Against the Gods

Chapter 768 – Summoned by the Sovereign of the Seas

Supreme Ocean Palace’s Seven Venerable Ones, Sun Moon Divine Hall’s Five Divine Envoys, Mighty Heavenly Sword Region’s Three Sword Attendants, and Absolute Monarch Sanctuary’s Twelve Spiritual Masters… these were existences within the Four Great Sacred Grounds who were even higher than elders!

“…That year in Divine Phoenix City, I heard many people call Senior Ancient Blue ‘Spiritual Master’ so I believed that it was a special title for anyone who came from Absolute Monarch Sanctuary. But if it’s like you said, then that means Senior Ancient Blue is one of those Twelve Spiritual Masters?” Yun Che asked. His heart began to beat harder and harder… that year in Divine Phoenix City, he had already guessed that Ancient Blue’s 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 didn’t dare act rashly. Moreover, Absolute Monarch Sanctuary had shown that they held Xia Yuanba in high regard because of the Tyrannical Emperor’s 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 “Spiritual Master” in Ancient Blue’s title were actually amazing!

“That’s right, that’s right!” Xia Yuanba quickly nodded, “My master is one of the Twelve Spiritual Masters. He is ranked fifth amongst the twelve.”

“So it was like this.” 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 Che’s eyes as he looked back at Spiritual Master Ancient Blue in the distance. He whispered, “Yuanba, I have never asked you before, but just what is your master’s profound cultivation level?”

“Ninth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm,” Xia Yuanba replied without hesitation. Then, he patted his chest as he continued, “In the past, I felt master was extremely powerful, but if I’m given another ten years, I will definitely surpass him, hehehe.”

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?

“Your master is actually so powerful. Are the rest of the twelve as strong as your master?” 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 didn’t have any qualms at all about Yun Che so he directly answered without thinking, “The 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!”

“Level ten Monarchs?” A thought congealed in Yun Che’s 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!!

“Of 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.” Xia Yuanba continued.

“…” Frankly speaking, Absolute Monarch Sanctuary’s strength had far surpassed Yun Che’s 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 wouldn’t have been able to figure out that Absolute Monarch Sanctuary’s strength had reached this point so easily. After thinking a while, Yun Che said, “So you’re 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.”

“It’s not quite as you think,” Spiritual Master Ancient Blue’s voice emanated over from behind them as he said in a gentle voice, “Spiritual 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.”

“Among Supreme Ocean Palace’s 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 Palace’s forty eight elders.”

“Among Sun Moon Divine Hall’s 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.”

“As 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 “Three Sword Attendants” 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.”

“…So it’s like this. I thank Senior Ancient Blue for openly enlightening me,” Yun Che said, turning around.

“Haha,” Spiritual Master Ancient Blue slowly shook his head and then quietly sighed, saying, “It’s rumored that your respected master has already obtained world-defying power. I’m afraid that we are nothing but insignificant clouds floating in the sky.”

“Where are Senior Ancient Blue’s words coming from?” 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 weren’t 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, didn’t 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 Family’s 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 Continent’s level of profound strength was greater than the Illusory Demon Realm’s. 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 didn’t dare take a step into the Profound Sky Continent.

These four forces which had legacies of tens of thousands of years and were titled “Sacred Grounds” were truly terrifying existences.

As they came increasingly close to the floating Ocean Palace, Yun Che asked Ancient Blue, “Senior Ancient Blue, I wonder if you have any understandings about the ‘Moon Slaughter Devil Nest’?”

“Moon Slaughter Devil Nest? What kind of place is that?” Xia Yuanba leaned over, his face full of curiosity.

“…” A trace of shock flickered across Spiritual Master Ancient Blue’s 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, “You actually know of the ‘Moon Slaughter Devil Nest’. 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.”

“Why is that?” Yun Che furrowed his brows.

“Because it has existed for tens of thousands of years, but the enigma behind it still has yet to be unlocked.” Spiritual Master Ancient Blue’s voice contained traces of seriousness as he continued, “Things 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 ‘Moon Slaughter Devil Nest’, you should treat it as a false legend. Don’t try to get to the bottom of it… don’t even go close to it so as to avoid going beyond redemption.”

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, “We’ve arrived… let’s go in.”

As their bodies passed through a layer of light blue colored profound light, Yun Che brought along Feng Xue’er 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 ocean’s 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 “palace”. Instead, it was a magnificently luxurious city in the air!

“Such dense profound energy.” Jasmine’s voice transmitted into Yun Che’s mind, “Almost all of the Profound Sky Continent’s Monarchs have gathered here. It is really interesting.”

Yun Che, “…”

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, “So it was Spiritual Master Ancient Blue. Shu Chenfeng is busy with various tasks, so he is unable to welcome you.”

“Old Mo, it’s been a long time.” Spiritual Master Ancient Blue lightly chuckled and nodded his head.

“This person should be Supreme Ocean Palace’s Great Elder Mo Chenfeng,” Xia Yuanba whispered by Yun Che’s ear.

Mo Chenfeng then turned to looked at Xia Yuanba. His face suddenly showed shock, “Now that I think of it, this fellow should be the famous one who has shocked the world with his Tyrannical Emperor’s 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 Emperor’s 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.”

“Hoho,” Spiritual Master Ancient Blue lightly chuckled, but didn’t express an opinion.

Mo Chenfeng’s eyes then landed on Feng Xue’er’s 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 Xue’er earlier, how could Mo Chenfeng fare any better?

Just now, Mo Chenfeng had showered Xia Yuanba in praise, calling him an “unmatched divine figure who caused people to lament.” However, the moment his spirit touched Feng Xue’er, 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!

“Young lady… could you perhaps be Divine Phoenix Sect’s Princess Snow?” Mo Chenfeng asked, his voice cracking in a very obvious manner. As he questioned Feng Xue’er, his pair of hands subconsciously cupped together… as Supreme Ocean Palace’s 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 Xue’er, 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 Xue’er’s age! Just because of this fact, he simply didn’t consider his cultivation to be on the same level as Feng Xue’er’s. There was a world of difference between them.

“Junior Feng Xue’er greets Great Elder Mo.” Feng Xue’er 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 Xue’er, the person beside her should be…

“Then… this young friend, are you Blue Wind Empire’s Frozen Cloud Asgard Master Yun Che?” 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 Blue’s 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.

“This junior is indeed Yun Che, I greet Great Elder Mo.” Yun Che slightly nodded his head.

“…” Mo Chenfeng quietly took a big breath, then sighed and said, “Blue Wind Empire’s Frozen Cloud Asgard Master Yun, Divine Phoenix Sect’s Princess Snow, Absolute Monarch Sanctuary’s 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.”

“Just now, I was quite rude, please enter!”

Under Mo Chenfeng’s personal guidance, the four walked into the ocean palace. Mo Chenfeng’s gaze constantly swept across the three youths as he incessantly sighed in his heart, “Of these three, one belongs to the Blue Wind Empire, one belongs to Divine Phoenix Sect. As for the latter, Xia Yuanba, it’s uncertain if his birthplace is Absolute Monarch Sanctuary.”

“Could the era of the Four Great Sacred Grounds… actually be about to meet its end?”

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.

“Old Mo, the profound energy within the ocean palace is so thick, it’s something I’ve never experienced before. Although there are still several days till the Sword Conference begins, many of the invited have already arrived, right?” asked Spiritual Master Ancient Blue.

Mo Chenfeng slowly nodded his head, “You’re right. It seems many profound practitioners are fascinated by the secrets of the ‘Devil Sword’.”

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 “invitation” of the Four Sacred Grounds.

Mo Chenfeng turned and said to Feng Xue’er, “Princess 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?”

“I definitely want to live together with Big Brother Yun.” Feng Xue’er replied without hesitation… moreover, she clearly didn’t realize any of the implications. This was because she wasn’t 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.

“Then, it shall be as Princess Snow wishes.” 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, “Little 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 bring you over, no matter how.”

“The 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.”

“My pleasure.” 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 Palace’s Sovereign of the Seas.