Chapter 437: Shangri-La

Sovereign Yanxu saw where Xi Mengfei gazed at and smiled. “Are you interested in our newest peak lord?”

Mengfei looked away and shook her head. “No. I felt an uncomfortable stare.”

The source of the discomfort did not need to be said.

“Haha, Grand Elder Xi, it seems that even Peak Lords of the Numinous Sword Sect can’t resist your charm,” Minister Vastlight said.

Sovereign Yanxu pursed his lips. The words he originally wanted to say were blocked by Minister Vastlight’s words. He had wanted to brag about Meng Tingfeng and stoke the Buzhou Immortal Sect’s pride so that they would target him. Once he showed overwhelming strength, Meng Tingfeng would challenge an immortal emperor. Even if he couldn’t win, he would still prove his excellence, and Sovereign Yanxu doubted the Buzhou Immortal Sect had anyone capable of rivaling the new peak lord.

Saying all that now would be too deliberate. Sovereign Yanxu needed to wait for another chance. And so, the two sovereigns and one immortal minister continued to watch the duel between the true immortals. Contrary to the heated atmosphere after the end of each duel, none of the three show any emotional changes. Whether it was their true feelings or masked emotions, only they knew.

Well, except Xi Mengfei. She really didn’t care who won or lost.

Unlike Sovereign Yanxu, many of the peak lords that arrived with him released a satisfied smile as the duels continued. Although faint, more members of the Numinous Sword Sect triumphed over members of the Buzhou Immortal Court. The ratio was about six to four.

While talking to Minister Vastlight, Sovereign Yanxu involuntarily caught sight of Xi Mengfei’s son. Unlike his mother, Xi Tianyi was staring at the duel with some interest. It wasn’t a serious interest, but something more akin to an adult watching two children playing around.

Sovereign Yanxu’s eyes shone. “What does the Nine Heavens Emperor think? Compared to Little Friend’s genius, it must be boring, right?”

Xi Tianyi started, as if not expecting Sovereign Yanxu to single him out. He gave a courteous smile and said, “How can it be? I am still young and the true immortals are all older than me. Their experiences far surpass mine. Just by observing them, I can learn many things.”

“Little friend is wise,” Sovereign Yanxu said. Of course, he knew that Tianyi was only being polite. No matter how inexperienced, an immortal emperor was an immortal emperor. How much can he learn from a mere true immortal, even if it was one close to mastering a complete law?

Sovereign Yanxu sighed. “Little Friend’s talent is astounding, able to step into the Extremity Immortal Realm at such a young age. I don’t believe there are many cases of such genius even during the primordial era.”

“How can that be? Isn’t there someone else who stepped into the Extremity Immortal Realm?” At this, Xi Tianyi stared at Bao Ling.

Bao Ling, who had his eyes closed deep in meditation ever since, opened them and stared into Xi Tianyi’s eyes. At once, the atmosphere turned tense. The smell of gunpowder intensified once Bao Ling opened his mouth.

“Have you improved since our last encounter?”

At this, Xi Tianyi lost his courteous smile. “Why don’t we also spar, won’t you know then?”

“We will have a chance, too,” Bao Ling said.

Sovereign Yanxu never thought that his taciturn disciple would actually agree. It must be known that Bao Ling had no opponents in the Numinous Sword Sect. If possible, he wouldn’t agree to a fight unless forced to. This led to the rumor that Bao Ling’s was all fake and he didn’t have the heart of a sword immortal.

Without a strong willpower, how could one advance far on the immortal path? It was like a precious imperial jade. Although it seemed precious, the inside was actually just common stone. Such rumors began to circulate.

It wasn’t like Sovereign Yanxu didn’t know that the root cause was the dissatisfaction of the other disciples. In their eyes, Bao Ling enjoyed all the treatment without anything to show except his rising cultivation base. As his master, Sovereign Yanxu naturally knew the rumors were baseless, but only those who interacted with Bao Ling knew. Even some of the peak lords silently accepted the rumors.

Sovereign Yanxu knew the situation could not continue. Even if Bao Ling didn’t care, it must be curbed. So, under his direct order, Bao Ling challenged Kang Qiang, the second-most talented disciple after Bao Ling to a duel. It would not be a hyperbole to say that almost all the disciples arrived to watch the duel.

Kang Qiang didn’t possess the Sword Dao Bone, Sword Dao Soul Physique, or Sword Dao Heart. All he had was a pure pursuit of the sword. Sometimes, mentality and outlook were the most important thing for cultivation. Because of this, many sword immortals actually preferred Kang Qiang over Bao Ling and thought he would achieve more than the latter.

On the day of the spar, Bao Ling won. It was a victory no one could contest. It was an overwhelming victory that left everyone speechless.

Bao Ling had defeated Kang Qiang with a single strike.

Unlike Bao Ling, Kang Qiang’s status was won through many trials. Everyone knew of his battles and his struggles. That was why they were convinced Kang Qiang was the true strongest disciple of the Numinous Sword Sect. However, Bao Ling and reality proved them wrong.

After establishing his talent and power, Bao Ling didn’t duel any disciple within the sect, and no one was foolish enough to challenge him. So, Sovereign Yanxu was very surprised at Bao Ling’s attitude.

He could already see Xi Mengfei’s eyes showing hostility. “Sovereign Xi, this is a matter between juniors. As seniors, we shouldn’t interfere.”

It took a full minute for Xi Mengfei to restrain her hostility. Even so, her gaze pierced Bao Ling, who acted as if he couldn’t sense it.

“The spar between Little Friend and my disciple must be the final event. For now, let’s just wait until the true immortals and monarchs finish their bouts,” Sovereign Yanxu said. “By the way, our new peak lord, Meng Tingfeng, is quite talented. He even fought an emperor to a stand still.”

Sovereign Yanxu shook his head. “The younger generation is always surpassing the old, wouldn’t you say?”

Minister Vastlight smiled. “Indeed. In fact, we also have a talented genius who can fight an immortal emperor as an immortal monarch.”

“Oh? Who is this outstanding junior?” Sovereign Yanxu asked. Below the Immortal Realm, leaping over realms wasn’t uncommon, especially for disciples of hegemonic forces fighting against loose cultivators. However, such an act became almost impossible in the Immortal Realms, which was why he had so much confidence in Meng Tingfeng.

“Him,” Minister Vastlight said, pointing at Ba Shifang.

Sovereign Yanxu observed Ba Shifang. He had already noticed him, but he only paid attention to him because Meng Tingfeng started engaging him. He was beautiful, but not to the point of femininity. His features had a sense of perfection, and Sovereign Yanxu was sure he had never met Ba Shifang until today, yet he couldn’t help but feel that his features felt familiar.

Still, this did not stop his praise. “In that case, it seems that both Peak Lord Meng and Junior Ba are going to have a battle. Since both monarchs can fight emperors, why not let the winner between them challenge an emperor and show their valor?”

Minister Vastlight didn’t immediately reply. Instead, he observed the Numinous Sword Sect’s only immortal emperor present, Bao Ling. He didn’t know much about Ba Shifang, so he had only heard about the latter’s ability. And sword immortals always had higher combat power than other cultivators. Since Sovereign Yanxu proposed such an idea, he must have some guarantee in his heart.

He peered back and caught sight of Tianyi. Instantly, he felt confident again. “Since Sovereign is so confident in your Numinous Sect’s monarch, how can we, the Immortal Court, shy away from this challenge?”

After the agreement, both sides calmed down again and watched the duels.

“Master.”

Sovereign Yanxu perked his ears, but otherwise showed no movement. He could help but become surprised again. Why was his disciple sending him a transmission using immortal sense?

“What is it?”

“Have you noticed that the spiritual qi density in the air remained despite so many duels?” Bao Ling asked.

Sovereign Yanxu sensed the spiritual qi and discovered that his disciple was right. “Perhaps the true immortals are too weak to affect the qi reservoir of Shangri-La. The Buzhou Immortal Sect has said it was a fortress used to wage war in the Vast Void. If the spiritual qi density dips so soon, I would be disappointed.”

Bao Ling shook his head. “No, it feels different. The spiritual qi density has remained the same and has never dipped. It doesn’t feel like there is a reservoir from which the spiritual qi is extracted from. I have a hunch that the spiritual qi is infinite or near limitless.”

His disciple’s words made Sovereign Yanxu think more. Although Bao Ling was young, he had never underestimated this disciple of his. At first, he thought that Shangri-La was simply a realm artifact the Buzhou Immortal Court revealed. The Numinous Sword Sect also possessed several realm artifacts, but it couldn’t compare to the Buzhou Immortal Court.

Not even a realm artifact could possess so much qi. Although realm artifacts are said to possess the power of realms, it still didn’t pardon them from the requirement of needing qi to operate. Ultimately, realm artifacts weren’t realms, and they couldn’t possess the near limitless amount of qi a true realm had.

Sovereign Yanxu secretly ordered the next few contestants from the Numinous Sword Sect to use as much qi as possible. They didn’t have to win, just expend as much qi as possible in the air. Because of his actions, the win to lose ratio evened out back to five to five.

During this time, Hu Landie also entered the ring. To Sovereign Yanxu’s surprise, he could see that she had embarked on the path of comprehending the Law of Time. She won three duels before voluntarily giving up and returning to her seat.

“It seems the Buzhou Immortal Court has another good immortal,” Sovereign Yanxu said. “Once she becomes an immortal monarch, she will immediately possess the strength of an intermediate monarch.”

“Haha, you overpraise,” Minister Vastlight said. “How can she compare to Peak Lord Meng, who possesses the power to fight an immortal emperor?”

However, that was only a minor episode. As Bao Ling said, the spiritual qi density never dropped. Although the spiritual qi inside the palace lowered because the true immortal absorbed them to restore their qi, more spiritual qi would enter from the outside, making the spiritual qi density return to normal immediately after. This dip can’t be considered a dip at all since it was immediately restored. And the qi density outside never changed.

The most damning thing was that Sovereign Yanxu couldn’t sense where the qi reservoir was. There were only two options. Either the qi reservoir of Shangri-La was beyond his imagination and the amount of qi expended couldn’t make a dent, or there was some other secret.

To find out, Sovereign Yanxu proposed that the immortal monarchs fight inside Shangri-La instead of in the Vast Void. He didn’t think Minister Vastlight would disagree. If it couldn’t even withstand a battle between monarchs, how can it be considered a fortress to use against the Demon Clan and Buddhists?

As he thought, Minister Vastlight agreed, but not before discussing it with his compatriots using his immortal sense.

The barrier that formed the dueling arena disappeared, but the pressure and gravity increased. Even compared to the Demon Cage Realm, it was ten times more stable. It wasn’t just the palace, but the entire landmass of Shangri-La transformed.

At this, Sovereign Yanxu narrowed his eyes. To be so easily able to adjust the stability and atmosphere, he determined Shangri-La must be a high-rank realm artifact.

Soon, two monarchs from both hegemonic forces stepped outside. Compared to the duels between the true immortals, almost everyone paid serious attention to the two’s duel. Even though true immortals and immortal monarchs were both in the Immortal Realm, the difference between them was as vast as night and day. Unless a true immortal mastered a complete law, they would never be able to defeat an immortal monarch, no matter how large their number.

The Numinous Sword Sect won the first duel, but the winner was quickly defeated by the second monarch from the Buzhou Immortal due to fatigue. After the monarch from the Buzhou Immortal Sect won, the next monarch from the Numinous Sword Sect won. The wins and losses stayed the same, but the Numinous Sword Sect had the slight advantage due to winning the first round.

All sorts of spells and techniques were unleashed. Torrential water, hulking trees, and volcanic blazes were launched against gigantic swords of steel and earth. Were it not for the increased stability of Shangri-La, the beautiful landscape would have been irrevocably destroyed.

But throughout it all, the spiritual qi density always returned to its previous density. Sovereign Yanxu had to think farther. Even if it was a good fortress against the Demon Clan and Buddhists, it still ultimately belonged to the Buzhou Immortal Court, meaning that it was also a potential weapon that could be used against them.

Don’t underestimate the importance of a fortress that can provide limitless qi to immortals. With it, immortals could be stationed permanently in the Vast Void. The force that had such a power would have an immense advantage. And the Numinous Sword Sect possessed no such advantage.

‘It would be best if Shangri-La is destroyed in the war against the Demon Clan and Buddhists.’ Sovereign Yanxu thought as a calculating gaze appeared in his eyes. While he schemed, Ba Shifang stepped forward. He was the last immortal monarch from the Buzhou Immortal Court.

Against his foe, he didn’t do much. He simply pointed a finger and a five-colored lightning sprung forth and struck the Numinous Sword Sect’s monarch, defeating him instantly. Ba Shifang’s display of might stunned the Numinous Sword Sect.

“Who’s next?” Ba Shifang asked as he looked into the palace with a calm gaze.

Meng Tingfeng stood up and flew out. “You’re really amazing, but it’s too bad you met me.”

Ba Shifang narrowed his eyes. “Don’t think I will lessen my strength because of your gifts.”