Chapter 245: I Am True Monarch Golden Face

"Named Golden Face..."

The various Early Nascent Soul Stage true lords standing behind Prince Zhennan, along with a few in the Mid Stage, stared blankly.

'Golden Face? What Golden Face?'

'Is there a Great Cultivator by that name in the Eastern Wilderness Domain?'

Prince Zhennan, however, broke out in a cold sweat, a profound terror surging within him.

'Golden Face?'

Across the current Human Realm, among all the Great Cultivators—including the Late Nascent Soul Stage powerhouses of the top-tier factions—the only one who dared use the name Golden Face was the very True Monarch Golden Face who had turned the Central Continent Territory upside down and now hung like a sword over the heads of every Great Cultivator.

Prince Zhennan felt his very divine soul tremble. The strength and prestige of True Monarch Golden Face were so overwhelming that even just hearing his name filled him with dread.

Since the near-ancient era—no, even stretching back to ancient times, True Monarch Golden Face was in a league of his own. His physical body, divine soul, and magical power had all shattered the limits of the Nascent Soul realm.

"So it is... Golden Face... Senior Golden Face..." Prince Zhennan found his voice hoarse and difficult to control. As a true lord, how long had it been since he last felt this way?

The last time had likely been during his Foundation Establishment Stage, when he met a certain true lord of the Immortal Dynasty. Even though that senior hadn't released any spiritual pressure, Prince Zhennan had still struggled to breathe.

It was much the same now. True Monarch Golden Face had not even appeared before him; the Blood Roc had merely mentioned his name and relayed his command.

Yet Prince Zhennan already felt the flow of his magical power turn sluggish.

He did not doubt the Blood Roc's words for a second.

At the Nascent Soul Stage, a cultivator could already faintly sense the existence of karma and destiny.

Impersonate someone else? And an entity as unprecedented across all ages as Nascent Soul True Monarch Golden Face, no less?

Which Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivator would have the guts? Who could bear such massive karma?

Not to mention, the Central Continent Four Great Chambers of Commerce evaluated True Monarch Golden Face as highly likely being a Divination Grandmaster of at least the Rank 4 Middle Grade.

A Divination Grandmaster excelled at manipulating destiny and pushing heavenly secrets. Impersonating True Monarch Golden Face? He would likely sense the deception the very moment it happened.

Facing pursuit from True Monarch Golden Face after that, what Great Cultivator could guarantee their own survival?

Even Purple-Eyed True Monarch, a top-tier Great Cultivator armed with a Quasi-Tier-5 life-saving trump card, had died thoroughly by True Monarch Golden Face's hand. There was no need to speak of the rest.

"Hm?"

The Blood Roc glanced at Prince Zhennan.

"We will retreat. We are withdrawing right now. We absolutely will not entertain any further thoughts of attacking the Wujian Region."

Prince Zhennan shuddered and hurriedly made his guarantee.

Though he didn't know why True Monarch Golden Face wanted to protect the Wujian Region, how could a mere Mid Nascent Soul Stage cultivator like him dare to defy the True Monarch?

Let alone Prince Zhennan, even the emperor of the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty likely wouldn't dare defy True Monarch Golden Face.

It was true that within the Imperial Capital, the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty's emperor possessed battle prowess approaching that of a Heavenly Monarch.

But True Monarch Golden Face wasn't a fool. Why would he ever march into the Immortal Dynasty's Imperial Capital alone?

If True Monarch Golden Face truly wanted to target the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty, the dynasty wouldn't be able to protect a single inch of its territory outside the Imperial Capital.

And without the feedback of providence from its vast territories, the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty's overall providence would inevitably plummet. If that happened, would the emperor, sitting in his Imperial Capital, still be able to maintain such terrifying strength?

It was safe to say that a providence-based faction like the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty feared nothing more than an entity with the transcendent individual combat power of True Monarch Golden Face.

Other top-tier or ruling-class factions could at least hide in their headquarters and rely on a Rank 5 grand array to drag out their survival against True Monarch Golden Face.

But the Dazhou Immortal Dynasty?

Could they abandon their territory? Their citizens? Their providence?

"Wait."

The Blood Roc suddenly spoke up, looking past Prince Zhennan to True Monarch Chongtian, who had also just come to his senses. "Hand over the four beast king demon cores."

"Four demon cores?"

True Monarch Chongtian's face paled slightly. He naturally knew exactly which four demon cores the Blood Roc meant.

It could only be the four beast king demon cores bearing the True Spirit Bloodline.

"Hand them over."

Prince Zhennan took a deep breath and ordered True Monarch Chongtian without the slightest hesitation.

Even though True Monarch Chongtian was the most valued junior of the dynasty's Great Cultivator Fulong, Fulong himself would have to bow his head before True Monarch Golden Face.

Refuse to bow, and you die.

Trembling, True Monarch Chongtian took out the four True Spirit Bloodline beast king demon cores. The Blood Roc snatched them up, swallowing them in a single gulp.

"Then we will take our leave."

After speaking, Prince Zhennan looked hesitantly at the Blood Roc. Upon receiving its tacit permission, he unhesitatingly led the other true lords away.

On the other side, the Mid Stage and Early Nascent Soul Stage true lords of the Wujian Region waited in equally anxious dread.

Wujian Hall Master and the other true lords had naturally overheard the exchange between the Blood Roc and Prince Zhennan.

Even if they hadn't reacted immediately or realized who 'Golden Face' referred to at first, they had naturally figured it out by now.

'True Monarch Golden Face...'

True Monarch Qingtian's brow twitched uneasily. As a Divination Grandmaster, he knew perfectly well that the Wujian Region—and even the surrounding great domains—had absolutely no karmic ties with that True Monarch Golden Face.

So why was True Monarch Golden Face helping them?

Compared to the Zhou Immortal Dynasty, which at least had a grasp of the situation, True Monarch Qingtian was even more reluctant to face True Monarch Golden Face.

Because he had absolutely no idea how to resist him.

"You lot..."

The Blood Roc looked toward Wujian Hall Master and the others. "My master did not drive off the Zhou Immortal Dynasty for you without reason."

"Whatever commands Senior Golden Face has, we will carry them out at any cost."

Wujian Hall Master stated immediately.

The other true lords also adopted highly respectful postures.

"There's no need for all that. My master is somewhat interested in your Wujian Hall's Reincarnation Stone. Take that Reincarnation Stone as payment for my master's intervention this time. How about it?"

the Blood Roc said.

This was exactly what you had instructed it to say.

"The Reincarnation Stone?"

Wujian Hall Master paused in surprise, but immediately replied, "No problem. I will go back and fetch it right away."

Although the Reincarnation Stone was Wujian Hall's supreme treasure, and many of their secret arts were founded upon it, the Hall Master wouldn't hesitate for a second to hand it over if it meant preserving their overall legacy.

It wasn't long before Wujian Hall Master returned to the Sky Rift Grand Canyon with the Reincarnation Stone.

On this round trip between Wujian Hall and the Sky Rift Grand Canyon, he had fallen just short of burning his Nascent Soul magical power. His speed had reached the absolute limit of the Mid Nascent Soul Stage.

"Hm."

The Blood Roc swept its gaze over the Reincarnation Stone. After confirming it matched your description, it swallowed the stone, lightly flapped its wings, and vanished.

Only when the Blood Roc left did Wujian Hall Master and the others wake as if from a dream.

Watching the Zhou Immortal Dynasty's cultivator army begin their retreat in the distance, Wujian Hall Master finally realized that everything that had just happened was real.

Back at the Heavenly Talisman Sect, you examined the items the Blood Roc brought back.

Four True Spirit Bloodline beast king demon cores, and the Reincarnation Stone exuding an aura of reincarnation.

You casually stored away the four beast king demon cores. There was no rush to refine the Five Saints Ultimate Transformation Pill just yet.

"The Reincarnation Stone..."

You stared at the stone in front of you.

Suddenly, your expression changed slightly as a piece of purple eye-shaped jade appeared before you.

This Purple Eye Jade Stone was the loot you obtained after killing Purple-Eyed True Monarch, suspected to be an artifact from another major realm.

You also knew that Purple-Eyed True Monarch's achievements in the fifth simulation were heavily tied to this Purple Eye Jade Stone.

It was just that despite trying many different methods back then, you had never figured out what the Purple Eye Jade Stone was actually used for. You only knew its grade was at least Quasi-Tier-5.

It might even be a Rank 5 treasure.

However, the previously inert Purple Eye Jade Stone actually began to radiate a hazy purple glow the moment the Reincarnation Stone drew near.

Your expression turned grave. You looked at the Purple Eye Jade Stone in front of you, then at the Reincarnation Stone beside it.

Matched by the Purple Eye Jade Stone's hazy glow, the Reincarnation Stone also exhibited slight changes, as an inexplicable aura began to flow across its surface.

'Are these two things connected?'

You pondered the origins of the Reincarnation Stone. It was said to have come from a certain faction in ancient times before eventually falling into Wujian Hall's hands, where it had been passed down to the present day.

'Something should still be missing. Is there another Reincarnation Stone in the Human Realm?'

You observed for a while, noticing that the Purple Eye Jade Stone underwent no further changes. You deduced that the Reincarnation Stone was only one of the conditions needed to unlock its secrets.

Or perhaps the Purple Eye Jade Stone was a condition to unlock the Reincarnation Stone's secrets, and there was another Purple Eye Jade Stone in the Human Realm?

You attempted to divine the answer. Since you already possessed both the Purple Eye Jade Stone and the Reincarnation Stone, tracking down something connected to them wasn't an act of pulling answers from thin air.

'The heavenly secrets are obscure and chaotic? Does it involve a Rank 5 item?'

You sighed to yourself.

Your Divination skills were currently only at the Fourth Tier High Grade. Unless you sacrificed a massive amount of lifespan, divining a Rank 5 object would be impossibly difficult.

Right now, you didn't know how the secrets of the Purple Eye Jade Stone or the Reincarnation Stone would help you, nor did you know how much lifespan you'd have to sacrifice to glean the information you needed.

Naturally, you couldn't rashly sacrifice your lifespan to force a divination.

'At least I know the general direction. I just need to keep an eye out in the future.'

You put away the Purple Eye Jade Stone and looked at the Reincarnation Stone once more.

Your original goal in having the Blood Roc fetch the Reincarnation Stone was to use it to experience the Reincarnation State of Mind again.

To see if you could elevate your state of mind a bit further.

As for it triggering a reaction from the Purple Eye Jade Stone? That was an unexpected harvest.

'Let's begin.'

You stared into the Reincarnation Stone, opening your mind to feel the aura of reincarnation within the strange rock.

Several days later, you opened your eyes.

'The effect wasn't huge, but it did do something.'

You nodded slightly. By experiencing the aura of reincarnation a second time, your state of mind had grown slightly more complete.

Compared to the profound elevation your mind underwent the first time you experienced the Reincarnation Stone during the fifth simulation, the improvement this time was definitely much smaller.

But that was normal. Your current state of mind was vastly stronger than it had been in the fifth simulation. Achieving the same degree of improvement was naturally far harder now.

Year 380. You were 397 years old.

You sat cross-legged in your immortal cave, all your focus drawn deep into your sea of consciousness.

Your main Nascent Soul and Second Nascent Soul sat in the center of your sea of consciousness, though it was blatantly obvious that the main Nascent Soul's aura was leagues stronger than the second's.

Slowly orbiting the two Nascent Souls were seventy Dharma Talismans.

At this moment, the spiritual pressure emanating from each talisman felt as if it had reached the critical point of a qualitative transformation.

Boom!

In the next instant, one talisman after another began to transform, ultimately radiating an aura that completely eclipsed the limits of the Nascent Soul Stage.

'Rank 5 Dharma Talismans...'

You looked at the seventy Dharma Talismans inside your dantian, a smile blooming on your face.

After nearly four hundred years of continuous nourishment via your two great Nascent Soul spiritual bodies, your mountain-and-sea magical power, and more, the seventy Dharma Talismans in your dantian had finally completed their ultimate metamorphosis, stepping into the Rank 5 realm.

'A Nascent Soul Stage true lord... even a Late Stage Great Cultivator with a Second Nascent Soul, would find it nearly impossible to nourish a Dharma Talisman to the Rank 5 level in their lifetime...'

You thought to yourself.

The main reason you could accomplish this was the sheer quality of your magical power.

Your Nascent Soul magical power had shattered the limits of the Nascent Soul Stage. Your efficiency at nourishing Dharma Talismans outstripped Great Cultivators at the same Late Nascent Soul Stage by a wide margin.

Furthermore, nourishing a Dharma Talisman was something only a talisman master could do. In other words, you had to be a talisman master to even begin the process.

In the Human Realm, the Heavenly Talisman Sect had the most cultivators who nourished Dharma Talismans. Talisman cultivators relied on their spirit talismans as their very foundation. Yet even so, when it came to nourishing them, not even the most traditional talisman cultivator could compare to you. Talisman cultivators couldn't cultivate a Second Nascent Soul, and their magical power quality was vastly inferior to yours. Moreover, elevating a Fourth Tier High Grade Dharma Talisman to Rank 5 had taken you nearly four hundred years. For any other talisman cultivator, taking less than seven or eight centuries was a pipe dream.

And seven or eight centuries? A talisman cultivator who reached the Late Nascent Soul Stage while also being a Talisman Dao Grandmaster—how could someone who met both conditions possibly have another seven or eight hundred years of lifespan left to burn?

'With this many Rank 5 Dharma Talismans, I could hold my ground for a bit even against a Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch.'

You mused silently. The Rank 5 Dharma Talismans merely matched the Deity Transformation level in raw destructive power. They couldn't pose a true threat to an actual Heavenly Monarch.

But if all seventy Dharma Talismans were unleashed at once, not even a Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch would want to take them head-on, let alone a Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivator.

You even felt that with these seventy talismans, you could utterly devastate the headquarters of a Central Continent top-tier faction that lacked a Heavenly Monarch standing guard.

The headquarters of the Central Continent's top factions all harbored Deity Transformation-level trump cards.

But your seventy Rank 5 Dharma Talismans counted as a Deity Transformation-level trump card as well. In a direct clash, the outcome would be hard to predict.

'Not bad.'

You nodded slightly. With these talismans, you now had an extra trump card for when you negotiated with the Heavenly Monarchs later on.

Two years later, you were 399 years old.

Within your physical body, layers of qi and blood roiled as golden seal runes materialized, each representing one of the several major body cultivation divine abilities you had mastered.

Buzz—

In a trance-like state, your qi and blood surged upward until it faintly bumped against a ceiling, grinding to a halt.

'Fourth-Tier Late Stage Peak...'

You let out a soft breath and slowly reined in the fluctuations of your qi and blood.

After two to three centuries of bitter cultivation, your Body Refining cultivation had finally reached the Fourth-Tier Late Stage Peak.

The Fourth-Tier Late Stage Peak corresponded to the Late Nascent Soul Stage Peak. It represented the absolute ceiling beneath the Heavenly Monarchs.

Wanted to push higher? Hard cultivation alone wouldn't cut it anymore—not unless you broke through to the Deity Transformation Stage.

'My dharma cultivation and body cultivation have both reached their absolute limits. The optimal conditions for breaking through to Deity Transformation have been met...'

You thought to yourself. Next, you simply needed to wait for Heavenly Monarch Shuiyue to pass away in meditation, and then pick the exact same timeframe from the fifth simulation to attempt the Deity Transformation breakthrough.

Of course, before that, you needed to meet with a Heavenly Monarch. You had to get at least one to nod their approval.

Only then could you attempt the Deity Transformation Stage in peace.

'Heavenly Monarch...'

You looked out from your immortal cave toward the vast expanse of the Human Realm.

Based on your senses after consuming the Heavenly Cliff Fruit, you had roughly confirmed that the current Human Realm had five Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarchs.

Three in the Central Continent Territory, one in the Western Desert Domain, and one deep within the sea.

In the Central Continent Territory, Heavenly Monarch Shuiyue was about to pass away in meditation, meaning there were effectively only two left.

These two hailed from the Extreme Dao Pavilion and Heavenly Sword Peak.

The Extreme Dao Pavilion was one of the Two Bodies, and Heavenly Sword Peak was none other than the One Peak.

Out of the remaining four Heavenly Monarchs, you only needed a nod from one to push for Deity Transformation without any misgivings.

With a Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch sheltering you, the other Heavenly Monarchs naturally wouldn't intervene.

Your thoughts churned. Currently, in the Central Continent Territory, rumors about Heavenly Monarch Shuiyue nearing the end of his lifespan were already beginning to surface.

'I'll go to the Extreme Dao Pavilion first and visit that body cultivation Heavenly Monarch...'

You slowly stood up and walked out of the cave.

Since you were calling on a Heavenly Monarch, you naturally couldn't keep using the identity of True Monarch Golden Face.

For a Heavenly Monarch, unraveling your background wouldn't be difficult at all.

Therefore, you planned to visit under your true identity.

Only this would show sincerity.

Now that your Body Refining cultivation had reached the Fourth-Tier Late Stage Peak and your preparations were flawless, exposing your identity as True Monarch Golden Face made little difference to you.

Leaving your immortal cave, you arrived outside the cave of Great Cultivator Sanfu.

"Elder Qingyuan."

Great Cultivator Sanfu immediately came out to greet you personally.

After heading inside, the two of you took a seat.

"Elder Qingyuan, if you need anything, please don't hesitate to say so."

Great Cultivator Sanfu said directly. Having spent so many years alongside you, he had faintly sensed your subtle changes.

"It's nothing major. I just need to head out for a bit."

You replied.

"Head out? Where to?"

Great Cultivator Sanfu asked immediately.

"To the Extreme Dao Pavilion, to visit the Heavenly Monarch."

Your tone was casual.

At these words, Great Cultivator Sanfu froze. He knew the Extreme Dao Pavilion was presided over by a Heavenly Monarch.

But a figure as lofty as a Heavenly Monarch—was that someone you could just visit whenever you pleased?

"Sanfu..."

You glanced at him and suddenly asked, "Before fellow Daoist Red Talisman passed away, he was very curious about my identity. Are you curious?"

Hearing this, Great Cultivator Sanfu immediately recalled how the Red Talisman Grand Cultivator had investigated relentlessly, yet failed to dig up even a shred of information about any Great Cultivator matching your description in the deep reaches of the Southern Sea.

Back then, Great Cultivator Sanfu had been quite curious himself.

But after centuries of interaction, the Red Talisman Grand Cultivator had observed all your actions. Even though he found nothing, he had chosen never to pursue the matter further.

"Elder Qingyuan, whatever your background is, that's all in the past..."

Great Cultivator Sanfu quickly replied.

In his eyes, you had always been an ordinary Great Cultivator who poured your energy into the Dao of Talismans and the Dao of Alchemy, which was how you managed to reach the Grandmaster Rank in both fields.

Even if you had some hidden identity, the Heavenly Talisman Sect would be able to shelter you.

"I am True Monarch Golden Face."

You looked at Great Cultivator Sanfu and stated.

"True Monarch Golden Face?"

Great Cultivator Sanfu's mind went completely blank.