Chapter 516 - 493: Honghu Immortal City

"I see. Thank you for telling me, True Monarch. Otherwise, I would never have known the origins of the Naihe Sect."

Bai Zichen's expression was placid, as if he had only brought it up on a whim, discussing a Sect that had little to do with him.

"Back in the Northern Domain, I read an ancient text where the author claimed to have met a traveling member of the Naihe Sect and was astonished by their swordsmanship."

"Travelogues and tales are often filled with exaggerations. The authors might be boasting about their experiences, or their perspective could be limited. You can't take them at their word."

Meng Dongye had studied all the famous swordsmanship techniques in the world but had never heard of a Naihe Sect Cultivator being renowned for their sword skills. They were only known for their Dual Cultivation of Dharma Body and for being erudite generalists.

There was once a True Monarch from the Naihe Sect who was famous for simultaneously being a Tier Four Pill Master, a Tier Four Refiner, a Tier Four Talisman Master, a Tier Four Array Master, a Tier Four Puppet Master, and a Tier Four Beast Master.

It's true that Nascent Soul True Monarchs have a significant advantage when they go back to practice the Hundred Skills of Cultivation, given their high Cultivation. However, this advantage generally only makes it easier to reach Tier Three.

Any Tier Four skill, even for someone with exceptional talent, requires no less than a century of dedicated practice to master.

For one person to master six different Tier Four skills, their talent in the Hundred Skills of Cultivation could only be described as astonishing.

"By the way, a secret organization has appeared in the Central Domain in recent years. Its members use the names of Ancient Star Gods as aliases and are trying to recruit Nascent Soul Sword Cultivators... While they haven't committed any major evil acts, their movements are furtive. Brother Ma suspects the Ancient Demon Clan is behind them. Fellow Daoist Bai, with your Sword Dao Talent, you will surely be targeted. Don't let them trick you into joining their ranks."

They made a little more small talk, and then Meng Dongye seemed to remember something, his expression turning serious as he spoke.

"The members of this organization are all Nascent Soul True Monarchs with formidable abilities. I fear they're secretly plotting something big, which is quite worrying."

"A secret organization, and all of them are Nascent Soul Sword Cultivators?"

Bai Zichen showed a timely expression of surprise, making it seem as if this was the first time he had heard of it. At the same time, his eyes burned with intensity.

"The Central Domain may be the heart of the Cultivation Realm, teeming with High Cultivators, but the number of True Monarchs can't be so large that they can't all be accounted for... With the restriction that they're all Sword Cultivators, the pool shrinks even further. Wouldn't it be easy to identify the members?"

There are only three Sword Sects in the Central Domain that could be called Super Sects: the Five Phoenix Sword Sect, the Cyan Lotus Sword Sect, and the Life-Killing Sword Sect. Below them, there are another three or four Nascent Soul Level Sword Sects.

All told, that's only a little over twenty Nascent Soul Sword Cultivators.

Even if you add in the Loose Cultivators and the Sword Masters from other Sects, the number wouldn't increase by much.

If what Po Jun Star Monarch said is true, the Star Palace alone has five Nascent Soul Sword Cultivators. No one would believe that some members from these Sword Sects haven't joined.

'Even Meng Dongye, right in front of me, is very likely a member of the Star Palace.'

'On the surface, the Star Palace doesn't compete with the major Sects for profit or get into conflicts, and it even offers a chance to enter the Taibai Sword Sect's Trial Secret Realm.'

'If the Sword-Cleansing Secret Realm held by the Five Phoenix Sword Sect and the Star Palace's Trial Secret Realm are one and the same, then Meng Dongye's chances of entering as a Star Palace member are even higher than his chances as a True Monarch of the Five Phoenix Sword Sect.'

'The Sword Light Division requirement alone would be enough to bar Meng Dongye.'

'In contrast, the Star Palace has the Secret Realm key, making the entry requirements much more lenient.'

For a Cultivator like Meng Dongye, who was utterly devoted to the sword and would give anything for the Sword Dao, Bai Zichen didn't think he could resist if Po Jun Star Monarch truly used the Taibai Sword Sect's Secret Realm as bait.

"Indeed. I can't even guarantee that none of my fellow brothers in the Sect have joined the Star Palace. Since it hasn't caused any real harm yet, Brother Ma won't let me launch a high-profile investigation, lest it cause internal unrest and discord among our members."

Meng Dongye's eyes dimmed, and his voice dropped.

"This tea seems quite extraordinary. Is it Enlightenment Spirit Tea?"

Bai Zichen changed the subject. After drinking the Spirit Tea before him, his mind felt clear and refreshed. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

"It's just Tier Three Enlightenment Spirit Tea. I have a few plants growing on my peak. For people like us, it's better than nothing, but it doesn't do much... If you like the taste, Fellow Daoist Bai, I'll wrap up a few pounds for you to take and brew at your leisure."

Meng Dongye said casually with a wave of his hand.

"In that case, I thank you for the Spirit Tea, True Monarch."

Bai Zichen cupped his hands in a salute. 'A Super Sect is truly on another level,' he thought. 'Growing Tier Three Enlightenment Tea trees casually and drinking Enlightenment Spirit Tea like it's common rations.'

'In an ordinary Nascent Soul Sect, a single Tier Three Enlightenment Spirit Tea plant would be a Spirit Plant treasured by the entire Sect.'

"There is one other matter I'd like to trouble you with, True Monarch. I've come from the Northern Domain and admire the abundant resources of the Central Domain. I wish to purchase a few things. Would it be possible for you to grant me an entry Token for your Sect's Market?"

The few Super Sects in the Central Domain have all built their own Immortal Cities.

While not as large as Zengguang Immortal City, they are still major cities with populations in the millions and clouds of Cultivators.

If one wanted to purchase rare items, there was no better place than an Immortal City. High-end auctions specifically for Nascent Soul True Monarchs were also held there frequently.

It would be simple enough for Bai Zichen to enter an Immortal City, but to smoothly integrate into its upper echelons and enjoy the treatment befitting a Nascent Soul True Monarch would certainly require going through several procedures. It couldn't be done overnight.

Since a key figure was right in front of him, he might as well take care of it all at once.

For a Nascent Soul Ancestor of the Five Phoenix Sword Sect, this was a trivial matter, as easy as flipping a hand.

"That's easy. Take my token. In Honghu Immortal City, you'll receive Celestial Phoenix-level VIP treatment. The major merchant houses will prioritize your requests... However, if you truly want to acquire High-Tier Spiritual Objects, you'll have better luck at an exchange meet between Nascent Soul True Monarchs. At auctions, the only things that might catch our eye are the few final items, and they might not even be suitable. At an exchange meet, the items fellow Daoists bring out will at least be of decent quality."

Meng Dongye tossed the Jade Sword Key from his hand over to him and offered his advice.

"Fellow Daoist Bai, do you plan to reside in the Central Domain long-term, or just travel around? ...In a few years, there will be a small exchange meet that I and a few friends established to share insights and progress. If you are free, Fellow Daoist Bai, you are welcome to attend."

"If I am still in Great Li at that time, I will certainly impose upon you, True Monarch."

Originally, Bai Zichen had no intention of staying in one place for too long.

The Star Constellation Sea's intelligence network in the mainland far exceeded his imagination.

The fact that Ao Zhe knew so much about even Li Hansi's situation meant that not even the Central Domain was completely free of the Star Constellation Sea Demon Race's spies.

Dispatching Transformed Great Demons deep into the mainland was unrealistic. It was more likely that some Human Race Cultivators were feeding information to the Star Constellation Sea, or had even become its vassals, like the Youlong Sect and other Sects from the Ten Thousand Stars Islands.

A Tier Four Peak Dragon Monarch wouldn't dare to venture into the heart of the mainland. Its reputation as the most civilized land wasn't for show; they could easily gather four or five Great True Monarchs to ensure the Dragon Monarch never left.

But he still had to be wary of that Tier Five Elder Dragon. The methods of a Divinity Transformation expert were mysterious and unpredictable; who knew if it possessed some long-range Curse Killing Technique.

If the Dragon Race had some inherited Divine Technique, a Curse that could target the Cultivator who killed their kin, another long-range attack would be disastrous.

Last time, he had pushed the Star River Sword Array to its absolute limit, using the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword to withstand the Old Dragon's strike.

But he couldn't keep the Sword Array active at all times. It was safer to move around frequently, changing his location so the Star Constellation Sea couldn't pinpoint him, which would give him some peace of mind.

The two continued to chat until the sky began to darken, at which point they clasped their hands and bid each other farewell.

Meng Dongye had only come to Dan Yang Peak on a whim, wanting to see how the Sect Disciples were performing. He just so happened to witness Kuang Jiuchui colluding with the Outer Sect to fake a Combat match.

This Core Disciple wanted to be chosen as the Saint Heir, but as far as Meng Dongye was concerned, he had already lost points.

In truth, he had other business to attend to. He needed to make a trip to the Celestial Star Sect to invite their True Monarch to his youngest junior brother's Dao field inauguration ceremony.

After driving out the Celestial Principle Sect and occupying their Tier Four Spirit Vein, it had taken several decades to finally complete the construction of this Dao field.

Given the ostentation of a Super Major Sect like the Five Phoenix Sword Sect, they would never allow a True Monarch's Dao field to be substandard. They had practically razed the original site of the Celestial Principle Sect to the ground, conscripting hundreds of thousands of Cultivators and a million Construction Warriors to erect a magnificent and splendid new complex of buildings.

For a True Monarch's Dao field that might only house a thousand or so disciples, this was far too extravagant and wasteful.

It could only be said that the Five Phoenix Sword Sect had the resources to afford such extravagance.

In contrast, for a Sect like Qingfeng Sect, just repairing the two Tier Four Spirit Lands on Flame Mountain and developing the Spirit Vein as a whole had nearly bankrupted the Sect.

If they hadn't absorbed Hejian County and greatly increased their income, even this simple Spirit Vein construction could have bankrupted Qingfeng Sect, leaving them unable to even pay the Spiritual Salary of their Elders and disciples.

The Five Phoenix Sword Sect and the Celestial Star Sect were both Super Sects in Great Li. Their harmonious relationship began several thousand years ago when two Nascent Soul True Monarchs, one from each Sect, became Dao Companions.

Thanks to that opportunity, interactions between the two Sects increased, and they began to cooperate in many areas.

Although their bond wasn't as deep as the one between Qingfeng Sect and the Five Elements Sect, who were like branches from the same tree, they could still be considered stable allies.

Now that the Dao field was complete and a grand ceremony was being held, it was only natural to invite the True Monarchs of the Celestial Star Sect.

"On the ninth day of next month, at the summit of White Python Mountain..."

Before leaving, Meng Dongye extended an invitation to Bai Zichen to attend the Dao field's inauguration ceremony on White Python Mountain.

His junior brother had apparently muttered several times about wanting to have a sword match with Bai Zichen after hearing the news of him reaching Nascent Soul.

Han Chaoran of the Five Phoenix Sword Sect was the most outstanding genius Sword Cultivator in the Central Domain after Gu Chongxuan of the Cyan Lotus Sword Sect. The world had taken to calling them the Shuang Xuan.

According to Meng Dongye, Han Chaoran's speed in mastering the basics of the Celestial Phoenix Shocking God Sword Technique was the fastest in the several thousand years since the technique was created.

Even several seniors who had cultivated to Nascent Soul Perfection had not shown as much talent for this Sword Technique as he had.

'If I'm still in the area, I might as well go and take a look. Since many Nascent Soul True Monarchs will be there, there might be a chance for an exchange after the ceremony.'

Bai Zichen knew that Han Chaoran was also in the Early-Stage Nascent Soul Realm. At the same Cultivation level, he truly didn't believe anyone could defeat his sword.

Even if he couldn't use the Star River Sword Array, his ultimate trump card, in a normal sparring match, he was confident he wouldn't lose based on his Sword Dao Realm alone.

If Han Chaoran had already reached the Sword Light Splitting Realm, news would have spread like wildfire throughout the entire Cultivation Realm; it would be impossible to hide.

Back then, Tang Fei's breakthrough in the Sword Dao, successfully achieving Sword Light Division just before his death, had shocked the entire Cultivation Realm.

'Still, it would be good to witness the Celestial Phoenix Shocking God Sword Technique. The Yuanting Sword Technique already improved my True Enlightenment Sword Technique greatly. Wouldn't an even stronger Sword Technique have an even better effect!'

The True Enlightenment Sword Technique was, by its nature, a form of swordsmanship that grew more powerful the more one witnessed.

To deconstruct all the Sword Paths in the world, one didn't need to have seen every single sword technique in the Cultivation Realm. But the more one understood and the more one fought, the more comprehensive that Sword Manual would become, until he could truly transform it into a Sword Technique that was entirely his own.