Half a year later.
Spiritual warships swiftly departed the Sky Rift Grand Canyon, one after another.
Is the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty abandoning its conquest and preparing to return?
The Wujian Hall Master sensed this immediately, gazing into the distance from the summit of the sea of clouds.
"Should we press the advantage and pursue?"
The White Emperor of the Baidi Domain looked toward the azure-robed figure who had stepped out beside them.
That figure was you.
Ever since the battle half a year ago, the Wujian Domain faction had followed your every lead.
You pondered for a moment before taking a long stride forward. Your hands formed a spell seal, condensing a Sea-Overturning Seal that smashed toward the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty's largest spiritual warship in the distance.
At the critical moment, Prince Zhennan appeared in front of the fleet. Holding an illusory miniature palace, he shifted his thoughts, and the miniature structure rapidly expanded into a massive spectral palace that shielded the rear of the immortal dynasty's warships.
Your Sea-Overturning Seal smashed into the illusory palace and was rapidly ground away to nothing.
The Dazhou Immortal Dynasty's providence treasure.
You ceased your attack, realizing it was meaningless.
A providence treasure was connected directly to the dynasty's providence; its true master was not Prince Zhennan, but the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty itself.
There were only two ways to break through a providence treasure.
The first was for the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty's providence to dry up, naturally rendering it unable to sustain the artifact.
The second was for an attack's instantaneous power to exceed the treasure's structural limits.
Given the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty's current total providence, exceeding its tolerance limit would likely require power approaching the Rank 5 Deity Transformation Stage.
They are, after all, one of the three great hegemons of the Eastern Wilderness Domain, possessing a profound foundation. Since they chose to withdraw, they must be fully prepared. They won't give me any opportunity for a sneak attack.
You shook your head inwardly, abandoning the thought of seizing the chance to kill a few more of the immortal dynasty's true lords.
As for why Prince Zhennan chose to abandon the conquest, it was naturally because your presence left him with no hope of success.
Rather than continuing a war of attrition, it was better to withdraw and cut their losses.
Dazhou Immortal Dynasty...
You pinched your fingers to divine the future, confirming you would remain safe for the next eight or nine years.
Great Cultivator Fulong was delayed by an important matter. Even though he knew his grandson had died at your hands, he couldn't rush over immediately.
"The war has ended. I won't participate in the subsequent trivialities," you said calmly, glancing at the Wujian Hall Master and the White Emperor.
During this war—and especially in the battle half a year ago—you had profited immensely. Over these past six months, you had only digested a small portion of those gains.
You urgently needed time to absorb the rest.
With that said, you vanished from the spot.
The Wujian Hall Master and the other mid-stage true lords felt their hearts slightly relax.
In your presence, even mid-stage true lords felt considerable pressure.
Year 466. You were 483 years old.
Inside a Tier 4 cave dwelling in Jiuli Valley, you sat cross-legged with eighty-one dharma swords floating before you.
These eighty-one dharma swords had belonged to True Monarch Chongtian. They were a killing move he had paid an enormous price to cultivate.
The might of every single dharma sword approached that of a Lower-Grade Spirit Treasure. When all eighty-one formed their matrix, even an early-stage true lord trapped inside would find it difficult for their Nascent Soul to escape.
During that battle three or four years ago, if your physical body hadn't stepped into the Rank 4 Mid Stage and achieved a qualitative transformation, you would have had to expend far more of your trump cards to block the assault of these eighty-one dharma swords.
The Cosmic Sword Array... passed down from Heavenly Sword Peak in the Central Continent... With all eighty-one dharma swords at the Lower-Grade Spirit Treasure level, it can strangle ordinary mid-stage true lords. If they reached the middle-grade level, even Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivators would have to retreat...
Information about this sword array surfaced in your mind. It was said that if all eighty-one dharma swords were nurtured to the high-grade Spirit Treasure level, one could even exchange a few moves with a legendary Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch.
Of course, achieving that was nearly impossible.
First was the issue of resources. Eighty-one dharma swords of high-grade Spirit Treasure quality? Just how many materials would it take to forge them?
And even if they were forged, what kind of vast soul strength would be required to perfectly control them?
An ordinary Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivator would be near their limit simultaneously controlling just eight or nine high-grade Spirit Treasures. Eighty-one of them?
Unless one's soul strength had reached the Deity Transformation Stage, who could possibly pull it off?
My soul strength is already higher than cultivators of the same level, and combined with the Divine Ability Eruption, this sword array suits me perfectly.
A smile appeared on your face. The Cosmic Sword Array gave you another method to deal with enemies. If you could raise the quality of these eighty-one dharma swords by another tier in the future, it might become one of your strongest killing moves.
Central Continent... Heavenly Sword Peak...
A strange light flashed in your eyes as fragments of information regarding the Central Continent drifted through your mind.
Since antiquity, whether in the ancient or near-ancient era, the Central Continent had always been the most flourishing region in the Human Realm.
It was rich in resources, and some corners of it even retained fragments of their ancient landscapes.
In the near-ancient era, the factions of the Central Continent were divided into One Peak, Two Bodies, Three Dharmas, Four Guilds, and Five Side-paths.
The Two Bodies and Three Dharmas represented the Central Continent's two most prosperous body cultivation factions and three dharma cultivation factions, respectively. They were passed down from the lineages of the ancient era's pinnacle body cultivation true lords and dharma cultivation true lords.
The Four Guilds referred to the four great merchant guilds, which controlled seventy percent of the resource trade in the Central Continent.
The Five Side-paths... were the five other great legacy paths outside of body and dharma cultivation.
As for 'One Peak'...
It was Heavenly Sword Peak.
Passed down from the Sword Lord at the end of the near-ancient era.
It was the legacy left behind by the Sword Lord.
Only the legacy faction left by the Sword Lord—who was known as the Zenith of the Human Realm—could suppress both dharma and body cultivation to become 'One Peak.'
The title referred to Heavenly Sword Peak, but it also signified the highest peak in the Human Realm.
Aside from the Cosmic Sword Array, True Monarch Chongtian had also possessed a Tier 4 inner armor forged from the reverse scale of a dragon-type beast king, capable of blocking attacks at the peak of the Rank 4 Mid Stage.
When you attacked True Monarch Chongtian, a portion of your strikes had been entirely absorbed by this inner armor.
True Monarch Chongtian...
You felt quite grateful to True Monarch Chongtian. His treasures had once again elevated your methods by a large margin.
Aside from True Monarch Chongtian, the spoils of war you obtained from killing the eight other immortal dynasty true lords were also incredibly abundant.
Various special Spirit Treasures, talismans, skill legacies, and more.
Many of those skill legacies broadened your horizons.
Since the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty was one of the three great hegemons of the Eastern Wilderness Domain, its true lords had naturally possessed broad and extensive knowledge.
In another half a year, I'll leave the Wujian Domain.
You pondered inwardly; this was your established plan.
The battle at the Sky Rift Grand Canyon had completely fulfilled the resource requirements needed to reach the Nascent Soul Middle Stage Peak.
Next, you only needed to cultivate step by step to smoothly reach the Nascent Soul Middle Stage Peak.
From there, you could break through to the Late Nascent Soul Stage.
Before that, however, you needed to refine the Five Saints Ultimate Transformation Pill.
The Five Saints Ultimate Transformation Pill was a Quasi-Tier-5 pill. You estimated that as long as your alchemy skills reached the Fourth Tier High Grade, combined with a supportive alchemy environment, you would have a chance of refining it successfully.
That was why you needed to head to the Central Continent as soon as possible.
Only a cultivation environment like that of the Central Continent—which vastly surpassed the Eastern Wilderness Domain—could allow your alchemy skills to reach the Fourth Tier High Grade in a short time.
Even if an accident occurred and your alchemy skills remained stuck at the Rank 4 Middle Grade, you could still seek out a Fourth Tier High-Grade Alchemist to help you refine the pill.
However, there were no Fourth Tier High-Grade Alchemists in the Wujian Domain. Only the flourishing Central Continent possessed such figures.
A month later, True Monarch Qianhuan came to visit.
"Fellow Daoist Qingyuan, these are the treasures and legacies you exchanged your merits for..."
True Monarch Qianhuan had come over this time specifically to deliver these treasures to you.
In the battle at the Sky Rift Grand Canyon a few years ago, you had slain True Monarch Chongtian along with eight of the immortal dynasty's early-stage true lords. Converted into merits, your contribution was a staggering 1.5 million.
You had exchanged all of those merits for the treasures, resources, and rare oddities you needed.
These items were not limited to the Wujian Domain. The Daluo Domain and Baidi Domain had also provided their own precious treasure lists for you to select from.
"Mn. Many thanks, fellow Daoist Qianhuan."
You carefully tallied everything once and nodded in satisfaction.
Wujian Hall, Daluo Sect, and White Emperor City hadn't cut any corners. They had faithfully provided the exact resources and treasures you requested.
"Fellow Daoist Qingyuan single-handedly repelled the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty and turned the tide. These are nothing..."
True Monarch Qianhuan immediately squeezed out a smile, recalling True Monarch Qingtian's reaction upon seeing your requested list.
Among the many treasures you requested were several Tier 4 Divination oddities.
This had caused True Monarch Qingtian to fall silent for a long time, speculating whether your skills in Divination had also reached Tier 4.
Outside the hands of a Divination grandmaster, Tier 4 Divination oddities were no different from stones on the side of the road to any other cultivator.
When you previously exchanged for a Tier 4 Divination legacy, it could have been argued that you merely intended to study the Dao of Divination. After all, the Tier 4 Divination legacy contained the complete contents for Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, and Tier 4 Divination.
But Tier 4 Divination oddities? A Tier 3 Divination master couldn't use them, and they were exceptionally valuable. If you hadn't reached the level of a Tier 4 Divination grandmaster, there was no reason to waste a massive amount of merit acquiring them.
True Monarch Qingtian's speculation was not without basis. Decades ago, True Monarch Yinxiao had died inexplicably, and the heavenly secrets surrounding the event had been deliberately obscured.
Originally, True Monarch Qingtian had ruled you out entirely precisely because a Divination grandmaster had intervened to hide those heavenly secrets.
Now that you had exchanged for Tier 4 Divination oddities, True Monarch Qingtian realized his initial assumption had been wrong.
A Divination grandmaster...
True Monarch Qianhuan thought of True Monarch Qingtian's desolate expression and hurriedly suppressed the shock in her heart.
After True Monarch Qianhuan left, you met with True Monarch Beiheng once more.
"Fellow Daoist Beiheng, I am leaving," you stated directly.
"Leaving..."
True Monarch Beiheng felt a sense of loss. The original agreement was for you to protect Jiuli Valley for a hundred years.
Over three hundred years had passed since then. You had vastly overfulfilled the agreement, so how could True Monarch Beiheng possibly try to stop you?
"Fellow Daoist Qingyuan, if you have any needs in the future, feel free to come to Jiuli Valley."
True Monarch Beiheng thought for a moment. He didn't dare make any overly grand promises and could only offer this much.
"After I leave, do not heavily publicize our relationship. Erase all traces of my existence here," you instructed.
According to the divination hexagrams you had cast, Great Cultivator Fulong would likely pay Jiuli Valley a visit in the future.
However, the hexagrams concerning Jiuli Valley and True Monarch Beiheng indicated they were safe, meaning Great Cultivator Fulong wouldn't vent his anger on the valley or its supreme elder.
"Alright."
True Monarch Beiheng was startled inwardly. Clearly making the connection, he immediately nodded in agreement.
Half a year later, True Monarch Beiheng emerged from seclusion again, only to discover that your Tier 4 cave dwelling was already empty.
"Fellow Daoist Qingyuan..."
True Monarch Beiheng's thoughts were complicated. Looking back, these past three centuries felt like a dream.
Year 476. You were 493 years old.
High above Jiuli Valley, beyond the clouds, two figures had silently appeared.
The figure on the left was an elegant young scholar, though the vicissitudes of life in his eyes betrayed the immense passage of time he had experienced.
The figure on the right was bare-chested, revealing bronze skin. From his left chest down to his lower abdomen ran the faint mark of a dragon's claw, looking as though it had nearly severed his body in two.
"Fulong, that True Monarch Qingyuan has already left. You should return."
The young scholar on the left spoke. The simple name 'Fulong' revealed the identity of the figure on the right.
Great Cultivator Fulong.
A Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivator, the peak of the Human Realm in the near-ancient era.
"With the Abbey Master's methods, are you telling me you don't know where that True Monarch Qingyuan went?"
Great Cultivator Fulong's tone was calm, but his gaze was incomparably icy.
"The heavenly secrets and fate surrounding True Monarch Qingyuan are hazy and difficult to divine. The Abbey Master calculates there is a twenty percent chance this person headed to the Northern Plains Domain."
"A twenty percent chance for the Southern Sea Territory, a twenty percent chance for the Western Desert Domain, a thirty percent chance for the Central Continent Territory, and a ten percent chance for the Endless Deep Sea."
"Do you intend to search the entire Human Realm?"
The young scholar frowned.
Even ignoring the rest of the Human Realm, searching the Central Continent alone would be incredibly troublesome.
The Central Continent's One Peak, Two Bodies, Three Dharmas, Four Guilds, and Five Side-paths—these fifteen great factions each had a Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivator standing guard. They were only stronger than the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty, not weaker.
Great Cultivator Fulong remained silent. Looking down at Jiuli Valley below, he slowly raised his right hand.
"Fulong, stay your hand."
The young scholar immediately spoke up. "Even if you level Jiuli Valley, it won't affect that True Monarch Qingyuan in the slightest. Better to leave it be. I will place a mark here. As long as True Monarch Qingyuan returns, we will know immediately."
Only then did Great Cultivator Fulong retract his right hand.
The young scholar wasn't wrong. True Monarch Qingyuan was not a true lord raised by Jiuli Valley. He had joined them halfway, so naturally, there was no emotional attachment.
"We should return."
The young scholar's tone grew solemn. "Heavenly Monarch Shuiyue is on the verge of passing away. Fulong, your most pressing matter right now is to adjust your condition. You must prepare to compete with the other Great Cultivators of the Human Realm for the vacant opportunity to achieve Deity Transformation."
"As for True Monarch Qingyuan? Once you become a Heavenly Monarch, you can annihilate him with a flip of your palm, even at the ends of the earth."
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