Chapter 613: Transcending the Divine

"Martial Uncle, it will soon be time to select disciples for the inner sect. My master asked me to inform you to prepare." Li Xiaoman bowed respectfully, elegant and ethereal. Her dark hair flowed, and her white dress was immaculate, untouched by dust.

"I understand," the Mountain Lord of the Eastern Meridian replied, nodding.

Ye Fan's heart stirred. Would entering the inner sect bring him closer to the Nine Secrets? He had to seize this opportunity; presumably, others had the same thought.

Recently, he had been observing Li Xiaoman. However, he hadn't seen her interacting with anyone special, and thus, couldn't discover Hua Yunfei's whereabouts.

He felt certain that Hua Yunfei was in the Qin Sect, but he didn't know who he was. He wanted to find him through Li Xiaoman, but there had been no clues or opportunities.

"Martial Uncle, I will take my leave," Li Xiaoman said, bowing again. Her sleeves billowed as she flew towards the distant sky like a banished immortal.

In the cave, the dust had settled. A large vermilion coffin lay horizontally underground, and three snot-nosed children were crying loudly below, amidst chickens and ducks jumping and flying chaotically.

Seeing the three wailing children below, the Mountain Lord was both annoyed and amused. "Look at you good-for-nothings, always stealing chickens and dogs," he said. "If you don't behave, I'll lock you in this cave!"

"Mountain Lord, please save us! We only stole this one time; we'll never dare to again!" the three snot-nosed children cried pitifully, huddling by the large coffin, terrified.

A powerful figure from the Immortal Altar Realm flicked his sleeve, sweeping the children and the coffin up. It landed on the ground with a clatter, exuding a damp aura.

This coffin had been buried underground for over ten thousand years, yet showed no signs of decay. It remained as it was, carved from red silken dragonwood, an extremely precious material.

Bang! The moment the coffin lid opened, a green light shot out. It was a centipede, two meters long, glistening like jade. It spewed green mist from its mouth, and all the chickens and geese immediately dissolved into bloody pus.

The Mountain Lord, at the peak of the first heaven of the Immortal Altar Realm and a half-step Great Power, was naturally incredibly strong. With a sweep of his large sleeve, he whisked all the children away.

"Heavenly Centipede Demon!" many people cried out. This was clearly a centipede that had cultivated significantly; though not terrifyingly large, it was still frightening enough.

Bang! The Mountain Lord personally intervened, confronting it. He unleashed boundless magic power, continuously refining it. However, the emerald centipede pierced through the void and actually escaped.

Everyone was astonished. This was an exotic insect that had cultivated for over eight hundred years. Though it hadn't transformed into a human form, it possessed the power of a half-step Great Power.

It had taken the path of a king among insects, choosing not to evolve into a human, but instead cultivating powerfully in its insect form, making it even more terrifying.

Pfft! A burst of green light shot out. Its single spray of poison pierced through the entire low mountain, leaving it transparent from front to back. One could imagine its terrifying power.

The Mountain Lord let out a long cry, and a small green gourd flew out of his mouth. Boundless golden mist surged forth, purifying the poison, and engulfing the emerald centipede.

"True Sun Water!" many people exclaimed, and even Ye Fan was surprised. True Sun Water corresponded to True Yin Water; though water, it contained extreme yang energy, specifically countering dark insect beasts.

Pfft! The emerald centipede opened its mouth and spat out a stream of green mist, which transformed into an emerald short sword in the shape of a centipede. It cleaved through the void, charging towards the True Sun Water and the gourd.

"No good! This centipede has profound cultivation! Retreat quickly!" the Mountain Lord cried out.

He and the emerald centipede soared into the sky, colliding repeatedly. Below, an elder transformed into a beam of light and swiftly rushed to the main sect to report the crisis.

At this moment, people were both tense and horrified. Inside the large vermilion coffin lay a corpse. Its flesh had not decayed, but it was as black as ink.

"This is red silken dragonwood, capable of preserving a body from decay for twenty thousand years. It's a rare and peerless treasure. The person inside must have been an Imperial Lord-level figure in life; otherwise, it would be impossible for them to have such a coffin."

"Terrifying! This centipede devoured the original essence from the corpse. No wonder it's so powerful."

Everyone felt uneasy upon seeing what was in the coffin. An Imperial Lord, even after death, became food for a venomous insect, unable to rest in peace.

The snot-nosed children, whose faces were pale, trembled with fear. They had just brushed past death. If the centipede hadn't disdained their flesh and blood, they would have died long ago.

Boom! In the sky, the centipede's body shook violently, emitting a brilliant green light. It instantly transformed, becoming dozens of feet long, like a flood dragon. Its massive body, segment by segment, moved all its hundreds of legs simultaneously, tearing through the void.

"A Heavenly Centipede at the peak of the first heaven of the Immortal Altar Realm cannot be subdued by anyone less than a Great Power. Its venom is too potent!"

Pfft! The dozens-of-feet-long emerald centipede spat out a stream of green liquid, which completely disintegrated the summit of a nearby low mountain, making it vanish into thin air. This extreme poison made everyone's hearts pound with fear.

"Vile creature, prepare to die!" From the distant sky, a long cry resounded. A Great Power arrived, riding on clouds. From afar, he extended a massive hand, which descended like the sky, grabbing towards the emerald centipede.

"A supreme Great Power!" Ye Fan exclaimed, astonished. As expected, there were indeed supreme figures guarding the main peak; an Imperial Lord-level figure had appeared so quickly.

Pfft! The Heavenly Centipede streaked across the sky, its green light like a ribbon. It spewed venom from its mouth, disintegrating five low mountains into dust in one breath, leaving nothing behind. It darted left, right, and center, trying to escape.

However, the supreme Great Power's methods were heaven-defying. He completely sealed off the space. He grabbed downwards, pinching it with a snap, then generated a burst of colorful light and began to refine it.

"This is a supreme Saint Lord-level figure, suppressing a half-step Great Power-level Heavenly Centipede King. It's truly no different from crushing an ordinary insect," Ye Fan thought, awe-struck.

The emerald centipede was highly venomous and continuously spewed green mist. However, it couldn't break through the light barrier. It was refined by the magic power, rapidly shrinking. Finally, it became palm-sized, glistening like green jade, and lay motionless in the Great Power's palm.

"Vile creature! As one of the Five-Element Venomous Insects, you're perfect for cultivating a Gu King," the grand figure from the main sect snorted coldly. He placed it into a small cauldron and departed.

This was a supreme Great Power. In an era without Saints or Grand Completion Royal Bodies, they represented the strongest combat power in the world, the true rulers of the land.

"That insect is truly extraordinary; it actually devoured the remnant original essence of a corpse."

"That's hardly a centipede anymore; it has already transformed into a Gu. By devouring its own kind and other living beings, it will only grow stronger."

Gu is a mystical insect cultivated by confining various insect kings together, allowing them to devour one another until only one remains. It originated in the Southern Ridge, one of the Five Great Domains, where people are skilled in raising Gu.

At this moment, Ye Fan shivered upon hearing their words. He thought of the Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art. Wasn't it just like this? Those who cultivated this supreme art devoured the Royal Bodies of humans to strengthen themselves, ultimately becoming a Gu King among humans. It was exactly the same!

"When the ancient Heavenly Emperor created this supreme demonic art, he was probably inspired by Gu Kings," Ye Fan thought. His heart trembled. "This is bad!" he muttered.

The Qinling Mountains were a mysterious ancient land, home to many ancient mausoleums. Even people from the divine dynasties came here to bury their dead in ancient times. Heaven knew how many ancient tombs these mountains contained.

Hua Yunfei would be perfectly at home here. If he were to discover any immortal corpses, it would undoubtedly be a "feast"!

The perfectly preserved bodies of supreme figures would likely still contain remnants of their original essence. If these fell into Hua Yunfei's hands, the mere thought was chilling.

"In less than ten years, he could become unstoppable throughout the world!"

For the first time, Ye Fan felt that Hua Yunfei's future was more terrifying than he had imagined. If he couldn't be checked now, once he grew powerful, he might become invincible.

A few days later, the Mountain Lord of the Eastern Meridian announced news: disciples would be selected for the inner sect two months later. Everyone in the mountains was stirred.

"A competition will be held among the four meridians, and only the first-place winner will be admitted to the inner sect. There is only one spot," the Mountain Lord stated.

Everyone was stunned. Only the top contender from the four meridians could enter the main peak. The conditions were too stringent. After a great battle, everyone else's efforts would be in vain.

Ye Fan's heart tightened. As far as he knew, there were three or four disciples in this meridian alone who had reached the Dragon Transformation Realm, and they all surely had impressive backgrounds.

The other three meridians were not weak either. To contend for first place would certainly be a fierce struggle. This was definitely intentional on the Qin Sect's part; they already knew their disciples' motives were not pure.

"They came for the Nine Secrets. I came only for you, Princess Yueling. Who have you transformed into, and in which meridian are you?" Qin Yue, the scholar from the Eastern Meridian, murmured to himself.

This was the only piece of information Ye Fan had recently obtained while observing the scholar and the ailing old man. He had used the Source Heaven Divine Art to tap into the earth's meridians and overheard this conversation.

"The second most beautiful woman in Zhongzhou, Princess Yueling of the Nine Li Divine Dynasty, is also in the Qin Sect?!" Ye Fan was greatly surprised. In this small, confined place, a minor sect with barely over a hundred people, hidden dragons and crouching tigers were everywhere. Heaven knew what other powerful figures were lurking.

Now there was no need to wonder: the refined scholar was a prince-level figure from a divine dynasty. Otherwise, how would he dare to pursue Celestial Maiden Yueling here? He was a latent dragon.

"In the Eastern, Western, Southern, and Northern Meridians, just how many people like Princess Yueling and Hua Yunfei are there? How did they all find this place?" Ye Fan was puzzled. Clearly, some had been here for a year or two, or even longer.

Two days later, the Mountain Lord of the Eastern Meridian announced another piece of news: if one could make a significant contribution to the Qin Sect, they could also enter the main peak and cultivate its highest secret scriptures.

"What constitutes a significant contribution?" a disciple asked.

"Finding dragon marrow to extend the life of the main peak's old masters, or presenting precious materials that can forge King-tier divine weapons..."

Everyone was dumbfounded. Each of these treasures was worth millions of catties of source stones. This was truly a super "contribution"!

Ye Fan felt that the Qin Sect must have long seen through these disciples' intentions. Now, they were making exorbitant demands, charging "tuition" fees from great powers like the divine dynasties.

"Old Brother, do you plan to enter the main peak?" Ye Fan asked the ailing old man after the crowd dispersed.

"It's better not to enter the inner sect," the ailing old man said, shaking his head.

"Why?" Ye Fan asked, puzzled.

"Some extraordinarily talented individuals go in, and they can never leave in their lifetime," the ailing old man replied.

"Who are they?" Ye Fan asked, his expression changing.

"For example, King Biluo."

"What?!" Ye Fan was startled. He immediately thought of the Nine Heavens Biluo Bell, left behind by an invincible King twenty thousand years ago.

This King Biluo naturally couldn't be the one from twenty thousand years ago. The ailing old man spoke without reserve, revealing some secrets.

Thirty years ago, someone found this place. King Biluo was still in his prime then. He entered the main peak in less than a year, and as a result, he permanently settled there, never leaving again.

"It's not that he didn't want to leave, but rather..." The ailing old man shook his head.

"Is there some hidden reason?" Ye Fan asked.

"Naturally," the ailing old man replied, then recounted a surprising secret.

The main peak of the Qin Sect harbored peerless masters, no weaker than those of the various holy lands. What was most terrifying was that they possessed a secret art called the Divine Conversion Art.

This art could convert even a King. If it was said that Buddhas could convert all living beings, then this art could convert all Kings in the world. The more talented a person was, the greater the influence.

King Biluo became a Guardian of the sect within three years of entering the main peak. One could imagine his mental journey. And now, he had even become a Supreme Guardian of the Qin Sect.

Thirty years had passed, and he hadn't left a single step. He had taken root in the Qin Sect, officially becoming one of its members.

The Divine Conversion Art did not control one's spiritual consciousness. Instead, it worked from the very essence, making a person genuinely submit to the sect. This was almost demonic.

"Although the Qin Sect has few people, the main peak is certainly not lacking in masters. King Biluo is just one of them. Now that thirty years have passed, he can at least contend with a supreme Saint Lord."

"The main peak is so unfathomable..." Ye Fan murmured, stunned.

"Naturally. The Divine Conversion Art has a terrifying origin. Legend has it that it is a peerless divine art left behind by the Southern Ridge Heavenly Emperor, capable of converting all Kings in the world."

"This..." Ye Fan's eyes widened. There were rumors in the world that the Southern Ridge Heavenly Emperor was none other than the Ruthless Emperor. And here, there was actually one of his unparalleled sacred arts!