Chapter 444 ·The Path to Divine Transformation
Chapter 444: The Path to Divine Transformation
Sensing the strange gazes of everyone present，Zhu Wuya was also somewhat surprised inwardly。
After cultivators reached the Nascent Soul True Monarch realm，experiencing the myriad states of mortal life and tempering the heart amid the mortal world would benefit their future cultivation and comprehension of truth。
Coupled with the fact that battlefield slaughter could temper a cultivator’s state of mind，he had casually agreed to Chen Ziang’s request to join the battle，allowing him to act as he pleased。
Unexpectedly，this idle move he had casually placed had actually achieved such a fierce battle record，revitalizing the entire situation in the Mountain Submergence Realm and swallowing half of the Three-Sect Allied Army’s great dragon in a single breath。
However，the tallest tree in the forest would inevitably be destroyed by the wind。
Although Chen Ziang had successfully removed the Three-Sect Allied Army’s nail in the Mountain Submergence Realm in this battle and shaken an entire territory with his fame，it would also make the upper echelons of the Blazing Flame Sect、Heavy Gold Sect、Profound Sword Pavilion and Greenwood Sect increasingly wary of him。
“Fellow Daoists，is there perhaps something improper about this Zhu？”
Zhu Wuya spoke gently，even lowering his head to brush his Dao robe as he spoke。
This kindly and benevolent appearance caused a trace of wariness to flash through the eyes of the four sect masters present。
In terms of cultivation and strength，True Monarch Wuya ranked among the top three in Earth Evolution Realm。Countless True Monarch experts had died at his hands，and even Peak Nascent Soul True Monarchs found it difficult to escape his pursuit across ten thousand li。
Yet True Monarch Wuya was now putting on the appearance of an amiable old man before them，which truly made people uneasy and instinctively wonder whether there was some trick involved。
At this moment，the discussion outside became increasingly impassioned。
“Extraordinary，truly extraordinary！”
A Golden Core Elder of the Mirror Moon Sect had a flushed face as he softly exclaimed：“Dao Child Chen stepped onto the pass alone，suppressed and killed two Nascent Soul True Monarchs with a flick of his fingers，and overwhelmed an allied army of more than ten thousand cultivators from the three sects，what manner of might is this？
In my view，the Dao Child’s battle record is comparable to the peerless bearing of our sect’s founding Patriarch，who once wielded a single mirror alone and subdued ten sects of the Southern Wastes！”
As soon as these words fell，numerous cheers rang out around the Golden Core Elder，and the atmosphere became extremely lively。
In contrast，the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Greenwood Sect、Blazing Flame Sect、Profound Sword Pavilion and Heavy Gold Sect looked at one another in bewilderment，their expressions dazed as though they were dreaming。
“One man seized the pass，slew the generals and shattered the formations，causing True Monarch Crimson Dragon and an army of ten thousand cultivators to collapse。The Mirror Moon Sect has truly produced a peerless prodigy with quite a bit of the Mirror Moon Patriarch’s bearing！”
Greenwood Sect Master Zhao Cang sighed in agreement with the words of the Mirror Moon Elder outside，his tone unable to conceal his envy。
Regardless of how much of the intelligence circulating outside was true or false，there was at least one thing he could confirm，and that was that Mirror Moon Dao Child Chen Ziang had indeed led an army and successfully captured Severed Dragon Cliff Main Pass。
For a newly advanced True Monarch to accomplish this before a veteran True Monarch such as True Monarch Crimson Dragon，talent、strength、decisiveness and strategy were all indispensable。
Of course，this battle alone still could not prove that Chen Ziang possessed the strength of a Peak Nascent Soul True Monarch，because that simply did not conform with the understanding of the True Monarchs present。
To put it unpleasantly，even if a Divine Transformation True Venerable reincarnated and cultivated anew，it would still be impossible to possess Peak Nascent Soul strength at the Early-Stage Nascent Soul realm。Possessing strength comparable to the Late-Stage Nascent Soul realm would already be outrageously exaggerated。
“Fellow Daoist Zhao is correct，Chen Ziang’s talent is peerless，perhaps the greatest seen in Earth Evolution Realm for tens of thousands of years。I fear even the threshold of Divine Transformation may not be able to stop him。For the Mirror Moon Sect to obtain such a prodigy truly makes others unbearably envious。” Wu Shijie’s words carried thorns，following Zhao Cang’s words to praise Chen Ziang excessively in order to bring him harm。
Although the Divine Transformation True Venerable of the Eight Desolations Sect was indeed troublesome，if they were willing to expend their Sect Foundations，they could still deal with the matter。
But if the Mirror Moon Sect truly produced a Divine Transformation True Venerable in the future，especially one favored by the Heaven-One Northern Abyss Mirror，then they would undoubtedly lose sleep and appetite。
“With the Spiritual Mechanism and Dao Rhyme of this territory，how could achieving Divine Transformation possibly be easy！” Zhu Wuya shook his head，his tone solemn。
He understood the bottom line of the Five Great Sects of Earth Evolution Realm。Once it was confirmed that Chen Ziang truly possessed the possibility of reaching Divine Transformation，they would inevitably make a great disturbance，perhaps even directly changing the current situation of Earth Evolution Realm。
“Indeed，True Monarch Crimson Dragon’s cultivation was mediocre。He merely relied on a Crimson Flame Chi Dragon to build such a great reputation，so losing at the hands of the Mirror Moon Dao Child was perfectly reasonable。” Luo Zhan said meaningfully。
He understood Wu Shijie’s thoughts。Compared with the Eight Desolations Sect，what the Heavy Gold Sect feared more was the Mirror Moon Sect。Even with a great enemy before them，Wu Shijie，as Heavy Gold Sect Master，was still willing to personally enter the fray and make remarks targeting the Mirror Moon Sect。
Truly foolish！
No matter how powerful Chen Ziang’s talent and aptitude were，he still needed time to realize that potential。
Rapid cultivation at Foundation Establishment and Golden Core did not mean cultivation at the True Monarch realm would be the same。
At the end of the day，he was merely a newly advanced True Monarch。No matter how strong Chen Ziang’s talent was，advancing from Early-Stage Nascent Soul to Nascent Soul Perfection would require at least one or two thousand years，let alone reaching the Divine Transformation True Venerable realm above Nascent Soul。
And the long span of two thousand years was enough to turn one peerless prodigy after another into Nascent Soul True Monarchs who stubbornly sealed themselves away，seeking only to prolong their lives and cling to existence。
He had become like that，and Chen Ziang would most likely become the same！
Taking a step back，even if Chen Ziang truly rose to power，reached Nascent Soul Perfection，became the next True Monarch Wuya and had hopes of reaching Divine Transformation，the Blazing Flame Sect、Profound Sword Pavilion、Greenwood Sect and Heavy Gold Sect could still join forces at that time and make Chen Ziang wary，preventing him from daring to enter seclusion and prove the Dao as a Divine Transformation expert。
All in all，compared with targeting the Mirror Moon Sect，the Blazing Flame Sect cared far more about the Tai Void Formation Sect ruins at this moment。
According to the Patriarch，there might exist within the depths of the Tai Void Formation Sect ruins a Fifth-Tier Divine Transformation Pill capable of helping a Nascent Soul True Monarch prove the Dao as a True Venerable！
If the Blazing Flame Sect could obtain the Divine Transformation Pill and produce another Divine Transformation True Venerable，then unifying Earth Evolution Realm in the future，or even all nine territories of the Southern Wastes，would by no means be an empty fantasy。
At that time，what would a mere Chen Ziang amount to。
“By the way，I wonder which cultivation power Fellow Daoist Zhu intends to bring in？” Luo Zhan changed the subject and asked about the important matter。
“Among the nine territories of the Southern Wastes，there are only a handful of cultivation powers capable of contending with the Eight Desolations Sect。This old man intends to bring in the Heavenly Craft Talisman Sect to oppose them。”
As soon as Zhu Wuya finished speaking，the council hall immediately fell silent，and the atmosphere became somewhat subtle。
“The Heavenly Craft Talisman Sect？That cultivation sect whose minds are filled with nothing but business？”
Wu Shijie raised his thick eyebrows，revealing a thoughtful expression。
The Heavenly Craft Talisman Sect was different from ordinary sects。It did not compete for territory，only controlling circulation，and regarded cultivation-resource channels and patents for talismans、formations、pills and artifacts as its lifeblood。It was one of the very few major cultivation sects in the Southern Wastes that survived through business。
Without the slightest exaggeration，there were ten major cultivation merchant associations within Earth Evolution Realm，six of which had deep ties with the Heavenly Craft Talisman Sect and exchanged what each possessed，while three maintained cooperative relationships with the Heavenly Craft Talisman Sect。
As for the final merchant association，the Heavenly Craft Merchant Association，it was directly subordinate to the Heavenly Craft Talisman Sect。
“The Heavenly Craft Talisman Sect has vast influence spread throughout all nine territories of the Southern Wastes，also has a Divine Transformation Patriarch presiding over it，and stands unrivaled in the Central Evolution Realm in talismans、formations、artifact refining and alchemy。It rarely intervenes in disputes between other territories，so it is a suitable ally。”
Wu Ming nodded slightly，then changed the subject：“But the Heavenly Craft Talisman Sect has always only conducted transactions，never forming alliances，so it is unlikely to ally with us。”
Faced with the doubts，Zhu Wuya smiled calmly：“Normally，of course it would not，but the Heavenly Craft Talisman Sect’s Divine Transformation True Venerable is already nearing the end of his lifespan。The Fifth-Tier life-extending Origin Medicine and High-Level Formation Dao Inheritance that may exist within the Tai Void Formation Sect ruins are themselves bargaining chips of tremendous weight。”
“I only fear the Heavenly Craft Talisman Sect will join forces with the Southern Wastes Sect and kick us out of the game。” Luo Zhan hesitated。
“What is there to fear，with our Five Great Sects joining forces，it is not as though we lack the power to overturn the chessboard。” Zhu Wuya said indifferently。
There was a portion of the intelligence that he had not revealed。
It was not he who had taken the initiative to approach the Heavenly Craft Talisman Sect，but rather the Heavenly Craft Talisman Sect that had taken the initiative to approach the Mirror Moon Sect，claiming that it merely wished to temper its younger-generation True Monarchs，cultivate a new generation of Divine Transformation experts，and preserve its Dao inheritance。
Of course，such words were merely something to hear。Anyone who actually believed them would truly be foolish beyond measure。
……
On the other side，inside the council hall at the Southern Wastes Sect encampment。
True Monarch Blood Nether Mo Zijin calmly put down the jade slip in his hand。
He could not panic，absolutely could not panic！
As the Sect Master of the Blood Fate Sect，he needed to possess the will to remain expressionless even if Mount Tai collapsed before him。
If he revealed surprise merely because of a report that Severed Dragon Cliff had fallen，he would undoubtedly lose a great deal of standing in front of the Eight Desolations Sect Master。
But Mo Zijin cultivated the sect’s demonic cultivation method and had a somewhat extreme personality，so inwardly he truly found it difficult to tolerate the incompetence of the cultivators under his command。
After all，that had been a full allied army of ten thousand cultivators！
To prevent Severed Dragon Cliff from falling，Mo Zijin had even specially bestowed the Myriad Blood Returning Corpses Soul-Luring Grand Formation and Blood-Transforming Pagoda Slaughtering Life Platform。
Even if that beast Mo Buyun and the entire allied army of ten thousand cultivators were all pigs，they still should not have been slaughtered into complete chaos by a mere newly advanced True Monarch。
An incompetent general exhausted all three armies。He should never have entrusted Severed Dragon Cliff to Mo Buyun。
“Boom！”
Having learned the same intelligence，True Monarch Crimson Radiance Sun Wenshi’s eyes turned red，crimson flames surged into the sky around him，and the jade table before him instantly vaporized and disappeared。
“Three thousand elites of my sect，a full three thousand cultivators！！！”
Sun Wenshi looked toward Mo Zijin and questioned him：“Old Ghost Blood Nether，get over here and explain yourself clearly，why did your Blood Fate Sect’s formations suddenly go out of control and attack the elite cultivators of my sect？Did your people secretly collude with the Mirror Moon Sect，coordinating from within and without，which was why that bastard Chen Ziang could move through the place as though no one were there？”
“Bullshit！”
A nameless fury rose in Mo Zijin’s heart，and he shattered the jade table before him with a palm：“Three thousand cultivators of my sect were completely wiped out，even the sect’s Mystic Treasure Blood-Transformation Platform fell into the hands of the Mirror Moon Sect。Our losses were disastrous，how could we possibly have joined forces with the Mirror Moon Sect。”
“On the contrary，your Red Sun Sect’s True Monarch Crimson Dragon was incompetent，unable to suppress even a newly advanced True Monarch，and even died at Chen Ziang’s hands。”
“Could it be that your Red Sun Sect has long harbored different intentions and already colluded with the Mirror Moon Sect，even going so far as to have Sun Tianyi fake his death and escape，all to raise the reputation of the Mirror Moon Dao Child？” Mo Zijin forcibly suppressed the killing intent in his heart and likewise threw dirty accusations back at him。
“No matter what，the Blood Fate Sect must give our Azure Spirit Sect an explanation。”
“You should know that the formation’s earth-vein nexus is top-secret intelligence known only to the upper echelons of the Blood Fate Sect。” The Azure Spirit Sect Master said coldly：“If there had not been a problem with Severed Dragon Cliff’s formations，my Azure Spirit Sect’s army of five thousand cultivators could not possibly have suffered such catastrophic casualties！”
Although the cultivation realms of those five thousand cultivators varied widely，with fewer than three Golden Core True Persons and fewer than four hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators，such enormous losses were still enough to make the Azure Spirit Sect ache deeply。
“Good，good，good！If one wishes to condemn someone，there will always be a charge！My Blood Fate Sect has not even pursued responsibility for the Red Sun Sect Nascent Soul True Monarch’s failure to defend properly，nor for the Azure Spirit Sect cultivators failing to guard in time，yet you turn around and bite us instead！Since that is the case，we may as well abandon this alliance！”
Mo Zijin laughed from sheer anger，stood up and prepared to leave。
“Enough，all of you are Sect Masters after all。Arguing and shouting like this，what kind of conduct is that。” Ning Hongye suddenly spoke。
As the Sect Master of the Eight Desolations Sect and an expert whose cultivation had reached True Monarch Perfection，once her words fell，Mo Zijin and the other two all gave her face and fell silent，but the atmosphere remained tense。
The Sect Masters of the Dark Feminine Sect、Profound Mystery Tower and Void Sword Sect watched the spectacle from the side，while only the Soul Refining Sect Master frowned slightly，feeling somewhat sympathetic。
There was no other reason。The Soul Refining Sect had suffered considerable losses。To suppress and kill a Nascent Soul True Monarch of the Mirror Moon Sect，they had lost a Nascent Soul True Monarch at the Weeping Blood River。
One must know that True Monarch Bitter Soul was no ordinary Nascent Soul True Monarch，but a highly respected High-Grade Profound Formation Master。
If given a choice，the Soul Refining Sect Master would rather have lost an Early-Stage Nascent Soul True Monarch and three thousand Soul Refining Sect disciples than allow True Monarch Bitter Soul to fall at Chen Ziang’s hands。
“Everyone，calm yourselves。It was merely the loss of a single Severed Dragon Cliff。The most important matter now is the Tai Void Formation Sect ruins。” Ning Hongye said in a deep voice。
The present was different from the past。
The Eight Desolations Sect currently needed Nascent Soul True Monarchs to risk their lives scouting the Tai Void Formation Sect ruins。Under ordinary circumstances，she would already have erupted with her pressure and taught the Sect Masters of the Blood Fate Sect、Azure Spirit Sect and Red Sun Sect a lesson。
But there was no helping it。Nascent Soul True Monarchs were extremely difficult to produce，especially Nascent Soul True Monarch prodigies with the potential to advance toward Divine Transformation。
Even though the Eight Desolations Sect possessed more than ten Nascent Soul True Monarchs，it was still unwilling to sacrifice them within the Tai Void Formation Sect ruins。
As for the True Monarchs of other sects，if they died，then they died。Being able to become the cornerstone upon which the Eight Desolations Sect unified the Southern Wastes was their honor。
Hearing this，the expressions of all the True Monarchs present became solemn。
What had already happened could not be changed。Although the fall of Severed Dragon Cliff was indeed exaggerated，it was still not worth having them and the Eight Desolations Sect expend enormous effort personally entering the field to forcibly retake Severed Dragon Cliff。
All under heaven bustled for profit，all under heaven clamored for gain！
Their current objective was aligned with that of the Eight Desolations Sect，namely the Divine Transformation Pill、Fifth-Tier life-extending Origin Medicine and High-Level Formation Dao Inheritance that might exist within the Formation Sect ruins。
Without the Eight Desolations Sect entering the game，with the strength of their own sects，it would be very difficult for them to step onto the chessboard and divide the benefits of the Tai Void Formation Sect with the Five Great Sects of Earth Evolution Realm。
As for which sect would ultimately profit，that would depend on whose methods proved superior！
‘I wonder how Junior Sister Zhao is doing now？Has she already encountered Chen Ziang！’ While listening to Ning Hongye’s arrangements，Dark Feminine Sect Master，True Monarch Illusory Desire Zhuo Buwei，divided part of his attention to ponder。
Until the very end，no one knew who would become the final victor of Earth Evolution Realm。
Since Junior Sister Zhao wholeheartedly believed that the Mirror Moon Sect could rise，he did not mind secretly placing a wager on the Mirror Moon Sect。
Even if the wager ultimately failed，the one who died would be Junior Sister Zhao，not the entire Dark Feminine Sect。
Conversely，if Junior Sister Zhao’s wager succeeded，then it would be timely assistance in a snowstorm，allowing the Dark Feminine Sect to rise with the momentum and escape the control of the Eight Desolations Sect。
‘With Junior Sister Zhao’s strength，she should not die at Chen Ziang’s hands。’
Extinguishing the distracting thoughts in his heart，Zhuo Buwei’s gaze sharpened slightly。
Mountains relied upon could collapse，people relied upon could run away。
If he could obtain the Divine Transformation Pill within the Formation Sect ruins，perhaps he too could attempt to prove the Dao as a Divine Transformation True Venerable and defy heaven to change his fate through his own strength！
……
At the same time，on the way back to Blackstone Gorge，Chen Beiwu continuously divided part of his attention to observe the changes within the Chaos Heaven and Earth。
Three strands of Fortune！
One Crimson Fortune Dragon！
Two Crimson Fortune Dragons！
Unlike the accumulation of Fate in the past，the Fate he obtained from capturing Severed Dragon Cliff this time was simply too astonishing，continuously increasing at a speed visible to the naked eye，and it had still not stopped even now。
‘If I can conquer and unify the entirety of Earth Evolution Realm，I wonder how many strands of Purple Qi I could accumulate！’
Chen Beiwu’s eyes brightened slightly，as though he could already see the Path to Divine Transformation close before him。
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