Translator: CinderTL
"This... how is this possible?"
The atmosphere in the arena froze for a moment before erupting into a cacophony of voices.
"A Golden Core cultivator with the combat prowess of a Nascent Soul Prodigy? Throughout history, such figures are exceedingly rare, and every one of them hails from a top-tier sect, possessing not only exceptional talent but also receiving the finest guidance from childhood..."
"Could someone have been assisting him? Perhaps an Array Formation or Secret Arts were used to enhance Li Chunjun's strength, or perhaps the Divine Spirit Envoys' power was weakened, allowing him to achieve the feat of consecutively killing two of them?"
"Rather than that, I'm more inclined to believe Li Chunjun has already cultivated his Nascent Soul. It's been half a year since he entered the Two Worlds Mountain Battlefield. In half a year, reaching the Nascent Soul realm is entirely plausible."
The Primordial Spirit True Monarchs murmured among themselves, their brows furrowed in disbelief.
Prodigies were considered geniuses even within the Overlord-level sects of the Profound Yellow Great World. For many sects founded by Void Refining cultivators, they were Heaven's Chosen, figures who appeared only once in several generations. Even Nascent Soul-level Prodigies were enough to command the respect of any Primordial Spirit True Monarch. Once they matured, they would inevitably become equals, and with favorable growth, they might even surpass them.
In this situation, for a Golden Core Realm cultivator to achieve a level comparable to the Nascent Soul Prodigies was simply...
Legend come to life!
"Rather than focusing on how Li Chunjun killed the two Divine Spirit Envoys, I'm more curious about why he engaged four Divine Spirit Envoys in combat within a single day and how he managed to kill over two hundred Divine Spirits in succession!" True Monarch Huang Tian suddenly spoke.
"I know about this," Zuo Cheng explained. "I checked Li Chunjun's current location on Continent 6. Not long ago, the Divine Race launched a full-scale encirclement against another Nascent Soul Dao Prodigy, Chu Ci, on this continent. Li Chunjun must have rushed to Daoist Chu Ci's aid, which led to his clashes with so many Divine Race Divine Spirits..."
Zuo Cheng's explanation was cut short.
Because... something was wrong!
At that moment, True Monarch Huang Tian's voice rang out again: "Four Divine Spirit Envoys couldn't subdue Daoist Chu Ci? I know that Daoist. While he's considered exceptionally talented by ordinary standards, he's nothing remarkable among the Prodigies. When did his strength grow to the point where he could hold off the Four Great Holy Spirit Envoys?"
Lu Xiu Yuan finally realized what was happening. His pupils contracted sharply. "You mean..."
True Monarch Huang Tian nodded heavily. "The Four Great Holy Spirit Envoys are after Li Chunjun! They even used Chu Ci, our Nascent Soul Dao Prodigy, as bait to lure him into a trap!"
As he spoke, his gaze swept across the Primordial Spirit True Monarchs present. "But that's not the main point. The real question is: Why would the Divine Race mobilize the Four Great Holy Spirit Envoys to target Li Chunjun, who was originally ranked fourth on the Merit Points Ranking?"
At these words, all the Primordial Spirit True Monarchs simultaneously understood what had happened.
He's been exposed!
Li Chunjun has been exposed!
The news that he possessed Sage-level combat power at the Golden Core Realm had leaked out!
No!
It wasn't just Sage-level combat power that had been exposed. It was the fact that he had the strength to claim the top spot on the Profound Yellow Star Brilliance List.
The Chief Stellar Prodigy!
And it was fortunate that he actually possessed Sage-level combat power.
Otherwise...
Facing the combined ambush of the Four Great Holy Spirit Envoys on Continent 6, even with the greatest power imaginable, he would have been doomed.
But the question remained...
Who leaked the information!?
Who betrayed him!?
"Frigid Jade Fortress is under complete lockdown! All Primordial Spirit True Monarchs and Nascent Soul True Lords who know Li Chunjun's true cultivation level must undergo rigorous scrutiny!"
True Monarch Huang Tian immediately declared, his expression colder than ice. "If this peerless Heavenly Prodigy—a talent rarely seen throughout the history of the Profound Yellow—were to meet an untimely end because one of us leaked his information, no matter their status, they will face the harshest punishment!"
"We will immediately request self-investigation!" Zuo Cheng declared at once. He knew this was a necessary procedure.
"However, besides us, the Taixu Sword Sect and the Blue Star Minor Realm also know Li Chunjun's true identity and strength..."
"I will have colleagues from the Hall of Justice under the War Commission, specializing in investigation and interrogation Mystical Powers, intervene in this matter! We must be investigated, the Taixu Sword Sect must be investigated, and everyone in the Blue Star Minor Realm must be investigated!" True Monarch Huang Tian declared decisively. "If we fail to uncover the truth behind this conspiracy to harm our race's Heavenly Prodigy, it will trigger a severe crisis of trust! Once this crisis becomes a trend, it will shake the foundations of the Multiverse Hegemony War Committee and even the entire Human Race! We must show no leniency!"
The other Primordial Spirit True Monarchs solemnly agreed. Those with nothing to hide had nothing to fear.
It was just...
"If we investigate this, it's bound to cause quite a stir," Lu Xiu Yuan sighed. "Concealing Li Chunjun's whereabouts will become much harder, especially since he's still on the Two Worlds Mountain Battlefield."
"This is unavoidable," True Monarch Huang Tian said.
"I'll send a message to the Two Worlds Mountain Battlefield, ordering Li Chunjun to return to the Great Camp," Zuo Cheng said. "Otherwise, I fear the Divine Race might mobilize tens of thousands of Divine Spirit Power from the Two Worlds Mountain Battlefield just to kill him."
"The Four Great Holy Spirit Envoys ambushing Li Chunjun likely has the God King of Ending pulling the strings," True Monarch Huang Tian added. "If this God-King issues another Divine Edict, tens of thousands of Divine Spirits and two million Servitors will likely rush to intercept him."
"Having him return to the Great Camp to await the Battle of Two Realms Mountain is indeed the best option," True Monarch Huang Tian concluded.
"Furthermore, if a large number of Divine Spirits and Servitors cross the boundary to pursue him, our supply lines will shorten, and the battle situation will become more favorable to us," Lu Xiu Yuan added.
After some discussion, the group quickly took action.
Soldiers from Frigid Jade Fortress immediately apprehended True Monarch Xuan You, who had already arrived at the fortress.
After being detained, the True Monarch was still confused and even tried to intimidate her captors with her identity as a member of the Taixu Sword Sect.
However, upon learning the truth, the Primordial Spirit True Monarch's expression darkened as well.
"Investigate! We must get to the bottom of this!" she declared firmly. "I will cooperate fully with the War Commission's investigation. But how could the Taixu Sword Sect possibly harm Li Chunjun? He is our Sword Prodigy! Someone must be pulling strings behind the scenes!"
As she spoke, a thought suddenly struck her. "The Blue Star Minor Realm! Li Chunjun's enemies are the Chiyang Sword Sect and the Wu Ji Sect's branch sect within the Blue Star Minor Realm!"
Her train of thought suddenly cleared. "We only seized the Blue Star Minor Realm from the Divine Race remnants thirty years ago. The Divine Race remnants haven't been completely eradicated. They must have used these remnants to pass information to their Divine Spirits, who then relayed the message to the Two Worlds Mountain Battlefield!"
"The Hall of Justice has already dispatched personnel to the Blue Star Minor Realm. My Frigid Jade Fortress has also sent a Void Warship to seal off that Lesser World. If this is true, they will pay dearly for their crimes against humanity!"
Zuo Cheng responded.
True Monarch Xuan You finally relaxed slightly after hearing this.
Then, she glanced at Li Chunjun, who had once again claimed the top spot on the list, and a bitter smile couldn't help but tug at her lips.
The War Commission's involvement in Li Chunjun's matter was deepening.
The deeper they got involved, the more likely they were to interfere and snatch him away from the Taixu Sword Sect.
Yet, everything they did was perfectly legal and aboveboard, leaving no room for criticism.
Moreover...
Although Li Chunjun had joined the Taixu Sword Sect's Branch Sect, his name wouldn't be recorded within the Main Sect's internal records. In other words, he wasn't yet a true disciple of the Taixu Sword Sect.
If the War Commission or the Profound Yellow Sect offered Li Chunjun a deal he couldn't refuse, he might very well switch allegiances.
The thought filled True Monarch Xuan You with a surge of irritation.
Just one or two years!
That's all it would take!
If Li Chunjun could just wait on Blue Star for a year or two until the Star Gate was fully constructed, Huan Ming would personally bring him to the Main Sect. With his almost certain "Prodigy"-level talent, he was guaranteed entry into the Taixu Sword Sect and would receive top-tier cultivation.
And as the one who had guided him to the Main Sect, she would receive a generous reward.
The more outstanding Li Chunjun performed in the future, the greater the rewards she would receive.
If she truly reached the top of the Profound Yellow Star Brilliance List...
The benefits she would ultimately gain could easily surpass ten thousand Spirit Crystals.
But now...
Because Li Chunjun couldn't wait even a year or two and stubbornly chose to enter the Two Worlds Mountain Battlefield, so many variables had been introduced.
Especially if Li Chunjun were to be snatched away by the Multiverse Hegemony War Committee or the Profound Yellow Sect, the Taixu Sword Sect would lose face entirely.
In that case, True Monarch Xuan You, who had failed to report the situation or had reported it too late, would inevitably face consequences.
"What was supposed to be a good thing... why did it have to turn out like this?"
True Monarch Xuan You was filled with resentment.
She had already promised to bring Li Chunjun to the Main Sect as soon as the Star Gate opened.
As for descending to meet her...
Activating a Lower Realm Descent Channel was incredibly costly.
What if Li Chunjun turned out to be a worthless talent? Wouldn't she have wasted a fortune?
Who could have predicted that Li Chunjun would be so impatient, unwilling to wait even a year or two?
With things having come to this point, True Monarch Xuan You could only pray that everything went smoothly.
Otherwise, she, True Monarch Liang Meng, Palace Lord Wang Shuo, and many others would suffer the consequences.
Continent 6.
Li Chunjun led his team across the Void, systematically eliminating Divine Spirits and their Servitors.
Perhaps to ensure that the others in his team also earned sufficient Merit Points, he maintained a steady pace of attacks. However, most of the time, he would merely cripple the Divine Spirits and Servitors, leaving the Nascent Soul True Lords following him to finish them off.
This arrangement naturally filled the Nascent Soul True Lords with gratitude.
For many of them, after a year of fighting in the Great War of the Two Realms, earning two or three thousand Merit Points would be considered a good result.
But now...
With Li Chunjun's assistance, by the end of the battle, nearly every one of the hundred-plus Nascent Soul True Lords in his team would have nearly a thousand Merit Points to their name.
Earning the Merit Points equivalent of half a year on the battlefield in just a day or two, without any risk—where else could they find such a good deal?
As they completed their encirclement of the outer Divine Spirits and Servitors, their team grew larger and larger.
By the time they reached the area where Daoist Chu Ci was surrounded, the number of Nascent Soul True Lords following Li Chunjun had exceeded three hundred.
No elaborate planning was needed.
Under Li Chunjun's leadership, the three hundred-plus Nascent Soul True Lords charged forward as one, swiftly routing the three hundred or so Divine Spirits besieging Daoist Chu Ci in less than ten minutes.
An hour later, as the Nascent Soul True Lords who had been relentlessly pursuing the fleeing Divine Spirits gradually returned, the battle at the heart of Continent 6 finally came to an end.
(End of the Chapter)
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