Cultivation Starts from Farming Chapter 991 - 427: Swordsmanship Stirring the Primordial Qi of Heaven and Earth

Heeding the directions from Hongyi's jade slip, Xu Ping identified several promising locations rumored to harbor the Ten Thousand-Year Spiritual Marrow Jade and resolved to investigate each one.

Maintaining a deliberately low profile, he suppressed his aura to its absolute minimum, becoming an almost imperceptible shadow that drifted silently through ravines and across peaks.

As he ventured onward, traces of other cultivators were frequently detected.

These were predominantly groups of cultivators in the Golden Core Stage, painstakingly scouring the outer regions for lesser spiritual materials or hunting mutated demon beasts whose value increased significantly after being tainted by demonic qi.

On occasion, solitary cultivators, usually in the early Nascent Soul Stage, were encountered, moving with haste and casting wary glances around them.

The further he penetrated the region, the scarcer the human presence became, while the level of danger escalated dramatically. In their stead, increasingly bizarre and mutated demon beasts appeared.

These beasts possessed rudimentary intelligence but were overwhelmingly bloodthirsty and violently aggressive, attacking without hesitation upon detecting any human life.

However, to Xu Ping, these creatures, at best comparable to late-stage Golden Core or early-stage Nascent Soul demon beasts, were no more significant than ants.

He found them hardly worth the effort to slay, opting instead to conceal his presence and move past them.

...

Meanwhile.

In a different sector of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain, within the confines of a vast, decaying swamp spanning hundreds of miles, a noxious stench permeated the air, and black fumes bubbled incessantly.

A cultivator in the early Nascent Soul Stage, his face flushed and clad in crimson robes, stood precariously on a cluster of sparse, solid earth mounds offering minimal footing.

His piercing gaze was intently focused on a comparatively clear patch of water at the swamp's heart, where a single stalk of spirit grass grew. Resembling a red lingzhi mushroom and radiating a potent pure yang aura, it was the Scarlet Sun Lingzhi.

This particular herb was a coveted treasure for cultivators who practiced fire-attribute cultivation techniques, capable of refining mana and accelerating spiritual advancement.

The red-faced Nascent Soul cultivator's face lit up with undisguised elation. After ensuring no formidable demon beasts or rival cultivators were lurking nearby, he prepared to reach out and pluck it.

Yet, just as he subtly stirred his mana, his body tensing to spring forward —

Buzz!

An intensely sharp, golden sword light, appearing capable of cleaving the dim heavens, suddenly burst forth from the shadowed recess of a nearby decaying tree.

The sword light's velocity far surpassed the speed of sound, imbued with an uncanny rhythm; the moment the sword technique manifested, it stirred the surrounding primordial qi.

The red-faced Nascent Soul cultivator's countenance shifted dramatically.

He had not been entirely unprepared, yet the suddenness and strangeness of this strike were astonishing.

What compounded his shock was the sudden thickening and heavification of the space around him, as if the invisible primordial qi had transformed into manacles, constricting him from every direction.

Although the restraining force wasn't overwhelmingly powerful, it was sufficient to impede his movements for that critical, fatal instant.

"What manner of swordsmanship is this? It can actually command primordial qi to suppress an opponent?" The red-faced Nascent Soul cultivator was engulfed by a surge of immense surprise.

He desperately channeled his mana, his early Nascent Soul realm power fully unleashed, shattering the primordial qi restraints with ease. However, the momentary delay proved fatal, leaving him unable to deploy his defensive spirit treasure or execute a potent divine defensive technique.

Sht!

The golden sword light sliced through his hastily erected barrier of spiritual light as if it were mere air, then swept horizontally across his neck!

The expression of the red-faced Nascent Soul cultivator froze in an instant, his eyes wide with disbelief, terror, and utter despair.

In the ensuing moment, his head was severed, soaring into the sky, his physical body's life force instantly extinguished!

A diminutive Nascent Soul form, uncannily resembling the red-faced cultivator, shrieked as it detached from the lifeless remains, instinctively attempting a Nascent Soul teleportation to flee.

But a stark realization struck him: this was the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain, a place where space was notoriously unstable, making any forced teleportation an act of certain suicide.

That single moment of hesitation proved his undoing!

The golden sword light returned, possessing an almost sentient quality, spinning precisely to bisect the panicked Nascent Soul.

"Crack!"

With a sound akin to shattering glass, the miniature Nascent Soul emitted a brief, agonizing cry before instantaneously disintegrating into pure spiritual qi, its divine soul utterly annihilated.

At this juncture, a slender, bamboo-like figure gradually materialized from the deepening shadows.

He held an ancient-styled longsword, its blade glinting with a faint golden luminescence. His expression was etched with the cold satisfaction of a hunter surveying the spoils of his successful hunt.

The red-faced Nascent Soul cultivator’s storage pouch and the Scarlet Sun Lingzhi were expertly stowed away, as his gaze swept across the desolate swamp, a hint of a cold curve gracing the corners of his mouth.

"Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators wouldn’t typically venture into this dreadful locale… Ten Thousand Demon Mountain is truly a boon for me!"

He uttered, his voice a raspy, unpleasant sound.

With this peculiar swordsmanship, capable of slightly mobilizing primordial qi to forge fleeting confinements, he had successfully ambushed several Nascent Soul cultivators of equivalent standing in this very place, reaping bountiful rewards.

...

Two months elapsed.

Following the map’s guidance, Xu Ping reached the initial location where the Ten Thousand-Year Spiritual Marrow Jade might be found—a spot situated at the confluence of cold evil veins, deep beneath the earth.

He conducted a meticulous search for several days, even deploying his divine sense to probe the depths of the earth veins. Yet, aside from discovering a few high-quality yin attribute ores and some spirit grasses that thrived in shade, not a single trace of the Ten Thousand-Year Spiritual Marrow Jade was uncovered.

Xu Ping wasn't overly disheartened.

Such heavenly spiritual objects would hardly be so rare if they were easily discovered.

He gathered his findings and proceeded to the next intended destination.

Another two months drifted by.

Xu Ping gained entry into an ancient cultivator’s cave residence, long since abandoned.

The cave’s original restrictions had been breached, allowing demonic qi to proliferate within, and several formidable demonized beasts now claimed it as their territory.

Xu Ping effortlessly vanquished these guardians and conducted an exhaustive search of the cave residence, both inside and out. Still, there remained no sign of the Ten Thousand-Year Spiritual Marrow Jade.

However, within a sealed stone chamber, a Solid Infant Pill, still potent with medicinal power, was discovered, nestled inside a jade box.