Chapter 2079: Immortal Lord Realm Heavenly Dao Cultivation Method

Half a day later, Zhang Xuan and Jiang Yao returned to the Star-Seizing Palace.

Grand Elder Zhao Yue couldn't believe it when she saw Jiang Yao. She had thought their previous separation would be permanent, never expecting her to return alive.

"Thanks to Sect Master Zhang Xuan for saving me!" Jiang Yao explained.

"Sect Master Zhang Xuan? That Sect Master Zhang from the Soaring Cloud Sword Pavilion?" Zhao Yue asked, startled.

Jiang Yao nodded and asked, "Has the Palace Master returned?"

Zhao Yue shook her head.

"That shouldn't be right," Jiang Yao said. "After I was safe, I specifically sent her a message. Normally, upon receiving it, she would return directly. How could she not be here?" The place the Palace Master had gone to was not as far as the City of Fallen Stars. Logically, she should have returned first. Why was there no news?

"Let's wait," Zhao Yue smiled. "Perhaps she was delayed by something! The Palace Master is very strong. And she left secretly, so no one knew where she went. Even you and I were unaware of her destination, so she should be out of danger!"

"Mm!" Jiang Yao nodded. They truly didn't know when the Palace Master left or where she went; they only knew the destination wasn't as far as the City of Fallen Stars.

After settling Zhang Xuan in, they waited half a day, but still didn't see Du Qingyuan return. Both elders began to get anxious.

"Let's go to the Sacrificial Hall and use the sacrificial method to contact the Palace Master..." Jiang Yao frowned. They had been with Palace Master Du for over a thousand years and knew her disposition. Normally, she would immediately rush back without delay upon receiving a message. But now they hadn't received any news. Could she have encountered danger?

They hurried to the Sacrificial Hall.

In the spacious room, an altar, identical to one they had seen before, appeared before them. This altar didn't have the oppressive presence of a deity, suggesting no divine blood was used. After offering various items in sacrifice, fierce flames erupted on its surface a moment later.

The Star-Seizing Palace, through sacrifice, could even communicate with deities across realms, let alone people in the same world.

The flames twisted as if summoning something. Elder Jiang Yao continuously dripped three drops of blood into them. The flames twisted further, seemingly forming a human figure. Just as it was about to fully form, with a sudden pop, the flames scattered in all directions and exploded.

Zhang Xuan frowned. He had read books about the sacrificial rites of the Spirit Tribe. Such a situation only indicated one thing: a mishap had occurred!

Sure enough, upon seeing this, Jiang Yao and Grand Elder Zhao Yue both turned pale, swayed, and almost collapsed. "Something has happened to the Palace Master..." they cried.

"What's going on?" Zhang Xuan asked.

"Normally, the sacrifice would connect with a wisp of the Palace Master's consciousness to confirm her situation," Jiang Yao explained, her voice filled with urgency. "The direct explosion means the Palace Master... is very likely in mortal danger."

Zhang Xuan's pupils contracted. She had designed several methods, even using Jiang Yao to draw the Divine Temple's attention away. Could it be... she was still discovered? If that were truly the case, the Divine Temple would be terrifying!

"What do we do now?" Jiang Yao asked, looking at Grand Elder Zhao Yue. For safety, when the Palace Master left, she hadn't told anyone. Even they weren't clear about her exact destination. Without knowing her exact location, and surely having hidden all traceable paths, how could they find her?

After a moment of hesitation, Grand Elder Zhao Yue flipped her wrist, and a jade token appeared in her palm. "Before the Palace Master left," she said, "she specifically instructed that if she didn't return, we should crush this jade token..." Without much hesitation, she gently crushed it.

Light shone, and a line of text appeared before them.

"If I do not return, appoint Zhang Xuan of the Soaring Cloud Sword Pavilion as the new Palace Master, obey his commands, and follow his lead in all matters!"

"This..." After reading the text, Grand Elder Zhao Yue and Elder Jiang Yao exchanged a glance, then quickly turned to look at Zhang Xuan.

Zhang Xuan also looked bewildered. This Palace Master Du had actually left a message appointing him as Palace Master... What was going on?

"Your Palace Master... is it this person?" Zhang Xuan paused, and as if a thought struck him, he flicked his finger, and a phantom figure appeared before them. It was precisely the deity who had appeared from the heavens during Emperor Chen Yong's sacrifice and taken away Emperor Yong's soul.

"It's her!" Grand Elder Zhao Yue nodded.

"As expected..." Zhang Xuan gave a bitter smile. He had already guessed this when he discovered that the people of the Star-Seizing Palace were Spirit Tribe members who had absorbed mercury spiritual energy. He had initially thought he would meet her soon, so he hadn't sought anyone to inquire. He didn't expect such a turn of events. This person knew about his relationship with Luo Ruoxi and where she had gone. If something truly happened to her, his source of information would be completely cut off.

Having confirmed her identity, he understood why she wanted him to be the Palace Master. At present, throughout the entire world, only the Divine Temple could cause a Pseudo-God realm expert to meet with such a mishap. And to contend with the Divine Temple, perhaps only he, the new Sect Master of the Soaring Cloud Sword Pavilion who had comprehended the Sword Intent of the Divine, could do it! Of course, others didn't know the names of Liu Yang, Zheng Yang, and the others. But Du Qingyuan, having rescued Wu Chen, must have heard of them. Perhaps she had long since figured out that it was the same person. Therefore, she decided to pass the position of Palace Master of the Star-Seizing Palace to him. In this way, with the four sects completely united, confronting the Divine Temple would become easier.

"Sect Master Zhang..." Jiang Yao and the other elder looked over. "Since the Palace Master gave such instructions, she must have had her own plans," Jiang Yao said. "What do you think we should do?" Both of them had personally witnessed him summon four Pseudo-God realm beast pets, so they had no doubts about his strength. Moreover, since the Palace Master had given such instructions, she must have made her decision, and they only needed to obey.

"Since Palace Master Du said so, I can become the Palace Master of the Star-Seizing Palace..." Zhang Xuan nodded. He and the Divine Temple were already irreconcilable enemies. In that case, taking on one more sect wouldn't matter much. What's more, the Star-Seizing Palace could find a way to communicate with Luo Ruoxi.

"Alright," Grand Elder Zhao Yue smiled, "we will prepare for the succession ceremony. Sect Master Zhang, you can rest first. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, representatives from the other five major sects will all arrive tomorrow to personally witness it!" The five major sects had already set out to gather for the matter of the Bridge to Heaven. They would all likely arrive by tomorrow. Since that was the case, it was perfect to have them witness it together. Although she didn't know why the Palace Master wanted the Sect Master of the Soaring Cloud Sword Pavilion to govern the Star-Seizing Palace, once it was done, it would mean the complete alliance of the two sects. Even the Divine Temple should show some restraint.

"Alright!" Zhang Xuan nodded. Being the sect master of multiple sects was not difficult for him; in any case, he was a hands-off manager, as long as someone handled the administration.

As the two elders prepared for the event, Zhang Xuan was content to be idle and went directly to the Star-Seizing Palace's library. Although his cultivation had broken through to the Immortal Monarch realm, he still couldn't break through to a higher realm. He needed to collect more cultivation techniques and secret manuals.

Half a day later, he left the library and Zhang Xuan found a quiet room. The Star-Seizing Palace truly lived up to its reputation as a race capable of communicating with deities. The cultivation techniques and secret manuals within were countless, far exceeding those of sects of similar standing like the Soaring Cloud Sword Pavilion, Ten Thousand Beasts Gate, and Seven Stars Chamber. Especially their research on the soul far surpassed other sects.

With a thought, the Library of Heaven's Path rippled, and a Heaven's Path Witchcraft Soul cultivation technique at the Immortal Monarch level appeared. Next, he gathered all the Immortal Monarch realm cultivation techniques and those collected from the other three major sects. A new book appeared.

"Only three flaws remain," he murmured after a quick read, "and they can be remedied with treasures..." Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. While the Star-Seizing Palace didn't have many Immortal Monarch-level cultivation techniques, it had numerous annotations and insights. Merging all of them, he had remedied the previously flawed technique, leaving only three imperfections.

"Submerged Silver Water, Starfire Iron, and Concealed Leaf Grass..." The three flaws corresponded to three treasures. Each one was extremely precious, their value no less than, and even far exceeding, the previous Silver Diamond Crystals.

"Concealed Leaf Grass... I already obtained many stalks in the City of Fallen Stars. I can use them now, and their medicinal effects are even greater than normal..." Zhang Xuan calculated the treasures he possessed. Although the City of Fallen Stars was fraught with dangers, it had many treasures. At least he had obtained many stalks of Concealed Leaf Grass that others couldn't find, enough for his cultivation.

"As for Starfire Iron... there just happened to be one in Bai Xuansheng's ring!" Last time in the Small Mirror Sea, he had secretly taken the storage ring of Bai Xuansheng, the Sect Master of the Profound Mirror Sect. This time, upon arriving at the Star-Seizing Palace, he secretly checked it. It contained many treasures: two Immortal Monarch peak-level weapons, numerous herbs, minerals, and countless cultivation treasures. And indeed, there was exactly one piece of Starfire Iron.

In this way, the only treasure he still needed was Submerged Silver Water. He had read in relevant books that this item, like dragon pearls, existed in the deep sea and was extremely difficult to find. Even places like the Seven Stars Chamber, which often sold treasures, had no immediate leads.

"I'll go to the Divine Communication Hall and see," he thought. "If I can buy it, that would be best. Otherwise, I'll post a bounty there..." Since the books contained records of this item and described its effects, benefiting his Heaven's Path cultivation technique, it was sufficient to prove that someone in this world must have used it before. Just because places like the Seven Stars Chamber and Star-Seizing Palace didn't have it didn't mean the Divine Communication Hall wouldn't. The Divine Communication Hall was spread throughout the world and sold all kinds of treasures. In terms of variety, it might far surpass the Seven Stars Chamber. Even if it wasn't available there, posting a bounty through the Divine Communication Hall should yield some useful information.

Thinking this, Zhang Xuan no longer hesitated. He quickly walked out of the room and found Grand Elder Zhao Yue again.

"The Star-Seizing Palace is located on Star-Seizing Island," Grand Elder Zhao Yue explained, handing him a jade token. "There are no barriers between it and the outside world. This is an Immortal Monarch realm Divine Communication Jade Token. You can use it directly to enter." Like the Seven Stars Chamber, the Star-Seizing Palace stood in a large city. There was no need for a localized network for isolation; one could directly access the Divine Communication Hall from outside.

"Thank you!"

Since she had one, he wouldn't need to look for it himself. Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. He returned to the quiet room. Just as he was about to enter to inquire about Submerged Silver Water, a thought suddenly struck him, and his expression turned grim. "Twice now, I've been ambushed after being detected by the Divine Temple. Both times it was because I entered the Divine Communication Hall... Will it be the same this time?"