CHAPTER 768: STRUGGLE BETWEEN THE SIX EASTERN AND WESTERN PALACES

"Upon hearing that Xuanyuan Dharma King was approaching, the twelve West Pole gods all believed he was coming to usurp their power."

"In the Mysterious Sect, rank is determined by factors like order of discipleship, duration of cultivation, familial relationships, and even legitimacy of birth. Evil demons and heretics, however, don’t care about such things; they only respect one thing: power!"

"Those with great power could act as mentors or even as revered figures. On the other hand, those with lesser power could only be regarded as grandchildren."

"Those who had the power dined lavishly, whilst the weak were merely ingredients in other’s feasts."

"Originally, due to the Fiery Fire Ancestor joining late and possessing not the highest power, he was ranked fifth among the East Six Divine Palaces, only slightly higher than Lie Baduo."

"After obtaining the Primordial Spirit of Zen Master Xiao Yue, he forcefully extracted the teachings of the Emei Sect’s ’Nine Heavens Mysterious Scripture,’ the legacy of Grandmaster Ha Ha, and Deng Yin, and also acquired the Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons’ Fiery Fire Flag, his power greatly increased."

"Of course, everyone’s power had increased significantly, but his rose the highest. Now ranked first among the East Six Divine Palaces, even the ferocious Green Robe Ancestor had to treat him with a smile. To establish his authority, he roasted one of Lie Baduo’s disciples alive in front of everyone, without any objection from Lie Baduo, who even publicly took the lead in dismembering the disciple."

"A true powerhouse thrived anywhere but preferred staying among the ranks of the evil heretics, where no moral or ceremonial laws restrained them. As long as one was powerful enough, anything was permissible."

"For example, the Green Robe Ancestor who indulged in extravagant eating here wasn’t reprimanded; instead, his followers concocted a complete human feast for him to make his consumption more civilized and elegant."

"The West Pole Sect originally used living humans to refine Magical Treasures and sought immortality through the consumption of human blood and liver. They competed with the Green Robe Ancestor to see who could consume more civilly and deliciously."

"The weaker individuals, convinced of the superior vision and taste of the strong, followed these mighty figures and eventually ended up as dishes on the menu."

"At first, one by one, figures like the Green Robe Ancestor joined the West Pole Sect, which happily accepted them as their six elders, all Earth Immortals with undying bodies, believed they could maintain control."

"However, as six more joined thereafter, the original six elders were unwilling to accept new members. Yet the Green Robe Ancestor and his associates, now fully fledged, embraced Lie Baduo and others to increase their strength, dividing into two factions of six, forming a dual hegemony."

"By now, they considered their number sufficient and did not seek further additions. When two Sword Immortals from the West Sea, along with Pang Huacheng from the Fire Dragon Reef, sought to join in the past few years, both factions rejected them but superficially welcomed them. They ambushed and killed the trio upon arrival, using their skin and bones to refine Magical Treasures before raiding the Fire Pearl region and the Fire Dragon Reef, taking all people and resources to the West Pole Mountain."

"Although in recent years, these twelve gods, especially those among the East Six Divine, saw a rapid advancement in their mana and forged many powerful Magical Treasures, they considered themselves at the peak level of this world. They believed they could rival even the Heavenly Immortals and handle any Heavenly Immortal descending into this realm, having subdued even the Elder Cangxu, one of the Cosmic Six Strange."

"Nevertheless, the fearsome reputation of Xuanyuan Dharma King remained a dark shadow in their hearts."

"Not only the Green Robe Ancestor and the East Six Gods were wary, but the entire West Pole Sect had seen his dominance over the West Sea in bygone days and feared him as well."

"Therefore, they gathered all twelve members for a small meeting before their encounter to unify their stance: if Xuanyuan Dharma King intended to join their faction, they must resolutely refuse him, lest he took over as the leader of the West Pole Sect!"

"However, upon meeting and conversing briefly, they learned that Xuanyuan Dharma King had not come to join them but rather to exchange Magical Treasures."

"Xuanyuan Dharma King stated, ’The Evil Dragon leads a group of immortals in the South Sea to prevent the great catastrophe of the Earth Fire. How could I allow him to succeed? Despite his thorough precautions preventing my success, I managed to seize a unique treasure during our duel.’ He said this as he brought out the Heavenly Mirror."

’"The Heavenly Treasure Mirror!" everyone gasped, their eyes widening at the sight of the ancient, golden-light-emitting treasure mirror.’

"Though they possessed many Magical Treasures, none were like the Cosmic Treasures. They claimed many mountain treasures, yet none could truly suppress the power of West Pole Mountain."

"If they could wield the Heavenly Mirror, unifying the Four Seas and pacifying Central Earth would be effortlessly within reach of the West Pole Sect."

"Chief Elder Zong Duo of the West Pole Sect reached out, ’Your Majesty, may we have the honor of inspecting it ourselves?’"

"This was actually a test to see if Xuanyuan Dharma King had already bound the mirror to his will, allowing safe examination as it could be instantly recalled with a mere thought."

Xuanyuan Dharma King did not agree, saying straightforwardly, "I have yet to master this treasure since I obtained it. Haha, to be honest with everyone, if I had already fully understood it, why would I be willing to put it up for exchange?"

Poison Dragon Venerable replied, "With Dharma King’s capability, if you are unable to fully comprehend it, I fear it will become a useless item in our hands."

Xuanyuan Dharma King nodded, "Indeed it is so. However, you are twelve people and I am but one. Moreover, I know that the Evil Dragon will soon come to snatch back this treasure. Although I do not fear him, I happen to have a Destructive Great Technique left by my former master to refine, and I don’t have the patience to entangle with the Evil Dragon. Although this Heavenly Mirror is a cosmic treasure,

for me it is not something too extraordinary. I came here with two plans—if you are willing to make this deal, I will leave the treasure mirror behind and leave with the item, thereafter owing nothing to each other. If you are unwilling, I intend to stay here for some time to cultivate my Divine Skill, and once accomplished, I will certainly find a way to greatly thank you all."

The twelve Sect Hierarchs exchanged glances among their small groups, and Green Robe Ancestor said sinisterly, "The Dharma King has indeed made a clever calculation! If we agree to the exchange, even if it’s a fair deal, the Evil Dragon will come seeking repayment from us later, causing us, the West Pole Sect, to end up with a new enemy for no reason. If we refuse the exchange, you will be refining your Spell here, and once the Evil Dragon comes, we will still end up suffering due to you—it seems we will be at your advantage either way!"

Xuanyuan Dharma King sneered, "Without this matter concerning me, do you think you no longer have any enmity with that Evil Dragon? Do you really think you can stay forever in West Pole Mountain and avoid any conflict with the Evil Dragon?"

His words were indeed true. Among the six people who came from Central Earth, all of them bore deep hatred towards Shi Feiyang, several with grievances of annihilation, and mentioning it made them all grind their teeth.

In fact, it was precisely because they shared a common archenemy that these Demon Path Sect Hierarchs could cooperate and temporarily come together, even exchanging Cultivation Techniques, discussing openly what could otherwise be; otherwise, given their temperaments, they would have been fighting amongst themselves long ago.

Xuanyuan Dharma King was in the West Sea and knew the inside information, which is why he made this journey to exchange treasures.

Zongdonar, eyeing the Heavenly Mirror covetously, asked, "Dharma King, first tell us what item from our Sect you desire in exchange for this treasure, then we can discuss and decide."

Xuanyuan Dharma King directly named the item he wanted: "Mystics Yin True Water!"

Mystics Yin True Water, left by Yu the Great during his water control, was True Water born through the joint powers of the Water Mother of the Mysterious Heaven and the God of Geng Metal, sealed by Yu the Great with a Spell within a mountain hollow in West Pole Mountain.

This substance, like True Water, could expand into a lake with just a drop. There was a lot left from ancient times, and if released, the Four Seas would rise violently, submerging many lands and islands.

After Yu the Great sealed the water, it rose into the sky each day, illuminated by sunlight, and molded by Gang Wind, causing it to disperse.

Thousands of years had passed, and only one-tenth of Mystics Yin True Water remained, but after being tempered by Gang Wind and nourished by the blasting of Sun Essence and Moonlight, it became more pure and miraculous, with very little evaporating any more.

The West Pole Sect had guarded it here for thousands of years until the arrival of Green Robe Ancestor and others. Together, they studied and extracted the Mystics Yin True Water and used it to break through the barrier of Moqiu Island’s Lizhu Palace’s Innate Fire Spirit Snake, drove away Shaoyang God Monarch, killed Elder Cangxu, and captured his Primordial Spirit to refine into a Super Divine Demon.

Back then, when Green Robe Ancestor and his group had just established themselves in West Pole Mountain and had not yet gained full strength, Mystics Yin True Water was taken away by Zongdonar, held in a Bowl, and managed by him. Afterward, Fiery Fire Ancestor became the Divine Palaces of East Six, believing this water to be the bane of his own fire-based spells, wanted to seize or return it, but the united front of the people from the Divine Palaces of West Six thwarted any plans.

Hearing Xuanyuan Dharma King speak of exchanging with Mystics Yin True Water, Fiery Fire Ancestor was the first to express approval, "Exchanging the Heavenly Treasure Mirror for Mystics Yin True Water, it seems we are actually at an advantage..."

Inside East Six Divine Palaces, Fiery Fire Ancestor had the best relationship with Poison Dragon Venerable, being as close as brothers. Next, Poison Dragon Venerable also had a good relationship with Shang Heyang, these three naturally formed a group, bringing along Green Robe Ancestor as an outsider.

Red-haired Ancestor and Lie Baduo were left out, feeling somewhat isolated. Lie Baduo aimed to pull Green Robe Ancestor into forming a "Three Ancestors of the Southern Border" alliance, but the Red-haired Ancestor showed little interest, spending days cultivating in his place, fiercely waiting for an opportunity for revenge. Meanwhile, Green Robe Ancestor wavered between them.

Despite their facade of congeniality not matching their hearts, when it came to dealing with the circumstances of the West Six Palaces, their opinions were surprisingly unanimous. Once Fiery Fire Ancestor spoke up, everyone agreed in unison, approving the deal.

Zongdonar knew their intentions, sat there steady as an old dog, calm and collected, and only said to Xuanyuan Dharma King, "Mystics Yin True Water is a sacred artifact of our Sect, especially tied to the fate of our Sect...other than it, nothing else..."

"Nothing else interests me!" Xuanyuan Dharma King then took out the Heavenly Mirror again, formed a spell with his hands, and breathed out True Qi. The mirror shone and flew up, hovering in the center of the great hall, directing its light towards where Zongdonar was sitting.

Next to Zongdonar on the table was the Bowl containing Mystics Yin True Water. A cyan-gold beam shone directly onto it, enveloping the Bowl within.

Xuanyuan Dharma King said, "My friend, you may try and see if this object, which suppresses your Sect’s fate, can still be deployed."