As the lake was shrouded in a thick layer of mist formed by the condensation of spiritual energy, it was impossible to see his appearance or silhouette clearly. Nevertheless, Qi Meng was still able to feel a pressure that pierced right into his soul.
It was a feeling so deeply etched into him that he could not get rid of it no matter what he did.
It was the absolute power of a God Monarch.
The only ones who could leave a Conferred God King like him feeling like that were the Ten God Monarchs. There was no way he could possibly perceive it wrongly.
He had no idea which of the ten God Monarchs was in the lake, but one thing was clear. If the Qi Clan wished to continue existing in the world, it would be wise not to offend the other party.
For this reason, he kneeled down without much hesitation.
“God Monarch?”
Those words were not spoken too loudly, but they resonated in the ears of those present like thunder. The head of the Qi Clan and the elders quickly lowered their heads fearfully, not daring to look up at all.
The Qi Clan was possibly the most formidable power in Drifting Specter Royal City, but it was still no match for the God Monarchs. A mere thought was all it would take for a God Monarch to obliterate them from the face of the world.
They were not even living on the same plane of existence.
Padah!
Qi Xun-er was unable to cope with the shock. Her knees caved, and she tumbled onto the ground.
She had thought that she had found the ideal opportunity to get rid of Qi Ling-er once and for all, but who could have thought that the person who entered the Lucid Lunar Lake would actually be a real-life God Monarch?
Even Conferred God Kings would not dare to say anything excessive in the face of a God Monarch. In fact, it could be considered an honor for the Qi Clan to have been graced by a God Monarch’s presence.
Finding it hard to believe the situation, Qi Xun-er secretly peeked at the lake. Through the thick veil of spiritual energy mist, she was still able to roughly make out the silhouette in the water.
It was none other than Zhang Xuan!
Was he the God Monarch?
Qi Xun-er’s eyes widened with fright, and her heart beat so quickly that she found herself unable to breathe.
She had even said that the other party was ordinary a moment ago! If the other party was truly ordinary, what was she?
Why would Qi Ling-er, a person who had been demoted to the remote Twilight City, be related to a God Monarch? Furthermore, she was even able to invite the God Monarch to grace the Qi Clan.
God Monarch?
While everyone was shocked speechless, Zhang Xuan, who was cultivating at the middle of the lake, was also stupefied by what he had just heard.
Did he recognize the wrong person?
The elder who had just appeared had a presence that harmonized with the heavens. The pressure that he exerted was so powerful that it was a struggle just to face him.
Such a powerful person was calling him ‘God Monarch’…
Did Conferred God Kings suffer from bad eyesight or something?
Nevertheless, this was a good opportunity for him to resolve the current situation. So, Zhang Xuan lowered his voice to a very deep level and said, “I don’t like being disturbed by others.”
This misunderstanding worked in his favor. At the very least, he would not be blamed for secretly using the Lucid Lunar Lake.
Otherwise, given the limitations of his current strength, he could only use the golden page to smash the Conferred God King before him to death.
Hearing the will of the God Monarch, Old Ancestor Qi Meng immediately gestured for the crowd that had gathered around to leave. In fact, fearing that the other clan members might just stumble into the vicinity and disturb the God Monarch, he even went to the extent of creating a formation to seal off the surroundings.
“I…” Qi Ling-er was at a complete loss. She had no idea what was happening, and she had no idea what she should do.
While she had allowed Young Master Zhang to enter the Lucid Lunar Lake, she had expected him to come out quickly after realizing that he was unable to cultivate. She had never expected such a huge commotion to arise, drawing even the attention of the clan head and the old ancestor.
When they appeared before her, she thought that it was the end of her… but the turnaround came equally fast!
God Monarch…
All along, she had thought that Zhang Xuan only possessed the bloodline of a God Monarch, but who could have known that he was a God Monarch himself?
And she had traded with him and tried to earn his money…
Her body trembled uncontrollably as she could not help but doubt her sanity.
“Come out! Don’t disturb the God Monarch’s peace!” Qi Meng ordered with a frown.
“Yes!”
Hearing the command from the old ancestor, Qi Ling-er hurriedly walked away from the Lucid Lunar Lake.
The group followed Qi Meng all the way to the main hall, where the latter quickly set up many formations. Then, Qi Meng looked at the crowd. “Explain what happened.”
He was completely taken aback to see a God Monarch standing within the Lucid Lunar Lake.
“It’s like this…”
The clan head stepped forward and explained everything that had happened with Qi Ling-er earlier.
“You are the one who brought him here?” Qi Meng turned to Qi Ling-er.
“Old ancestor, I only knew that he possesses the bloodline of a God Monarch. I didn’t know that he was a God Monarch himself,” Qi Ling-er replied apprehensively.
“He possesses the bloodline of a God Monarch?”
The crowd were taken aback by that news.
The clan head turned his head to her and gestured for her to explain her words.
So, Qi Ling-er swiftly filled them in on what she had seen at the Netherworld Pool.
“The God Monarchs are able to alter their forms freely,” Qi Meng said with a nod. “They often conceal their cultivation so as to experience the life of an ordinary person… I heard that the God Monarch of the Sky of Freedom suppressed their cultivation to visit the lower worlds once.
“Your ability to see through his disguise, accurately assess the situation, and come up with the best response is not bad. I can see that you are a smart person. From today onward, I’ll have Qi Xiao entrust you with more important work and bestow you with the best cultivation resources. As someone who is working with the God Monarch, it wouldn’t do for your identity to be too shabby.”
Qi Xiao was the name of the clan head.
“Thank you, old ancestor!” Qi Ling-er bowed down and kowtowed deeply. She felt a little light on her feet, as if she had been dreaming all this while. She could hardly believe that such a thing was really happening to her.
“I believe all of you should understand what can and cannot be said. Anything that concerns the privacy of a God Monarch is a taboo in the Firmament. If I hear anyone running their mouth, no matter who it is, don’t expect me to show any mercy!” Qi Meng ordered.
“Yes, old ancestor!”
The crowd trembled a little at Qi Meng’s threats.
At the very back of the hall, Qi Xun-er was trying her best to hold back her tears.
If only she had known that the young man had such an incredible identity, she never would have stepped forward and run her mouth. Given what she had done, even if the Qi Clan did not punish her for this, she would definitely be sidelined in the future.
Even her older brother would not be able to save her from this. After all, between a God Monarch and a God King, even a fool would know which side to choose!
…
“Forget it!”
Zhang Xuan felt both a little astounded and confused, but he could not care that much anymore. It was not as if anything would happen just by him caring about it.
So, he closed his eyes and continued cultivating.
Surges of pure spiritual energy flowed into his body, causing it to continuously evolve.
Hu!
Some time later, his cultivation came to a halt. He found that he was unable to raise his physical body cultivation any further than that.
“High-tier Celestial God pinnacle…”
Perceiving the strength and resilience of his tempered body, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.
He had entered the Lucid Lunar Lake in hopes of raising his physical body to middle-tier Celestial God at the very least, but who would have thought that he would be able to raise it all the way to high-tier Celestial God? In fact, he was not too far from reaching God King.
With his current body, he would be invincible against any opponents beneath God King in close-quarter battles. This meant that he was finally approaching the top echelons of the Firmament.
It was at this point that the energies of the Lucid Lunar Lake finally became ineffective on him. No matter how much he absorbed beyond this point, it did not make a difference to his body.
“But what are those golden lines?” Zhang Xuan murmured doubtfully as he assessed the internal state of his body.
For some reason, innumerable thin, golden strands had appeared within his muscles all over his body. They did not seem to harness any particular power, but they felt unfaltering.
It felt as if they were charged with an unending supply of vitality.
Nevertheless, knowing that this was not a good time to study the changes with his body, he leaped out of the lake.
Tzzzzz!
Through his zhenqi, he was able to swiftly evaporate the water that was on his drenched clothes. When he turned back to look at the lake behind him, he saw that the bubbling surface had already reverted to its initial calm state.
A few moments later, a slight ripple appeared in the water, and a little yellow chick swam to shore.
“You’re fine as well,” Zhang Xuan murmured.
He knew that the little yellow chick had the ability to revive from ashes ever since the last time Kong shi’s clone killed it. So, he was not too surprised to see the little yellow chick alive and kicking.
“Your cultivation…”
Watching as it swam over, Zhang Xuan’s mouth fell agape.
Just a moment ago, the little yellow chick had only been a low-tier God, but at this very moment, he could sense the aura of a Celestial God coming from it. Its earlier death in the lake had allowed it to catch up with him, becoming a Celestial God too!
He had put in so much effort and put his life on the line just to become a Celestial God, but all it took the little yellow chick was one death…
Darn it! It felt really frustrating losing to a chick like that!
“I’m going to rest for a bit,” the slightly exhausted little yellow chick said wearily before diving into his dantian.
“Rest well,” Zhang Xuan replied.
He knew that it was normal for it to get extremely exhausted after its breakthrough, so he did not pay that matter much heed. Instead, he looked at the main hall not too far away with a complicated look on his face, and after a moment of hesitation, he finally began making his way over.
He had no idea why the Conferred God King mistook him for someone else, but it was only a matter of time before he would have to face the other party.
So, he walked out of the seal, and the next moment, Old Ancestor Qi Meng and Clan Head Qi Xiao, who seemed to have been waiting outside for him, immediately walked over to greet him.
“Paying respects to the God Monarch!”
Old Ancestor Qi Meng kneeled down and bowed formally before discreetly glancing at the young man before him. What he saw left him nodding in wonderment.
Earlier, he had been able to clearly perceive the overwhelming pressure of the bloodline of a God Monarch from the lake, but at this very moment, the pressure had disappeared completely. The young man before him seemed no different from an ordinary person, such that he would not have been able to tell that the other party was a God Monarch either.
As expected of a God Monarch.
He was able to control his powers to such a fine degree that no one was able to see through his disguise.
“I have used your Lucid Lunar Lake. As repayment, I’ll offer you some pointers.”
Zhang Xuan was glad to see that the Conferred God King still carried the same misunderstanding, and he heaved a sigh of relief on the inside.
Even though he did not break the Lucid Lunar Lake, he did sap a substantial amount of energy from it for his breakthrough. As a master teacher, it would not be right for him to walk away without offering anything in return.
“This…”
Old Ancestor Qi Meng’s first reaction was to turn down the God Monarch’s offer. After all, this was an invaluable opportunity for them to strike up a relationship with the latter.
But on second thought, he realized that there was no way a God Monarch would allow himself to owe anything to anyone, and his heart sank a little.
So, he turned to Clan head Qi Xiao and said, “Show the God Monarch your skills.”
On the other hand, hearing that Old Ancestor Qi Meng was giving this precious opportunity to him, Clan Head Qi Xiao excitedly got to his feet
Hu hu hu!
He demonstrated the battle technique from earlier on. He had already grasped the crux of the battle technique when Qi Ling-er executed it before him.
It was only at this moment that he realized why the battle technique Qi Ling-er had executed was devoid of any flaws. After all, how could anything that had come out from the hands of a God Monarch possibly be flawed?
“There aren’t any major problems with your cultivation. The only issue is your internal injuries. They have limited your strength, preventing you from reaching greater heights,” Zhang Xuan replied with a slow but authoritative voice.
He was able to see through the flaws of a God King through the Library of Heaven’s Path.
He elaborated more on the internal injuries that Qi Xiao was facing and pointed out a general direction for him to work toward. With that, he had compensated the Qi Clan for the use of the Lucid Lunar Lake.
“I don’t have any other business here. I’ll be leaving.”
As Zhang Xuan said those words, he turned around and began walking out of the main hall.
“Qi Ling-er, escort the God Monarch!” Old Ancestor Qi Meng quickly ordered.
Qi Ling-er immediately shot to her feet and walked behind Zhang Xuan subserviently.
After Zhang Xuan’s departure, the atmosphere in the room immediately lightened as everyone subconsciously heaved a sigh of relief.
There was a slight moment of silence as everyone adjusted their tense state of mind back to normal before Clan Head Qi Xiao turned to the Old Ancestor Qi Meng and said doubtfully, “Old ancestor, the things that the God Monarch spoke about are all the flaws in my cultivation. He didn’t give me any pointers as to what I should do…”
The words of the God Monarch did give him a deeper understanding of the problems he was facing, but he still was not too sure how he could go around solving them.
Old Ancestor Qi Meng harrumphed. “This is a test from the God Monarch. He pointed out your flaws so that you could work hard and think of ways to resolve them. If he helped you rectify your flaws as well, wouldn’t that make you his direct disciple? Do you think that you are worthy of becoming the direct disciple of a God Monarch?”
“O-of course not! It was too greedy…” A shudder ran down Clan Head Qi Xiao’s spine as he quickly waved his hands.
“Un.” Old Ancestor Qi Meng nodded before falling silent.
Hearing the advice that the young man gave Qi Xiao had dissipated all the lingering doubts in his mind.
Only the keen eyes of a God Monarch would have been able to see through the flaws that even he had missed.
“Old Ancestor, may I know which of the Ten God Emperors he is?” Clan Head Qi Xiao asked curiously.
“I’ve had the honor of meeting a few of the God Monarchs, so I have a rough idea who that God Monarch is. If I’m not mistaken, he should be…
“… the Spirit God!”
