“Indeed, the siege that was originally supposed to occur tens of thousands of years later, and even the legendary Hundred Races War, might erupt because of this,” the old monk murmured.
“Brother Jinyue, why beat around the bush? I already know all this. But how does it relate to what we were discussing earlier? Aren’t all the races now trembling in fear precisely because they dread being dragged into this?” The Taoist still seemed puzzled.
“Fear being dragged in? Heh, once this matter arises, which race can truly avoid it? According to past precedents of the emergence of Profound Heaven Treasures, each time it has triggered a storm of bloodshed before the treasure truly appears. The race that ultimately obtains such a treasure can, by offering it, recruit a True Spirit-level being as their guardian, instantly elevating them to a powerful race in the Spirit Realm. These True Spirit-level beings can even rival the immortals of the True Immortal Realm. Of course, before such a powerful True Spirit appears, the race that obtains the treasure must have the strength to protect it. Otherwise, they’d merely be handing it over to others. If the race that first obtains the treasure is too weak, they might hastily offer it to a stronger race for protection or even discard it in the wilderness to avoid annihilation.” The old monk continued unhurriedly.
The Taoist still didn’t fully grasp it, but he refrained from interrupting the monk.
After a brief pause, the monk resumed:
“Logically, predicting which race the Profound Heaven Treasure will emerge in is beyond the capabilities of our two races. However, this time, a demonic cultivator with some prophetic talent, knowing he had no hope of surviving his Great Heavenly Tribulation, exhausted his life’s cultivation to divine the treasure’s approximate location. The divination revealed that this Profound Heaven Severing Spirit Sword lies in the northwestern corner of the Wind Origin Continent, where our human race resides. Though the Wind Origin Continent is the smallest of the three known continents, it hosts far more races than the others. The so-called northwestern corner includes our human race, the demon race, the spirit race, the wood race, the yaksha race, the shadow race, and several others. In other words, this newly emerged Profound Heaven Treasure might appear among us humans. For now, only our two races know of this, but it won’t remain secret for long—our ranks are surely infiltrated by spies from other races. Once the others learn of this, you can imagine the consequences.”
As he spoke the last line, the monk wore a bitter smile.
“What? Such a thing? Does this mean our human race could face annihilation if we’re not careful?” The Taoist’s face turned ashen.
“According to ancient legends, if a large number of powerful beings in a certain region are exterminated within a set time, a mysterious blood sacrifice can forcibly summon the Profound Heaven Treasure from that area. Given our races’ strength, the powerful races wouldn’t hesitate to wipe us out to perform such a sacrifice. During the last Hundred Races War, wasn’t it the current fourth-ranked ‘Transformation Heaven Shield’ that its original owner carried across three continents for millennia, dragging nearly seventy to eighty percent of the races into the conflict? The weaker races that perished almost all became sacrifices. Moreover, regardless of which race holds the treasure, once the northwestern races learn it’s in this region, they’ll immediately wage war to avoid becoming sacrifices themselves.” The monk sighed.
“So that’s it… You sent those newly ascended cultivators away from Tianyuan City to foreign lands—could it be you suspect…?” The Taoist suddenly seemed to realize something.
“Exactly! The Profound Heaven Treasure is an object capable of overturning the laws of a realm—an artifact of defiance. But it might not originate from our Spirit Realm; it could have been brought from a lower realm. Though the odds are minuscule, in the past century, any ascended cultivator with the slightest suspicion has been dispatched from Tianyuan City to perform dangerous missions among foreign races. Whether they succeed or not, they’ll find themselves unable to return anytime soon. Similarly, any local cultivators under suspicion have been exiled to the wilderness under various pretexts. Beyond these, a group of exceptionally talented individuals has also been sent away. If any of them carry the Profound Heaven Severing Spirit Sword, the calamity will be diverted. And if our two races suffer defeat in the coming war, these individuals could be our hope for revival.” The monk spoke gravely.
“Why go to such lengths? If we want to confirm whether the treasure is among them, we could simply—”
“—use soul-searching techniques to inspect their minds? But what good would it do if we found the Profound Heaven Severing Spirit Sword in our hands? It’s a hot potato! Can you guarantee that none among the executors or even the Elder Council are spies in disguise? Once the news leaks, not only will our human race become the target of all, but even the demon race might abandon our alliance to save themselves. Then, our annihilation would be certain.”
“We’re not a powerful race. We can’t hold onto such a treasure until a True Spirit comes for it. Even if we tried offering it to a stronger race for protection, the shadow race and others would never allow it. Feigning ignorance and preparing for the imminent war is our best course. Without confirmation of which race holds the treasure, our attackers will likely be only the wood and shadow races. With our alliance and Tianyuan City’s defenses, we can hold them off. The spirit and yaksha races are already locked in fierce combat; upon learning of this, they’ll only fight harder. At worst, heavy losses among our races could meet the blood sacrifice’s conditions. Once the treasure is summoned away, we’ll have survived this calamity. But to resolve the conflict before the powerful races arrive, this war will be far more brutal than the century-long sieges of the past—it’ll likely conclude within years.”
“Heh, the rulers of the other races are probably thinking the same. Otherwise, have you heard of any race actively searching for the Profound Heaven Severing Spirit Sword? They’re all just preparing for war.” The old monk spoke calmly.
“When did you learn all this? Why was I kept in the dark? Did the Elder Council deliberately hide it from me?” After a long silence, the Taoist asked, displeased.
“Simple. We acted only after discovering your identity was compromised. Should I still address you as Realist Leiluo, or should I call you Lord Purple Shadow?” The monk’s eyes gleamed sharply, his tone suddenly icy.
“What Purple Shadow? What do you mean, Master Jinyue?” The Taoist showed no reaction, merely frowning.
“Heh, it seems the time is about right. It should be taking effect now.” Ignoring the Taoist, the monk glanced at a small incense burner in the corner, where a spiritual incense stick had burned mostly down.
“What time? Wait—this incense—” The Taoist’s eyes flashed purple, his face twisting in alarm. At the same moment, a purple shadow shot from his body toward the monk.
The monk remained seated, flicking his sleeve.
With a boom, golden light flashed, and sacred runes materialized.
The purple shadow was hurled back as if struck by a massive force, crashing into the wall before curling into a trembling ball, immobilized.
Then, the wall shimmered with blue light as a jade bowl emerged, flipping to release a blue mist that instantly swallowed the shadow.
“Excellent. The Four Gods Incense lives up to its reputation against shadow beings—even a Purple Shadow can’t withstand it.” A refined middle-aged scholar in white robes materialized from the wall, his demeanor composed.
“Brother Tianyuan! Thanks to your divine incense, this fiend was finally dealt with.” The monk rose, clasping his hands in gratitude.
“Master Jinyue, you flatter me. It was only after mastering a new divine ability that I detected Realist Leiluo’s possession by a Purple Shadow. A pity—such a prodigious talent in the Dao, meeting such an end.” The scholar sighed, glancing at the Taoist’s withered corpse, drained of life the moment the shadow left it.
The monk chanted a Buddhist mantra, sorrow flickering across his face before he flicked a golden flame onto the corpse, reducing it to nothing.
“Normally, a Purple Shadow, though powerful, shouldn’t have been able to possess Realist Leiluo unnoticed. The only explanation is that he was ambushed during his expedition to the wilderness a century ago. This fiend was cunning—it hid flawlessly for years in the city. Without the Holy Emperor’s intervention, we’d still be oblivious. Lately, it had been gathering ascended cultivators under the guise of protection, surely with ill intent.” The monk sighed.
The middle-aged man was none other than the renowned ruler of the Tianyuan Territory—Holy Emperor Tianyuan.
“Still, in recent years, our old friends have shown too much favoritism toward local cultivators, no wonder the ascended ones are resentful,” Holy Emperor Tianyuan remarked with a gentle smile.
“This old monk has been too absorbed in secluded cultivation, neglecting such matters. But with war looming, we can’t afford distractions now. With the Purple Shadow controlling Realist Leiluo for so long, who knows how much intelligence it leaked. Tianyuan City’s defenses and restrictions must be overhauled.” The monk’s expression darkened.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage