Translator: CinderTL
Profound Yellow Great World.
Profound Yellow Star Brilliance List.
Those who ascend this list are essentially showcasing their potential.
Especially since the list contains treasures left behind by the Profound Yellow Supreme for future generations—each of these treasures is of immense value.
The reason why it is rumored that cultivators who can firmly secure a place on the Profound Yellow List have the potential to reach the Void Refining stage is partly due to their innate talent and strength, but more importantly, it is because of the treasures left by the Profound Yellow Supreme.
The value of some of these treasures even surpasses the top-tier resources used by the Taixu Sword Sect's main sect to nurture their disciples.
"Humans are not animals. When driven to despair, they are capable of anything. Whether it's the Taixu Sword Sect or you, Sword Prodigy Li, neither has the strength to confront the combined forces of the six sects. In such a situation, compromises must naturally be made," Shadowless True Lord said gravely.
Li Chunjun understood.
The Taixu Sword Sect would not initiate an all-out war with the six sects for his sake.
Because...
If it came to that, while the six sects might have to pay a heavy price to emerge victorious, the Taixu Sword Sect would undoubtedly be completely annihilated.
As the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy, he could bring immense benefits to the Taixu Sword Sect in the future. But if the Taixu Sword Sect were to be wiped out, and all its members killed, what would be the point of those benefits?
Thus, when it came to the moment of truly flipping the table and going to war, the Taixu Sword Sect would not fight to the death with the six sects for his sake.
Of course, they could also gamble, betting that the six sects could not afford such massive losses and were merely bluffing.
But...
In a war between seven sects, one side's cost would be heavy losses, while the other's would be total annihilation. When pushed to the brink, it was obvious which side was more likely to flip the table.
This was also why Shadowless True Lord, upon discovering that Li Chunjun had actually entered the territory of the Wu Ji Sect, had no choice but to step out from the shadows and try to dissuade him.
"Do you know what I'm thinking?" Li Chunjun asked.
"Hmm?" Shadowless True Lord looked at him.
"If we retreat, it will only embolden the Chiyang Sword Sect and the Wu Ji Sect to push further," Li Chunjun said.
"That's not possible," Shadowless True Lord stated firmly. "If this were just within the Blue Star Minor Realm, such a thing might indeed happen. But the Nine Immortal Sects all have higher sects behind them! With the constraints of these higher sects, no one would truly fight to the death. After all, at worst, they could retreat to the Profound Yellow Great World. But if a full-scale war broke out, death would be permanent."
"Wouldn't the Chiyang Sword Sect and the Wu Ji Sect retreat to the Profound Yellow Great World?" Li Chunjun asked.
"You seem to think crossing realms is too simple," Shadowless True Lord said with a smile. "Opening a Star Gate takes time, especially since our Blue Star Minor Realm hasn't yet established a Star Gate. To return to the Profound Yellow Great World, they would have to apply to the main sect's teleportation department to open a passage between the two realms. And without sufficient reason, the higher sect wouldn't bother expending the effort."
He added, "If the Chiyang Sword Sect were to explain the truth of the Blue Star Minor Realm, saying they had to flee back to the Profound Yellow Great World because they offended you, the Star Sword Son, the higher sect would definitely let them fend for themselves."
"What about the Wu Ji Sect?" Li Chunjun asked. "The Wu Ji Sect and the Taixu Sword Sect have a long-standing feud. They likely won't let this go easily."
"Dealing with just the Chiyang Sword Sect and the Wu Ji Sect isn't too difficult for us," Shadowless True Lord replied.
Shadowless True Lord looked at Li Chunjun and spoke in a persuasive tone, "The Xian Tian Sect, Piao Miao Sect, Fu Hai Sect, Zhou Tian Sect... they can be set aside for now."
After hearing this, Li Chunjun remained silent for a long time.
Shadowless True Lord did not rush him.
Although the atmosphere across Blue Star was tense, with a full-scale war on the brink of breaking out, this Nascent Soul cultivator knew that the real key lay with Li Chunjun.
And Li Chunjun, for his part, did not overthink the situation.
After just a moment, he spoke again, "With a single Star Sword Master Decree, the Wu Ji Sect and Chiyang Sword Sect may not simply let things go."
"I've said it before," Shadowless True Lord replied with a smile, "As long as the Xian Tian Sect, Piao Miao Sect, Fu Hai Sect, and Zhou Tian Sect hesitate, no longer firmly standing by the Wu Ji Sect's side—or even if they remain neutral—it will be the greatest turning point for our situation."
Although Li Chunjun still didn't believe that the Chiyang Sword Sect and Wu Ji Sect would back down, and even felt that taking a single step back would only invite further pressure, revealing their weakness to their opponents, he chose not to say anything more at this moment.
"Then issue the order," Li Chunjun said, calculating something in his mind before adding directly, "Target only the Chiyang Sword Sect."
Seeing that Li Chunjun had finally made a concession, Shadowless True Lord breathed a sigh of relief.
He had been worried that this young man, driven by his emotions and stubbornness, would insist on confronting the six major sects head-on.
"Good!" Shadowless True Lord nodded immediately. "I'll personally make the arrangements."
"I'll return to the sect and await your message," Li Chunjun said. With that, he turned, mounted his Flying Sword, and headed back toward the Taixu Sword Sect.
As soon as Li Chunjun left the territory of the Wu Ji Sect, Shadowless True Lord quickly took out a Message Jade Talisman to contact Sect Leader Huan Ming.
Upon learning of Li Chunjun's specific stance, Sect Leader Huan Ming also breathed a sigh of relief. "A brilliant move of retreating to advance. Experience truly counts for something!"
Peak Lord Lei Yuan also sighed in admiration, "A Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy, though powerful enough to disrupt the balance among the sects... this level of strength is still within everyone's tolerance."
The others nodded in agreement.
Prodigy-level geniuses, in theory, could all achieve Primordial Spirit as long as they didn't perish, and there was even a slim hope of reaching Void Refining.
However, many "Prodigy" level geniuses would inevitably fall on their path to growth.
In the end, only about half would truly cultivate to the Primordial Spirit stage.
And society was a vast web of relationships.
Behind every Nascent Soul cultivator, there was, to some extent, a Primordial Spirit-level backer.
Just as many Core Formation cultivators would seek to apprentice under Nascent Soul cultivators.
These Nascent Soul cultivators, relying on their Primordial Spirit connections, might respect and be wary of "Prodigy" level geniuses, but they were not afraid of them.
But someone like Li Chunjun, who had already demonstrated Nascent Soul-level combat prowess and had the potential to ascend the Profound Yellow Star Brilliance List as a Child of the Stars, was different.
Not only did his probability of achieving Primordial Spirit significantly increase, but he also truly possessed the potential for Void Refining.
Void Refining!
That was a strategic, decision-making level of existence.
In a race war, the involvement of a Void Refining cultivator would immediately escalate the intensity of the conflict.
Even if Li Chunjung only made a fleeting appearance on the Profound Yellow Star Brilliance List, unable to hold his rank for long before being pushed down, he would undoubtedly become a top-tier figure among Primordial Spirit cultivators in the future.
He could be crowned a "Celestial Sovereign."
Such a presence holds immense influence even among the Primordial Spirit realm experts who oversee entire worlds.
It is enough to make the True Lords behind these Nascent Souls abandon them in exchange for the goodwill of such a Celestial Sovereign of the Primordial Spirit realm.
Being targeted by such a prodigy, especially when the other party is determined to kill them, would indeed cause the Nascent Soul True Lords to feel great unease.
At this moment, Li Chunjun has made a concession, only targeting the Chiyang Sword Sect as the main culprit. Naturally, the other four sects would breathe a sigh of relief and take the opportunity to step down.
Without the constraints of these four sects, the Taixu Sword Sect only needs to deal with the Chiyang Sword Sect, and at most, add their old enemy, the Wu Ji Sect...
The difficulty has been reduced from hell mode to easy mode.
"Alright, quickly inform the other sects to avoid misunderstandings and prevent conflicts from breaking out."
"The Sun Worshipping Sect has not been completely eradicated yet, and the Star Gate is about to be completed. At this time, we absolutely cannot have internal chaos."
"The other sects were also forced into a corner, compelled to stand together with the Chiyang Sword Sect and the Wu Ji Sect due to shared interests. But now that we have made our stance clear and will not target them, they naturally won't risk the destruction of their sects to continue opposing us."
The Nascent Souls of the Taixu Sword Sect discussed.
The oppressive atmosphere that had loomed over the Taixu Sword Sect like a dark cloud suddenly dissipated.
...
Not only did the war clouds over the Taixu Sword Sect dissipate significantly, but the Fu Hai Sect, Piao Miao Sect, and other forces also felt a sudden reduction in pressure.
Upon receiving the news from the Taixu Sword Sect, they immediately issued orders to halt their advance towards the Taixu Sword Sect and retreat three hundred miles, signaling their lack of intent for a full-scale war.
Shortly after this order was issued, the sect masters of these two sects seemed to receive some news.
The two sect masters hesitated slightly.
After some consideration, they did not reject this information.
Not long after, the sect masters of the six major sects once again gathered in the illusionary realm constructed by the Mystic Treasure.
...
"It seems our actions have been quite effective."
As soon as he entered the illusionary realm, Spirit Vulture True Lord, the sect master of the Piao Miao Sect, heard Mo Bai's slightly amused voice: "Everyone should have seen it clearly by now. The Taixu Sword Sect is indeed strong on the outside but weak within, lacking the resolve to fight against our six sects."
However, this time, neither Spirit Vulture True Lord nor Yun Han Zhenren responded to the words of the Wu Ji Sect's sect master.
Even Yi Hanliu, the sect master of the Zhou Tian Sect, and True Lord Chun Yang, the sect master of the Xian Tian Sect, remained silent.
Only Zhan Chiyang of the Chiyang Sword Sect quickly chimed in: "Indeed, Li Chunjun is Li Chunjun, and the Taixu Sword Sect is the Taixu Sword Sect. Although the Nascent Souls of the Taixu Sword Sect who nurtured such a prodigy after Li Chunjun went to the Profound Yellow Great World will receive many rewards, this does not mean they are truly willing to risk their lives for these rewards, betting their very existence!"
"From the Taixu Sword Sect's perspective, our six sects have our own thoughts and are not a united front. But from our perspective, isn't the Taixu Sword Sect the same?"
Mo Bai continued with a smile: "Within the Taixu Sword Sect, there are six lineages, four factions, and nine True Inheritors. Each has their own thoughts, each represents different interests. Even if a war were to break out, how much strength they could muster is entirely uncertain."
After speaking, he added on his own: "Next, we will proceed with the second step of the plan."
"The second step?"
Spirit Vulture True Lord and Yun Han Zhenren exchanged a glance: "Has the first step of the plan truly succeeded?"
"Testing the Taixu Sword Sect and finding them outwardly strong but inwardly weak, not daring to engage in war with our six sects—what else could this be but success?"
Mo Bai True Lord spoke with confidence.
"But didn't the Taixu Sword Sect issue the Star Sword Master Decree…"
Yun Han Zhenren couldn't help but ask.
Before he could finish, the Sect Master of the Wu Ji Sect laughed: "The Star Sword Master Decree? Where is the Star Sword Prodigy?"
(End of the Chapter)
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