Chapter 212: Chapter 169: Daoist Monarchs Gather to Watch a Lower Cultivator, Shao Yang Is Punished by Profound Thunder
In the Yanfu Vast Land, none are more worthy of the title "Upper Cultivator" than the Great Powers who are Daoist Monarchs.
If ascending to a Golden Position, having one’s title conferred by the Celestial Lord, and being revered throughout the myriad heavens is the ultimate honor for a Cultivator...
...then the Great Powers who are Daoist Monarchs—residing on the path of the Dao, ruling over all realms, existing from antiquity to the present, their spirits condensed beyond the material world—
...are worthy of being called "Dao-Rulers of Yanfu, Greatly Virtuous Celestial Venerables."
Such figures rarely manifest in the mortal world. They typically project their unimpeded divine light to illuminate the cosmos, leave behind countless names, and experience the karma of great tribulations, making it almost impossible for them to notice a Lower Cultivator.
Only by ascending to the rank of True Monarch and condensing an immortal golden nature could one be worthy of even a single glance from them.
Jiang Yi was well aware of this. The Daoist Monarchs of the Eight Sects of Nanzhan Continent—be it the one who had linked the position of Daoist to [Shao Yang], or the one who secretly manipulated fate and bestowed the red string of destiny—
...the true target of their gaze, the object of their great interest, had never been him.
’The Daoist Monarchs want to see [Shao Yang].’
Jiang Yi released the wisp of Divine Sense from his Primordial Gate. Compared to the vast hall and the boundless great void, it was like the faint glow of a firefly.
’Then I’ll make it so [Shao Yang] can’t look away. I will become the most important piece in this grand game!’
His wide robes and long sleeves billowed as the calm-faced youth stood with his back ramrod straight, his posture as erect as a great, unbending banner.
HUMMM—a light tremor.
The brilliant gold suspended in the desolate void seemed to be pulled and coaxed, emerging little by little.
Even though this substance was faint, just a single thread, it looked as though it had been shattered and scattered by someone.
Only this insignificant remnant of light remained.
But whether they were True Monarchs or Daoist Monarchs, the instant they looked upon that brilliant gold, they all sensed a feeling of Perfection.
Unbroken, complete, undiminished, and flawless!
This was the supreme and most noble "Golden Position," born from the Great Dao itself!
"It truly is [Shao Yang]. The [Shao Yang] that manifested after Xiao Yu’s ascension. Its brilliance is overflowing, how dazzling to the eye!"
Beyond the Qingming, an old woman in worn clothes leaning on a staff smiled, her benevolent face looking as if she were seeing a familiar junior.
"This ’Innate Daoist’ you chose, fellow Daoist, has audacity enough to shake the heavens. Not only did he enter this game of his own volition, but he also demanded the attention of every Daoist Lineage from the four corners of the world. In this moment, his splendor has actually overshadowed [Tai Yang].
Even if it lasts but a moment, that is enough to bring [Shao Yang] endless joy and infinite favor."
The old woman sighed softly. For a Lower Cultivator to earn a single glance from an Upper Cultivator, they could only stake their life on the gamble.
Everyone understood this principle, but not everyone had the courage to follow through.
"Now that he has taken this step, for the next sixty years, [Shao Yang] will never look away. It will only bestow its favor upon him."
The Daoist in the gray robe, however, was smiling, a departure from his usual solemn demeanor. A look of clear admiration shone in his eyes.
"The four continents, the four great Daoist Lineages, several Daoist Monarchs, and numerous True Monarchs... for all of them to have their gazes drawn by a mere Qi Cultivation Lower Cultivator—how could he not be called ’the first in all of history’?"
The gray-robed Daoist’s question was not directed at the Nine Spirits Brahmanic Daoist Monarch across from him, but toward the vast expanse of the Nanzhan Continent.
In an instant, all of the Eight Demonic Sects felt it and reacted.
A moment later, a middle-aged scholar wearing a fine turban stepped out from his sect’s gates. He manifested a magnificent Qi Mechanism that scraped the heavens above and blanketed the world below, crossing the hazy void to arrive Beyond the Qingming.
"Greetings, Daoist Monarch Xianyou Mingxuan. Greetings, Nine Spirits Brahmanic Daoist Monarch."
This refined and easygoing middle-aged scholar was exceptionally polite.
Although the Eight Demonic Sects ruled the world together, there was still a clear hierarchy among them.
The Taifu Sect, for instance, was the "moneybags."
If the other Ancestral Sects wanted to conquer a greater heaven, establish an extra-cosmic Daoist sanctum, set up a branch in a lower realm, or build the "Primordial Gold Ships" that roamed the great void and crossed the celestial seas, they all had to seek the Taifu Sect’s assistance.
After all, they held the financial and resource authority over an entire continent!
If the Demon Dao were compared to an imperial dynasty, the Taifu Sect would be its "Ministry of Revenue."
As for the Innate Sect, they preferred challenging foes, waging fierce wars, and expanding their domain.
It was said that beyond the Yanfu Vast Land, they controlled and dominated five hundred different realms.
Every five hundred years, they would even hold a "Heaven-Hunting Grand Ceremony," presenting captives and distributing rewards—a clear testament to their overflowing martial prowess.
They could be considered the "Ministry of War."
"So it is Daoist Monarch Tongzhen Xuan’an of the Formless Sect."
The gray-robed Daoist and the benevolent old woman returned the greeting together.
Immediately after, two more Qi Mechanisms erupted from the land.
They came from Nanzhan Continent’s "Verdant Jade Cliff" and "Illusory Spirit Mountain," respectively.
One figure, appearing to be around seventy, wore a worn Daoist Robe. A halo of light shone behind his head, resembling an ancient, evergreen tree that blotted out the sun and sky.
The other’s body was incandescent, his robes trembling with the roar of thunder. Golden flames blazed around him constantly, transforming into the shapes of dragons, tigers, luan birds, and phoenixes, and creating the celestial image of all the stars in their orbits.
The Transcendent Dust Sect’s [Daoist Monarch Fuji Shenhai].
The Chaotic Flow Sect’s [Daoist Monarch Qiting Doukui].
In an instant, five Daoist Monarchs had gathered in one place.
The boundless, remote expanse Beyond the Qingming suddenly seemed cramped, as if it could not contain the magnificent and peerless Qi Mechanisms.
"How lively it’s become!"
Before the cosmos could fall silent, another majestic and vast Qi Mechanism rose slowly, so immense that it pressed down upon the firmament, causing it to tremble.
A figure emerged from within—plain, elegant, and utterly unstained by a speck of dust.
This unnamed Daoist Monarch had the appearance of a youth, with refined features, a full head of white hair, and a vermilion mark between his brows.
The gray-robed Daoist, Daoist Monarch Xianyou Mingxuan, grew solemn. He performed a deep Daoist salute and spoke with a reverent tone:
"I did not expect we would disturb the ’Ancestral Master Tai Shi’."
As early as the prior age, the ancestral masters of the many prominent Daoist Lineages in the Yanfu Vast Land, and even beings above the level of Daoist Monarch, had gradually abandoned their grotto-heavens, Golden Positions, and other such possessions, departing for the regions beyond the known cosmos.
They left behind only their respective paths of the Dao to support their vast and majestic Daoist Lineages, ensuring they would not wither and fall into decline.
This white-haired youth was the spiritual manifestation of Ancestral Master Tai Shi’s path of the Dao, making him virtually identical to the Ancestral Master’s true self.
In terms of seniority, status, Divine Techniques, and Magical Power, he was preeminent on the Nanzhan Continent, the undisputed leader of the Demon Dao!
