Chapter 619: The Power of the Da Luo Sword Embryo Reveals Itself!

The Zeng Family of Baiyang Mountain.

This is a recently established Foundation Establishment family, known locally, but with no presence in the wider Yue Kingdom.

At this moment, in a cave dwelling shrouded in mist on the back cliff of Baiyang Mountain, there lay a spring exuding pure spiritual energy.

“Golden Sun Sect, Lu Qingshan.”

Next to the Spirit Eye Spring sat a figure cloaked in black, face obscured.

“This man is one of the top geniuses in Yue Kingdom. Killing him would be a great achievement.”

“Although his father isn’t a Yue Kingdom cultivator, as a Golden Core cultivator, killing him together still counts as a significant accomplishment. In half a year, I can return to report.”

Tu Yuan glanced at the message in his hand, his expression indifferent.

He was a Nascent Soul seed of the Heavenfiend Sect, a late-stage Golden Core cultivator. Due to the capture of True Lord Tiansha by the Heavenly Sword Sect, he was ordered by his senior brother, thanks to sect power struggles, to handle infiltration and assassination missions in Yue Kingdom.

To venture deep behind enemy lines like this, making it out alive was near impossible, with deadly risks.

Especially being a Nascent Soul seed, and a high-powered Golden Core cultivator, Yue Kingdom wouldn’t easily let him go.

But Tu Yuan wasn’t an ordinary figure — he had emerged victorious within Heavenfiend Sect and achieved today’s standing!

In two years of covert operations in Yue Kingdom, he had assassinated several seeds of the Five Great Immortal Sects, successfully turned agents, destroyed numerous forces, and gathered valuable intelligence.

Once he killed Lu Qingshan, in half a year, he could return to Liang Kingdom to report.

By then, neither Heavenfiend Sect nor Beast God Mountain would have any reason to suppress him.

With the merits of this mission, he could compete for the core power of the sect! ‘Once I assume power in Heavenfiend Sect, I can seek the opportunity to become a Nascent Soul! Bloodfiend, just you wait!’

Tu Yuan’s face remained cold.

What doesn’t kill him only makes him stronger! Stealth missions, so what?!

Life and death situations? He, Tu Yuan, had walked this path since orphanhood. What challenges hadn’t he faced?

In the Qi Refining stage, he joined battles for resources within the Bloodfiend Secret Realm, emerging alive and forming a perfect Dao Foundation! In Foundation Establishment, he slew thirteen Second-Tier demonic beasts, narrowly surviving death to eventually form a High-Tier Golden Core.

In the Golden Core stage, he was chased for a million miles by a late-stage Golden Core master in the Endless Desert. By sheer grit, he survived and gained a breakthrough opportunity to the late stage of Golden Core.

During the Liang-Yue war, he earned numerous merits.

Had it not been for True Lord Tiansha’s mishap, his qualifications and strength would never have gotten him assigned such a dangerous mission!

“Lu Changsheng may have just entered the Golden Core stage, but he’s a High-Tier Talisman Master at the third rank.”

Tu Yuan wasn’t reckless or clueless; he understood that even a lion hunts a rabbit with full strength. He was meticulous in his actions.

Before arriving, he had carefully gathered intelligence on both Yue Kingdom and related information from Jiang Kingdom and Wu Kingdom.

“To kill him without letting Lu Qingshan activate his jade slip, I’ll have to finish this quickly.”

Yue Kingdom has a sect called the Beast Talisman Sect.

He had once killed a Golden Core master from the Beast Talisman Sect.

He knew that once such talisman users employed their methods, they became exceedingly troublesome.

With deep, indifferent eyes, he contemplated for a moment, then stored away the Spirit Eye Spring and quietly vanished.

A crafty rabbit always has three dens.

Whenever they completed a mission, they always changed their hiding spots.

Lu Changsheng was piloting the Spirit Boat, heading east with his wife and children, flying towards the front lines.

Golden Sun Sect was located northwest in Yue Kingdom, while the front line was in the southeast.

On the way here, he had ridden the Golden-Winged Roc, using Divine Abilities to hide his form, which helped him avoid inspection by guards.

But now, using the Spirit Boat meant that at each market stop, he was questioned by sect patrolling cultivators.

However, with Lu Qingshan being a famous true disciple of Golden Sun Sect and Lu Changsheng a Golden Core master, the patrolling cultivators naturally treated them with respect and didn’t dare cause trouble.

“So this is what wartime looks like?”

As the group settled in a market to rest, even Lu Qingqi could sense a tense atmosphere clouding overhead, starkly different from the Jiang Kingdom.

Even during the Pioneering War, Jiang Kingdom’s rogue and demonic cultivators hadn’t stirred things up this badly.

“Xiao Qi, never come to a country at war like this again. With father and I here, the patrolling cultivators are polite. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so courteous.”

“Cultivators without background or power will often be troubled, even falsely labeled as spies and either killed for fake exploits or sent to the frontlines as cannon fodder.”

“Furthermore, during wartime, the Spirit Sects enforce less harsh punishments against rogue cultivators, resulting in more ambushes.”

Lu Qingshan cautioned his younger sister.

“Brother, I know.”

Though Lu Qingqi usually had a proud temperament, she deeply admired and respected her genius elder brother, and obediently answered.

“Brother, when will this war end?”

She asked out loud.

“Hard to say. This war has just begun, and experts guess Liang Kingdom will only stop if they take down the Purple Light Sect.”

Lu Qingshan’s face grew serious as he spoke: “That said, I’ve heard the situation is stabilizing. Perhaps it’s because Jiang Kingdom has come to aid. I don’t know for sure since I’ve been in seclusion these past years.”

“Yes, True Sword has likely come to support Yue Kingdom. Plus, during the Pioneering War, True Lord Tiansha was slain.”

Lu Changsheng spoke softly.

“True Lord Tiansha was slain?”

Lu Qingshan reacted in surprise.

True Lord Tiansha, the Nascent Soul ancestor of Heavenfiend Sect in Liang Kingdom, had been killed, greatly weakening Liang Kingdom’s power.

Lu Changsheng nodded but didn’t say much more.

“If True Lord Tiansha has been killed, and Liang Kingdom loses a True Lord, with Jiang Kingdom’s assistance, this war might end sooner than expected.”

“But the key to this conflict remains with Beast God Mountain. With a second Nascent Soul True Lord on the rise and numerous Fourth-Tier Beast Kings, they won’t easily back down.”

“According to my Master, these Beast Kings were cultivated with secret methods. Their lifespan is limited, and Beast God Mountain aims to capitalize on the war to secure resources before they expire.”

Lu Qingshan spoke in a serious tone.

Though he hadn’t seen the Fourth-Tier Beast Kings cultivated by Beast God Mountain, his Master had described them as terrifying.

A Golden Core master would stand no chance against such creatures.

“True Lord Tiansha… Fourth-Tier Beast Kings…”

Lu Miaoge, Lu Miaohuan, and tte others were astonished.

Even the idea of becoming a Golden Core cultivator was distant for them.

Yet this war had escalated to involve even the powerful Nascent Soul level.

“Father, is True Lord Tiansha the Nascent Soul of the Heavenfiend Sect in Liang Kingdom? How could a cultivator of that caliber be slain?”

Lu Qingqi, still somewhat naive, asked.

If she hadn’t seen Lu Quanzhen fight, she would have thought Foundation Establishment cultivators rarely battled to the death, let alone Nascent Soul True Lords.

“Even among Nascent Souls, there are differences. During the Pioneering War, True Lord Tiansha, Five Poison Sect Master, and Heaven Corpse Sect Master all attacked together. However, True Lord Xuanjian crushed True Lord Tiansha with a single sword stroke, trapped him in a sword array, and obliterated his physical body. Even his attempt to escape into the void as a Nascent Soul failed.”

Such information was classified, known only to the Jiang Kingdom’s Golden Core high-ranks.

But since his children were asking, Lu Changsheng didn’t bother to hide it.

“True Lord Xuanjian!”

At this name, Lu Qingshan’s sword-like eyebrows raised, and his sharp eyes gleamed, asking: “Father, did you witness True Lord Xuanjian fight? How powerful is he?”

“I remember hearing that long ago, True Lord Xuanjian defeated both Five Poison Sect Master and Heaven Corpse Sect Master, taking on two major enemies at once. He must be even more formidable now.”

Lu Miaoge, graceful as ever, dded.

As a cultivator of the Jiang Kingdom, she held legends like True Lord Xuanjian and Qingluan Zhenren in high regard.

“He’s very strong. His sword will crush anything in its path. It’s a sword that smashes all magic, invincible in its intent.”

Lu Changsheng seriously responded.

Holding the Da Luo Sword Embryo, he felt confident facing Heaven Corpse Sect Master or Five Poison Sect Master.

But against True Lord Xuanjian, he had no such assurance.

“I hope I can one day seek his advice on the Sword Dao.”

Lu Qingshan’s eyes gleamed, fiery like a bright star.

He wasn’t the sort to challenge people recklessly, but he had long since admired True Lord Xuanjian, the greatest sword master in Yue, Liang, and Jiang Kingdoms combined.

“If only you had joined the Heavenly Sword Sect back then.”

Lu Miaohuan said regretfully.

She knew of her son’s extraordinary sword talent. Had he joined the Heavenly Sword Sect, not only would it have been convenient for visits home, but he wouldn’t be in such danger now.

“Mother, I’m doing fine in the Golden Sun Sect.”

Lu Qingshan smiled lightly.

He was currently a key seed for the Golden Sun Sect, and once he broke through to Golden Core, he would become a Nascent Soul seed.

Moreover, True Lord Hunyuan favored him. As long as he performed well in the coming battles and outshined the others, he had a chance to use the Nascent Soul resources from Hunyuan Sect and Purple Light Sect to advance to Nascent Soul.

Though, think of the hints True Lord Hunyuan had given him made his head ache a bit.

Seeing her sister Lu Miaoge’s slight frown, Lu iaohuan realized she had misspoken.

Her older sister still felt guilty about Lu Qingshan and Lu Qingzhu joining Golden Sun Sect all those years ago, and so she quickly asked, “Qingshan, how is Xiaozhu doing? With how dangerous this war is, when you break through to Golden Core, can’t you have Xiaozhu return home or at least stay within the sect?”

“Xiaozhu is fine. She just doesn’t want to. Mother, aunt, try talking to her later.”

Lu Qingshan sighed in helplessness.

In truth, with his achievements, he could ask the sect elders for a favor and have his sister assigned to the rear.

But she refused, concerned that he might take unnecessary risks at the front lines.

Her return to the central command now was only to put his mind at ease so he could enter seclusion and focus on reaching the Golden Core stage.

Thinking about all this gave Lu Qingshan a headache.

His sister, soft-spoken and gentle, was strong-willed deep down and didn’t want to rely on him for everything.

The family rested in the market for two days before continuing their journey.

On the way, they passed a market that had been reduced to ruins.

Though things had ostensibly calmed on the surface in the Liang-Yue war,

the mess they saw told them Yue Kingdom’s situation was still dire.

Liang Kingdom had infiltrated the heartland, with rogue and demonic cultivators plundering and causing chaos everywhere.

A month later, Lu Changsheng gazed towards the frontlines in the distance.

Used to riding the Golden-Winged Roc, he now found traveling by Spirit Boat torturous.

If he found some time when he returned home, he’d craft a top-quality Third-Tier Spirit Boat.

It wouldn’t match the speed of the Golden-Winged Roc, but it’d definitely make travel more comfortable.

“We should reach the front lines in about seven days.”

Lu Qingshan gazed in that direction, missing his sister.

Though there shouldn’t be any danger in the rear areas,

he couldn’t help but worry about the situation he had observed along the way.

If something happened to his sister, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself, let alone explain it to his father or aunt.

“Hmm?!”

Suddenly, Lu Changsheng sensed something.

Having reached late-stage Golden Core, his soul had advanced to the Nascent Soul level.

Compared to the soul of a Golden Core, a Nascent Soul’s soul not only had greater range but was also more sensitive to spiritual energy and magical fluctuations.

Even from dozens of miles away, he could faintly sense the force of magical energy disturbances.

At this moment, he felt a barely perceptible demonic energy.

And it was coming from a Golden Core level demonic cultivator.

“A demonic cultivator this close to both the frontlines and the rear?”

Lu Changsheng frowned slightly, finding it strange.

Immediately, he expanded his Taiyi Soul, attempting to figure out what was going on so that he could avoid it.

After all, he was only here to visit his children and didn’t want to get involved in any trouble.

However, after unfurling his soul, Lu Changsheng frowned again.

What was going on?

Why was that demonic energy heading straight toward him?

Without delay, he shifted the Spirit Boat in a different direction, intending to take a detour and avoid the demonic cultivator.

“Changsheng, what’s going on?”

Lu Miaoge noticed and immediaaely sensed something was amiss. She asked him with concern.

“It’s nothing, just sensed a bit of demonic energy. I thought it best to avoid it.”

Lu Changsheng shook his head lightly.

“Demonic energy?!”

At these words, Lu Miaohuan, as well as the three siblings who had been talking, all froze, scanning the surroundings and even releasing their divine sense.

But no matter how hard they looked, they couldn’t detect any traces of demonic energy.

“Father, what kind of demonic energy is it?”

Lu Qingshan asked immediately.

His divine sense was as sharp as any Golden Core cultivator, yet he hadn’t picked up anything.

“It’s at the Golden Core stage.”

Lu Changsheng replied.

“A Golden Core demonic cultivator?! How could that be? Even if a demonic cultivator managed to sneak into the rear, they wouldn’t dare to openly unleash their magical power!”

Lu Qingshan’s face stiffened, sensing something was wrong.

Under normal circumstances, this might happen,

but during wartime, if a Golden Core demonic cultivator infiltrated the rear and was discovered, the Five Great Immortal Sects would immediately hunt them down, possibly even dispatching a Nascent Soul True Lord.

“Wait, could this person be coming for us?”

Watching his son pull out a jade talisman, Lu Changsheng furrowed his brow.

“Hold off on sending that signal, Qingshan. This aura… it feels like it’s coming toward us.”

Lu Changsheng advised.

“Coming toward us?!”

Lu Qingshan’s face fell instantly, replying quickly: “Father, this could be bad. He’s most likely targeting me!”

“My Master warned me before. I’m on Liang Kingdom’s kill list. If I go on a mission, I’m highly likely to be ambushed by their Golden Core cultivators.”

“If this person is heading toward us, there must be a traitor in the sect or a demonic agent who recognized me along the way!”

Lu Qingshan’s face darkened.

He knew he was on Liang Kingdom’s must-kill list, but he hadn’t expected a Golden Core-level ambush on him while still in Yue Kingdom territory.

“A must-kill list!?”

Nearby, Lu Miaohuan and Lu Qingqi paled in shock.

Over the past days, as Lu Qingshan told them about life in Yue Kingdom and missions in secret realms, the honors and recognition he’d received, they truly believed their son and brother was living comfortably in Golden Sun Sect.

No wonder so many clamber to join Spirit Sects, they thought. The benefits really are great.

They never realized, until now, that Lu Qingshan had been marked for death by Liang Kingdom and risked assassination by their Golden Core masters whenever he ventured out.

Lu Qingxian began to hastily perform divination calculations to foresee good or ill; he activated the Avoiding Danger and Embracing Fortune technique.

Yet, even after casting it, he couldn’t predict any signs of danger or safety.

“Father, can you handle this? If not, I have a teleportation talisman. We can split up immediately.”

Despite his calm exterior, Lu Qingshan was preparing for the worst.

“If that’s the case, let him come. If he’s tracking you specifically, teleporting away won’t make a difference. Let’s see if this person is truly after you.”

Lu Changsheng replied softly.

While teleportation talismans were useful, if the opponent had means of tracking him, it would only delay things by a little.

“Father, should mother and Qingxuan, and Qingqi leave? Or hide in your treasure with the hidden spatial world? Otherwise—”

Lu Qingshan, while confident that his father had stronger capabilities than just having recently broken into Golden Core, knew anyone daring to infiltrate Yue could not be an ordinary Golden Core demonic cultivator.

His mother, as well as Lu Qingxian and Lu Qingqi, would only serve as burdens here.

“It’s fine. It won’t hurt to take a look.”

Seeing the worried faces of his wife and children, Lu Changsheng replied gently. He thought perhaps this could present an opportunity to reveal his strength to his loved ones.

As he spoke, he placed a hand on Lu Qingxian’s shoulder and advised, “Avoid using divination too frequently.”

“At the Golden Core stage, many possess treasures and methods that obscure or block divination. You’ll exhaust your energy and shorten your lifespan for no gain.”

After seeing his son lose days of his life time and again through such techniques, Lu Changsheng no longer supported him diving too deeply into the art of divination.

If Qingluan Zhenren refused to accept him as a disciple, he would thoroughly discourage his son from continuing down this path.

“Understood, father.”

Lu Qingxian’s face paled slightly from the strain of even a brief divination.

Divining the secrets of heaven consumed extraordinary effort.

Especially concerning his older brother’s destiny, which seemed impossibly elusive, like trying to grasp at mist.

And so, the family continued onward in the Spirit Boat.

But the atmosphere onboard had grown rather tense.

Only Lu Miaoge, knowing her husbann’s strength, remained confident.

Before long, Lu Changsheng detected the faint demonic energy drawing near.

It seemed the assailant intended to finish things quickly and without attracting attention, moving cautiously and hiding their aura in the void.

Had his soul not been at the Nascent Soul level, even peak Golden Core cultivators wouldn’t have been able to detect this presence.

Without hesitation, Lu Changsheng took the initiative, striking first.

“Yin-Yang Grand Capture!”

A wave of profound Yin-Yang energy surged from above Lu Changsheng’s head, reaching the skies and transforming into a massive hand emblazoned with yin-yang patterns.

Its fingers curled slightly, like a towering primordial mountain, locking down the heavens and earth to capture and suppress the hidden figure in the void.

The instant Tu Yuan, concealed in the void, sensed that the very sky was sealed, he felt an overwhelming force bearing down on him.

“Not good! It’s a trap!!!”

His heart pounded with warning alarms, a sense of doom enveloping him.

“I’ve been baited using Lu Qingshan!”

How had they known he would strike?

But now wasn’t the moment to ponder this. He slapped his Qi Sea Dantian, activating a secret blood-burning technique and elevating his power, climbing from the seventh Golden Core layer to the ninth.

At the same time, he summoned a large banner exuding thick black demonic energy. Streams of multicolored demonic chi swirled around him like dragons, attempting to counter the Yin-Yang Grand Capture and escape.

“What?! Late-stage Golden Core?! And a High-Tier Golden Core at that!?”

Tu Yuan’s obscuring cloak had concealed his magical fluctuations, and various techniques had hidden him in the void, which was why even Lu Changsheng had not initially discerned his true strength.

Seeing his target trying to flee, Lu Changsheng decided to unleash his full power.

“Buzz!”

Yin-Yang pressure surged into the Grand Capture as an ancient, weathered sword embryo appeared in his hand.

The sword embryo’s patterns glowed vibrantly, unleashing unrivaled brilliance like the scorching sun, unmatched and unstoppable.

Sword energy slashed through thirty thousand miles of sky, its radiance chilling nineteen provinces!

It shot out like a radiant rainbow, a raging galaxy tearing through the heavens, straight toward the black-robed man!

“Who are you? Yun Jianfeng? Bai Jingxian? Zhao Jiuyang?!”

Tu Yuan’s face contorted in terror. Searching his memory, he couldn’t recall such a peerless swordmaster in Yue Kingdom, suspecting the attacker belonged to Heavenly Sword Sect.

But when had Jiang Kingdom intervened so directly in Yue Kingdom’s affairs?

Moreover, this man’s divine abilities and treasure clearly weren’t from Heavenly Sword Sect!

“Nine Fiends Scorch the Heavens!”

He poured all his power into his life-bound treasure. Nine streams of fearsome demonic chi howled like dragons, forming a region of hell and wailing spirits amidst the inferno.

Given his sheer power, Tu Yuan was undoubtedly among the top Golden Core experts.

Particularly with this blood-burning technique, even peak Golden Core cultivators would struggle to defeat him quickly.

But unfortunately for him, he had encountered Lu Changsheng.

And especially, the Lu Changsheng wielding the Da Luo Sword Embryo!

“Boom boom boom——”

The indescribably sharp and terrifying sword light shattered the heavens in an unstoppable tide of brilliance.

It annihilated the nine streams of demonic chi protecting Tu Yuan’s life-bound treasure like a tidal wave smashing through a brittle dike.

“Pfft!”

Tu Yuan spat blood as the sword light broke through his concealing cloak, his protective shield, and tore into his flesh, revealing the stark white of his bones.

He tried to escape, but the Yin-Yang Diagram and Yin-Yang Grand Capture locked down his movement, even slowing the flow of his spiritual energy.

“As expected, a High-Tier Golden Core! Truly, I’ve struck gold today!”

After shattering Tu Yuan’s body, Lu Changsheng immediately noticed the Dao Foundation where the Golden Core exuded Daoist charm, and his face brightened with joy.

He had been planning to go to Jin Kingdom later and provoke the Yin Ghost Sect to obtain a demonic Golden Core for cultivating the True Saint Method of Brahma Demon.

Who could’ve guessed someone would present him with one today?

Pouring his spiritual energy and vitality into the Da Luo Sword Embryo, Lu Changsheng extinguished the remaining life in Tu Yuan but spared the Golden Core.