Chapter 2070: Summit

The farce of the Great Monkey of Destruction insisting on taking half of the Lamp-Bearing Buddha’s horn was merely a brief interlude before the high-level meeting began.

Even overlord-level beings had an ordinary side. Once one interacted with them, it became clear that these majestic beings who stood above countless lives were not always as distant or unapproachable as others imagined.

Sometimes, they even joked and bickered among themselves.

The last few figures to arrive, however, held rather special status.

When Nezha, the renowned sage-level powerhouse of the Chan Sect, entered the venue on her Wind-Fire Wheels, the murmurs within the conference hall immediately died away.[1]

Wukong greeted her with a nod. The two were pretty good friends and had known each other for hundreds of thousands of years.

However, Wukong’s relationship with another renowned sage of the Chan Sect—Yang Jian, who was also known as Erlang True Lord—was somewhat strained.

He glanced behind Nezha and, as expected, saw no sign of Yang Jian. The Chan Sect had not sent him this time.

Sending Nezha to attend this high-level meeting on the Magus Civilization’s battlefield had undoubtedly been an excellent choice.

Nezha was one of the few sage-level powerhouses of the Chan Sect who maintained close ties with the Magus Civilization.

With a Rank Eight life level, Nezha also possessed more than enough strength and status to represent the Chan Sect at such an occasion.

The past several hundred thousand years had been crazy. As the Immortal Realm continued its relentless outward expansion, top-tier powerhouses and exceptional talents emerged one after another.

Nezha, Yang Jian, and several others were the clearest examples. Despite being only third-generation disciples, they had gradually attained strength and prestige that surpassed even their own masters and many senior members of the sect.

A true genius would never remain buried as long as they were given even the slightest opportunity to grow.

By comparison, Guang Chengzi—the foremost disciple of Celestial Venerable Yuanshi—possessed only peak Rank Seven strength and had already been surpassed by these two junior disciples.

Since Celestial Venerable Yuanshi rarely left the Jade Void Palace on Mount Kunlun, the Chan Sect’s most prominent public figures were now Erlang True Lord Yang Jian and Third Princess Nezha.

Below them were the various heavenly courts affiliated with the Chan Sect.[2]

After Nezha arrived, Bi’an of the Dragon Clan, the Lamp-Bearing Buddha of the Buddhist faction, and Immortal Emperor Qinghua of the Jie Sect all nodded to her in greeting.

No matter how fiercely the various sage courts of the Immortal Realm competed behind the scenes, they still maintained a harmonious facade in public.

The most important figures were often the last to arrive.

When Lady Bev, leader of the Magus Civilization, entered the hall alongside two other women, every overlord and sage-level powerhouse present rose to greet her.

In truth, nearly half of the overlords in the hall were stronger than Bev.

As Rank Eight powerhouses, they stood near the very pinnacle of the Astral Realm. Within their respective civilizations and races, each was a supreme figure whose every action could send ripples through countless planes.

However, Lady Bev represented the Magus Civilization—and, by extension, the entire Magus Alliance.

Therefore, even the Rank Eight overlords from other civilizations had to show her the utmost respect.

Unless, of course, they wished to make an enemy of the entire Magus Civilization.

Upon entering the hall, Lady Bev turned toward Wukong with a smile.

“On my way here, I heard that you and the Lamp-Bearing Buddha were fighting over a treasure. I also heard that you suffered severe injuries during this war,” she said. “Rest assured, the Magus Civilization will compensate you for your losses and cover the cost of your recovery. We’ll find a way to help you restore the overlord soul you depleted as well.”

The Great Monkey of Destruction had always known when he could push his luck and when it was wiser to back down.

Only moments ago, he had been shamelessly wrestling the Lamp-Bearing Buddha for a treasure. Yet after hearing Lady Bev’s words, he suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

“Uh... I didn’t mean it like that...” Wukong sighed, then mumbled, “My injuries aren’t that serious either... I only lost a fair bit of fur in this war.”

“Other than that, I’m perfectly fine,” he added, trying to keep up appearances.

Wukong’s master was Lady Bev’s father—the former Rank Nine Supreme Knight Overlord of the Magus Civilization and supreme wielder of the power of destruction.

Wukong could throw a tantrum and shamelessly demand treasures from the Buddhist faction, but how could he bring himself to ask his master’s daughter for excessive compensation?

Even his decision to rush to the Magus Civilization’s aid had been entirely voluntary. He had never come here seeking personal gain from the war.

The Great Sage of Demonic Heaven, Li Qingshan, was in much the same situation.

The law power of emotions he wielded had been inherited from the Supreme Knight Overlord, yet in this particular field, Li Qingshan might have already surpassed his master.

Wukong’s statement was mostly just him keeping up appearances, but there was still some truth to it.

Ever since the Teyran War began winding down, he realized there really had not been much fur left on his body.

From the back of his head downward, he had plucked out every single hair he could reach!

The Destruction Legion under Wukong’s command was not limitless. It was not as though he could conjure as many troops as he pleased.

Each combat unit could be regarded as one strand of fur from his body.

Damn it—even as furry as he was, plucking at that rate would still leave him bare!

His fur required time to grow back, which meant Wukong genuinely needed a long period of recuperation.

Although the Magus Civilization had maintained a visible advantage since the Clash of Civilizations began, that did not mean it had escaped without suffering heavy losses of its own.

Nergal, the Rank Eight black mage, Valter, the Rank Seven black knight, and quite a number of other severely wounded powerhouses were still recuperating in Magus World.

That was not even counting the soul overmages and knight overlords who had already fallen.

Several overlords of the Magus Alliance had also perished.

Before this top-tier Clash of Civilizations began, Magus World’s leadership had estimated that it could withstand the loss of no more than half of its overlord-level combat power.

Even then, the Magus Civilization would need at least ten thousand years after the war to recover before it could properly address the threat posed by the Amenkha Empire.

Fortunately, the Immortal Realm’s entry into the war had shifted the situation far more favorably than the Magus Civilization’s leadership had anticipated.

Their greatest concern now was whether the Gallant Federation would launch one final, desperate counterattack.

Meanwhile, after securing major military gains and stabilising the front against the Amenkha Empire, the Magus Civilization had begun advancing at a steady and methodical pace.

A closer look revealed that its military advance over the past five hundred years had slowed considerably compared to the preceding millennia.

Having already secured a commanding advantage, the Magus Civilization was in no hurry. It was perfectly willing to play the long game.

Under such immense external pressure, the Gallant Federation might eventually collapse beneath the weight of its own long-simmering internal tensions.

That was the conclusion several soul overmages of the Magus Civilization had reached through divination.

Within ten thousand years at most, major turmoil would inevitably erupt within the Gallant Federation!

In fact, it might happen much sooner!

Five thousand years!

Within that short span, the Gallant Federation would lose too many colonial planets, resources, and stretches of territory to sustain itself.

Eventually, it would collapse from within.

After all, the federation operated according to rules very different from those of Magus World.

Under the leadership of its overlord-level powerhouses, Magus World could grit its teeth and endure even the direst circumstances.

The Gallant Federation, however, was another matter entirely.

Push things too far there, and its citizens might just beat their president’s brains out!

This was one of the fundamental differences between the two civilizations.

Magus World’s leadership understood this clearly, which was why they were in no hurry.

The conquest of the Gallant Federation had originally been projected to conclude within the twenty thousand years following the 25th Magus Alliance Conference. So far, everything remained well within the Magus Civilization leadership’s pre-war projections.

Now that the campaign appeared likely to end even sooner, even Lady Bev could not suppress the faint smile that crossed her face.

While the Great Monkey of Destruction and the Great Sage of Demonic Heaven had travelled to the Valthwain Star Domain to attend the high-level talks, the legions of Elven World and Beastmen World had taken over the campaign there.

On that front, the Magus Civilization was still pursuing the Gallant Federation’s routed forces.

Aside from Lady Bev herself, the two women who had entered alongside her also drew the attention and curiosity of the overlord-level powerhouses present.

The Lamp-Bearing Buddha and the others focused primarily on the woman standing to Lady Bev’s right.

Although she had suppressed most of her aura, the Lamp-Bearing Buddha could tell at a glance that he was most likely no match for her!

Liese, the Empress of Blades of the Insectoids, had also come to the Valthwain Star Domain to attend this high-level summit.

Sein, who had likewise arrived in the star domain, knew nothing about her presence there.

Standing to Lady Bev’s left was Gongsun Wudi, Princess Guardian of the Dawn Empire.

She possessed the lowest life level of anyone in the hall and was the only attendee who had not yet reached the Overlord Realm.

“Allow me to introduce my two younger sisters,” Lady Bev said with a smile, presenting Liese and Gongsun Wudi to the Immortal Realm powerhouses before her.

For some of those present, this was indeed their first meeting.

While the Lamp-Bearing Buddha, Immortal Emperor Qinghua, and several others kept most of their attention on the Empress of Blades, Nezha of the Chan Sect turned instead toward Gongsun Wudi.

A thoughtful expression crossed her face.

1. Translator’s Note: Nezha has been mentioned back in Chapter 2023, but I will formally introduce her again now! He (yes, he) is a famous child warrior deity from Chinese mythology and religious tradition, particularly Taoism and Buddhism. Nezha is often associated with youthful rebellion, fierce loyalty, and rebirth. Some of his most famous stories appear in Ming Dynasty classics such as Investiture of the Gods and Journey to the West. However, in this novel, Nezha is female.

In Chinese folk religion, Nezha is also worshipped as a protective deity for travellers and professional drivers. Since he is famously depicted speeding through the skies on his Wind-Fire Wheels, truck drivers, taxi drivers, tour bus drivers, and others sometimes place a small statue of Nezha inside their vehicles for protection and a safe journey.

Here's a lore-accurate depiction of him in child form:

<img title="" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55504133267_1c035c8f4c_w.jpg">And his adult form:

<img title="" src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55505235608_7a3c0b85e7_w.jpg">The twin hair buns are so iconic! ??

☜

2. Author’s Note: The Chan Sect was a top-tier power in the Immortal Realm that held influence over the greatest number of heavenly courts. ☜