Chapter 242 - 222: Overlord

Chapter 242: Chapter 222: Overlord

The members of the Panshi Sect took their seats in the designated area of the Observation Platform. Chen Yue sat not far from Meng Yu Jin, his calm gaze sweeping across the Martial Arts Arena.

More and more people filled the stands, the banners of the various Sects fluttering in the wind.

A moment later, a new Sect contingent entered the Martial Arts Arena. This time, it was the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace.

The disciples of the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace were uniformly dressed in deep purple martial attire, the edges of their robes embroidered with dark, phantom lotus patterns. They moved without a sound.

Their expressions were mostly indifferent, their gazes cold and sinister, and they exuded an unapproachable air.

The expressions of Meng Yu Jin, Mo Ciqiu, and Liu Zhengyi instantly turned grave the moment they saw the group from the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace.

Their eyes cut through the crowd, locking onto a particular figure within the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace contingent.

Chen Yue followed their gaze and his eyes landed on one man.

The man walked at the forefront of the Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace group. He had a slender build and a fair complexion, appearing to be in his early thirties. A faint, almost imperceptible smile played on his lips.

He wore a long, deep purple robe with an ancient-looking longsword hanging from his waist, and his pace was unhurried.

Unlike the sinister air of the other Ten Thousand Ghosts Palace disciples, this man’s first impression was one of gentleness. He seemed more like a well-read scholar than a Martial Artist.

"That’s Zou Guanyu."

Mo Ciqiu’s voice entered Chen Yue’s ears like a fine thread, using the Secret Transmission technique. "If you run into him in the future, be sure to avoid him."

Chen Yue nodded slightly, saying nothing.

As if sensing the almost tangible gazes of Meng Yu Jin and the others, Zou Guanyu slowly raised his head. His eyes passed through the crowd and landed precisely on the area where the Panshi Sect was seated.

When he saw Meng Yu Jin, Mo Ciqiu, and Liu Zhengyi, the smile on his face didn’t vanish. Instead, it grew even gentler.

He even gave a slight nod toward the three of them, his posture like that of someone greeting a long-lost friend.

But just a few days ago, this was the very person who had ambushed the three of them in a Ghost Realm, nearly leading them to their deaths in that Ghost Realm.

After his gaze swept over the faces of Meng Yu Jin and the other two, Zou Guanyu’s eyes began to move slowly again, scanning the other Panshi Sect disciples present.

Finally, his gaze stopped, landing on Chen Yue.

He looked at Chen Yue, and the smile on his face widened. It was a smile filled with intrigued assessment.

Seeing Zou Guanyu’s gaze land on Chen Yue, the expressions of Meng Yu Jin and the other two instantly grew even more grave.

Mo Ciqiu’s hand involuntarily tightened on his chair’s armrest. Liu Zhengyi, whose face was usually wreathed in smiles, now turned completely cold, a frosty glint flashing in his eyes.

Chen Yue’s eyes narrowed slightly. He said nothing, simply committing Zou Guanyu’s face to memory.

A moment later, the disciples from the remaining Major Sects had all arrived.

In addition, quite a few disciples from smaller Sects had also come. The rest were Loose Cultivators at the Refining Organ Realm.

These Loose Cultivators participated in the grand competition for a different reason than the Sect disciples. They hoped to perform outstandingly and use this opportunity to catch the eye of the Divine Forest Prefecture and be recruited by them.

In past Celestial State Prefecture grand competitions, some Loose Cultivators had indeed managed to enter the Divine Forest Prefecture this way.

Another quarter of an hour passed.

Suddenly, an immense pressure, like an invisible canopy, descended upon the entire Martial Arts Arena.

The bustling Martial Arts Arena fell silent in an instant. Everyone involuntarily lifted their heads, looking in the direction the pressure was coming from.

Dozens of figures were seen slowly descending from the sky.

They weren’t relying on any Spirit Soldiers or employing any Body Techniques; they were simply descending.

Chen Yue subconsciously turned his head, his gaze landing on the person in the lead.

The man appeared to be in his early fifties. Three strands of a long beard drifted over his chest. He wore a navy-blue brocade robe fastened with a Jade Belt, and his demeanor was both scholarly and majestic.

He was at the Peak of Innate Realm, but the feeling he gave off was completely different from Song Mingke.

Song Mingke felt like a treasured saber, cracked yet still incomparably sharp.

This man before him, however, was like a bottomless lake—calm on the surface, but with boundless power hidden beneath.

His control over the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi was a cut above the Sword Momentum that Song Mingke had displayed at the Liuyun Sword Sect.

And the dozens of peak Refining Organ Realm cultivators behind him were able to achieve Soaring in the Void entirely because this Peak Innate Realm Powerhouse was using his own control over the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi to lift them all up together.

"This is the steward of the Divine Forest Prefecture’s outer court, Guo Zhuo."

Meng Yu Jin’s voice entered Chen Yue’s ears like a fine thread. "He reached the Peak of Innate Realm decades ago. I’ve heard he once consumed a life-extending Spirit Grass, so his lifespan is much longer than that of ordinary Innate Realm powerhouses.

’Judging by his appearance now, his aura is still at its peak. He might even have a chance to break through to the Acupoint Integration Realm in the future.’"

Chen Yue nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on Guo Zhuo for a few extra moments.

Not far away, Song Mingke was also looking at Guo Zhuo, his eyes holding a complicated expression.

He and Guo Zhuo were Martial Artists from the same era.

But now, over a hundred years later, he was old and decrepit, his life force nearly spent, like an oil lamp about to burn out.

Guo Zhuo, however, was still at the peak of his power, and it looked as though he had plenty of time left to pursue higher realms.

Song Mingke slowly withdrew his gaze. He said nothing, only letting out a nearly inaudible sigh.

"Greetings, Elder Guo!"

The Innate Realm Elders from the various sects all stood up, clasping their fists in salute to the descending Guo Zhuo.

Guo Zhuo, his face wreathed in smiles, returned the gestures one by one with a composed air.

Behind this composure lay the undisputed, supreme power in the Celestial State Prefecture.

Guo Zhuo’s gaze swept across the entire arena. He began to speak slowly, his voice not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present:

"The Celestial State grand competition is merely for sparring and martial discussion, to foster camaraderie between the sects. Know when to stop. Taking a life and breaking the rules is forbidden."

As he spoke, he gave a light wave of his right hand. Several Innate Spiritual Objects flew out from his sleeve, drifting slowly in mid-air as if pulled by invisible threads, hovering above the Martial Arts Arena.

The Spiritual Objects had various forms. One was a Lingzhi, crystalline all over and emitting a faint blue halo.

Another was a fist-sized ore, inside which a golden liquid seemed to flow.

There was a piece of withered wood, completely black but shimmering with a warm luster, and a longan-sized pearl that emitted a soft white light...

Each Spiritual Object was surrounded by dense fluctuations of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. Even from hundreds of feet away, one could clearly feel the immense energy contained within.

"These are some of the Innate Spiritual Objects the prefecture has prepared for this competition."

Guo Zhuo said with a smile, his tone casual, as if these treasures—which would make Innate Realm powerhouses fight over them in the outside world—were nothing but insignificant trinkets in his eyes.

The eyes of every Refining Organ Realm disciple present lit up the moment they saw those Innate Spiritual Objects.

This was why they participated in the Celestial State grand competition—for these Innate Spiritual Objects.

As for fame and honor, those were secondary. Innate Spiritual Objects were tangible benefits. They could be used for cultivation, for Alchemy, for breaking through bottlenecks, and even for refining Spirit Soldiers.

A single high-quality Innate Spiritual Object could make a Martial Artist’s future cultivation path much smoother.

After waiting for everyone’s gaze to withdraw from the Innate Spiritual Objects, Guo Zhuo spoke again with a smile, his tone still gentle. "There is one more matter that I’ll have to trouble you all with."

He paused, then continued, "After this competition ends, I hope that each sect can send some disciples from the Refining Organ Realm to assist the prefecture in entering a Ghost Realm. Inside that Ghost Realm is the Qilin Stone that the prefecture needs.

"That Ghost Realm is quite special. If an Innate Realm powerhouse enters, they will directly shatter its structure, destroying all the Spiritual Objects within. Therefore, only disciples of the Refining Organ Realm can enter to collect it."

Hearing Guo Zhuo’s words, the Innate Realm Elders from the various sects present all frowned slightly.

Qilin Stone, a Spiritual Object of extreme hardness and pure Yang energy, paradoxically grew in large quantities in Ghost Realms or places with extremely dense Yin Qi. It had wide applications but was incredibly difficult to harvest.

The upper echelons of the various sects were well aware that the Divine Forest Prefecture had been continuously collecting Qilin Stone.

But in the past, the Divine Forest Prefecture had mostly sent its own people to collect it or issued missions for Loose Cultivators to handle.

This time, however, they were demanding that every sect send people. Clearly, the Divine Forest Prefecture didn’t want to bear all the risks and losses itself.

Guo Zhuo continued to smile as if he hadn’t noticed the slightly furrowed brows of the sects’ Elders.

"There’s strength in numbers, after all. When the time comes, you can bring the Qilin Stone you acquire to the prefecture in exchange for Elixirs, Secret Manuals, or any other resources you desire. Everything is negotiable. This matter is settled."

Upon hearing this, none of the Elders from the various sects voiced any objection, because there was no room for objection.

In the Celestial State Prefecture, the Divine Forest Prefecture was the undisputed strongest power—an absolute hegemon capable of suppressing all Six Sects with its own strength alone, leaving them unable to resist.

Recently, Ghostly Creatures had been appearing frequently near the Prefecture City, and many of the various missions undertaken by the sects were, in fact, handed down by the Divine Forest Prefecture. The sects could only carry them out.

Under normal circumstances, the Divine Forest Prefecture wouldn’t compete with the various sects for benefits, because the greatest benefits were already held firmly in its own hands.

As for the peripheral benefits, the sects were free to compete for them among themselves. The Divine Forest Prefecture couldn’t be bothered to interfere.

But once the Divine Forest Prefecture issued a command, the sects had to execute it well. There was no room for negotiation.

Decades ago, the area around the Celestial State Prefecture didn’t just have the Three Palaces, Two Gates, and One Sect. There was another Sect called the Celestial Rain Sect, whose strength was in no way inferior to the other Six Sects.

But that Sect was razed to the ground overnight by the Divine Forest Prefecture. Its remaining disciples scattered and fled, their whereabouts unknown.

It was that battle that truly established the Divine Forest Prefecture’s hegemonic status in the Celestial State Prefecture. Since then, no Sect has ever dared to challenge the authority of the Divine Forest Prefecture.