Translator: CinderTL
Li Chunjun understood Di Jiang's meaning.
However, he didn't find Di Jiang's claim of self-preservation particularly compelling. Nor did he believe that the Dao Venerables and Supreme Sovereigns who had gathered back then were truly seeking a "Dominator" Dao capable of harmonizing the forty-nine great daos.
Based on his limited understanding, this was likely a challenge launched by a newly formed faction dissatisfied with the established order's distribution of benefits within the Human Race.
If they had succeeded, they would have become the tenth great institution of the Human Race.
If they had failed...
The fate of figures like the Profound Yellow Supreme Sovereign served as a stark reminder.
Regardless of his views on their ultimate motives, the favor of Dao Lord Di Jiang's exchange of a Quasi-Immortal Artifact and the nominal mentorship of the Profound Yellow Supreme Sovereign naturally aligned him with their allies.
As for whether they truly belonged to the same faction, that was clearly wishful thinking born from Dao Lord Di Jiang's incomplete understanding of him.
After a long silence, Li Chunjun finally spoke: "I largely agree with your assessment. I also believe the Nine Great Institutions won't easily let this go, especially as their understanding of the void great dao deepens."
Li Chunjun's words gave Dao Lord Di Jiang a glimmer of hope.
As for the "increasing understanding of the void great dao" that Li Chunjun mentioned, Di Jiang instinctively assumed it referred to the Nine Great Institutions' Dao Venerables, Supreme Sovereigns, and Ultimate Powerhouses deciphering his void great dao and then turning against him.
A smile spread across Di Jiang's face. "Dao Venerable Li's profound understanding of the greater good is truly commendable. Self-preservation is our only path to survival."
"I've never denied that self-preservation is my only path," Li Chunjun replied, his gaze steady. "But you know as well as I do what my title as 'progenitor divine being' signifies. Bringing me into your alliance might invite a backlash even greater than if you left me out. Under these circumstances, I urge you to consider this carefully."
Li Chunjun looked directly at Dao Lord Di Jiang. "Do you truly intend to cooperate with me?"
"Absolutely. We've given this matter thorough consideration," Di Jiang said solemnly.
He added, "However, as Dao Venerable Li pointed out, your current position is somewhat sensitive. Therefore, it would be unwise to publicly announce our alliance too soon. In the future, should Dao Venerable Li find himself in danger, simply send a distress signal, and we will rush to your aid immediately. Similarly, we hope Dao Venerable Li will assist us with matters we cannot handle ourselves."
Li Chunjun listened, a realization dawning on him.
He had initially believed that Di Jiang truly possessed the courage to collaborate with him despite being under the scrutiny of several major institutions.
In the end, it was merely a matter of exchanging some manageable assistance for Li Chunjun's role as their organization's sharpest blade.
Li Chunjun didn't expose the truth.
He chose to interpret Dao Lord Di Jiang's favor as a request for him to handle a Dao Venerable whom Di Jiang couldn't deal with directly.
Once this matter was resolved, both parties would be free of obligation.
The life of a Dao Venerable was more than sufficient compensation for a favor involving a Quasi-Immortal Artifact exchange.
"Agreed," Li Chunjun replied calmly.
He didn't haggle over these "trivial matters" with Dao Lord Di Jiang.
Instead, he cut straight to the point: "What's the current situation with the Profound Yellow Supreme Sovereign? Is he truly trapped deep within the great dao river, on the verge of dao transformation?"
"Not on the verge—he's already undergoing dao transformation," Dao Lord Di Jiang said bitterly. "We last awakened him three million three hundred thousand years ago, but his period of consciousness was brief before he relapsed into dao transformation. In these intervening millennia, we've ventured into the depths of his dao-transformed great dao of creation over ten times, yet every attempt to restore him has failed."
He paused. "At best, we can ensure his consciousness still exists, meaning... he hasn't been completely dao-transformed."
"The great dao of creation?" Li Chunjun mused. "Who is the highest achiever of the great dao of creation?"
"Naturally, it's the Order Ultimate Powerhouse, guild master of the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild," Di Jiang replied.
"Order?" Li Chunjun's mind stirred. "Isn't this Ultimate Powerhouse primarily focused on order?"
"Primarily focusing on order doesn't mean they've only mastered one great dao to its ultimate extent," Dao Lord Di Jiang explained. "One hundred and sixty million years ago, the progenitor divine being of the Creation Dao perished. No one knows the cause of their demise, as they had been banished beyond the Human Territory over a billion years prior. With the progenitor's fall, the Order Ultimate Powerhouse naturally became the highest achiever of the Creation Dao."
His expression grew solemn. "The reason Ultimate Powerhouses are called 'Ultimate' is because, in addition to cultivating multiple great daos to their limits, they also hold the source position in at least one great dao..."
Realizing his description might be misleading, he added, "To be precise, only by securing the source of a great dao can one achieve immortality. This absolute advantage, born from invincibility, allows them to seize resources, crush opponents, and ascend step by step to supreme power."
"Standing at the source of a great dao doesn't necessarily make one an Ultimate Powerhouse, but every Ultimate Powerhouse inevitably dominates at least one great dao," Li Chunjun summarized.
Dao Lord Di Jiang nodded. "In the current world, there are nine Ultimate Powerhouses. Yet among the forty-nine great daos, the Human Race controls the sources of twenty-three. Of these, the nine great Ultimate Powerhouses alone claim fourteen. Another nine individuals, though not yet Ultimate Powerhouses, still hold the sources of great daos, making them potential candidates for the title."
He glanced at Li Chunjun. "Now, there are ten."
Li Chunjun absorbed this new knowledge, feeling his understanding of the world deepen.
After a long silence, he asked, "If we want to save Profound Yellow Supreme, we need the Order Ultimate Powerhouse from the Creation Fortune Merchant Guild to intervene?"
"Correct. But that's clearly impossible."
Dao Lord Di Jiang smiled bitterly. "The Profound Yellow Supreme Sovereign has been reduced to the brink of dao transformation. The mastermind behind this is Wuyin, the Explorers Guild Master, but the one who carried out the deed was the Order Ultimate Powerhouse."
Li Chunjun listened without comment.
After all this time, even if he truly intended to save the Profound Yellow Supreme Sovereign, there was no need to rush.
"Your immediate priorities are twofold. First, maintain the secrecy of your void great dao at all costs. As long as your void great dao remains unbroken, you will remain invincible..."
Dao Lord Di Jiang paused abruptly, then continued, "You mentioned earlier that your void great dao might be deciphered within decades or centuries?"
"Yes. I made a deal with Supreme Powerhouse Gui Ling of the False God Hall, exchanging my void great dao for his insights into the great dao of the soul."
"What?!" Dao Lord Di Jiang exclaimed, his voice filled with anguish. "That was a completely new great dao! Whoever masters it will immediately become the second person to ever cultivate it, leaving countless competitors in the dust. How could you trade away such a precious and profound dao? Even the insights of an Ultimate Powerhouse into their own great dao can't compare to the value of a completely new great dao!"
"The exchange has already been made. Regret is pointless now."
"You're right," Li Chunjun said.
Though Dao Lord Di Jiang felt a pang of heartache, even a flicker of anger at Li Chunjun's reckless squandering of such a precious resource, he knew he had to quickly adjust his mindset and salvage the situation.
"You remain the pioneer of this great dao, holding the initial advantage. If you continue to delve deeper into its mysteries, the Supreme Powerhouse Gui Ling may never catch up to you."
As the Dao Lord spoke, his words seemed to drift, as if he himself didn't believe them.
"Enough. What's done is done. There's no point dwelling on it. I've already decided to take on disciples and propagate this great dao."
"Propagate the great dao?!" Dao Lord Di Jiang's pupils constricted. "You mean you'll teach the void great dao?"
"Yes," Li Chunjun replied firmly, his voice calm. "Before the mysteries of the void great dao become widely known, tell me: who exactly are you trying to kill?"
He understood the true source of Di Jiang's anguish.
After a moment of silence, Di Jiang finally said, "We originally planned to wait until your mastery of the great dao reached its peak before making our move. After all, even with your glorious victories against three Dao Venerables, the Thousand-Eyed Dao Venerable is no weakling. He ranks third among the masters of the great dao of time."
He glanced at Li Chunjun. "But now that your void great dao is at risk of being deciphered, we must act swiftly."
"The great dao of time?"
"Exactly! To rapidly advance his mastery of the great dao of time, the Thousand-Eyed Dao Venerable disseminated the Past-Future True Scripture throughout the Cosmic Void. Anyone who cultivates this scripture and achieves perfected laws will be sensed by him and devoured. Yet this cultivation technique is so exquisitely refined that practitioners flock to it in droves."
Di Jiang said coldly, "Because of his actions, every cultivator of the great dao of time meets a tragic end. It once became the most unpopular of the great daos."
"The Past-Future True Scripture..."
Li Chunjun had always been intrigued by the great dao of time.
However, the source of the great dao of time was controlled by a progenitor divine being—one who had long since departed the Human Territory and continued to occupy the source. Achieving a meteoric rise like he had with the great dao of the soul would be no easy feat.
If he could obtain sufficient insights and experiences regarding the great dao of time from the Thousand-Eyed Dao Venerable, pushing his progress forward, it might greatly assist his future utilization of the Source of Time.
"Which faction does this dao ancestor belong to?"
"The Starry Sky Group."
"The Starry Sky Group?"
Li Chunjun frowned slightly.
Li Chunjun still needed the Starry Sky Group's resources for his upcoming campaign to eradicate the Foreign Races.
If he were to eliminate the Thousand-Eyed Dao Venerable now, it would undoubtedly provoke the Starry Sky Group's wrath, leading to a complete severance of ties.
Therefore...
"Let's wait."
Li Chunjun considered the time it would take him to annihilate thousands of Ninth-Tier and Quasi-Tenth-Tier Foreign Races, as well as the moment Supreme Powerhouse Gui Ling would realize the void great dao had yet to be pioneered...
"Thirty years. I'll strike against him in thirty years."
"Thirty years?"
Dao Lord Di Jiang was pleasantly surprised by this figure.
He had mentally prepared himself for Li Chunjun to delay for centuries, even millennia.
To think he only intended to wait thirty years!
What difference was there between this and acting immediately after agreeing?
Di Jiang even advised, "There's no need to rush, Dao Venerable Li. Take your time to prepare thoroughly. Even if you delay for a century, it won't be too late."
"No need," Li Chunjun replied. "Thirty years is all I need."
"Then we'll abide by Dao Venerable Li's decision. Over the next thirty years, I'll mobilize every member of our organization to gather as much information on the Thousand-Eyed Dao Venerable as possible."
"Hmm," Li Chunjun acknowledged, casually asking, "What's the name of your organization?"
"The Nine Great Institutions, led by their nine ultimate powerhouses, formed the Supreme Council to represent the pinnacle of power. Our organization, on the other hand, is a collective of like-minded individuals dedicated to pioneering the path beyond the ultimate powerhouse realm—to that supreme state of existence."
Di Jiang paused. "Therefore, our organization is named the Supreme Council."
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (MI) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c504. 💠FINISHED💠
🔑Early Access at $5.
💥Translated (6) Series, (4.6K+) Chapters, (6.7M+) Words.