Hei Da Wu

As Bai Xiaochun was joking around in the Myriad Worlds Chat Group, the entire Falling Sword Abyss suddenly trembled slightly.

A massive vortex appeared. The Earth Vein Qi around it was drawn toward it by an invisible force, converging on the vortex.

"Damn it, someone's started drawing on the Earth Veins to achieve Foundation Establishment!"

Bai Xiaochun's expression shifted in the cave beneath the lake, and his heart sank.

The Earth Vein Qi in the Falling Sword Abyss was limited. If someone else got to it first, he wouldn't be able to achieve Foundation Establishment.

Successfully achieving Foundation Establishment with Earth Vein Qi would add two hundred years to his lifespan. For someone like him, who cultivated for the sake of immortality, this was of paramount importance.

[Hei Da Wu: Big shots, I'll apologize to you all properly later. First, I need to achieve Foundation Establishment.]

[Xiao Yan: Foundation Establishment? It seems Fellow Daoist Bai hasn't been cultivating for very long.]

[Ye Hei: If you have something urgent to take care of, we won't disturb you. Focus on your Foundation Establishment.]

[Emperor Yongle: If you're going to talk about foundations, don't leave out the "ment" — let's keep things civilized.]

[Xiao Yan: @Hei Da Wu, actually, if you're going to achieve Foundation Establishment, I think you could first contemplate the Dao Self True Form Diagram in the group files. You might gain something from it.]

[Ye Hei: Mm, I agree.]

[Hei Da Wu: Thanks for the reminder, you two. I'll go take a look.]

Curious, Bai Xiaochun opened the group files. When he saw the Dharma Form seated atop the Chaos Green Lotus, its bearing solemn and dignified, with True Sun Fire in its left hand and the Chixiao Sword in its right, a tempest surged in his heart.

The aura emanating from the Dharma Form was too magnificent, too supreme. Compared with it, everything in the world seemed insignificant.

The Dao contained within the Dharma Form resonated with his conviction—"I only want immortality, but I also want to live life my own way"—in a way he couldn't put into words.

Bai Xiaochun had a feeling that if he could comprehend even a little of the aura in the Dao Self True Form Diagram, he would surely be able to forge the perfect Dao Foundation!

Bai Xiaochun went into seclusion beneath the lake, entering a profound state of Comprehending the Dao.

Meanwhile, in the Falling Sword Abyss, one person after another soon filled their Dao Bottles and began drawing on the Earth Vein Qi to achieve Foundation Establishment.

From the phenomena surrounding the Earth Vein vortices, everyone recognized them as Shangguan Tianyou, Bei Hanlie, Gui Ya, Xu Xiaoshan, Nine Islands, and the others.

Hou Yunfei had just killed a member of the Danxi Sect and filled his Dao Bottle with Earth Vein Qi.

Looking at the dozen or so enormous vortices in the sky, Hou Yunfei furrowed his brow.

"What's going on? Why hasn't Xiaochun started drawing on the Earth Vein Qi to achieve Foundation Establishment?"

"Could he have run into some danger?"

Hou Yunfei was worried, but he could see the Earth Vein Qi throughout the Small World being continuously drawn into those dozen or so vortices. He could only enter seclusion first, intending to achieve Foundation Establishment with the Earth Vein Qi before going to find Bai Xiaochun.

When Fang Lin, Zhao Rou, and the others saw that Bai Xiaochun wasn't among those currently achieving Foundation Establishment, they sneered inwardly.

In their eyes, Bai Xiaochun was just a fool with money. He'd only managed to make the list of Heavenly Prides by relying on a large number of talismans; in truth, he was terribly weak.

The fact that he still hadn't achieved Foundation Establishment was the clearest proof.

"I heard he's quite skilled at alchemy. Once I achieve Foundation Establishment, I'll kill him and rid the sect of a major enemy."

Apart from Fang Lin and Zhao Rou, the other disciples also intended to follow their sects' earlier instructions: after successfully achieving Foundation Establishment, they would kill as many disciples from other sects as possible, weakening those sects' future strength.

Time passed second by second.

Shangguan Tianyou, Gui Ya, and Nine Islands each reached eight tidal surges in turn. Song Que even formed a ninth tidal surge by using a Secret Technique that consumed his own vitality.

The four of them had nearly plundered all the Earth Vein Qi in the Falling Sword Abyss. Though the others still had energy to spare, they couldn't obtain enough Earth Vein Qi and could only hastily finish their cultivation and complete Foundation Establishment.

The number of tidal surges a cultivator drew on during Foundation Establishment was of vital importance. Everyone who was resentful rushed toward the secluded sites of Song Que, Shangguan Tianyou, and the others, hoping to kill them.

In an instant, Shangguan Tianyou, Gui Ya, and the others were all in danger.

After all, no matter how great their potential, they hadn't yet reached the Foundation Establishment Realm. They were also in seclusion and couldn't put up their full strength to defend themselves.

Suddenly, a dazzling Golden Divine Light erupted from beneath the lake in the depths of the Falling Sword Abyss.

Like a blazing sun, the Golden Divine Light instantly dispersed the dark mist that had lingered over the Falling Sword Abyss for ages.

At the same time, the four Earth Vein vortices above the Heavenly Prides—vortices they had been so proud of—shook violently like snow beneath the scorching sun. Then, completely beyond their control, they began to collapse and scatter!

"What's going on? My tidal surges... they're fading!"

"Who is this? How can they forcibly interrupt my Foundation Establishment?"

"W-what kind of power is this?!"

Cries of shock and furious roars rang out from the various places of seclusion. All four sensed an irresistible force suppressing them, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.

The scattered Earth Vein Qi didn't return to the world. Instead, it gathered above the lake, forming a colossal vortex unlike any before it, one that covered nearly half the sky over the abyss.

The vortex rotated slowly, its center deep as an eye, radiating a terrifying suction force capable of swallowing the Four Seas.

All the remaining Earth Vein Qi in the Falling Sword Abyss, along with the Qi scattered from the Heavenly Prides' vortices, rushed into the newly formed vortex like rivers flowing into the sea.

Its size and might made even Song Que's ninth tidal surge look dim in comparison.

Even more astonishing, the spiritual energy fluctuations at the center of the vortex began rising at an incredible speed.

One surge, two surges, three surges...

In the blink of an eye, the vortex had completed the buildup and expansion of eight tidal surges—and it began charging toward the ninth!

"Eight tidal surges in an instant! H-how is that possible?!"

"Who could possibly have such means?!"

"To plunder the Earth Vein Qi like this is to cut off the Dao Foundations of every one of us!"

After a moment of stunned silence, the abyss erupted into complete uproar and panic.

Everyone understood that if this person completed the ninth tidal surge, not a trace of Earth Vein Qi would remain in the abyss, and their path to Foundation Establishment would be cut off forever.

The cultivators quickly realized what was happening and rushed furiously toward the place where the Golden Divine Light had erupted.

Meanwhile, Hou Yunfei and the other disciples of the Spirit Stream Sect sensed Bai Xiaochun's aura coming from the Golden Divine Light. They immediately moved to hold back the attackers, buying Bai Xiaochun time to complete all nine tidal surges.

Elsewhere, Song Que watched as half the cultivators who had been about to kill him changed direction. The pressure on him eased at once.

"Bai Xiaochun, I didn't expect you to help me again, even if it was by accident."

"Go on ahead in peace. If you can help me achieve Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, then at least you'll have died for a worthy cause."

Song Que murmured to himself. He immediately began activating the Secret Technique his clan had prepared for him, drawing on the hidden strand of Heavenly Dao Qi to achieve Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment.