[Northern Plains, Great Snow Mountain]
[Endless white snow stretched as far as the eye could see, and an impossibly massive snow mountain towered at the edge of the world.]
[As one of the sovereign forces of the Northern Plains Domain, ever since Grand Cultivator Powang advanced to Deity Transformation and took his place as a Heavenly Monarch, the Great Snow Mountain had become the undisputed strongest faction there.]
[Faced with the Great Snow Mountain's sharp edge, the other two sovereign forces of the Northern Plains Domain could only choose to retreat.]
[Although a Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch was suppressed by heaven and earth and could not fight at full strength...]
[Even with their strength suppressed to the Late Nascent Soul Stage, they remained far beyond what an ordinary Great Cultivator could contend against.]
[The exact same amount of power naturally yielded vastly different results in the hands of a Heavenly Monarch compared to a Nascent Soul Stage true lord.]
[Beneath the Great Snow Mountain, in a vast underground space, a massive rift of distorted space spanned the very center.]
[Silver seal characters covered the underground space. These tadpole-sized runes constantly intertwined, forming a terrifying sealing power that locked down the distorted spatial rift.]
[The realm's status plummeted, the resources of heaven and earth were severely depleted... and the war left behind various spatial rift passages connecting to the Demon Abyss Realm.]
[The largest realm passage had been severed by the Sword Lord with a supreme sword glow, but the remaining spatial rifts still existed.]
[Of course, the vast majority of these spatial rift passages could only accommodate monsters below Rank 4, with only a rare few capable of allowing Rank 4 Early Stage monsters through.]
[They posed no real threat to the Human Realm.]
[Furthermore, every single spatial rift passage was locked down by a sealing power.]
[The various factions of the Human Realm in the near-ancient era inherently bore the duty of guarding these Demon Abyss Realm passages to prevent too many monsters from crossing over.]
[Within the Wujian Region, there was a Demon Abyss Realm passage that was essentially always guarded by a Nascent Soul True Monarch.]
[Beneath the Great Snow Mountain lay another Demon Abyss Realm passage. This one far exceeded the passage in the Wujian Region, as it could accommodate Rank 4 Early Stage monsters.]
[However, even before it produced a Heavenly Monarch, the Great Snow Mountain was a sovereign force of the Northern Plains. With a Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivator keeping watch, coupled with the sealing power, they were more than capable of guarding this spatial rift.]
[Even in the Demon Abyss Realm, which held a higher realm status than the Human Realm, Rank 4 Early Stage monsters were incredibly rare and would not be sacrificed casually.]
[Within the underground space, a soul-shaking fluctuation of demonic energy suddenly erupted from the depths of the massive, distorted spatial rift. Wisps of black demonic energy began to bypass the silver seal characters, spreading into the surrounding space.]
[This caused the spatial rift to grow larger and more stable.]
[The silver seal characters covering every inch of the underground space seemed to sense something. They began to circulate frantically, constantly intertwining and merging in an attempt to force back the expanding spatial rift.]
["Hmph—"]
[A cold snort rang out, carrying the might of heaven and earth. It faintly suppressed the frantically circulating silver runes, making the spatial rift's expansion impossible to halt.]
[The snort came from a man in black robes. Purple patterns faintly surfaced on his forehead. Although he did not emit any aura, he seemed to have merged entirely with the surrounding world.]
[This black-robed man was naturally the newly advanced Heavenly Lord Powang of the Deity Transformation Stage. At this moment, he stared strangely at the spatial rift, as if he could see the Demon Abyss Realm on the other side.]
["A wise man submits to circumstances. Since fellow Daoist Powang has chosen to stand with my Demon Abyss Realm, you certainly won't regret it."]
[A deep spatial fluctuation passed through the expanding rift and echoed into the underground space.]
[As the spatial rift continued to widen, this voice shifted from intermittent fragments to absolute clarity.]
["If not for your realm's assistance, this Heavenly Monarch couldn't have stepped into the Deity Transformation Stage so easily. Those old geezers... heh heh..."]
[Heavenly Lord Powang's tone was calm.]
[Only after stepping into the Deity Transformation Stage did he understand what this realm truly meant.]
[A Heavenly Monarch of the Deity Transformation Stage merged their body with heaven and earth. They could harness the world's might and similarly influence it.]
[In other words, if a Heavenly Monarch intentionally wanted to stop someone, they could use their influence over heaven and earth when a Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivator attempted to break through. This would cause the difficulty of stepping into the Deity Transformation Stage to skyrocket for that Great Cultivator.]
[While a veteran Heavenly Monarch couldn't make a Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivator become a Heavenly Monarch, they had the absolute certainty to prevent them from stepping into the Deity Transformation Stage.]
[And Heavenly Lord Powang had relied on a treasure sent by the Demon Abyss Realm to step into the Deity Transformation Stage at the fastest possible speed, avoiding the influence of other Heavenly Monarchs.]
["Hahahaha, fellow Daoist Powang underestimates our realm too much. Even if those old geezers tried to stop you, our realm could still guarantee you wouldn't be disturbed. However, the price required..."]
[The voice from the other side of the spatial rift carried a faint note of warning.]
["Oh?"]
[Heavenly Lord Powang's heart skipped a beat. Did this mean a Deity Transformation Stage demon lord had already infiltrated from the Demon Abyss Realm? Or perhaps they had controlled a human of the Deity Transformation Stage? How else could they make such a claim?]
["Fellow Daoist Powang, the expansion of this spatial rift will inevitably trigger a reaction from the Human Realm. Have you thought of how to explain it?"]
[The voice from within the spatial rift asked.]
["Rest assured, I cultivate a secret art that can conceal spatial fluctuations. It is enough to cover up the expanded section. Even if other Heavenly Monarchs come, they won't discover it unless they inspect it closely..."]
["When the time comes, I'll publicly declare that the spatial rift was assaulted by monsters, but it was smoothly suppressed, and the widened rift has been repaired..."]
[Heavenly Lord Powang said.]
["Excellent!"]
[The voice on the other side of the spatial rift said slowly.]
["I will certainly report fellow Daoist Powang's actions to the Venerable. When our realm descends in the future, your contributions will undoubtedly be recorded. Once this realm is conquered, you might even have hope of using those merits to advance to the Void Return Stage..."]
[The voice from the other side of the spatial rift continued.]
["Void Return Stage..."]
[Desire swelled in Heavenly Lord Powang's heart.]
[Back during his Core Formation Stage, he had wandered into this underground space by mistake and was seduced by the voice on the other side of the spatial rift.]
[Ever since then, Heavenly Lord Powang had secretly cooperated with the Demon Abyss Realm.]
[The Demon Abyss Realm provided him with numerous secret arts and, taking advantage of monster tides, delivered many rare treasures and precious items to him.]
[It was entirely thanks to the Demon Abyss Realm's help that Grand Cultivator Powang could retreat unscathed multiple times from the encirclement of the Central Continent's top factions, and ultimately advance smoothly to the Deity Transformation Stage.]
[Now, with the temptation of the Void Return Stage dangling before him, how could Heavenly Lord Powang possibly refuse?]
[As a Heavenly Monarch, Heavenly Lord Powang was well aware that this might just be the Demon Abyss Realm painting empty promises.]
[Was the Void Return Stage so easy to reach?]
[Even in the ancient era, the Sword Lord, heralded as the highest peak of the Human Realm, never fully stepped into the Void Return Stage.]
[But even if it was an empty promise, Heavenly Lord Powang was willing to gamble on it. Without the Demon Abyss Realm's help, given the Human Realm's current environment, he would only ever stagnate at the early stages of Deity Transformation. Then, just like Heavenly Monarch Shuiyue, he would pass away in meditation from old age over a thousand years later, returning to heaven and earth.]
[Central Continent, Heavenly Talisman Sect]
["The spatial rift guarded by the Northern Plains' Great Snow Mountain has expanded further. Judging by the spatial fluctuations transmitted over, I'm afraid it can already accommodate Rank 4 Mid Stage or even Late Stage monsters..."]
[You gazed distantly toward the Northern Plains, secretly shocked.]
[Currently, the spatial rift passages in the Human Realm could only allow Rank 4 Early Stage monsters through at most.]
[And Rank 4 Early Stage monsters were still within the Human Realm's ability to handle.]
[As for Rank 4 Mid Stage or even Late Stage monsters? I'm afraid that even sovereign forces would struggle to deal with them.]
[Most importantly, could the spatial rift beneath the Northern Plains' Great Snow Mountain still be controlled? Would it expand even further, reaching the point where it could accommodate a Rank 5 demon lord?]
[A Rank 5 demon lord was equivalent to a Heavenly Monarch of the Deity Transformation Stage.]
[If a spatial rift passage of that scale truly appeared, it would be no less devastating than the Demon Abyss Realm's massive invasion at the end of the ancient era.]
[In the near-ancient Human Realm of today, there weren't nearly as many Heavenly Monarchs, and there certainly wasn't a Sword Lord unprecedented across all ages.]
["Didn't the Great Snow Mountain just produce a Heavenly Monarch? They couldn't even handle this little bit of guard duty properly?"]
[You thought to yourself, a faint sense of worry rising in your heart.]
[Although you had the support of the Natural Enemy of Demonic Cultivators innate talent, you still didn't want the Demon Abyss Realm to invade on a massive scale.]
["This matter..."]
[You tried to deduce the reason for the spatial rift passage's expansion, only to find the heavenly secrets obscured. You couldn't obtain a specific divination.]
[This was entirely normal. When it involved the Demon Abyss Realm, let alone your Divination skill only being Rank 4 Lower Grade, even if it reached the Fourth Tier High Grade, you probably wouldn't glean any useful information.]
[Unless you obtained a key clue or medium, divining out of thin air was simply too difficult.]
[If you forced a divination, you would likely draw a backlash from the heavenly secrets.]
[Year 783, you were 800 years old.]
[Over these ten years, you closely monitored the intelligence regarding the spatial rift beneath the Great Snow Mountain.]
[Ever since this spatial rift's expansion triggered spatial fluctuations, it immediately drew the attention of the Central Continent's top factions.]
[Just half a month later, several Fourth Tier High Grade array Grandmasters from the Central Continent teamed up and traveled to the Northern Plains' Great Snow Mountain to inspect the seal's condition.]
[The following few years were spent stabilizing the seal.]
[It wasn't until two years ago that they publicly announced the seal had been completely perfected, and the expanded rift had been suppressed once more.]
[At the same time, the Great Snow Mountain stated that they would closely monitor the spatial rift passage moving forward. Heavenly Lord Powang would even personally stand guard outside the passage to ensure it was absolutely foolproof.]
[When this news spread, the Human Realm's major top factions and sovereign forces breathed a slight sigh of relief.]
["It's good that everything is fine."]
[Upon receiving this intelligence, you also let out a long sigh of relief.]
[At the very least, there were no issues with the spatial rift passage, curbing the possibility of a massive Demon Abyss Realm invasion.]
[You had once guarded the Demon Abyss Realm passage in the Wujian Region, so you knew full well how ferocious those monsters were.]
[If the Demon Abyss Realm really launched a large-scale invasion, even with your Natural Enemy of Demonic Cultivators innate talent keeping them in check, the harm would still outweigh the benefits.]
[Year 793, you were 810 years old.]
[You continued your peaceful daily cultivation routine.]
[You were either cultivating or comprehending your secondary arts.]
[After your alchemy skill crossed into the Fourth Tier High Grade, it was difficult to advance any further in the short term. You focused your energy on your puppetry skills.]
[Once you could step into the Rank 4 Middle Grade puppetry level, you would be able to mass-produce Rank 4 Middle Grade puppets. By then, it would be a force that other Late Stage Great Cultivators could not ignore.]
[The strength of a Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivator far exceeded that of a Mid Nascent Soul Stage true lord.]
[However, if five or six Mid Nascent Soul Stage true lords joined forces with their minds linked, they could still barely contend with an ordinary Late Stage Great Cultivator.]
[Unless the power gap was overwhelmingly large, numbers were always useful.]
[The gap between a Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivator and the Mid Stage was not insurmountable. A rare few monstrous Mid Nascent Soul Stage cultivators could even escape unscathed from the hands of an ordinary Late Stage Great Cultivator.]
[Year 803, you were 820 years old.]
[You had just ended your closed-door cultivation when you learned that a Nascent Soul Stage true lord from the Great Snow Mountain had come to request a pill.]
[Your name as an alchemy Grandmaster had long spread across the Human Realm. Every day, many true lords arrived at your door to request pills.]
[Normally, you would attend to these pill-seeking true lords if you had the time, and let them wait if you didn't.]
[But the Great Snow Mountain was different; they had just produced Heavenly Lord Powang.]
[Moreover, you were quite curious about Heavenly Lord Powang. You wanted to know more detailed information about this newly advanced Deity Transformation master.]
[Thus, you immediately went to meet the Great Snow Mountain true lord who had come to seek a pill.]
["I have long heard the name of True Monarch Qingyuan..."]
[The Great Snow Mountain true lord was a middle-aged man with an extraordinary aura. His body radiated the magical power fluctuations of a Mid Nascent Soul Stage true lord.]
[You exchanged pleasantries with him for a moment before getting straight to the point.]
["True Monarch Qingyuan, this time I plan to request an Endless Creation Pill..."]
[The Great Snow Mountain true lord explained his purpose for coming.]
["An Endless Creation Pill..."]
[A thoughtful look crossed your face. This pill's grade reached the Fourth Tier High Grade, serving as a holy medicine for healing injuries.]
["Rest assured, True Monarch Qingyuan, I have prepared all the primary and auxiliary medicinal ingredients. As for the compensation, I guarantee you will be satisfied."]
[The Great Snow Mountain true lord added, "I've heard that your attainments in body cultivation are not low, true lord. Our Great Snow Mountain has collected a body cultivation secret art. Once circulated, it can offset sixty percent of the power of external attacks..."]
["Its only flaw is that it consumes a considerable amount of qi and blood, so it cannot be maintained for long."]
[After the Great Snow Mountain true lord finished speaking, he looked at you.]
["There's such a secret art?"]
[Your interest was instantly piqued. A body cultivation secret art naturally consumed qi and blood. But you had the support of the Qi and Blood divine ability! Once you used it, your qi and blood would flow endlessly. If paired with this body cultivation secret art...]
["If you don't believe me, True Monarch Qingyuan, you can try it yourself. My physical body has also reached Rank 4. I will circulate this secret art now, and you can attack me to feel it for yourself, true lord."]
[The Great Snow Mountain true lord immediately circulated his own qi and blood, faintly forming a blood-colored membrane on the surface of his skin.]
["Alright."]
[You didn't refuse. Suppressing your power to the Mid Nascent Soul Stage, you casually struck toward the Great Snow Mountain true lord.]
[Rumble—]
[The Great Snow Mountain true lord stumbled back a few steps, his face turning slightly pale. He hurriedly said, "With True Monarch Qingyuan using Late Stage offensive methods, I can't quite handle it. You just need to maintain your power at the Peak of the Mid Stage."]
[A strike from the Late Nascent Soul Stage, even weakened by sixty percent, was not something an ordinary Mid Stage true lord could withstand.]
["Late Stage offensive methods?"]
[You looked at the Great Snow Mountain true lord not far away, a hint of strangeness flickering across your expression.]
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