Chapter 520 - 496: A Gathering of True Monarchs

Chapter 520: Chapter 496: A Gathering of True Monarchs

Even if a few Qi Refining Cultivators with exceptionally strong innate Divine Sense or a keen talent for the Array Dao became Tier One Array Masters, they could typically only set up fundamental arrays for Qi Gathering or Concealing Breath.

Arrays, unlike Alchemy, were not consumables. As long as one was successfully set up, it could be used for a long time.

When people had a need, they would rather spend a few more Spirit Stones to hire a Tier Two Array Master than a novice Array Master who still ran the risk of failure in Array Formation.

But at Tier Three and even Tier Four, the status of an Array Master became increasingly high.

This was especially evident in larger factions.

After all, for a Tier Three Grand Array or even a Tier Four Grand Array, there was a huge difference in its effectiveness depending on its daily construction and maintenance, and whether a corresponding Array Master was present to operate it during wartime.

"Great True Monarch Xiang Banshan of the Nine Tribulations Sect has arrived! Bearing gifts of one hundred catties of Xin Gold Meteorite Iron, one hundred catties of Taiyi Primordial Copper, and one hundred bottles of Tier Three Sword Tempering Spirit Water!"

The Five Phoenix Sword Sect Cultivator announcing the guests suddenly froze, his voice trembling as he recited the announcement.

The Core Formation Elder from the Mu Family abruptly straightened his back, a glint flashing in his murky eyes. He said in astonishment, "How can this be! The Nine Tribulations Sect has only a shallow relationship with the Five Phoenix Sword Sect. Sending even a single Nascent Soul True Monarch would be considered a great show of respect. How could Great True Monarch Xiang show up in person!"

What kind of status did a Great True Monarch hold? With no Divinity Transformation Great Powers making an appearance, they practically represented the limit of the Human World.

Their Realms were transforming into Grotto Heavens, allowing them to mobilize a sliver of Grotto Heaven Power. Against anyone below the late-stage Nascent Soul Realm, they held a crushing combat advantage.

In remote and desolate realms like the Northern Domain and the Western Realm, there wasn’t even a single Great True Monarch in the entire domain.

Even in the Central Domain, Great True Monarchs were a decisive, top-tier force.

They were either in secluded cultivation, hoping to break through to Divinity Transformation, or their lifespans were running short, and they were desperately searching for a path to the next life or methods to extend their longevity.

Remaining in seclusion and ignoring worldly affairs was the norm.

The two Great True Monarchs from the Moral Sect’s Celestial Punishment Peak, who rushed about at the first sign of a demon, were the exception.

The Celestial Star Sect and the Five Phoenix Sword Sect were so close, yet they had only sent two Nascent Soul True Monarchs, which was already a sign of great importance.

This was just Han Chaoran’s dojo inauguration ceremony, not someone advancing to the late-stage Nascent Soul Realm. It wasn’t significant enough to warrant a Great True Monarch from the Celestial Star Sect attending in person to offer congratulations.

Xiang Banshan’s arrival was illogical and threw even the well-trained ushers into a panic.

The Five Phoenix Sword Sect clearly didn’t know about this beforehand. Otherwise, for the arrival of a Great True Monarch, they would have long since opened the central gate, with a Nascent Soul True Monarch waiting specially before the mountain to receive him.

"He shouldn’t be here to cause trouble... He was probably just passing by and decided to visit Great True Monarch Ma Youx, stopping by to congratulate them on the dojo inauguration ceremony as well."

The Core Formation Elder from the Mu Family had lived a pampered life. He had never even experienced more than a few life-or-death combats, and his cultivation had been smooth sailing to this day.

With no internal injuries and proper maintenance of his body, he had managed to live to be nearly five hundred years old.

Having seen many things, he had a thorough understanding of the detached, arm’s-length relationships between Super Sects.

If two Super Sects of comparable strength were to clash, it would trigger a terrifying tide, with chain reactions affecting hundreds of millions of lives.

It was very likely that in the end, the two Super Sects would emerge unscathed, while countless small and medium-sized factions would be crushed to pieces in the storm.

Even a Cultivation Family on the level of the Nine-Blade Mu Family would be no different from those Foundation Establishment Clans if they were dragged into it.

A single thought from a great figure could destroy everything.

The steps of the Mu Family’s Core Formation Elder grew much heavier, and the wrinkles on his face, like ravines, deepened.

* * *

Brocaded mountains and rivers, palaces of gold and silver.

Flowers were crafted from cut silk, and pavilions from spread brocade. Cinnabar reds and jade greens mingled in a vista beyond description.

’How magnificent. How many Spirit Stones and how much manpower must it have taken to build this!’

Bai Zichen gazed at White Python Mountain, his heart filled with a thousand emotions.

Though Flame Mountain was also a Tier Four Spirit Vein dojo for a new Nascent Soul—and was even home to two True Monarchs—

—compared to White Python Mountain, the difference was like that between the clouds and the mud—worlds apart.

’I’m afraid even Shi Chengdong would be stunned if he returned and saw this... Back in its day, the Mountain Gate of the Celestial Principle Sect probably couldn’t compare to a single dojo of the Five Phoenix Sword Sect.’

Bai Zichen put away his complicated emotions, and his Sword Light landed before the mountain.

"Senior, which Sect are you a True Monarch of? Are you here by invitation, or are you passing by and came to offer congratulations?"

A fair-skinned, long-legged Female Core Formation Cultivator stepped forward to greet him. The Nascent Soul True Monarchs on the guest list had almost all arrived.

With the ceremony about to begin, the arrival of another unfamiliar True Monarch would cause a great deal of trouble for the master of ceremonies.

Each Nascent Soul True Monarch was a planned-for guest. They usually had a good idea of which ones would be attending within a few days of the invitations being sent out.

A sudden arrival like that of Great True Monarch Xiang meant that all the seating arrangements and the entire event schedule would have to be changed.

The seating at the ceremony was determined by a comprehensive consideration of personal strength, the Sect behind them, the closeness of their relationship, and so on.

At the same time, care had to be taken to avoid seating two True Monarchs with a poor relationship next to each other.

This task was extremely tedious. Only a master of ceremonies who was intimately familiar with all the major powers and the life of every True Monarch could arrange it properly.

With the arrival of another last-minute Nascent Soul True Monarch, the difficulty of the master of ceremonies’ job would increase exponentially.

"Bai Zichen of the Qingfeng Sect. True Monarch Ku Yin invited me."

Bai Zichen had no intention of changing his appearance or using an alias.

His purpose in coming to White Python Mountain was to befriend more fellow True Monarchs and obtain clues about Top-Tier Cultivation Techniques.

An unfamiliar Nascent Soul Cultivator with no verifiable background would find it very difficult to integrate.

At least he had established a friendship with Meng Dongye and had a clear origin and background. There was no need to worry that he was an Ancient Demon Cultivator in disguise trying to infiltrate the event.

Besides, True Monarch Ge Cang had debated the Dao with a True Monarch from the Nine Tribulations Sect in Great Phoenix Jiangzuo, defeating him soundly and making a name for the Qingfeng Sect.

As his junior brother, he couldn’t fall behind. He too had to do his part to spread the name of the Qingfeng Sect in the Great Li.

"The Qingfeng Sect, True Monarch Bai..."

Miyi, who had clearly never heard of this Sect or name, looked bewildered as she flipped open the guestbook.

"Ah, so you are True Monarch Bai from the Northern Domain. Please, follow me this way... If you have a congratulatory gift for Ancestor Han, you may place it on the Treasure Stone."

Fortunately, there was a record on the last page of the guestbook, likely added later at Meng Dongye’s request.

Bai Zichen hesitated for a moment. He had forgotten about bringing a congratulatory gift.

Not long after reaching Nascent Soul, he had left the Sect to travel.

Even when he was at Black Mountain, it was others who brought him gifts, not the other way around.

He had plenty of spoils of war in his Realm that would be suitable as a gift and wouldn’t be beneath the status of a True Monarch.

But he considered several items in a row, and all of them had obvious characteristics that could easily expose him as the one who killed Ao Zhe.

At least until he had the power to protect himself against a Divinity Transformation Demon Lord, Bai Zichen did not want anyone to know about this. The longer he could postpone it, the better.

His other Magical Treasures would be looked down upon by the Five Phoenix Sword Sect, and would cause people to look down on the Qingfeng Sect as well.

A Tier Three Flying Sword would have been a perfect gift, fitting for a Sect of Sword Cultivators.

But a batch of his Flying Swords had been damaged during his Tribulation Crossing last time. Even after re-refining them, he barely had enough to make up the twelve Array Flying Swords required for his Star River Sword Array.

He couldn’t very well leave himself unable to even set up his own Sword Array just to give a gift.

’This will have to do...’

Bai Zichen took out a White Bone Relic and tossed it onto the flat, open bluestone.

It was one of the treasures he had plundered from the Secret Vault of the Hundred Skills Sect. Buddha Light and Magic Power coexisted within it, two completely opposite forces miraculously fused together.

There was no doubt that the White Bone Relic was no ordinary object. However, since Bai Zichen had no intention of switching to the Demon Path or learning the Buddhist Dharma, it was unlikely he could ever truly make use of it.

If he were to simply use it as a Spiritual Material to refine a Top-Grade Magical Treasure, it would be a bit of a waste, and it wasn’t like he was lacking such a Magical Treasure anyway.

It was perfect as a gift. Its practical value wasn’t high, but one could tell at a glance that it was a rare and exotic treasure.

White Bone Relic: Left behind upon the passing of a Nascent Soul True Monarch who dual-cultivated both Buddhist Dharma and the Demon Path. It contains the entirety of his Essence. If a cultivator on the same path were to completely absorb this Essence, it could allow a Qi Refining Cultivator to leap to the Core Formation Realm in a short time. However, the difficulty of Shattering the Core and Transforming into a Nascent Soul would increase tenfold.

Several lines of text appeared on the Treasure Stone. This bluestone actually had the miraculous ability to determine a treasure’s origin and provide a basic description.

’I wonder what kind of conclusion it would reach if I threw my Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword or the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box on there...’

This was the first thought that popped into Bai Zichen’s mind.