Chapter 347 - 322: [True Monarch of No Dao Extreme Law]
"Wu Dao..."
The two words sank into Qi Yun’s Heart Lake, stirring up a bone-deep chill.
The Wuji Holy Sect’s might awed the Northwest Land, and it controlled the destiny of a corner of the Profound Yellow world.
Its true power, the foundation that stabilized the sect, was its five living True Monarchs.
Aside from Desolate Halberd True Monarch, who stood before him now, the other four were all beings whose fame shook the world and whose Daoist Skills were heaven-piercing.
Wu Dao, full name True Monarch of No Dao Extreme Law.
He was one of them.
Even though Qi Yun hadn’t been with the sect for long, he had heard a few rumors about this True Monarch from veteran Foundation Establishment cultivators like Qian Xin Master and Qing Li Master.
According to the rumors, this True Monarch was reclusive and perverse, his moods unpredictable. He acted solely on his personal whims, often disregarding common sense and treating rules as if they didn’t exist.
His Daoist Skills were even more bizarre and unfathomable.
Rumor had it he specialized in shattering the Ten Thousand Laws and was adept at severing the threads of karma.
To seek out Wu Dao from within the Extreme Law.
His prowess in slaughter was said to be unmatched among all the True Monarchs.
What’s more, a rumor circulated in private that when the various sects of the Demon Dao were driven all the way to the Northwest Land by the combined forces of the Righteous Dao and the Overseas powers, one of the primary instigators had been this very True Monarch of No Dao Extreme Law.
At this moment, Desolate Halberd True Monarch paused. His shattered-gold eyes fixed on Qi Yun as he slowly uttered a more crucial sentence:
"He is also Black Mountain’s master."
Black Mountain Master’s master!
Qi Yun’s brow furrowed in an instant, and a chord of tension in his heart snapped taut.
His enmity with Black Mountain Master had been sown long ago during the affair with Yue Rong. The subsequent ambush at the Foundation Establishment bottleneck, and later the public confrontation before Taixu Hall, had long since become an open secret throughout the Holy Sect.
As a Great Master and the Vice Sect Leader of the Holy Sect, Black Mountain surpassed Qi Yun in status, cultivation, and seniority.
Previously, with Desolate Halberd True Monarch’s overt and covert protection, Black Mountain could only swallow his grievances and schemes, no matter how numerous. He didn’t dare to truly cross the True Monarch’s line.
But now...
Desolate Halberd True Monarch’s term as acting Sect Leader was about to end, and he would soon be stepping down.
And the one taking over the Holy Sect’s authority, the one becoming the new leader, just had to be Black Mountain Master’s own teacher—the notoriously temperamental True Monarch of No Dao Extreme Law!
At that time, the situation would be completely reversed.
’Losing Desolate Halberd True Monarch, my greatest protective Talisman, I’ll have to face Black Mountain Master, who already loathes me and will now have a legitimate pretext to act.’
And behind Black Mountain would be his grandmaster, "Wu Dao," wielding the supreme authority of the sect...
Qi Yun could almost see the malice and killing intent pressing down on him like a mountain.
"This matter... is indeed thorny." Qi Yun slowly exhaled. His voice remained steady, but his furrowed brow did not relax.
This development was far beyond anything he had anticipated.
He had thought that his entanglement with Black Mountain would at least remain in a relatively controllable stalemate or a state of clandestine struggle while Desolate Halberd True Monarch was in charge.
Who would have thought the change of True Monarchs would come so quickly, and that the successor would be his opponent’s greatest backer.
Desolate Halberd True Monarch took in the change in Qi Yun’s expression and continued,
"Regarding the matter between you and Black Mountain, this Monarch will naturally speak a word or two to Wu Dao when the time comes."
His tone took a subtle turn here, tinged with a heavy dose of reality.
"But, given Wu Dao’s temperament, he may not listen, and he may not care."
The meaning was perfectly clear. Desolate Halberd True Monarch could intervene, but the outcome was uncertain.
In the eyes of the True Monarch of No Dao Extreme Law, this matter probably didn’t even rise to a level requiring his personal intervention; he only needed to give his tacit approval or even show slight favoritism.
Black Mountain Master would then gain unprecedented initiative and power to deal with Qi Yun.
"So," Desolate Halberd True Monarch’s gaze was like a torch as he looked at Qi Yun, "you need to have a plan in mind."
’A plan?’
A faint sense of helplessness rose in Qi Yun’s heart.
Facing a True Monarch who was about to take control of the sect, even if he didn’t act personally but merely allowed a Great Master under him to target someone, the pressure was not something an ordinary Master could bear.
In the face of absolute power and authority, many brilliant schemes, deep foundations, and even rapidly increasing cultivation could all seem pale and powerless.
’How could I plan?’
’Could I possibly stand against a True Monarch?’
Seeing Qi Yun fall into deep thought, a shadow of resignation flickering in his eyes, Desolate Halberd True Monarch sighed inwardly.
He understood how Qi Yun felt at this moment.
’Below a True Monarch, all are ants.’ This was not an empty saying.
Even though he admired Qi Yun and felt the young man’s future was boundless...
But in the face of the grand tide of the sect’s power changing hands, the old giving way to the new...
Personal strength and relationships sometimes seemed so insignificant.
The relationship between him and Wu Dao was already ordinary, and even faintly distant due to differing philosophies on the Dao and certain past events.
Being able to mediate was already on account of his impending departure and the great merit Qi Yun had just achieved.
Saying too much or interfering excessively might instead provoke Wu Dao’s perverse nature, which would be even more detrimental to Qi Yun.
Silence flowed in the Dao Domain for a moment.
Desolate Halberd True Monarch’s eyes flickered, as if he had made a decision.
He raised his palm, Dao Rhyme flowing within it. With a flash of light, an object appeared.
It was precisely that Bronze Block that had helped Qi Yun travel to and from the Cangque Realm—the Six Realms Heaven!
"You’ve used this item once before. The energy stored within isn’t fully charged, but it should be enough to support a few short-distance trips across realms." Desolate Halberd True Monarch gently pushed the Six Realms Heaven toward Qi Yun.
He gazed at Qi Yun, his voice deep and clear.
"If things become impossible, beyond the limits of what you can currently handle..."
"Then leave Profound Yellow for a while. Go to the Outer Realm, to other worlds, and lie low."
"One term as Sect Leader is five hundred years.
You have... enough time."
’Go to the Outer Realm and lie low for a while!’
This was, within the limits of what rules allowed, the most direct and also most helpless escape route that Desolate Halberd True Monarch could offer Qi Yun.
Not to confront, not to resolve.
But to retreat.
With Qi Yun’s current potential from condensing the Primordial True Body and his solid foundation, if he could have five hundred years of relatively stable time to train and grow in the Outer Realm, perhaps the situation would be vastly different upon his return.
At that time, whether his own cultivation was enough to contend with Black Mountain head-on...
...or he had other options, it was far wiser than toughing it out on his opponent’s home turf.
Qi Yun looked at the Six Realms Heaven floating before him. The faint glow on the Bronze Block’s surface was subdued, its tiny, intricate script dormant.
He reached out and firmly grasped the Six Realms Heaven in his palm.
The bronze was cool to the touch, yet carried a familiar weight.
"Disciple... understands."
Qi Yun put away the Six Realms Heaven and once again bowed deeply to Desolate Halberd True Monarch.
"Thank you, True Monarch, for your guidance and generous gift."
He didn’t say whether he would use this escape route, nor did he complain or show unwillingness.
He simply committed this kindness and warning to heart.
Desolate Halberd True Monarch nodded slightly and said no more.
Some things were best left unsaid.
Some paths had to be chosen and walked by oneself.
The Dao Domain of Red Mountain Forest Leaves returned to tranquility.
But beneath this tranquility, turbulent waves capable of sweeping away an individual were already hidden.
Qi Yun took his leave, turned, and walked step by step out of this strange forest.
His back was still straight, his steps still steady.
But beneath the Deep Blue Daoist Robe, there seemed to be an additional, formless weight.
Desolate Halberd True Monarch sat on his golden throne, watching the direction of his departure, light flowing in his shattered-gold eyes.
The wind was rising ahead of the coming storm.
The change of True Monarchs, the transfer of power, the transition between old and new—this was often the time when undercurrents were most turbulent and variables most numerous.
After Qi Yun left, the Dao Domain of Red Mountain Forest Leaves returned to a silence that felt ancient.
Desolate Halberd True Monarch sat upon his dark-gold, cloud-patterned throne, his shattered-gold eyes reflecting the slowly flowing Dao Rhyme in the void, unmoving for a long time.
An unknown amount of time passed.
Suddenly, his figure moved slightly.
He rose and lifted the Great Halberd beside him.
WHUMMM...
The Great Halberd let out a low, joyous hum, and the dark gleam of its blade seemed to intensify slightly.
With the halberd in hand, Desolate Halberd True Monarch’s entire aura changed abruptly.
The depth and consideration he showed when facing Qi Yun all vanished, replaced by a pure, ultimate dominance and disdain.
He didn’t look back even once at this Dao Domain he had cultivated for countless years.
He only tilted his head slightly, as if sensing something in a certain direction.
Then, he took a heavy step into the seemingly empty void before him!
CRACK—!!!
There was only a crisp, heart-stopping cracking sound—the sound of space itself being shattered underfoot!
With the point of his toe as the center, spiderweb-like black cracks instantly spread out.
...
In the depths of a naturally formed mountain cave, entirely jet-black and of a texture neither stone nor jade.
There were no sun, moon, or stars here; no mountains or rivers.
Only an eternal coolness and silence that quieted the soul.
From the tip of an inverted stalactite, water droplets fell—DRIP... DRIP...—into a crystal-clear spring no more than ten feet wide.
The droplets fell into the pool, creating clear and monotonous echoes.
In this absolute silence, it seemed exceptionally ethereal, but also exceptionally lonely.
By the side of the pool, on a smooth, ink-black boulder, a figure sat cross-legged.
This person wore an extremely simple, pure black robe, without any adornments. The wide sleeves and hem hung down naturally.
A head of ink-black long hair was not tied up, but cascaded loosely over his shoulders and back, a few strands drifting slowly.
His face looked to be around thirty. His features were distinct but carried a bone-deep indifference. His skin was fair, his eyes were tightly closed, and his eyelashes cast a faint shadow on his eyelids.
He sat there quietly, as if he had already merged with the cave, the pool, the eternal silence, becoming a part of the very concept of this place.
STEP—
Desolate Halberd True Monarch strode into the mountain cave and slowly came to the Daoist’s side.
"Desolate Halberd."
The black-robed Daoist did not open his eyes, nor did his lips even move. A cold, flat, emotionless voice simply rang out in the cave, entering Desolate Halberd True Monarch’s ears with perfect clarity.
"It’s not time yet, is it?"
Desolate Halberd True Monarch stood with his halberd, his tall frame at the cave’s entrance forming a stark contrast with the black-robed figure seated inside.
One was outwardly domineering, his aura soaring to the heavens.
The other was inwardly reserved and silent, cold as an abyss.
"A few days makes no difference."
Desolate Halberd True Monarch spoke, his voice deep and powerful, seeming particularly heavy in the silent cave.
His shattered-gold eyes, sharp as a halberd’s blade, locked onto the black-robed figure by the pool, as if to tear through that layer of cold silence.
"Wu Dao, there is something I must discuss with you."
Hearing this, a minuscule arc lifted the corner of True Monarch of No Dao Extreme Law’s mouth on his indifferent face.
At the same time, his closed eyelids slowly lifted.
They were a pair of eyes, pitch-black and deep, yet faintly glowing with a dim light.
These eyes now looked calmly, without a single ripple, at the halberd-wielding Desolate Halberd True Monarch.
Their eyes met.
One pair, shattered-gold, domineering and scorching, as if to burn away all illusion.
The other, pure black, cold and deathly still, as if capable of freezing all color.
"Heh..."
A very soft chuckle, tinged with faint sarcasm, escaped from True Monarch Wu Dao’s throat.
"Have you come to plead... for that boy?"
Inside the cave, the sound of dripping water continued.
The air, in the silent confrontation between the two True Monarchs, quietly froze.
...