Translator: CinderTL
"An expedition against the Immortal God Race?"
Xuan Ling paused, then said, "The Heavenly Palace's forces in the Profound Yellow Great World probably aren't strong enough to defeat the Immortal God Race. Besides... the Demon-Quelling Great Emperor is solely focused on cultivation and may not cooperate with our plan."
"It's not about truly annihilating the Immortal God Race," Universal Transformation Venerable said, narrowing his eyes. "The Heavenly Palace has lost over a hundred billion Spirit Crystal in revenue in the Profound Yellow Vast Land. We must recoup those losses from other sources... and the Immortal God Race is the perfect target. Once our army arrives, they'll be begging for mercy."
"I fear the Immortal God Race might become emboldened after receiving support from the Profound Yellow Sect..."
"While the probability is low, the cautionary tales of Luo Yao, Liuhe, and others are fresh in our minds. We can't afford to be careless. Therefore, we need to collaborate with other powers."
Universal Transformation Venerable continued, "The Wu Ji Sect, which recently lost a Dharma Phase and thirteen Void Refining cultivators, is the ideal partner."
The Wu Ji Sect, a native power, indeed had the strength to suppress the Immortal God Race.
Xuan Ling nodded and continued, "What about Li Chunjun?"
"If the opportunity arises, we must strike. After suffering such a great loss in the Profound Yellow Vast Land, how can we face the other factions if we don't take action?"
Universal Transformation Venerable snorted, but then his tone shifted. "However, if he remains constantly surrounded by Profound Yellow Sect experts, there's no need to rush. Once we subdue the Immortal God Race, we can obtain evidence from them proving that Li Chunjun and the Profound Yellow Sect colluded to 'murder' Heavenly Palace Void Refining Luo Yao! At that point, Li Chunjun will be doomed, and the Profound Yellow Sect will be forced to pay us a crippling indemnity!"
With the Heavenly Palace's influence within the Immortal Alliance, once the "evidence" is in hand, the insignificant Profound Yellow Sect will be at their mercy.
Indemnity...
As Xuan Ling listened to Universal Transformation Venerable's words, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret.
Luo Yao was already dead.
Regardless of her past talents or status, now that she was gone, the most sensible course of action was to exploit her death for maximum gain.
As long as the benefits were substantial enough...
even letting Li Chunjun and the Profound Yellow Sect go wouldn't be out of the question.
This was the mindset of a high-tier leader.
Xuan Ling led the Heavenly Palace Void Refining cultivators in a swift retreat.
This scene left Chenguang, Yi Xuan, and others, who hadn't received the news as quickly as Xuan Ling, utterly baffled.
Compared to the Heavenly Palace, which had almost single-handedly supported the Immortal God Race, the forces behind Chenguang, Yi Xuan, and the others clearly didn't pay much attention to them.
Most of their attention was focused on their long-standing rivals, the Divine Race.
At most, they had dispatched some Hidden Pawns to gather intelligence from the Demonic Race and the Myriad Transformations Race.
A race like the Immortal God Race, which was friendly to the Human Race, didn't warrant much of their attention.
With Xuan Ling and the others gone, Chenguang, Yi Xuan, and the others continued to coast along in their duties.
They focused on ensuring the safety of the Star Gate while cultivating their Qi, hoping to quickly overcome their developmental stage and reach the stable, mature phase of the Void Refining realm.
Several days later, the Star Gate connecting to the Immortal God Race once again activated.
As the Void twisted, the Golden Crow Battleship emerged.
A Tier 7 warship like the Golden Crow Battleship was certainly impressive, but it wasn't enough to cause a major stir at a Star Gate connecting to a Foreign Race.
However, Yi Xuan and Chenguang, who were guarding the Star Gate, immediately sensed something significant upon seeing it and quickly stepped forward to greet it.
To their surprise and delight, Li Chunjun's figure materialized as well.
Immediately, the two Celestial Sovereigns stepped forward eagerly to pay their respects: "Greetings, Heavenly Monarch Li."
Li Chunjun nodded slightly in response.
Before they could speak, he took the initiative to say, "Once I've settled matters here, I'll visit the Profound Yellow Grotto-Heaven. I'll await your esteemed presence there."
Chenguang and Yi Xuan exchanged glances, both guessing Li Chunjun's intentions. They immediately replied, "We will certainly pay our respects in person."
Li Chunjun nodded.
Seeing that he seemed about to leave, Yi Xuan sent a Divine Sense transmission: "Not long ago, Xuan Ling, a follower of the Heavenly Palace's Universal Transformation Venerable, led eight Void Refining cultivators toward the Immortal God Race. But for some unknown reason, they suddenly stopped and turned back..."
He added, "It's likely related to the group led by the Wu Ji Sect's Six Harmonies Venerable, whom they were investigating."
He believed that Li Chunjun would understand the reason by now.
"I see," Li Chunjun replied.
Indeed, Void Refining cultivators from the Human Race's Great Sects...
They were not easy to kill.
It would have been different on battlefields like the Two Worlds Mountain Battlefield. But so close to Human Territory, the death of any Void Refining-level cultivator could trigger a series of uncontrollable consequences.
Especially this time, the fallen included not only a Void Refining cultivator but also a Venerable.
Even if it was just a Venerable who had condensed an ordinary Dharma Idol, they were still a Venerable.
"The Heavenly Palace will likely suspect collusion between me and the Immortal God Race. Their next move will probably be a major one, and targeting the Immortal God Race will be far more effective than targeting me..."
Li Chunjun mused quietly.
He could guess their true motive for targeting the Immortal God Race.
Dealing with the Immortal God Race was just a pretext; extorting them was the real goal.
Under normal circumstances, the Immortal God Race would inevitably suffer a heavy financial loss.
After all, they were a Foreign Race, not integrated into the Immortal Alliance system. While they maintained good relations with some factions within the alliance, if the alliance used the deaths of Six Harmonies Venerable and others at the hands of the Immortal God Race as a pretext to attack, the race would have no defense.
"Fortunately, for now, I can shift the blame onto myself. Ultimately, this incident will be framed as a personal conflict between me, the Wu Ji Sect, and the Heavenly Palace."
Of course, this was assuming everything unfolded according to the rules.
If the Heavenly Palace and the Wu Ji Sect decided to play dirty...
The Immortal God Race would still suffer significant repercussions.
Foreign Races would always remain outsiders.
It all depended on how much influence the Heavenly Palace wielded within the Immortal Alliance.
While pondering, Li Chunjun had already piloted the Golden Crow Battleship through the checkpoint at the edge of the Star Gate.
After completing the necessary inspections, he headed straight for the next Star Gate, passing through it to reach Canghai Mountain.
Once on Canghai Mountain, Li Chunjun took no further action. Instead, he summoned Zuo Cheng, Su Fang, Huang Tian, Yu Jin, and the others.
During their time in the Land of Buried Demons, nearly every Primordial Spirit True Monarch had experienced a surge in cultivation.
More than half of the True Monarchs had cultivated Mind Power, making Void Refining a future possibility. Among the three most talented—Su Fang, Yu Jin, and Qi Qian Yu—their Mind Power had reached the peak of the first realm.
For them, breaking through to the second realm was merely a matter of time.
After surveying their cultivation progress, Li Chunjun spoke calmly: "Fellow cultivators, we have been stranded in the Land of Buried Demons of the Great Earth Immortal World for six years. Now, at last, we return to the Profound Yellow Great World."
The Primordial Spirit True Monarchs seemed to anticipate what Li Chunjun would say next, each deeply moved.
But Li Chunjun gave them no chance to express their feelings. He continued directly: "All gatherings must eventually end. I wish you all a smooth Dao path and a brilliant future."
"Swordmaster Li, we wish to follow you. Please grant us this request."
Several True Monarchs couldn't help but speak up.
These individuals were mostly from the War Commission system, having followed True Monarch Huang Tian and True Monarch Su Fang.
The True Monarchs who had come with Yu Jin, on the other hand, weren't unwilling to follow Li Chunjun. However, they had already sworn allegiance to General Xuan Mi. Even if they wished to follow Li Chunjun, they couldn't bear the stigma of betraying their former master.
"I have no intention of recruiting followers," Li Chunjun said. "Moreover, I've made many enemies in the Profound Yellow Great World. Following me may not guarantee a bright future for you."
Seeing that Su Fang, Huang Tian, and the others were about to speak again, Li Chunjun continued, "First, familiarize yourselves with the rumors about me in the Profound Yellow Great World. Then, make your decision. If you still wish to follow me, come to the Cloud Surge Mountain Range. This is my established foothold in the outside world."
Hearing this, the True Monarchs fell silent, unwilling to press the matter further and risk annoying Li Chunjun.
"Go now," Li Chunjun said, waving his hand.
The True Monarchs dispersed one by one.
"Swordmaster Li, take care," Yu Jin said, leading his group forward and bowing respectfully. "If you ever need anything in the future, don't hesitate to ask. We will do our utmost to assist you."
"Very well," Li Chunjun nodded slightly. "Please convey my gratitude to General Xuan Mi."
Following this, he smiled again. "The warship and personnel have, in a sense, returned to their rightful owner."
Yu Jin chuckled as well. "I will. Swordmaster Li, when you have time, please visit our Frigid Jade Fortress. Though the coordinates have shifted from the Two Worlds Mountain Battlefield to the Divine Tomb Battlefield."
The Divine Tomb Battlefield...
This was the border between the Profound Yellow Great World and the Great World of the Gods.
When the Taixu Sword Sect dominated the Profound Yellow Great World, they had fought numerous battles here against the Great World of the Gods, slaying countless gods. That's why it was called the Divine Tomb Battlefield.
Now, a strategic stronghold like Frigid Jade Fortress was advancing toward this very border...
It seemed a full-scale war between the two races was brewing.
"I will," Li Chunjun nodded slightly.
He added, "Inform me when the first skirmishes break out. I'd like to contribute on the battlefield."
Yu Jin thought that once Void Refining cultivators were involved, it could hardly be called a skirmish. However, he naturally wouldn't refuse Li Chunjun's request. "Certainly."
With that, Yu Jin and Zuo Cheng, leading the Primordial Spirit True Monarchs, bid farewell to Li Chunjun once more.
Soon, the Golden Crow Battleship pierced through the void and vanished from sight.
"Having a Tier 7 warship is quite convenient," Li Chunjun mused.
Li Chunjun thought to himself.
Tier 7 warships typically start at hundreds of millions of Spirit Crystals, with no upper limit.
The Golden Crow Battleship, for example, should be priced around two hundred million.
With Li Chunjun's current wealth, purchasing one wouldn't be difficult.
"I'll have Qian Feng look into it."
Li Chunjun pondered this. After settling the personnel in the Cloud Surge Mountain Range, he didn't waste any more time there.
With the surrounding space twisting, his figure materialized within the Profound Yellow Grotto-Heaven.
Once inside, he quietly sensed the faint but powerful auras emanating from various corners of the grotto-heaven...
Only now do I truly meet the basic standards of the Profound Yellow Grotto-Heaven, he thought to himself.
At that moment, 11# silently appeared beside Li Chunjun, standing respectfully at attention.
"Connect me to Liu Yu," Li Chunjun instructed.
"Yes," 11# replied. He quickly added, "Princess Liuyu will arrive shortly."
As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Yu's projection materialized before them.
"The hidden dangers of the mission you brought back are considerable. The Heavenly Palace is now targeting me. As a direct disciple, the Profound Yellow Supreme left behind a method of protection."
Li Chunjun cut straight to the point.
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (MI) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c424. [+4.2k]
🔑Early Access at $5.
✍Translated (6) Series, (3.6K+) Chapters, (5.1M+) Words.