Immortal Venerable of the Beast Race
Chapter 470 - 378 Lihuo True Monarch_1

Chapter 470: 378 Lihuo True Monarch_1

"I do not agree with that statement. Taoist Friend Shen only became famous in recent years, while Taoist Friend Xu had been renowned for a long period. If we talk about fame, Taoist Friend Xu’s reputation is indeed greater, but when it comes to strength, Taoist Friend Shen should be the superior one,"

Ye Hongyao said with a smile.

"Empty fame is useless; in the Cultivation Realm, power is respected. I certainly can’t use divination to kill the Profound Yin Ghost Mother,"

Tianji Hermit stated.

"Whether it’s Taoist Friend Shen or Taoist Friend Xu, both are distinguished among Nascent Soul Cultivators; there is no need to differentiate between their levels of superiority,"

Lin Qian remarked, smoothing things over.

Shen Long nodded and said, "Fairy Lin speaks the truth. By the way, I wish to consult Taoist Friend Xu on a matter."

"Please feel free to speak, Taoist Friend Shen. Xu has no secrets to hide,"

Tianji Hermit responded.

"Divination is peering into the secrets of heaven. Is every cultivator’s fate fixed? Unchangeable? If it is fixed, there’s no need for cultivation, right? Since it’s all predestined,"

Shen Long remarked.

"A diviner peers into the secrets of heaven, but only knows the outline. Man conquers heaven; it depends on the individual,"

Tianji Hermit explained.

"Man conquers heaven? Then why say it depends on the individual?"

Ye Hongyao asked, puzzled.

"Some people believe in fate, no matter what they gain or lose; they think it’s their destiny. Others don’t believe in fate and believe they can carve a path to survival even in a certain-death situation. Destiny is a complex thing, hence I say it depends on the individual. Do you believe in destiny, or do you believe that man can conquer heaven?"

Tianji Hermit spoke slowly, his gaze settling on Shen Long.

"Three parts believe in destiny, seven parts trust oneself; whether it be divination or beast control, all are just auxiliary means. Throughout history, how many Soul Transformation Cultivators have there been in the Qianyang Realm? Is it predestined for every one of them to reach the Soul Transformation Stage? Not necessarily, personal efforts should not be overlooked, and the will of the path is most crucial,"

Shen Long stated earnestly.

"Can steadfast will of the path truly lead one further on the road to immortality? Not necessarily, some cultivators rely on the blessings from their ancestors or sheer luck to reach the Nascent Soul Stage without having faced any major setbacks, and still manage to do so,"

a plump, golden-robed elder questioned.

"That’s why I said three parts believe in destiny. There’s a saying in the mundane world, ’If your fate decrees you to be a mandarin, there’s no need to strive’; this is the same principle. Those cultivators who become infants due to their ancestors’ blessings or sheer luck are, after all, in the minority. The majority of cultivators do not have such conditions,"

Shen Long expressed his view.

"Taoist Friend Shen is right, I agree with his view,"

Ye Hongyao expressed his agreement.

The cultivators chatted leisurely, discussing everything under the sky, and naturally, their conversation turned to ghost creatures and the Profound Yin Ghost Mother when they talked about the Western Desert Cultivation Realm.

"Taoist Friend Shen, would you be willing to show everyone that Spiritual Treasure that can pinpoint the Profound Yin Ghost Mother’s location? Apparently, it’s even more formidable than the Ghost-Seeking Disk,"

the golden-robed elder asked with curiosity.

"It was destroyed during the battle with the Profound Yin Ghost Mother,"

Shen Long fabricated an excuse.

Many Nascent Soul Cultivators were curious about this treasure. Having such an item would have made it much easier to traverse the Profound Yin Cave Heaven, so Shen Long could only say the treasure was destroyed.

"What a pity, having such a treasure would have made treasure hunting in the Profound Yin Cave Heaven much easier,"

Lin Qian said with a tone of regret.

"Fairy Lin, during this Grand Sword Assembly, will Senior Lin make an appearance? Will there be a sermon?"

Tianji Hermit asked, curious.

"I’m not sure about the old ancestor’s whereabouts; the last time I saw him was over a hundred years ago,"

Lin Qian responded.

She took out a Law Disk that flickered with red light, infused a spell into it, and excitedly said, "Taoist Friend Xu has also come to attend the Grand Sword Assembly."

"Fairy Lin, are you speaking of Lihuo True Monarch?"

Chu Buyu asked, curious.

"Indeed. Fairy Chu, do you know Taoist Friend Xu?"

Lin Qian inquired.

Chu Buyu nodded and replied, "I have met Taoist Friend Xu once before."

"Lihuo True Monarch! He’s a disciple of Qinglian Sword Venerable! This is going to be exciting,"

Ye Hongyao commented with a laugh.

Qinglian Sword Venerable was a Soul Transformation Cultivator from the Northern Sea Cultivation Realm, a master of Sword Control Technique, and had been famous for many years. Lihuo True Monarch was his disciple.

"Speaking of which, it has been many years since I last saw Taoist Friend Xu,"

Zhou Hualei remarked.

Before long, a burly red-robed young man entered. He carried a beautiful red Sword Box on his back, engraved with a pattern of crimson flames, and an intense murderous aura emanated from his being.

The red-robed young man quickly glanced over the cultivators present and settled his gaze on Shen Long.

"Taoist Friend Xu, it has been a long time,"

Lin Qian greeted him.

Lihuo True Monarch nodded and addressed Shen Long, "You must be Taoist Friend Shen! I’ve heard much about Taoist Friend Shen’s great reputation. I wonder if you would be willing to enlighten me with some guidance?"

He had been stuck at a bottleneck for many years, sparring with powerful Nascent Soul Cultivators. This time, he came to the Wan Jian Conference specifically to find an opponent.

Shen Long was stunned. He hadn’t expected Lihuo True Monarch to make such a request.

"Taoist Friend Xu, with so many Nascent Soul Cultivators present, why have you chosen only me to spar with?"

Shen Long asked, perplexed.

"I’ve already sparred with Taoist Friend Zhou. If other friends are interested, they can also spar with me."

Lihuo True Monarch spoke with a calm tone, clearly not considering other people worth his attention.

The Nascent Soul Cultivators present exchanged looks, but no one spoke up to accept the challenge.

Being a disciple of a Soul Transformation Cultivator and one of the Ten Immortals of the Northern Sea, Lihuo True Monarch’s reputation was well known.

"I’m stuck at a bottleneck and wish to spar with other friends to break through. Taoist Friend Shen shouldn’t misunderstand, I have no other intentions."

Lihuo True Monarch explained.

"Both Taoist Friend Shen and Taoist Friend Xu are very strong. I, too, am curious to see who is more formidable,"

Tianji Hermit said with an interested expression on his face.

"Both friends have impressive divine skills, let’s limit it to three moves to avoid any hard feelings,"

Chu Buyu suggested.

"That’s a good idea,"

Ye Hongyao agreed wholeheartedly.

"That would not be of much help to me in overcoming my bottleneck. This is a fourth-tier Spirit Flame. If Taoist Friend Shen wins, the item is yours. If you lose, give me ten bottles of fourth-tier Elixirs, how about that?"

Lihuo True Monarch took out a jade bottle radiating a flickering green light and said.

"Fourth-tier Spirit Flame!"

The eyes of Ye Hongyao and several other Nascent Soul Cultivators turned eager.

After pondering for a moment, Shen Long nodded and said, "All right! But this is not a place to fight, let’s find another location."

"There is an open space in the southwest direction outside the marketplace where both friends can spar,"

Ye Hongyao suggested.

"Taoist Friend Xu, does defeating you mean one can obtain the fourth-tier Spirit Flame?"

The man in the golden robe spoke up.

"Indeed, if you lose, you’ll need to put up a corresponding bet, no need for ordinary items,"

Lihuo True Monarch’s voice remained even.

"No problem, can I use a thousand five hundred-year-old Heavenly Soul Dark Lotus as my bet?"

The man in the golden robe said.

"No problem! Any other Cultivators interested in participating in the contest?"

Lihuo True Monarch looked around at the other Cultivators.

No one responded. Lihuo True Monarch had been famous for many years and was incredibly powerful.

"Alright, then it will be the three of us who spar!"

Lihuo True Monarch declared.

They left the marketplace and flew southwest, covering more than three hundred miles before appearing over a vast plain.

"Who will go first?"

Lihuo True Monarch asked.

"I’ll go first!"

The man in the golden robe said.

Shen Long and the others retreated to a distance to watch. The man in the golden robe stood hundreds of feet away from Lihuo True Monarch.

"I am Chen Xin. Please enlighten me, Taoist Friend Xu,"

After saying this, the man began casting his spell, causing his body to radiate a brilliant golden light, and a vast amount of golden poisonous fog emerged, enveloping Chen Xin.

The golden fog rolled and surged, revealing a golden hand more than thirty feet large, shooting straight towards Lihuo True Monarch.

The right hand of Lihuo True Monarch glowed bright red, chopping towards the void. A tremendous red sword light swept forward, cleaving the giant golden hand in two and continuing towards Chen Xin.

Chen Xin summoned a mass of gold-glittering gravel. With a flick of his spell, the golden gravel suddenly condensed into a giant golden blade several feet long, meeting the onslaught head-on.

The giant golden blade collided with the red sword light, the latter instantly dissipating, while the giant golden blade continued its path towards Lihuo True Monarch.

Lihuo True Monarch’s sword technique shifted, and a flying sword flickering with red light emerged from his Sword Box, its spiritual energy staggering.

"A Spiritual Treasure!"

Shen Long frowned, knowing that the Sword Box wouldn’t contain just a single flying sword of spiritual treasure calibre. Lihuo True Monarch evidently possessed a complete set of Spiritual Treasures, truly befitting a disciple of a Soul Transformation Cultivator.

The red flying sword clashed with the giant golden blade, producing a muffled clang of metal upon metal. The golden blade shattered instantly, reverting to a swarm of golden gravel which then coalesced around the red flying sword, causing it to emit a wisp of blue smoke.

As Lihuo True Monarch changed his sword spell, the red flying sword’s spiritual light intensified, unleashing a wave of red flames. The golden gravel fell away, and the red flying sword shot straight towards Chen Xin.

When the red flying sword entered the golden fog, it was like dropping mud into the ocean.

The swirling golden fog morphed, shooting out numerous golden arrows. At the same time, a ripple appeared in the void above Lihuo True Monarch’s head, revealing an immense golden dragon claw that smashed down, threatening to crush Lihuo True Monarch into dust.