Chapter 449 - 399: Great War of the True Monarchs

Above the Celestial Vault, the magnificent aura descending from the All Marvelous Heaven continued to flow ceaselessly around the Holy Essence Wenqu Star Monarch.

Qi Yun stood with his hands behind his back, a smile slowly deepening on his face as he watched the scene before him.

Success.

Using a hundred saints and sages as kindling, the Gods Sealing List as a Furnace Cauldron, and Creation and Life as the spark.

Before the eyes of all, he had forcibly created an existence that carried the Wenqu Fruit Position!

Although that Fruit Position was only a phantom, not a true True Monarch’s station.

But that sliver of favor from the All Marvelous Heaven was enough to make every Great Master present feel a tremor originating from the depths of their Divine Soul.

What did this mean?

It meant that as long as the Holy Essence Wenqu Star Monarch continued to accumulate the fortune of the literary lineage, one day...

He would surely be able to truly bear that Fruit Position and become a Confucian Dao True Monarch!

And at that time, this True Monarch would no longer be a True Monarch of the Vast Sacred Land.

But rather—

A True Monarch personally deified by him, Qi Yun!

...

Within the Vast Sacred Land’s camp, Huangfu Qianqiu’s right hand subconsciously clenched into a fist.

That hand, which on any other day would be holding a Scripture Scroll, was always as warm and smooth as jade, always radiating compassion and composure.

But at this moment, the veins on the back of that hand bulged violently.

His knuckles turned a deathly pale.

The gentleness and compassion that had remained unchanged on his face for ten thousand years now vanished completely.

In its place was a killing intent the likes of which he had never felt in his entire life.

The killing intent was so thick, so blazing, it almost materialized, ready to erupt from his eyes, which were as deep as ancient wells!

’Using the myriad sages of my Confucian Dao as kindling!’

’Using the foundation of my Vast Sacred Land to adorn another!’

’In front of all the Cultivators in the world, you forcibly create a false saint who has stolen the Wenqu Fruit Position!’

’What kind of humiliation is this?’

’What kind of arrogance?’

’What kind of—’

’He deserves to die!’

The Vast Righteous aura around Huangfu Qianqiu boiled over violently!

The righteous aura was so blazing and immense it nearly shattered the Celestial Vault!

The void beneath his feet trembled violently, as if unable to bear the cataclysmic rage he was about to unleash!

He was going to strike!

’Even if I have to use every dirty trick in the book, I will exterminate this great thief who has stolen the Dao!’

But in the very instant he was about to make his move—!

A glint of sword light.

A glint of sword light—so fine as to be imperceptible, yet containing the fundamental rules of Heaven and Earth—shot out from the depths of the void without any warning!

The sword light was too fine, as fine as a strand of hair; too fast, so fast it surpassed all perception; too hidden, so hidden that not a single Great Master present noticed it!

It shot straight and silently toward the spot between the eyebrows of the Holy Essence Wenqu Star Monarch in the Celestial Vault—piercing through!

Within the sword light was a terrifying power sufficient to sever karma and obliterate existence!

If it were to strike its target, forget the newly formed Holy Essence Wenqu Star Monarch.

Even a true True Monarch would have a hundred years of their cultivation shaved off!

But just at the critical moment, as the sword light was about to touch the Holy Essence Wenqu Star Monarch’s brow—

A pair of long, pale fingers emerged from the void and gently pinched.

The terrifying sword light, powerful enough to sever karma, was caught between those two fingers, unable to move.

Like a venomous snake seized by its vital point.

"Tsk."

An extremely soft click of the tongue, tinged with faint mockery, echoed from the void.

The two fingers flicked lightly.

CRACK—!

The sword light shattered with a bang, dissolving into countless fine motes of light that dissipated into the void.

As if it had never existed.

The void rippled like water.

A figure in a long, black robe slowly walked out from the rippling void.

His face was as cold and hard as ten-thousand-year-old frost iron, his expression devoid of emotion. Only his eyes, which could freeze all creation, were bottomlessly deep.

The True Monarch of No Dao Extreme Law.

He stood there before the Holy Essence Wenqu Star Monarch, hands clasped behind his back, his gaze sweeping indifferently toward the depths of the Vast Sacred Land’s camp.

Wherever his gaze landed, the Vast Righteous aura seemed to freeze for an instant.

He slowly began to speak. His voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of every Cultivator, carrying a unique texture like ancient frost iron grinding together:

"Why is it that even a Saint of Confucianism, which has always valued etiquette and rules..."

He paused slightly, the corner of his mouth curling into a very faint, mocking arc.

"...must resort to such a sordid sneak attack?"

As his voice fell, the hearts of all the Great Masters present seized up at the same time!

’A True Monarch!’

’A True Monarch has arrived!’

’There’s no mistaking it!’

San Si Master, Lady Jiu Li, Master Revolving Wheel, and the three Crown Princes of the Dragon Palace all tensed up, involuntarily taking several steps back.

And from the depths of the Vast Sacred Land’s camp, an ancient yet resonant voice slowly rang out:

"Look not at what is improper, listen not to what is improper, speak not of what is improper, and do not act improperly."

"These are the teachings of my Confucian Sect’s ancient sages."

The voice was not loud, yet every word was like the tolling of a bell, echoing between Heaven and Earth, carrying a firmness that had remained unshaken through countless eons.

"However, there is also—"

"If this can be tolerated, then what cannot be tolerated!"

The instant his voice fell—

An old man with white hair and beard, dressed in simple, ancient Confucian robes, slowly walked out from the depths of the Vast Sacred Land’s camp.

With every step he took, golden characters materialized beneath his feet, forming a path paved with the writings of saints and sages.

Upon that path, the five virtues of "Benevolence, Righteousness, Propriety, Wisdom, and Integrity" revolved, while the five merits of "Gentleness, Kindness, Respectfulness, Thriftiness, and Modesty" shone brightly.

Treading this path of sages, he walked step by step into the void, finally stopping at the same height as the True Monarch of No Dao Extreme Law.

He raised his gaze slightly, his cloudy eyes, which seemed to contain all the wisdom of ages past and present, looking toward the Holy Essence Wenqu Star Monarch and the faint phantom of the Wenqu Fruit Position at the center of its brow.

Then, he turned his head to look at the True Monarch of No Dao Extreme Law.

He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but every word was like iron, imbued with an unquestionable Vast Righteous aura:

"This Evil Deity used the sages of my Confucian Dao as kindling, fed on the foundations of my Confucian Dao, stole the Wenqu Fruit Position, and defiled the heroic spirits of the saints."

He paused for a moment, and a piercing light suddenly erupted from the depths of his cloudy eyes.

"If I do not kill him—"

"Heaven’s justice will not allow it!"

"Well said, Saint Wang."

Upon hearing this, the True Monarch of No Dao Extreme Law, far from being angered, actually gave a light chuckle.

"By that logic, these Righteous Cultivators are also obstructing the path of my Demon Dao and wish to slaughter the disciples of my Demon Dao."

He paused, the smile on his lips slowly widening.

"In that case, should I also—"

He raised his right hand, his five fingers gently uncurling.

The hand was pale, slender, and bony, appearing no different from an ordinary person’s.

But the instant his fingers unfurled—

An immense pressure, so terrifying it could change the color of Heaven and Earth, suddenly condensed in his palm!

The pressure was thick and heavy, as if the descent of his palm would overturn the entire world, and all the Righteous Cultivators would be turned to ash beneath it!

"...wipe them all out as well?"

As his voice fell, a dead silence descended between Heaven and Earth.

The Righteous Cultivators stared at the hand suspended in the void, feeling the terrifying power coalescing in its palm, a power sufficient to erase them completely.

One by one, their faces turned deathly pale and their bodies trembled, yet they couldn’t even muster the thought of fleeing.

Because that was a True Monarch.

A True Monarch who stood above all living beings, suspended at the apex of the long river of time!

Before a True Monarch, how were they any different from ants?

"Wu Dao."

A voice, so cold and severe it could pierce through all illusions, suddenly rang out!

The voice was not loud, but it was like an invisible sword, stabbing straight into the terrifying pressure and forcibly cleaving a fissure through it!

A figure in green robes stepped out of the void.

His face was ordinary, save for his eyes, which were as clear as a newborn’s yet as profound as if they contained the essence of all Sword Dao throughout the ages.

His right hand rested lightly on the hilt of the sword at his waist. His entire being was like a Divine Sword about to be unsheathed, its edge so sharp that the Ten Thousand Laws retreated before it.

Qingyuan Dao Seeking True Monarch.

This Sword Dao master spoke slowly, his voice low but possessing the clear, resonant quality of a blade scraping across crystal:

"Wu Dao, are you trying to provoke a war among True Monarchs?"

"Trying to scare me?"

Hearing this, the True Monarch of No Dao Extreme Law narrowed his eyes. The smile on his lips, far from receding, widened even further.

Instead of retreating, he advanced, taking a step forward!

As he took that step, the void trembled violently, and the already terrifying pressure grew three parts heavier!

"That’s right, I *do* want to provoke a war among True Monarchs!"

He lifted his head slightly, his eyes burning with an indescribable, almost frenzied light:

"If it comes to the worst—"

"We’ll just sink this Profound Yellow Origin Realm!"

As his voice fell, the color of Heaven and Earth suddenly changed!

Countless black fissures spread out madly in all directions with him at the center!

Qingyuan Dao Seeking True Monarch’s expression darkened slightly, and he subconsciously tightened his grip on his sword hilt.

But at this very moment—

"HAHAHAHA—!!!"

A laugh—so hearty, so wild, so powerful it could shatter stars—suddenly exploded from the depths of the void!

The laughter contained an indescribable wildness and tyranny, as if from the primordial past. It was as if a Demon Deity that had slumbered for eons had finally opened its eyes!

"That’s just perfect!"

The voice boomed like rolling thunder, resounding through Heaven and Earth:

"I’ve been wanting to see for a long, long time if this Profound Yellow Origin Realm really can’t withstand a war between True Monarchs!"

"BOOM—!!!"

The void shattered with a deafening roar!

A burly figure, built like a Demon Deity, charged brazenly out of the shattered void!

He was a middle-aged man, bare-chested, with muscles like knotted mountains. His bronze skin was covered in profound Dao Patterns.

Those Dao Patterns were currently flowing wildly, emitting a blinding golden light, making him seem like an undying sacred physique walking the mortal world!

He grinned, revealing stark white teeth. His golden eyes burned with an almost fanatical battle lust.

The Tyrant Sect True Monarch—Nine Revolutions Undying True Monarch!

"Fine by me."

A hoarse voice, so sinister it seemed to come from the deepest pits of the Nine Netherworld, slowly echoed from the other side of the void:

"If you want to flip the table—"

"—then nobody gets to play."

A sky full of black mist billowed out from the direction of the voice!

The black mist was thick and sinister, as if it could devour all light, all life, all existence.

And in the deepest part of this sky-filling black mist...

...a pair of eyes like great suns slowly lit up!

The eyes were a ghostly green, like two miniature phantom suns. Countless struggling, wailing phantoms of living souls drifted within them, emanating a terrifying pressure capable of freezing the Divine Soul of any living creature.

The Yellow Springs Netherworld True Monarch—Nine Nether Sun Devouring!

One, two, three, four...

In the space of just a few breaths, one True Monarch after another, each exuding an immense pressure, emerged from various points in the void!

Each one was an existence that stood at the apex of this realm!

Each one possessed terrifying might, enough to reshape the world and overturn the cosmos!

At this moment, these True Monarchs, rarely seen on any normal day, had all gathered here, each occupying a position, facing off against one another.

There were no words between them, no movements.

There was only the invisible, yet heavy pressure—enough to collapse the void—madly weaving, colliding, and crushing throughout Heaven and Earth!

The Celestial Vault trembled violently!

The earth quaked madly!

Countless massive cracks spread out wildly in all directions from beneath their feet!

Mountains crumbled, rivers flowed in reverse, and countless Righteous Demon Cultivators fighting below were now pinned to the ground by this utterly terrifying pressure, unable to move!

It seemed as if in the next second—

—the entire Profound Yellow Origin Realm would be utterly destroyed in the great war between these True Monarchs!

Dead silence.

All Cultivators, whether from the Righteous Dao or the Demon Dao, whether Foundation Establishment Great Truth or higher, held their breath at this moment.

Gazing at the magnificent figures in the Celestial Vault, feeling the world-destroying pressure, only a single thought remained in their minds.

’It’s over...’

’A war between True Monarchs... it’s really about to break out...’

But at this critical and terrifying moment, when Heaven and Earth were on the verge of being overturned—

A voice suddenly rang out in the depths of Qi Yun’s mind.

The voice was gentle and calm, yet it carried an indescribable gravity:

"Main Body."

"The True Monarchs’ state... something isn’t right!"

...