Zhi Jian Chen Sha

Chapter 649 The Wordless Sword Manual

"Sending ordinary Golden Core cultivators might mean they wouldn't even meet Grandmaster Zhang before being slaughtered by his subordinates. If one of us four were to go, there's a risk to our lives too."

"Therefore, to probe their strength and ensure safety, two of us four must go. We can cover each other."

"I have already been exposed, so even if I am seen again by those natives, it's no issue. But at least one of you three needs to go, along with three more third-grade Golden Core cultivators to accompany us."

After some thought, Dao Zun voiced his plan. He knew that none of the other three would volunteer to go alone, so he didn't shy away from offering himself. Despite his caution, Dao Zun was confident in his own strength. Even if he couldn't defeat an ordinary first-grade Golden Core expert, he was sure he could escape. After all, it had only been a little over half a year since the last battle. Even with abundant cultivation resources, how much could those natives improve in such a short time?

"I'll go!"

Hearing Dao Zun speak, Bai Zhen took the initiative to volunteer. He had felt cooped up after five hundred years in the Milky Way without a proper fight. At the same time, he was eager to see what this place of fortune was like and what kind of techniques its experts possessed to make the renowned Dao Zun so cautious.

"Good. With fellow Daoist Bai Zhen accompanying me, we can at least get a sense of their capabilities," Dao Zun nodded. Although Bai Zhen's strength was considerably weaker than his, he could at least tie down an expert from the Undying Blood Clan. The other peak third-grade Golden Core expert would be handled by the three third-grade Golden Core cultivators accompanying them. As for him, Dao Zun, he would focus all his might on Zhang Fan.

"Sect Master Wen Xin and fellow Daoist Li Yang, you will lead the remaining Golden Core cultivators and lie in ambush around the perimeter. Once everyone else is dealt with, you will join me in suppressing Grandmaster Zhang."

"As long as we subdue him, no one on this planet will be able to stop our advance. The fortune will then be ours to explore."

After selecting his personnel, Dao Zun outlined his plan. With the plan set, Dao Zun led ten Golden Core realm cultivators, including Wen Xin Daoist, out of the starship and quietly infiltrated Earth. They passed through the atmosphere one by one, undetected. As the last Golden Core realm cultivator breached the atmosphere, on the Central Siberian Plateau in Russia, the snow-covered land began to slowly rise, as if something was about to break free from the earth.

To avoid alarming Zhang Fan, the one-armed Dao Zun and his companions remained extremely low-profile upon landing on Earth, not disturbing anyone.

"I never expected the spiritual energy on this planet to be so scarce. It's almost impossible to condense a Golden Core here," Bai Zhen and the others gained a general understanding of Earth through Dao Zun's prior knowledge after they landed.

"Fortunately, we all brought plenty of spirit crystals. We can quickly recover our mana during battle. Otherwise, trying to rely on absorbing ambient spiritual energy to recover would waste so much time," Li Yang also lamented.

"Alright, according to the plan, Bai Zhen and I, along with three Golden Core realm cultivators, will launch a surprise attack on Lake Heart Island. We'll break through its defensive formation as quickly as possible. If we can kill a few experts from Lake Heart Island, all the better."

"Even if we don't kill anyone, we'll do our best to force them to reveal their trump cards. Then, Sect Master Wen Xin and fellow Daoist Li Yang will join me in suppressing them!" the one-armed Dao Zun reminded everyone again.

"Caution is good, but Dao Zun, you might be overestimating those natives. With our strength, they won't be able to make any significant waves," Bai Zhen said confidently, already growing impatient. In truth, Dao Zun felt the same. The four of them, who were second-grade Golden Core experts, seven Golden Core realm cultivators, and a host of Condensing Core realm cultivators, were more than enough to crush any force on Earth.

...

Zhang Fan remained in seclusion for over five months, raising his realm to the peak of the Condensing Core stage and inscribing nine Golden Core Dao patterns. Only then did he begin to cultivate the "Wordless Sword Manual." The Wordless Sword Manual truly contained not a single character. It was divided into ten layers, each layer depicted by a unique scroll painting. Although Zhang Fan had fully comprehended the artistic conception of all ten scrolls in his previous life, to enhance the power of his sword intent, he needed to use sword intent to etch each painting within his body, guided by the Wordless Sword Manual. When he used sword intent, its power would be greatly amplified by passing through the paintings of the Wordless Sword Manual.

The first layer's painting depicted a magnificent and imposing mountain peak, standing in the center of the scroll as if it were the heart of heaven and earth. Zhang Fan named the first layer of the Wordless Sword Manual the "Path to the Heavens," signifying the gateway to the Great Dao he was entering. He had to traverse this path to reach the pinnacle. Sword intent was a mystical force that gradually emerged after comprehending the true meaning of the sword and inscribing Dao patterns. The strength of this force depended on the number of Golden Core Dao patterns. Zhang Fan had inscribed nine sword Dao patterns, making his sword intent exceptionally powerful. However, it still took him over a week to etch out the first scroll of the Wordless Sword Manual.

"Hmm?"

Zhang Fan continued to cultivate the second scroll of the Wordless Sword Manual. This was, as far as he knew, the fastest way to increase his strength in a short period. The second painting depicted an incredibly sharp divine sword. Zhang Fan called it "Exposing its Edge!" After nearly half a month of cultivating the second painting, just as Zhang Fan was about to finish the second layer, he suddenly felt a faint sense of unease. This was a premonition of danger that came with a powerful divine sense.

"Boom!"

Just as Zhang Fan was about to end his cultivation session and go out to investigate, he heard a deafening roar. Following that, Zhang Fan sensed that the protective array enveloping Lake Heart Island had exploded. A powerful shockwave spread out, churning up waves on the surface of Bibo Lake. Zhang Fan unleashed his Dissolution Domain, nullifying the shockwave that was spreading into Lake Heart Island. He walked out of the underground chamber and looked up, seeing a familiar figure.

Swish, swish, swish!

Figures darted from all directions of Lake Heart Island. They stood behind Zhang Fan. Looking up, they saw a group of powerful cultivators slowly descending from the sky. The leader was none other than the one-armed Dao Zun, whom Zhang Fan had forced to flee Earth half a year ago. Beside him stood a young man in brocade robes, holding a long sword.

"I didn't expect them to come so soon. It's perfect, I'm in need of Golden Cores for alchemy. How thoughtful," Zhang Fan's lips curved upwards as he saw this scene. Five Golden Core realm experts could be used to refine quite a few Golden Scale Yuan-Breaking Pills. As his strength increased, Zhang Fan's alchemy skills also improved. Previously, he could only refine three Golden Scale Yuan-Breaking Pills from one Golden Core, which was quite wasteful. But now, his cultivation in qi condensation was comparable to that of top-tier second-grade Golden Core experts, and his alchemy skills could rival some Nascent Soul stage alchemy grandmasters, allowing him to utilize the full effect of a Golden Core.

...

ps; There have been many things going on recently, so the updates will be very unstable. However, I will remember all the commitments I've made. I owe everyone four updates for not updating yesterday and today, and I might not be able to make up for it all today. This is the first update!