Translator: CinderTL
A single thread pulled could unravel the entire tapestry.
For the Wu Ji Sect and the Profound Yellow Sect, the dark horned prison battle was merely the beginning.
After Li Chunjun slew Yuan Taiji and swept aside nine Supreme Sages, including Vermilion Bird, Xuan Wu, and Kan Shan, with only Xun Feng escaping, the Profound Yellow Sect formally declared war on the Immortal Alliance.
They accused the Wu Ji Sect of repeatedly attempting to assassinate the Profound Yellow Sect's Supreme Elder, leaving them with no choice but to retaliate in self-defense.
Even before the Immortal Alliance could approve their war declaration, the Profound Yellow Sect launched a preemptive strike against the Wu Ji Sect.
Tens of thousands of Void Refining and Dharma Aspect cultivators, along with nearly all the Supreme Sages guarding their sect, poured forth to seize the Wu Ji Sect's precious resource points across the Profound Yellow Great World. After securing these locations, they formed a siege, sealing off the Wu Ji Sect's mountain gates.
Meanwhile, in the Realm Regions surrounding the Profound Yellow Great World, millions, even billions, of Primordial Spirit True Monarchs led Nascent Soul and Core Formation cultivators in a systematic purge of the Wu Ji Sect's Branch Sects across countless Lesser Chiliocosms, decimating the sect's mid-to-lower-tier forces.
The Lesser Chiliocosms rich in resources or strategically located along vital trade routes became the Profound Yellow Sect's primary targets.
War erupted across the cosmos.
The clash between the two colossal powers, the Profound Yellow Sect and the Wu Ji Sect, threatened to plunge the entire Profound Yellow Great World into chaos.
The Taixu Sword Sect, as the overlord of the Profound Yellow Great World, naturally sensed the commotion caused by the dark horned prison and the Profound Yellow Sect almost immediately.
Inside the Sect's council hall, Sect Master Qian Yuan froze for more than three breaths upon learning of Li Chunjun's achievements in the dark horned prison, unable to react.
He then rushed to Celestial Origin Peak to find the Pillar of the Taixu Sword Sect, the Heaven Origin Sword Master, widely regarded as the strongest cultivator in the Profound Yellow Great World.
By the time Qian Yuan arrived at Celestial Origin Peak, news of the dark horned prison battle had already reached them.
He quickly organized the recorded images and presented them to the Heaven Origin Sword Master.
After watching the images, the Quasi-Tenth-Tier expert remained silent for a long moment before finally praising Qian Yuan with a hint of relief: "Your decision to offer the Blazing Phoenix Feather to Venerable Li... Venerable Li a few years ago was indeed the correct one. Otherwise, the Taixu Sword Sect would have faced a formidable hidden threat on its path to advancement."
"Venerable Li?" Qian Yuan's pupils constricted slightly at the Heaven Origin Sword Master's words.
Before reaching the Void Refinement Realm, Primordial Spirit cultivators might claim titles like "Sect Master" or "Ancestor," but Void Refining experts rarely paid such claims any heed. They dismissed them as mere self-amusement by those ignorant of their own limitations.
Upon reaching the Void Refining Realm, titles became far more carefully chosen.
To dare call oneself the "Lord of X," one must either possess Quasi-Tenth-Tier potential or already wield Quasi-Tenth-Tier combat power.
This was why, after witnessing Li Chunjun's true strength during the dark horned prison battle, some had begun referring to him as Venerable Li instead of Venerable Li.
But now, even the Heaven Origin Sword Master had acknowledged Li Chunjun's title of "Venerable Li." Did this mean...?
Sensing his unspoken question, the Heaven Origin Sword Master explained, "Yuan Taiji was never weak. His Quasi-Immortal Artifact was custom-forged by the Supreme Truth Sovereign based on his mastery of chaos law, amplifying his combat power to at least 430,000."
As he spoke of the Quasi-Immortal Artifact, the strongest cultivator in the Profound Yellow Great World couldn't hide a hint of envy. "For Li Chunjun to prevent Yuan Taiji from even self-destructing his Quasi-Immortal Artifact, his combat power must exceed 500,000, placing him firmly in the Quasi-Tenth-Tier realm."
Yet he understood perfectly well.
Even if Li Chunjun, now wielding Quasi-Tenth-Tier combat power, couldn't defeat him outright, escaping with his life would be no challenge at all.
Moreover, with the profound yellow spirit Lapis Jade guarding the Profound Yellow Great World, any attempt to subdue Li Chunjun would be futile if not swiftly accomplished.
"Quasi-Tenth-Tier..."
Even though Qian Yuan had mentally prepared himself, he still couldn't help but gasp when the Heaven Origin Sword Master confirmed it with his own lips.
Especially when he considered Li Chunjun's cultivation time and current realm...
"He... he's still in the Dharma Aspect Realm!"
"Indeed, still in the Dharma Aspect Realm!"
A strange glint flashed in the Heaven Origin Sword Master's eyes.
When he saw the footage of Li Chunjun slaying Yuan Taiji, he had almost immediately concluded that Li Chunjun must be an innate divine being—a being representing an opportunity for dao integration.
In that instant, he felt an overwhelming urge to strike immediately and capture Li Chunjun.
Not only would he obtain a Quasi-Immortal Artifact, but he would also gain hope of breaking through to dao unification.
But at the last moment...
He restrained himself.
Firstly, the power gap between them wasn't so vast as to guarantee a crushing victory. He might not be able to capture Li Chunjun alive, and even if he ultimately defeated him, he might only end up with a corpse.
Secondly, as he had previously suspected, with Liu Yu present, he couldn't kill Li Chunjun.
After all, as the nominally strongest expert in the Profound Yellow Great World, he knew in his heart that in a true battle, he might not even be able to surpass this profound yellow spirit.
However, the profound yellow spirit was bound by numerous restrictions, hindering its ability to act freely. Its power paled in comparison to his own, which was why the title of the Profound Yellow Great World's foremost expert had fallen to him.
After a long silence, the Heaven Origin Sword Master finally spoke: "War between the Profound Yellow Sect and the Wu Ji Sect is inevitable. In this conflict, we will maintain our neutrality while seizing the opportunity to reclaim what belongs to the Taixu Sword Sect from the Wu Ji Sect."
He paused, then amended his statement: "If necessary, we may offer limited assistance to the Profound Yellow Sect."
"The Profound Yellow Sect..."
To the Taixu Sword Sect, the Wu Ji Sect was undoubtedly an enemy, but the Profound Yellow Sect was hardly a friend. Yet in the world of sects, were there any truly eternal adversaries?
Qian Yuan immediately agreed: "Understood. I'll depart at once."
"Hmm," the Heaven Origin Sword Master acknowledged.
Qian Yuan quickly withdrew.
But the Profound Yellow Great World's foremost expert remained seated, his expression shifting through a spectrum of emotions as an intense internal struggle raged within him.
After a long moment, he exhaled deeply, his entire being seeming to wither slightly.
"A dao integration opportunity is naturally worth risking everything for! But the question is... even if I risk everything, will there be any hope?"
What truly shattered his ambition wasn't Li Chunjun's raw power.
It wasn't even the profound yellow spirit lapis jade.
It was Li Chunjun's astonishing rate of growth!
"A Dharma Manifestation Realm cultivator who has been practicing for less than forty years!"
"A terrifying prodigy whose combat power in the Dharma Manifestation Realm rivals that of a Quasi-Tenth-Tier expert!"
"A being destined to become a law-based lifeform, an innate divine sage born from the very Dao itself!"
Fortune favors the bold, but it also abandons them.
For every ten attempts to seize it, only one succeeds, while nine end in failure.
"So... it's true... When the Taixu Sword Sect was forced to merge with the Immortal Alliance a millennium ago, its spine was broken, and it completely lost the razor-sharp edge of a true Sword Cultivator sect."
He muttered to himself, his voice tinged with an indescribable desolation.
[ "Killed a Level 38 creature! Experience +45,211!" ]
[ [Life Level: 42 (476,985/2,000,000)] ]
When Li Chunjun returned to the outskirts of the dark horned prison, the observers from the various major powers of the Profound Yellow Great World had mostly dispersed.
Even the Supreme Sages, Dharma Aspects, and Void Refining experts of the Profound Yellow Sect were tallying the battlefield and conducting final cleanup operations.
Upon seeing Li Chunjun's return, Huang Daozhen immediately led several Supreme Sages to greet him.
"Supreme Elder Li!"
"Congratulations, Venerable Li! Your Dao cultivation reaches the heavens, and your Qi is boundless!"
"Supreme Elder Li's divine might is invincible!"
The eyes of all the Supreme Sages shone with barely suppressed joy and a heart-felt reverence.
As for the Dharma Aspect and Void Refining experts who lacked the qualifications to approach and greet him, they watched Li Chunjun's figure from afar, their expressions filled with genuine admiration.
A few even showed signs of worship.
Every Void Refining expert had cultivated Mind Power, possessing exceptionally stable emotional states and rarely acting on impulse. For them to feel such reverence, let alone worship, demonstrated the earth-shattering nature of Li Chunjun's achievements in their eyes.
"I glanced at the False God Realm on my way here. Have you already declared war on the Wu Ji Sect?"
"Yes," Huang Daozhen replied, then seemed to realize something, suddenly growing uneasy. "Now that things have come to this, declaring war makes little difference. After all, the Wu Ji Sect has lost over ten Supreme Sages here, and even Sect Master Yuan Taiji fell by your hand..."
Li Chunjun understood that the Profound Yellow Sect wanted to seize the moral high ground by striking first.
He didn't say much.
The Wu Ji Sect still had two formidable experts who could pose a threat.
One was Yuan Guiyi.
The other was Wu Tongtian.
Among the two, Yuan Guiyi had already cultivated into a supreme sage, but he had only been a disciple of the Supreme Truth Sovereign for ten thousand years. His Qi accumulation might not be particularly deep, likely on par with Yuan Taiji, who wielded a Quasi-Immortal Artifact. Even if Yuan Guiyi were stronger, the difference wouldn't be significant.
As for Wu Tongtian...
His combat power was considerable, likely on the verge of reaching Quasi-Tenth-Tier. However, he was currently in secluded cultivation at the Heavenly Dragon Dao Field. By the time he received the news and returned, it would take at least eight to ten years.
Moreover...
Li Chunjun's demonstrated strength already rivaled Wu Tongtian's, let alone his true capabilities.
Even if Wu Tongtian returned, it wouldn't make much difference.
Therefore, striking against the Wu Ji Sect now was a viable option.
"The current crisis isn't over yet," Li Chunjun said. "I need to quickly transform into a law-based lifeform and ascend to the Supreme Sage realm. After reaching that realm, I'll need a sufficient supply of Void Dao Pills and Destruction Dao Pills."
"Understood," Huang Daozhen replied. "We'll gather all the Void Dao Pills and Destruction Dao Pills from the Wu Ji Sect. Additionally, over the past few years, we've purchased nearly all the Void Dao Pills and Destruction Dao Pills available on the market in the Profound Yellow Great World. Currently, we have over five thousand Void Dao Pills and three thousand Destruction Dao Pills."
"Five thousand and three thousand?" Li Chunjun frowned.
While this represented a cost of eight hundred billion, it still...
"Is that all?"
"The Profound Yellow Great World's market is limited. Acquiring even this many Dao Pills in such a short time has been our limit..." Huang Daozhen said with a wry smile.
After all, there were forty-nine great daos, and Void and Destruction were merely two of them!
"I'll need a batch of Enlightenment Divine Tree leaves, enough to last for ten to fifteen days."
"That's simple! We can gather them immediately!" Huang Daozhen quickly agreed.
"Also, investigate the whereabouts of Quasi-Immortal Artifacts related to Void and Destruction," Li Chunjun instructed. "If we can exchange them for the Yin-Yang taiji diagram, that would be ideal."
(End of the Chapter)
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