Chapter 247: It Has Been A Hundred Thousand Years

After stating your purpose for visiting Heavenly Monarch Qingcang, you waited.

"True Monarch Golden Face."

Several body cultivation Great Cultivators from the Extreme Dao Pavilion cautiously came out to welcome you.

If they hadn't known you were here to see their Heavenly Monarch, these body cultivation Great Cultivators never would have dared to show themselves.

"Mm."

You gave a slight nod.

The Extreme Dao Pavilion's Great Cultivators breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed this True Monarch Golden Face wasn't as domineering as he had been during his previous attacks.

Less than an hour later, Grand Cultivator Mangyan hurried out.

"Fellow Daoist Golden Face, the Heavenly Monarch invites you in."

Grand Cultivator Mangyan carefully sized you up as he spoke.

The aura you exuded was boundlessly majestic. Your black robes were deep and mysterious, subtly tugging at Grand Cultivator Mangyan's mind.

'What kind of secret technique is this?'

Startled, Grand Cultivator Mangyan hastily averted his gaze.

Led by Grand Cultivator Mangyan, you stepped into the Extreme Dao Pavilion.

The interior of the pavilion was magnificent. The body cultivation disciples cautiously assessed you. Your illustrious name had shaken the Human Realm, so your arrival at the Extreme Dao Pavilion naturally drew crowds of disciples eager for a look.

"Is that True Monarch Golden Face?"

"Rumor has it that True Monarch Golden Face is the first legendary Great Cultivator of the near-ancient era. He shattered the Nascent Soul Stage limits in all three aspects—flesh, divine soul, and dharma power. Even in ancient times, such talent would be absolutely stunning..."

"Of course. The Heavenly Monarch is personally summoning him. In all these years, this is the first time I've ever seen the Heavenly Monarch receive an outside Great Cultivator."

The many disciples of the Extreme Dao Pavilion murmured among themselves.

As disciples of a peak faction, they possessed immense pride; they might not even look favorably upon disciples from the Four Chambers of Commerce or the Five Side Sects.

Yet your fearsome reputation completely won them over, erasing any trace of disrespect.

Soon, you followed Grand Cultivator Mangyan to a grand hall deep within the pavilion.

The hall stood in silence, emanating an inexplicable aura.

'A Heavenly Monarch!'

You gathered your thoughts. Out of your six simulations, this was the first time you had met a true Heavenly Monarch.

Whether a Deity Transformation Stage dharma cultivator or a fifth-tier body cultivator, both were addressed as Heavenly Monarchs.

Stepping into the hall, you saw a burly figure seated at the highest place of honor.

The burly figure released no aura, yet faintly seemed to merge with the world itself. The world was him, and he was the world.

'Merging with the world!'

Having consumed a Heavenly Cliff Fruit, you were familiar with this state. When merged with the world, one's perception was infinitely heightened. Moreover, a single thought was enough to command the vast powers of heaven and earth.

"Greetings, Heavenly Monarch Qingcang."

You took out the Token given to you by Great Cultivator Sanfu. It had belonged to a Heavenly Monarch ancestral master of the Heavenly Talisman Sect from thousands of years ago, one who had shared deep ties with the Extreme Dao Pavilion.

"Oh? To think the Heavenly Talisman Sect gave you this Token."

Heavenly Monarch Qingcang smiled faintly. The Token in your hand floated into the air and landed before him.

He took it and gently stroked it for a moment.

"Speak. For what matter have you come to see me?"

Stowing the Token away, Heavenly Monarch Qingcang spoke in a tranquil tone.

He already knew your purpose for coming. With your strength, seeking out a Heavenly Monarch could only be for one matter.

However, since you were the one asking for a favor, Heavenly Monarch Qingcang naturally wouldn't be the first to bring it up.

Your strength truly did surprise him. But no matter how strong you were, you were still only at the Nascent Soul Stage; against a Deity Transformation Stage Heavenly Monarch, you remained far inferior.

Furthermore, if you wanted to step into the Deity Transformation Stage, you still needed his approval as a current-era Heavenly Monarch.

"I hope to receive the Heavenly Monarch's protection when I push for the Deity Transformation Stage."

You spoke directly, without beating around the bush.

This protection meant two things: first, that Heavenly Monarch Qingcang would not interfere with your breakthrough; second, that if any other Heavenly Monarchs tried to interfere, he would step in to stop them.

In the current Human Realm, there were a total of five Deity Transformation Stage Heavenly Monarchs. Excluding the soon-to-pass Heavenly Monarch Shuiyue, four remained.

These four hailed from the Extreme Dao Pavilion, the Western Desert, the deep sea, and Heavenly Sword Peak.

As long as you could secure the protection of one Heavenly Monarch, your breakthrough to the Deity Transformation Stage would face no hidden dangers.

"Protect your breakthrough to the Deity Transformation Stage?"

Heavenly Monarch Qingcang looked at you, his interest somewhat piqued.

As a Heavenly Monarch, he would not offer protection without cause.

You had some past grievances with the Extreme Dao Pavilion. Even if Heavenly Monarch Qingcang couldn't be bothered to strike you down—hindered by his status and the fact that killing you would require power exceeding the Human Realm's limits, thus triggering a backlash—he clearly wouldn't be eager to protect your attempt at the Deity Transformation Stage.

"What can you offer?"

Heavenly Monarch Qingcang asked.

"Please speak plainly, Heavenly Monarch."

You sighed inwardly, aware that you might be manipulated by this body cultivation Heavenly Monarch. Yet, for the sake of stepping into the Deity Transformation Stage, as long as his demands weren't too excessive, you had no choice but to bow your head and agree.

"Three conditions."

Seated at the head of the hall, Heavenly Monarch Qingcang spoke evenly. "The first condition: you may only break through after the Great Cultivators of my Extreme Dao Pavilion have attempted their own breakthroughs to the Deity Transformation Stage."

This demand ensured that you would only have a chance to become a Heavenly Monarch if the Extreme Dao Pavilion failed to produce one of their own.

In short, your breakthrough was placed behind the Extreme Dao Pavilion's in priority.

You looked at Heavenly Monarch Qingcang and said nothing.

This request was understandable. Compared to protecting your ascension, his own faction producing a Heavenly Monarch would naturally bring him far greater benefits.

Only if the Extreme Dao Pavilion failed to produce a Heavenly Monarch would you get your chance.

You pondered this. Truthfully, had you not experienced the fifth simulation, you might not have accepted this demand.

After all, you had trained bitterly for so many years simply to step into the Deity Transformation Stage. Having to watch others attempt their breakthroughs first was naturally something you would be reluctant to agree to.

However, from the fifth simulation, you knew very well that after Heavenly Monarch Shuiyue passed away in meditation, two body cultivation Great Cultivators from the Extreme Dao Pavilion would attempt to break through to Rank 5. In the end, both of them failed.

In other words, Heavenly Monarch Qingcang's seemingly excessive demand was, in your eyes, an open hand of cards.

Now that Purple-Eyed True Monarch was dead, there was no possibility of any Great Cultivator in the entire Human Realm successfully breaking through during the century following Heavenly Monarch Shuiyue's passing.

Waiting for the Extreme Dao Pavilion's Great Cultivators to attempt their breakthroughs first would cost you nothing.

Heavenly Monarch Qingcang looked down at you. Standing to the side, Grand Cultivator Mangyan felt equally tense.

In all fairness, he also felt his Heavenly Monarch's demand was quite over the line. You had obviously come here for your future Deity Transformation breakthrough; there was no logic in making you wait for the Extreme Dao Pavilion's Great Cultivators to try first.

"Please continue, Heavenly Monarch."

You fell silent for a moment before speaking.

Although this condition would have no real impact on you, you certainly weren't going to show that on your face.

"The second condition..."

Feeling quite satisfied, Heavenly Monarch Qingcang continued, "If you smoothly step into the Deity Transformation Stage, you must protect my Extreme Dao Pavilion for one thousand five hundred years."

If you successfully became a Heavenly Monarch, it meant the Extreme Dao Pavilion's Great Cultivators had failed their own breakthroughs. After Heavenly Monarch Qingcang passed away in meditation, the Extreme Dao Pavilion would be left without a Heavenly Monarch to hold down the fort.

At that time, your protection would be like providing timely assistance in times of need for the Extreme Dao Pavilion.

"Protect them for one thousand five hundred years?"

You furrowed your brow slightly.

To the outside world, even if you managed to endure until Heavenly Monarch Shuiyue passed away in meditation before pushing for the Deity Transformation Stage, you would already be over twelve or thirteen hundred years old.

Even if you broke through to the Deity Transformation Stage and became a Heavenly Monarch, your remaining lifespan would only be one or two thousand years.

A Heavenly Monarch's two or three thousand years of lifespan included the thousand years from the Nascent Soul Stage.

Protecting the Extreme Dao Pavilion for one thousand five hundred years? That was practically pledging the vast majority of your remaining years after entering the Deity Transformation Stage.

You fell silent for a moment. If sacrificing your time in this simulation could clear the path to the Deity Transformation Stage, it was a price you were willing to pay.

"And what might the third condition be?"

You gathered your thoughts and looked at Heavenly Monarch Qingcang.

"The third condition..."

Heavenly Monarch Qingcang looked at you and smiled. "If you manage to enter the Deity Transformation Stage, you must fulfill three requests for the Extreme Dao Pavilion."

"Three requests?"

Your brows knitted tightly. He meant you would have to carry out three tasks for the Extreme Dao Pavilion.

Protecting the Extreme Dao Pavilion didn't necessarily require you to lift a finger; simply announcing to the world that they were under your protection would ensure very few cultivators would dare make trouble for them.

A peak faction with a Heavenly Monarch's protection and one without handled their external affairs in two entirely different ways.

But doing three tasks for the Extreme Dao Pavilion...

That meant you would be at their beck and call. You would have to strike even if it meant suffering the backlash of heaven and earth.

"Protect you for one thousand five hundred years, strike three times..."

Looking at Heavenly Monarch Qingcang, you said softly, "The Heavenly Monarch's demands..."

You did not finish your sentence, repeatedly weighing the gains and losses.

"This is an opportunity to become a Heavenly Monarch. Compared to looking down upon the Human Realm as a Heavenly Monarch, what do these demands amount to?"

Heavenly Monarch Qingcang said slowly, "With my protection, you can safely push for the Deity Transformation Stage. Given your foundation, you have a very high chance of succeeding."

"Alright."

You remained silent for a long time before finally nodding. "We will do as the Heavenly Monarch asks."

"Excellent."

A smile appeared on Heavenly Monarch Qingcang's face. "Ah, yes. Regarding the second and third conditions, you will need to swear a great heart demon oath."

Heavenly Monarch Qingcang naturally knew that his demands were excessive and that you would harbor some resentment.

Under such circumstances, once you stepped into the Deity Transformation Stage and took your seat as a Heavenly Monarch, you might uphold your promise on the surface to save face, but who knew what you would do in the shadows?

The Extreme Dao Pavilion was guarded by numerous Rank 5 foundations. Even a Heavenly Monarch would have to endure a violent backlash from heaven and earth if they tried to shake it.

However, if you simply went through the motions without exerting any real effort, they would have no way to force your hand.

Therefore, making you swear a great heart demon oath was Heavenly Monarch Qingcang's way of binding you.

Upon reaching the Nascent Soul and Deity Transformation stages, the binding power of a great heart demon oath rose sharply.

Should they break a great heart demon oath, a Nascent Soul Stage True Monarch or even a Deity Transformation Stage Heavenly Monarch would be plagued by heart demons during their cultivation, effectively severing all hope of further advancement.

As long as you swore the great heart demon oath, unless you were willing to give up all future cultivation progress, you would have no choice but to adhere to its terms.

"A great heart demon oath?"

Your expression shifted slightly.

In truth, you could accept the three demands Heavenly Monarch Qingcang had laid out.

As long as you could enter the Deity Transformation Stage, facing some restrictions in the latter half of your life was nothing.

But a great heart demon oath?

A great heart demon oath was an incredibly specific kind of restriction tied to one's own perception.

If you broke it, you couldn't be sure whether it would affect your next simulation, or the one after that.

You almost never swore great heart demon oaths. During the Foundation Establishment Stage, when facing True Person Blood Sea, you had preferred to let him go and leave a hidden danger behind rather than break a great heart demon oath and risk affecting reality or your future simulations.

What if the oath to protect the Extreme Dao Pavilion wasn't limited to this simulation? Protecting them for one thousand five hundred years—if you entered the Deity Transformation Stage in this simulation but didn't live for another fifteen hundred years, would it affect the next simulation? Would you be required to continue protecting them?

"Heavenly Monarch Qingcang, I need to go back and think this over."

Refusing to agree on the spot, you spoke frankly.

You would rather fail to step into the Deity Transformation Stage in this simulation than be restricted by a great heart demon oath.

If you couldn't enter the Deity Transformation Stage in this simulation, then in the next... armed with the intelligence gathered this time, your chances of breaking through would only be higher.

As of now, you knew that simply becoming a core disciple of a peak faction in the Central Continent would exempt you from the interference of current-era Heavenly Monarchs.

In the next simulation, you could easily hide your cultivation early on, or forge an avatar completely devoid of cultivation, join a peak faction, secretly grow to the Late Nascent Soul Stage, and then push for the Deity Transformation Stage as a core member.

Heavenly Monarch Shuiyue would pass away in meditation when you were five or six hundred years old. Such a long span of time was enough for a genius Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment cultivator to train to the Late Nascent Soul Stage.

Reaching the Deity Transformation Stage through that method presented virtually no hidden dangers.

"See the guest out."

Heavenly Monarch Qingcang waved his hand, speaking with complete indifference.

"Understood."

Grand Cultivator Mangyan immediately escorted you out of the main hall and out of the Extreme Dao Pavilion.

After seeing you off, Grand Cultivator Mangyan returned to the hall. Looking at Heavenly Monarch Qingcang seated at the head, he couldn't help but ask, "Heavenly Monarch, were those demands you made slightly..."

"Excessive?"

Heavenly Monarch Qingcang's expression was placid. "Where does one become a Heavenly Monarch without paying a price? To gain the chance to become a Heavenly Monarch for just those three conditions is already a blessing."

"A blessing..."

Grand Cultivator Mangyan felt something was faintly amiss. You were the one who had walked step by step to the level of a legendary Great Cultivator, shattering the three great limits of flesh, divine soul, and dharma power, only to be stonewalled here by the Heavenly Monarch.

"But... treating True Monarch Golden Face this way... what if he steps into the Deity Transformation Stage..."

Grand Cultivator Mangyan couldn't help but remark.

With the demands Heavenly Monarch Qingcang had just made, if you actually stepped into the Deity Transformation Stage without agreeing to them, wouldn't that saddle the Extreme Dao Pavilion with a Heavenly Monarch for an enemy?

"What if?"

Heavenly Monarch Qingcang chuckled. "There is no 'what if.' Of the four current Heavenly Monarchs, that old monk in the Western Desert has some ties with me and won't protect him. The one in the deep sea certainly won't protect a human cultivator pushing for the Deity Transformation Stage, and even if they did, the demands they would make would be far more excessive than mine."

"As for that madman on Heavenly Sword Peak, he relies on the Sword Lord's heritage and is used to acting all high and mighty. He disdains suppressing a Late Nascent Soul Stage cultivator's breakthrough, but he wouldn't proactively offer protection either—and he certainly wouldn't offend me for a mere Nascent Soul cultivator..."

Heavenly Monarch Qingcang scoffed.

The circle of Deity Transformation Stage cultivators in the Human Realm was far too small. The Heavenly Monarchs all knew each other very well, so Heavenly Monarch Qingcang naturally felt assured of victory.

A legendary Great Cultivator? No matter how strong a legendary Great Cultivator was, they were still just at the Nascent Soul Stage, falling far short of a Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch.

Offending a Heavenly Monarch like him over a Nascent Soul cultivator whose chances of stepping into the Deity Transformation Stage were still up in the air? No matter how you sliced it, it simply wasn't worth it.

A legendary Great Cultivator indeed possessed distinct advantages when pushing for the Deity Transformation Stage, but it still didn't guarantee a successful breakthrough.

One could only say their hopes were higher than those of other Late Stage Great Cultivators at the same level.

"Just wait. Once he hits a wall with the other Heavenly Monarchs, he will naturally return and obediently agree to my demands."

Heavenly Monarch Qingcang's tone was placid, laced with absolute confidence.

Leaving the Extreme Dao Pavilion, you once again sensed prying eyes from all directions. Taking a single step, your figure and aura vanished entirely.

Atop a mountain peak, you stood quietly, your brows tightly furrowed.

'Heavenly Monarch Qingcang clearly thinks he has me entirely figured out. He assumes I can't find protection from any other Heavenly Monarch besides him... which is exactly why he made those demands...'

You thought silently to yourself.

At the same time, you realized that this might actually be the truth.

At present, there were only five Heavenly Monarchs in the Human Realm. Excluding Heavenly Monarch Shuiyue, that left four.

Four Heavenly Monarchs... they were bound to have ties with one another. Would the other Heavenly Monarchs offend Heavenly Monarch Qingcang for a legendary Great Cultivator like you, whose chances of becoming a Heavenly Monarch were still up in the air?

In all fairness, if you put yourself in the shoes of those other Heavenly Monarchs, you definitely wouldn't do it either.

'True enough. No matter how dazzling my performance is at the Nascent Soul Stage, I'm still just a Nascent Soul cultivator. I'm not worth a Heavenly Monarch paying a price to back me.'

You thought to yourself.

Whether you could step into the Deity Transformation Stage or not was still entirely uncertain.

Heavenly Sword Peak stood towering, ten million zhang high.

As the seat of the strongest faction in the Human Realm, Heavenly Sword Peak was surrounded by a vast, surging expanse of formless sword qi. Even a Deity Transformation Stage Heavenly Monarch would be reluctant to draw near.

Within the grand hall at the peak.

Seven Great Cultivators of Heavenly Sword Peak sat together.

They, too, were discussing matters concerning True Monarch Golden Face.

"To think that True Monarch Golden Face is actually True Monarch Qingyuan of the Heavenly Talisman Sect! I've met that True Monarch Qingyuan before; he's exceedingly mild and low-profile. Who could have imagined..."

Sword Combat Grand Cultivator sighed repeatedly. As a sword-cultivating Great Cultivator who had personally witnessed you strike, he was the most surprised of them all.

"Peak Master, what's wrong?"

After marveling for a moment, Sword Combat Grand Cultivator noticed that the Heavenly Sword Peak Master, seated at the highest point, wore a very strange expression. He looked shocked, then incredulous, and finally, deeply thrilled.

'Hm?'

Sword Combat Grand Cultivator was somewhat puzzled, assuming the Peak Master was just stunned by True Monarch Golden Face's true identity.

But on second thought, Sword Combat Grand Cultivator felt something wasn't quite right. The Peak Master of Heavenly Sword Peak wielded the faction's foundations. His combat strength was so formidable that he could even exchange a few blows with a Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch.

Though the Heavenly Sword Peak Master was not a Heavenly Monarch, by drawing on the heritage passed down by the Sword Lord, he would only be stronger than True Monarch Golden Face, not weaker.

Even if he hadn't foreseen True Monarch Golden Face's true identity, he shouldn't be reacting like this.

The Heavenly Sword Peak Master's reaction naturally drew the gazes of the other sword-cultivating Great Cultivators in the hall.

At the highest point of the grand hall sat the Heavenly Sword Peak Master—a middle-aged man with a quaint, weathered face and a sword-shaped mark between his brows.

The sword mark was ethereal and illusory. Faintly, the surrounding space seemed unable to bear its presence, constantly warping and twisting.

"Peak Master,"

Sword Combat Grand Cultivator called out.

"Peak Master?"

The other sword-cultivating Great Cultivators couldn't help but speak up as well.

Yet the Heavenly Sword Peak Master gave no response to the calls of the Great Cultivators below.

At this moment, information regarding True Monarch Golden Face and True Monarch Qingyuan was constantly flashing through the Peak Master's mind.

'Fourth Tier High Grade alchemy skills... Fourth Tier High Grade puppet skills... Fourth Tier High Grade talisman Dao skills... At least Rank 4 Middle Grade... quite possibly Fourth Tier High Grade Divination skills...'

The Heavenly Sword Peak Master's eyes grew slightly moist, his heart surging with overwhelming emotion. 'It has been a hundred thousand years... The destined person spoken of in the Sword Lord's decree, the one my Heavenly Sword Peak has awaited for a hundred thousand years... has finally appeared...'