The Hengyue Sect had six major courts in total: five subsidiary courts and one main court.
The five subsidiary courts—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—housed registered disciples and inner disciples.
The main court, meanwhile, housed the Sect Master, the Elders, and their personal disciples.
Beyond that, some solitary Elders preferred to carve out their own cave dwellings and medicine fields atop Hengyue Peak.
Qin Hao left his cave dwelling and silently sought out Dao Xu, an Elder of the Hengyue Sect.
Dao Xu was a Foundation Establishment stage Elder of the Hengyue Sect, and his alchemy skill had reached the third grade.
When Qin Hao found Dao Xu, the latter was refining pills.
With a casual glance at the medicinal ingredients, Qin Hao knew that Dao Xu was refining third-grade Tianli Pills.
Tianli Pills were exceedingly precious and could increase a Cultivator's chances of successfully forming a core.
Core Formation stage Cultivators could also take them to raise their cultivation.
Even within the Huofen Kingdom across the Demon Cultivation Sea, such pills were exceptionally rare and precious.
Their scarcity meant that they were extremely difficult to refine.
Though Dao Xu had attempted it many times, he had never succeeded.
"Clang! Clang!"
Despite being incomparably careful, Dao Xu still caused the various medicinal ingredients to clash.
"My ancestors, please don't let the furnace explode! Please don't let the furnace explode!"
Dao Xu hurriedly controlled the pill furnace, praying repeatedly under his breath.
Yet the pill furnace shook more and more violently, ready to burst apart at any moment.
"That isn't how pills are refined!"
Qin Hao, who had been observing in secret, stepped forward.
Whoosh!
As Qin Hao's spiritual power and divine sense entered the pill furnace, sorting through the violent medicinal essences inside, the entire furnace immediately calmed down again.
Phew!
Dao Xu let out a breath of relief and said to Qin Hao, "Thank you for your assistance, fellow daoist..."
As he spoke, his expression abruptly changed, and he demanded, "Who are you? How did you get in?"
Although Dao Xu lived alone outside the sect, his entire cave dwelling was protected by multiple formations.
Even a Foundation Establishment stage expert would be held off for quite some time if he tried to enter.
The fact that this man had entered without triggering the formations meant that he was either a formation master or had cultivation above the Core Formation stage.
"Of course I walked in!"
Qin Hao smiled faintly and directly released the aura of the Nascent Soul stage, enveloping the entire cave dwelling.
Thud!
Under that pressure, Dao Xu's legs immediately gave way, and he dropped to his knees.
"Nas... Nascent Soul?"
Dao Xu's eyes widened.
He had once felt such pressure from a Nascent Soul Ancestor.
Dao Xu was puzzled. Why had this Nascent Soul stage expert sought out a mere Foundation Establishment Cultivator like him?
Qin Hao withdrew his aura, clasped his hands behind his back, and said arrogantly, "A mere Foundation Establishment insect like you possesses nothing This Seat desires. This Seat came here only because I felt the urge to refine some pills."
Hearing this, Dao Xu immediately relaxed.
"Besides, there is one more matter!"
Qin Hao looked at Dao Xu and said indifferently, "This Seat needs you to take This Seat to the Sword Spirit Pavilion."
"This junior obeys!"
Naturally, Dao Xu did not dare refuse.
The Hengyue Sect's Nascent Soul Ancestors had all been conscripted to the Outer Realm Battlefield. The sect's strongest remaining cultivators were only at the Core Formation stage, completely incapable of defeating Qin Hao.
Under such circumstances, he had no intention of courting trouble for the sake of his own life.
Then, the two arrived at the Sword Spirit Pavilion.
At that moment, a white-robed disciple in his thirties sat cross-legged outside the Sword Spirit Pavilion.
Sensing their arrival, the white-robed disciple immediately opened his eyes.
When he saw Dao Xu, he hurriedly rose and bowed. "Greetings, martial uncle Dao Xu!"
Dao Xu gave him a bland glance and ordered, "Open the Sword Spirit Pavilion!"
"Yes!"
Upon hearing this, the disciple hurriedly took out a token and deactivated the Sword Spirit Pavilion's restriction.
"Let's go!"
Dao Xu led Qin Hao inside.
The Sword Spirit Pavilion was filled with all kinds of ancient swords and flying swords. It was one of the Hengyue Sect's important grounds.
Dao Xu had assumed that this senior intended to loot the flying swords accumulated by the Hengyue Sect over so many years.
Yet unexpectedly, Qin Hao ignored those flying swords entirely and instead found a longsword named Giant Fortune.
Whoosh!
Qin Hao reached out through the air, and Giant Fortune flew into his hand.
The sword was two palm-widths wide and three feet long. Golden light shimmered across its entire body, making it appear quite extraordinary.
But it was actually forged from the most ordinary mortal iron, merely plated with a layer of gold.
Two enormous gemstones were embedded in its hilt as well.
"Why would this Nascent Soul senior choose this sword?"
Seeing this, Dao Xu could not help but wonder. "Could this sword truly be so formidable?"
As far as he knew, this sword had been personally forged by a Patriarch five hundred years ago and was said to possess unfathomable might.
Yet every generation of the Hengyue Sect had studied this sword. Even Dao Xu himself had once examined it, only to find it was the most ordinary of weapons, with nothing remarkable about it at all.
[Ding! The Hengyue Sect's strongest current divine ability—the Slaying Luo Art—has been detected. The host has obtained the Enhanced Slaying Luo Art!]
Buzz!
As the system's voice sounded once more, Qin Hao discovered that a heaven-shaking sword light had suddenly appeared in his mind.
That sword light was powerful enough to sever everything between heaven and earth, seeming capable of opening up an entirely new world from primordial chaos.
Having read Xian Ni, Qin Hao knew that the divine ability contained within Giant Fortune had actually been left behind by the sword soul of the Immortal Sword of Rain.
During the great war in the Immortal World, Immortal Emperor Qing Lin had been grievously wounded. His daughter, Immortal Lord Qing Shuang, had likewise been on the brink of death, while even the Immortal Sword of Rain had been shattered.
One fragmentary sword soul had undergone an unknown number of reincarnations before ultimately being reborn as one of the Hengyue Sect's Old Ancestors five hundred years ago, who then forged the Giant Fortune Sword.
This was a sword technique of the Immortal Sword of Rain. Though it was not an immortal technique, it was no weaker than one. It was a Supreme Divine Ability that only Ascendant experts could barely wield.
Because it could cut through the laws of heaven and earth.
The reason only Ascendant experts could barely use it was mainly because this technique required Origin Qi or Origin Power.
Such power could only be generated and absorbed after reaching the Ascendant realm.
But the Enhanced Slaying Luo Art Qin Hao had obtained could likewise be unleashed using spiritual power.
It was only that its power would be far weaker than when wielded with Origin Power.
Even so, Qin Hao was confident that, with this divine ability, he could cross an entire major realm and slay an early-stage Deity Transformation expert.
"What a pity!"
Qin Hao glanced at Giant Fortune again, feeling immense regret in his heart.
What he regretted was that this sword had merely been forged from mortal iron and was intended specifically for people to comprehend the sword technique.
Now that he had obtained the Slaying Luo Art, it was naturally of no further use to him.
If it had not been forged from mortal iron, but had instead been a flying sword refined from special materials, then even if it could not compare to an immortal treasure, it would still far surpass ordinary magical treasures.
Qin Hao returned Giant Fortune and said to Dao Xu, "Let's go!"
"Yes!"
Dao Xu nodded, then glanced at Giant Fortune again and thought, Why doesn't this senior want it after all? What is he regretting? Could this sword really be that useless piece of trash?
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