The True Martial Sect, once the most powerful force in the Great Ming World and a Holy Land within the Taoist School on par with Dragon Tiger Mountain, was not completely overshadowed, even after Pei Xuanjing's meteoric rise to prominence leading the Shenxiao Sect.
Then, as Heaven and Earth revived and various forces voraciously rose up, the True Martial Sect, which had been as brilliant as the midday sun, suddenly quieted down and no longer made much noise, maintaining an unusually low profile.
Even if it weren't for the appearance of Zhang Jiao, the Qingxu Taoist of the True Martial Sect, at the early Shenxiao Debate Conference, where he demonstrated extraordinary power, many might have forgotten this force entirely.
Of course, that was all there was to it. Looking back at the native alliance of several major forces that once dominated the Great Ming World, to this day, only Shenxiao Mountain continues to thrive, the Great Ming Divine Dynasty develops rapidly, and the Outer Alliance and Demonic Cult occasionally make some news, while the rest – the Great Families Alliance, Buddha Way, Taoist Schools like the True Martial Sect, Chunyang Sect, Baiyun Temple and other forces – began to fade into obscurity.
In this current Great World, standing still means falling behind, and when all forces are seizing opportunities to rise rapidly, even an existence that once stood unrivaled at the forefront of the world's forces must continue to grow stronger, or it will lose all that it once had.
After all, when the forces from the Sky Wasteland returned, even though Pei Xuanjing intimidated them, allowing for the integration of the two worlds to be less violent and terrible than anticipated, and maintained the most basic peace, the power gap between them was temporarily irreconcilable. In a competition under equal conditions, the advantages gained by the forces from the Sky Wasteland were significant, as they continued to plunder the benefits of the revival of Heaven and Earth and grew increasingly stronger.
The True Martial Sect, once one of the Holy Lands of the Taoist School, didn't have sufficient strength, and even though they might be many times stronger than before, they still couldn't gain more advantages in this Great World and gradually faded from the public eye, forgotten by many cultivators.
However, this was the impression and understanding that all cultivators across the world had of the True Martial Sect up until that point. They believed that the True Martial Sect, which had dominated the world for hundreds of years, had reached its limit and could never return to the glory days of its founding patriarch, Master Sanfeng.
Until today, the world shook, and all the forces, countless cultivators, were stunned, expressing astonishment at the True Martial Sect's Zhenwu Plan and its outcome.
No one had thought that the True Martial Sect, which they considered to have declined, would organize such an impressive display, turning heads among the Heroes.
By uniting the power of many Divine Positions within the True Martial Sect and then forcibly transforming the intangible into tangible, they crafted the Divine Position of the True Martial Emperor. With this leap to the heavens, the True Martial Sect ascended to the ranks of first-rate forces.
"Indeed, it's the True Martial Sect that once led the world, with such ambitious aspirations."
"The True Martial Sect should not be underestimated; unless something unexpected happens, there's a nine out of ten chance it will rise to become a major power."
"Replacing gods with people, this innovative concept is truly impressive; perhaps some of these ideas could serve as a reference?"
"Concentrating Divine Position forcefully, this idea isn't bad."
"…"
The day when the evil god emerged on Taihe Mountain, the event was of immense magnitude. Even though Pei Xuanjing quickly suppressed it, in that brief period, everything that had happened within the True Martial Sect became known to the world, and many marveled and praised the Sect's ambition and grandeur.
Moreover, it must be said that the ideology of replacing gods with humans and the attempt to forcibly consolidate divine positions profoundly enlightened many strong figures, offering them numerous insights.
"As I thought, I wasn't wrong. The True Martial Sect has kept such a low profile over the years because they were scheming something big," Zhao Baiyang said, his eyes flashing with complex emotions.
You should know that back when Pei Xuanjing had yet to rise, there weren't many among the many masters of the Daming World who the Mire Sect leader Zhao Baiyang considered a threat — only a few. Among them was Qingxu Taoist, a master second only to the old Celestial Master of Dragon Tiger Mountain and the one Zhao Baiyang found most enigmatic.
Back then, the True Martial Sect was so powerful that even Zhao Baiyang did not dare to lightly provoke its edge. Even though the Qingxu Taoist often kept a low profile within the True Martial Sect, Zhao Baiyang always remained vigilant against him.
Later, as Zhao Baiyang had predicted, Qingxu would rarely act. But when he did, it was earth-shattering. He joined forces with Pei Xuanjing, changed the course of the world, intervened in imperial succession, and even helped promote the Great Ming Empire to Divine Dynasty, reaping countless benefits for the True Martial Sect.
Therefore, even after the Revival of Heaven and Earth, when the True Martial Sect once again fell silent and resumed its uncompetitive stance, everyone felt the Sect had fallen behind the times. Zhao Baiyang, however, never underestimated them and suspected they had some grand scheme in preparation.
Had it been the past, with such suspicions in his heart, Zhao Baiyang would have surely sent someone to probe their secrets, to see what benefits could be gained or to disrupt their plans.
But times had changed. With the return of the many forces of the Sky Wasteland, the world's dynamics shifted. While they might have different ideologies, the Outer Alliance and the True Martial Sect could still be considered part of the same camp, especially when facing the various forces of the Sky Wasteland.
Thus, Zhao Baiyang halted his former intentions and focused all his energy on how to strengthen himself, for his own power was ultimately the most crucial aspect.
"But who would have thought the True Martial Sect's plan would be so audacious, to replace gods with humans and create innate deities, and they even succeeded," Zhao Baiyang mused profoundly.
He himself had spent untold resources to slowly build up the Outer Alliance to where it stood today. Still, even now, the Alliance was only comparable to some powerful second-tier forces, with a considerable gap to the first-tier ones.
However, according to the intelligence he received, while the True Martial Sect's Zhenwu Plan encountered an unexpected issue and didn't merge with the True Spirit of Master Sanfeng, the founder, under Pei Xuanjing's assistance, Qingxu Taoist merged with one of the innate deities. Once fully mastered, this would yield an eighth-tier innate deity of the Spirit Realm, a peak figure capable of contending with the supremely strong at the fifth tier of the Spirit Realm eightfold with the Divine Position's blessing.
Under such circumstances, even if the True Martial Sect had no other cultivators at the eighth or even seventh level of the Spiritual Realm aside from Qingxu Taoist, it would still rank among the top-tier forces, just as Pei Xuanjing did at Shenxiao Mountain.
"I thought I had surpassed them, but who would have expected that an old companion would ascend to the heavens in one step and overwhelm us once again? How can one not be moved? Indeed, destiny plays tricks on us!" The leader of the Demonic Cult, Xue Wuheng, said with a wry smile, expressing the thoughts of many.
Sky Wasteland Domain, Mystiq Sky Sect.
"Boasting a peak Eighth Layer Spirit Realm, strong enough to contend with the Supreme Strong of the Innate Gods?" the Master of the Mystiq Sky Sect mused with a playful expression upon hearing the news, "If it were the Innate God's original intelligence, perhaps it could possess the power to contend with the Supreme Strong. But if it indeed completed the step of 'man substituting for god,' being able to exert the strength of the Eighth Layer Spirit Realm would already be fortunate."
As the current leader among the top forces of the Righteous Path in the world, the Master of the Mystiq Sky Sect had great confidence in both the Mystiq Sky Sect and his own power—an assurance brought by the sect's profound heritage and his very own abilities.
The plan and actions of True Martial Sect were indeed commendable, able to grasp at this opportunity for rapid ascent. For a power like True Martial Sect that had not been considered prominent, it was indeed a stroke of great fortune and did not warrant a significant reaction from the Mystiq Sky Sect.
The matter truly worthy of his attention this time was not the Innate God, but rather True Martial Sect's method and mindset for substituting man for god and nurturing Innate Gods. As for a peak Eighth Layer Spirit Realm combat power, for the Mystiq Sky Sect, it wasn't worth considering.
Although rumors from the outside world said that this Innate God had the strength to contest the Supreme Strong, the Master of the Mystiq Sky Sect didn't believe it, or more precisely, the original Innate Gods might have had it, but after Qingxu Taoist took command of the divine body, he definitely didn't possess such strength. Without having faced the Supreme Strong, one wouldn't understand how terrifying they could be. Over the eons, there had only been one such defiant power as Pei Xuanjing.
Even if we retreat ten thousand steps and say the opponent does possess combat power exceeding the Eighth Layer Spirit Realm, they would still pose no threat to the Mystiq Sky Sect, which now stands strong enough that not one or two Supreme Strong can shake it.
Even considering the past when Pei Xuanjing suppressed the Taixu Venerable, causing these top forces to be very wary and choose to coexist peacefully,
within these top forces that have been inherited for eons, if they had truly torn off their facades and dedicated all resources, even Pei Xuanjing may not have necessarily been able to emerge unscathed. It is rather because these forces weighed the pros and cons and didn't want to completely fall out, as there weren't sufficient interests for them to do so, not that they genuinely lacked the strength. It was precisely because Pei Xuanjing was aware of this that these people maintained compromise and cooperation.
Moreover, now breaking through to the Eight-Layer Spirit Realm is nothing significant for the Mystiq Sky Sect or any of the top forces. In their eyes, as they push the plan for the Heaven and Earth Ascension, once the ascension is successful and they are no longer bound by natural predators, their strength as Supreme Strong will also rise along with the tide. By then, even if these people make another breakthrough, they would still rank below them.
Therefore, in this world, the true players of the game are only the Ninth-Layer Spiritual Realm Supreme Strong. As long as they don't break into the Strongest Realm right now, whatever the others do, it's just not worth worrying about.
"This matter is worth noting, but it does not need too much attention. Even if something comes up, it can wait until after the plan to merge the two worlds is complete," the Master of the Mystiq Sky Sect told the people of the Mystiq Sky Sect.
As for now, the top forces who have the right to inquire into this matter in Sky Wasteland Domain, or rather the many top forces in both Daming World and Tianhuang World, while they are aware of True Martial Sect's method of man substituting for god, they have not chosen to take action but instead temporarily shelved it.
It's not that these top forces are uninterested, quite the contrary, they are very curious about the method of man substituting for god. However, for them, the most critical thing right now is the merger of the two worlds. The importance of every other matter pales in comparison.
As for the matter of substituting man for god and cultivating Innate Gods, although it sounds staggering, once they truly understand the tricks and the core elements, these top forces are confident that they could replicate such a plan.
After all, the current True Martial Sect is but a formerly mediocre power. If they could accomplish it, then these top forces certainly could as well. This is the confidence of being a top force; if even this they couldn't manage, that would be laughable.
Yes, True Martial Sect's plan had Pei Xuanjing's assistance, but they too possess Supreme Strong individuals. They acknowledge Pei Xuanjing's unmatched combat power, but when it truly comes to many divine abilities and secret skills, these top forces that have inherited them for eons each have their extraordinary aspects. They could achieve it too, or if not replicate it exactly, at least find an alternative approach after understanding the reasons.
Thus, for them, the plan to merge the worlds is the most important. Right now, after decades of preparations and the concerted efforts of many forces from both the Sky Wasteland Domain and the Daming World, the preparations for the plan to merge the two worlds are nearly complete. Countless foundation points have been established within both worlds, just awaiting activation to lead to the fusion of the origins of both worlds.
However, the closer to the final moment, the less they can afford any issues. Especially this time, the amount of resources expended for the formation points arranged for the merger is astronomical, incalculable. If it weren't for the Supreme Strong's push and draining the entire foundation of all forces from the human and Demon Race, it would be hard to complete.
Therefore, they have only one chance this time. If they fail, they might not have a second opportunity to try again.
"Sect Leader, Mr. Wu has come to pay a visit."
On Shenxiao Mountain, Pei Xuanjing, who was cultivating within his own domain, heard the Shenxiao Sect disciple's announcement. He invited Wu Shijiu to enter.
"I congratulate Taoist Friend on ascending to the Ninth-Layer Spiritual Realm Supreme Strong," Pei Xuanjing said with a smile to Wu Shijiu.
When Wu Shijiu first sought guidance, Pei Xuanjing had explained the pros and cons of a breakthrough at that moment. Wu Shijiu, as expected, made the decision and chose to seclude himself for the breakthrough.
Now that the other party had successfully broken through, Pei Xuanjing conveyed his congratulations. For a fellow cultivator like Wu Shijiu, Pei Xuanjing felt sincere joy from his heart.
"With the National Teacher's guidance, otherwise I would not have had the courage to seclude myself for such an attempt," Wu Shijiu said with earnest expression, respectfully speaking to Pei Xuanjing.
Although he had the confidence to break through, he had a great deal of hesitation in his heart without sure certainty, thinking to wait until after the Heaven and Earth Ascension to attempt his breakthrough. If not for Pei Xuanjing's guidance out of the maze, he would still be enduring the torment.
"Ultimately, it all comes down to the choice of Taoist Friend; I've merely stated some things that are simply so," Pei Xuanjing shook his head, not taking this as a personal merit.
He invited Wu Shijiu to take a seat and then changed the subject, asking, "Taoist Friend has just broken through and should seize the time to cultivate and stabilize the foundation. Do you have any specific reason for coming today?"
The saying goes that one doesn't visit a temple without a cause; and since Wu Shijiu is currently seeking him out, Pei Xuanjing suspects there must be something important on Wu Shijiu's mind. Thus, Pei Xuanjing cuts straight to the chase, especially since he was unwilling to dally while tidying up his own cultivation practice. It wasn't that Wu Shijiu couldn't come to him, but rather, he shouldn't have come at this time.
After breaking through to become one of the Spiritual Realm Level Nine Strongest, for most of the powerhouses, this moment is the optimal state for them to become one with Heaven and Earth. Seizing the time for cultivation and then stabilizing their realm, or even taking a step further, is also a possibility.
After all, for most powerhouses, the moment right after a breakthrough is when they can enhance their strength most rapidly. If they miss this opportunity, it then becomes very difficult to make significant advancements in the following period, even to the point where it's extremely challenging to make any progress at all due to the constraints of Heaven and Earth.
And if Wu Shijiu is seeking him out at this time, it must be for a serious matter; otherwise, he would not waste such a precious opportunity.
"Ah," Wu Shijiu, having heard Pei Xuanjing's direct question, furrows his brows slightly and lets out a light sigh before speaking, "My visit today to the national advisor may seem presumptuous. Aside from wanting to thank the national advisor personally for the guidance in the past, there are some matters on which I need the national advisor's instruction and assistance."
The reason for his visit to Pei Xuanjing today is indeed significant, or else even if he wished to thank Pei Xuanjing, he wouldn't have chosen this prime moment for cultivation. After all, Pei Xuanjing would understand his absence, but missing his own chance to cultivate could never be regained by any means.
But reality demanded that, after Wu Shijiu stayed in closed-door cultivation for a while, stabilizing his realm completely, he had no choice but to come. Because he discovered that after securing his realm, he could no longer continue to improve, or rather, the advancement of his strength was incredibly slow, which was completely different from what he had understood about breakthroughs.
"Do you not know about this, Taoist Friend?" asked Pei Xuanjing with a flicker of confusion in his eyes after hearing Wu Shijiu's words.
Wu Shijiu's face was filled with bewilderment as he quickly implored, "Please enlighten me, national advisor."
He was earnest in his request, as the most daunting predicament for a cultivator is the inability to make any progression in cultivation, which is no doubt torturous.
"Taoist Friend achieved breakthroughs using the secret techniques of the Witch Deity Teaching. Although such breakthroughs may increase the likelihood of becoming a Supreme Strong, they undoubtedly have a significant impact on the cultivator themselves, limiting them to the original path of the Supreme Strong, making the speed of realm advancement after the breakthrough very slow," explained Pei Xuanjing, clarifying the underlying reason.
At first, when the Witch God Sect Leader proposed to collaborate with Pei Xuanjing, he spoke of something that could aid in breaking through to the Spiritual Realm Level Nine Strongest.
Pei Xuanjing's initial reaction to such a wondrous and mysterious item was whether its heaven-defying effects could potentially carry serious consequences in the future, but the Witch God Sect Leader assured there would be no such repercussions, nor would it affect further cultivation of the Supreme Strong.
However, Pei Xuanjing still refused and did not agree to the request. Instead, it was Wu Shijiu who chose this approach and managed a successful breakthrough with its aid.
The current situation Wu Shijiu faced was completely beyond his own expectations. Based on his background in the Witch Deity Teaching and understanding of the item, as well as the promises made by the Witch God Sect Leader that there would be no future problems, Wu Shijiu had trusted in it.
But now, the reality before him showed that although he had successfully made the breakthrough, after stabilizing his realm, he was unable to rapidly enhance his strength, or at least not as quickly as he had anticipated.
Had Wu Shijiu raised this question earlier, Pei Xuanjing might not have been able to provide a reasonable answer. However, Pei Xuanjing's avatar had sequestered himself within the Witch Deity Teaching decades ago, gained insight from the sacrificial altar, and uncovered many of the sect's secret rituals and some marks left from ancient times. Therefore, he had grasped some understanding of this phenomenon.
"The very slow progress in strength during this period is completely normal," Pei Xuanjing first concluded. Then, as Wu Shijiu looked on with a face full of surprise, Pei Xuanjing continued, "You borrowed 'that thing' for the breakthrough, which is akin to cheating your way across the Heavenly Chasm. Currently, your strength is actually improving, but it's basically bridging your path of cultivation. Therefore, the advancement is slow. If you don't believe it, carefully feel it for yourself, Taoist Friend."
This situation is actually quite normal. To explain it in terms Pei Xuanjing understood, the leap from Spirit Realm Eighthfold to Ninthfold is like crossing a Heavenly Chasm, going from the eighth to the ninth floor of a tower.
Normally, cultivators who break through on their own strength need to build a staircase framework between the eighth and ninth floors on their own, and once this framework is completed, they can construct the ninth floor, thus qualifying as a Supreme Strong. After the breakthrough, they seize the time when they are one with Heaven and Earth, rapidly continuing to elevate.
However, Wu Shijiu was different. His own strength was not sufficient to truly build the staircase framework between the eighth and ninth floors. The "thing" he borrowed was a shortcut, allowing him to ascend to the ninth floor using a makeshift staircase. After the breakthrough and once he stabilized his realm, which meant balancing out his newfound position on the ninth floor, his subsequent cultivation period with Unity of Heaven and Man actually wasn't about quick advancement. Instead, it was about remedying his earlier shortcuts, beginning to fill in the staircase framework in place of the makeshift structure.
For those who take shortcuts to become a Supreme Strong, if they don't swiftly reinforce their foundation after the breakthrough and continue seeking rapid improvement, the faster they elevate their strength, the more likely their makeshift structure won't hold, turning into a castle in the air that one day will collapse. It is only by first reinforcing the foundation and substituting the staircase framework for the temporary scaffold that they can truly be considered without future concerns.
"So that's how it is," Wu Shijiu realized as he carefully sensed the changes within his body.
It was because he was a disciple of the Witch Deity Teaching, deriving from the same origin, that the subtle influence was gradual and unnoticed. Following his slow strength increase, he promptly sought out Pei Xuanjing, overlooking this detail.
"Taoist Friend, it's best to go into seclusion as soon as possible, and seize the last opportunity. Otherwise, missing this chance would be truly regrettable," said Pei Xuanjing.
The plan to merge the two realms was about to commence, and if Wu Shijiu failed to seize this chance, he would lose out on much fortune, a loss he would find difficult to compensate for in the future.