Chapter 521 - 497: Please Test the Sword, Great True Monarch

Chapter 521: Chapter 497: Please Test the Sword, Great True Monarch

"True Monarch Bai Zichen of the Qingfeng Sect has arrived! Presenting one White Bone Relic as a gift!"

Miyi lightly bit her red lip, her clear voice echoing before the Mountain Gate, amplifying as it traveled up toward the summit.

At the same time, she turned to the side and gestured, leading the way onto the wide, earthen path that ascended via the Cyan Jade Steps.

Bai Zichen chuckled and followed Miyi up the stairs. In the vibrant forests on either side, a few white cranes paced with unhurried pride, while multicolored birds preened their feathers.

A Spirit Deer with a sleek coat also galloped freely through the trees.

’They were all Tier Two Spirit Beasts, which seemed a bit underwhelming for the likes of the Five Phoenix Sword Sect.’

But for a major Sword Sect, not a Beast Taming Sect, the strength of their Spirit Beasts was hardly the first priority.

Auspicious symbolism, portents of long life and prosperity, and outstanding appearances—

these qualities were far more important than what other Spirit Beasts could offer. It wasn’t as if the Five Phoenix Sword Sect was lacking the combat power of a few Tier Three Spirit Beasts.

"Qingfeng Sect... I’ve never heard of that sect or a True Monarch by that name... Could he be from the Eastern Domain?"

Mu Leyao’s mouth hung slightly open. Her group had already taken their seats and were watching the True Monarchs on the high platform converse with admiration when they heard a new arrival being announced from below.

"Bai Zichen... that name is so familiar. I feel like I heard someone mention it a few years ago..."

The Mu Family’s Core Formation Elder sank into thought. At his age, while he hadn’t met every Nascent Soul True Monarch in the Central Domain, he had at least heard of them all by name.

He was knowledgeable about all the Nascent Soul Sects in the Central Domain, a habit he maintained to ensure he’d always have a topic for conversation should he encounter any of their Sect Cultivators.

He was certain that there was no Nascent Soul-Level Sect in the Central Domain by the name of Qingfeng Sect.

"He looks so young... another senior who reached the Nascent Soul Realm in his prime... He’s like a treasured sword in its sheath, his sharp aura held in reserve. From his bearing, he must also be a Sword Cultivator."

Hearing Mu Leyao’s words, something clicked in the Mu Family Core Formation Elder’s mind, and he remembered where he’d heard the name.

"It’s that Northern Domain Sword Cultivator! The one who performed the Nascent Soul Reversal Cut while still in the Core Formation Realm! The one those Northern Domain barbarians tout as the greatest Sword Dao Talent in the last ten thousand years—Bai Zichen! He’s the one who caused such an uproar among the Central Domain’s major Sword Sects, all of whom wanted to teach him a lesson!"

"I never expected that after just a few years, he would have already successfully passed his Tribulation Crossing and achieved the Nascent Soul Realm!"

Cultivators from the Central Domain had always been arrogant, feeling a natural superiority over the other Four Domains. Only the Eastern Domain, having produced a Divinity Transformation Great Power since the Near Ancient period, earned a sliver of their respect.

The Northern and Western Domains, in particular, were considered poor backwaters, and any news from those regions was taken with a grain of salt.

For thousands of years, they had boasted of countless talents with the potential to reach Divinity Transformation, yet not a single Great True Monarch had emerged from their ranks.

If not for the undeniable feat of the Nascent Soul Reversal Cut—an achievement so rare as to be almost unique in the long River of Time—it simply could not be ignored.

Otherwise, the cultivators of the Central Domain would have simply laughed off the rumors about Bai Zichen and paid them no mind.

The Mu Family Core Formation Elder vividly remembered how all the Core Formation True Men at the time had lambasted the Northern Domain "barbarians" for their shamelessness. They insisted it must have been faked—that some Nascent Soul True Monarch had died by accident, and they had fabricated the battle record and pinned it on Bai Zichen to create the image of this so-called Unparalleled Sword Cultivator.

Not even the current Saint Heirs of the Central Domain’s major Sword Sects—the most monstrous talents of their generation—could perform a Nascent Soul Reversal Cut.

No one could believe that such a once-in-a-millennium prodigy would emerge from the Northern Domain.

"But since he’s reached the Nascent Soul Realm, it proves he wasn’t just a flash in the pan... In recent years, the Five Phoenix Sword Sect has been vying to be on equal footing with the Cyan Lotus Sword Sect. How could they allow a Sword Cultivator from the Northern Domain to steal the show? I suspect there will be a duel between True Monarchs at today’s celebration!"

The Mu Family Core Formation Elder was old and prudent, but his expression still grew excited at the thought of a potential Combat.

’The greatest Sword Dao Talent in ten thousand years!’

Mu Leyao’s eyes sparkled, her gaze locked on the youth in the Hydration Robe who carried such a transcendent air.

"Bai Zichen of the Qingfeng Sect?"

"Who is that? Could he be from some allied sect in another domain, having traveled a great distance to offer congratulations?"

"It’s that Sword Cultivator from the Northern Domain!"

On the high platform, the True Monarchs’ expressions varied. Some showed a flicker of recognition, while others who had never heard the name turned to inquire with the cultivators beside them.

Zhuo Xiong of the Celestial Star Sect flinched, his wine goblet trembling as Spirit Wine sloshed out. He quickly lowered his gaze, concealing the shift in his expression.

"Senior Brother Zhuo, do you know him?"

Of course, this didn’t escape the notice of his fellow sect member, Zhang Zishou, who was seated at an adjacent table. he asked via Sound Transmission.

"It’s nothing. I was just reminded of a past incident that involved him."

Zhuo Xiong looked up, an amiable smile on his face, and drained the remaining Spirit Wine in his cup.

"Alright."

Zhang Zishou knew better than to press the issue, but he made a mental note of this latecomer, Bai Zichen.

In the Near Ancient period, the Celestial Star Sect was just an obscure minor sect, known only for its unique Escape Techniques.

For the next several thousand years, its status fluctuated, sometimes qualifying as a Sect, other times demoted to a lesser power. It couldn’t even consistently maintain a Nascent Soul True Monarch in its ranks.

That is, until over three thousand years ago, when the sect broke with tradition and appointed two Saint Heirs from the same generation of disciples.

The truth was that both disciples were so prodigiously talented, their brilliance so irrepressible, that to abandon either one would have been a terrible waste.

The Sect Leader of the Celestial Star Sect at the time even sold his own Magical Treasures to gather the Cultivation Resources needed to support both Saint Heirs.

Heaven rewarded their determination. The two reached the Nascent Soul Realm at almost the same time and, several centuries later, both achieved the Divinity Transformation Path, becoming known as the Nebula Saints.

With two saints gracing the world, the Celestial Star Sect leaped to the status of a Super Sect in the Central Domain, leaving the other Nascent Soul Sects that were once its peers far behind in the dust.

Even the Super Major Sects felt suffocated by the pressure from the Celestial Star Sect, which had produced two Divinity Transformation cultivators in a row.

Since the Celestial Star Sect’s foundations were mediocre to begin with, once they had two Divinity Transformation Ancestors backing them, they began to act with impunity. They aggressively expanded their territory, seized resources, and offended countless other sects in the process.

This continued until one of the Celestial Star Sect’s Nascent Soul True Monarchs and several of its Core Formation True Men died one after another outside their own Mountain Gate. There were no signs of a struggle, not a single wound on their bodies. It was as if the Celestial Five Declines had befallen them in their sleep, and they had inexplicably passed away.