Chapter 507: The Burning Eye
Chapter 507: The Burning Eye!
If Jiang Chen had been nothing more than an ordinary Spirit Farmer, few within the sect would have ever spared him a second glance.
For one, cultivators possessing high aptitude and innate talent were hardly a rarity.
Furthermore, the sect had no shortage of disciples boasting formidable backgrounds and noble pedigrees.
Setting everything else aside, the two hegemonic powers within the Spirit Farm-the Zhao Clan and the Wang Clan-each harbored multiple candidates entirely capable of replacing him.
Yet, before the Farm Master departed from the sect, he had pulled significant strings, securing Jiang Chen a direct apprenticeship under the Peak Master of Green Wood Peak-the ultimate authority overseeing the Spirit Farm.
With that single maneuver, Jiang Chen was elevated from a disposable mid-level overseer into a figure that the vast majority simply could not afford to provoke.
Bei Qingtang’s continued patronage was not merely born of fellow disciple camaraderie; her primary objective was to ensure their Master could break through to the Soul Formation stage without disruption.
Should he succeed, the status of his direct disciples would naturally skyrocket alongside him.
By then, no entity within the sect would dare cross them, let alone actively seek their ruin.In plain terms, the mounting pressure and troubles aimed at Jiang Chen had been filtered through multiple layers; his Senior Sisters and Senior Brothers had intercepted the brunt of them.
Thus, while his daily life seemed fraught with endless complications, he had never truly been in mortal peril.
Only now did Jiang Chen fully grasp the depth of his Senior Sister’s meticulous planning. “You have my word. I will execute the mission with absolute precision.”
Bei Qingtang exhaled softly, the tension bleeding from her shoulders. “It is good that you understand. The moment you forge your Golden Core-even if it is merely a Human-Grade Golden Core-Master and the rest of us possess the authority to shelter you indefinitely.”
Jiang Chen gave a firm, resolute nod.
……
……
“Fellow Daoist Zhao, you are behind schedule today. Did your flight artifact shatter in transit?”
“Heavens, you haven’t heard? The dueling platforms are drowning in blood today!”
“I do not squander my focus on the arenas. What occurred?”
Noting the delayed arrival of Zhao Chengdao and his cadre, Jiang Chen offered the mildest of sarcastic jabs.
Zhao Chengdao’s expression was grim. “Another corpse.”
Jiang Chen paused. “Explain.”
Zhao Chengdao lowered his voice. “And it did not happen at the peripheral stages of the Flower Sea or the Black Lake. The killing blow fell upon the Golden Core platform at Fire Peak. A Human-Grade Golden Core cultivator was struck down.”
Although Golden Cores were divided into three grades, and Human-Grade was the lowest and easiest to form,
It was still a true Golden Core; they were inherently difficult entities to kill.
Furthermore, the grand arenas at Fire Peak were meticulously maintained by sect elders and woven with high-tier defensive Formations, ensuring a virtually impenetrable safety net.
Casualties had previously occurred at the Qi Condensation arenas in the Flower Sea and the Foundation Establishment platforms at the Black Lake. Fire Peak had remained pristine, its reputation built on that absolute security.
Jiang Chen could not mask his incredulity. “A fatality at Fire Peak? And it was a Golden Core?”
Zhao Chengdao grimaced. “The duel escalated. True killing intent was unleashed. Once the match concluded, the losing Human-Grade Golden Core refused to swallow the humiliation. He attempted an ambush off the platform and was systematically slaughtered in retaliation.”
Jiang Chen’s gaze sharpened. “Identify the combatants.”
Zhao Chengdao’s tone was heavy as lead. “Zhao Lie of the Dragon Tiger Immortal Sect, and Fang Fei of the Cold Spring Sect.”
Jiang Chen’s eyes widened slightly. “I remember Zhao Lie. A hulking brute standing ten feet tall, wielding cultivation at Golden Core Perfection?”
Zhao Chengdao nodded rapidly. “Exactly. That very Zhao Lie. Rumor dictates he intends to break through to the Nascent Soul stage the moment this Thousand Sect Dharma Assembly concludes.”
Jiang Chen swept his gaze over the man before him, a weary sigh escaping his lips. “Your Old Mo family lineage is truly terrifying. First Zhao Lie, then Zhao Wuji-absolute monsters, the lot of them.”
Zhao Chengdao forced a hollow smile. “Within the Dragon Tiger Immortal Sect, and our native territory at large, the Zhao surname is merely commonplace. It is the dominant regional clan.”
Historically, the Dragon Tiger Immortal Sect served as the state religion for an ancient imperial dynasty. The royal bloodline bore the Zhao surname, intertwining their legacies for over a millennium.
Later, after various events, the conflict between the two sides intensified and grew increasingly bitter.
Ultimately, the Dragon Tiger Immortal Sect seceded into absolute independence, though their ranks remained saturated with Zhao descendants.
It was said that Zhao Lie was the last remaining descendant of that fallen imperial line, and that he possessed the purest royal blood.
Because of this, his physical talent was said to be terrifyingly strong.
Jiang Chen tapped his chin, his mind working the angles. “If Fang Fei was actively courting death, why has the political fallout spiraled so violently?”
Zhao Chengdao’s smile vanished, leaving a mask of cold gravity. “Because Zhao Lie is not merely a core disciple. He is the walking legacy of a conquered dynasty.”
By all rights, this matter should have been known only to the sect elders. Yet someone had leaked it, and the nature of the conflict had changed completely.
During its zenith, that imperial dynasty had suffocated the continent under its iron grip.
Their enemies were legion, ancient factions that thirsted to gorge on their flesh, drink their blood, and scatter their powdered bones to the wind.
Jiang Chen frowned. “First it was the Cloud Sea Sect. Now even the Dragon Tiger Immortal Sect has been drawn in. Sooner or later, the Invite Moon Immortal Sect will probably suffer the same.”
A systematic dismantling of the three great pillars of Cultivation.
If things continued like this, their prestige, status, and influence would fall sharply, and the conflict between the Immortal Sects and ordinary cultivation sects would only grow worse.
To suggest this is mere coincidence is an insult to basic logic, Jiang Chen noted inwardly.
It was painfully obvious that an invisible hand, or perhaps a unified coalition, was weaponizing the Thousand Sect Dharma Assembly.
If the three great Immortal Sects were violently dragged from their divine altars, who stood to reap the spoils?
The peripheral Cultivation sects and ancient clans likely viewed this chaos as their long-awaited ascension.
Yet Jiang Chen shook his head. The balance of power was far more ruthless than that. The three Immortal Sects suppressed the five Great Dynasties, while the five Great Dynasties suppressed the ordinary cultivation sects and clans.
If the sects burn, the throne will not pass to some opportunistic clan. The five Great Dynasties will seize absolute dominion!
In that chilling realization, his thoughts snapped back to the foolish prince he had encountered years prior.
Had the boy truly infiltrated the sect merely seeking political asylum?
It had been many years since they last met, and he did not know what had become of that prince.
The next time he met Chen Bo, he would have to ask for the details.
Setting this matter aside for the moment, Jiang Chen and the others continued to mature the spirit plants.
Once their mana was nearly spent, they began to rest.
Without warning, the ambient thermal pressure spiked. The air grew viciously dense, the temperature climbing to lethal extremes.
This suffocating atmospheric shift held for a quarter of an hour. Just as a panicked murmur rippled through the resting cultivators, the terrifying heat violently vacuumed toward a singular point on the horizon, as if responding to a primordial command.
The sheer scale of the phenomenon arrested the attention of everyone present.
Scores of cultivators launched themselves into the ash-choked sky, hovering on their artifacts to track the epicenter of the thermal vacuum.
“Is that trajectory not aimed directly at the Spirit Fire Zone?”
“Rumor has it that the elders have been nurturing spirit flames in that place for centuries.”
“Different flames produce different results in alchemy. Judging from this momentum, some top-grade spirit fire must have appeared.”
Moments later, the swirling vortex of distant fire compressed, erupting outward to project the colossal, spectral silhouette of an avian beast.
With every beat of its illusory wings, waves of dry, scorching heat swept across the sky.
A blinding core of pale gold ignited within its chest, violently fracturing into twelve crimson-gold serpents of living flame.
The fiery serpents coiled and interlocked, forging an arcane, hypnotic sigil that defied mortal comprehension.
From afar, the blazing constellation formed the terrifying visage of a colossal, burning eye.
At that instant, Jiang Chen felt the sealed fire Spirit Root within him stir to life, unexpectedly producing a thin thread of fire-attributed mana on its own.
He immediately snapped his gaze toward his peers, only to find them oblivious to his internal anomaly. They remained suspended in the air, their jaws slack as they stared in dumbstruck horror at the celestial projection.
Then, with the force of a shattered tectonic plate, the entirety of Crimson Fire Peak began to violently convulse!