Chapter 556 - 514: The Behind-the-Scenes Divinity Transformation Clash

Chapter 556: Chapter 514: The Behind-the-Scenes Divinity Transformation Clash

"I hope so. Recruiting new Star Lords isn’t easy, and I’d hate for us to finally be able to enter the Core Secret Realm one day, only to find we don’t have enough people to open it."

As Jumeng Star Star Monarch spoke, he unconsciously hunched over to relieve the excruciating pain, but his tongue remained as sharp as ever.

He hadn’t been able to contact any other Star Lords for his attempt to hunt the Tier Four Turtle Demon, so he had set up an ambush with a True Monarch from his own sect instead.

He hadn’t expected a Transformed Green Python to be hiding behind the Turtle Demon, and had completely misjudged their opponent’s strength.

In the end, not only did they fail to hunt the turtle, but they were both severely injured and had to make a sorry retreat back to the Central Domain.

The wounds on his flesh had long since healed, but the green python had refined its two fangs into a Lifebound Flying Sword that carried a potent, bone-eroding poison.

To this day, it was still coursing along his spine, proving impossible to purge.

"Speaking of new members, I recently became acquainted with a fellow cultivator. He practices the Ancient Sword Dao, and his Flying Sword Technique is sublime—he’s a top expert even among Early-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivators. After speaking with him, he has expressed interest in joining the Star Palace. What do you all think?"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Po Jun Star Monarch got down to business.

According to the rules of the Star Palace, only a Guiding Envoy could recommend new members, and the other Star Lords would then vote on the matter.

This rule served both to protect the privacy of each Star Lord and to ensure the founder’s descendants retained authority over the Star Palace, preventing outsiders from seizing control.

"There are still people practicing the Ancient Sword Dao in the Cultivation Realm today?"

Tianliang Star Monarch’s mask had a sallow complexion, with drooping brows and a sorrowful expression. His voice was a monotone, devoid of any emotional inflection.

He made what should have been a surprising inquiry sound like a simple statement of fact.

The Sword Dao of the Cultivation Realm could be divided into two completely different paths, with the Taibai Sword Sect as the watershed.

The Ancient Sword Dao focused on Primordial Spirit Sword Control, taking an enemy’s head from a thousand li away in a single, fleeting strike.

It was the path of an assassin: strike once and retreat, never lingering in battle.

It completely lacked the exhilarating thrill of later Sword Cultivators, who faced enemies head-on in pitched combat.

As it evolved, generations of Sword Cultivators remedied its shortcomings, gleaning fragments of knowledge from the Descent Great Powers and adding their own insights.

It wasn’t until the appearance of the Taibai Sword Sect that the Sword Dao reached Great Success and embarked on a completely new path.

Although the Ancient Sword Dao was incredibly lethal, its flaws were simply too great, so very few Cultivators still specialized in it.

"That’s right. This man is utterly devoted to the sword. He’s managed to reach his current level of cultivation without the benefit of a top-tier legacy. When he heard that the Star Palace possessed a Secret Realm related to the Taibai Sword Sect’s trial grounds, he agreed to join without a moment’s hesitation. As long as you all approve, I will induct him as a new member during our next gathering."

Even in a situation like this, Po Jun Star Monarch hadn’t forgotten to recruit new talent; he was remarkably dedicated to his duties.

"If Daoist Brother Po Jun vouches for him, then of course we have no objections..."

Taiyin Star Monarch gracefully swept her dark tresses back, revealing a long, fair neck.

The authority of a Guiding Envoy was different from that of an ordinary Star Lord.

There had been members with ulterior motives in the Star Palace’s history, who had joined simply to uncover its secrets and report them to their sects in the outside world.

Strangely, however, before they could be exposed, their masks would be reclaimed, and their memories of the Star Palace would become a fragmented mess. They would completely forget the true identities behind the Guiding Envoys’ masks.

The few Star Lords present all speculated that this was likely related to the Dao Heart Oath they had all sworn upon joining the Star Palace.

"I wonder if any of you have heard the news? A Divinity Transformation Great Power from the Moral Sect has already made a move, secretly clashing with a Tier Five Elder Dragon from the Outer Sea... It’s just that, regarding the specifics, I’ve asked around but haven’t been able to get a concrete answer."

With the new member’s induction approved, Po Jun Star Monarch glanced around at the others and raised the issue that concerned him most.

This session of open discussion was the most appealing part of these gatherings for the members of the Star Palace.

They exchanged intelligence, bartered the Spiritual Objects in their possession, shared resources, and forged all sorts of collaborations.

Because the Star Lords shared a common goal and were ignorant of each other’s true identities, the security of their transactions surpassed that of the outside world, and there were fewer topics they had to be cautious about when communicating.

"A clash at the Divinity Transformation Level... Has it really escalated to that point already..."

Taiyin Star Monarch had just emerged from seclusion, so her knowledge of the situation in the outside world was limited to her sect’s reports; she had yet to gain a deeper understanding.

The last verifiable instance of a Divinity Transformation Great Power taking action had been several hundred years ago, and that had also involved a Great Power from the Moral Sect dealing with an expert from the Demon Race.

The joy she felt from her breakthrough to Mid-Stage Nascent Soul quickly dissipated.

"Over a thousand years ago, the Celestial Punishment Peak Master was already known as the Moral Sect’s Invincible True Monarch. Wielding the Nine Chapters of Celestial Constitution, his Words Become Law... A figure like that surely wouldn’t lose to a Tier Five Elder Dragon."

"It wasn’t the Celestial Punishment Peak Master at all. It was the even more mysterious Yellow Court Peak Master."

Jumeng Star Star Monarch shot Tiann Xiang Star Monarch a disdainful glance. He came from an extraordinary background; of everyone in the Star Palace, he was the only one with access to secrets that circulated exclusively among Top-Tier Cultivators.

"Yellow Court Peak only focuses on cultivating the Great Dao; they don’t practice Guardian Dao Techniques and rarely venture out into the Cultivation Realm. However, every one of their disciples is a peerless genius of their generation, possessing extraordinary talent for the Great Dao. It’s just that no one ever imagined that the Yellow Court Peak Master, who has never appeared before the public, was actually a Divinity Transformation Great Power!"

"Doesn’t that mean the Moral Sect has two Divinity Transformation Great Powers in its ranks at the same time?"

Tiann Xiang Star Monarch was stunned into a momentary silence. This revelation was utterly beyond his imagination.

While no other Super Sect had revealed even a single Divinity Transformation Great Power, the Moral Sect now had two confirmed masters. This only served to further solidify its claim as the number one sect in the world.

"The Yellow Court Peak Master’s battle with the Tier Five Elder Dragon blotted out the sky and eclipsed the sun and moon. In the end, the Yellow Court Peak Master must have lost by a narrow margin. If he had won, the news would have spread like wildfire, and everyone would know. But if he had truly lost, the Demon Race wouldn’t have just been sitting idly on the other side of the Jishui for the past few years, making no move at all."