Now It Is Time for This Venerable One to Emerge

Hidden Sword Mountain, Hidden Sword Hall, atop the glazed-tile roof.

Heavenly Sword True Monarch leaned against the green-tiled eaves and roof ornament, pinching a pewter flask between his fingers. White vapor condensed at its mouth—it was warmed Osmanthus Wine. With his eyes half closed, he watched the silver moon grind the thin clouds beneath the night curtain. Night dew clung to his robes, gleaming faintly in the moonlight.

The night sky was clear as if freshly washed, wisps of cloud scattered far away, leaving only the round moon hanging overhead. The cold moonlight was not harsh. It lay like shattered frost over the roof tiles, coating the True Monarch's silver hair and making even the patterns on the flask distinct.

Star Seeds studded the black velvet sky as densely as broken diamonds. Those nearby dazzled the eye, while distant ones faded into silver mist. Following the Big Dipper, they spread into a Milky Way, their light as faint as Thin Ice over Spring Water.

"Master!" Que Lingyu, petite as a wisp of breeze, drifted onto the eaves and landed softly behind Heavenly Sword True Monarch.

"Mm, what is it?" Heavenly Sword True Monarch's voice was airy and casual, like a clear breeze arriving or starlight in the night sky.

"Wuchang Ghost Sect has already occupied more than half of the Wanhua Mountain Range. Wanhua Demon Court appears to have collapsed completely," Que Lingyu said softly.

Her voice was full of warmth, and her bright eyes brimmed with gentleness and attachment.

Heavenly Sword True Monarch's relaxed expression tightened slightly, replaced by solemnity.

"Tianji Pavilion, Wanhua Demon Court—great powers falling one after another. Heh heh, the Struggle for Authority has truly begun!"

Que Lingyu hesitated before saying gently, "Master, the Struggle for Authority is so perilous. We should not compete for it!"

She had no designs on the Position of Authority, nor did she believe Heavenly Sword True Monarch absolutely had to obtain it. She only wanted to remain by his side.

Now that Heavenly Sword True Monarch had been reborn, she felt he had no need to fight over the Position of Authority.

She still had nearly two thousand years of Lifespan left. She could accompany Heavenly Sword True Monarch for another two thousand years. That alone already satisfied her greatly, and she did not dare hope for anything more.

Heavenly Sword True Monarch turned to look at her, at her crystalline pretty face, at her eyes gentle as water.

He let out a faint sigh.

Romantic Affairs were neither what he wished for nor what he needed.

In his heart, Que Lingyu was still that little sparrow who circled around him all day. He had never poured any excess affection into her, yet he did have feelings after all. He understood Que Lingyu's thoughts, but he could not give her any answer.

"Lifespan always comes to an end. Though I have been reborn, my Divine Soul has not changed!"

Que Lingyu froze, staring blankly at Heavenly Sword True Monarch.

She could understand what he meant, but she was unwilling to accept it.

The limits of Lifespan applied not only to the body, but also to the Divine Soul.

When body and Divine Soul were one, the limits of Lifespan manifested in the body. So long as the body's Lifespan had not run out, the Divine Soul would not be affected.

But when body and Divine Soul separated, the Divine Soul would be constrained by Lifespan. An ordinary person's soul could exist only for several days, while an Immortal Cultivator's Divine Soul could endure anywhere from several days to several dozen days.

Heavenly Sword True Monarch used the Spirituality of the Azure Gold Sword to nurture his Divine Soul, lodging his soul within the sword and treating the sword as his body, thereby evading the restrictions of the laws of heaven and earth.

Yet his Divine Soul ultimately could not escape the laws of heaven and earth. Once he left the sword body, his Divine Soul would be subjected to the limits of Lifespan.

Therefore, he had to perform Body Snatching as soon as possible and obtain a new body.

A body seized through Body Snatching was not his own in the end. Though it could extend the Lifespan of his Divine Soul, it could not make up for the depletion of that Divine Soul.

He could only continuously strengthen the connection between his Divine Soul and body by raising his cultivation. In merely thirty years, his cultivation had reached the Golden Core Realm, yet his Lifespan had increased by only a little.

"If I cannot seize the Position of Authority, I have only a hundred years of Lifespan remaining!" Heavenly Sword True Monarch tilted his head back and gulped down a mouthful of wine.

A hundred years was already a long time to mortals, but to Golden Core cultivators and Demon Kings, it was truly fleeting.

Heavenly Sword True Monarch raised a hand to wipe the wine from the corner of his mouth, then grinned. "Little Sparrow, to me, the Position of Authority is everything."

"I am sorry. I must disappoint your feelings."

Tears glimmered in Que Lingyu's eyes, and her heart trembled without end. There was heartache, sorrow, and resentment, but more than anything, there was resolve.

"Little Sparrow understands. Little Sparrow will help Master seize the Position of Authority!"

Heavenly Sword True Monarch grinned. "No rush. Wait a little longer. The time will come soon enough!"

He was waiting for an opportunity. To others, this opportunity was unimportant, but to him, it was the finest chance.

If he missed it, he would lose everything. If he grasped it, he would have a great chance of ascending to the position of Dao Master.

It was the position of Dao Master, not merely the Position of Authority.

He wanted the Position of Authority, but he wanted even more to take another step forward and become a true Dao Master.

The destruction of Wanhua Demon Court brought immense upheaval to the Myriad Flower Domain. From Tianji Pavilion to Wanhua Demon Court, the fall of two peak great powers signified that the once-in-ten-thousand-years Struggle for Authority had officially begun.

Every major force hastened the pace of war. The most active were the South Sea Demon Court and North Sea Demon Court.

There was no need to speak of the South Sea Demon Court. They had already firmly occupied the Jinchuan Mountain Range. The North Sea Demon Court had not been idle either, beginning a massive expansion through the Northern Region. In just a few months, the North Sea Demon Court had swallowed thousands of miles of land in the Northern Region.

The Southern Region had Hengshan Sect resisting the South Sea Demon Court, but the Northern Region had no major force capable of resisting the North Sea Demon Court, allowing it to advance as if entering uninhabited territory.

Any Northern Region force with even a little strength moved south one after another, hoping to escape the North Sea Demon Court's attacks.

The North Sea Demon Court's methods were even more brutal than those of the South Sea Demon Court. Although the South Sea Demon Court had fought Hengshan Sect and numerous forces in the Southern Region for over a century, they did not implicate innocent Immortal Cultivators. So long as those cultivators did not provoke them, they would not harm them.

Many low-level cultivators had no qualifications to participate in the war, so they naturally did not matter. Many small Immortal Cultivator lineages did not even possess a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and the South Sea Demon Court naturally could not be bothered to contend with them.

But the North Sea Demon Court massacred every cultivator in the Northern Region. Any Immortal Cultivator, regardless of cultivation level, was exterminated without exception. Even Demonic Beasts were slaughtered to the last.

They were Aquatic Race demons. The Demon Race on land had nothing whatsoever to do with them.

Thus, they gave the Land Demonic Race the same treatment as Human Race Cultivators.

This exterminate-them-all attitude sent the Immortal Cultivators of the Southern Region into even greater panic. They fled in droves into the Central Region, the Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters, and other areas.

So many foreign Immortal Cultivators flooding into the Central Region also stirred up considerable unrest there, plunging many Central Region forces into turmoil.

Wanbao Immortal City.

Ever since Wanbao Sect sealed off Hundred Realms Cave Heaven, the atmosphere in Wanbao Immortal City had become far more tense.

However, although Wanbao Sect had sealed Hundred Realms Cave Heaven, it still left behind considerable strength in Wanbao Immortal City. The Inner City remained under Wanbao Sect's control, while Wanbao Trading Company branches throughout the lands and Taoyuan Mountain continued operating. It was simply that none of them could contact Hundred Realms Cave Heaven any longer.

The Five Great Immortal Clans were now responsible for managing the affairs of Wanbao Immortal City. They had originally been Wanbao Sect's vassals. Now that Wanbao Sect had temporarily withdrawn from Wanbao Immortal City, they naturally became the city's rulers.

Within the Zheng Family Estate of the Immortal Clan, Zheng Family Ancestor Zheng Kaiming, Qin Family Ancestor Qin Xianyang, Liu Family Ancestor Liu Yingchun, Bai Family Ancestor Bai Shangyun, and Sun Family Ancestor Sun Ye had gathered together.

Zheng Kaiming sat high in the seat of honor. His silvery-white beard hung from his chin to his abdomen, its strands smooth and lustrous.

Qin Xianyang sat in the foremost seat below. Broad and brawny, clad in black armor, he carried himself with the imposing air of a general commanding an army.

Liu Yingchun's face was like a peach blossom, and spring seemed to fill her eyes. Whenever she lifted her gaze, she displayed all the alluring charm of a mature woman.

Bai Shangyun lived up to his name. Dressed in white like a cloud in the heavens, he seemed to drift leisurely over mountain ridges and hills, immaculate, unbound, and unburdened—like an immortal descending from the sky into the mortal world.

Sun Ye was precisely the opposite of Bai Shangyun. He wore coarse hemp clothing, his face weathered and his skin dark and swarthy. He looked like an Old Farmer from the countryside, strangely out of place among the people and objects around him.

Five Golden Core cultivators gathered together was an exceedingly rare sight even in Wanbao Immortal City.

Yet not only had they gathered here today, the atmosphere was also exceptionally grave.

"Brother Qin, can you contact Wanbao Sect?" Zheng Kaiming broke the silence and asked.

They had gathered here today to discuss how to deal with the North Sea Demon Court.

At present, the North Sea Demon Court was still in the Northern Region, ten thousand miles away from the Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters. But once it swallowed the entire Northern Region, its next target would certainly be the Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters.

Wanbao Sect had withdrawn from the world and temporarily left Wanbao Immortal City, but they could not leave Wanbao Immortal City.

Leaving Wanbao Immortal City would be equivalent to abandoning the foundation their lineages had accumulated over several thousand years. In truth, they valued Wanbao Immortal City even more than Wanbao Sect did.

After all, losing one Immortal City would not damage Wanbao Sect's foundations. Wanbao Sect's foundation lay in Hundred Realms Cave Heaven, not Wanbao Immortal City.

But the foundations of their Five Great Immortal Clans all lay within this Immortal City.

Therefore, they could not allow the North Sea Demon Court to threaten Wanbao Immortal City. They could not even allow it to threaten the Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters.

Qin Xianyang shook his head. "No."

"Duobao True Monarch did not leave you a method of communication?" Zheng Kaiming asked with a frown.

Hesitation appeared on Qin Xianyang's face.

The others all looked at him with bright eyes, hoping he had a way to contact Wanbao Sect.

There was a saying in Wanbao Immortal City: "The East City Sun Family refines immortal pills, the South City Bai Family forges Spirit Artifacts, the West City Liu Family welcomes guests at its gates, the North City Qin Family guards the eight passes, and the Central City Zheng Family's path reaches heaven."

When it came to closeness with Wanbao Sect, the Zheng Family was the closest.

Zheng Kaiming's cultivation was high and his strength formidable. He possessed Golden Core Peak cultivation and was an honored guest even in Wanbao Sect, deeply trusted by Wanbao Sect Master Wan Hong.

Yet since he had asked Qin Xianyang this today, it meant he had no way to contact Wanbao Sect.

And aside from him, Qin Xianyang was the one most likely to have connections with Wanbao Sect.

The North City Qin Family guarded the eight passes!

The Qin Family controlled the City Guard of Wanbao Immortal City, and now they had also obtained control over Wanbao Immortal City's Guardian Array. This showed just how deeply Wanbao Sect trusted the Qin Family.

Wanbao Sect's trust in the Qin Family stemmed from Duobao True Monarch. Qin Xianyang could be considered Duobao True Monarch's disciple. Though he had not formally entered his master's gate, they possessed the Master-Disciple Reality.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Qin Xianyang hesitated before saying, "I cannot contact Master Duobao, but before Wanbao Sect sealed the Grotto-Heaven, Miss Xiayi gave me a Communication Talisman!"

Everyone's eyes lit up, and Zheng Kaiming hurriedly said, "Then what are we waiting for? Contact her and try it first!"

Qin Xianyang said helplessly, "Miss Xiayi did not say this Communication Talisman could contact her. She only said that if the Qin Family encountered a great calamity, we could use this Communication Talisman to seek aid!"

Zhongli Xiayi was closer to the Qin Family because her mother had been a daughter of the Qin Family. Qin Xianyang was her great-great-grandfather.

"This..." Zheng Kaiming exchanged glances with the others, also unable to make up his mind.

They all knew Zhongli Xiayi, but her status within Wanbao Sect was currently not high, and she could not even enter its core ranks.

Since this concerned the concealment of Hundred Realms Cave Heaven, logically speaking, Zhongli Xiayi was not qualified to leave behind any trace.

In other words, this Communication Talisman was very likely not for contacting Wanbao Sect, but someone else. Zhongli Xiayi had left it only to give the Qin Family an Escape Route.

"Daoist Tianbao has also returned to Hundred Realms Cave Heaven. This Communication Talisman should not be for contacting him," Bai Shangyun said.

"Then who could it contact?" Liu Yingchun asked doubtfully.

"Perhaps one of Miss Xiayi's friends!"

"But contacting Miss Xiayi's friend is useless. What we need now is for the sect to return and take charge!"

"What if the other party can contact Miss Xiayi?"

The group began discussing it. They all wanted Wanbao Sect to return and hold the fort. Without Wanbao Sect, none of them felt secure.

The successive destruction of Tianji Pavilion and Wanhua Demon Court had filled them with unease.

Even Half-step Entering Dao experts had fallen one after another, let alone ordinary Golden Core cultivators like them.

"Then shall we try?" Zheng Kaiming looked toward Qin Xianyang with his final hope.

After a brief hesitation, Qin Xianyang ultimately nodded in agreement.

The Communication Talisman represented Zhongli Xiayi's concern for the Qin Family. Unless it was an exceptional situation, he had not wished to use it.

But this was precisely an exceptional situation. If he waited until the enemy came knocking, it would be too late. Thus, he decided to use it now.

Once he made his decision, he took out the Communication Talisman. After considering his words, he left two sentences upon it, then activated it.

The Communication Talisman turned into a streak of Spiritual Light and vanished before their eyes, disappearing into the Void.

The group watched the vanished Communication Talisman and looked at each other.

"This seems to be Void Dao Intent!" Sun Ye said.

"Mm, one can sense the aura of the Void," Liu Yingchun agreed.

"Then let us wait," Zheng Kaiming said.

Life Realm Immortal Palace.

Yang Zhengshan emerged from the Pill Hall. The second Nine Tripod Divine Pill had been completed, and without mishap, he had succeeded once again.

Refining the Nine Tripod Divine Pill successfully twice in a row signified that his Alchemy had stepped into a new tier, nearly reaching the highest level of alchemy in the Myriad Flower Domain.

Throughout the entire Myriad Flower Domain, alchemists capable of refining the Nine Tripod Divine Pill could be counted on one hand. Yang Zhengshan might not have been first, but he could definitely rank among the top three.

Standing before the Pill Hall and facing the brilliant blazing sun, Yang Zhengshan stretched lazily.

"Ah, that feels good!"

At this moment, he felt incomparably relaxed, without the slightest sense of urgency.

Although his cultivation remained at Golden Core Mid Stage, his Dao Intent had already reached the level of Half-step Entering Dao. He could be considered one of the Myriad Flower Domain's peak experts.

Furthermore, he had refined the Nine Tripod Divine Pill, Yu Qingyi had also formed her core, and his final Concerns had vanished.

"Heh heh..."

Thinking of this, Yang Zhengshan could not help laughing.

"Now it is time for this venerable one to emerge. After hiding for so many years and enduring for so many years, it is time for this venerable one to go out and stir the winds and clouds!"

"This Position of Authority is also something this venerable one should Compete For."

Before, he had not been qualified to compete, but now he had the confidence.

Moreover, he no longer had any Concerns. Naturally, it was time to make some plans for himself.

He had to compete for the Position of Authority, and he also had to raise his cultivation. If he could become a true Dao Master, that would be best. If not, then he would seize the Position of Authority.