100: Invitation from the Nine Lights Dynasty

Above Heaven Sword Manor, everything returned to calm.

A streak of bloody sword light shot out from the void, landing in Cao Nie’s hand.

Everyone’s pupils contracted; a drop of fresh red blood fell from the tip of the Netherworld Sword.

The aura it emitted was identical to that of the Nine Firmaments Sword Saint from moments ago.

Everyone swallowed hard; could it be that the Nine Firmaments Sword Saint had died?

“Impossible, absolutely impossible.”

“Even if you can destroy Nine Firmaments Sword Saint’s sword qi clone, there’s no way you could kill the Nine Firmaments Sword Saint.”

Zhao Xiao let out an incredulous roar.

“Zhao Xiao, you know nothing about Cao Family Head’s strength.”

Cao Nie swung his sword, and the sword light tore through the sky, instantly expanding in Zhao Xiao’s pupils.

A flash of blood appeared, a head flew high, and Zhao Xiao’s aura vanished without a trace.

“I never expected to find such an extraordinary genius in these Lower Thousand Domains.”

An untimely voice came from all directions.

Everyone looked around in confusion, but saw no one.

Cao Nie’s gaze narrowed slightly as he looked towards a certain spot in the void and said indifferently, “Since you’re here, why not show yourself?”

Following his gaze, everyone saw the space subtly distort, and a black-robed youth slowly stepped out.

The newcomer had a handsome appearance and a restrained aura; no one could discern his depth.

The black-robed youth smiled faintly, his tone gentle: “Fellow Daoist, how about we speak somewhere private?”

“Who are you? Do we know each other?” Cao Nie asked cautiously.

The person before him gave him a feeling as deep as an abyss and as vast as the sea.

He was no match!

If he activated his berserk state, that would be another matter.

“Feng Xiaotian, Pavilion Master of Hidden Dragon Pavilion, Nine Luminaries Divine Dynasty.” The black-robed youth smiled calmly.

Cao Nie secretly frowned, having no impression of this force in his memory.

However, not far away, a startled cry of alarm came: “Nine Luminaries Divine Dynasty?! Could it be that supreme divine dynasty ranked among the top three of the Three Thousand Dao Domains?!”

Seeing the other party’s composed expression, Cao Nie understood in his heart that it was most likely the colossal entity mentioned by that person.

“Alright.”

Cao Nie nodded in agreement.

Feng Xiaotian bore no ill will; he could tell that much.

Inside Li Sao Courtyard.

In the pavilion, Cao Nie and Feng Xiaotian sat facing each other.

Feng Xiaotian went straight to the point: “Fellow Daoist must be wondering why I sought you out.”

Cao Nie nodded: “Indeed, I am a bit curious.”

Feng Xiaotian smiled faintly: “Hidden Dragon Pavilion specializes in recruiting exceptional talents for His Majesty across the world. I happened to pass by and saw Fellow Daoist slay the Nine Firmaments Sword Saint, so I followed. I didn’t expect Fellow Daoist to be so young.”

Although he couldn’t discern Cao Nie’s true age, the surging vitality was proof enough.

Cao Nie’s cultivation years definitely did not exceed ten thousand.

For Asking Dao Realm cultivators, such an age was actually comparable to a three-year-old child.

This was also why he treated him as an equal.

“You want me to join the Nine Luminaries Divine Dynasty.” Cao Nie stated Feng Xiaotian’s purpose.

Feng Xiaotian nodded with a smile: “With your talent, you are bound to become a Half-Immortal in the future. If you join our dynasty, you can obtain a Reincarnation Flower.”

“Reincarnation Flower?”

“A Tribulation Extinction Realm peak cultivator needs to undergo ten cycles of reincarnation to accumulate mortal qi in order to break through to a Mortal Immortal,” Feng Xiaotian explained. “Each completed cycle brings you closer to becoming a Mortal Immortal. Once ten cycles are complete, you can ascend to immortality.”

“Each reincarnation cycle must satisfy two conditions: first, dying naturally of old age, and second, cultivating to at least the Tribulation Extinction Realm.”

“Satisfying either condition can accumulate one cycle of mortal qi and leave a Reincarnation Seal on the primordial spirit.”

As he spoke, Feng Xiaotian’s primordial spirit emerged from his body.

One could see five mysterious seals, connected end to end, shimmering with a faint glow on his brow.

“These are Reincarnation Seals. Five seals mean I am a Five-Tribulation Half-Immortal. To ordinary Tribulation Extinction Realm cultivators, I am still at Tribulation Extinction Ninth Layer, but to powerful cultivators with Reincarnation Seals, I am a Five-Tribulation Half-Immortal.”

“Each additional Reincarnation Seal causes a massive increase in strength. Reincarnation is not easy; if both conditions are not met, there will be no more opportunities for reincarnation, and death will occur on the spot.”

“In an extremely yin environment, Reincarnation Flowers will be nurtured within these failed individuals. Refining them can substitute for one reincarnation. Reincarnation Flowers are extremely rare, but by chance, our Nine Luminaries Divine Dynasty has mastered the method of cultivating them.”

Feng Xiaotian’s eyes gleamed: “Join us, and you can save one reincarnation cycle. All Tribulation Extinction Realm Ninth Layer members can receive one Reincarnation Flower for free.”

“It’s also simple to get more Reincarnation Flowers: either earn them through meritorious deeds or serve our dynasty for one hundred thousand years. You can get one every one hundred thousand years.”

He added meaningfully, “For a genius like you, this is a rare opportunity.”

Cao Nie pondered for a moment; staying in these hundred domains was also boring, so he might as well go out and explore.

“If I agree, how do you plan to arrange me?” he asked directly.

Feng Xiaotian was delighted to hear this: “The specific arrangements will depend on His Majesty’s decree. But rest assured, our dynasty is currently in need of talent, otherwise, we wouldn’t dispatch our Hidden Dragon Pavilion to recruit talents everywhere.”

“Good, I agree.” Cao Nie nodded decisively.

Feng Xiaotian immediately took out an ancient token: “This is our dynasty’s talent recruitment token. When you arrive at Nine Luminaries Divine City, present this token at the Hidden Dragon Pavilion, and someone will guide you. Remember, you must report within half a year, otherwise the token will expire and there will be no further opportunity.”

He paused, then smiled: “Of course, for a peerless genius like Fellow Daoist, we welcome you anytime. I will report your situation to His Majesty, and I believe His Majesty will be greatly pleased.”

The two exchanged pleasantries for a moment longer before Feng Xiaotian bid farewell and departed.

Through this conversation, Cao Nie gained a clearer understanding of the Three Thousand Dao Domains.

The Three Thousand Dao Domains are divided into three levels: Lower Thousand, Middle Thousand, and Upper Thousand.

The Azure Vast Dao Domain where he resided was merely one of the Lower Thousand Dao Domains.

The area of a Middle Thousand Dao Domain ranges from ten to a hundred times that of a Lower Thousand Dao Domain, and an Upper Thousand Dao Domain is ten to a hundred times larger than a Middle Thousand Dao Domain.

Humanity is dominated by six major powers: the Immortal Buddhist Sect, the Immortal Qin Clan, the Immortal Su Clan, the Nine Luminaries Divine Dynasty, the Star River Divine Dynasty, and the Heavenly Pivot Divine Dynasty.

The world refers to them as One Sect, Two Clans, Three Divine Dynasties.

The demon race is led by the four great divine beast clans: the Dragon Clan, the Phoenix Clan, the White Tiger Clan, and the Black Tortoise Clan.

Seeing Feng Xiaotian depart.

Cao An and the others walked in.

“Cao Family Head, who was that person just now?” Cao An excitedly rubbed his hands, his eyes glancing towards the door.

Cao Nie’s expression shifted, and he quickly cast a True Sight at Feng Xiaotian, who was about to tear space and leave in the distance.

The words ‘Son of Destiny’ jolted his expression.

He gave Cao An a strange look: “Feng Xiaotian, Pavilion Master of Hidden Dragon Pavilion, Nine Luminaries Divine Dynasty, a Five-Tribulation Half-Immortal cultivator.”

They had also overheard the conversation between the two earlier.

After hearing this, Cao An was not disheartened; instead, his eyes shone even brighter.

With his talent, becoming an immortal would be effortless, so obtaining this beautiful man, like the wind, was only a matter of time.

Cao An looked in the direction Feng Xiaotian had left, instinctively licking his lips.

Cao Nie felt a chill down his spine and couldn’t help but pray for Feng Xiaotian.

At this moment, a group of over a hundred people walked in from outside the courtyard.

These were precisely the Asking Dao Realm cultivators from the nearby hundred domains.

They hadn’t been lucky earlier.

Cao Nie and Feng Xiaotian’s conversation wasn’t private, and they had all clearly heard it.

They had originally thought that the Tribulation Extinction Realm was the peak of this world.

They never expected there to be Half-Immortals above it.

After discussing, they all unanimously wanted to follow Cao Nie.

Furthermore, Cao Nie’s heaven-defying combat power filled them with awe.

Such a person would definitely have no problem becoming an immortal in the future.

“Senior, please allow us to follow you.” Void Yangzi, as their representative, respectfully bowed outside the courtyard gate.

Cao Nie scanned the crowd, fully aware of their intentions.

He condensed a Divine Demon Seal with his fingertip and said indifferently, “You can follow if you wish, but you must have this seal planted. This seal can control life and death, and it can also increase cultivation speed tenfold.”

A murmur immediately rose from the crowd.

Many showed hesitation, clearly not believing that the seal could truly increase cultivation speed.

Cao Nie didn’t force them: “Those unwilling can leave.”

Soon, a bold cultivator cupped his fists and excused himself.

Seeing that Cao Nie did not stop him, others also left one after another.

They only wanted to cling to a powerful figure, but they didn’t want to hand over their lives to someone else.

Before long, only about forty people remained outside the courtyard, with Void Yangzi among them.

“Since you are willing, then come over and accept control.”

In less than fifteen minutes, all of them had the Divine Demon Seal planted.

Feeling their cultivation speed surge, everyone was both surprised and delighted, secretly congratulating themselves on making the right choice.

In their view, with Cao Nie’s cultivation, controlling them was merely to prevent betrayal, and he would never make them make meaningless sacrifices.

“You all go back and prepare. Come to the Cao Clan in Great Xia Immortal Dynasty to find Cao Family Head in one month.”

Everyone bowed respectfully, then departed.

Cao Nie planned to keep the female cultivators to protect Hong Ling and the others.

The male cultivators would enter Great Xia to serve as officials, laying the groundwork for his as-yet-unconceived son.

Preparing for the future unification of the Three Thousand Dao Domains.

One day later, Cao Nie returned to the Cao Clan with Cao An and the others.

As soon as he returned, Cao Jian came looking for him.

“Cao Family Head, His Majesty has emerged from seclusion!”