Jiang Chen’s eyes were instantly drawn to the Purple Heaven Immortal Sword.
The sword featured a dark purple hilt and guard, while its blade stood in stark contrast—a pristine white, clear and transparent. A soft lavender glow radiated from the blade, adding an ethereal quality.
Its edge, as delicate as a cicada’s wing, was lined with tiny, nearly invisible cracks that only a sharp eye could detect.
An overwhelming aura poured from the sword, spinning threads of sword Qi that seemed to weave through the air itself.
Through Jiang Chen’s vision, Nangong Wan examined the weapon. Her voice, tinged with surprise, echoed in his mind. "A sword of the Transcendence rank! Such a magnificent artifact truly lives up to the name of an Immortal Tool."
After a brief pause, a note of concern crept into her tone. "However, it seems this sword suffered damage in battle. It can only summon less than thirty percent of its original power now."
"I see, a damaged Immortal Tool," Jiang Chen murmured, a flicker of interest lighting up his eyes as he gave a subtle nod.
He was in desperate need of a new weapon. His Peerless Heaven Piercing Sword, while top-tier for the Inquiring Journey realm, was no longer enough to match his growing power.
Even in its weakened state, the Purple Heaven Immortal Sword, being of the Transcendence rank, far outclassed any Dao Palace-rank weapon.
With his current abilities, it wouldn’t take long before he could wield the Purple Heaven Immortal Sword effortlessly, once his cultivation advanced.
"Jiang Chen, you’ve arrived?" Mo Yu turned his gaze toward him, his expression marked by unease. "The upcoming conflict concerns the Dao Palace realm. It would be safer for you to remain here."
"I’m grateful for your concern, Senior Mo Yu," Jiang Chen responded with a slight smile. "But given my current combat strength, I don’t think there’s any need for too much caution."
"Your current combat strength?" Mo Yu’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Have you gained another boost in power?"
"Indeed," Jiang Chen replied, his grin faint as he let a hint of the aura surrounding him seep out. "The two seniors from the Void Tribulation realm have temporarily granted me a portion of their power."
"This... this aura is nearly at the Dao Palace realm!" Mo Yu’s face lit up with excitement as he sensed the truth of Jiang Chen’s words, his surprise giving way to elation.
With such strength, even if Jiang Chen couldn’t fully dominate in a Dao Palace realm battle, he could at least ensure his own survival.
Now, with the looming threat of Dao Palace realm opponents, Mo Yu could fight with his full strength, his mind eased of some worries.
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Jiang Chen gave a firm nod. "Exactly."
"Senior Mo Yu, the upcoming conflict will attract powerful enemies from the Dao Palace realm—far from ordinary practitioners."
His tone grew more serious. "Even with the Purple Heaven Immortal Sword, unless we face no unexpected surprises, this battle will be extremely difficult. I trust the preparations are well underway."
"I understand," Mo Yu said, nodding in agreement, fully trusting Jiang Chen’s judgment.
Jiang Chen’s eyes sharpened with determination. "I’m confident that when the battle begins, I’ll be able to boost my combat strength to match the Dao Palace realm. When that time comes, I’ll be ready to fight alongside you and offer my support."
"Senior Mo Yu, we must be cautious as we move forward. Our top priority is protecting the Holy Land. If possible, let’s avoid direct confrontations until we’re forced to engage." Jiang Chen outlined his strategy, then bowed deeply, a slow, confident smile curving his lips as he straightened.
One constant in war? Corpses.
This upcoming battle would surely eclipse the ferocity of the last two demonic beast tides.
Even if he couldn’t raise his cultivation base just yet, Jiang Chen knew he could rely on certain cultivation methods to push his combat strength to the Dao Palace realm.
With Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning guiding him, he wasn’t lacking in Dao Palace-rank techniques.
"Increase your combat strength to the Dao Palace realm?" Mo Yu stared at Jiang Chen, emotions flickering from shock to pure joy.
"Exactly," Jiang Chen replied, his face glowing with unwavering confidence.
"Jiang Chen, I believe in you," Mo Yu said with a firm nod. "When the battle begins, I’ll adapt as needed!"
"Very well, I’ll be on my way then." Jiang Chen smiled before turning to leave the Purple Heaven Grand Hall.
Determined to turn each victory into preparation for the next, he had no plans to hide away in some safe corner within the Purple Heaven Grand Hall. He was resolute in actively joining the upcoming grand battle!
...
Meanwhile, at Verdant Leaf Giant Peak, a towering mountain near the Bottomless Abyss, its sheer size dwarfed the Starry Abyss Heavenly Peak, which stood at only half its height.
A chilling, powerful aura began to emanate from the summit of Verdant Leaf Giant Peak.
Dong Yuanzheng and his entourage from the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace had made their presence known.
Suddenly, eight brilliant trails of light streaked across the sky from the horizon.
Four of these radiant paths descended upon the Verdant Leaf Giant Peak, revealing Ji Mingxiu, Li Shang, Han Xu and Liu Mei.
Moments later, another four streaks of light approached from a different direction, materializing into Xu Xinlan and three Dao Palace realm experts from the Jade Lake Heavenly Temple.
Ji Mingxiu and Xu Xinlan exchanged glances, their expressions neutral, before quickly turning away.
On their way to Verdant Leaf Giant Peak, they had secretly held discussions.
Ji Mingxiu had shared Jiang Chen’s suspicions, along with some corroborating evidence, which had left Xu Xinlan and her group deeply shaken.
Still, they remained skeptical, even questioning the reliability of the Purple Heaven Holy Land. After all, they were unfamiliar with the Demonic Qi Extraction Art.
Additionally, the claim that the Purple Heaven Holy Land had a method to exploit the remains of demonic beasts affected by Demonic Spiritual Qi was met with equal skepticism.
However, Ji Mingxiu had achieved his objective. His goal wasn’t to convince Xu Xinlan entirely, but to keep her cautious, ensuring she wouldn’t be easily misled.
"Greetings, daoist friends!" Dong Yuanzheng called out, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Many years have passed, yet you all still carry the same ageless grace." His face was lit with a warm smile as he regarded Ji Mingxiu, Xu Xinlan, and their respective groups.
"Let’s skip the pleasantries," Xu Xinlan said, her tone steady as she turned her gaze to Ji Mingxiu. "We should focus on the matter at hand."
"I have the full version of the Demonic Qi Extraction Art," Ji Mingxiu confirmed, holding up two jade slips. "Included are the highest-level cultivation insights. Have you brought the items for our exchange?"
"Rest assured, we have brought everything as promised," Xu Xinlan said, her expression calm and composed.
"These are the demonic beasts we vanquished during the last two demonic beast tides, along with the agreed-upon spiritual plants." With a graceful wave of her hand, tens of thousands of storage artifacts materialized, forming a small hill on the ground.
Each storage artifact had its limits.
Treasures like Jiang Chen’s Heavenly Demon Hidden Heart Ring were incredibly rare, perhaps unmatched on the Immortal Martial Continent.
Therefore, to contain the vast number of demonic beasts—many of which were as large as mountain ranges—a massive collection of storage artifacts was required.
"These are ours," Dong Yuanzheng said, as he, too, summoned tens of thousands of storage artifacts, placing them before Ji Mingxiu.
In truth, he was hesitant about this trade.
The leader of the demons, Long Tianlu, already possessed the Demonic Qi Extraction Art.
However, refusing this deal might raise suspicion toward the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace.
To ensure the success of the next phase of their plan, gaining Ji Mingxiu’s trust was essential.
So, reluctantly, Dong Yuanzheng handed over the demonic beast remains and spiritual plants.
However, the possibility of eliminating Ji Mingxiu and his group later—and reclaiming the spiritual plants—offered some consolation to Dong Yuanzheng.
"Elder Li, please inspect these," Ji Mingxiu instructed, gesturing toward Li Shang, Han Xu, and Liu Mei. Without delay, the three stepped forward to examine the items.
After a brief inspection, they all nodded in approval. Xu Xinlan and Dong Yuanzheng had delivered exactly as promised.
Pleased, Ji Mingxiu smiled and handed the jade slips to both Dong Yuanzheng and Xu Xinlan. "The Demonic Qi Extraction Art is now yours."