"They've arrived!"
Dao Zun suddenly spoke, his voice infused with power, echoing across the starry expanse and sending a jolt of alertness through the Golden Core stage cultivators waiting outside Earth.
They all turned their gaze towards the distant void, where a streak of light, like a shooting star, was rapidly approaching them.
"Let's go, we shall greet True Monarch Tianhua!"
Dao Zun called out to Wen Hou and a few other powerhouses of his caliber, then flew towards the rapidly approaching interstellar flying boat.
The interstellar flying boat halted, and two figures emerged. When Dao Zun and the others first saw True Monarch Tianhua, they felt a sense of pleasant anticipation.
However, when their gazes fell upon the young man beside True Monarch Tianhua, the one carrying nine divine swords on his back, their hearts sank immediately, and their expressions became noticeably unnatural.
"True Monarch Nine Swords has also come?"
Dao Zun, Wen Hou, and the others exchanged glances, each seeing a flicker of apprehension in the other's eyes.
This was solely due to the immense deterrent power of the title True Monarch Nine Swords.
Among the Golden Core stage cultivators of the Wu Shan Star Domain, aside from True Monarch Tianhua, those referred to as True Monarch were all super powerhouses listed on the Heavenly Ranking.
The Heavenly Ranking was a compilation published by Tian Ji Pavilion, a major power in the Wu Shan Star Domain, listing all known Nascent Soul stage cultivators and top-tier Golden Core stage cultivators in the domain.
The Heavenly Ranking cataloged the 108 most powerful known individuals in the Wu Shan Star Domain, ranking them by strength from highest to lowest.
The weakest among the cultivators on the list had reached the threshold of the Nascent Soul stage.
The youth before them, known as True Monarch Nine Swords, had, like Dao Zun and the others, condensed a second-grade, top-quality Golden Core.
However, what made True Monarch Nine Swords exceptionally monstrous was his mastery of a mid-tier fourth-grade divine ability to the perfection stage while still in the Golden Core stage. When combined with his nine mid-tier spirit treasures, the divine swords, the power was sufficient to suppress some Nascent Soul stage cultivators, making his combat prowess incredibly heaven-defying.
It was worth noting that even many Nascent Soul stage cultivators might not be able to cultivate a high-tier fourth-grade divine ability to perfection.
"I didn't expect True Monarch Nine Swords to be interested in coming to this barbaric star domain. Truly courageous!"
Dao Zun stared at True Monarch Nine Swords, his deep voice laced with a hint of mockery.
"Enough nonsense, let's go see the place of fortune," True Monarch Nine Swords said indifferently, glancing at Dao Zun.
He knew his arrival would displease Dao Zun, Wen Hou, and their group, but so what?
With his strength, he was confident of killing all the peak cultivators of second-grade, top-quality Golden Core stage, with the exception of Dao Zun, whose survival abilities were exceptionally potent.
Even against Dao Zun, if he were to unleash forbidden techniques at any cost, combined with the explosive power of his divine abilities, even Dao Zun might not survive.
His position on the Heavenly Ranking as a second-grade Golden Core cultivator was solely due to his cultivation of the 'Nine Swords Divine Ability.' In terms of offense, he was already comparable to some cultivators who had successfully passed the first heavenly tribulation of Nascent Soul.
Dao Zun, Wen Hou, and the other nine belonged to the strongest tier of cultivators below the Heavenly Ranking. If they joined forces, True Monarch Nine Swords would indeed feel troubled.
However, with the assistance of True Monarch Tianhua, True Monarch Nine Swords was filled with confidence.
…
When the other Golden Core stage cultivators saw True Monarch Nine Swords beside True Monarch Tianhua, a brief commotion arose in the crowd.
Among the over a hundred Golden Core stage cultivators present, they were divided into more than twenty small teams. Including Dao Zun and Wen Hou, there were only over forty second-grade Golden Core cultivators.
The remaining nearly one hundred Golden Core stage cultivators were all third-grade Golden Cores.
However, the third-grade Golden Core cultivators who had come to the Milky Way were basically retainers of those over forty second-grade Golden Core cultivators, much like the subordinates of the sect leader of Wen Xin Sect.
This was because, under normal circumstances, third-grade Golden Core cultivators lacked the wealth to purchase interstellar flying boats, nor did they have the qualifications to contend for opportunities alone.
Even the less powerful second-grade Golden Core cultivators had gathered in small groups. Only those like Dao Zun and Wen Hou, whose strength was almost at the limit of the Golden Core stage, dared to venture into the Milky Way alone with their subordinates, without needing partners.
The cultivators of the Wu Shan Star Domain, originally divided into over twenty teams, began communicating through spiritual sense due to True Monarch Nine Swords' arrival, seeking partners.
The reason for this was simple: True Monarch Nine Swords' strength was too formidable; without joining forces, they stood no chance.
Before True Monarch Nine Swords' arrival, among their over a hundred Golden Core stage cultivators, the strongest were Dao Zun and Wen Hou's group of nine. With three or four second-grade Golden Core cultivators joining forces, along with their subordinate third-grade Golden Core cultivators, they could still put up a fight and had a chance to obtain opportunities.
But with the arrival of True Monarch Nine Swords, they understood that without strengthening their own teams, they would not even have the qualification to compete with him.
Even Dao Zun subtly transmitted his thoughts to Wen Hou, seeking cooperation.
Although Wen Hou was confident, he was very clear-headed when facing True Monarch Nine Swords, who was listed on the Heavenly Ranking. Dao Zun's strength was not much weaker than his own, and his survival abilities were exceptionally strong. For Wen Hou, Dao Zun was indeed a good partner, so they exchanged glances and tacitly reached an understanding.
Generally speaking, although the opportunity left by True Immortal Zhi Wu was full of fatal temptation, it held little allure for those monstrous cultivators who had condensed a first-grade Golden Core.
After all, they had already achieved a first-grade Golden Core, and obtaining the opportunity would be merely adding icing to the cake.
Cultivating a first-grade Golden Core was already enough to shine brightly. What they needed to do was to temper themselves further and break through to Nascent Soul before their lifespan reached its end.
Venturing into a barbaric star domain like the Milky Way, where even Golden Core stage cultivators were rare, to seek opportunities was not something any cultivator would do unless they were determined to fight with their all.
After all, in such a place with limited information and no starfield teleportation arrays, surviving and finding opportunities was paramount.
Many Golden Core stage cultivators had lived for over two thousand years. To spend the remaining time of their lives venturing into the Milky Way to search for this illusory land of fortune required immense courage.
Indeed, compared to a first-grade Golden Core, most cultivators yearned more for achieving Nascent Soul. It would be truly tragic if, after achieving a first-grade Golden Core, they didn't have enough time to temper themselves and were unable to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.
True Monarch Nine Swords, though appearing youthful, had lived for over two thousand five hundred years. His daring to venture into the Milky Way indeed surprised everyone.
After all, with True Monarch Nine Swords' monstrous talent, being able to rival some first-grade Golden Core cultivators without having condensed one himself was an achievement that brought sufficient glory.
In their view, what True Monarch Nine Swords needed most now was to use the remaining few hundred years of his life to temper himself properly and enter the Nascent Soul stage as soon as possible.
However, they did not understand True Monarch Nine Swords' ambition. The power of the divine abilities he cultivated was merely external strength; True Monarch Nine Swords placed greater importance on his own foundation.
Although his current combat power was not inferior to some first-grade Golden Core cultivators, his foundation was considerably weaker.
Divine abilities could allow him to unleash greater combat power, but what about the future?
His 'Nine Swords Divine Ability' was of great help in the Golden Core stage, but as he cultivated further, its benefits would diminish. In fact, which of the powerful Nascent Soul stage cultivators did not possess several mid-tier fourth-grade divine abilities?
…