Chapter 242: Unprovokable

'What a peculiar feeling...'

Your consciousness rapidly elevated, your field of vision gradually widening. 'Is this the process of transitioning from the Nascent Soul Stage to the Deity Transformation Stage?'

During the fifth simulation, although you had also attempted to break through to Deity Transformation, you hadn't passed the trial of transforming your Nascent Soul into a Primordial Spirit. Thus, you had never directly experienced this elevation in status.

The purpose of the Heavenly Cliff Fruit was to let you experience this shift in status between the Nascent Soul Stage and the Deity Transformation Stage.

This status was profoundly mysterious, belonging exclusively to Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarchs.

Why were cultivators at the Deity Transformation Stage called Heavenly Monarchs? A Heavenly Monarch was also known as a monarch of heaven and earth. The transition from the Nascent Soul Stage to the Deity Transformation Stage was not merely an enhancement of magic power, the physical body, and the divine soul.

More importantly, it allowed one to merge with heaven and earth, viewing all creation from the perspective of the world itself. This was what status meant.

Once merged with heaven and earth, a Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch could mobilize the vast might of the world with a single thought.

This was something even the strongest Nascent Soul True Monarch could never achieve.

Your consciousness wasn't just elevating; it was merging with heaven and earth.

Of course, this passive integration was solely due to the power of the Heavenly Cliff Fruit. You could only temporarily experience the sensation, unable to mobilize the power of heaven and earth like a true Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch.

'Merge with heaven and earth!'

You closed your eyes, allowing your perception to spread.

Faintly, you could vaguely sense the Central Continent Territory. This sensation was incredibly blurry, far less concrete than scanning with divine sense or seeing with your own eyes.

Yet the scope of this perception encompassed the entire Central Continent.

The Central Continent spanned quadrillions of li. Even a divine sense that had broken the limits of the Nascent Soul Stage could only cover a little over ten thousand li.

Even if the details were incredibly rough, the sheer scale alone was inconceivable.

'Hm?'

Your expression shifted slightly as you looked in several directions.

The first direction was the Extreme Dao Pavilion. As one of the Two Bodies, it was the origin of body cultivation in the Human Realm.

The second direction was the Xuantian Sect, one of the Three Laws and the origin of dharma cultivation in the Human Realm.

The third direction was Heavenly Sword Peak, the highest mountain in the Human Realm, possessing a legacy dating back to ancient times.

'Three Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarchs in the Central Continent Territory...'

Your expression turned solemn. Wrapped in the power of the Heavenly Cliff Fruit, your divine sense merged with heaven and earth, briefly granting you the status of a Heavenly Monarch. Through this, you vaguely sensed three unapproachable zones within the Central Continent Territory.

Those were locations holding an entity of equal status.

You had long known that a Heavenly Monarch watched over Heavenly Sword Peak. In the fifth simulation, your exposure of Great Snow Mountain had provoked the sword-cultivating Heavenly Monarch of Heavenly Sword Peak to personally erase Great Snow Mountain.

You had also heard rumors about the other two Heavenly Monarchs.

However, you had never felt them as concretely and clearly as you did now.

'In this generation, the Extreme Dao Pavilion and the Xuantian Sect both have Heavenly Monarchs presiding over them. Heavenly Monarch Shuiyue is from the Xuantian Sect...'

Your thoughts raced.

'Are there any other Heavenly Monarchs outside the Central Continent?'

Curious, you tried to gaze as far away as possible.

Amidst the immense blurriness, you faintly detected a condensed Heavenly Monarch aura in the Western Desert Domain.

'The Western Desert?'

You continued your sensory sweep. Beyond the continents of the Human Realm, in the Endless Deep Sea, another Heavenly Monarch aura lay entrenched.

'There's a Heavenly Monarch in the deep sea too? One outside the human race?'

You pondered privately. Human cultivators were scarce in the deep sea, and human providence was incredibly thin there. It was the domain of demonic beasts and sea beasts.

If there truly was a Heavenly Monarch there, it was highly likely a Rank 5 demonic beast or sea beast.

Of course, it was also possible that a human Heavenly Monarch was touring the Human Realm and just happened to be staying in the deep sea.

Right at that moment, the power of the Heavenly Cliff Fruit was exhausted.

Your divine sense, which had merged with heaven and earth, rapidly plummeted and returned to its normal state.

'The effect of the Heavenly Cliff Fruit is gone?'

You sighed inwardly. You were quite intoxicated by that sensation of merging with the world, even if you couldn't manipulate its power.

'The heaven and earth of the Human Realm...'

You tried hard to recall that feeling. In a daze, you once again saw the massive web of heavenly secrets enveloping the world. Just moments ago, from the perspective of a Heavenly Monarch merged with the world, you had seen that exact same web.

However, the webs of heavenly secrets seen from these two different perspectives were not the same.

It was this minute difference that gave you a completely new understanding of Divination and the fated numbers of heavenly secrets.

'I see...'

Your Divination skills had remained at Rank 4 Middle Grade for three hundred years, having long since reached the Rank 4 Middle Grade Peak.

You were only lacking a single opportunity to break through to the Fourth Tier High Grade.

However, opportunities in the path of Divination could appear in the very next moment, or they might never appear even when your lifespan ran out. The latter was far more likely.

Whoosh—

In order to thoroughly seize this opportunity, you decisively chose to invest your lifespan.

Ten years.

Twenty years.

Fifty years.

A hundred years.

With a full century of lifespan drained away, your Divination skills finally stepped into the Fourth Tier High Grade.

You had joined the ranks of the Divination Grandmasters in the Human Realm.

Your eyes turned profound and unfathomable, as if scenes of shifting stars and flowing time were flashing within them.

'Heavenly secrets are unpredictable, and fate is hard to trace.'

Upon reaching the Fourth Tier High Grade Divination Grandmaster level, you instead developed a sense of reverence toward heavenly secrets and fate. Ordinary Tier 4 Divination Grandmasters would play with fate and manipulate heavenly secrets to show off their methods, trying to force everything to develop according to their own desires.

But standing at the Fourth Tier High Grade Divination level, you realized that such actions ran contrary to true destiny.

The outcome for doing so wouldn't be good; at the very least, it would make it difficult to progress any further on the path of Divination.

'My existence has long fallen into the sights of the Heavenly Monarchs. Even just now, when I consumed the Heavenly Cliff Fruit, merged my consciousness with heaven and earth, and observed their locations... I don't know if the two Heavenly Monarchs in the Western Desert and the Endless Deep Sea noticed me...'

'But Heavenly Monarch Shuiyue in the Central Continent Territory definitely felt it...'

You thought silently to yourself. This was the vague divination result you had obtained after investing a century of lifespan for a deep divination and advancing your Divination skills to the Fourth Tier High Grade.

The Heavenly Monarchs of the Extreme Dao Pavilion and Heavenly Sword Peak had fallen into a deep slumber. This was something most Heavenly Monarchs chose to do.

A deep slumber could slow the drain on their lifespan. A Heavenly Monarch at the Deity Transformation Stage had a normal lifespan limit of two thousand years, but by consuming various life-extending treasures and pairing them with slumber, they could live for nearly three thousand years.

During their slumber, their external perception was reduced to an absolute minimum. Unless a major event occurred within their sect or the Human Realm, a Heavenly Monarch would not awaken.

Nearing the end of their lifespan, Heavenly Monarch Shuiyue had not been slumbering. When your perception swept toward them, Heavenly Monarch Shuiyue also detected your spying.

'Moreover... since my elevation in status could be felt by a Heavenly Monarch...'

'Then can I conclude that when I truly attempt to break through to the Deity Transformation Stage, during the transformation of my Nascent Soul into a Primordial Spirit, the tribulation of nirvana, and the five-elements lightning tribulation... my status elevation will also be sensed by the Heavenly Monarchs, and they could use their own status... to suppress me?'

Your brow furrowed. If that were truly the case, didn't that mean your ability to become a Heavenly Monarch required the nod of the world's current Heavenly Monarchs?

'In the fifth simulation, how did the Purple-Eyed True Monarch step into the Deity Transformation Stage? Did he get the tacit approval of the other Heavenly Monarchs? Or was it something else?'

You mused silently.

Outside the Xuande Grotto-Heaven, in order to prevent any unexpected variables, you had directly killed the Purple-Eyed True Monarch without the slightest intention of holding back.

The Purple-Eyed True Monarch was not only a peak-level Great Cultivator but also had the backing of the Demon Abyss Realm. If he had been given a moment to react, let alone risking a disastrous failure, you might have let him escape.

'This is a bit troublesome...'

You rubbed your chin. If you were just an ordinary Great Cultivator attempting to reach the Deity Transformation Stage under the cover of the Heavenly Talisman Sect, you might not have been targeted by the current Heavenly Monarchs.

But under the identity of True Monarch Golden Face, you had just practically swept through the peak Great Cultivators of the Human Realm's top factions. Under these circumstances, what if a Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch held a grudge?

After Heavenly Monarch Shuiyue passed away in meditation, the other Heavenly Monarchs would definitely awaken. If you attempted to reach Deity Transformation at that time, you would inevitably fall into their sights. Your identity as True Monarch Golden Face might not remain hidden from them either; if Heavenly Monarch Shuiyue could figure it out, the other Heavenly Monarchs most likely could as well.

'It's not entirely hopeless.'

On second thought, you were a legendary Great Cultivator—a legendary Great Cultivator whose physical body, divine soul, and magic power had all shattered their limits.

Your chances of stepping into the Deity Transformation Stage were significantly higher than those of other Great Cultivators.

Under these circumstances, all you had to do was proactively visit a current Heavenly Monarch and promise that after advancing to the Deity Transformation Stage, you would protect their sect or act on their behalf a few times.

That would most likely earn that Heavenly Monarch's tacit approval.

A Heavenly Monarch capable of cultivating to the Deity Transformation Stage couldn't possibly fixate solely on immediate grievances. Your promise, backed by the power of the Deity Transformation Stage, would be worth many times more than any minor grudges.

'That's the only way...'

You thought to yourself. Although this course of action would cost you something, it was naturally nothing compared to being able to smoothly step into the Deity Transformation Stage.

'Consuming the Heavenly Cliff Fruit this time has been an immense help to me...'

You reined in your thoughts and began to summarize your gains.

First, you had familiarized yourself with the process of elevating your status and merging with heaven and earth.

When it came time to attempt the Deity Transformation Stage again, you would be much more at ease with this aspect, or at least you wouldn't panic.

Second, by borrowing the temporary perspective of a Heavenly Monarch, your Divination skills had seized a crucial opportunity, allowing you to advance to the Fourth Tier High Grade.

The latter was exceedingly important.

If not for the deep divination conducted while breaking into the Fourth Tier High Grade, you wouldn't have realized that the other Heavenly Monarchs possessed means to interfere with a Great Cultivator's breakthrough to the Deity Transformation Stage.

If you had recklessly attempted the breakthrough without knowing this, only to fail due to a Heavenly Monarch's interference, your gains from this simulation would have been vastly diminished.

Of course, this might just be you overly suspecting the Heavenly Monarchs' intentions. Perhaps they wouldn't be so petty and would disdain interfering with your breakthrough.

But what if they did?

You preferred to take every single factor into account.

'There are still three hundred years before Heavenly Monarch Shuiyue passes away in meditation. My Body Refining realm has not yet reached the Fourth-Tier Late Stage Peak.'

'I'll wait until all my preparations are complete before paying a visit to a Heavenly Monarch.'

Your mind was made up.

Year 260. You were 277 years old.

Over the past decade, news of the battle at the Xuande Grotto-Heaven had spread throughout the entire Human Realm. Your existence had become a towering mountain pressing down on the heads of all current Great Cultivators in the world.

Before you, no Great Cultivator had ever witnessed such a terrifying peer at the same realm. With the power to slay Late Stage Great Cultivators, you had shattered the transcendent status that Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivators had enjoyed since the Near-Ancient Era.

Why were Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivators called the apex of the Human Realm in the Near-Ancient Era?

It was because, barring the intervention of a Heavenly Monarch, there had been no precedent of a Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivator being utterly slain in a one-on-one fight.

Even when facing a peak Great Cultivator wielding a Quasi-Tier-5 trump card, an ordinary Great Cultivator could still escape, even if they couldn't win.

You didn't care much about the outside world's discussions. You remained in the Heavenly Talisman Sect, living the life of an elder. Had it not been for resources, you wouldn't have even made those previous moves in this simulation.

You enjoyed the peaceful days of cultivation.

Year 270. You were 287 years old.

The Heavenly Talisman Sect produced a Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivator, titled Great Cultivator Luanfu.

You knew this Great Cultivator. In the fifth simulation, when you joined the Heavenly Talisman Sect, the three Great Cultivators overseeing the sect had been Great Cultivator Sanfu, Grand Cultivator Xinfu, and this Great Cultivator Luanfu.

Great Cultivator Luanfu was also the one from the Heavenly Talisman Sect who had chosen to attempt the breakthrough to the Deity Transformation Stage after Heavenly Monarch Shuiyue passed away in the fifth simulation. The ultimate result was a failed breakthrough.

The emergence of Great Cultivator Luanfu slightly lifted the somber atmosphere within the Heavenly Talisman Sect.

At least on the surface, the number of Great Cultivators in the Heavenly Talisman Sect had returned to three.

'The Red Talisman Grand Cultivator... should be passing away soon...'

You glanced toward that High-Grade Tier 4 Immortal Cave deep within the Heavenly Talisman Sect.

Whether from the intelligence gathered in the fifth simulation or your own impressions from interacting with him, you were certain that the Red Talisman Grand Cultivator was nearing the absolute limit of his lifespan.

Year 280. You were 297 years old.

The four major chambers of commerce had drafted a new Top Ten Outlaws Ranking List.

They then delivered this list into the hands of every Nascent Soul True Monarch in the Central Continent Territory.

Naturally, you also received a copy of the Top Ten Outlaws Ranking List.

In your free time, you gave it a cursory glance.

Ranking first, of course, was still True Monarch Golden Face.

You weren't surprised. If you weren't ranked first, which of the peak Great Cultivators in the Human Realm would dare take that seat?

You looked at the reasoning provided for the ranking.

"True Monarch Golden Face's strength requires no elaboration. Not long ago, in the battle at the Xuande Grotto-Heaven, his Second Nascent Soul commanded a Fourth-Tier Late-Stage Puppet and contended against seven peak Great Cultivators wielding Quasi-Tier-5 trump cards for a long time, only falling slightly to a disadvantage..."

"His Second Nascent Soul not only possesses the strength of a legendary Great Cultivator, but based on his control over a Fourth-Tier Late-Stage Puppet, it's highly likely he is a Fourth-Tier Upper-Grade Puppet Grandmaster."

Seeing this, your interest was slightly piqued.

To deduce the realm of your puppet mastery simply from the details of your control over a Fourth-Tier Late-Stage Puppet, the four major chambers of commerce must have found more than one Puppet Grandmaster to review the actual visual recordings of the battle at the Xuande Grotto-Heaven.

"Subsequently, True Monarch Golden Face's true body arrived. He severely injured six peak Great Cultivators wielding Quasi-Tier-5 trump cards and killed the Purple-Eyed True Monarch..."

"Afterward, our four major chambers of commerce paid an enormous price to hire a Fourth Tier High Grade Divination Grandmaster to attempt to divine details about True Monarch Golden Face, only for the Grandmaster to suffer severe backlash..."

"Before leaving, that Fourth Tier High Grade Divination Grandmaster left behind a single statement: not only does True Monarch Golden Face wield a supreme treasure of heavenly secrets to obscure his own fate, but he himself is also at least a Tier 4 Mid-Grade Divination Grandmaster..."

"True Monarch Golden Face's strength can be hailed as the absolute greatest beneath the Heavenly Monarchs."

"The conclusion reached by our four major chambers of commerce is—"

"Unprovokable!"