Meng Tingfeng stared at the vessel that would transport them to the Jade and Numinous Conference. It was a massive warship that appeared to have tree bark hammered onto its hull, giving it a gnarly appearance. The planks and bark used to create the exterior of the warship came from the Allheaven Jianmu Tree.

In the primordial era, there existed top ten spiritual roots, unique plants with miraculous effects that could not be replicated. According to legend, the Hollow Willow of the top ten spiritual roots gained spirituality and mysteriously disappeared. Another one was the Longevity Peach Tree. The offshoot in Xi Mengfei’s possession couldn’t even compare to a fraction of the original. The fruits of the original Longevity Peach Tree could extend the lifespan beyond three thousand and six hundred years.

Another was the Illumination Apricot Tree. The Illumination Apricot Tree would bloom once every one hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred years. It would take another one hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred years to bear fruit and a final one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred years for the fruit to mature. All in all, it took three eons for the Illumination Apricot Tree to produce nine fruits.

The fruits were known as Golden Enlightenment Apricots because those who ingested them would feel their spirits cleansed and their thoughts clear. It was one of the greatest treasures for cultivators to comprehend the myriad worldly laws. Legend has it that a mortal would become an immortal monarch after ingesting one.

Among these ten miraculous spiritual roots, the Allheaven Jianmu Tree could not aid comprehension of the law, or extend the lifespan. Nor had it gained sentience. But it was incredibly hard and sturdy to the point that even divinity needed a massive amount of effort to shatter its bark. For those that could refine it, the parts of the Allheaven Jianmu Tree were perfect materials for divine artifacts. Divinities found it difficult to damage the tree and found it even more difficult to refine it into artifacts.

The Numinous Sword Sect founder had discovered the damaged Allheaven Jianmu Tree and the many barks and branches in the current location of the Numinous Sword Sect. Or rather, the Numinous Sword Sect was built around the Allheaven Jianmu Tree. Everyone in the Numinous Realm, and even the Buzhou Immortal Court, knew the Numinous Sword Sect possessed the Allheaven Jianmu Tree, but no one knew its exact location within the sect.

Of course, the Numinous Sword Sect couldn’t refine the broken branches or barks into artifacts, much less create an immortal boat out of it. Still, it would be a pity to not use the barks and branches of the Allheaven Jianmu Tree. So, the artificers of the Numinous Sword Sect used the branches to form the ship’s skeleton and nailed the barks to the ship’s hull. And that was about the only thing the artificers could do with the Allheaven Jianmu Tree.

Since they couldn’t refine the materials, the barks were nothing more than extremely sturdy shields while the branches were unbreaking swords at best. They could not increase the effect of techniques. Still, the Allheaven Jianmu Tree was a priceless opportunity.

Just the spiritual roots’ mere presence increased the density of spiritual qi in the Numinous Sword Sect. Children born within its range of influence would have a higher chance of having the heavenly metal spiritual root. All those paled in comparison to the true benefits once a member of the Numinous Sword Sect ascended to divinity. Although a new divinity would need time to accumulate power in order to use said spiritual root.

The first person to step onto the warship was Sovereign Yanxu. He didn’t know if the Buzhou Immortal Court’s immortal sovereign would be present, but if she was, then he would be the only one capable of stopping her should they use the Jade and Numinous Conference as a trap. He was followed by the other grand elders, and then by the peak lords, including Meng Tingfeng.

He eyed his fellow peak lords and noticed that not all of them had a defensive monarch-level artifact. Meng Tingfeng had one, but it wasn’t obtained through his own hands but gifted to him by the Numinous Sword Sect. Of course, the monarch artifact wasn’t given with no reason. It was all to insure his continued victory in the Jade and Numinous Conference.

Meng Tingfeng looked around, but couldn’t find the one person he was looking for.

“Elder Meng, are you searching for anyone in particular?” a fellow peak lord asked.

“Ah, Elder Shu,” Meng Tingfeng said. Elder Shu was a woman with a gentle temperament, who appeared more at home as a mother than a sword immortal. “I thought Grand Elder Bao would be present. I’ve been here for decades, but I haven’t seen him even once.”

Elder Shu chuckled. “Curious about the genius who became an immortal emperor within a thousand years, I see. Well, I’m not surprised.”

Meng Tingfeng nodded. “I hoped to see the difference between Grand Elder Bao and I.”

“There will be a chance in the future.”

“Yes, there will,” Meng Tingfeng said. He raised his arm and grasped the Seven Star Sword’s hilt without drawing it. Now, the qi converted by the Seven Star Sword had transformed from the stellar true qi to stellar immortal qi. The stellar immortal qi flowed from the hilt and into his body through the connection point.

All things considered, Meng Tingfeng was over twice Bao Ling’s age. The difference of a thousand or so years was miniscule to those ancient existences, but not to people like Meng Tingfeng. He wanted to see what the difference was between someone who rose from the bottom compared to a natural born genius like Bao Ling.

Sword Dao Bone, Sword Dao Soul Physique, and Sword Dao Heart. Any one of them appearing in a single person would make them a genius that appeared only once a hundred thousand years, but all three appeared in a single person. It was as if the heavens had no limits in its love toward Bao Ling.

Everything Meng Tingfeng fought for, Bao Ling received simply for existing. He wasn’t envious of Bao Ling’s opportunity. He just wanted to show that Bao Ling wasn’t insurmountable because of all his advantages. No matter one’s birth, everyone is equal on the path of cultivation.

Meng Tingfeng continued to mingle with Elder Shu and the other peak lords. Well, the ones that would give him the time of day. A few of the other elders were lukewarm with him, but most generally accepted his appointment as a peak lord, despite contributing nothing to the sect. They seemed content to trust Sovereign Yanxu’s discretion. For now, at least.

After all the participating members boarded the Jianmu warship, it set sail for the venue of the Jade and Numinous Conference. The gnarly vehicle became a dot in the sky of the Numinous realm as it reached the dimensional boundary. The boundary twisted and distorted before a portal opened up, revealing the empty Vast Void.

Darkness shrouded everything, all except for the light granted by the solar and lunar stars. Except for the twin stars, the only lights were the twinkling flashes in the distance far beyond the boundary of the Three Thousand Immortal Realms System.

Meng Tingfeng turned silent as he stared at this. He could feel his sense of the five elements diminish after exiting. The only law that didn’t become dull to his senses was the Law of Stars. He possessed the greatest aptitude with the Law of Stars, but his aptitude toward the five elements was much less astute, to say the least. Despite his rank as only a first-step monarch, his mastery of the Law of Stars allowed him to compete with immortal emperors.

But he shouldn’t rest on his laurels. No matter how advanced his comprehension of the Law of Stars was, it would mean nothing if he stayed an immortal monarch forever.

Since he couldn’t sense any of the five elements, Meng Tingfeng decided that he might as well merge the second elemental qi into his immortal qi. Thanks to taking up the sword, the element he was most proficient in was the Law of Metal. Owing to the relationship between the stars, he had made sufficient progress on the Law of Fire to merge fire qi into his immortal qi. There was only a little distance before he became a second step monarch. If he could reach the second step before the Jade and Numinous Conference, all the better.

The time swiftly passed as Meng Tingfeng continued his cultivation. For those who reached the Immortal Realm, although they still had a finite lifespan that relied on their willpower, it was far greater than mere mortals. So time no longer mattered, and it wouldn’t be strange for an immortal to cultivate for decades at a time.

Soon, they arrived at the venue. From afar, the venue appeared akin to a long stretch of land floating in the midst of nowhere. There was no sky, only the Vast Void. Yet, verdant plains were illuminated like sunlight still shone on them. Of course, it wasn’t only just grassy plains, but mountains and lakes dotted the stretch of land. It resembled a paradise lost to time.

Once the Jianmu warship entered the boundaries of the landmass, Meng Tingfeng could feel the abundant spiritual qi that filled every patch of air. Even compared to the Numinous Sword Sect, it was half a level above. It shouldn’t have been possible in a desolate location like the Vast Void. If the Buzhou Immortal Court didn’t have a large reservoir prepared, the spiritual qi density would quickly plummet as time passed.

Meng Tingfeng didn’t think the Buzhou Immortal Court would allow such a faux pas to happen. This was nothing more than a show of force and wealth. The war of words and swords had already begun before the two sides even met.

The Jianmu warship continued deeper into the core of the landmass. The deeper they went, the clearer the laws of the five elements appeared to Meng Tingfeng. He wasn’t the only one that noticed.

“What kind of land is this?” Sovereign Yanxu questioned. “As long as they cultivate here, the immortals of the Buzhou Immortal Court would be able to increase their comprehension in the law of the five elements.”

Although it might increase the comprehension speed it wasn’t by much, but every little bit counted. The more accumulation that stacked, the greater the advantage. Now the question was how this treasured land functioned. Was it something they could sustain infinitely, or just a treasure brought out as part of their negotiations?

They will find out soon enough.

The Jianmu warship slowed down as it reached the core, where a magnificent palace awaited. The palace sat atop a lake filled with blooming lotuses. Pavilions and bridges surrounded the palace, and upon landing, a large group of cultivators appeared to greet the Numinous Sword Sect.

Sovereign Yanxu’s eyes immediately focused on the leading immortal, Xi Mengfei. He could still recall their last bout. Not only had he been forced to flee, but he lost the Immortal Confining Sword. Although he gained another one of the Immortal Extermination Swords, the net zero loss did not excuse anything.

“If possible, we should settle our score,” Sovereign Yanxu said as he stepped forward and looked down at Xi Mengfei. His grip tightened around his sword.

“Calm yourself,” a gray-haired immortal emperor said, walking forward and blocking Sovereign Yanxu’s gaze. “This Jade and Numinous Conference is to deal with the Demon Clan and Buddhists before determining the true ruler of the Three Thousand Immortal Realms System.”

Sovereign Yanxu stared at the gray-haired immortal. “You? Vastlight? I thought you died after disappearing for a hundred thousand years.”

“Well, I cannot deny that,” Vastlight said. “I remained stagnant, while you advanced. Still, you shouldn’t rest on your laurels. I, too, will reach the level of an immortal sovereign and even beyond that.”

“I will eagerly await you,” Sovereign Yanxu said, focusing all his attention on Minister Vastlight.

While Sovereign Yanxu and Minister Vastlight traded words, Elder Shu walked next to Meng Tingfeng, who was staring unblinkingly at the two. “It might surprise you, but Grand Elder Yanxu and Emperor Vastlight were from the same generation. Over the years, they formed a legendary rivalry. We thought he died, but I guess we were wrong. Unfortunately, our spies couldn’t obtain any more information, especially during the time they sealed off the Huang Realm for a thousand years.”

“No, I’m not wondering about that,” Meng Tingfeng said. “Who’s she?”

“Her?” Elder Shu asked, gesturing toward the Buzhou Immortal Court’s immortal sovereign. “She’s Xi Mengfei. Why? Love at first sight?”

Meng Tingfeng ignored his fellow elder’s teasing. “She’s the woman I’ve been searching for all this time.”

“Wha?”

He ignored Elder Shu’s surprise and stared at the man standing close. He could see traces of Xi Mengfei’s features on the man and the heavy pressure exuding from him. “Is he Xi Tianyi?”

“Him? He’s Ba Shifang. According to our information, he’s related to Xi Tianyi, but we don’t know how,” Elder Shu asked. “Are you sure she’s the woman you are looking for?”

Meng Tingfeng nodded. “Yes, it’s unmistakable.”

He turned his attention to Tianyi. Unlike Ba Shifang, his blood didn’t resonate with him. Still, he could see his resemblance to Xi Mengfei. Those eyes were too beautiful, too bewitching. But aside from his eyes, Xi Tianyi didn’t resemble Xi Mengfei or himself at all.

Meng Tingfeng clenched his hand as an unpleasant circumstance appeared in his mind. He turned to Elder Shu. “Tell me everything about Xi Mengfei and Xi Tianyi.”