Chapter 249: Taking Charge of Heavenly Sword Peak

Your thoughts raced, and in an instant, you recalled everything that had happened since the start of this simulation.

Whether as True Monarch Qingyuan or True Monarch Golden Face, you had never revealed the slightest accomplishment in the Dao of Arrays.

Even when your array mastery broke through to Fourth Tier High Grade, it was entirely the result of accumulated foundation. You hadn't followed your approach for the Dao of Alchemy or the Dao of Puppetry—traveling to the corresponding Five Side Sects to exchange pointers with their respective grandmasters.

In the entire Human Realm, aside from yourself, no one knew you were proficient in array techniques, let alone that you had comprehended them to Fourth Tier High Grade.

Within your cave abode in the Heavenly Talisman Sect, you had indeed set up several Fourth Tier High Grade formations, but who could know they were crafted by your own hands?

You looked at the peak master of Heavenly Sword Peak. If his earlier question about whether your Divination skills had reached Fourth Tier High Grade was merely speculation...

...then his current, pinpoint inquiry about whether your array techniques had reached Fourth Tier High Grade immediately put you on high alert.

There were so many secondary cultivation arts. Why ask about the Dao of Arrays specifically? And why lock onto Fourth Tier High Grade with such precision?

Had a Fourth Tier High Grade Divination Great Grandmaster read your fortune? You were a Divination Great Grandmaster yourself. Even if someone managed to divine a few clues about you, you definitely would have sensed it.

Yet over all these years, you had never detected any traces of a Divination Great Grandmaster probing your array techniques.

In the Dao of Divination, divining out of thin air was the most difficult feat. During this simulation, you had never exposed your array accomplishments; even if a Divination Great Grandmaster took action, it was virtually impossible for them to find any relevant clues.

Under such circumstances, how could the peak master of Heavenly Sword Peak ask with such pinpoint accuracy? Seeming to sense your vigilance, the peak master immediately said, "There is no need to worry, fellow Daoist Golden Face. This matter involves a hidden secret of my Heavenly Sword Peak. Please, you must answer truthfully."

Before confirming whether you were the predestined person of Heavenly Sword Peak, the peak master dared not reveal too much.

"A hidden secret of Heavenly Sword Peak..."

You looked at the peak master, recalling how he had just dismissed the other Sword Cultivator Great Cultivators.

Even as you secretly and continuously used Divination arts to divine the reason behind his inquiry, you still received no useful hexagram information.

After a brief moment of thought, you gave a slight nod. "Yes."

Though you didn't know how the peak master knew this, you vaguely sensed that this matter shouldn't be anything bad for you.

From the peak master's current expression and demeanor, as well as his initiative in inviting you inside, you realized that whether you possessed Fourth Tier High Grade array mastery was quite important to Heavenly Sword Peak.

Given the situation, speaking the truth was in your best interest.

Even if the worst-case scenario occurred, the most you would have to do was abandon this simulation.

If the Heavenly Monarchs of Heavenly Sword Peak had no intention of protecting you, your hopes of breaking through to the Deity Transformation Stage in this simulation would be incredibly slim.

Ending the simulation early wouldn't be too much of a loss. Moreover, even if you abandoned this simulation, it wouldn't mean you'd gain nothing.

With your current strength, once you fully activated the True Dragon Transformation and utilized the seventy Tier 5 Dharma Talismans within your dantian...

...you could hold out for a while even against an attack from a Heavenly Sword Peak Heavenly Monarch.

And that brief period would be enough for you to pour all your remaining lifespan entirely into your Divination skills.

In this simulation, you were only four hundred years old. Having long since maxed out on life-extending items, minus the century of lifespan invested into your Divination breakthrough, you still had over seven hundred years remaining.

Pouring over seven hundred years into your Divination skills might not push them to the Tier 5 level, but reaching Quasi-Tier-5 was highly probable.

Quasi-Tier-5 Divination skills would allow you to attempt divining minor pieces of information about Heavenly Monarchs, which would provide even greater help in your next simulation.

By then, you could even intervene in matters at the Heavenly Monarch level.

"Just as I thought..."

The peak master of Heavenly Sword Peak felt his blood boil.

Actually, when you fell silent just now, he had already faintly sensed that you truly possessed Fourth Tier High Grade array techniques.

If you hadn't mastered them, you wouldn't have shown such an expression. Now that he had received your nod, the heavy stone in the peak master's heart finally settled.

The predestined person!

You were the predestined person mentioned in the Sword Classic!

You were the predestined person that Heavenly Sword Peak had waited a hundred thousand years for!

The peak master took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

"Fellow Daoist Golden Face, you wouldn't mind if I verify it once more, would you?"

The peak master looked at you, his tone brimming with anticipation.

"Not a problem."

You nodded slightly.

The confirmation the peak master spoke of naturally meant verifying whether you truly possessed all five of these Fourth Tier High Grade arts.

It didn't take long.

An old man with an ancient aura walked in. "This is our Heavenly Sword Peak's Divination Great Grandmaster."

After the brief introduction, the peak master turned to look at you.

The ancient-feeling Divination Great Grandmaster also looked your way.

In an instant, the invisible threads of heavenly secrets and fate began to surge.

You and Heavenly Sword Peak's Divination Great Grandmaster engaged in a silent clash on the level of heavenly secrets and fate.

In just a few short breaths, the exchange ended.

The Divination Great Grandmaster gave a small nod to the peak master.

Clearly, through that clash of fate, your identity as a Divination Great Grandmaster had been verified.

The peak master's heart settled with certainty.

Next came the others.

The peak master sent out his summons.

The Grandmasters of Alchemy, Talismans, Arrays, and Puppetry of Heavenly Sword Peak arrived at the grand hall one after another.

They each held a brief exchange with you.

You couldn't help but marvel at the profound foundation of Heavenly Sword Peak. Any single one of these Grandmasters was incredibly difficult to cultivate, especially the Divination Great Grandmaster.

Yet, Heavenly Sword Peak had them all. And these were just the ones the peak master had called over. Who knew how many more remained unsummoned?

With confirmation from the sect's numerous Grandmasters, all remaining doubts vanished from the peak master's heart.

"Fellow Daoist Golden Face..."

The peak master's tone was somewhat nervous now as he got straight to the point. "At the end of the ancient era, the Sword Lord left behind the Sword Classic and a verbal decree, stating that our Heavenly Sword Sect must await a predestined person."

"A predestined person?"

Your heart gave a slight stir.

"Indeed. This predestined person must possess a Nascent Soul Stage cultivation base and master the five great Fourth Tier High Grade arts: alchemy, talismans, arrays, puppetry, and divination..."

The peak master stared closely at you.

Hearing this, you immediately fell silent. Nascent Soul Stage cultivation?

The five great Fourth Tier High Grade arts of alchemy, talismans, arrays, puppetry, and divination?

Locking onto you with such exact precision?

You found it somewhat hard to believe.

Could it be that the Sword Lord was an unprecedented Divination celestial master, capable of foreseeing your existence across a span of a hundred thousand years?

"Fellow Daoist Golden Face."

The peak master's expression turned incredibly solemn. "Since fellow Daoist Golden Face is the predestined person of our Heavenly Sword Peak..."

"...then from top to bottom, the entire Heavenly Sword Sect will obey your commands. The very heavens and earth of the Human Realm will revere you."

The peak master spoke in a deep voice. He immediately took a few steps back and bowed deeply to you. "I greet you, fellow Daoist."

You looked at the deeply respectful peak master, feeling a sense of absurdity.

Just before coming here, you had been cornered and pressured by Heavenly Monarch Qingcang of the Extreme Dao Pavilion.

Yet in the blink of an eye, you could now command Heavenly Sword Peak? What kind of existence was Heavenly Sword Peak? It was the 'One Peak' of the Human Realm, the most powerful faction of the near-ancient era.

On the surface, the Central Continent Territory had fifteen top-tier factions, but even if the other fourteen were grouped together, they still wouldn't be a match for Heavenly Sword Peak.

The foundation left behind by the Sword Lord at the end of the ancient era was so immense that randomly bringing out even a fraction of it would be enough to sweep through the current Human Realm.

"Then what about the Heavenly Monarchs of Heavenly Sword Peak..."

You asked.

"The Heavenly Monarchs also belong to Heavenly Sword Peak, so naturally, they too will heed your commands."

The illusory sword-shaped seal between the peak master's brows slowly rotated. "I have already contacted a Heavenly Monarch. He should awaken very soon to come and meet you, fellow Daoist..."

"A Heavenly Monarch of Heavenly Sword Peak is coming to meet me..."

You looked at the peak master, finally realizing that what he had just said was likely the complete truth.

The dignified Heavenly Sword Peak, a grand Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch, and a Sword Cultivator Heavenly Monarch at that—they had no reason to put on such an act for you.

"Why would the Sword Lord do this?"

You pondered for a moment before asking.

"I don't know either," the peak master said, shaking his head. "The Sword Lord must have had his reasons. We juniors simply need to follow his will."

The Sword Cultivators of Heavenly Sword Peak harbored an almost blind worship for the Sword Lord. In fact, it wasn't just them; nearly all Sword Cultivators in the Human Realm felt the same way.

The further one walked along the Dao of the Sword, the more one realized the Sword Lord's greatness.

At the end of the ancient era, a saying had circulated among Sword Cultivators: the sword dao of the Human Realm originated entirely from the Sword Lord.

If not for the Sword Lord, the so-called Dao of the Sword would merely be a minor path. Forget suppressing body cultivation and dharma cultivation; it wouldn't even come close to standing on equal footing with them.

You stared intensely at the peak master. Numerous thoughts flashed through your mind, ultimately converging into two possibilities.

The first possibility was that the Sword Lord's Divination skills were incomprehensibly profound, allowing him to divine your information across a span of a hundred thousand years and orchestrate the Heavenly Sword Sect to serve you.

As for the second possibility...

A golden talent flashed through your mind.

Legend of a Generation.

This was the talent calculated and awarded after your fourth simulation ended. It was of golden quality and had numerous restrictions. However, it allowed you to initiate a new simulation where the timeline wouldn't be restricted to the near-ancient era.

In other words, theoretically, this talent could place you in the ancient era.

It presented the possibility of interacting with the Sword Lord. Or perhaps you were the Sword Lord? Or a close friend or senior of his? In any case, it meant you might become acquainted with the Sword Lord and leave a 'backdoor' in advance, turning Heavenly Sword Peak into your ultimate backing.

Your thoughts swirled in endless directions.

Of course, aside from these two possibilities, there were countless others.

For example, the Sword Lord might also be a transmigrator who traveled from the future to the ancient era, knew of your future achievements, and set up this arrangement accordingly...

However, the likelihood of those scenarios was small—virtually nonexistent, in fact.

Hum—

Right at that moment.

A burly man appeared inside the grand hall. You couldn't tell when he had arrived.

His hair hung loose and disheveled, and between his brows sat the same sword-shaped seal. His entire aura blended seamlessly with heaven and earth.

"Heavenly Monarch," the peak master spoke up immediately.

"You are the predestined person our Heavenly Sword Peak has been waiting for."

The disheveled man's eyes shone brightly. "I want to verify it one more time."

Despite the peak master's prior confirmation, the disheveled man still didn't blindly trust it. The predestined person was far too important to Heavenly Sword Peak; they would even influence the future course of the entire Human Realm.

Following that, the Heavenly Sword Sect's five Grandmasters—of Divination, Alchemy, Talismans, Puppetry, and Arrays—filed in once again.

Originally, these five Grandmasters were feeling somewhat impatient. Even if it was the peak master giving the orders, being ordered around like this would typically draw their complaints.

As Fourth Tier High Grade Grandmasters, their status was incredibly high even within Heavenly Sword Peak, especially since one of them was a Divination Great Grandmaster.

But upon seeing the Heavenly Monarch present and realizing it was his demand, the five Grandmasters immediately behaved themselves and obediently repeated the verification process.

Once the final Grandmaster left, the disheveled man closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, he stepped right up to you and gave a slight bow. "I, Extreme Sword, greet fellow Daoist. From this day onward, fellow Daoist is the true master of Heavenly Sword Peak and may command all forces both inside and outside the sect."

"All Sword Cultivators in the Human Realm will heed fellow Daoist's orders."

Hearing a Heavenly Monarch of Heavenly Sword Peak say this personally, you couldn't help but hold your breath. This meant that even Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword would have to follow your commands.

Commanding a Heavenly Monarch? What kind of unimaginable fortune was this? What kind of overwhelming advantage?

"I wish to break through to the Deity Transformation Stage. What kind of assistance can Heavenly Sword Peak provide?"

Gathering your thoughts, you immediately asked.

Your most pressing priority right now was still to break through to Deity Transformation.

Ordering around a Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch was certainly thrilling, but it couldn't compare to becoming one yourself.

"Our Heavenly Sword Peak possesses a cultivation cave abode connected to the origin of the Heavenly Sword. Breaking through there will weaken the power of the Five Elements Thunder Tribulation and reduce the threat of the Annihilation Tribulation..."

Heavenly Monarch Extreme Sword answered immediately.

The fact that Heavenly Sword Peak could guarantee an unbroken lineage of Heavenly Monarchs generation after generation was partly due to that very cave abode.

Of the Three Trials of Deity Transformation, that cave abode could actually suppress both the Annihilation Tribulation and the Five Elements Thunder Tribulation. It was simply unbelievable.

The Annihilation Tribulation and the Five Elements Thunder Tribulation stemmed directly from heaven and earth. To suppress and weaken these two trials... didn't that mean it could directly influence the very laws of the Human Realm?

"A cave abode like that actually exists?" You were incredibly amazed, and at the same time, you realized that this had to be the true foundational strength behind the Heavenly Sword Sect's status as the 'One Peak' of the Human Realm.

...

Over at the Extreme Dao Pavilion, Grand Cultivator Mangyan immediately relayed the news of your entry into Heavenly Sword Peak to Heavenly Monarch Qingcang.

Right now, every major faction across the Central Continent Territory was keeping a close eye on the movements of True Monarch Golden Face.

"There is no need to worry."

Heavenly Monarch Qingcang's tone was casual. "Heavenly Sword Peak is not so easy to talk to. That little Golden Face will likely suffer a major loss there. When that happens, he will naturally come crawling back with his tail between his legs to accept my conditions."