Chapter 517: Chapter 423: Application for a Crusade

The arrival of the Profound Immortal of Hesha has set the atmosphere of the Five Poison Immortal Hall ablaze.

The True Immortal Mitian approached with his freshly revised fate map to consult, while the True Immortal Fenshan surrounded the elder, asking about the methods of condensation in the fire dao during the Profound Immortal stage.

The Five Poison True Immortal also seized the opportunity to present his own poison scripture, seeking guidance on its obscure parts from the senior.

The Profound Immortal of Hesha had no airs of seniority, accepted the map and reviewed it meticulously, every word a gem.

Chen Sheng sat quietly on the side, occasionally interjecting with questions about the intricacies of the celestial court’s noble system, which the Profound Immortal of Hesha patiently explained, giving him more clarity on the hidden rules of the celestial court.

As tea was served for the third time, the Profound Immortal of Hesha paused with his cup, his expression suddenly solemn, looked at the four and said:

"By the way, you are all now Ninth Rank Celestial Soldiers. If you receive mission orders to battle in the Lower Realm in the future, make sure to find a way to decline."

This statement left the Five Poison True Immortal and the others stunned, their brows full of confusion:

"Why is this? The cultivation environment of the Lower Realm is far inferior to the Immortal Realm, with the strongest no more than a Venerable Yin Spirit. Even if there are occasionally gifted ones who can surpass and fight with True Immortals."

"We are not at all afraid, and our Celestial Soldiers from the celestial court are deployed in organized formations, equipped with standard immortal artifacts, boosted by military array might, so even Profound and Heavenly Immortals may not be unable to battle."

The True Immortal Fenshan also nodded in agreement, having been most adept at group battles in the Lower Realm, fully aware of the overpowering force of organized strength.

The Profound Immortal Hesha snorted softly:

"The Bright Light Realm has been controlled by the celestial court for years; you hail from this realm but are unaware of the changes in other Lower Realms in recent years."

"Years ago, when the celestial court expanded territory, Celestial Soldiers in the Lower Realm were indeed invincible, as if entering no man’s land."

He shifted his tone, lowered his voice:

"But in the near ten thousand years, many Lower Realms’ origins have erupted, breeding numerous sons of fate origin, all of them heaven-defying figures."

"They do not need to borrow Spiritual Qi from the Immortal Realm, hiding deep within the origin of the Lower Realm can cultivate to True Immortal, Profound Immortal, and astonishingly, some have reached Heavenly Immortal status, even daring to attack the celestial court!"

When speaking of "attack the celestial court," the Profound Immortal Hesha’s voice trembled slightly, a flicker of reverence imprinted in his Divine Soul.

The smiles on the faces of the Three True Immortals of Five Poison instantly froze, taking in a sharp breath.

"Attack... attack the celestial court? Lower Realm cultivators, actually having such capability?"

The Profound Immortal Hesha nodded slowly, his gaze drifting to the Cloud Sea outside the hall, as if piercing through time and space, returning to that earth-shaking battle:

"This matter is suppressed by the upper echelons of the celestial court, regular Celestial Soldiers simply cannot know, but we who have personally experienced it, shall never forget."

He lifted his tea cup, took a sip, moistening his dry throat, continued:

"At that time, a Lower Realm origin was exceptionally stirred, the celestial court sent a Heavenly Immortal General, leading a hundred thousand Celestial Soldiers to attack."

"But unexpectedly, that battle, a hundred thousand Celestial Soldiers were completely annihilated."

"Afterwards, that Sword Cultivator ascended from the Lower Realm to the Southern Heavenly Gate."

The Profound Immortal Hesha’s voice grew increasingly gloomy:

"I was guarding in Chonglou Heaven at the time, did not participate, but witnessed the battle from afar."

"Outside the Southern Heavenly Gate, Sword Qi filled the sky like a galaxy spilling over, golden immortal blood dyed the clouds red."

"Organized batches of Celestial Soldiers and Generals went up to block, all cut down by a single Sword Light."

The Three True Immortals of Five Poison listened in stunned silence, their tea cups tilted, unable to imagine a Lower Realm cultivator might possess such might.

Celestial Soldiers and Generals from Nine Heavens were like straw in front of him.

The Profound Immortal Hesha paid no heed to their loss of composure, his eyes filled with reminiscence:

"That Sword Cultivator slaughtered his way to the Lingxiao Heavenly Palace, his momentum immense, Immortal Kings and Sovereigns from Nine Heavens and Ten Lands rushing to intervene, yet none could withstand more than one exchange under his sword."

"At that time, the fallen powerhouses of the celestial court were enough to form a mountain of immortals, eventually, the Heavenly Emperor intervened personally, only then was he subdued!"

The Three True Immortals of Five Poison were completely frozen, the ordinary Celestial Soldiers and Generals, they had interacted with, yet the noble Immortal Kings and Sovereigns, actually...

Sitting poised beside them, Chen Sheng’s heart rippled with curiosity, the Sword Cultivator in Hesha’s tale was actually his past incarnation.

Though slightly exaggerated—with "a hundred thousand Celestial Soldiers and Generals" being embellished—but the main storyline was absolutely accurate.

This Hesha indeed must have experienced being celestial armor back then, no wonder he remembered the details so vividly.

"That Sword Cultivator... what cultivation did he have?"

In everyone’s understanding, the Immortal Sovereign is already the pinnacle of the Immortal Realm; only the Heavenly Emperor is above. To crush the Immortal Sovereign is unimaginable.

The Profound Immortal Hesha shook his head:

"Certainly above the Nine Heavens Immortal Sovereign. As for the specifics of the Realm, even the Heavenly Emperor has not stated, and we have no way of knowing."

He gathered his Heart Spirit, solemnly reminding:

"That Sword Cultivator is an anomaly, but heaven-defying beings from other Small Thousand Worlds are not few."

"A few years ago, a Shaman Cultivator from Barbaric Realm fought against Heavenly Immortal heavy treasure with his physical body, leaving merely over a hundred survivors from three thousand Celestial Soldiers."

"You have just entered the Heavenly Court, and your Dao Foundation is not yet stable. If faced with such a task, you must find a way to excuse yourself."

"Thank you, senior, for the advice!"

This secret knowledge completely overturned their understanding of the Immortal Realm and Lower Realm. If it wasn’t for the Hesha Profound Immortal telling them, they might suffer greatly in the future.

The Hesha Profound Immortal, seeing that the group was listening attentively, slightly nodded and suddenly lowered his voice, coughing softly:

"What I have said today is all a taboo of the Heavenly Court, remember, do not reveal it to outsiders."

"Understood!"

The Hesha Profound Immortal nodded:

"You have just ascended, within two hundred years, there is no need to worry, there will be no dangerous tasks."

"By the way, you must be wary of the covert targeting by the other four Major Sects. They clearly do not want another White Cloud Celestial Immortal to emerge."

"Their actions are hidden, but in recent years, we Bright Light Side Door Immortals have become more and more scarce, a fact as hard as iron."

Upon hearing these words, the expression of the Five Poison True Immortal and others immediately turned solemn: "Thank you, senior, for informing us!"

The Hesha Profound Immortal chuckled lightly:

"No need to be too tense, the Heavenly Court has strict rules, and they cannot cover the sky with one hand."

"Otherwise, an old guy at the peak of Profound Immortal like me wouldn’t have lived until today!"

...

In the Hall of Severing Heaven, Chen Sheng reclined on a chair, pinching a palm-sized blue Jade Seal between his fingers.

The seal’s body was carved with a pattern of a feathered forest bird preparing to take flight, and at the center of the seal’s face were inscribed six ancient characters: "Ninth Grade Feathered Forest Celestial Soldier" — the token of his newly attained Celestial Soldier identity — the Soldier Seal.

The Jade Seal felt smooth to the touch, with a faint flow of Immortal force circulating within. Where it touched his palm, he could almost feel a heavy aura originating from the central hub of the Heavenly Court.

Chen Sheng’s thoughts, as thin as threads, probed into it, and in an instant, he captured a wisp of mysterious power, seemingly present yet elusive.

This power was different from the purity of Immortal Spiritual Qi, nor was it like a cultivator’s own Dao Rhyme. Instead, it carried a majesty of dominion over all directions, unique to the power of authority within the celestial dynasty.

"Indeed, once in the Heavenly Court, even a low-ranked Ninth Grade Celestial Soldier bears the power of the celestial dynasty!"

He infused his mana, and the surface of the Jade Seal suddenly lit up with a layer of faint golden halo.

In the light halo, the vague silhouette of thousands of troops appeared, with the overwhelming momentum of Celestial Soldiers forming ranks and banners fluttering in the wind coming forth.

Though they were only residual shadows, they were enough to make the heart spirit of an ordinary True Immortal tremble.

"Bearing this seal, enhanced by a trace of celestial dynasty authority, when channeling the Spiritual Qi of the Heavenly Court for cultivation, it yields twice the results with half the effort."

"When engaging in combat with others, one can borrow the authority to suppress the opponent’s Dao Rhyme, naturally superior to that of ordinary True Immortals wandering outside."

He tossed the Jade Seal into the air, where its blue body spun, wrapped in light threads of faint golden authority like thin gauze.

"Unfortunately, behind this assistance lies deeper constraints."

Again, probing with his Divine Thought, this time he intentionally touched the core of the authority power, and felt an invisible force of attraction, as if trying to tie his Divine Soul firmly to the celestial dynasty of the Heavenly Court.

"The Dao of the celestial dynasty unites the power of all beings with authority, but it also imprisons the Dao of all beings with that authority."

"Once an ordinary cultivator joins, even with unmatched talent, their path would be confined by the celestial dynasty rules, and to break free in the future would be as difficult as ascending to heaven!"

However, Chen Sheng was different from ordinary cultivators. This body was born precisely as an avatar to investigate the celestial dynasty of the Heavenly Court. Even if he were fully bound by authority, at worst, he could abandon this body.

"For me, what I need to do now is to climb step by step in a reasonable manner."

"Only by delving deeply into this system, understanding how authority flows and how the celestial dynasty operates, can I thoroughly comprehend the core laws of the celestial dynasty Dao."

"Once I have discerned the foundation of this realm’s celestial dynasty, when my two main bodies’ cultivation reaches Great Success and they descend, capturing this realm would be like reaching into a pouch for an item."

At this thought, the caution mentioned by the Hesha Profound Immortal about expeditions to the Lower Realm turned into a completely different interpretation in his mind.

"Others fear the heaven-defying figures of the Lower Realm, but for me, they are the fastest shortcut to accumulating merit."

He placed the Soldier Seal into the slot of the Jade Desk, and the moment it fit in, a faint buzzing sound rang inside the hall.

A pale golden military document floated out from the seal, clearly listing his rank and permissions.

In his heart, Chen Sheng thought:

"Those who achieve merit in the Lower Realm expeditions can be promoted in rank and obtain high-tier cultivation techniques... truly generous rewards."

"If there is an opportunity, one can even gain control over a domain, which is a perfect chance for me to get in touch with the grassroots operation of the celestial dynasty."

Thinking of this, Chen Sheng did not hesitate either.

He immediately searched for recent Lower Realm tasks, made his choice, and submitted an application to participate in the Lower Realm expedition—

"Ninth Grade Feathered Forest Celestial Soldier Shi Jian, applying to join the Lower Realm expedition mission, to campaign against the Seven Cang Demon Kingdom!"