Sage Monarch

'The reason the chancellor refused to give those spirit stones is that he knows if I reach the Space-Void Transformation, I'll kill the Crown Prince.'

After leaving the Demi-Immortal Institute, Yang Qi headed toward the Sun Moon Institute.

In his heart, he was laughing coldly. He had just performed the greatest service imaginable, and yet the chancellor refused to reward him at all. At this point, he couldn't be more disappointed with the Demi-Immortal Institute, and especially the chancellor. The man was outright protecting the Crown Prince, and although he surely had his reasons, he was the leader of an institute. His priorities should have been fairness and justice. But it was more clear than ever that they were not. As far as Yang Qi was concerned, the man didn't deserve to be the chancellor.

Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about the matter right now. In the world Yang Qi lived in, everything was about power and strength. The chancellor could act even more unfairly than he already was, but he was a Great Sage, and therefore, nobody could do anything about it.

Yang Qi had intimidated a lot of people, and yet, everyone was convinced that he had a backer who was stronger than a Great Sage. Only he knew the truth of the matter. Sometimes the God Legion Seal worked, other times it didn't. Despite all the danger he had faced in his last mission, it hadn't helped him at all.

Clearly, he couldn't just assume that the seal would save him from every dangerous situation.

'That's fine. For now, I'll go talk to Hua Tianxiong and see if he has any ideas about how to get spirit stones. I absolutely have to reach the Space-Void Transformation as quickly as possible. If I do, I can help him make a move against the Crown Prince.'

With the power of three hundred thousand megamammoths fully activated, and the ability to pierce through the bindings of space, his cultivation base would be shocking beyond belief.

With the added power of the Grand Emperor's Pagoda, Yang Qi was confident that he, Young Master Shroud-Heaven, and Hua Tianxiong would be strong enough to slay the Crown Prince.

Some distance away from the Sun Moon Institute, he pulled out a paper talisman, burned it, and then landed on a nearby low-lying mountain. Although it wasn't a particularly prominent mountain, the scenery in the area was beautiful. Magical mushrooms and mystical ginseng roots grew everywhere. Immortal peaches could be seen, and snow-white deer and apes frolicked here and there. All sorts of plants and flowers could be seen, and there were even gurgling spirit springs.

Almost as soon as Yang Qi touched down, an immense force weighed down on the area, and Hua Tianxiong arrived. After looking Yang Qi up and down, he said, "The development with the Planar Pearl… was that you?"

"Yes, all of it," Yang Qi replied, not mincing any words.

"What?! Really? Considering what you've done, any crimes you committed in the past should be forgotten. So, I guess your backer is stronger than the Great Sage level. A Demi-Immortal, I assume?"

"I hope you can forgive me for not offering an explanation. It's complicated. And if word leaked about the truth, it would be very bad for me."

"Of course you can't reveal the secrets of an invincible Demi-Immortal." Hua Tianxiong looked at Yang Qi for another long moment. "Your cultivation base…. It's inciting pressure from the void, and the power of expulsion. Just how far have you progressed since we last met?"

Because Hua Tianxiong was a Never-Dying Legendary, to his eyes, the world looked different. Yang Qi was surrounded by the power of space, a power that seemed leery and even terrified of him. It was almost as if he were so strong that, before long, space itself would try to expel him.

Normally, this sort of thing would happen if a Demi-Immortal tried to enter the Rich-Lush Continent. Because the power of such an expert was too intense, the plane itself would immediately try to eject such a person. After all, that level of power would eventually destroy the continent as a whole.

Once experts reached a certain level, they would be forced to either ascend to higher planes, or risk destroying the plane they currently occupied.

And yet, the spatial power around Yang Qi was already preparing to confine, expel, or destroy him.

There was a favorable aspect to the situation: it was forcing him to temper himself. It would be similar to a mortal human who walked around with an enormous sandbag on their shoulders. After doing so for an extended time, all they had to do was throw the bag down to be vastly more limber than before.

Yang Qi would be similarly benefited once he could pierce through space.

"I acquired some good fortune," Yang Qi explained. "When I was purifying the Planar Pearl, I was blessed by the will of the ancient sages. My body was remolded, and I grew much stronger. However, there's a downside. That power has become something of a limitation, and I need spirit stones to negate the effects. A lot of spirit stones. That's the only way to further my cultivation now. In fact, that's why I've come, Uncle. Do you happen to know where I might be able to get a large amount of sovereign-grade spirit stones?"

"You need spirit stones for your cultivation?" Hua Tianxiong said, sounding a bit confused. "Well, that's simple. The Demi-Immortal Institute has plenty in their reserves. Considering you just saved the world, and also helped your institute to open up previously sealed space-time wormholes, your chancellor will definitely give you some spirit stones. I'd bet he'd even give you sagely-grade stones."

"Hmph!" Although Yang Qi was still very angry about the subject, he managed to calmly explain the situation with the chancellor.

Snarling coldly, Hua Tianxiong said, "Damn that chancellor. Because of mere sentiment, he's refusing to acknowledge your services. So what if he had something going on with the Crown Prince's mother? Nobody knows for sure the extent of their relationship. However, it was shortly after she gave birth to the Crown Prince that people came from the Quake-Dawn Cathedral and took her away. That was when she asked the chancellor to watch over her son. And that is why he's gone out of his way to help him over the years. And now, he's bending the law to help the Crown Prince and keep you down. Yang Qi, you should just leave the Demi-Immortal Institute. Join our Sun Moon Institute, and I'll put in a good word with our chancellor. He'll definitely do everything he can to protect you."

Yang Qi shook his head. "There's no need for that, Uncle. I will never forget the chancellor's heartlessness. One day, I'll make sure he realizes that protecting the Crown Prince was a huge mistake. Incidentally, this reminds me of another major problem. If we go to kill the Crown Prince, the chancellor isn't just going to sit on his thumbs and let it happen, is he?"

Hua Tianxiong thought about the question for a moment. "It's possible he could step in and do something. However, myself, Young Master Shroud-Heaven and the Crown Prince are all Legendaries. The chancellor is a Great Sage, so if he interfered, it's likely other Great Sages would get involved. And nobody wants Great Sage Shroud-Heaven in the picture. You know, if you reached the Space-Void Transformation, you could probably join us in our attempt to kill the Crown Prince."

"But where could I get all the spirit stones I need? The chancellor mentioned that the Western Continent has plenty, but I don't want to just go there without a plan. The spirit stone mines there are definitely going to be guarded by powerful organizations. It would be silly to get in so much trouble there that I can't deal with the Crown Prince later."

"Unfortunately, if you want spirit stones, the Western Continent is probably your best bet. Besides, a lot of organizations trade demon cores from the Rich-Lush Continent for spirit stones from the Western Continent." He thought for a moment. "The Western Continent is a huge place with a lot of mines. If you really plan to go, I can give you a secret map from the Sun Moon Institute that shows all the major locations there."

Yang Qi nodded. "I would very much appreciate that, Uncle. By the way, how is Fengfeng doing?"

"She's in seclusion right now, trying to reach the Legendary level. It's a tense time. Reaching the Legendary level isn't easy, and failure leads to death. I was initially opposed to her decision, but she wouldn't back down, so here we are."

Yang Qi's heart pounded a bit at the news. Breaking into the Legendary level was a process that some described as going from being a mortal to an energy warrior. The death of failure involved the vital energy of heaven and earth crushing one into dust. And no interference from anyone could stop that.

Even if Yang Qi were a Great Sage, he wouldn't be able to provide any assistance. In the Lifeseizing level, it was possible to receive outside assistance to strengthen the meridians and build up true energy. But the Legendary level was about the understanding of magical laws, and therefore, was entirely a personal matter.

"Uncle, if you and Young Master Shroud-Heaven go to kill the Crown Prince, you have to be very careful. Young Master Shroud-Heaven is a profound schemer, and I'd say it's highly likely he has a plan to take you out as well."

"Don't worry, I was thinking the same thing. Considering he laced those five phases treasures with a heaven-demon seed, it seems a foregone conclusion he'll try to take me out." With that, Hua Tianxiong waved his hand, producing an ancient, bronze-encased book entitled Western Continent Atlas. It contained detailed maps of the Western Continent, as well as all sorts of records and information. It explained which organizations controlled which areas and which mines, and featured cities, mountains, temples, states, and just about everything one could imagine.

The Western Continent was much larger than the Rich-Lush Continent. The lands were fertile and prosperous, and the population was enormous. Even more shocking, the entire continent was unified under the rulership of one large imperial dynasty. It was nothing like the Sage Ancestor Dynasty, a sham of a dynasty that could best be described by the adage advertising mutton, selling dog meat.

"The Sky-Heaven Dynasty controls the entire Western Continent," Hua Tianxiong explained. "They have the true power, and exercise jurisdiction over every single city that exists there. Even the sects there pay fealty to them. In fact, anyone who wants to start a sect has to submit a formal application, and go through all sorts of formalities. Furthermore, the churches in the Sky-Heaven Dynasty all worship a god-spirit named Amaranthine Greensura."

"Amaranthine Greensura?" Yang Qi immediately thought of the fact that his mother was called Greensura.

"Amaranthine Greensura was the most powerful entity among the ancient Demonfolk, who unified all of the countless Demonfolk that existed in the Yore-Wilds Continent, and then went on to found the Hanging Mountain. The Sky-Heaven Dynasty of the Western Continent is something of a subsidiary of the Hanging Mountain, and everyone there exercises faith in the leaders of the Hanging Mountain. Throughout the years, the holy daughters of the Hanging Mountain have all been called Greensura, because Greensura is actually a surname. In one way or another, all such holy daughters have the blood of Amaranthine Greensura in them."

'So that's how it is,' Yang Qi thought, his heart beginning to pound. 'The dynasty that rules the Western Continent is a subsidiary of the Hanging Mountain! I have to go there! This is the perfect chance to get in touch with the Hanging Mountain!'

1. When describing the chancellor's relationship with the Crown Prince's mother, Hua Tianxiong uses a vague word that can be interpreted in different ways. On the one hand, it could be interpreted as "love affair", but on the other hand, could be "close personal relationship (without a romantic element)". I asked Madam Deathblade what her opinion was, she said the former, but also conceded that the wording is ambiguous enough to not be able to say for sure.