Chapter 257: A Thousand Year Old Secret

“A Blade Strengthening Gourd?” Chen Fan was taken aback by the answer.

“Indeed. I suspect that used to belong to an Earth Level Deity called Sword Secret the Exalted who was a Cultivator that lived a few thousand years ago.” Yuan Hen said with a trembling voice. Blood squirted out from the wound where his leg was severed from the trunk and splattered all over. The terrifying sight had scared the secretary so much that she fainted. Zheng Anpin hid his head under a desk and scarcely dared to look up.

“OK.”

Chen Fan furrowed his brows and summoned a beam of Yi Wood Spirit Qi energy.

This emerald colored light wrapped around Yuan Hen’s amputated leg like a layer of shiny thermograph and stopped the seemingly unstoppable bleeding. Seeing the situation was improving, Yuan Hen heave a sigh and filled Chen Fan in.

“The Exalted Cultivator Sword Secret was a renowned Sword Immortal a few thousand years ago. Legend has it that he had lived over hundreds of years on earth and had reached the God Reining State. Some scholars even suspected that he had surpassed the God Reining State and became an Earth Level Deity. Ancient records said that he had a Blade Strengthening Gourd that he carried with him all the time. Whenever he was in need of it, a blade would fly out from the gourd and fly to its target miles away.”

“He became famous in China thanks to his flying sword skills and remained undefeated for hundreds of years. However, later he just disappeared from records.” Yuan Hen breathed heavily and said with a pale face.

“Sword Secret the Exalted Cultivator had nine flying swords and each one was created using numinous treasures and refined using the aether of the sun and the moon. Each one of them had different abilities but they were all deadly. They were stored inside the Blade Strengthening Gourd and only flew out of the gourd when they were summoned. When all nine blades appeared at the same time, they could annihilate anything that was in their way.”

“When I first saw the Jade Gourd at my friend’s place and registered a great measure of similarity with the Blade Strengthening Gourd. The craftsmanship was ancient, which added more credibility to my suspicion. It is either the real deal or a forgery fashioned after the real one. If it was the real one, there might still be some of the Sword Secret the Exalted Cultivator’s mojo left in it for me to learn from.” Yuan Hen let out an ugly grin and said: “what a shame that my goal had to lead me to lose one of my legs.”

“Flying sword?”

Chen Fan was slightly impressed.

He had never thought that that the school of Sword Cultivation would have a presence on earth. The Sword Cultivation techniques were some of the most aggressive and deadly cultivation methods. Of the nine major Immortal Sects, one of them specialized in Sword Cultivation and they were also the deadliest sect of the nine.

However, Sword Secret the Exalted Cultivator still needed a Dharma Artifact to strengthen the sword, it was obvious that he had not yet even entered the introductory level of the Sword Cultivation. The real sword cultivation refined the flying sword using the user’s own vital energy. It would conceal the flying sword inside of his Dantian, the so-called Purple Chamber and refine it using Connate Essence Qi and infuse it with the user’s own soul and consciousness in order to wield the flying sword at will and with ease.

What Sword Secret the Exalted Cultivator practiced was an art that used the Dharma Artifact to control a flying sword, instead of controlling it directly.

“That being said, to be able to control a flying sword using a Dharma Artifact meant that he had already entered the Connate Spirit level. If that was the case, it was proof that there had been a Connate Cultivator on earth. However, a connate cultivator could live only up to five hundred years, and if this Sword Secret the Exalted Cultivator was alive a few thousand years ago, he must be dead by now.” With that thought in mind, Chen Fan didn’t think Sword Secret the Exalted Cultivator would pose any threat to him.

Plus, the earth was deprived of Spirit Qi therefore, even if there was still Connate Cultivators alive on earth, they must be on their last leg, struggling to get by each day.

It was impossible for them to be like Chen Fan and cultivate both the Void Mortal Refinement Art and the Azure Thearch Longevity Body. With those two arts, even if Chen Fan was thrown into the ninth level of hell, he would still thrive. Spirit Qi to cultivators was water to fish. Without it, the cultivators would slowly die.

“So this is a Blade Strengthening Gourd?”

Chen Fan examined the gourd and asked curiously.

“Yes, but… the Blade Strengthening Gourd in the legend was not made out of jade. Therefore, I am not 100 percent sure. ”

Chen Fan didn’t speak a word, and then he waved a hand, summoning a powerful force.

Suddenly, the shell of the Jade Gourd was fractured and revealed its inner surface.

It was a small gourd with yellow skin. It was the size of a human’s palm and covered with scuff marks accumulated throughout the age. It was as if it had been in existence for eons. As soon as the yellow skin of the gourd was revealed, it floated in the air without any force supporting it. However, its appearance looked so otherworldly that it would make one believe being airborne was its natural state.

“It… it…”Yuan Hen could only sare. “This really is the Blade Strengthening Gourd!” He managed to utter a few words in a trembling voice.

He regretted vehemently for his previous doubt about the treasure’s authenticity. As soon as he saw the little yellow-skinned gourd, he knew right away that this was the Dharma Treasure that belonged to Sword Secret the Exalted Cultivator.

“If I was more sure of my guess, I would have bought this already.”

Yuan Hen couldn’t be more regretful about his doubts. Sword Secret the Exalted Cultivator was the stuff of legends, and even a shred of his mighty wisdom could have enlightened him and brought him into the Dharma Cultivation level, if not the God Reining State. By then, he would be at least as powerful as the most renowned Feng Shui Master of Hong Kong, Zhou Daoji.

However, Yuan Hen dared not move a muscle while Chen Fan was guarding the treasure. He didn’t even dare to let his gaze linger too long on the gourd.

“I knew from the beginning that there was more than what meets the eye about the Jade Gourd, I had never thought that it was this!” Chen Fan waved a hand and commanded the gourd to fly to his hand. He snorted after he examined the gourd with his divine will.

“Blade Strengthening Gourd my ass! Sword Secret the Exalted Cultivator knew nothing of Sword Cultivation. This is nothing but an ordinary fruit of the Void Dimension Vine.”

“The fruit of the Void Dimension Vine?”

Yuan Hen hazarded despite himself.

“The so-called Void Dimension Vine was a plant grew on the Void Dimension Crystals. The Void Dimension Crystals contained the energy of dimensions and most dimension altering dharma artifacts were made out of such crystals. I wager that the seed of a gourd rooted in one of those crystals and absorbed the energy in the crystal. Eventually, it bore a fruit that was called the Void Dimension Fruit.” As Chen Fan explained to Yuan Hen, memories started to come back to his mind.

“In other words, this was not a Blade Strengthening Gourd, it was a natural Dimension Altering Dharma Treasure.”

“Dimension Altering Dharma Treasure?”

Yuan Hen was confused and understood very little of what Chen Fan had said.

Chen Fan didn’t continue to waste time explaining it to Yuan Hen. He was pleasantly surprised by the discovery. Ever since he was reborn, he was troubled by the lack of useful Dimension Altering Dharma Treasure such as Meru Ring, Storage Bracelet and Qian Kun Bag. Without such Dimension Altering Dharma Treasures, it was extremely inconvenient for Chen Fan to carry all the Spirit Pills, bank cards, cell phone, keys, and the Bone Whip of Malicious Yin.

Only a cultivator who had reached beyond the Connate Spirit level could have successfully refined a Dimension Altering Dharma Treasure. It also required Void Dimension Crystals which were difficult to come by. The Void Dimension Crystals only form near a Dimensional Strom. In order to get in and out of a Dimensional Strom unharmed would require at least the level of Golden Core. It would take Chen Fan at least ten years to reach that level of attainment.

To his surprise, he stumbled upon a Dimension Altering Dharma Treasure in Hong Kong.

“The main difference between Dharma Artifacts and Dharma Treasures were their potential for growth. A Dharma Treasure might be less powerful in the beginning, but its power would grow with the user. Many Dharma Treasures of the Dao Reunion level cultivators had been with them ever since they entered Qi Refinement stage. Over time, they were as powerful as divine powers.”

This yellow-skinned gourd’s power might be insignificant in the beginning, but as Chen Fan leveled up, it would become increasingly more powerful and space inside the gourd would increase as well. In the end, it would be as big as the Cang Min Realm created by the Immortal cultivator Cangqin.

“There were many miraculous usages of this Dimension Altering Dharma Treasure, it was such a shame that Sword Secret the Exalted Cultivator used it to store his sword. If anything, he should have at least used it to store spirit medicine.” Chen Fan smirked.

Without using special arts to preserve Spirit Pills, they would lose their effectiveness over time. Therefore, it was nearly impossible to find any spirit pills that were over a thousand years old. However, spirit pills could be stored inside of Dimension Altering Dharma Treasure practically forever.

In addition, these Dimension Altering Dharma Treasures could also be used to raise Spirit Beasts as pets, or storing Dharma Spells or Divine powers, etc.

Chen Fan had seen one mighty figure in the immortal cultivation world who had preserved a hundred thousand years worth of energy from the sun in a Dimension Altering Dharma Treasure. In the end, the mighty figure unleashed the stored power at once and destroyed an entire galaxy. It had so much potential, yet it was used to store a flying sword. What a waste!

“I will have to refine it first.”

Chen Fan channeled his true essence into the yellow-skinned gourd. Chen Fan noticed that there was no signature of other cultivators that they always placed on the surface of the Dharma Treasure after they refined it. Therefore, Chen Fan wagered that Sword Secret the Exalted Cultivator didn’t even know how to refine a Dharma Treasure.

As Chen Fan’s true essence slowly branded the gourd, he felt a connection start to build up between him and the gourd.

From now on, this gourd would forever belong to him. No matter how far they were apart, he could sense its presence with ease. After this gourd was further refined, Chen Fan should be able to summon the gourd with a wave of a hand.

After he had branded the gourd, Chen Fan charged up his energy and started to probe the inside of the gourd.

The space inside the Gourd was small; about three square meters in size, equivalent to that of a small SUV. It could at best fit a few men.

There were also a few random items and books strewn around in the space. All of these items looked ancient. Chen Fan wagered that these items used to belong to Sword Secret the Exalted Cultivator. After he left the mortal world, his successors must have failed to crack open the gourd and therefore, were unable to retrieve these items.

“I can go through these things later. Despite the small space inside, it is perfect for me. As I gain more power, its space will expand.” With that thought in mind, Chen Fan decided to test it. He charged up his energy and made a Buddhism Statue on the coffee table disappear for a fraction of a second.

“What is that?”

Yuan Hen and the others rounded their eyes in surprise. They had seen the Buddhism statue disappear and reappear in front of them but failed to understand how that had happened.

“It indeed is a Dimension Altering Dharma Treasure!”

Chen Fan nodded in satisfaction. From now on, he would no longer need to carry so many items with him. All he needed was just a little gourd.

“Since I have obtained the Blade Strengthening Gourd, I wager I can finally do away with you.” Chen Fan turned around and looked to Yuan Hen. Yuan Hen had been scheming to kill him, and therefore, he would not allow Yuan Hen to live.

Yuan Hen panicked, and he kowtowed to Chen Fan to plead for his life. Chen Fan didn’t even spare a glance at him. He flicked a finger and shot out a golden flame at Yuan Hen. Yuan Hen’s body caught fire and was reduced to nothing in a blink.

Yuan Hen disappeared from the room before everyone’s eyes, it was as if he had never been here.

After he had killed Yuna Hen, Chen Fan looked to the terrified Zheng Anpin.

“You said you are from the Zheng family of Hong Kong, do you happen to know Zheng Anqi?”

“Bring me to her.”