Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

Chapter 251 - 170: Three Methods_1

Chapter 251: Chapter 170: Three Methods_1

Translator: 549690339

“Holy shit… Holy shit… Holy SHIT… HOLY SHIT…!!!”

Outside Purple Cloud Mountain, dozens of miles away, the youth was lying prostrate on the ground, both hands covering his ears, yet still, cries of alarm echoed in his mind.

To this, the youth was also helpless; his master, a loose cultivator who had risen from the bottom, even after later attaining the level of a Return to Void True Monarch and becoming a Grandmaster of the Array Path, still had some habits of the common folk, and had always been unfiltered in his speech.

But on the other hand, after spending so much time with him, this was the first time he heard him curse “holy shit” so many times.

Although that person defying the norm to slay a Nascent Soul with the body of a Golden Core was indeed awesome and terrifying, was it enough to make him lose his composure to such an extent?

After all, weren’t you a Return to Void True Monarch and a Grandmaster of the Array Path, a loose cultivator who had dominated the Northern Domain and contended against the Immortal Gates?

Is it necessary to be so overexcited, like a bumpkin who has never seen the world?

Or could it be that this old guy was just boasting and he wasn’t really a Return to Void True Monarch?

The youth secretly doubted in his heart, but on the surface, he still tried to comfort and reassure: “Elder Zhen, Elder Zhen, please calm down. Don’t get so worked up, be careful not to let him notice!”

“Calm down, how can you ask me to be calm when faced with such a monster? How can I be calm?”

Upon hearing these words, the cries of surprise in his mind grew louder.

“Do you know what that sword just now signified?”

“You think it’s as simple as just a Golden Core slaying a Nascent Soul?”

“That was the Heavenly Sword, Heavenly Sword, HEAVENLY SWORD, do you understand?!”

The roar continued, the shock profound.

The youth was surprised and quite puzzled: “Heavenly Sword, what Heavenly Sword?”

“That’s why I say you know nothing,” Elder Zhen sighed and continued solemnly, “Do you remember what I told you about the three strongest fighting powers among all the cultivation methods?”

“I remember,” the youth nodded and replied in a deep tone.

“Among the battle cultivators, the Sword Dao is supreme, unmatched in battle.”

“Among the spell cultivators, thunder and lightning reign supreme, commanding authority over thousands.”

“Both sword and thunder cultivators are exceptionally strong cultivations, each capable of crossing boundaries.”

“But besides sword and thunder cultivation, there’s another path that’s equally powerful.”

“That is the way of Heaven and Earth’s Array Path. Formation cultivators use the world as their instrument, similarly looking down upon all others, unrivaled in the cultivation realm.”

“Sword cultivators, thunder cultivators, formation cultivators, they make up the three strongest fighters, most who battle beyond their realms belong to these classes.”

Saying this, the youth’s eyes began to focus, as if he was starting to understand something.

“Indeed, those are the three great methods of cultivation,” Elder Zhen nodded and then asked, “Now, in your opinion, is this person a sword cultivator, a thunder cultivator, or a formation cultivator?”

“This…”

The youth hesitated for a moment: “Could it be that he cultivates all three methods?”

“Exactly, he cultivates all three methods!”

“This person is both a sword cultivator and well-versed in thunder series, even more proficient in array formations!”

“Thunder cultivators, sword cultivators, formation cultivators, all three are exceptionally strong cultivations.”

“Throughout history, there have been many prodigies who attempted to cultivate two methods, or even all three methods simultaneously.”

“Therefore, while cultivating all three methods is rare, it is not uncommon. In my heyday, when I traveled the Northern Domain, I encountered quite a few such individuals.”

“But…”

Elder Zhen paused in his speech and after a long while said, “This person’s cultivation of the three methods is not of the ordinary kind.”

“Not of the ordinary kind?” The youth was startled, his expression puzzled: “What do you mean?”

“A person’s life span is limited, as is their strength!” Elder Zhen sighed and explained, “Thunder cultivators, sword cultivators, formation cultivators, each has its strengths, and to cultivate them simultaneously, one must merge them together; thunder series combined with swordsmanship can craft a Thunder Sword, array formations combined with swordsmanship can achieve a Sword Formation. To cultivate all three methods, one must master each to perfection, integrate and complement them. Only then can one attain the profound and mysterious.”

Listening to this, the youth seemed to understand but not quite: “So…”

“So it’s difficult, incredibly difficult, as hard as ascending to the heavens!” Elder Zhen said gravely, “A normal cultivator, focusing on one path, must devote their entire life’s efforts. How much more so for those cultivating the three great methods and integrating them perfectly?”

“Therefore, the usual cultivator of the three methods isn’t truly cultivating all three methods, they haven’t cultivated all three to the pinnacle of perfection, to a state of transcendence and sublime mastery. They possess only a rudimentary combination based on shallow knowledge.”

“Not to mention anything else, take the Flying Thunder Sword Technique I taught you recently; can you say that is a Thunder Sword cultivation technique?”

“Clearly, you cannot. That technique is simply a sword technique supplemented by an auxiliary thunder series, its essence is a sword technique, not a Thunder Series Sword Jue.”

“True dual cultivation of thunder and sword must involve cultivating both thunder and sword arts to an extremely high level, attaining the peak, transcending the mundane, and integrating the intricacies of both perfectly. Only then is it true dual cultivation of the Thunder Sword.”

After finishing, Elder Zhen asked the youth, “So you see how difficult this is, right?”

“This…”

The youth was at a loss for words, unsure of how to respond.

“Sword cultivation is difficult, thunder cultivation is difficult, and formation cultivation is even more challenging!”

“So, cultivating all three methods and integrating them together, what is that?”

“It’s a path to ascension. Cultivating it is as hard as ascending to the heavens!”

“But he… he achieved it!”

“He! Did! It!”

Although in a spiritual body, without a physical form, the youth could still feel and envision Elder Zhen saying these words with heavy breaths and speech.

“Heavenly Sword!”

“Heavenly Sword!”

Elder Zhen gritted his teeth, his shock evident: “He just said his formation is called the Heaven Extinguishing Earth Annihilating Array.”

“At first, I thought this Heaven Extinguishing Earth Annihilating referred to Heavenly Thunder and Earthly Fire!”

“But I never imagined, this Heaven Extinguishing Earth Annihilating truly means two arrays of Heaven and Earth!”

“That fourth-tier Prohibition Breaking Talisman only broke the Earth Annihilation Formation, but there’s still a Heaven Extinguishing Array laid out on top, ready to be triggered.”

“An array within an array, two connected arrays, yet distinct and clear. The breaking of Earth Annihilation did not affect the already fully charged Heaven Extinguishing.”

“After the Earth Annihilation Formation broke, he leaped into the sky, activated the formation, and the Heaven Extinguishing Array manifested lightning, incorporating his own thunder technique along with the power of swordsmanship to unleash a Heavenly Sword!”

“This Heavenly Sword represents his thunder technique, swordsmanship, and formation cultivation all reaching the pinnacle, a state of transcendence, merging the three perfectly, complementing each other as if combining Heaven, Earth, and Man into one, and the sword moved with the might of Heaven!”

“This is the Heavenly Sword!”

“Compared to the significance behind this Heavenly Sword, what does slaying a Nascent Soul against the norm count for?”

Elder Zhen took a deep breath.

“In all my years dominating the Northern Domain, I’ve seen and experienced much, but such a monstrous talent… I’ve truly never seen, never seen anything like it.”

“Even if he possessed peerless talent, a naturally gifted spiritual body, and even started cultivating while in his mother’s womb, it shouldn’t be possible for him to master the Heavenly Sword at the Golden Core Realm, should it? How much time, effort, and accumulation of knowledge and potential would that require?”

“Could it be that he was born a celestial fetus, with a lifespan of ten thousand years in the Golden Core Realm, or even immortality, giving him endless time to squander without advancing his cultivation, to focus solely on practicing swordsmanship, Thunder Series, and formation?”

“How the hell is that possible?”

Elder Zhen’s words became more and more chaotic, tinged with a hint of madness.

Hearing this, the youth didn’t know what to do.

Fortunately, Elder Zhen soon calmed down.

“He’s definitely more than just Golden Core Realm!”

“This body is merely a disguise, or perhaps an external incarnation!”

“His true self must be at least at the Divinity Transformation, or even Return to Void!”

“Only then would it be possible to master the Heavenly Sword.”

“Now that makes sense.”

“But why would such a person come here?”

“Did the Three Sects have a breach, or is there a problem with the Void Spirit Cave Heaven…”

“Forget it, whatever!”

After muttering to himself, Elder Zhen turned to the youth and said, “This person’s background is extraordinary; he must be eyeing the Void Spirit Cave Heaven.”

“Ah?”

The youth was taken aback, then worriedly said, “Then what do we do? We can’t beat him, can we?”

“I’ve been teaching you for so long, and all you think about is brute force? Can’t you use your brain a little?”

Elder Zhen scolded with a tinge of disappointment, “With his power, even if you and I tied ourselves together, we wouldn’t be enough for one of his thunder strikes. But there’s a saying, ‘When the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits!’”

“When the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits?”

The youth blinked in surprise, his eyes gradually brightening, “Elder Zhen, do you mean to let him clash with the Three Sects while we look for an opportunity to benefit from their strife?”

“You can be taught!”

Elder Zhen nodded in satisfaction, “Let him battle with the Three Sects. I’ll take you to claim the greatest benefits from the Void Spirit Cave Heaven first. Then we’ll leave this godforsaken place. After refining our cultivation, we’ll return to collect the Immortal Artifact. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

“Yes, yes, let’s do that!”

The youth nodded repeatedly but then expressed concern, “But he’s already beheaded a Nascent Soul. Can the Three Sects still entangle with him?”

“That’s where you’re uninformed.”

Elder Zhen shook his head, “Each of the Three Sects has its own backing. What does one Nascent Soul amount to? Soon, there will be a large force rushing here to fight him to the death. By then, we’ll be able to fish in troubled waters, find the Void Spirit Immortal Mansion, take all the treasures, and let them fight over nothing.”

“Let’s do that!”

The youth’s eyes shone, “What’s the first step?”

“Cultivate first!”

Elder Zhen said gravely, “Your cultivation is too low. Even if they’re like the snipe and clam, you won’t be able to profit as the fisherman. So the next step is to increase your cultivation. At the very least, you need to reach the Golden Core Realm. Foundation Establishment is nothing; outside, it’s not even as good as a dog!”

The youth wasn’t bothered, “Then I’ll go back to cultivating now.”

“Go back where? With what little you have, what can you cultivate? You can’t increase your cultivation on north winds alone!”

Elder Zhen pondered for a moment, an idea forming, “I’ve got it, let’s go to Green Jade Sect. Heh heh heh, let’s enjoy the cool under the tree planted by others. Now that the Golden Cores of the Three Sects are destroyed and no one is guarding Green Jade Sect, isn’t it ripe for the taking? Hurry, kid, I’ll take you to make a fortune!”

On hearing this, the youth hesitated, “This…”

“Stop that!”

Elder Zhen interrupted, “Do you still want to seek revenge? That girl has joined Tianshu Sect.”

“This… okay, let’s go!”

“Don’t shout so loud. Do you want to lure that old ghost here?”

“Oh, oh, oh!”

The youth nodded repeatedly, glanced cautiously at Purple Cloud Mountain, and in an instant, his figure turned into a beam of yellow light, darting into the mountain and disappearing.

Soon, within Green Jade Sect, Supreme Cave Mansion.

“Hahaha!”

“How about it? The Five Elements Escape Method I taught you is formidable, isn’t it?”

“The power of the Five Elements is the logic of heaven and earth. Once you master it, not to mention these minor third-tier formations, even fourth-tier, or even fifth-tier great arrays will no longer bind you. As long as no one’s controlling them, you can move in and out without a trace.”

“I’ve been telling you to get a higher-tier Storage Spiritual Ring. Look at you now, carrying a big bag on your back. With so many Storage Bags, if someone sees you, they’ll go crazy, won’t they?”

“Be careful, there are people ahead!”

A youth, carrying a pack, cautiously sneaked out of the Spiritual Vein Cave Mansion without anyone noticing, making his way effortlessly to the front gate of the mountain.

However, just as he was about to leave through the gate…

“Boom!”

Yang Yun clouds descended like a tide, sweeping over everything. Command Flags fell from the sky, one plunging straight down in front of the gate of Green Jade Sect.

“!!!”

The youth stopped in his tracks, his face going pale.

“Damn it!”

Elder Zhen, seeing this, also felt a headache, “I knew he’d come, but I didn’t expect him to come so quickly. Damn it, after using the Heavenly Sword, doesn’t he need to rest a bit?”

The youth was speechless and quickly asked, “What use is saying this now? What do we do?”

“What can we do but run? If the old guy catches us, we’re both done for!”

“Oh, oh, oh!”

The youth nodded, turned around to leave, and prepared to find another way to break out.

However…

“No, wait. That old ghost’s acting so fast, the great array is about to be activated. If you dash out now, you’re walking into a trap.”

“Then what do we do?”

“This… quick, find a set of Green Jade Sect menial disciple’s clothes to change into. From now on, you’re a menial disciple of Green Jade Sect. That old ghost didn’t slaughter Purple Cloud Mountain, so he probably won’t slaughter Green Jade Sect either.”

“And these Storage Bags…”

“What of it? Find some place to bury them. If there’s a chance, we can dig them out later.”

“Oh, oh, oh!”