Chapter 572 - 522: Who is the Ziwei Star Monarch?

Chapter 572: Chapter 522: Who is the Ziwei Star Monarch?

Kong Bai’s pupils constricted slightly, and inky shades of varying darkness swirled within them.

It had been less than half a day since they’d sensed the demons’ aura, flown out from Jishui Camp, and tailed them here.

A top-tier Great Demon, easily one of the ten strongest, had been reduced to a pile of dismembered remains. The sight was unnervingly gruesome.

’To think the Star Palace has an expert of this caliber. It makes no sense for this organization to have remained obscure all these years, never truly being taken seriously by the Super Sects...’

This was a far cry from using a Secret Technique with immense side effects to kill the Twelve-Winged Soaring Serpent. The Thousand-Legged Golden Centipede was stronger by more than just a small margin.

What’s more, this Ziwei Star Star Monarch’s aura was placid, his bearing refined and otherworldly. His Daoist Robe was pristine, and he was completely unharmed.

To slay the Thousand-Legged Golden Centipede, unscathed, in less than half a day.

Kong Bai mentally reviewed all the elders he knew but couldn’t think of a single person who fit the description.

Not long ago, he had joined forces with Great True Monarch Jiuyue and the Sect Leader of the Taiping Sect to slay a Tier Four Top-Grade Demon Whale that also possessed a Desolate Beast Bloodline. He’d had direct confrontations with Great Demons and Cultivators of that level.

’Elder Jiuyue probably wasn’t going all out during that operation. But even so, unless he was willing to use one of the few Immortal Realm Divine Thunders inherited from the Five Thunders Sect, he couldn’t have been this efficient.’

The more Kong Bai thought about it, the more horrified he became, a bone-deep chill washing over him.

’Daoist Baoxuan’s Taiping Mother Talisman excels at defense, control, and debilitation; he’s even less capable of this... I fear the only one who might be able to is the legendary Great True Monarch Hongfa, whom I’ve never had the fortune to meet.’

Just as the three of them were reeling in shock and speculating wildly, the Ziwei Star Star Monarch shot them a cold glance.

Beneath the mask, his expression was impassive, but his presence was vast and majestic, carrying a lofty, grand aura.

Just by standing there, he seemed to be the center of the universe—absolute, with no up or down, no before or after.

The dismembered remains of the Thousand-Legged Golden Centipede swirled as if caught in a tornado, surging into the Ziwei Star Star Monarch’s palm and vanishing.

After unhurriedly finishing his task, the mysterious and powerful Star Monarch shot Kong Bai a meaningful glance before turning to leave.

Each step covered an immense distance, leaving faint ripples in the air as his figure shrank to a black dot.

"What sort of Escape Technique was that? It looked somewhat similar to our Sect’s Lotus Stepping."

The fierce-looking monk didn’t speak until the Ziwei Star Star Monarch had completely vanished from their Divine Sense, finally breaking the silence.

From the moment the three of them appeared to when he collected the Demon Body and left, the Ziwei Star Star Monarch had treated the three Nascent Soul True Monarchs as if they were thin air, not deigning to acknowledge them.

"Indeed. A truly terrifying expert. He’s probably the true master of the Star Palace. With the war between the two races raging, these hidden organizations are no longer keeping a low profile and are all coming out of the woodwork."

The Yellow-Faced Nascent Soul noticed Kong Bai was still in a daze and turned to him.

"Fellow Daoist Kong, which major figure in the Cultivation Realm do you think this Ziwei Star Star Monarch could be? With that kind of power, he can’t possibly be some secluded Ascetic."

"Mid-Stage Nascent Soul... Didn’t you two notice? That person only has a Mid-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivation..."

Kong Bai let out a long breath. The Ziwei Star Star Monarch’s parting glance had made him feel as if he’d been plunged into an icy abyss, a prickling sense of danger at his back.

"If he were a Great True Monarch, it would be one thing. But for a Mid-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator to achieve this... I can’t imagine any True Monarch in the entire Cultivation Realm possessing such monstrous combat prowess. Even during the peak of the Taibai Sword Sect, Sword Cultivators like that were exceedingly rare—only a precious few in thousands of years."

The gap between the Mid-Stage and Late-Stage Nascent Soul realms is a major watershed, representing a quantum leap in a Cultivator’s power.

It’s not unheard of for Early-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivators to defeat those in the Mid Stage by relying on a powerful Magical Treasure or a superior Cultivation Technique and Divine Power; such cases are a dime a dozen.

But for that to happen at the next level up is exceedingly rare.

The suppressive power of a Grotto Heaven Prototype, the profound application of Great Dao True Intent, and a near twofold difference in True Essence are what make Great True Monarchs a group that truly stands at the pinnacle of the Cultivation Realm.

Relying on external power to overcome that gap and defeat a higher-realm opponent is next to impossible.

"Could it be that Time God Sword? The people from the Five Phoenix Sword Sect have hyped him up to be some kind of legend, saying his Sword Dao Talent is the kind you see once in ten thousand years..."

The Yellow-Faced Nascent Soul thought for a moment, offering up a name.

"Unlikely. That man comprehended the Time True Intent. A full-powered strike from him would surely summon the River of Time, with its True Intent lingering. The Thousand-Legged Golden Centipede didn’t die that way... Besides, this giant insect was significantly stronger than Xiang Banshan."

Kong Bai considered it carefully, then slowly shook his head.

"I’ve heard Elder Jiuyue speak of him. He is indeed immensely promising, but he’s only just over two hundred years old. Mid-Stage Nascent Soul at that age? Even the Divinity Transformation Ancestors couldn’t cultivate that fast. He only reached the Nascent Soul Realm a short while ago. While one’s Sword Dao Realm might soar on the back of talent, a cultivation bottleneck isn’t something you can just leap over at will."

"Then what about Gu Chongxuan? Among the younger generation of Sword Cultivators, he’s the closest to the Mid-Stage Nascent Soul Realm. A full 60-Year Cycle ago, I heard a friend from the Cyan Lotus Sword Sect say that Gu Chongxuan had a massive windfall in the Great Void Secret Realm and that his breakthrough was imminent."

Hearing that, the Yellow-Faced Nascent Soul figured it made sense and so he ventured a new guess.

At the same time, he carefully observed Kong Bai’s expression. They were both Sword Dao prodigies of a similar age. If the Ziwei Star Star Monarch really was Gu Chongxuan, it would mean Kong Bai had been left far in the dust.

"That’s a definite possibility. Don’t be fooled by the Five Phoenix Sword Sect’s current momentum. In terms of deep-rooted heritage, they can’t compare to the Cyan Lotus Sword Sect. At the very least, when it comes to Tier Five Flying Swords, the Cyan Lotus Sword Sect definitely has the edge."

Kong Bai didn’t seem to have made the personal connection, still engrossed in his analysis.

"However, we shouldn’t necessarily focus on the younger Sword Cultivators. It’s very likely one of the long-established Sword Dao elders... someone whose swordsmanship is simply divine, but who has been stuck at his current realm’s bottleneck, unable to break through. By joining an organization like the Star Palace, he could gain control of a Tier Five Flying Sword and unleash power that truly matches his Sword Dao Realm. That’s also a possibility."