Sage Monarch

‘This is really the perfect body type. Powerful. Invulnerable.’ Yang Qi reined in his true energy. At the moment, he wasn’t sure how much time had passed. However, his introduction to the Physique of the Sovereign Lord ensured that he now had a solid foundation for the Legendary level.

When his meridians exploded during the first Legendary transformation, he could use this technique to shape it back together. The Blood-Form Transformation was no simple level; it was a state close to that of a god-spirit, in which one could use raw power alone, with no energy arts, to level mountains and divert rivers.

The Physique of the Sovereign Lord was superior to the body types of any devil-god.

In fact, in its ultimate form, the Physique of the Sovereign Lord could absorb any attack and turn it into power. Unfortunately, Yang Qi wasn't even close to that level yet. He would definitely need to be a Great Sage, or perhaps even higher.

Energy Arts. Lifeseizing. Legendary. Great Sage. 

Those were the four levels of cultivation practiced in the Rich-Lush Continent. As for what existed beyond that, Yang Qi had no idea. In fact, he didn’t even know what subcategories the Great Sage level was broken up into.

Of one thing he was certain; the conflict he had witnessed between radiance and light, and darkness and gloom, the battle between the legion of gods and the horde of devils, had made Great Sages seem like weaklings. From that alone he could tell that there were definitely higher levels. Of course, now was not the time to worry about such things. After all, in ancient times, his current cultivation base wasn’t even high enough for him to be designated an energy warrior.

‘It’s too bad the Heavendawn Quarry doesn’t have any more ancient spirit stones. It would be a lot more efficient to cultivate with them than with medicinal pills. And if I had spirit stones like that, I could raise plenty of young ones in the clan to the Lifeseizing level in probably only a few years. That would make my father’s dynasty strong for many years to come.’

Although the Grand Emperor's Pagoda was currently bolstered by the vital energy of the asura, which was even stronger than ancient spirit stones, he had long since decided that he would not allow young ones of the Yang Clan to cultivate within.

The Grand Emperor's Pagoda was only for his immediate family and sworn siblings.

The asura’s blood and flesh could provide enough vital energy to push dozens of Nonary Lifeseizers into the Legendary level. But to Yang Qi, it still wasn’t sufficient.

His godly-class energy art required massive amounts of vital energy, so much so that it surpassed what even a hundred ordinary Legendaries would require.

And in the Legendary level, one began to explore the magical laws of heaven and earth, which was something very different from the Energy Arts and Lifeseizing levels. Those two levels were about the most general fundamentals. After all, in ancient times, people like that were still considered mortals.

Up to now, Yang Qi had been able to take advantage of all sorts of random situations to advance his cultivation, but the Legendary level was different. The vital energy requirements were stupefying to say the least. When the time came, he would not be waking up one megamammoth here and there. They would come in batches of hundreds, thousands, and even tens of thousands.

After all, in order to completely cultivate the technique, he had to wake up the power of eight hundred forty million ancient megamammoths.

If he did it one at a time, how long would it take?

With eight hundred forty million megamammoths backing him, he could traverse the void, suppress wretch-devils, and gain enlightenment of the dao of the Sovereign Lord.

Right now, he only had three hundred, which would make him absolutely invincible within Nonary Lifeseizing. However, compared to the ultimate potential of the Strength of the Hell-Crushing Godmammoth, it was puny to the extreme.

After clearing his head, Yang Qi realized that about two weeks had passed. Everyone else in the Grand Emperor’s Pagoda remained in place on their respective Rich-Lush Eyes, fighting the battle spirit of the asura, tempering themselves, and reaching new enlightenment by means of life and death struggle.

RUMBLE!

All of a sudden, a boundless column of vital energy shot up into the heights of the Grand Emperor's Pagoda. Lightning swirled around Yang Zhan, as well as masses of empyrean-baleful energy. It was none other than Secondary Lifeseizer tribulation.

‘Half a month has gone by, and father has reached Secondary Lifeseizing. It seems reaching Quinary Lifeseizing in the next few months won't be very hard for him at all. And the rest of my sworn siblings should be able to reach Nonary Lifeseizing.’ He waved his finger, causing vital energy to erupt out, and an eye to open on his forehead. Within it were the mysteries of the universe, the majesty of the starry sky, and the endless life and death of the infinitude of planes and worlds.

Yet again, the Lord's Eye appeared, as Yang Qi tried to gain control of its power.

All of a sudden, a voice spoke to Yang Qi from within the depths of that eye. It spoke a language no living person knew, and yet every person could understand, Godtongue. It was the language of the legion of gods, a tongue which no one would need to study to comprehend. 

“The Lord’s Eye exists eternally in the world. The eye of the Lord is like the eye of heaven.” 

For all eternity, the legion of gods existed on a level that mortals could hardly understand. However, it was possible, and in fact necessary, for mortals to comprehend their will. If they didn’t, and they forsook the legion of gods, they would become depraved outcasts.

“The eye of the Lord brings light to all places,” the voice continued. “It leaves no hiding place for that which is wretched and evil. The eye of the Lord casts glory upon the universe. It cannot be resisted, and any entity which stares into it profanes the glory of the legion of gods, and blasphemes against the Lord. Any such individual shall perish!”

The sonorous speech caused vibrations to ripple through the air into the depths of the Grand Emperor's Pagoda, and into the conglomeration of flesh. Instantly, the flesh and blood began to melt, and the ear-piercing scream of a devil-ghost could be heard, filled with agony. As of this moment, Yang Qi didn’t need the Grand Emperor's Pagoda to filter the power; he directly began to absorb the asura’s remains.

Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop! POP! POP!!!

Numerous particles within him were waking up, and the power of dozens of ancient megamammoths began to course through him.

Meanwhile, the pulsing vital energy in the pagoda in general continued without cease, to be absorbed by everyone sitting on the Rich-Lush Eyes. 

Again, tribulation began to rise up.

It started with Yang Qi’s eldest and second brothers, in the form of Secondary Lifeseizing tribulation. Before long, it spread to many of his other sworn siblings. Flame Clearspring was currently in Nonary Lifeseizing, and although no tribulation appeared for him, flames engulfed him as he began to work on a powerful body transformation.

Blood oozed out of his pores, which then began to take the form of magical symbols.

Crick! Crack! Fire serpents writhed like whips, flagellating him without end, forcing his body to transform.

“Flame symbols formed from blood. The body of a grand ruler! Tyrannical Form of the Flame Emperor!”

Flame Clearspring roared as his body transformed into something stronger and larger than before. An aura like that belonging to his older brother Flame Midheaven sprang into being, and flames raged around him.

“I finally succeeded with the Tyrannical Form of the Flame Emperor! I'm now much further along the path to becoming a Legendary!”

Nodding, Yang Qi returned his focus to his own cultivation.

Days passed, and the more than twenty individuals in the Grand Emperor's Pagoda continued to experience breakthroughs. At the same time, the pagoda gathered the vital energy of heaven and earth around it.

As a result, it was causing fundamental changes to Yanhaven itself.

On the first day the pagoda appeared, the common people didn’t notice anything unusual. However, on the second day, a warm, gentle breeze filled the city. Of course, it was already deep in autumn, and frosts had already begun to appear throughout the lands, but the dozens of kilometers surrounding Yanhaven seemed like they were still in spring. As people inhaled the spring breeze, they found that numerous ailments they had suffered from vanished.

On the third day, a spring rain began to fall on the city and its surrounds. As it turned out, it wasn't a rain of water, but rather, a rain of spirit energy. A spirit rain.

As it soaked into the ground, life flourished. Plants sprouted and climbed high, and the people benefited greatly as well.

The rain fell harder and harder, until the city magistrate’s mansion was the epicenter of a huge downpour. And yet, this was not a rain of water, and thus, no pools of water built up.

The soldiers and guards in the royal palace, and the members of the Yang Clan, would often stare up into the falling rain, or step out to let it soak them.

“It’s spirit energy of heaven and earth! I can't believe it's become so dense that it's falling to the earth as a spirit rain!” There were even chief elders who leaped out as if they were crazed to try to benefit from it.

As they absorbed the rain, they circulated their energy arts, cleansing themselves, and extruding impurities from their meridians.

Ten days later, Yang Xingshi, Dowager Yan, and others similar to them in level trembled, their blood energy surging as they began to rise to the Lifeseizing level.

These were people who had been stuck as Masters of Energy for years, unable to reach the Lifeseizing level. However, because the Grand Emperor's Pagoda was in the middle of Yanhaven, spirit energy from the sky, the land, and even certain ruined dimensions flowed in, allowing them to experience a baptism on the deepest level.

Yanhaven was now like an enormous spell formation, filled with so much spirit rain that it was almost on the verge of crystallizing.

The residents of Yanhaven stretched their hands up to the sky, embracing the warm, soft energy that then coursed through them to purify their meridians.

As weeks passed, countless people in Yanhaven experienced energy arts breakthroughs. Many of the common people even broke through to the Energy Eruption phase.

From a distance, it looked like Yanhaven was surrounded by a transparent bowl.

As the spirit rain built up, it began to turn viscous, allowing the residents of Yanhaven to fully bathe in its glory.

The royal mansion was the epicenter, where the spirit energy of heaven and earth fell so heavily that the structure began to crystallize.