The Great Sun Sword Sect's headquarters stood upon a towering peak by the sea. Chi Songzi, deputy hall master of the Warfare Hall and head of the East Sea Island Affairs Department, was quietly waiting in the reception hall of a castle within the sect's gate.

Soon, a graceful figure stepped out from within. She appeared to be only eighteen or nineteen, dressed in heavy religious garments. Yet the moment he saw her, even Chi Songzi, as deputy hall master of the Warfare Hall, did not dare show the slightest disrespect. He immediately rose to his feet. "Ms. Qing Zi."

"The sacred lord is waiting for you. Please follow me." The young woman led him inside. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

As they passed through a courtyard, Chi Songzi noticed traces of an array. The moment he stepped into the array’s domain, he felt an inexplicable pressure descend upon him. It was like entering a high-gravity field. Even as a Foundation Building cultivator, he felt slightly uncomfortable.

The further they walked, the heavier the pressure became. After passing through another corridor, his view suddenly opened up. A vast open space spanning nearly a thousand meters appeared before him, with rolling clouds visible in the distance.

Yet what seized Chi Songzi’s attention was not the sea of clouds. It was the enormous three-headed python coiled in the middle of the square. Even while resting on the ground, its body alone measured nearly a hundred meters in diameter.

The pressure he had felt emanated from this terrifying beast. It was the Black Heavenly Divine Python, also known as Great Black Heaven. It was the strongest existence within the Great Sun Sword Sect, and a divine beast comparable to a first-generation star god! It was also the foundation that allowed the Great Sun Sword Sect to stand as a major sect!

Chi Songzi quickly withdrew his gaze and bowed to the man personally washing the massive serpent’s body. "Sacred Sect Master."

The man was none other than Long Zechuan, the supreme ruler of the Great Sun Sword Sect and master of Great Black Heaven.

The sect master did not respond immediately. After bowing, Chi Songzi stood obediently to one side. He noticed that two others were already waiting nearby: Bai Shi, the hall master of the Heavenly Palace Hall, and Teng Ye, the hall master of the Punishment Hall. Both had a higher standing than he did.

After some time, Long Zeechuan finished washing Great Black Heaven. The colossal beast let out a low hiss, flicked its tongue, then slowly shifted its enormous body. It unfurled, then like a three-headed jiao, it rose into the air and soared toward the clouds.[1]

Only then did Chi Songzi realize that it was not merely a hundred meters long. Its full length exceeded a thousand meters. As it ascended, the immense pressure of its body bore down upon him. Even as a Foundation Building cultivator, he could feel its weight.

Once Great Black Heaven had disappeared into the clouds, Long Zechuan set down the cleansing tool in his hand. "Bai Shi. Report what you have learned."

"Yes." In projection form, Bai Shi stepped forward. "After two years and three months of investigation, we have finally found out the truth about the defeat of the Divine Fire Institute in the East Sea Islands and the disappearance of the Spring Rain Sky Patrol Warship. Strictly speaking, these two events are one and the same. Both stem from changes in the strength of the Nine Cauldrons Sect, and at the core of these changes lies a powerful high-grade spirit treasure newly acquired by the sect."

He glanced at Chi Songzi and Teng Ye. "You have likely heard of it. This spirit treasure is called the Origin World."

"The Origin World?!" Both men were startled.

"Isn't that the special spirit treasure that the Artifact Sect once claimed it would refine to counter the Lunar Fiend Empire’s psyche cultivators?!" They quickly recalled its origins.

It had been one of the reasons the Lunar Fiend Empire later mobilized all its strength to annihilate the Artifact Sect.

"Correct." Bai Shi nodded. "The reason psyche cultivation in the Great Cangwu World developed into the Dharma Form system was that it was built upon the foundation of the Lunar Fiend Empire’s Psyche Dao system. The cultivation framework of our Dharma Form cultivators is not fundamentally different from that of the powerful entities of the Lunar Fiend Empire. The difference lies only in the essence of life itself. The Artifact Sect’s Origin World was said to be capable of suppressing the Lunar Fiend Empire’s psyche cultivators. If so, suppressing our world’s primordial psyche cultivators, or even exhibiting power comparable to a Dharma Form cultivator, shouldn't be difficult."

He sighed. "The Divine Fire Institute and the Spring Rain effectively fought against two of the Nine Cauldrons Sect’s strongest battle institutes, along with a Dharma Form Realm force. Their defeat was not unjust."

"They actually..." Chi Songzi’s eyes flickered with unease. The Nine Cauldrons Sect truly lives up to its reputation as inheritor of the Artifact Sect’s legacy!

"Of course, while the Origin World was the primary reason for the Divine Fire Institute’s defeat, it merely assisted in the disappearance of the Spring Rain..." Bai Shi said solemnly. "Our spies, who paid with their lives, confirmed that the Spring Rain arrived at the Nine Cauldrons Sect’s Sky Patrol Research Institute No. 3 two years and three months ago. It was studied in secret, and they used the knowledge acquired to replicate it. We already had suspicions based on personnel movements within the Sky Patrol Research Institute No. 3, but their security was too tight. It was only recently that we were able to obtain confirmation..."

"The Spring Rain was captured? Impossible! The crew was formed by brave warriors. Zuo Chuan was completely loyal to the sect. If they realized they could not resist, they would have detonated the warship rather than allow it to fall into the Nine Cauldrons Sect’s hands. How could it have been captured?!" Chi Songzi could hardly believe it.

"That brings us to a key figure. The chief of the Purple Firmament Institute, chief of the Sea Guardian Institute, and deputy hall master of both the Profound Array Hall and the Artifact Refinement Hall, Su Yaoguang," Bai Shi said.

"Him?" Chi Songzi was well aware of the name. Even the Infinite Star Palace had demanded that this genius be handed over to them.

Bai Shi’s face darkened. "Several years ago, when the Purple Firmament Institute sold a batch of exceptional spirit artifacts to the Golden Temple, we already took note of him. But at that time, our attention was focused on the true powerhouses of the Nine Cauldrons Sect. We did not attach enough importance to someone who could only refine spirit artifacts. In reality, Yaoguang is a true genius at artifact refinement. The Purple Firmament series flying swords newly equipped by the Nine Cauldrons Sect in recent years were essentially all crafted under his leadership!"

"The Purple Firmament series..." Chi Songzi had heard about those flying swords from survivors of the Divine Fire Institute.

In terms of advancement, they were already comparable to the Great Sun Sword Sect’s best flying swords.

"Most surprising of all, artifact refinement is merely his secondary pursuit. His true expertise is array arts," Bai Shi said in a deep voice. "Though we did not witness it firsthand, based on the intelligence we gathered from multiple sources, we concluded that while the suppression from the Origin World was one of the reasons the Spring Rain was captured, the other was Yaoguang’s extraordinary mastery of array arts. In an extremely short time, he dismantled every defensive array aboard the Spring Rain, leaving Zuo Chuan no opportunity to destroy the ship."

"How is that possible?!" Chi Songzi and Teng Ye said at the same time.

Teng Ye, as hall master of the Punishment Hall, said, "I may not understand Sky Patrol Warships in depth, but I know that while the arrays involved are comprehensive in every aspect, defensive ones are the true core. Their complexity and layered structure far exceed those of ordinary treasured artifacts or city-guarding arrays. What kind of person could master every defensive array involved and destroy a warship’s defenses in such a short span?"

Chi Songzi nodded. He clearly shared the same view.

"Hard as it is to believe, it is the truth," Bai Shi replied. "Two years ago, Yaoguang was appointed overall commander of Sky Patrol Research Institute No. 3 and gained unanimous trust. The analysis and reverse-engineering of our Spring Rain warship have been conducted under his leadership. According to our intelligence, they have achieved remarkable progress in just two years."

"This..." The two men fell silent, struggling to accept it.

"This world has never lacked geniuses. Some talents truly exceed conventional understanding." Long Zechuan finally spoke. "The key question now is whether such a genius can serve the Great Sun Sword Sect."

"Sect Master, you mean ..." Teng Ye seemed to grasp his meaning.

Long Zechuan's gaze fell upon him. "I have already informed the Infinite Star Palace about the Origin World. Once they free their hands from dealing with the Black Feather Sect, they will address it. As for Yaoguang, get someone to contact him. If he is willing to join the Great Sun Sword Sect, we can satisfy any condition he names."

He paused briefly. "However, the likelihood is small. If we were as powerful as the Infinite Star Palace, we might persuade him. The Great Sun Sword Sect is stronger than the Nine Cauldrons Sect, but we don't have an overwhelming superiority. Therefore..."

His expression gradually turned cold. "If he refuses, seize him by force. If he cannot be taken, then he must die."

Teng Ye lowered his head. "I will arrange it at once."

"Arranging it isn't enough. You must ensure the success of the operation!" Long Zechuan’s voice hardened. "Even if it means going to war with the Nine Cauldrons Sect! Hall Master Chi Songzi, I need you to lead the fleet toward the Nine Cauldrons Sect’s coastline to support Teng Ye."

Chi Songzi and Teng Ye immediately understood the sect master’s resolve. They answered solemnly, "We will not disappoint you, Sect Master."

"Go. If necessary, follow the Infinite Star Palace’s example. Send the Vajra Sky Patrol Warship deep into the Nine Cauldrons Sect’s territory. There is no issue with seizing him wherever he is." Long Zechuan made his stance unmistakably clear.

"Yes." They responded firmly.

***

At the Purple Firmament Institute, Yaoguang and Xu Qiexing smiled as they saw off buyers from the Golden Temple.

"They truly are wealthy. In just one year, we have completed over a thousand Purple Firmament Type 13 orders for them. And each sword brings in a net profit exceeding 50 thousand spirit stones!" Yaoguang said with genuine amazement.

"The Golden Temple’s wealth distribution is extremely polarized. Nearly all their wealth is controlled by a handful of elders. Public expenditures are minimal, so they can allocate fifty or sixty million spirit stones per year to purchase equipment. We lowered the price of third-generation low-grade treasured artifact flying swords from over one hundred thousand to eighty-five thousand. Naturally, they are stockpiling like mad." Xu Qiexing laughed, then glanced at Yaoguang. "With these orders alone, your earnings must exceed forty million spirit stones. Add next month’s spirit-gathering array dividends, and your annual income will easily be higher than forty million. When will you place your next order? Let the Logistics Hall and the Alchemy Hall earn a share as well."

"Has Hall Master Wu succeeded in refining third-generation treasured pills yet?"

"Uh... almost."

"Almost..." Yaoguang was almost speechless.

Three years ago, it was almost. Three years later, still almost. Six years had already passed, and he still had no idea about when Hall Master Wu's alchemy would finally break through. After a moment, he seemed to recall something. "When the spirit-gathering array dividends arrive, I do have a major order in mind. However, it is not a purchase. I hope the sect can mobilize all primordial psyche cultivators capable of entering the Purple Firmament Divine Lightning layer to cooperate with me in staging a performance. I will compensate every participant."

"A performance?" Xu Qiexing looked surprised. "What kind of performance?"

"A performance simulating the advancement of a primordial psyche cultivator to the Dharma Form Realm."

1. Jiao is a dragon in Chinese mythology, often defined as a "scaled dragon"; it is hornless according to certain scholars and said to be aquatic or river-dwelling. ☜