Translator: CinderTL
Facing a Dao Venerable directly!
Li Chunjun wasn't mentally prepared for such an encounter.
Therefore, when Liu Yu mentioned he might receive a void-grade quasi-immortal artifact as a gift from Dao Lord Di Jiang, he remained silent.
Liu Yu understood Li Chunjun's hesitation and explained, "Don't worry. Dao Lord Di Jiang has his own lineage. Your meeting with him will likely take place within the Zhou Tian Great World, the domain of his sect. Within the Great World, the Dao Venerable won't descend in person; you'll only encounter an Avatar."
"I'll consider it," Li Chunjun replied, still noncommittal.
He planned to visit the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild first.
If they could exchange the Yin-Yang taiji diagram for a void-grade quasi-immortal artifact, even if it cost an extra one or two trillion Spirit Crystals, he would choose that option.
This decision stemmed from two factors: the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild's centuries-long reputation for integrity within the Human Territory, and the fact that their Ultimate Powerhouse specialized in the Great Dao of Order. Fairness, justice, and order were ingrained in his habitual conduct.
"Give me information on all the Quasi-Tenth-Tier experts among the current Human Race and surrounding Foreign Races," Li Chunjun said, pausing for a moment before adding, "And include data on the Dao Venerables and Supreme Sovereigns as well."
"Very well," Liu Yu replied without hesitation.
Li Chunjun's performance had already raised her expectations to an extraordinary level, and she was determined to fulfill any reasonable request he made. "However, whether it's information on the Quasi-Tenth-Tier experts or the Dao Venerables and Supreme Sovereigns, all such data is highly classified. No one truly possesses comprehensive knowledge of these figures. Therefore, the information I provide should be considered for reference only and cannot be taken as absolute truth."
"Understood," Li Chunjun nodded. "At least it will prevent me from being completely ignorant when I encounter these Quasi-Tenth-Tier experts or Dao Venerables in the future."
Liu Yu couldn't help but pause again, surprised.
What kind of person knows so little about the Dao Venerables and Supreme Sovereigns, the very apex of power in the current world?
Li Chunjun!
After all...
He had only been cultivating for thirty-three years!
Even with his extraordinary combat power, such a severe gap in fundamental knowledge was inevitable after such a short time.
For a moment, the profound yellow spirit fell silent.
After a long pause, she gestured with her void hand.
A ripple spread outward.
Immediately, a figure resembling Liu Yu by seventy percent materialized beside her.
"Hmm?"
Li Chunjun's gaze landed on the figure, his expression slightly surprised.
"You can consider her my avatar," Liu Yu explained. "She lacks my combat capabilities but shares my database. All the information I possess is accessible to her. From now on, whenever you're outside the Profound Yellow Grotto-Heaven and have questions about cultivation or social etiquette, you can consult her for answers."
The materialized avatar nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
"Excellent."
Li Chunjun condensed Void Mysteries into his void hand, creating a sealed spatial pocket to store Liu Yu's avatar.
"I understand your concerns," Liu Yu said solemnly. "I will attempt to contact Dao Lord Di Jiang while focusing on gathering information about the movements of all Quasi-Tenth-Tier cultivators and sharing it with my avatar."
"Thank you for your efforts," Li Chunjun replied.
"It's my duty."
Liu Yu continued, picking up where she had left off: "The crisis you face will first erupt within the Immortal Alliance. Though it will quickly spread to the Supreme Research Institute, False God Hall, and War Commission, the initial wave of opportunists will undoubtedly come from the Immortal Alliance itself, given their proximity. Therefore, I'll start by introducing you to the renowned Quasi-Tenth-Tier experts within the Immortal Alliance..."
Li Chunjun nodded, listening patiently.
"The Immortal Alliance boasts numerous Quasi-Tenth-Tier cultivators, but some reside in distant realms, making it unlikely they could arrive within a decade or two. Others might hesitate to risk everything on a single gamble. We can exclude these individuals. Among the remaining threats, I believe the most dangerous, in descending order, are the Lord of Divine Visage from the Formless Sect, the Lord of Ephemeral from the Temporal-Spatial God Hall..."
Liu Yu proceeded to detail each Quasi-Tenth-Tier expert.
Li Chunjun meticulously recorded the information.
A common thread ran through these Quasi-Tenth-Tier cultivators: advanced age. Each was nearing the end of their lifespan, approaching the 129,600-year limit.
Even ancient emperors, desperate for immortality, had squandered resources in pursuit of elixirs. How much more so would Quasi-Tenth-Tier cultivators, powerful enough to influence or even rule entire Great Worlds, cling to life?
To survive, beings who wield such terrifying power and influence would resort to unimaginable extremes of madness.
Forget Li Chunjun, a supreme disciple whose existence had been hidden for tens of millions of years. Even among actively reigning Supreme Sovereigns, if their disciples possessed a dao unification opportunity, they would ruthlessly kill and plunder to seize it.
Death was inevitable either way. Why not gamble everything before the end?
As for concerns about retaliation against their families or factions?
Only a good person would hesitate.
But in this cutthroat era, such virtuous individuals rarely ascended to such heights.
Even if they did, Liu Yu would have eliminated them from consideration from the start.
This introduction lasted a full day.
The next day, Huang Daozhen arrived.
"Supreme Elder Li, the Enlightenment Divine Tree leaves you requested."
He handed over a storage magical treasure.
"Good."
Li Chunjun accepted it and glanced inside.
The quantity was substantial.
A ten-day supply of Enlightenment Divine Tree leaves typically required only a few billion units.
Given the high demand for this resource, all major sects maintained reserves.
The leaves in this storage magical treasure were enough to last not just ten days, but an entire month.
"Furthermore, I've communicated with President Cang Wu of the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild. The Profound Yellow Great World now borders Foreign Race territory, so mobilizing tens of thousands of Void Dao Pills and Destruction Dao Pills here would take three to five years. Moreover, the Profound Yellow Great World can't offer a reasonable price for your spoils of war."
Huang Daozhen quickly added, "However, in one year, the southwest region of the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild will host its once-in-a-millennium business convention at the Star Ring Great World..."
"Once in a millennium?" Li Chunjun frowned. "That's a rather small scale. Are there any larger events?"
"Yes," Huang Daozhen replied immediately. "In twenty-three years, the Crimson Cloud Great World will host an auction jointly organized by the local Overlord forces and the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild. They've been promoting it for centuries, and it's a massive event with multiple Top-Tier Dao Artifacts for sale. Additionally, in eighty years, the southwest region's headquarters will also..."
"Wait, why are all these events so far in the future?"
"Uh... is that considered far?"
Far?
Twenty-three years, eighty years...
For cultivators in the Void Refining Realm, this probably felt like a few months to ordinary people.
Li Chunjun pondered briefly before asking, "Tell me about the trade fair in the Star Ring Great World."
Huang Daozhen eagerly began describing the Great World's characteristics.
It was a Great World located deep within the Human Territory.
One of those worlds that had developed for billions of years, its internal resources largely depleted, and lacking any major power stationed there.
Although its resources had been mostly exhausted, the billions of years of development had given the Star Ring Great World an extremely convenient transportation system.
Three million years ago, the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild took over the Great World, transforming it into a massive distribution and transit hub. Today, it was showing signs of renewed prosperity.
The once-millennial trade fair served as the Star Ring Great World's calling card to the outside world. Both the southwest region of the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild and the Great World's internal factions placed immense importance on it, allowing no one to disrupt it.
After hearing Huang Daozhen's explanation, Li Chunjun asked, "What's the power structure within the Star Ring Great World?"
"Currently, it's a three-way balance of power, with three top-tier Great Sects maintaining equilibrium through mutual restraint, and the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild acting as mediator."
Huang Daozhen quickly explained, "The three sects are all members of the Immortal Alliance, but only ordinary ones. Each sect should have around ten Supreme Sages, but only four to six are permanently stationed."
"Four to six?" Li Chunjun paused, surprised. "So, combined, the three sects have fewer than twenty Supreme Sages permanently stationed?"
"That's correct," Huang Daozhen confirmed.
He chuckled. "Immortal Alliance seats are essentially permanent. Some ancient powers have been members for over a billion years. The original Dao Venerables have long since vanished into the great dao river, and their descendants aren't always as capable. Some Immortal Alliance powers have Ultimate Powerhouses who are only at the Dharma Aspect stage."
He added, "Of course, they'll hire at least one Supreme Sage as a venerated elder. Otherwise, lacking even a single Supreme Sage would result in their Immortal Alliance membership being revoked."
Li Chunjun listened, unsure what to say.
This revelation highlighted the vast differences between Great Worlds.
According to his understanding, the Human Race governed three thousand Great Worlds, each averaging several hundred Supreme Sages.
The Star Ring Great World...
Clearly fell far below that "average."
"A year," Li Chunjun murmured, considering. It was perfect timing, as his own transformation into a Law-based lifeform would also take about that long.
Therefore...
"I'll take a look when the time comes," Li Chunjun said. "But keep this matter secret. Don't tell anyone."
"Understood," Huang Daozhen replied immediately. "As Sect Master of the Profound Yellow Sect, my sudden departure from the Profound Yellow Great World would draw too much attention. I'll have Wu Chen accompany you. He's our most experienced elder in handling affairs and can arrange the Supreme Elder's journey."
"Agreed," Li Chunjun replied.
Huang Daozhen then provided Li Chunjun with a detailed explanation of the Star Ring Great World's trade fair.
After listening to the Sect Master's account, Li Chunjun understood that this trade fair was indeed the best option for selling the large quantities of materials highly sought after by Void Refining and Dharma Aspect cultivators.
Moreover, it would also allow him to acquire the vast quantities of Void Dao Pills and Destruction Dao Pills he needed.
Compared to high-end auctions, the procedures would be far simpler and less time-consuming.
Once Li Chunjun had a thorough understanding of the trade fair, Huang Daozhen took his leave.
With Huang Daozhen gone, Li Chunjun didn't continue questioning Liu Yu about other Quasi-Tenth-Tier matters. Instead, he retrieved a leaf from the Enlightenment Divine Tree, making final preparations for his transformation into a Law-based lifeform.
(End of the Chapter)
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