Supreme Ocean Palaceâs Seven Venerable Ones, Sun Moon Divine Hallâs Five Divine Envoys, Mighty Heavenly Sword Regionâs Three Sword Attendants, and Absolute Monarch Sanctuaryâs Twelve Spiritual Masters... these were existences within the Four Great Sacred Grounds who were even higher than elders!
â...That year in Divine Phoenix City, I heard many people call Senior Ancient Blue âSpiritual Masterâ so I believed that it was a special title for anyone who came from Absolute Monarch Sanctuary. But if itâs like you said, then that means Senior Ancient Blue is one of those Twelve Spiritual Masters?â Yun Che asked. His heart began to beat harder and harder... that year in Divine Phoenix City, he had already guessed that Ancient Blueâs status in Absolute Monarch Sanctuary was not low because of the way Feng Hengkong and the others treated him. Even the proud and arrogant Ye Xinghan and eccentric Ji Qianrou acted respectfully in his presence and didnât dare act rashly. Moreover, Absolute Monarch Sanctuary had shown that they held Xia Yuanba in high regard because of the Tyrannical Emperorâs Divine Veins in his body. In fact, there were even signs that he could possibly become the next Saint Master as his cultivation had always been guided by Ancient Blue and his strength and status were enough.
But now, he knew that the two words âSpiritual Masterâ in Ancient Blueâs title were actually amazing!
âThatâs right, thatâs right!â Xia Yuanba quickly nodded, âMy master is one of the Twelve Spiritual Masters. He is ranked fifth amongst the twelve.â
âSo it was like this.â Yun Che slowly nodded. Not only was Ancient Blue a Spiritual Master of Absolute Monarch Sanctuary, he was ranked fifth...
This was to say, Spiritual Master Ancient Blue was ranked sixth within the entire Absolute Monarch Sanctuary! He was even more frightening than Yun Che had expected.
An odd glow silently appeared in Yun Cheâs eyes as he looked back at Spiritual Master Ancient Blue in the distance. He whispered, âYuanba, I have never asked you before, but just what is your masterâs profound cultivation level?â
âNinth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm,â Xia Yuanba replied without hesitation. Then, he patted his chest as he continued, âIn the past, I felt master was extremely powerful, but if Iâm given another ten years, I will definitely surpass him, hehehe.â
Spiritual Master Ancient Blue slightly shook his head behind them as he lightly smiled, his face showing a mixed expression of exasperation and pride.
For a master, having a disciple surpass them was a matter of great comfort and even pride. However, after living a thousand years and having reached a profound energy level which was enough to stand at the pinnacle of the world, it had become increasingly difficult for him to accomplish this matter... However, Xia Yuanba, the freak that he was, had only needed a short few years of time to rise from a weakling in the Elementary Profound Realm to where he was today in the Sovereign Profound Realm. Moreover, even now, he still had a rate of growth which shocked even the Saint Emperor.
For Yuanba to surpass Ancient Blue, it might not even take ten years. At that time, he might not have even reached thirty years old.
To be surpassed by a twenty some year old disciple as a thousand year old master, how could he not feel exasperated?
âYour master is actually so powerful. Are the rest of the twelve as strong as your master?â Yun Che asked.
To ask about the inner workings of a force, especially anything relating to how power was structured at the top of a force, was extremely avoided... this was also true for Absolute Monarch Sanctuary and the Four Great Sacred Grounds. However, Xia Yuanba didnât have any qualms at all about Yun Che so he directly answered without thinking, âThe Twelve Spiritual Masters are strictly ordered in terms of strength. The most powerful, Spiritual Master Bitter Pain, Spiritual Master Nine Lamentations, and Spiritual Master Detached Heart, are all mighty and powerful level ten Monarchs!â
âLevel ten Monarchs?â A thought congealed in Yun Cheâs mind... a level ten Monarch, the peak of the Sovereign Profound Realm and the pinnacle of strength which can be reached by a human atop the Profound Sky Continent!
In the current Illusory Demon Realm, the only person to have reached this level other than Little Demon Empress was Duke Ming!
Yet Absolute Monarch Sanctuary actually had three!
No, adding in the Saint Emperor, they had four!!
âOf the remaining nine Spiritual Masters, there are five ninth level Sovereign Profound Realm practitioners and four late stage eighth level Sovereign Profound Realm practitioners. As for the elders, the strongest is also at the eighth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm.â Xia Yuanba continued.
â...â Frankly speaking, Absolute Monarch Sanctuaryâs strength had far surpassed Yun Cheâs expectations and caused great waves in his heart. The terror of a force was absolutely not something which normal people could guess at. If not for Xia Yuanba, even Yun Che wouldnât have been able to figure out that Absolute Monarch Sanctuaryâs strength had reached this point so easily. After thinking a while, Yun Che said, âSo youâre saying that in order to be higher than an elder, one has to at least have the strength of late stage eighth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm. Also, of this kind of peerlessly powerful practitioner, your Absolute Monarch Sanctuary has twelve, Supreme Ocean Palace has seven, Sun Moon Divine Hall has five, and Mighty Heavenly Sword Region has three... Although Absolute Monarch Sanctuary is far far ahead of the other three sacred grounds in terms of strength, all four grounds are indeed worthy of their title as the Four Great Sacred Grounds.â
âItâs not quite as you think,â Spiritual Master Ancient Blueâs voice emanated over from behind them as he said in a gentle voice, âSpiritual Masters, Venerable Ones, Divine Envoys, and Sword Attendants are respectively the strongest twelve, seven, five, and three people of their sacred ground. However, these four entities are all independent of each other, thus the standard of strength of each entity is different.â
âAmong Supreme Ocean Palaceâs Seven Venerable Ones, two of them are at the tenth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm, and the other five are all at the ninth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm. Great Elder Mo Chenfeng who was brought up earlier is at the late stage eighth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm, and is the strongest practitioner among Supreme Ocean Palaceâs forty eight elders.â
âAmong Sun Moon Divine Hallâs Divine Envoys, the strongest two are also at the tenth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm. The latter three are all level nine Monarchs. The strength of its most powerful great elder is similar to that of Mo Chenfeng. Just according to the number of top level powerhouses, Sun Moon Divine Hall is weaker than Supreme Ocean Palace.â
âAs for the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region... although they have the fewest number of high level Sovereigns, as well as Sovereigns in general, among the Four Great Sacred Grounds, their âThree Sword Attendantsâ are all at the tenth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm. In terms of strength, they are stronger than Supreme Ocean Palace and Sun Moon Divine Hall, and are equal to my Absolute Monarch Sanctuary.â
â...So itâs like this. I thank Senior Ancient Blue for openly enlightening me,â Yun Che said, turning around.
âHaha,â Spiritual Master Ancient Blue slowly shook his head and then quietly sighed, saying, âItâs rumored that your respected master has already obtained world-defying power. Iâm afraid that we are nothing but insignificant clouds floating in the sky.â
âWhere are Senior Ancient Blueâs words coming from?â Yun Che casually threw out a random thought as his heart sank a bit.
Within the Four Great Sacred Grounds, there was actually as many as fourteen people who had reached the peak of the Sovereign Profound Realm, and the tenth level at that! Moreover, it was likely that the leaders of the four sacred grounds had also reached the late stage of the tenth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm! They were definitely all no weaker than Duke Ming... if they werenât already much much stronger in the first place.
As for those at the ninth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm, there were more than twenty of them!
Meanwhile, the Twelve Guardian Families in the Illusory Demon Realm, which were comparable to the top forces of the Profound Sky Continent, didnât have single level ten Monarch! They only had three level nine Monarchs! Within the Yun and Mu families, which he was most familiar with... the Mu Familyâs most powerful practitioner was his uncle, Mu Feiyan, who was a level eight Monarch. As for the Yun Family, which had withered for a century, their strongest practitioner was only at the seventh level of the Sovereign Profound Realm.
Yun Che had long since realized that the Profound Sky Continentâs level of profound strength was greater than the Illusory Demon Realmâs. This was why the Four Sacred Grounds had been able to pressure the Twelve Guardian Families even within the Illusory Demon Realm and the Twelve Guardian Families didnât dare take a step into the Profound Sky Continent.
These four forces which had legacies of tens of thousands of years and were titled âSacred Groundsâ were truly terrifying existences.
As they came increasingly close to the floating Ocean Palace, Yun Che asked Ancient Blue, âSenior Ancient Blue, I wonder if you have any understandings about the âMoon Slaughter Devil Nestâ?â
âMoon Slaughter Devil Nest? What kind of place is that?â Xia Yuanba leaned over, his face full of curiosity.
â...â A trace of shock flickered across Spiritual Master Ancient Blueâs face. It was clear that he was surprised that Yun Che, who had never before come to Supreme Ocean Palace, actually knew this name. He prudently stared at Yun Che for a moment before slowly saying, âYou actually know of the âMoon Slaughter Devil Nestâ. In that case, you should also know why Supreme Ocean Palace perennially resides atop this blue ocean. However, outside of that, even I do not know much about the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest. To us mortals, that place is an extremely taboo existence. You absolutely must not develop any curiosity towards it.â
âWhy is that?â Yun Che furrowed his brows.
âBecause it has existed for tens of thousands of years, but the enigma behind it still has yet to be unlocked.â Spiritual Master Ancient Blueâs voice contained traces of seriousness as he continued, âThings which are unknown are often filled with unknown dangers. The longer an enigma remains unsolved, the more likely the dangers within are greater. This name âMoon Slaughter Devil Nestâ, you should treat it as a false legend. Donât try to get to the bottom of it... donât even go close to it so as to avoid going beyond redemption.â
By the time Spiritual Master Ancient Blue finished speaking, Supreme Ocean Palace was already right in front of their eyes. He suddenly flailed his whisk, and immediately, a gentle wind surged from below, causing the four of them to quickly float forward, âWeâve arrived... letâs go in.â
As their bodies passed through a layer of light blue colored profound light, Yun Che brought along Feng Xueâer and gently descended atop the floating isle atop the blue ocean.
The very moment they entered Supreme Ocean Palace, the atmosphere surrounding them completely changed. Not the slightest trace of the oceanâs scent could be smelled, and the ocean breeze had completely disappeared... It was as if they had suddenly left an ocean world and entered into an independent, completely different world.
Below their feet were great numbers of profound jade, each of which released a faint, cold light. They were all priceless. Looking out into the distance, towers, halls, and courtyards of varying sizes mixed with a widespread amount of flourishing flora. Moreover, an unbelievably dense profound energy, which was filled with several times more vitality than usual, enshrouded the entire ocean palace.
This place was completely unlike an island, and even less like a âpalaceâ. Instead, it was a magnificently luxurious city in the air!
âSuch dense profound energy.â Jasmineâs voice transmitted into Yun Cheâs mind, âAlmost all of the Profound Sky Continentâs Monarchs have gathered here. It is really interesting.â
Yun Che, â...â
As the group of four expressed their astonishment towards the floating city, another figure appeared in the sky. In the blink of an eye, the figure arrived in front of them.
The figure was a pale white, short and fat old practitioner with a respectful expression. His speed was shockingly fast that not even Yun Che knew when he appeared in front of them.
The white old practitioner cupped his hands towards Spiritual Master Ancient Blue, a faint smile appearing on his face as he said, âSo it was Spiritual Master Ancient Blue. Shu Chenfeng is busy with various tasks, so he is unable to welcome you.â
âOld Mo, itâs been a long time.â Spiritual Master Ancient Blue lightly chuckled and nodded his head.
âThis person should be Supreme Ocean Palaceâs Great Elder Mo Chenfeng,â Xia Yuanba whispered by Yun Cheâs ear.
Mo Chenfeng then turned to looked at Xia Yuanba. His face suddenly showed shock, âNow that I think of it, this fellow should be the famous one who has shocked the world with his Tyrannical Emperorâs Divine Veins, Xia Yuanba, right? To have such a level of cultivation at such a young age, you are truly an unmatched divine figure who causes people to lament. The Tyrannical Emperorâs Divine Veins have been recorded to have appeared several times on the Profound Sky Continent, but none of them have ever been taken as disciples. For Absolute Monarch Sanctuary to have been able to accept you, it is truly enviable.â
âHoho,â Spiritual Master Ancient Blue lightly chuckled, but didnât express an opinion.
Mo Chenfengâs eyes then landed on Feng Xueâerâs figure. Right when he was about to open his mouth, his entire body suddenly quivered and his pupils fiercely contracted.
As even Spiritual Master Ancient Blue, with his thousand years of experiences, had been astonished upon seeing Feng Xueâer earlier, how could Mo Chenfeng fare any better?
Just now, Mo Chenfeng had showered Xia Yuanba in praise, calling him an âunmatched divine figure who caused people to lament.â However, the moment his spirit touched Feng Xueâer, he realized that she was even younger than Xia Yuanba, yet her profound strength had actually reached the eighth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm.
She was at the same level of strength as himself, the Great Elder of Supreme Ocean Palace!
âYoung lady... could you perhaps be Divine Phoenix Sectâs Princess Snow?â Mo Chenfeng asked, his voice cracking in a very obvious manner. As he questioned Feng Xueâer, his pair of hands subconsciously cupped together... as Supreme Ocean Palaceâs Great Elder, he had a large amount of presence even in the Four Great Sacred Grounds. Thus, those who were qualified to be saluted by him within the Profound Sky Continent were quite rare, yet facing Feng Xueâer, he subconsciously entered a respectful state.
This was the respect shown to powerful practitioners by other profound practitioners. Although the two were both at the eighth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm, his age was a full fifty times Feng Xueâerâs age! Just because of this fact, he simply didnât consider his cultivation to be on the same level as Feng Xueâerâs. There was a world of difference between them.
âJunior Feng Xueâer greets Great Elder Mo.â Feng Xueâer politely saluted.
Mo Chenfeng opened his mouth, but was unable to reply for the moment. Then, he suddenly realized that if this abnormally powerful girl was Feng Xueâer, the person beside her should be...
âThen... this young friend, are you Blue Wind Empireâs Frozen Cloud Asgard Master Yun Che?â Mo Chenfeng asked Yun Che, turning to face him. When the four of them had first arrived, he had only paid attention to Spiritual Master Ancient Blueâs aura. He had never thought that Yun Che, the person he had waited for so long for would arrive together with Spiritual Master Ancient Blue.
âThis junior is indeed Yun Che, I greet Great Elder Mo.â Yun Che slightly nodded his head.
â...â Mo Chenfeng quietly took a big breath, then sighed and said, âBlue Wind Empireâs Frozen Cloud Asgard Master Yun, Divine Phoenix Sectâs Princess Snow, Absolute Monarch Sanctuaryâs Xia Yuanba, you three are the three most stunning figures in the young generation. For you all to have arrived at the same time, it has really surprised me.â
âJust now, I was quite rude, please enter!â
Under Mo Chenfengâs personal guidance, the four walked into the ocean palace. Mo Chenfengâs gaze constantly swept across the three youths as he incessantly sighed in his heart, âOf these three, one belongs to the Blue Wind Empire, one belongs to Divine Phoenix Sect. As for the latter, Xia Yuanba, itâs uncertain if his birthplace is Absolute Monarch Sanctuary.â
âCould the era of the Four Great Sacred Grounds... actually be about to meet its end?â
As thoughts flashed through his mind, he ended up with the same thought Ancient Blue had when he saw the three together.
Mo Chenfeng took out a light blue jadestone and his lips slightly moved. Clearly, he was sending a message to someone far away.
âOld Mo, the profound energy within the ocean palace is so thick, itâs something Iâve never experienced before. Although there are still several days till the Sword Conference begins, many of the invited have already arrived, right?â asked Spiritual Master Ancient Blue.
Mo Chenfeng slowly nodded his head, âYouâre right. It seems many profound practitioners are fascinated by the secrets of the âDevil Swordâ.â
Yun Che silently sneered... Your Four Great Sacred Grounds are most fascinating! As for the other forces... Heh, who would have to courage to dare to refuse the âinvitationâ of the Four Sacred Grounds.
Mo Chenfeng turned and said to Feng Xueâer, âPrincess Snow, Divine Phoenix Sect sent your respected father over this time, and he has been here for several days already. He is currently residing in the Flame Heart Palace in front of us. I wonder... ha ha, I wonder if Princess Snow wants to also reside in Flame Heart Palace, or if she wants to reside with little friend Yun?â
âI definitely want to live together with Big Brother Yun.â Feng Xueâer replied without hesitation... moreover, she clearly didnât realize any of the implications. This was because she wasnât the slightest bit interested in the Devil Sword Conference. Her reason for coming here with Yun Che this time was to protect him, and naturally to live together with him.
âThen, it shall be as Princess Snow wishes.â Mo Chenfeng nodded. At this time, the blue jadestone in his hand shimmered, causing him to stop in his steps and turn towards Yun Che, âLittle friend Yun, the Sovereign of the Seas told me a few days ago to notify her of your arrival right away. Just now, upon learning of your arrival ocean palace, the sovereign immediately dropped all the matters currently at hand and requested that I bring you over, no matter how.â
âThe Sovereign of the Seas is already waiting for us at the Ocean Imperial Palace in front of us. Before going to your residence, please come meet the Sovereign of the Seas with me.â
âMy pleasure.â Yun Che naturally had no reason to decline.
For him to enter the Moon Slaughter Devil Nest, he first had to gain the agreement of Supreme Ocean Palaceâs Sovereign of the Seas.
This Chapterâs Teaser