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“They finished far faster than I calculated,” Confucius said, to no one in particular.

Seconds later, footsteps echoed in the empty hall as a slovenly dressed daoist with a sword slung over his back walked in. In his hand, he carried a wine jug that he periodically drank from. “Ha, I knew that the Xi kid was special the moment I met him, but I didn’t expect him to grow up to have such ability or so fast.”

Confucius smiled. Instead, he picked up the teakettle next to him. “Tea?”

“Just fill it halfway,” Daoist Lu said. He took the half-filled cup and poured a dollop of wine into it from his jug. After a few swirls, he downed the entire cup and released a satisfied sigh. “Just the best.”

“Want some?” Daoist Lu, raising his wine jug.

Confucius only quirked an eyebrow. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to become one return to your prime?” Confucius asked. “Once you do, you might even return to your peak and gain the backing to control the entire realm system as you once wished.”

Daoist Lu shook his head, and he took another swig. “I’ve already learned my lesson. The King Duke of the East died because of his ambition to control all divinities under his rule. Why waste effort on external means? Personal strength is most important.”

“Did you forget about Haotian? He succeeded.”

“A lot of good that did him,” Daoist Lu said. “For all his schemes and wisdom, he couldn’t maintain anything beyond appearances. Try as he might, he could not elude you three’s interference. I’m quite thankful I failed and reincarnated, otherwise, I wouldn’t have had the chance like Haotian. It was only after the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning seized control of the Immortal Court that it could rule the Three Realms System. Still, I learned one thing from this. Authority doesn’t matter if you don’t possess the power.”

“If it’s power you seek, why not merge into one again?” Confucius asked once more. “You have the chance to reach the same height as my past self.”

“It’s far too late,” Daoist Lu said with a shake of his head. “Most of my power and essence gave birth to sentience and was taken by the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning, remember? While my current self is but an amalgamation of a broken soul with fractured memories, at best. If I were to merge back, I do not know who we would be in the end. Would we return to our original selves or something new entirely? That is, if my other half is inclined to do so. He seems quite enamored with his current role.”

Confucius made a noncommittal grunt.

“So?” Daoist Lu asked. “Do you plan to intervene with the Jade and Numinous Conference?”

“Hardly,” Confucius said. “I’ll let the two lineages of the heavenly lords play management. As you said, nothing is more important than personal power. By the time they unify the entire Three Thousand Immortal Realms System, my strength will be beyond theirs.”

“As will mine,” Daoist Lu said, taking another swig from his wine jug.

Atop the Immortal Confining Sword Peak of the Numinous Sword Sect sat Emperor Yanxu. No, it should be Sovereign Yanxu now. Despite losing the Immortal Confining Sword to Mengfei, he did not abdicate his position as the Immortal Confining Peak Master. It was a mark of shame he would forever carry until he could absolve himself of the humiliation.

Like Confucius, Sovereign Yanxu stared into the sky, but his gazes penetrated the dimensional boundaries of the Numinous Realm and focused upon the Primordial Realm. Plans to disrupt the ascension of the former Huang Realm were already in the talks, but they raised the foundation of the immortal-rank realm far faster than anyone in the Numinous Sword Sect had ever expected.

He, along with his compatriots, could not discover how their rivaling force accomplished such a feat. Even if they maximized the speed, it would still take over tens of thousands of years, and the price was too high to bear. Sovereign Yanxu had to admit that their rivals had inherited more from the primordial era than the Numinous Sword Sect.

The only reason the Numinous Sword Sect had unified the Numinous Realm before the Buzhou Immortal Sect was primarily due to luck, plain and simple. Sure, the fact that sword immortals possessed higher than average combat power played a huge role, but it would have taken far more effort and time had they not possessed two of the four Immortal Extermination Swords at the time. The divine artifacts allowed them to sweep the realm once they had finished all preparations.

In addition, the Numinous Realm only had two continents, one twice as large as the other. So, it made it easier to unite than having three main continents like the former Huang Realm. Another fact that helped was that the Numinous Sword Sect had received a relatively more complete heritage than the other budding forces, allowing them greater advantages with the passage of time.

Still, those advantages had demerits. As a whole, they were more specialized than the Buzhou Immortal Sect. Sure, their combatants might be equal, but the Buzhou Immortal Sects could produce more and higher quality artifacts, formations, and pills. Now, the Buzhou Immortal Sect… No, the Buzhou Immortal Court—Sovereign Yanxu refused to call them the Immortal Court—had conquered the entirety of the Huang Realm and even upgraded it, their advantages would only shine more.

The Numinous Sword Sect had sent many expeditions into the Primordial Broken World in order to salvage more inheritances and bolster their weaknesses. Still, that was something to consider for another time in light of the Buzhou Immortal Court’s most recent action.

They had sent invitations to what they called the Jade and Numinous Conference. The conference’s main focus was to form an alliance against the Buddhists and the Demon Clans hiding in the Pure Lands Pseudo-System and Divine Beast Pseudo-System, respectively.

Sovereign Yanxu briefly considered attacking the Buzhou Immortal Court and nipping them at the bud. The Buzhou Immortal Court was the greatest threat to the Numinous Sword Sect, over the Demon Clan and Buddhists.

“Master.”

Sovereign Yanxu broke out of his thoughts to see his disciple, Bao Ling. ‘Have I gotten old? I know I was deep in my thoughts, but to think I couldn’t detect my disciple arriving. Truly, he is the hope of the Numinous Sword Sect.’

“What do you think of the Jade and Numinous Conference proposed by the Buzhou Immortal Sect?”

Contrary to Sovereign Yanxu’s hopes, but more in line with Bao Ling’s character, he had secluded himself from sect matters upon reaching the Immortal Realm. Even after achieving the rank of grand elder, Bao Ling was content to only bear the name of the position and none of the authority or burdens. He was wholeheartedly devoted to the sword.

Well, at the very least, the other elders were quite happy that no new players joined them. Sovereign Yanxu shook his head. Many of the immortal elders lost their confidence in cultivation. Now, they played the game of politics. He supposed this was a downside of becoming the absolute hegemon of the Numinous Realm. With no immediate danger motivating them, they could not muster enough motivation to improve themselves.

Oh, he and the other grand elders knew of this problem, but fixing it was another matter. Only when conflicts arose would a burst of new blood flood the Numinous Sword Sect. Conflicts like the eventual war against the Buzhou Immortal Court, or the Divine Beast Pseudo System and Pure Lands Pseudo System.

“There’s no reason not to join,” Bao Ling said as he crossed his arm. “Whether the Numinous Sword Sect or the Buzhou Immortal Court rules the Three Thousand Immortal Realms System, we are both orthodox members of Daoism. It’s better to eliminate the Buddhists and Demon Clans.”

Sovereign Yanxu nodded. “You should focus on your cultivation. The Numinous Sword Sect will need your strength once we cross blades with the Buzhou Immortal Court. Although you took several hundred years longer to reach the Extremity Immortal Realm than Xi Tianyi, I believe you will reach the Origin Immortal Realm faster than him and his mother, Xi Mengfei.”

Then his eyes drifted to the sword Bao Ling hugged against his chest. The sword in his possession wasn’t the Immortal Ending Sword he carried before his immortal ascension, but a cyan colored sword, both in hilt, scabbard, and blade. “Where’s the Immortal Ending Sword?”

“In my spatial ring,” Bao Ling said. “I’m nurturing my lifebound sword. One day in the future, it will exceed the four Immortal Extermination Swords.”

Sovereign Yanxu smiled. How hard was that? There was a reason why the former owner of the Immortal Extermination Swords was known as a heavenly lord. Even among divinities, only his fellow heavenly lords were his equals. All other divinities were inferior.

Still, it was a wonderful goal to have. At least Bao Ling wouldn’t lose motivation for a long time, Sovereign Yanxu mused.

“If that’s your chosen path, I will not interfere,” Sovereign Yanxu said. He placed the Immortal Ending Sword on his lap and gently caressed the scabbard, as if lost in memories. “If you decide on a certain path, commit to it. Never lose confidence and cut everything that stands in your way. Only then can you call yourself a sword immortal.”

“You have to prepare yourself,” Sovereign Yanxu continued. “Although a battle might not break out between our two sects, there will definitely be a competition. It will be a proxy war to determine the hierarchy of our relationship. Although it shouldn’t amount to too much influence, I still don’t want to lose. As the most outstanding member of recent years, you must reign uncontested.”

Bao Ling nodded. Sovereign Yanxu didn’t know if his disciple digested his words or not, but the sword-like gaze was a good indicator. “Okay, you can return. I know you’re focused on your cultivation now.”

He didn’t leave immediately. “Master.”

“What is it?” Sovereign Yanxu asked. His disciple wasn’t one for many questions, if any, outside of cultivation.

“Will Xi Tianyi be there?”

Sovereign Yanxu paused. This was the first time he saw Bao Ling concerned about someone else. And did he smell a hint of rivalry? “Most likely, yes. He is the only immortal emperor to appear in recent times. His age is similar to yours too, so it will be inevitable that a battle will occur between the two of you. I have confidence in your victory.”

“I see,” Bao Ling said with his usual disinterest.

“Aside from you, the most outstanding junior is Meng Tingfeng.”

“What of it?” Bao Ling asked.

“If possible, I want him to defeat Xi Tianyi. Imagine it, an immortal monarch defeating an immortal emperor,” Sovereign Yanxu said. “It’ll give us the advantage in the negotiations.”

The grand elder of the Numinous Sword Sect noticed Bao Ling narrowing his eyes. “Do you think Meng Tingfeng can’t do it?”

“No,” Bao Ling said.

“Have more confidence. Although he ascended from a lower realm and doesn’t practice the orthodox cultivation method of the Numinous Sword Sect, he’s more outstanding than all the current juniors. It’s quite a happenstance that he inherited the legacy of one of our fallen elders,” Sovereign Yanxu said. “Among the immortal monarchs, he is extremely outstanding, and it wouldn’t be a problem for him to fight a newly ascended immortal emperor for long periods of time. And that was hundreds of years ago.”

“I’m not saying Meng Tingfeng can’t defeat an immortal emperor. I’m saying he can’t defeat Xi Tianyi.”