Chapter 910: Top Demonic Sects Take Notice, Return to the Jiang Kingdom

Central Region of the Southern Desolation, Tianmo Sect.

North of the sect’s main peak stood a colossal palace, as if bound by countless demonic vines, its surface awash with the glow of profound restrictions.

No one knew what it was forged from. Its exterior shimmered with a silvery, star-like sheen, while inside rose columnar space pylons and five-colored teleportation platforms.

This was the Tianmo Sect’s Transmission Hall.

Only those holding a sect writ and a transmission token could use the arrays here.

Teleportation arrays were costly, and after a certain number of activations they needed maintenance.

Even a top power like the Tianmo Sect wasn’t extravagant enough to let disciples use them at will.

Just then, five-colored light surged atop one platform, linking to the space pillar beside it and stirring ripples through space.

A handsome white-haired youth in an ink-black robe appeared on the dais alongside a black-robed elder and a black-robed youth.

“Greetings, Young Ancestor. Greetings, Elder Xun!”

Several guards stationed in the Transmission Hall bowed at once when they saw the newcomers.

“Mm.”

The three were Qu Changge, Lu Quanzhen, and Elder Xun, returned from the Jin Kingdom.

Though the Tianmo Sect had many arrays that could go straight to the Northern Region, such arrays weren’t scattered across every nation of the Southern Desolation and the north.

Only a few important outposts had arrays installed.

So on the way back, Qu Changge handled a few matters with his nephew in tow. Even with teleportation, it took half a year.

Without lingering, Qu Changge led his nephew out of the Transmission Hall toward the Sect Master Hall.

“So this is the Tianmo Sect.”

Over the past stretch of time, following his uncle through several places, Lu Quanzhen had seen splendor far beyond the Jiang and Jin Kingdoms.

But faced with the sect before him, he was still shaken.

Everywhere he looked, peaks soared to the heavens.

Above, palaces floated in the drifting clouds, majestic and imposing, their presence overwhelming.

Those mountains and palaces all exuded a faint fourth-rank spiritual pressure. Even the Transmission Hall he’d just left was the same.

The black vines coiled around the grand palace seemed to be third- or fourth-rank demonic plants.

“Those are the vines of the Demonblood Vine King.”

“Exactly. Only a few Core Formation cultivators guard the Transmission Hall. If an outsider came through our array to launch a surprise attack, the Demonblood Vine King would rouse the instant it sensed danger.”

Seeing his nephew’s awe, Qu Changge spoke, introducing the Tianmo Sect along the way.

The Demonblood Vine King was only one of many such measures. Everywhere you looked, the sect’s deep foundation as a top power of the Southern Desolation showed through.

And that was merely what was out in the open.

Only the sect’s core upper echelon knew the true heritage and trump cards. Regular disciples neither saw nor approached them.

Put simply, if a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator provoked the sect from outside and didn’t go too far, he might still find a chance to flee.

But if he dared break into the sect itself, he wouldn’t leave alive.

A short while later, Qu Changge brought Lu Quanzhen to pay respects to the Tianmo Sect Master.

Though he was the disciple of the Tianmo Grandmaster,

he was the junior before the Sect Master and ranked a bit lower.

Even so, the sect master treated Qu Changge with marked courtesy, with no hint of putting on airs, as if they were equals.

“Sect Master, this junior of mine is the one from the Starry Sea who cultivated the Kunpeng Swallowing Heaven Demon Art—Zhao Wuzhen.”

Qu Changge got straight to the point and stated Lu Quanzhen’s identity openly.

Back then he’d brought the Kunpeng Swallowing Heaven Demon Art and a trove of treasures to the Jiang Kingdom. There was no hiding that from the Tianmo Sect.

It was only a matter of time before the sect investigated.

“He really cultivated the Kunpeng Swallowing Heaven Demon Art?”

The Tianmo Sect Master studied Lu Quanzhen as if to see through him entirely.

That art was created by a sect patriarch who combined several top-tier manuals and innovated on them.

In thousands of years, those who completed it were few and far between.

On one hand it demanded exceptional talent and comprehension.

On the other, cultivation required Kunpeng blood essence as the primer.

Even within the Tianmo Sect, Kunpeng blood essence was exceedingly rare.

There was another reason: true prodigies rarely chose to cultivate this art.

It wasn’t that the Kunpeng Swallowing Heaven Demon Art was inferior. In fact, it had once stirred a sizable storm in the Central Domain.

But the first batch of Tianmo Sect cultivators who practiced it grew strong by slaughtering peers and devouring their physique essence. The art’s reputation collapsed and it was rejected by the major powers.

Even the sect’s own disciples balked at having someone cultivate that demonic art in their midst.

They feared a sudden cheap shot during true transmission and holy son contests that would end with their physique essence devoured.

What’s more, devouring too much essence could overwhelm the body or unbalance the spirit-soul, making qi deviation likely.

In time the art was shelved and effectively severed from current use.

Only when Qu Changge needed a top-tier art back then did he think of this one, which could be split into the Five Elements Kunpeng Art and the Kunpeng Swallowing Heaven Demon Art.

“Young friend, show me the art.”

The Tianmo Sect Master spoke calmly.

Lu Quanzhen drew a deep breath and circulated the Kunpeng Swallowing Heaven Demon Art. One black hole vortex after another bloomed around him.

Then, as if a boundless black sea rose up behind him, a Kunpeng roared forth, its momentum dreadful, as if to refine and swallow the world.

“Good, good! It truly is the Kunpeng Swallowing Heaven Demon Art!”

The Tianmo Sect Master clapped and laughed. “I didn’t expect the Young Lord to have such an outstanding junior. On this alone, this young friend could enter my sect and become one of our 108 true disciples!”

“However…”

His tone shifted as he looked to Qu Changge. “Young Lord, I can appoint Friend Zhao a true disciple, even preselect him as a holy son. But our Tianmo Sect has always prized survival of the fittest. Strength rules here.”

“If Friend Zhao arrives and can’t showcase enough strength yet is directly made a preselected holy son, he’ll face no end of trouble.”

“I see he’s at seventh-layer Core Formation, with robust blood energy and a powerful physique. He’s likely cultivating both body and magic, and he carries a top-tier physique besides.”

“That level is enough to challenge the current true disciples. Why not let him complete entry procedures and enjoy true disciple treatment first? When the time is right, have him challenge other true disciples. Once he proves himself, I’ll personally designate him a preselected holy son.”

The Tianmo Sect Master stated his view.

If Qu Changge insisted, he wouldn’t slap his face in public.

But in his opinion there was no need. Better to follow the usual process.

It was also a chance to gauge Lu Quanzhen’s true combat power.

After all, cultivation, arts, and physique were major factors, but not absolute.

Judging by his bones, Lu Quanzhen wasn’t that old, likely just over a hundred.

If Qu Changge had piled resources on a useless vessel and that person became a preselected holy son, it would undercut the sect’s prestige.

“Uncle, I’m willing.”

Hearing the subtext, Lu Quanzhen cupped his hands to his uncle. He wanted to use this chance to test the strength of the sect’s disciples.

He also wanted to see how far he still was from the Southern Desolation’s top cultivators.

“Good.” Qu Changge nodded.

After Qu Changge took Lu Quanzhen to handle entry, Elder Xun reported the details of the trip to the sect master.

Though Qu Changge wielded great power and status within the Tianmo Sect,

his every move still fell under the eyes of the sect master and the Tianmo Grandmaster.

As for wiping out Wu Demon Island and beheading Shi Hai, the Tianmo Sect Master scarcely cared.

If the Starry Sea weren’t so far from the Central Domain and nothing had followed the Kunpeng egg incident back then, he’d already have sent people to trouble those involved.

But when he heard that Qu Changge’s younger sister had married a man suspected to be a reincarnated major cultivator, the sect master’s eyes narrowed.

Ordinarily, a reincarnated major cultivator wasn’t worth his concern.

But anything involving Qu Changge he took very seriously.

He worried the man who married Qu Changge’s sister had ulterior motives.

Or that he wasn’t a reincarnated major cultivator at all, but someone from another power.

The Tianmo Sect Master made a note to send people to investigate, lest his sect’s grand plans be disrupted.

Meanwhile, Mo Luo returned to the Blood Sea Sect and reported on Yangming True Lord.

As it stood, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator who had reincarnated wouldn’t easily draw the Blood Sea Sect’s attention.

But if the man held a quasi-celestial treasure—or even a celestial treasure—the situation changed completely.

“A quasi-celestial treasure?”

The Blood Sea Sect Master immediately dismissed the possibility of a celestial treasure.

Celestial treasures were unimaginably precious.

In the entire Southern Desolation’s cultivation world, only the Central Domain’s top powers used them to suppress fortune and anchor their heritage.

Why would one suddenly appear out of nowhere?

He even felt a quasi-celestial treasure was unlikely.

Most likely Mo Luo, after years of wandering without any real merit, was exaggerating.

The Blood Sea Sect Master pressed for details.

“This person called himself the Eastern Emperor, but as far as I know, there’s been no legendary major cultivator by that name in our Southern Desolation for a thousand years.”

Mo Luo still refused to believe Yangming True Lord was the Eastern Emperor he knew of.

“Eastern Emperor…” The Blood Sea Sect Master frowned, unable to recall any such legend in the Southern Desolation.

But the sect’s archives recorded many secrets of the cultivation world, even matters beyond the Southern Desolation.

For instance, the Eastern Sea, the Western Desert, and the Northern Plains.

As he recalled, the Eastern Sea’s cultivation world had a power known as the Sun-Moon Star Palace.

Its rulers across the ages were all called Eastern Emperor.

Still, like Mo Luo, the sect master instinctively rejected that possibility.

He didn’t believe this man was the Eastern Emperor of the Sun-Moon Star Palace in the Eastern Sea.

It was too far-fetched.

He pondered a moment, then said, “Tell me about his treasure and divine abilities.”

Mo Luo relayed everything truthfully.

“A mirror? And Solar Divine Light, blazing and tyrannical?”

The Blood Sea Sect Master’s heart gave a sudden jolt.

“Wait here for me.” He vanished from the hall, headed for the Scripture Repository to consult the sect’s records.

A long while later, he found a note concerning the Eastern Sea. Among the Sun-Moon Star Palace’s supreme treasures was indeed a mirror.

It could project Solar Divine Light that burned all things to ash.

“Eastern Emperor…”

He murmured the name, shock filling his heart.

At present, even a reincarnated legendary major cultivator wouldn’t draw much of the Blood Sea Sect’s focus.

But a reincarnated Spirit Transformation sovereign was a different story.

However slim the odds, the Blood Sea Sect Master still called several high-level figures to discuss the matter.

“A reincarnated Spirit Transformation sovereign? Impossible!”

“Agreed. Those at Spirit Transformation wield vast arts. It’s said they can preserve a sliver of true spirit through a secret reincarnation art and choose to be reborn. But the Eastern Emperor is the ruler of the Eastern Sea’s Sun-Moon Star Palace. Even if he reincarnated, it would be in the Eastern Sea, not here in our Southern Desolation.”

“He must’ve heard some tidbits about the Eastern Sea and the Sun-Moon Star Palace and is borrowing their prestige to intimidate others.”

“More likely he’s from the Daylight Golden Crow Sect. That sect has a pseudo-celestial treasure—the Haoyang Mirror.”

“Makes sense. He might even be Old Monster Zhao of the Daylight Golden Crow Sect. Zhao loves to fish for prey and could be using this to lure us out.”

The Blood Sea Sect’s upper echelon all spoke, none believing this Yangming True Lord was the Eastern Emperor of the Sun-Moon Star Palace.

They suspected this so-called Eastern Emperor was a Nascent Soul powerhouse from the Daylight Golden Crow Sect, one of the Five Grand Mystic Gates, trying to fish for a kill.

By the Nascent Soul stage, killing a peer was difficult.

Many mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators couldn’t completely exterminate some early-stage ones.

It was even truer at late stage.

Without inescapable nets and layered tactics, even a late-stage Nascent Soul True Lord would struggle to kill another late-stage cultivator.

Thus, when righteous and demonic paths targeted a late-stage Nascent Soul opponent, they had to use wits and elaborate setups.

Right now the Blood Sea Sect was busy with the Blood Sea Calamity and short on focus.

If they lost a late-stage Nascent Soul, it would directly impact their plans.

Even so, the matter was too serious to ignore. Speculation was one thing. They had to verify.

The Blood Sea Sect Master decided to send Mo Luo back to the Northern Region to keep digging and monitor Yangming True Lord.

If he wasn’t the Old Monster Zhao they suspected, nor a member of the Five Grand Mystic Gates, but merely a mid-stage Nascent Soul reincarnator with a quasi-celestial treasure, then the Blood Sea Sect wouldn’t be polite.

Jin Kingdom.

Five Poisons Sect, Artifact Refining Hall.

Lu Changsheng and the artifact refiners of the three major demonic sects in the Jin Kingdom were working to replicate the Small Misty Dust Banner.

On the central forge, five-colored radiance from the Misty Dust Banner intertwined with the aura of a palm-sized miniature banner.

After a long while, Lu Changsheng cast a sealing formula. The Misty Dust Banner and the little banner both fell into his hands.

“Still a bit short.”

Circulating his power through the Small Misty Dust Banner, he saw that while the replication worked, a first attempt had flaws and wasn’t as good as the two subsidiary banners that came with the original.

If the distance grew too great, it was hard to sense the faint connection and the shuttling would fail.

“From the Jiang Kingdom to the Jin Kingdom should be fine, but consumption will rise by twenty to thirty percent.”

He tested the banner’s activation and made his estimate.

“And if I’m not here, just these people alone can’t reproduce this Small Misty Dust Banner.”

He glanced at the Artifact Refining Hall’s craftsmen from the three demonic sects of the Jin Kingdom and sighed inwardly.

Although they were already the best refiners in the Jin Kingdom,

their level was limited. At best, they were brushing the threshold of fourth-rank artifact refiners.

They couldn’t stably forge Spirit Treasures and fourth-rank artifacts.

“Skilled talent is far too scarce.”

Only now did Lu Changsheng truly feel how rare fourth-rank arts were.

No wonder those with third-rank skills could serve as guest elders for major powers.

With fourth-rank skills, even Nascent Soul True Lords showed courtesy, and you could sit as an honored guest of Nascent Soul forces.

That’s how rare they were.

Not just in the Jin Kingdom.

The Jiang, Yue, and Liang Kingdoms were the same.

There wasn’t a single refiner like him who could stably forge fourth-rank Spirit Treasures.

“Even if I wanted to train them up, turning them into fourth-rank refiners is like climbing the sky. It won’t happen fast and would demand enormous resources.”

Anyone who rose to the top in the Jin Kingdom had solid talent.

What they lacked were top-tier inheritance and chances to practice.

As long as they served him, he didn’t mind sharing the Divine Creation Refinement Art’s methods.

But pouring in massive resources just to let them practice was out of the question.

Even with resources to spare, he wasn’t that extravagant.

Unless they became fourth-rank refiners, abandoned cultivation, and dedicated themselves to him entirely, he’d struggle to recoup the investment.

“The Jin, Jiang, and Liang-Yue regions might lack fourth-rank refiners, but the Northern Region has plenty. With my current reputation, if I’m willing to spend, I can hire them.”

“And why go far? I can go straight to the Starry Sea to find refiners.”

He decided to hand the Small Misty Dust Banners and fourth-rank Spirit Treasures over to the Zhenhai Patriarch later.

The Zhenhai Seven Sects should have fourth-rank refiners.

If none fit his needs, a region as vast as the Starry Sea certainly did.

With the Zhenhai Patriarch’s status, he could invite them easily.

“You still need a force behind you. Doing it all alone just isn’t possible.”

Lu Changsheng didn’t just want a few more Small Misty Dust Banners.

He also wanted to use his haul to forge himself a fourth-rank robe and craft several weapons for his Brahma Demon True Form.

Put together, it would take years, so he’d find help.

“Congratulations, True Lord, on forging a Spirit Treasure!”

The refiners in the hall didn’t know his thoughts. They bowed with respect and offered their congratulations.

Though each was a master in his own right, they’d been reduced to assistants here.

Still, working alongside Lu Changsheng had taught them a lot.

They hoped this True Lord would continue to include them in his forging.

“You’ve all worked hard these days.”

Though they couldn’t meet his needs, he still respected them.

He lifted his hand to reward them, then taught a few refining methods from the Divine Creation Refinement Art’s forging chapter.

“Many thanks for the transmission, True Lord.” Joy lit their faces one after another.

At their level, it wasn’t hard to acquire technique lineages, and they even held fourth-rank inheritances.

But those inheritances varied in quality.

The methods Lu Changsheng shared were exceedingly profound.

“Next, study well and forge these treasures. If they meet my standards, I’ll give you further pointers.”

He produced several sets of treasure schematics and handed them over.

He himself didn’t lack artifacts, not even Spirit Treasures.

But his wives, concubines, and children still needed good treasures.

So he gave them versatile, high-grade designs to refine.

“Please rest assured, True Lord.”

The refiners accepted the schematics with solemn respect, ready to study and fund the refining themselves.

Though the Small Misty Dust Banner replica wasn’t perfect,

once it was integrated into the Yin Ghost Sect’s leyline, it would be enough to shuttle between the Jiang and Jin Kingdoms.

After spending half a month with Nangong Mili, Meng Xiaochan, and Yin Yuge, then a few more days with his three children, Lu Changsheng entrusted Lu Mengchan’s cultivation and upcoming Core Formation to the Nascent Soul True Lord Ah Youduo. He then used the Misty Dust Banner to take Qu Zhenzhen back to Bihu Mountain.

He’d been away a long time. His son Lu Lingxiao and the Holy Maiden had nearly wrapped up the Liang Kingdom’s affairs. He wasn’t about to delay further or lose himself in the comforts of romance.