Chapter 532: Chapter 525: Jie Yu’s Past

Du Youqian’s brows furrowed, then quickly relaxed.

Across from him, True Monarch Zhaoxiang Guangde couldn’t help but wonder, ’Did I say something wrong to make Senior unhappy?’

Du Youqian glanced at him before continuing his conversation with the Blood Slaughter Sword.

"What oath backlash? Why would True Monarch Zhaoxiang Guangde save her?"

"I do not know."

"There are things even you don’t know!"

"There are many things I do not know! I know not who passed down the Dao at the dawn of antiquity. I know not how one could examine the time before heaven and earth took shape..."

"Stop, stop," Du Youqian said, a headache building. "Let’s save these questions for after I’ve become the Sword Holder. We can discuss them at length then."

After communicating with the Blood Slaughter Sword, Du Youqian temporarily gave up on the idea of becoming its Sword Holder.

After all, True Monarch Zhaoxiang Guangde was genuinely trying his best to find Spiritual Diamonds and various Spiritual Objects to restore the Blood Slaughter Sword’s power.

He did this even though the Blood Slaughter Sword had yet to open up to him or provide him with any aid in comprehending the Blood Slaughter Sword Intent.

’He’s so dedicated, it brings a tear to my eye.’

’I can’t just go and crush his filial devotion.’

Du Youqian decided to let True Monarch Zhaoxiang Guangde keep the Blood Slaughter Sword company for a while longer. He would come and retrieve it once it had been nurtured back to nearly Tier Seven.

When a Treasure crosses a tribulation, it only faces one calamity: the one when ascending from Tier Six to Tier Seven.

Alternatively, if it is forged directly as a Tier Seven Treasure, the calamity will strike the moment it is completed.

This single tribulation was more difficult than all three of the Human Race’s tribulations combined.

But once it was overcome, the Treasure’s Spirituality would increase dramatically, and it would even gain the possibility of achieving its own Enlightenment.

Since the Blood Slaughter Sword had fallen from Tier Seven, it wouldn’t need to cross a tribulation again to recover its rank. Therefore, being able to wield it was far easier than refining a new Tier Seven Spiritual Treasure from scratch.

The standard for a Core Formation Master was a Tier Three Treasure, also known as a Lower Grade Treasure.

Nascent Soul Masters began using Tier Four Treasures, or Middle Grade Treasures.

Divinity Transformation True Monarchs mostly wielded Tier Five Treasures, also known as Upper Grade Treasures.

Most Void Step True Monarchs also used Tier Five Treasures, with a rare few possessing Tier Six, Top Grade Treasures.

Only Harmonization Emperors began to commonly use Tier Six Treasures.

As for Spiritual Treasures, back in ancient times, many Immortals only used Spiritual Treasures!

In the present day, a true Spiritual Treasure was considered equivalent to a Harmonization-level combatant and could elevate a faction’s entire foundation.

In the Human World, there was no limit on the number of First-class Sects, unlike in Momenan, where only the Taihe Sect and the Saint Blood Sects were allowed to lead the Righteous Dao and the Demon Sect, respectively.

In the Human World, a sect was considered a First-class Sect as long as it possessed Harmonization-level combat power, or had once possessed it and it was uncertain whether that power had since perished.

Of course, three of these sects were implicitly regarded as transcendent: the Taihe Sect, the Holy Blood Sect, and the Zhongxuan Sect.

The Cyan Yang Sect, back when it hadn’t defected to the Demon Race, had also been counted among the transcendent sects.

For Second-class Sects, the standard requirement was having a Void Step True Monarch.

The number of Void Step True Monarchs in the Human World was a mere twenty to thirty, even when including those who hadn’t been seen in centuries and whose status was unknown.

Each one was a major figure capable of presiding over an entire region.

Even a regional hegemon like the Immortal City Alliance had never produced a Void Step True Monarch.

Third-class Sects were those with a Divinity Transformation True Monarch.

However, if a sect could obtain a Tier Seven Spiritual Treasure, it would immediately be recognized as a First-class Sect.

Putting aside the title of "First-class Sect," there were more practical benefits. When it came to claiming all sorts of resources—mines, Gang Sha Qi, Spirit Fields, Spirit Veins, and so on—they were entitled to a larger share.

For example, if Du Youqian secured the Blood Slaughter Sword and then became a high-ranking member of the Immortal City Alliance with the restored Tier Seven sword in hand, the Alliance could immediately bring all the territories of the Five Races Alliance under its rule and expand westward to the borders of the Shaoze Mansion lake district.

If he took the Blood Slaughter Sword to the Zhao Kingdom, the kingdom would dare to declare itself an empire, ennoble Du Youqian as a Prince, marry a Princess to him, and then launch campaigns in all directions to expand its territory...

By the time he boarded the Flying Boat and began the journey to the Endless Desert Sea, Du Youqian had already cast these thoughts to the back of his mind.

The dream was beautiful, but he had to focus on the present.

’The present reality is that he’s just a puny Divinity Transformation cultivator. The Blood Slaughter Sword might think highly of him, but it’s not willing to be wielded by him—and he isn’t qualified to wield it anyway.’

’With his current Cultivation, even if he swung the sword with all his might, he couldn’t unleash even one percent of its power!’

’Besides, he would need at least several hundred more years of experience to comprehend the deeper subtleties of the Blood Slaughter Sword Intent.’

’That way, when he used the Blood Slaughter Sword Intent to borrow the sword’s power in the future, he could conserve a bit of energy.’

Du Youqian’s thoughts then turned back to the matter of Jie Yu.

Before leaving, he had gone back to the Teleportation Array and pulled up the past "chat history" to review it.

But bizarrely, even though Jie Yu had definitely contacted True Monarch Zhaoxiang Guangde before teleporting out of Momenan, that entire section of the chat log had been deleted!

’What exactly did they discuss back then?’

Du Youqian desperately wanted to go and ask True Monarch Zhaoxiang Guangde for a clear explanation.

But he suppressed the impulse.

’I’m supposed to be a Tier Six Void Step expert. I have to be mysterious and unfathomable, maintain my dignity. I can’t just go around asking about every little thing.’

So he thought for a long time before coming up with the right phrasing to get the information he wanted.

He found True Monarch Zhaoxiang Guangde and asked in a casual tone, "How do you know that fox?"

’Yes, Du Youqian was convinced that True Monarch Zhaoxiang Guangde and Jie Yu were old acquaintances!’

’Otherwise, why would he possibly have stepped in to save Jie Yu when she was about to die from the oath’s backlash?’

’True Monarch Zhaoxiang Guangde was no saint.’

As for whether True Monarch Zhaoxiang Guangde knew that Jie Yu was once a Fox Demon, Du Youqian wasn’t sure.

So, depending on True Monarch Zhaoxiang Guangde’s answer, Du Youqian had prepared several follow-up responses.

But True Monarch Zhaoxiang Guangde said something that, while not entirely unexpected, still surprised Du Youqian. "So Senior knows of her origins as well. When she revealed her identity to me, I was also quite surprised. I never thought she was still alive."

At this, True Monarch Zhaoxiang Guangde sighed with emotion. "I don’t actually know her myself, but my master mentioned her when she was still alive. Although she once deceived my master, my master had already forgiven her. In her later years, she grew increasingly nostalgic for their friendship. Before she attempted to break through to the Harmonization Realm, she instructed me that if I ever saw her in the future, I should help her if I could."

Du Youqian raised an eyebrow. He truly hadn’t expected True Monarch Zhaoxiang Guangde to have had a master at the Void Step Realm. It sounded like the woman had failed in her attempt to reach the Harmonization Realm.

He wasn’t particularly clear on True Monarch Zhaoxiang Guangde’s background. He only knew the man had been a True Inheritor of the Ten Thousand Laws Sect. As for his specific history or personal connections, Du Youqian didn’t have any high-level friends, so he had no way to inquire about such things.

At the time, Du Youqian didn’t press the topic further with True Monarch Zhaoxiang Guangde, lest he ruin his image as a lofty senior expert.

Besides, he could just ask Jie Yu for the rest of the story.

However, when Du Youqian sent a private message to Jie Yu through the "Chat Group," she just played dumb.

"What oath backlash? Your master was injured by True Monarch Zhaoxiang Guangde. You wicked disciple! It’s one thing not to dare avenge me, but now you’re slandering me too?"

"I don’t even know that woman. We only met once. What friendship? I was a spy for the Demon Race sent to the Human Race’s camp. Why would I make friends on the human side?"

When Du Youqian tactfully suggested that "love between two women is also quite cute," Jie Yu flew into a rage. "You-you-you, you rebellious disciple! What nonsense are you spouting? Do you want me to expel you from my tutelage?!"

’Whoa, I just said that offhandedly. Could I have actually guessed right?’

Du Youqian realized he seemed to have uncovered a small historical mystery...

’Did Jie Yu come to Momenan all those years ago because she couldn’t face that socially taboo relationship and wanted to escape?’

’And her oath backlash... perhaps she once swore an oath to never set foot in the Human World again?’

’That’s why she immediately suffered the backlash right after teleporting out.’

’So what was it that made her decide to leave Momenan and return to the Human World?’

’Was it just fear of death? Jie Yu had said that after this Possession, because she had lost the Creation Jade Scroll Fragment, the special quality of her soul was gone. She was once again bound by a "Celestial Lifespan" and could no longer continuously reincarnate through Possession.’

’But that didn’t fit Jie Yu’s personality.’

’In Du Youqian’s eyes, Jie Yu was actually a very free-spirited person who didn’t take life and death that seriously.’

’Could it be that she was getting old and wanted to return to her roots?’

’Uh, that last guess was definitely something he should never say to Jie Yu.’

’Someone could get killed.’

As the Flying Boat swayed along, Du Youqian arrived at the Chen Kingdom Capital City.

When he revealed a sliver of his Cultivation, a whole swathe of the Chen Kingdom’s Cultivators dropped to their knees.

"We pay our respects to the True Monarch!"

"Please rise. Where is the monkey?"

The Cultivators of Huailai City looked at each other in dismay.

Du Youqian immediately had a bad feeling.

After he got a clear picture of the situation, Du Youqian realized it was a false alarm.

Little Wukong was indeed not in the Chen Kingdom.

But it wasn’t because of some accident.

And he certainly hadn’t been slaughtered by some passing expert.

Instead... well, it was a long story. Among the powers surrounding the Chen Kingdom, there was a branch of the Ape Demon Race living to the northeast, in a small, extremely rare patch of forest within the Endless Desert Sea.

This branch of the Ape Demon Race had a King Level bloodline, meaning they could at most grow to become Tier Four Demon Kings.

Not long ago, however, a monkey-type Tier Five Demon Emperor was said to have passed through.

No one knew why a Tier Five Demon Emperor would come to such a godforsaken, barren place.

But come he did.

He even took up residence in the Ape Demon Race’s territory.

Somehow, he had gotten wind that the Chen Kingdom now had a Tier Four monkey serving as its National Guardian Beast.

He made a special trip to the Chen Kingdom to invite Little Wukong for a meeting.

No one knew what they discussed, but in short, Little Wukong left with him soon after.

He had been gone for two months now, and the Chen Kingdom’s Cultivators were all in a panic, their leadership in turmoil.

If Little Wukong didn’t return, without a Tier Four Martial Force to stabilize the nation’s destiny, the Chen Kingdom would likely descend into a hellish state.

If Du Youqian hadn’t arrived in time, these Cultivators would probably have divided their assets and scattered to the winds.

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