I Pick up a Lost Godhood

Chapter 444: Chapter 427: Paying Respects to the Mountain

Rumor had it that Ancestral Masters like Thunderbolt were all preparing to test their skills. After cultivating for a lifetime, no one knew what ascension was like, but every cultivator wanted to know where they truly stood.

In this world, only the Star Alliance had the capability to organize such a battle.

For many, the rewards didn’t matter. It was all about the fight.

Three years was an ambiguous stretch of time—not too long, not too short—but for many, it was enough.

At that moment, Wang Meng arrived at the Taiyin Sect.

As the third-ranked super Demon Sect in the Star Alliance, the Immortal Mountain it commanded was magnificent and imposing. A massive Taiyin Wheel, a magical artifact of incredible power, hung suspended above it. It was simply left on full display—a symbol of the Taiyin Sect and a clear message that they feared no one who might covet it.

Such was the domineering confidence of a major sect.

Wang Meng had come only at Mo Chen’s request, dressed simply. He had already contacted Old Mo, but when he reached the foot of the mountain, there was no one in sight. Wang Meng hesitated. ’Should I go in, or should I wait?’ Major sects generally had a lot of rules, and wanting to respect their customs, Wang Meng had no desire to cause trouble for Old Mo.

Although Master Wang was confident, the Ten Great Sects were far beyond what he could afford to trifle with at his current level.

But just as Master Wang was hesitating, the Taiyin Wheel in the sky began to spin.

DONG... DONG... DONG...

The expressions of the busy Taiyin Sect disciples suddenly changed. Three rings... four... ten...

’Are our ears deceiving us?!’

The Taiyin Wheel’s rotation could signal either danger or ceremony. This was clearly ceremonial, a reception reserved only for the most distinguished guests. When the Star Alliance Leader himself had visited the Taiyin Sect, the bell had only rung twelve times. Yet this person was being honored with ten rings?

’Who could it be?’

The disciples hurried to line both sides of the sect’s main gate to welcome the honored guest. A buzz of discussion rippled through them. ’Who could it be? We didn’t hear anything about an important visitor.’

Demon Ba, the No Illusion Demon Master and Sect Leader of the No Illusion Demon Sect, had been welcomed with eleven rings. A visiting Saint Cultivation Sect Master from a top-ten Star Alliance sect would warrant ten rings... ’Could it be the Sect Leader of the Holy Light Sect? Or the Cyan Cloud Sect?’

Master Wang gazed up at the overwhelming tide of Elemental Qi radiating from the Taiyin Wheel. ’How in the world do you even refine a magical artifact like this? The number of Spirit Stones required must be astronomical. Then again,’ he mused, ’an artifact of this caliber surely isn’t powered by Spirit Stones alone.’

’It’s absolutely magnificent.’

Seeing the sea of Taiyin Sect members gathered as if preparing for a major event, Master Wang grew even more hesitant. ’Did I come at a bad time? It seems like they have something important going on.’

Just as Wang Meng was about to slip away, the great gates of the Taiyin Sect swung open. Ranks of cultivators, their spirits high, descended to the foot of the mountain with the grace of flowing water.

The one in the lead, a handsome young cultivator who looked to be in his twenties, came before Wang Meng and bowed respectfully.

"This disciple, Xie Tianhua, closed-door disciple of the Supreme Elder, pays his respects to Martial Uncle Wang."

In truth, Xie Tianhua was dying of curiosity. Supreme Elder Mo Chen had defied the heavens to gain another ten years of life. This crucial decade gave him the chance to ascend to an even higher level, a success that would grant him several more decades of life. The news had caused a massive sensation within the Taiyin Sect. The difference between losing a Supreme Elder and gaining an even stronger one was monumental. After all, the Ten Thousand Spirits Sect was watching them like a hawk. Among the Eight Emperors, Jii Wanli’s reputation far surpassed that of Zou Chuang, and his ambition was no secret.

"...Could he mean Old Mo?" Wang Meng paused, startled. ’Being called ’Martial Uncle’ feels so strange, especially by a Demon Cultivator.’

Xie Tianhua nodded respectfully. "Indeed, Elder Mo Chen. This disciple was fortunate enough to be chosen by him."

Xie Tianhua was truly grateful. As the closed-door disciple of Mo Chen—a Supreme Elder and one of the Taiyin Sect’s three greatest masters—Xie Tianhua had learned a great deal recently.

’It’s just... this cultivator before me seems to be about my age, perhaps even younger, yet he’s on equal footing with my master. What incredible authority.’

The crowd of disciples stared at Wang Meng. Though they didn’t dare to speak their thoughts aloud, their minds were racing with speculation. ’Who is this person?’

’This is an unbelievable honor. Could he be the heir to the Star Alliance Leader?’

"My master and Senior Sister Cheng are waiting for you." Xie Tianhua gestured for him to proceed.

Cheng Cheng was Little Cheng’s full name, but no one else dared to use her nickname. Despite her youth, she was the Sect Leader’s Disciple, and the sect had placed immense hope in her. If Zou Chuang was the pillar that ensured the Taiyin Sect’s stability, then Cheng Cheng was the key to them one day challenging the No Illusion Demon Sect.

Wang Meng nodded. ’Everything will be clear once I see Mo Chen anyway.’

Master Wang had certainly been in the spotlight before, but he’d never experienced a reception quite like this. All along the path, the Taiyin Sect disciples stared with expressions of shock and doubt. ’Who is he? He’s obviously a Saint Cultivator, and so young... In this era where Saint Cultivators are in decline and Demon Cultivators are on the rise, you can count the number of Saint Cultivators worthy of the Ten-Ring Taiyin Welcoming Bell on one hand. None of them are this young.’

Halfway up the mountain, Wang Meng saw Mo Chen and Little Cheng. It had only been a few days, but Mo Chen was now brimming with vitality. Before, despite his nonchalant attitude, he had been close to death, and a faint aura of decay had clung to him. Now, it was completely gone.

’This was the incredible power of the Life Wheel,’ Wang Meng reflected. ’It changed destiny. Mo Chen’s lifespan had indeed reached its natural end, but that was just one possible path for his life. The Life Wheel couldn’t truly extend one’s life, but it could alter the original course of fate, allowing Mo Chen to choose a new path—one that had even been influenced by Wang Meng’s own will to be a better one.’

He had come to understand this back in the Primordial Divine Hall. He still had much to learn about using the Life Wheel, and it was a path he had to walk alone; no one could teach him.

The moment she saw Wang Meng from a distance, Little Cheng flew down like a cheerful little swallow and, to the astonishment of the onlookers, leaped right into his arms.

"Big Brother, you’re finally here! I wanted to come down sooner, but Grandpa insisted I wait for you halfway up the mountain."

Little Cheng said with a pout.

Mo Chen’s hearty laughter rang out. "Younger Brother Wang, it’s been too long! I’ve been hearing your name everywhere lately."

Wang Meng patted Little Cheng’s cheek. "Don’t tease me, Old Mo."

"Little Cheng has been talking about you nonstop," Mo Chen said with a laugh. "If you hadn’t come soon, she was about to go down the mountain to find you herself."

Looking at Cheng Cheng’s flushed face, Wang Meng gave her little nose a playful pinch. He’d loved doing that back in the Dragon Soul Small Thousand World. ’It’s so soft and fun to tease.’

"So, Little Cheng, have you been training hard?"

"Of course I have! Even Sect Leader Grandpa says I’m a prodigy!" Cheng Cheng declared proudly.

Standing to the side, Xie Tianhua couldn’t help but smile. ’I’ve really seen it all today.’ Senior Sister Cheng might be young, but her status was respected, and in front of everyone else, she always maintained the quiet, mature air of a senior disciple. In an instant, that image had been completely shattered.

A glance at the surrounding disciples confirmed it—their worldviews were clearly shattering.

The young Cheng Cheng was indeed as beautiful as a pixie, and everyone secretly wanted to be closer to her. But even someone like Zou Chuang had suffered at her hands, to the point that he now avoided her on sight. It just went to show: a Demon Cultivator was always a Demon Cultivator. Furthermore, Cheng Cheng hailed from an Ancient Demon Cultivation Family; cunning was etched into her very soul. While her years with Mo Chen had greatly diminished her Demonic Qi, the moment she began practicing the Taiyin Technique, her latent nature would inevitably be awakened.

"Old Mo... what happened to your beard?"

Wang Meng knew nothing of this, of course. To him, Little Cheng was just as cute and well-behaved as ever.