Chapter 210: Chapter 167: Your Ladyship, Please Help Me Cultivate
Within the Profound City Central Palace, a profound Qi Mechanism cascaded down in all directions, like countless curtains unfurling.
As Jiang Yi stepped into the hall, the entire chamber suddenly lit up with a single, faint flicker of candlelight, which reflected in the eyes of the graceful woman seated upon the Jade Platform.
"How very fortunate, to be able to meet the new Shao Yang Monarch."
A light, delicate voice reached Jiang Yi’s ears. Unlike Xiaoqiao’s lively and soft tone, this nameless lady possessed a more aloof and cold charm.
Great Daoist Venerable Yin and Yang.
The Golden Positions derived and condensed from this were naturally a cut above all others, commanding respect wherever one went.
Had it been an ordinary Cultivator—to say nothing of one at the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer—even a Foundation Establishment Grand True Master with five complete Fates would have had to obediently kneel and kowtow.
The "Monarch" in True Monarch is a venerable title bestowed by the Celestial Lord.
Once one ascends to a Golden Position, they are revered throughout the myriad heavens and realms—it is the ultimate honor for Cultivators.
"For this Lower Cultivator to behold Your Ladyship’s celestial countenance is a fortune spanning three lifetimes."
Jiang Yi bowed slightly, clasping his hands in a respectful salute.
No matter how revered the Shao Yang title was, it could not make a Qi Cultivation practitioner the equal of a True Monarch.
Lady Xuan’nv lowered her gaze. When a True Monarch observed someone, they didn’t look at their physical appearance and bone structure, but valued only their Dao-nature.
"Bing Fire, blazing and brilliant. Ding Fire, restrained and deeply hidden. A destiny of utter Perfection, with Luck concealed and yet to be unleashed... You are truly worthy of being the new Shao Yang Monarch."
She nodded lightly, her gaze holding a hint of scrutiny for her potential future brother-in-law.
Jiang Yi walked slowly to the center of the hall. The profound Qi Mechanism stirred, and the countless curtains parted before him.
Yet he still could not clearly see the figure upon the Jade Platform above. He felt that for every inch his gaze crept forward, the pressure on his entire body intensified severalfold.
DONG, DONG, DONG!
It was as if a colossal hammer were smashing into a Cultivation Furnace, causing his muscles and bones to hum with the vibrations. His Inner Mansion roiled, and his entire frame felt on the verge of shattering.
This wasn’t Lady Xuan’nv deliberately making things difficult, nor was it an intentional test.
It was merely that the True Monarch, by virtue of occupying a Golden Position, naturally drew down the flow of the Great Dao, giving rise to myriad phenomena.
A mere Qi Cultivation Junior Cultivator was simply too "frail" to withstand it.
Fortunately.
Jiang Yi had the Yang Qi Taiyin Heaven to stabilize himself. He could still stand tall, his back straight, and speak without faltering.
Otherwise, in the face of this vast and boundless power, he would have had no choice but to prostrate himself completely, trembling and too terrified to speak.
"Your Ladyship is too generous."
Jiang Yi took a deep breath, struggling to force out the five words.
For a Qi Cultivation Lower Cultivator to stand before a True Monarch, head held high and unbowed, was surely a rare and wondrous affair in any era.
"You have already taken the Daoxuan, accepted the marriage tie, and chosen Xiaoqiao. Why, then, have you come to the Profound City Central Palace?"
Lady Xuan’nv asked calmly.
She and Xiaoqiao had once partaken of the same stalk of an immortality herb. They were like the Yin and Yang, the inner and outer aspects, of a single path among the Five Elements. As such, their destinies and even their thoughts were faintly intertwined.
That was why, when the Daoist Monarch bestowed a single red thread of fate, it appeared simultaneously on both of their fair wrists.
Lady Xuan’nv’s original intention had been to find a fated individual and perform a "yang marriage," offering a Golden Position—a prize coveted by All Cultivators—as her "dowry."
Although the Ghost Dao had been annihilated and she was bound by the celestial laws of the Immortal Dao, forbidden to walk the Mortal World...
...but no matter how far she had fallen as a Dao-forsaken True Monarch, she was still an immortal, long-lived being who resided upon a Golden Position.
To trade "eternal life," a state dreamed of by countless trillions of Cultivators, to borrow the mortal luck of a single person.
In all the Yanfu Vast Land, such a dowry was a truly grand gesture!
But Lady Xuan’nv had underestimated the Daoist Monarch’s methods. The great being who bestowed the red thread had merely used "marital fate" to draw in the new Shao Yang Monarch.
Only someone of Shao Yang could form a bond with her.
This miraculous development was entirely unexpected.
As a result, Lady Xuan’nv’s dowry was no longer quite as "valuable."
No matter how supreme and precious a True Monarch Golden Position might be, could it truly compare to Yin and Yang—a concept revered by the Great Dao itself, one that made the very paths of the Dao manifest in the world?
That was why Xiaoqiao had come forward to test the new Shao Yang Monarch.
This was both to give him an out and to preserve her own dignity.
Yet now, the choice this new Shao Yang Monarch had made was something Lady Xuan’nv could not comprehend.
"I want the Daoist Monarchs and Great Powers above to take notice. I want to be the first ’Daoist’ jointly elevated by the Eight Demonic Sects. I want to rival the brilliance of the Tai Yang of White Jade City."
Jiang Yi replied, his expression solemn. His tone was placid, yet it carried an unshakeable resolve.
Those three sentences caused the graceful woman on the Jade Platform’s expression to grow more serious, and a glimmer of approval appeared in her eyes.
"Young Monarch Jiang, you have impressive spirit."
Then, another statement drifted down from above.
"Young Monarch Jiang, are you aware that Xiaoqiao inherited a portion of the Sword Dao’s destiny? She, too, was born in the Mortal World. She is not like me, a mere spectral spirit.
Had you not entered the Profound City Central Palace, you could have taken Xiaoqiao and fled to the South Sea. A few remnant lineages of the Sword Discussion Pavilion reside there; you could have forged a bond with them.
Then you could have cultivated in peace, wielding the Sword Dao by the power of Shao Yang. Once, on the Nanzhan Continent, a Grand Sect called Zhongyi attempted this very path."
Jiang Yi’s heart stirred. ’This is related to Xuan Chanzi, too?’
’In this grand game of chess spanning the north and south, just how many pieces have the Daoist Monarchs and Great Powers of the Eight Demonic Sects placed on the board?’
He reined in his stray thoughts, shook his head, and said,
"That would be nothing more than surviving for a few millennia, only to be obliterated by the might of Tai Yang in the end.
Your Ladyship is a True Monarch; you should understand that the greatest enmity in all the Yanfu Vast Land is that of ’Dao obstruction.’
Ever since the first Shao Yang ascended to the position, altered its symbolic concept, and vowed to seize the brilliance of Tai Yang, this karmic entanglement has been a dead knot."
Lady Xuan’nv fell silent.
From ancient times to the present day, a Golden Position has been akin to a nation’s "greatest treasure."
To the True Monarch who occupies it, it is like a reversed scale on a dragon.
Anyone who dares touch it invites a battle to the death!
"In the ascent of a Daoist Lineage, the position you take and the path you choose are of paramount importance.
That Shao Yang has acknowledged you is your great fortune, Young Monarch Jiang, but it is also your great misfortune."
Lady Xuan’nv said slowly.
Jiang Yi understood her meaning.
The great fortune was the prospect of ascending to the position and achieving the status of a True Monarch.
This was a meritorious achievement craved by every one of the countless trillions of Cultivators in the Yanfu Vast Land.
The great misfortune was that as soon as Jiang Yi surpassed the Qi Cultivation Twelfth Layer and reached the Flying Foundation Establishment Realm...
...he would face the full suppressive might of the Immortal Dao, and with it, an endless series of lethal tribulations!
"In my eyes, there is only great fortune, and no misfortune."
For the first time, Jiang Yi raised his head.
In a dynastic court, for a subject to look directly at the monarch was a crime of overstepping one’s bounds, known as "direct affront."
As a Qi Cultivation Lower Cultivator, for him to raise his head and look upon a True Monarch was an act of supreme disrespect.
In that very instant, the great hall began to shake violently.
A hazy Tai Yin radiance began to glow, like endless, pure moonlight coalescing into massive pillars that reached for the heavens, threatening to envelop Jiang Yi.
This was the symbolic manifestation of her own Golden Position.
’This lady... is she pursuing the path of Tai Yin? Her Qi Mechanism feels somewhat similar.’
Jiang Yi’s expression remained composed; he even had the leisure for his thoughts to wander.
HUMMM.
Lady Xuan’nv raised a slender, jade-like hand, fair as frost and snow. With a gentle wave, the great void itself trembled.
And just like that, the Tai Yin radiance—potent enough to kill a Foundation Establishment Grand True Master a thousand times over—was simply brushed aside.
"Young Monarch Jiang, do you not fear karmic consequences? Do you not fear your own demise? Knowing a great tribulation lies ahead that will grind your body to dust and leave you no chance for reincarnation, you still wish to ascend as Shao Yang?"
This Profound Law Nvqing True Monarch had tolerated the supreme disrespect from a Qi Cultivation Lower Cultivator.
This was not merely out of respect for Shao Yang, but also an acknowledgment of Jiang Yi’s courage in daring to face his tribulations.
"If I prove my Dao and then perish, I will still be the second Shao Yang True Monarch in the history of the Yanfu Vast Land!"
Jiang Yi replied with a flick of his sleeves, his calm eyes flashing with a sharp light.
As his words fell.
Outside the Profound City Central Palace.
The Daoxuan Slaying Sword held in Xiaoqiao’s hands twitched lightly.
And within the vast, profound hall, a strange and brilliant light gleamed in Lady Xuan’nv’s eyes.
A Dao heart so resolute it could not be broken, so solid it could not be changed.
It was more than enough for a True Monarch to deem "impressive."
"A magnificent ’prove my Dao and then perish’!"
Lady Xuan’nv felt an urge to clap her hands in praise. ’Xiaoqiao has certainly found herself a fine match. Only a man of such caliber is worthy of the daughter of the Sword Discussion Pavilion’s True Monarch!’
"In that case, what do you need my help with, Young Monarch Jiang? In half a cup of tea’s time, the Daoist Monarchs outside Fengdu will see you."
Jiang Yi had already considered this matter from every angle.
Hearing the question from the graceful woman on the Jade Platform, he replied in a solemn voice,
"I humbly beseech Your Ladyship to aid my Cultivation."
