Chapter 674: Red Sun Dao Fruit

"Thank you for your grace, True Monarch!"

Bi Yuan and the others were moved to tears, their hearts surging with boundless excitement.

When one person achieves the Dao, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.

They had leaped from a remote Spirit Peak to become disciples of one of the Nine Great Immortal Mountains. This turn of fortune was the envy of countless disciples in the Primordial Sect.

Everyone secretly resolved to seize this once-in-a-millennium opportunity.

Xu Yunfan took this in and nodded to himself. His gaze swept over Bi Yuan's group, and seeing their slightly reserved expressions as they looked at him, he couldn't help but sigh internally.

With such a vast difference in strength, a certain stiffness had inevitably crept into their interactions, even though their relationship remained close.

There was nothing Xu Yunfan could do about it.

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After completely settling the Mountain Gate Disciples, refining the Origin of Divine Sky Mountain, stabilizing his Golden Core Realm, and completing the initial setup of the Mountain Protection Array,

Xu Yunfan finally turned his full Heart and Spirit to the path of the Dao after the Golden Core.

The next steps were Nurturing Heaven and devouring Dao Fruits.

The path was clear and distinct. Next, he just needed to continuously stabilize his Grotto Heaven Dao Fruit.

This was the essence of the Golden Core.

And to advance further, one had to devour other Dao Fruits.

He performed Introspection on his Dantian. The Divine Sky Golden Core was a dazzling purple-gold, and within it, the Grotto Heaven Embryo slowly revolved.

The Divine Sky Dao Fruit governed destruction and creation. It was supremely firm and Yang, but a solitary Yang could not last long.

If he wanted his Grotto Heaven to stabilize and remain suspended, for its Laws to generate on their own, to in turn nourish his Golden Core and his body, he had to reach the Mid-Stage Golden Core Realm where the Grotto Heaven would not fall.

To do so, he had to introduce the Power of Dao Fruit from another source to harmonize and catalyze the process, creating a cycle.

The ideal target was the Light-Departing Flame Red Sun Dao Fruit belonging to that Red Sun True Monarch from the Wansheng Sword Sect.

This Dao Fruit had similar properties to his Divine Sky Dao Fruit; both were of the Supreme Yang attribute.

If he could merge with it, the Yang Fire would generate Yang Thunder, or the Yang Thunder would stimulate the Yang Fire. The power would surely skyrocket, enough for him to rapidly advance to the peak of the Early-Stage Golden Core Realm, and even glimpse the threshold of the Middle Stage.

But Xu Yunfan knew full well that this was practically equivalent to declaring war on the Wansheng Sword Sect.

Perhaps the Wansheng Sword Sect wouldn't care too much if a Qi Cultivation disciple or even a Foundation Establishment Daoist Master died.

After all, True Monarchs were on the same level. When faced with a common interest, even if they looked at each other with disdain, they could still sit down and work together.

But scheming for a True Monarch's Dao Fruit was a different matter entirely. The dangers involved were self-evident.

The slightest misstep would result in him being ganged up on, and True Monarch Pu Du would definitely not lift a finger to save him.

The Red Sun True Monarch's Divine Power Technique would also instinctively covet Xu Yunfan's Divine Sky Dao Fruit, like the poles of a Magnetic Stone that both attract and repel.

They were natural-born, irreconcilable enemies in the struggle for the Dao.

"Li Guang Ranyan Red Sun True Monarch..."

Xu Yunfan muttered the name, a Purple Gold Thunder Light flickering in his eyes.

His foundation was only just stabilized. If he rashly confronted this veteran True Monarch, his chances of victory were slim. A direct, forceful approach was the worst possible strategy.

Naturally, ever since learning this information, Xu Yunfan had begun consciously gathering all intelligence on the Red Sun True Monarch.

Through the Primordial Sect's internal intelligence channels, as well as by subtly probing some well-informed Foundation Establishment Great Daoist Masters, Xu Yunfan gradually pieced together a profile of the Red Sun True Monarch.

His personality was like his Dao Fruit: violent as fire. He was known within the Wansheng Sword Sect for his formidable combat prowess and explosive temper.

His methods against enemies were brutal, and he believed the only purpose of the Sword Dao was to kill.

His Daoist Techniques were also highly distinctive. The Light-Departing Flame Red Sun Dao Fruit granted him terrifying Fire Divine Techniques capable of incinerating the heavens and boiling the seas. His Sword Intent was scorching and tyrannical, and he particularly excelled at large-scale, incinerating Swordsmanship. A single slash of his sword could turn a thousand miles into scorched earth.

His Lifebound Flying Sword, Fen Ji, was also infamously notorious.

In terms of his relationships, he was not on good terms with the Sect Leader of the Wansheng Sword Sect, Ancestral Master Chunyang, Lv Chunyang. Xu Yunfan could guess why—after all, both the Red Sun True Monarch and True Monarch Tong Xuan were from the Direct Lineage of the Wansheng Sword Sect.

Meanwhile, Ancestral Master Chunyang was an outsider, a "muddy-legged" commoner, whom they had always looked down upon and couldn't get along with.

This was despite Ancestral Master Chunyang being a Mid-Stage Golden Core cultivator, currently the strongest in the Wansheng Sword Sect.

He also had a long-standing feud with another True Monarch in the sect, the Eternal Celestial Light True Monarch of Arctic Peak. Due to conflicting philosophies—one advocating for ultimate destruction, the other for universal celestial light—they had clashed many times.

As for the Puchen Pure Land, he had accumulated countless blood debts and was one of the Sword Sect True Monarchs most hated by the Buddhist Cultivators.

He was permanently stationed on Red Sun Peak, one of the Twelve Sword Peaks of the Wansheng Sword Sect. However, he was bellicose by nature and often took the initiative to patrol the borders, especially enjoying causing trouble for the Puchen Pure Land and the Primordial Sect.

Many Foundation Establishment Daoist Masters from the Primordial Sect had fallen to his cruel hands. It was said that True Monarch Qing Yuan had also clashed with this Red Sun True Monarch repeatedly in the past.

His Dao field, Red Sun Peak, was heavily restricted and saturated with a dense concentration of Fire Element Law, making it difficult for outsiders to enter.

While collecting and organizing this intelligence, Xu Yunfan also tried to use his Divine Thought to sense the third Dao Fruit, which could theoretically be used for harmonization.

The Taiyin Nether Dragon Fruit from the Sea of Suffering Reincarnation.

This Dao Fruit was of the Supreme Yin and Cold, governing reflection and tranquility. It formed a stark Yin and Yang opposition to the Divine Sky's violent destruction.

If he could use the gentle yin power of the Taiyin Nether Dragon Dao Fruit to harmonize the Supreme Yang and Firm nature of the Divine Sky, and then use the Pure Yang Fire of the Red Sun True Monarch's Dao Fruit as a central mediator or catalyst, he could form an initial triangular cycle of Taiyin, Divine Sky, and Red Sun. This would lay an unparalleled Dao Foundation.

However, no matter how he activated his Divine Sky Golden Core or extended his Divine Thought toward the distant Sea of Suffering Reincarnation, it was like a stone sinking into the ocean—he found nothing.

The Sea of Suffering Reincarnation was mysterious and unpredictable, isolating the inside from the out. It was impossible to explore without going there in person.

'It seems the trip to the Sea of Suffering Reincarnation will have to be postponed for now.'

Xu Yunfan frowned slightly, refocusing his attention on the Red Sun Dao Fruit before him.

A direct confrontation would surely get him surrounded; Xu Yunfan knew he had to plot this out carefully.

'Could I leverage the Puchen Pure Land? The Red Sun True Monarch and the Puchen Pure Land share a deep-seated hatred; they are absolute mortal enemies.'

'If I can cleverly exploit the Puchen Pure Land's hatred for the Red Sun True Monarch, instigate or escalate a conflict between them, and even create an opportunity for a Puchen Pure Land expert to seriously injure Red Sun at any cost, then I could pull the chestnuts out of the fire.'

'But that would require precise intelligence and perfect timing.'

'Besides, the Wansheng Sword Sect isn't a monolith.'

'The conflict between the Red Sun True Monarch and the Eternal Celestial Light True Monarch of Arctic Peak is an opening.'

'If I can find a way to intensify their conflict, trigger internal strife, or use that Arctic Peak True Monarch to weaken Red Sun, that would be an excellent plan.'

'The Red Sun True Monarch has a violent personality. The extremely rigid is easy to break—that's his weakness.'

'If I can find someone or something he cares about, or a critical juncture in his Cultivation, that would be the best time to make a move.'

'At the same time, could I establish some kind of tacit cooperation with True Monarch Dong Ming, or even with Ancestral Master Chunyang, who did me the favor of teaching me the Dao and protecting me?'

'After all, within the Wansheng Sword Sect, the lines between the Direct Lineage and the humble-born are drawn very clearly.'

'Of course, cooperating with Ancestral Master Chunyang would be extremely risky. His position is sensitive, and it could easily trigger a conflict between our two sects. I must be extremely cautious.'

Xu Yunfan wasn't impatient. He knew that Golden Core True Monarchs had long lifespans, and the struggle for the Dao was a protracted war.

Stabilizing his own Realm and increasing his strength was the most fundamental thing.

Just as Xu Yunfan was engrossed in his planning, he keenly sensed that the vast aura of True Monarch Dong Ming, which had been entrenched on Profound Evil Mountain like the Nine Nether Profound Evil itself, discerning all thoughts, had vanished without a trace.