Chapter 1245: Innate Taiji

Yellow Dragon Cave Mansion.

Chen Mobai, who was conversing with Su Ziluo, suddenly shifted his gaze. A fiery light illuminated the sky, then transformed into a luminous pearl and vanished behind his head. This was his second Nascent Soul, returning from Xizhou.

Chen Mobai waved his hand, and Xuan Shui's two children appeared in his palm. Soon after, Qing Nü, having received the news, rushed over.

“Should we inform the One Yuan Dao Palace about this, or wait for Xuan Shui to return and let her explain it herself?” Qing Nü asked, holding the two children tenderly after hearing the full story.

“Inform Chen Lingming and have him speak with Lianshui,” Chen Mobai replied. He had already passed down the Hunyuan Dao Fruit, entrusting Chen Lingming with all miscellaneous affairs concerning the One Yuan Dao Palace. He wondered whether Lianshui would be angry or delighted to have two new nephews.

Qing Nü nodded, called in Gu Yan, and took the two children for a comprehensive and detailed examination to formulate a treatment plan.

Next, Chen Mobai resumed his conversation with Su Ziluo, discussing the Tongyou Demonic Sect and the Revered Ming. He now had fewer connections. Most that could be transferred to disciples had been, but some, involving Soul Transformation True Monarchs, he still handled himself. Among these, the connection to Revered Ming was one. Although this master of the Eastern Demonic Path had achieved Soul Transformation in two lives, suffering defeats at the hands of the One Yuan Avatar and Yuan Qingque respectively, a centipede dies but never falls, meaning he was still formidable. As long as his lifespan hadn't run out, given his Soul Transformation essence, he might yet rejoin the ranks of Tianhe Realm's top experts.

During this strange movement of the Evil Ghost Dao Child Plate, Chen Mobai also noticed that his connection with Revered Ming, which had been dim, began to brighten. This signified that it was time to resolve this connection. Moreover, only by slaying a Soul Transformation cultivator of the Demonic Path could his Dao of Doomsday Luck advance. He had cultivated the Pure Yang Scroll his entire life, and it was time to test its edge against the demonic cultivators of the Tianhe Realm.

That day, Ye Qing suddenly sent a message requesting a visit. Chen Mobai naturally welcomed him and received his good brother in the Yellow Dragon Cave Mansion.

“Brother Chen, the Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect may soon face a great tribulation, and we will require your assistance.” After sitting down, Ye Qing went straight to the point, speaking about the Life-Death Plate.

Chen Mobai was greatly shocked upon hearing this, finally understanding why his Evil Ghost Dao Child Plate had acted unusually. He hadn't expected it was due to the impending reassembly of the Life-Death Plate. This meant that many powerful beings from the upper realms were observing this matter. A sudden shock ran through Chen Mobai as he wondered if his possession of the Evil Ghost Dao Child Plate had long been within others' sight. Without warning, he was reminded of the mysterious old man he had encountered at the Big Dipper Assembly.

“The most crucial part of the Life-Death Plate is the Samsara Plate, which is suppressed within the Heaven-Reaching Dao Forging Tower. When the Heavenly Emperor and other powerful beings in the Immortal Realm change the rules of the Grand Dao, the cycle of life and death will use it as a beacon to manifest in the current world. During that process, the Samsara Plate will summon the Six Dao Child Plates one by one to reconstruct the Six Paths of Samsara. At that time, due to the mutual involvement of the Three Thousand Grand Daos, when the Innate Life-Death Dao manifests, the other Innate Grand Daos will also be linked and materialize, making them easier to comprehend. The Ancestral Master intends to use this opportunity to elevate his own Grand Dao to the Innate Taiji. However, the Ancestral Master also has many sworn enemies, and those powerful figures from unorthodox sects will certainly not idly watch the Ancestral Master's cultivation advance significantly, so they will definitely try to prevent this. The simplest way would be to snatch the Samsara Plate, because when the Life-Death Plate is reassembled, the Grand Daos surrounding it are most prominent, almost within reach, and easiest to comprehend.”

Ye Qing revealed the most crucial information, and Chen Mobai finally understood that the Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Ancestral Master was a Seventh-Tier True Immortal, aligned with the Post-Heaven Two Powers Grand Dao. If he could use this opportunity to elevate the Two Powers to Innate Taiji, his strength would immediately leap to become one of the Immortal Realm's most powerful beings, second only to the Heavenly Emperor and the returned Grand Void True King. However, the Heavenly Emperor's Pure Yang cultivation realm is restricted. If, after this tribulation, the Grand Void True King transcends and departs, then the Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Ancestral Master, having attained the Innate Taiji Grand Dao, could even contend for the title of the Immortal Realm's foremost Dao Lord. It was precisely for this reason that the Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect would stake everything to suppress the Samsara Plate.

“Given the friendship between us, I will certainly not decline this matter; I will definitely help,” Chen Mobai immediately agreed without hesitation. He had few friends in the Tianhe Realm, and Ye Qing was among the best. Besides this, Chen Mobai greatly admired the upright and pure atmosphere of the Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect, from top to bottom, feeling that the Tianhe Realm needed more such sects.

“Thank you!” Ye Qing expressed his gratitude earnestly.

“Do you know which demonic villains are the enemies?” Having agreed to help, Chen Mobai began to inquire about the opponents who would attack the Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect this time.

“The Asura Plate was previously obtained by the Central Demonic Lord. The Asura Heavenly Demon he achieved with it was so powerful that even a Grand Void Immortal suffered losses, indicating he has clearly thoroughly refined this plate. Moreover, this Demonic Lord has likely already comprehended the Void Refinement realm, but intentionally suppressed his cultivation level to avoid leaving the Tianhe Realm. Besides the Asura Plate, the Hell Plate was also among the demonic treasures that descended from beyond the domain this time. A long time ago, it was the magic treasure of the Black Rope Demonic God. This time, it's unknown into whose hands of the unorthodox cultivators it has fallen. The Evil Ghost Plate should be in the Underworld, but the Nine Sons of Ghost Mother will certainly find a way to send it to the Tianhe Realm. The Beast Plate has been missing from the Tianhe Realm for a long time, but it naturally affinity with demonic true spirits, so it's likely in the possession of one such true spirit. The Human Dao Plate is in the Thousand Autumns Calligraphy Forest, and the Heavenly Dao Plate has already been sent by the Heavenly Emperor to the Purple Cloud Heavenly Palace. As the rules of the Grand Dao in this realm change, as long as the Six Dao Child Plates are present, they will continuously attract each other until the cycle of life and death is reassembled.”

After hearing this, Chen Mobai nodded gently and then asked, “What if one of the Child Plates is not in the Tianhe Realm?”

Ye Qing actually knew the answer to this, as he had also considered it and previously asked the Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Ancestral Master.

“The Ancestral Master said that in such a case, the Six Paths of Samsara would be incomplete. When living beings reincarnate, they would only be able to enter the other five paths. Over time, this would lead to an imbalance in the samsara ecological chain, triggering the collapse of heavenly and earthly rules, or even a tribulation.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai pondered briefly and understood the meaning of these words. The disappearance of a Child Plate wouldn't affect the grand matter of the cycle of life and death, but it could potentially cause problems in the functioning of this heavenly and earthly rule for thousands or tens of thousands of years. Once enough problems accumulated, it might necessitate another reassembly of samsara, or even a cleansing of the Six Paths' beings.

Thinking this way, it seemed unwise to hide the Evil Ghost Dao Child Plate in the Gourd Daoist Temple for too long. Chen Mobai considered it internally and already had a rough plan. He and the Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect shared a friendly alliance. If the Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Ancestral Master succeeded, he would certainly be pleased. However, if before that, Heaven-Reaching Peak were truly breached and the Samsara Plate seized, Chen Mobai would have no choice but to take the Evil Ghost Dao Child Plate to the Gourd Daoist Temple to prevent the Life-Death Plate from falling into the hands of demonic cultivators.

Next, Chen Mobai and Ye Qing discussed defense strategies.

“This concerns the entire righteous path. With the formation of the Eastern Continent Immortal Alliance, we few can gather to discuss it...” Chen Mobai articulated his thoughts. It was clear that this reassembly of samsara would, at the very least, attract the Central Demonic Lord, the foremost demonic cultivator in the Tianhe Realm. As the foremost figure in the Eastern Continent, Chen Mobai would naturally take on this opponent. However, besides the Central Demonic Lord, there were likely many hidden masters in the shadows, and it was even possible that beings like the Nine Sons of Ghost Mother would be drawn in. After all, compared to the Spiritual Void Immortal Realm, there were no Nine Heavenly Tribulations separating the Underworld from the Tianhe Realm; ghosts from there could arrive at any time. Fortunately, even if a Sixth-Tier entity from the Underworld came to the Tianhe Realm, it would still be affected by the current ascension rules and dare not unleash its true power. Furthermore, due to the mutual restraint between the Yin and Yang realms, the power of creatures from the Underworld would be discounted in the Tianhe Realm.

The Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect possessed a Sixth-Tier grand formation, two Soul Transformation cultivators, and two Sixth-Tier magic artifacts. If it was purely a defensive effort, Chen Mobai believed that even the Central Demonic Lord would be unable to break through.

“Regarding the Daoist Virtue Sect and the Grand Void Misty Palace, Senior Brother Ni has already gone to discuss with them.” Upon hearing about the Eastern Continent Immortal Alliance, Ye Qing also brought up the matter. This concerned the Ancestral Master's Grand Dao, and the Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect would expend all its accumulated goodwill from tens of thousands of years to survive this tribulation.

“Why don't we hold a meeting together? The Eastern Continent Immortal Alliance hasn't yet held a Soul Transformation-level meeting since its establishment. This would also give many wavering righteous path forces more confidence to join and support us.” Chen Mobai never forgot to boost the Eastern Continent Immortal Alliance's influence.

His second Nascent Soul's trip to Xizhou was very quick in resolving Xuan Shui's matter, as it borrowed the Grand Void Misty Palace's teleportation array. The Eastern Continent Immortal Alliance, jointly established by their four great holy lands, had only just been set up in the Eastern Mausoleum Region and was formally recruiting members. Due to the local atmosphere, many righteous path forces had reservations about this. Chen Mobai believed that if the few of them, as Soul Transformation cultivators, convened the first Eastern Continent Immortal Alliance meeting, it should dispel such concerns.

“Alright, I will invite the other two holy lands upon my return,” Ye Qing said, nodding in agreement after hearing this.

Soon after, Chen Mobai received communication talismans from Shen Xi and Shan Miaosu, inquiring about his views on the Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect's situation. Chen Mobai directly expressed his stance of support.

Half a month later, the Eastern Continent Immortal Alliance's first representative conference was held in the Eastern Mausoleum Region. The four great holy lands of the Eastern Continent served as the four Standing Directors, responsible for all operational matters of the Immortal Alliance, and also held final decision-making power, veto power, and so on. In response, many righteous path forces that had already joined unanimously agreed, passing the election of the four Standing Directors with full votes. This was primarily because Chen Mobai and the other three Soul Transformation cultivators were seated in the foremost positions.

During the conference, Chen Lingming and other council representatives read out various rules and regulations concerning the Eastern Continent Immortal Alliance. Meanwhile, Chen Mobai and the others left early to begin a private meeting in True Monarch Wuchen's cave mansion. During the private meeting, the Soul Transformation cultivators reached a consensus on supporting the Nine Heavens Demon Extermination Sect. They stated that if any demonic forces attempted to attack Heaven-Reaching Peak, they would respond and provide support immediately upon receiving the news.

Barren Sea.

Ever since Chen Mobai annihilated the million demonic beasts of Ten Thousand Immortals Island in the land of Dongwu, this most desolate region among the Five Continents and Four Seas became advantageous for the Myriad Star Alliance. As the most powerful force within the Myriad Star Alliance, the Flying Sand Sect had also developed rapidly in recent years, leveraging trade with the Five Elements Sect. Within merely a century, it had produced three Nascent Soul cultivators. However, as time passed and the Five Elements Sect gained a thorough understanding of the Barren Sea region, various elixirs, materials, and other resources were no longer exclusively enjoyed by the Flying Sand Sect. Some Nascent Soul forces within the Myriad Star Alliance established connections with the Five Elements Chamber of Commerce and also began to expand. Since the vacant territory left by Ten Thousand Immortals Island was vast, these forces, despite occasional friction, remained relatively restrained. But the Myriad Star Alliance, originally formed to resist Ten Thousand Immortals Island, had gradually become defunct in name only over the years. Several of these forces even dispatched disciples to the Five Elements Sect after learning about the Eastern Continent Immortal Alliance, expressing their desire to join. Their stated reason was quite appealing: many forces in the Barren Sea were originally established by Eastern Continent cultivators who fled overseas to escape the ravages of war during the conflict between the Eastern Land Imperial Court and the Nine-Headed Grand Sage. They still considered themselves part of the Eastern Continent.

Chen Mobai naturally did not refuse, turning all matters over to E Yun and Chen Lingming for handling, indicating that all applicants would be welcomed. However, to Chen Mobai's slight regret, the Flying Sand Sect had not made such an overture. If the Flying Sand Sect also pledged allegiance, the Barren Sea region could be fully incorporated, and he could then prepare to advance the Grand Heavenly River Luo Star-Formation towards the Barren Sea.

Meanwhile, the Barren Sea forces that joined the Eastern Continent Immortal Alliance were actually primarily at odds with the Flying Sand Sect, but couldn't contend with them within the Myriad Star Alliance. So, they simply came directly to pledge allegiance to the Five Elements Sect. After their allegiance, they also recounted many instances of the Flying Sand Sect's tyrannical behavior and oppression of the good people in the Barren Sea. Chen Mobai did not, however, believe a one-sided account. Based on reports from the Five Elements Chamber of Commerce and comprehensive intelligence from various sources, Chen Mobai generally understood the Flying Sand Sect's intentions.

“It seems Taishi Weiguang intends to establish the Flying Sand Sect as a holy land,” Chen Mobai said to Qing Nü after his analysis.

“Over the years, the Flying Sand Sect has purchased many elixirs from the Danxia Pavilion. If Grand Elder Taishi truly attempts to break through to Soul Transformation, those elixirs will be somewhat useful,” Qing Nü said, after checking the accounts with the Flying Sand Sect and discovering this.

Chen Mobai: “If Taishi Weiguang achieves Soul Transformation, do you think he would continue to rule the Barren Sea as his own local emperor, or would he, with the might of a Soul Transformation cultivator, join the Eastern Continent Immortal Alliance and become its fifth Standing Director?”

Qing Nü pondered this and thought the former possibility was greater. It's better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix. This is a truth understood throughout the ages.

“However, Taishi Weiguang's success rate in achieving Soul Transformation is probably at most ten percent, so there's no need to worry about this matter.”