A Will Eternal

It was only now that Bai Xiaochun was learning about how the higher levels of the cultivation system in the Heavenspan Realm worked. After Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and Nascent Soul came the Deva Realm!

The Deva Realm was completely terrifying. It was like a complete fusion with heaven and earth, in which the cultivator didn’t unleash his own power, but rather, the power of all creation around him. He drew upon the energy of heaven and earth to emit crushing pressure and utilize divine abilities that went beyond the imaginations of even Nascent Soul cultivators.

For many years, there had only ever been four Deva Realm cultivators in the eastern Middle Reaches of the Heavenspan River. However, one of them, the deva from the Sky River Court, had been killed, leaving only three behind.

Deva Realm experts were powerful enough to be able to destroy entire sects, which meant that if one of them attacked the River-Defying Sect, it would most certainly be destroyed.

Even with Bai Xiaochun controlling the Blood Ancestor, and the assistance of the Dire Skybanyan, they would still be defeated. Only by calling upon the assistance of the true spirit would they be able to survive, and unfortunately, they had already used their one and only River-Defying Pill.

Although the River-Defying Sect currently seemed very powerful, they were lacking the highest level of power they needed. One of the driving forces in the patriarchs’ ability to reach a decision regarding the sect rules, and in fact, one of the reasons they had all agreed to fight together into the Middle Reaches to begin with, was that the spiritual energy and resources there were such that reaching the Deva Realm was a distinct possibility.

At the moment, the three people most likely of being able to reach the Deva Realm were Master Godwind, Frigidsect, and Crimsonsoul!

After the ceremonies were over, Master Godwind and Crimsonsoul chose to go into secluded meditation. The other patriarchs did the same. Each and every Nascent Soul cultivator hoped to eventually reach the point of becoming a deva!

In all of the eastern Heavenspan River, there were no more than ten devas total, and that included the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect! From that, it was easy to see not only how powerful they were, but also how rare.

In a grand hall on Mount River Defiance, the founding patriarch of the Spirit Stream Division, Frigidsect, had called Bai Xiaochun to explain to him certain matters regarding the sect and devas. “Although you can’t quite say that in the Deva Realm it's possible to live as long as heaven and earth, with the energy at your disposal, you can remain unwithered for almost all eternity. Your battle prowess would be such that you could dominate the entire cultivation world!

“Therefore, I will be going into secluded meditation to strive for my chance to break through into the Deva Realm!”

This was actually Bai Xiaochun’s first time hearing about the Deva Realm, and he already wished he could reach it.

“What’s after the Deva Realm?” he asked.

Frigidsect remained silent for a moment, but his eyes were already shining brightly. “After that is the Demigod Realm!”

Unexpectedly, the moment he said the word ‘demigod’, a peal of thunder rang out in the sky above!

The sudden crack of thunder startled Bai Xiaochun.

“Even saying the name can cause fluctuations to appear in heaven and earth. The Demigod Realm defies description. Perhaps people like that really are just as the name describes, part god!” The truth was that not even Frigidsect knew much about the Demigod Realm.

“In all of the eastern cultivation world, there is only one demigod, and he is the living reserve power of the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect. That patriarch is the only reason why the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect became a riversource sect!”

This was Bai Xiaochun’s first time hearing such things, and his eyes were as wide as saucers. Without even thinking about it, he asked, “What's after Demigod?”

“I don’t know!” Frigidsect replied, shaking his head. Having finished his explanation of cultivation, he extended his right hand, and three glowing motes of light appeared.

Within those motes of light could be seen a scroll painting, a reptilian scale, and a dagger!

The scroll painting possessed the air of something that had existed for many years, and pulsed with an ancient aura. As for the scale, Bai Xiaochun’s first impression was that it was beginning to rot; he couldn’t even tell what kind of creature it came from.

And then there was the dagger, which actually looked less like a dagger and more like a black horn!

“The Landscape of Nine Provinces is an earth-tier precious treasure, capable of storing a vast quantity of items. Anything that gets sucked in can be refined, and then sealed with an enslaving branding mark. It can provide an incredible boost to speed, and is even capable of short-range teleportation!

“The Ancient Devil Scale is also an earth-tier precious treasure. Not even a Nascent Soul expert could break through it. Unfortunately, I only have this one scale. With more, a full suit of armor could be forged, which would make it even more difficult for Nascent Soul cultivators to deal with you!

“Last is this dagger, which is also an earth-tier precious treasure. It can summon a rebel dragon of incredible power!”

“You're giving all of these to me?” Bai Xiaochun said, his heart starting to pound as he eyed the motes of light. Any one of the objects in front of him would be enough to arouse his excitement, let alone all of them. He swallowed hard.

“As the junior patriarch of the River-Defying Sect, you will represent the sect when you go out into the world. It's only natural that these three precious treasures should go to you. Take some time to get used to them. In the future, it will be up to you to make a name for the River-Defying Sect!” Frigidsect smiled. Bai Xiaochun was incredibly important to the River-Defying Sect, and the patriarchs had all agreed that since they were going into secluded meditation, Bai Xiaochun should be given three precious treasures to use for his own protection.

Bai Xiaochun was visibly excited, and quickly offered profuse thanks. Then he took the three precious treasures and began to fondle them lovingly. Frigidsect cleared his throat.

“I'm going to enter into secluded meditation now. In a moment, someone from the Senior generation will come to pay you a visit, so please wait for him. Finally, take this jade slip. It's an arcane cultivation technique for you now that you’ve reached Core Formation, a secret magic of the former Frigid School!” A strange expression could be seen on Frigidsect’s face, but before Bai Xiaochun could look up to notice, Frigidsect tossed him a jade slip, turned, and vanished.

“Someone from the Senior generation?” Bai Xiaochun asked, catching the jade slip. “But who?” However, Frigidsect was gone. As the moments ticked by, though, Bai Xiaochun's anticipation grew.

“Maybe they’re going to give me some more rewards....” he thought, getting more excited. As time went on, he was coming to find that, as the junior patriarch of the River-Defying Sect, he was treated very well. Someone from the Senior generation was even coming to give him a gift! Taking a deep breath, he rose to his feet and stood there straight and tall, trying to look as somber as possible.

Inside, he was already feeling pleased with himself; he knew that this pose was one that the older generation would definitely be pleased with.

After waiting for a bit, Bai Xiaochun was starting to lose patience. But then, he suddenly got a very strange feeling, as if someone were watching him. Without even thinking about it, he turned around, and when he saw what was right there in front of him, his eyes went wide.

At some indeterminable point, a rabbit had appeared right behind him!

The rabbit didn’t walk around on all fours like a normal rabbit. It stood on its hind legs. It had its hands clasped behind its back much like a person would do, and it was staring at Bai Xiaochun with its red eyes. Its ears stuck straight up above its head, and although it looked somewhat comical, there was something ancient in its eyes that made the rabbit seem completely beyond the ordinary.

“You....” Bai Xiaochun said. Gasping, he backed up. Then he clasped his hands over his mouth. Perhaps other people might not recognize this rabbit, but Bai Xiaochun did. He would probably recognize it even if it were transformed into a pile of ash. This was none other than that damnable talking rabbit!

The truth was that way back in the fight outside the Profound Stream Sect's city, when he saw the rabbit and the monkey together, he’d begun to suspect that something strange was going on. Now that the rabbit had appeared again, he began to pant. However, he quickly plastered a smile onto his face, and then cautiously clasped his hands in greeting.

“Um... disciple offers greetings, Senior!”

The rabbit snorted coldly as it looked Bai Xiaochun up and down. For some reason, the rabbit wasn’t repeating his words like it usually did, and although that should have made Bai Xiaochun happy, he was only left with a dark premonition.

Getting more nervous, he backed up a few paces and said, “Senior, I--”

“You looked quite pleased with yourself when you tried to chase me down last time,” the rabbit said, his voice cracking with ancientness. “However, I won’t lower myself to your level.”

Bai Xiaochun immediately started to get more nervous.

“I've come here today to perform a little test. Let’s see if those precious treasures of yours will really work.” As he glared at Bai Xiaochun, his mouth widened into a smile, a smile that filled Bai Xiaochun’s heart with terror. Letting out a shriek, he didn’t hesitate at all to turn and flee.

However, in the moment he started to move, the rabbit blurred into motion, raising his right foot and kicking Bai Xiaochun hard on the back.

A rumbling sound echoed out, mixing with Bai Xiaochun’s scream as he flew through the air. However, even as he flew, he righted himself and then shot forward with greater speed.

“Help! He’s trying to kill me!! A killer rabbit!! Patriarchs, save me! Save me!!” Bai Xiaochun sped along frantically, his shrieks echoing out in all directions. Many disciples heard, and immediately looked up to see what was happening.

What they saw was a rabbit flying through the air, slamming into Bai Xiaochun and sending him spinning. Then the rabbit began to cackle with laughter.

“Scream! The louder the better! Remember how you tried to blow me up during our last chase? Dammit! I went to hide in 10,000 Snakes Valley, and yet you suddenly showed up looking for me!!

“I even went all the way to the Blood Stream Sect to hide from you. Y-y-you... you little bastard! I can’t believe you tracked me down to the Blood Stream Sect!!” The rabbit’s eyes were bright red as it chased after Bai Xiaochun.

Bai Xiaochun's screams echoed out into the sky. Soon, certain cultivators from the Blood and Spirit Stream Divisions recognized the rabbit, and began to cry out in alarm.

“That’s....”

“Heavens, that’s the talking rabbit!!”

“What’s that rabbit doing here? And why isn’t it repeating things!?”