Chapter 1855: Three Sovereigns & Nine Kings

"The process was too easy," Madam Chu thought as soon as she stepped out of the spatial gate. It’s been years since the expedition destroyed the outer nodes of the array, meaning the Infinite Divine Court had plenty of time to reinforce the protection for the inner layer. Yet, the process of breaking through the Reverse Black Stone Array was so effortless that it felt like everybody was just strolling in their back garden.

"Prepare for enemy attack," Madam Chu asserted. She immediately pushed the power of the Dragon-Phoenix Ring to the limit, trying to protect as many people as possible. However, after a few seconds, nothing happened; the predicted assault did not arrive.

Madam Chu frowned as she observed her surroundings. The group was located at the top of a snowy mountain, with no signs of life for thousands of meters around. And out of precaution, no one dares spread their divine sense in case they accidentally trigger something.

"No sudden attack means things are not proceeding as the general had predicted," Madam Chu thought. According to General Three Strikes, the worst-case scenario is that the court immediately starts bombarding them as soon as they arrive. If that happens, it can only mean there are traitors among the expeditioners, and their plan was leaked.

"Scout, go map our surroundings," Madam Chu ordered, and more than a dozen people turned into shadows before disappearing in the distance. Meanwhile, Madam Chu and the remaining soldiers turned the top of the mountain into a temporary base. Half an hour later, the scout returned and reported their discovery.

Madam Chu read the information intently, starting with the security detail. In the surrounding millions of miles, there were no traps, armies, or attack arrays from the court that were waiting for the right opportunity to annihilate their group. As for the natives? Well, the scout discovered that their location was an ice field that is hard for humans to survive on. So, besides a few sects that cultivate Ice Cultivation Methods, the surrounding area was composed primarily of demonic beasts.

Madam Chu felt something was odd about the current situation, but she could not completely wrap her head around the reason. Without any basis for this feeling, she cannot act on her own and only follow the plan General Three Strikes created. So, all she did was wait. The court should be aware of its intrusion. After all, it is their formation. And in time, the court will contact them.

However, the wait lasted for three days, and nothing happened. The feeling that something was wrong intensified, but no matter how Madam Chu investigated or how patiently she waited, nothing had changed. Without any other choice, she summoned the Array Squad — which was a group of Array Masters of various cultivation levels selected for this mission — to enact an Information Transmission Array.

The expeditioners did not come this time to kill or plunder. On the contrary, they were just here to deliver a message of peace and cooperation. The purpose of the Information Transmission Array is to contact the Infinite Divine Court directly. By transmitting a message of peace and cooperation, there is bound to be a response — whether positive or negative.

A week passed, and there was still no response from the court. Madam Chu’s worries intensified, and the gloom looming over this squad intensified. Most of the people present were high-level cultivators, and their sixth sense could predict when something major was about to happen. The only good news— at least Madam Chu — was that she had taken complete control of the group, even forming an advisory council with the most brilliant and strategic minds on this mission.

Today, everyone was debating what to do next, but no one could agree. Many people offered measures, ranging from continuing to wait to as extreme as immediately returning to base and leaving this dangerous area.

"Alright, enough," Madam Chu uttered, and the room quieted down in less than five seconds. Turning her slightly, the madam gazed at an extremely handsome man dressed in a loose, blue scholar robe. Anyone who saw the scholar cannot help but praise his beauty, but if they look closer, they can see he has no Adam’s apple, meaning he was a woman dressed as a man.

"There are two possibilities for the current situation," the Romantic Scholar calmly replied. "First, the court is planning something, or second, something happened to them, which is why they haven’t even paid us any mind."

"I can figure as much. I want your opinion on what to do next."

"We can find the array core," the Romantic Scholar replied. "With the core, the court has no choice but to pay attention to us. And if something had truly happened to them, we can use it to enter the central area and make contact."

"Madam Chu, if we take the core, it may cause even more problems."

"I’m aware," she nodded. They came for peace, and taking the core can easily be seen as an act of aggression.

"How are we supposed to take the core anyway?"

This question quieted down the room. The Array Core is technically the entire world, so the best way to retrieve it is to either destroy the world or kill 90% of the population. Other methods include gathering the entire world’s destiny, but such an approach might also require invasion and a lot of killing.

"The Path of Destiny is our best approach," someone suggested. "But before we can concoct a plan, it’s best to gather as much information as possible on the state of this world."

"Very well," Madam Chu nodded. The scouts were once again dispatched, and this time, their focus was the entire world. The Advisor Council waited an entire week without moving, which was less than a nap for these immortal species. Seven days later, they had a complete record of this world’s history, culture, and geopolitical situation.

"What a unique world," Madam Chu exclaimed. She had lived for a long time, and even she was surprised by its uniqueness. This realm was called the Sovereign & King World because there were 12 Karmic Positions available for people to compete for — Karmic Positions that technically were on par with the Heavenly Emperor Position: The Three Sovereigns and Nine Kings.

The fact that this world has a Karmic Position was not what truly made it unique, but how people acquire these positions. The entire process can be described in a simple sentence: cultivating one cultivation realm in a unique manner. The Karmic Positions are then acquired by the individuals who are the most powerful in each of the 12 cultivated realms. The Three Sovereigns go to the three most powerful Great Emperors, Empyreans, and Paragons, while the Nine Kings are for the [Mortals].

"This is not going to be easy," an advisor stated. "According to my calculation, if we want to acquire most of the world’s destiny, we need at least 1 of the Sovereign Positions and 5 of the Kings — and that’s just the bare minimum."

Everyone frowned. This plan was indeed a challenge. Take, for example, the First King. Logically speaking, he should be the weakest among them since this person has only cultivated the first realm in this world’s cultivation system: the True Qi Realm. However, this was far from the truth.

Based on the information the scout brought back, the True Qi Realm has only nine stages. But the current First King, Qi Long, had cultivated his True Qi to the 12,098th stage before he took his position. According to the world rules, if they want the position from Qi Long, they cannot just kill him. Instead, they must face a perfect copy of his younger self at the True Qi 12,098.

"How about we capture these Kings and force them to hand over their cultivation method?" someone suggested. "Then, we can create clones or avatars that cultivate these methods before challenging them."

"That may work," someone else agreed. "While the Nine Kings are immortal as long as they hold their position, and their strength can even rival that of a Paragon, we have so many Saints with us that it should not be an issue to capture them."

"You’re thinking too beautifully," the Romantic Scholar shook her head. "The methods of each King are unique to themselves and even their physique. Even if you have their methods, you might not necessarily reach the same height as them — let alone defeat them at the same level."

"I don’t believe this. I’m goddamn Saint, and you’re telling me I would lose to a mortal? No matter how unique his method is, can it be more brilliant than any Saint Art?"

The Romantic Scholar glanced at the speaker and chose to ignore them. The fact that they were Saints only meant they had higher cultivation; it did not mean they could face other geniuses at the same level, especially with the methods they had created. A perfect example of that is the Grand Dao Positions. Countless Saints do not hold any positions because Grand Dao forced them to use a vessel or clone in the Paragon Realm to hold these positions, resulting in countless other talented individuals in the [Immortal Stage] defeating these Saint Vessels.

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