Whenever I do that, accidents happen. Now that the demigod patriarch is my direct superior, it would be a big headache if I caused some disaster.” It was with a bit of regret that he decided to have lower-ranking disciples do the concocting for him. One upside was that it led to large amounts of pills flowing in, and allowed him to advance by leaps and bounds with his Undying Blood.

His regret at not being able to personally make the pills could only be shoved down to the bottom of his heart.

In the blink of an eye, three months passed.

During that time, Bai Xiaochun focused only on cultivating his Undying Blood and the Sun-Moon Vast-Sky Incantation. As he did, he came to realize what it meant to occupy one of the highest positions in the sect, and have access to so many cultivation resources.

In fact, he used so many resources that, if he had been back in the River-Defying Sect, he would have bled them dry. To the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, though, such usage of resources was considered negligible.

After all, back before the Great Wall had collapsed, the resources required to man it had vastly surpassed anything that Bai Xiaochun could match. Even that level of expenditure had not been a problem for the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect’s reserves, which had been built up over tens upon tens of thousands of years.

Another thing Bai Xiaochun came to realize was that the four demigod heavenly kings in the Wildlands actually couldn’t compare at all to the demigods in the riversource sects of the Heavenspan River region, at least in terms of wealth.

The resources at the disposal of the riversource sects vastly surpassed the heavenly kings. Of course, the Heavenspan River region wasn't without its weaknesses. There was something the Wildlands had that was sadly lacking the Heavenspan River.

And that was… fighting spirit and valiance!

In the Wildlands, soul cultivators lived hard and difficult lives. In contrast, the Heavenspan River cultivators were like flowers in a greenhouse. Whether it was in terms of bravery or ambition, they didn't even come close to comparing to the Wildlanders.

Perhaps that was why the two sides had been at a deadlock for so long. Now that the Great Wall had fallen, it was difficult to say which side would have the advantage.

It was a big headache to consider the matter for even a short time. Therefore, he put it aside and focused on his cultivation.

Another thing that happened during the three months that passed was that his faction grew with shocking speed.

Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai had not wasted their years in the sect. Although they had conducted themselves with the utmost caution over the years, they had also worked hard to expand their network of contacts.

It didn’t take long for them to gather a group of disciples who had previously never had a chance to rise to prominence. They were the ones who formed the backbone of Bai Xiaochun’s faction now that he was a prime elder.

They even had nine Nascent Soul elders, one of them being Feng Youde.

There were even more Core Formation and Foundation Establishment cultivators, and overall, they formed a very powerful group. After all, Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai had gained a lot of experience back in Sky City, which they drew upon to grow their organization both quickly and with great strength.

Li Xiandao followed through with his promise of compensation. Originally, he had planned to keep things low key, but after finding out the truth of the matter, he realized that if he didn’t act decisively, the truce he had worked out would crumble, and his relationship with Bai Xiaochun would be grievously damaged.

As a deva patriarch, he had many descendants, and therefore, he acted with brutal decisiveness. The first thing he did was deliver up the head of the Nascent Soul elder who had been the primary culprit.

Then he crippled Li Yuansheng’s cultivation base and locked him up in the very same prison where Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai had been held. Bai Xiaochun had no complaints about how the matter was handled, and Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai were both quite pleased.

After all was said and done, the relationship between Li Xiandao and Bai Xiaochun ended up relatively warm, and the friction from the matter of the River-Defying Sect was smoothed over.

At the same time, because of Bai Xiaochun’s position, and the growth of his faction, there was no need for any requests or negotiations regarding his inn in Sky City. The Celestial Sky Society took the initiative to return it to him.

The Celestial Sky Society had the same boss as many years ago. Trembling with fear, he personally went to visit Bai Xiaochun to handle matters.

The man’s heart was filled with endless sighs. Never could he have imagined that the same Bai Xiaochun with whom he had squabbled over resources in Sky City would, only a handful of decades later, become the sixth prime elder in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, a person of utmost power and authority.

Bai Xiaochun had an audience with the boss of the Celestial Sky Society, but didn't say much. After all, he had learned a lot from them. In fact, it was his experiences with the Celestial Sky Society that had enabled him to deal with the Nine Serenities King’s heir apparent back in Arch-Emperor City. And it was by copying their tactics that he routed the two celestial necromancers who had plotted against him.

However, the fact that Bai Xiaochun didn’t say much in the meeting caused the man’s nervousness to mount, until he was soaked with sweat. Eventually, Xu Baocai gave him a good glare, frightening the man so much that he offered even more copious gifts of compensation than he had initially intended to. At that point, Big Fatty Zhang and Xu Baocai were finally pleased with the outcome.

More months passed.

Bai Xiaochun now had a very solid foundation in the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, and his faction was so big and powerful that people all over the Heavenspan River region had heard of them, including the other three riversource sects.

Rumors even began to spread in the Wildlands about the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect’s sixth deva, Bai Xiaochun. Many people gritted their teeth in frustration at how Bai Xiaochun seemed to move about so mysteriously. After all, he had roamed the Wildlands for many years, without a single person ever being able to track him down.

Only the most powerful elites in the Wildlands knew who Bai Xiaochun really was, and they were all shocked by the rumors. That was especially true of the Grand Heavenmaster, who was struck speechless by the intelligence reports from the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect.

Back in Giant Ghost City, the Giant Ghost King heard the news, and muttered, “The little punk didn’t even say goodbye to me when he left. Next time I see him, I’ll definitely give him a good thrashing!”

Also in the Wildlands was an illusory river high in the sky, in the depths of which was a pitch-black palace. Bai Hao was there, clad in his imperial robes and wearing an imperial crown. Normally speaking, a cold expression covered his face. However, whenever he looked in the direction of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect, his eyes shone with warmth and respect.