Chapter 176: The Only Hidden Legacy
The instant that Bai Xiaochun sent some spiritual power into the authentication device, each and every one of the hundred shafts lit up with scintillating light.
Rumbling sounds could be heard as the blinding beams shot out, completely illuminating the paradisaical scene inside the cave.
Bai Xiaochun’s jaw dropped, and Zhou Xinqi’s eyes wide with disbelief and astonishment.
“How is this possible?!?!” Zhou Xinqi exclaimed.
Each one of those more than one hundred shafts represented a legacy, and apparently, all of them were making themselves available to Bai Xiaochun. Essentially, Bai Xiaochun could pick any legacy he wanted.
The shocking scene left Zhou Xinqi dumbstruck. Earlier, only one of the shafts lit up for her, and when Ghostfang caused more than twenty to light up, the entire sect had been shaken.
But then Bai Xiaochun came along and caused more than a hundred to light up….
Even as Zhou Xinqi reeled in shock, she suddenly realized that in addition to lighting up, each shaft began to pulse with gravitational force, as if they were vying for Bai Xiaochun’s attention.
Zhou Xinqi’s mind reeled at the astonishing sight of more than a hundred legacy shafts all struggling to impress Bai Xiaochun.
Bai Xiaochun was equally stunned. At the same time, all of the prime elders on Mount Daoseed could sense what was happening, and were shocked. Even the handful of patriarchs in the Spirit Stream Sect looked over with wide eyes.
“Not even the last Heaven-Dao Foundation Establishment cultivator that came along did anything like this….”
“This indicates one thing: Bai Xiaochun reached unfathomable heights in the Qi Condensation stage!”
Outside on Mount Daoseed, more than a hundred pillars of light shot up into the clouds above, causing a big stir among the disciples. After all, they had seen something similar occur a month before, when twenty pillars of light shot up for Ghostfang.
Of course, the fact that there were now a hundred pillars of light left the Spirit Stream Sect disciples completely tongue-tied.
Ghostfang was currently sitting in meditation. A tremor ran through him, and he looked up into the sky. He didn’t even need to ponder the matter for a single moment.
“Bai Xiaochun….”
Shangguan Tianyou, Beihan Lie, Lu Tianlei, and all of the other Chosen were equally shaken.
Back in the Ancestral Darktunnel, Bai Xiaochun swallowed hard and then blinked, his heart thumping. Zhou Xinqi stood next to him, as mute as a wooden chicken. Finally, Bai Xiaochun stuck his chin up and swished his sleeve.
“Ai,” he muttered. “With the snap of a finger, I, Bai Xiaochun, caused more than a hundred legacies to accept me. Truly outstanding. And a real headache too. How am I supposed to pick?”
Of course, he spoke loud enough for Zhou Xinqi to hear. Her face darkened, and her heart filled with numerous conflicting emotions.
All of a sudden, in one location that had initially appeared to be just a blank part of the wall, a fissure opened up, causing blinding, sun-like light to spill out into the cave.
Incredible pressure accompanied it, completely surpassing the other hundred legacies. Clearly, the legacy in this shaft was far more powerful and domineering than any of the others!
An intense gravitational force wrapped around Bai Xiaochun, and in the blink of an eye, he was being dragged toward the shaft opening. To his shock, he was almost instantly pulled inside.
The other legacies didn’t seem willing to give up, and sent out their own pulses of blinding light. However, there was nothing they could do to change to situation, so they soon calmed down.
The only eye-witness was Zhou Xinqi, who was so stunned she didn’t even remember leaving. All she remembered was how the more than one hundred legacies had seemed so anxious and eager, and how the final shaft which had opened didn’t seem to be one of the original group.
The instant that Bai Xiaochun was sucked into the shaft with the powerful and domineering legacy, there were five patriarchs on the ninth mountain peak of the Spirit Stream Sect who were all shaken.
Originally, they had been paying close attention to Bai Xiaochun, even before the shocking developments from moments before. In fact, they had even been prepared to prod him with divine will to help him select the best technique.
After all, he was a Heaven-Dao Foundation Establishment cultivator, someone highly valued by the sect.
But then, a shaft appeared that was not part of the original group, and whisked him away before they could even unleash their divine will.
“That was….”
“Just what kind of destiny does this Bai Xiaochun have!?!?”
“That legacy hasn’t appeared for countless years! It’s the only hidden legacy there!”
Even as they reeled in shock, Bai Xiaochun was sucked in by the gravitational force, and eventually found himself inside a stone chamber.
Moments before, it had been pitch black, darker than the darkest night, but as soon as he arrived, it filled with brilliant light.
He hesitated for a moment, unsure of what the sudden turn of events indicated. After all, he hadn’t selected any legacy; this legacy had selected him. However, it only took a moment for him to recover and look around.
The stone chamber wasn’t very large, and in the very middle of it was a stone book!
“What’s that?” he muttered, walking forward. Almost immediately, he noticed five characters written on the book, characters which were completely eye-catching.
“Violet Qi Heavenspan Incantation!” Bai Xiaochun’s eyes widened. The name itself sounded very impressive, and he could only imagine how extraordinary it was.
“The south bank has the Violet Qi Cauldron Control Art, and the north bank has its Heavenspan Shamanic Control Incantation. Could this Violet Qi Heavenspan Incantation possibly be a combination of those two?”
Bai Xiaochun continued to examine the stone book, and soon was left gasping by the technique’s introduction. Although it was only a general overview, it was still shocking. “Is it really cultivated using water from of the Heavenspan River?”
According to the description, the Violet Qi Heavenspan Incantation involved absorbing water from the Heavenspan River into one’s body, using it to nourish oneself and grow stronger. It was divided into four levels, one for the early, mid, and late Foundation Establishment stages, and one for the quasi-Core stage!
Furthermore, cultivating the Violet Qi Heavenspan Incantation gave access to a Daoist magic called the Heavenspan Dharma Eye!
This technique could also unleash control power, but was on a completely different level than anything from the Qi Condensation stage. In the Qi Condensation stage, control could be exerted through the use of qi, but in the Foundation Establishment, a mere glance with an eye could exert control of all things!
Bai Xiaochun continued to examine the information, and eventually, the stone book blurred, and four magical symbols appeared, each one of which contained volumes of information. As Bai Xiaochun looked them over, he was left more and more shaken.
“Cultivate with the water of the Heavenspan River. In the first level, condense a drop of water. In the second level, a goblet. In the third level, a stone, and in the fourth… a cauldron!” Bai Xiaochun was so shocked that his tongue stuck to the top of his mouth. He couldn’t help but think about how Zheng Yuandong had told him that the Heavenspan Sea was the source of all the spiritual energy in the world.
The Violet Qi Heavenspan Incantation was so domineering that you actually had to absorb water from the Heavenspan River….
It was probably a good thing it was only usable in the Foundation Establishment stage. If it went beyond that, Bai Xiaochun could only imagine how powerful it could be.
He could suddenly see himself waving his hand, and sucking dry all four of the great branches of the Heavenspan River.
Then, he saw himself hovering in the air, with the Heavenspan Sea transforming into his spiritual sea.
“So powerful!!” he gasped, trembling. He was even more shaken by the Daoist magic of the Heavenspan Dharma Eye. With one glance, one could exercise control over anything and everything.
“That’s just like the Human Controlling Grand Magic I’ve been working on!!” Even though the technique wasn’t useful past Foundation Establishment, he immediately decided that the Violet Qi Heavenspan Incantation was for him!
Time passed. Bai Xiaochun didn’t eat or sleep. He remained in the stone chamber, seeking enlightenment of the Violet Qi Heavenspan Incantation. After a month, he hadn’t succeeded, but had the technique imprinted on his mind. Reluctantly, he decided to leave.
“If I want to cultivate it properly, I’ll need to get a drop of water from the Heavenspan River!” Gritting his teeth, he pulled out his authentication device and vanished from the stone chamber. When he appeared, he was in the cave that was the entrance of the Ancestral Darktunnel. Without a moment’s hesitation, he left.
Although he didn’t notice it, in the moment of his departure, several streams of divine will were there, trembling in shock and anticipation.
During the following days, Bai Xiaochun remained on the bank of the Heavenspan River below Mount Daoseed. He sat there cross-legged, watching the golden water rush past. He could sense the spiritual power in that water, which emanated terrifying fluctuations as it rumbled past. Occasionally, his hands flashed in a double-handed incantation gesture as he attempted to extract a drop of the water for himself.
Never once did he succeed, though. No matter what he did, he couldn’t affect the water at all. The water was clearly so terrifyingly powerful that if any of it touched him, his fleshly body would melt instantly.
A few more days passed, but he never met with success. After a while, he decided to go consult his Elder Brother the sect leader. He left with a jade bottle that contained a drop of water from the Heavenspan River. Every so often, the patriarchs of the sect would collect some of the water through various means, which would be used as a reward for Foundation Establishment cultivators, who could use the water for various purposes.
It was only after speaking with his Elder Brother that Bai Xiaochun came to realize that Heavenspan River water was a critical ingredient to cultivation in the Foundation Establishment stage. He wasn’t the only person who needed such water; all of the legacies required water from the Heavenspan River.
The Spirit Stream Sect’s legacies were rather mixed. There were legacies regarding beasts, swords, and spirit enhancement. Actually, the Blood Stream Sect, Profound Stream Sect, and Pill Stream Sect were all different in various ways, but also used Heavenspan River water. For example, the Blood Stream Sect could use it to make spirit blood. The cultivators of the Profound Stream Sect used it to make second spirit bodies for themselves, or to forge weapons. The Pill Stream Sect, of course, focused on pill concocting.
In the final analysis, however, all of the legacies just used a bit of the water temporarily. As for Bai Xiaochun’s technique, the Violet Qi Heavenspan Incantation, it was far more domineering. It didn’t just use it temporarily, it plundered it permanently!
The difference between borrowing and taking was like the difference between heaven and earth!