Marrying Wives and Attaining Immortality in a Chaotic World

Chapter 381: Seventh Stage of the Sage Realm

After much debate and discussion, Xu Lian and the Time Supreme finally decided to temporarily avoid delving into the two taboos: the origin of eerie transformations and the dangerous forbidden lands.

Firstly, Xu Lian’s cultivation level was insufficient. In the Strange Era, countless Supremes had failed to solve these mysteries-there was no way a single Sage Realm cultivator like him could succeed where so many others had failed. Second, even the Time Supreme herself had not yet reached the pinnacle of the world. Although she had become a Supreme only two or three hundred years ago, and her strength was already tremendous, her cultivation was still at the lower level of Supreme.

The two of them agreed that they would wait until they both reached the “peak of the world” before attempting to unravel the secrets behind the origin of the eerie transformations and the dangers of the forbidden lands. Only then would they have a reasonable chance of success.

The Time Supreme handed over sixty-four Metamorphosis Elixirs to Xu Lian, already well aware of how many cultivation resources he needed for his ascension.

Xu Lian accepted it with a smile. “Even more than I expected.”

The Time Supreme replied, “After the alchemists finished refining the Metamorphosis Elixir, I didn’t give them a moment’s rest before making them continue.”

She’s got the makings of a capitalist… Xu Lian thought silently as he mentally allocated points, added materials, and advanced to Sage Realm Seventh Stage.

This time, he could clearly feel himself becoming stronger. At Sage Realm Seventh Stage, his mastery of the Divine Bone in his left hand and his Divine Body had reached the second milestone, resulting in another significant increase in power.

“Try this!”

Xu Lian struck out, channeling the divine power of his left-hand Divine Bone and unleashing the Calamity Finger technique from the Sacred Spirit Record. A single finger shot out.

The Time Supreme raised her hand to block it.

Xu Lian noticed rust-like corrosion spreading onto her fair wrist, far more pronounced than last time. “How strong am I now?”

The Time Supreme responded, “Supreme Realm Second Stage.”

Xu Lian was satisfied. “Just as you predicted. At Sage Realm Seventh Stage, my mastery of the Divine Bone in my left hand and my Divine Body have reached the second milestone. When I reach Sage Realm Ninth Stage, I’ll enter the third milestone.”

With this thought, he remembered the matter of attacking the Divine Thunder Sect. “At Sage Realm Seventh Stage, my strength is equivalent to the Supreme Realm Second Stage. That’s enough to stand my ground in these turbulent times. If I were to wait until I reached Sage Realm Ninth Stage, it would take several hundred years. It’s far too long. By then, the chaos in the land would be out of control, and that wouldn’t bode well for the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands. I think it’s time to take action against the Divine Thunder Sect.”

The voice of the Time Supreme echoed throughout the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands. “Issue an order for all cultivators above the Sage Realm to gather for a council.”

Everyone in the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands, from the elders to the disciples, were shaken. This was the first time the Time Supreme had issued such an order since assuming the position of the Nine Heavens Supreme.

Soon, three Supreme, thirteen Quasi-Supreme, dozens of high-level sages, and hundreds of mid-to-low-level sages gathered.

Bai Luohe bowed slightly and immediately asked, “Nine Heavens Supreme, have you decided to launch an expedition against the Divine Thunder Sect?”

Meng Hao laughed out loud. “Isn’t it obvious, Junior Uncle? What else could justify the issuance of a Nine Heavens Supreme Decree besides attacking the Divine Thunder Sect?”

He Changfeng turned to Xu Lian. “Nine Heavens Divine Son, is that right?”

Xu Lian noticed that this “Junior Uncle” He Changfeng always seemed to ask him strange questions. Perhaps because of his close relationship with Time Supreme, He Changfeng treated him as if he were her Dao companion, avoiding direct questions to her and directing them to him instead.

Xu Lian nodded slightly.

Seeing this, He Changfeng was pleased. “Wonderful! After enduring for so long, we can finally suppress the arrogance of the Divine Thunder Sect, the Dark Moon Sacred Land, and the Fuyao Sect!”

The Time Supreme began to give orders one by one:

“First, the purpose of this campaign against the Divine Thunder Sect is to plunder their cultivation resources. We must not wipe out their sect’s lineage and heritage, lest we force them to use their hidden reserves, leading to an irreparable situation.

Second, I will lead the main attack, and two Senior Uncles and senior brother will assist from the side. Nine Heaven Divine Son Xu Lian, the Goddess of Nine Heaven, and those who have cultivated for over five thousand years among the past generations of Holy Sons and Holy Maidens will observe the battle. Hopefully this will help your cultivation.

Third, the Thirteen Quasi-Supreme Elders will stay behind to guard the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands and the key resource areas to ensure that the protective barriers remain stable in case of a surprise attack.

Fourth, recall all the disciples who are currently practicing outside. No one is allowed to leave.

Fifth, begin refining ultra-high-grade healing pills.

Sixth, send envoys to the major powers and instruct them not to interfere…”

As the orders were given, the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands began to operate like a massive, intricate war machine – precise, efficient, and unstoppable.

For an ordinary cultivator, the meaning behind these decrees might be difficult to grasp, but Xu Lian had no trouble understanding them.

Take the third order, for example: why did it require the Quasi-Supremes to stay behind? Because the strength of a protective barrier was vastly different when it was supervised by someone and when it was left unattended. With a Quasi-Supreme managing the barrier, even a Supreme would find it nearly impossible to break through from the outside.

Then there was the second order: allowing past generations of Holy Sons and Holy Maidens to observe the battle. On the surface, it was framed as an opportunity to benefit their cultivation. In reality, however, it was also a way to provide cover for Xu Lian, allowing him to blend in and avoid drawing too much attention. 

Otherwise, his participation-a mere Sage Realm cultivator joining a battle among the Supremacies-would seem overly conspicuous. This way, everyone would assume that he had already mastered the laws of the Divine Kingdom; otherwise, how could he dare to involve himself in a Supreme-level conflict?

Fifth, why prepare ultra-high-grade healing pills just before a battle instead of before? It was because of the unique nature of these pills. Unlike ordinary medicine, these ultra-high-grade healing pills had an extremely short “shelf life.”

If they were prepared too early, they would go bad before they could be used. Because of their potency – even effective against Supremacies – the conditions for their creation were incredibly demanding.

Soon enough, in less than ten days, all preparations for battle were complete.

Time Supreme, Supreme Bai Luohe, Supreme He Changfeng, and Supreme Meng Hao advanced toward the Divine Thunder Sect together.

Meanwhile, Nine Heaven Divine Son Xu Lian, the Goddess of Nine Heaven, and past generations of Holy Sons and Holy Maidens who had cultivated for over five thousand years were standing aboard a war chariot. This was a supreme treasure passed down by the founding ancestor of the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands, known as the Stellar War Chariot .

True to its name, even in broad daylight, the light of countless stars converged onto the chariot, making it shine brighter than the sun itself.

“Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands, are you so eager to fight?”

An indescribable Supreme of the Divine Thunder Sect stepped forward, wielding a black war spear and blocking their path.

Shortly after, an unnamed Supreme from the Dark Moon Sacred Land appeared and sneered. “When the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands were weak, you cowered like turtles hiding in their shells. Now that four Supremacies have risen and regained a fraction of their former glory, you rush to show off your strength. How ridiculous.”

The bizarrely shaped Supreme of the Fuyao Sect soon followed, chuckling coldly. “Hmph, putting on such a grand display – are you trying to scare us? You’ve come fully prepared, clearly thinking that you’ve already defeated us.”

The Time Supreme, Supreme Bai Luohe, Supreme He Changfeng, and Supreme  Meng Hao stopped and faced the three supremacies of the opposing faction from a distance.

The Stellar War Chariot remained at a safe distance, neither too close nor too far, watching the confrontation. The chariot’s offensive and defensive capabilities rivaled those of a Supreme, so it was not easily affected by stray attacks. Moreover, the past generations of Holy Sons and Holy Maidens aboard the chariot-all Sage Realm cultivators and high-ranking sages-possessed significant resilience even without the protection of the Stellar War Chariot.

Supreme Meng Hao pointed directly at the three opposing Supremes. “You three cowards! While the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands were weakened, you incessantly provoked us at our borders. And when my master was on the verge of transcending the Dao, you dared to invade our lands. Today, we will settle the score.”

Bai Luohe added, “Our demands today are simple. If you agree to our demands, we will withdraw immediately and refrain from attacking for the next three thousand years.

First, the Divine Thunder Sect, the Dark Moon Sacred Land, and the Fuyao Sect must publicly apologize to the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands and declare it to the world.

Second, the Divine Thunder Sect must cede one exclusive cultivation resource zone fit for a Supreme to the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands as compensation. The Dark Moon Sacred Land and the Fuyao Sect must each cede two exclusive zones capable of producing Metamorphosis Elixir as compensation.”

He Changfeng looked back at the Stellar War Chariot behind him. “Little Xu, what do you think?”

“…” Xu Lian knew that the question was actually directed at Time Supreme. However, as she held the position of the Nine Heavens Supreme, He Changfeng, being of the junior uncle generation, felt it was beneath him to address her directly.

The Time Supreme added another condition. “The Divine Thunder Sect, Dark Moon Sacred Land, and Fuyao Sect must each hand over five top-tier alchemists to the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands.”

Oh, how considerate… Xu Lian was deeply moved. This was clearly to accelerate the production of Metamorphosis Elixir, enabling him to advance his cultivation more quickly.