Monster Chronicles: My Daoist Skill Comes from Mythology

Chapter 401: Emperor's Arena, All of You from Qi Step Up



This is a powerhouse!

A thought arose in Song Lin's mind.

The young man had no intention of engaging with him. After a glance, he walked away and took a seat in the front row reserved for the Xuanzong Shangqing Taoist Alliance.

People flowed to and fro. Besides the Celestial Masters, there were other high-ranking figures and their disciples.

Each Taoist Alliance brought three people.

In addition, four Princes were seated in the respective four divided regions.

The Princes and Celestial Masters sat in the front row.

Others were seated in the second row.

Song Lin's arrival attracted many gazes, clearly marking him as a formidable rival in their eyes.

"So that's the Cloud Peak Vajra?"

"Indeed emanates an air of dominance! A true hero!"

"I want to spar with him!"

There were whispers all around.

Dominance? How could they tell?

Song Lin's lips twitched ever so slightly.

This group clearly had biases!

Of course, Song Lin paid no attention to them. His focus was fixed on the master seat, where the Qingchen Taoist wearing the Nine Dragon Star Robe sat.

He appeared rather youthful, unlike certain Celestial Masters who insisted on maintaining an aged and decrepit appearance.

He emanated a sense of returning to simplicity and embodying true purity.

Underestimating this individual would surely spell disaster.

Qingchen Taoist was the only Harmonization Stage powerhouse capable of opposing the Demon Clan.

Above the Purple Mansion was tribulation crossing, above that was Primordial Spirit, and beyond Primordial Spirit was Harmonization.

As the Human Clan's sole Harmonization cultivator, his strength likely reached unfathomable levels.

Simply sitting there was enough for the unruly Heavenly Masters to behave.

The Seven Great Taoist Alliances' Celestial Masters.

Elder Tianji, Red Dust Sword Immortal Qingchen, Jiuxiao Demon Yinn Nan, Linked Golden Locks Chi Wujie, Netherworld Saint Dragon Tianji, Witch God Heavenly Dharma, and Building Master Sword Unlimited.

These individuals were the current generation's Taoist Alliance Celestial Masters.

Besides Harmonization Stage, they were also Primordial Spirit Peak cultivators, with immeasurable Taoist Realm depth, extraordinary fortuitous encounters, and unparalleled strength.

"The Emperor arrives!"

A sharp voice rang out.

Soon, an elderly man clad in a golden robe and donning an imperial crown entered while surrounded by attendants.

The man was estimated to be eighty or ninety years old, his eyes cloudy, his demeanor aged yet dignified and noble.

This was Emperor Yong Yuan.

His position was opposite everyone else.

"Your son greets Father Emperor!"

The four Princes stood up and knelt.

The Celestial Masters and disciples stood too but did not bow, merely offering respect.

This revealed the distinction between the Taoist School and the Mortal World's imperial authority.

"Be seated," Emperor Yong Yuan waved his hand.

Very quickly, the banquet began.

Heavenly Human maids served plates of exquisite delicacies—though not dragon liver and phoenix marrow, there were leopard fetuses and unicorn ribs.

The wine was Hundred-Year Moonlight Brew, and the cups were Ten-Thousand-Year Amber.

This splendor rivaled even the Heavenly Emperor's banquets.

Song Lin, having traversed many worlds, found that the most formidable world was ironically the one closest to reality.

Though this world's names for cultivation stages might seem unimpressive.

In other worlds, the Primordial Spirit stage could at least be regarded as Golden Immortal.

Primordial Spirit theoretically had no lifespan limitation. Under other worldviews, it embodied eternal golden essence.

Yet, in this world, due to the Demon Tribulation that occurs once every ten thousand years—the Upper Pure Tribulation—countless masters fell, making their achievements seem less distinguished.

Song Lin lowered his head as he drank.

Xuan Hee whispered softly, "Taoist, do you recognize the man you just locked eyes with earlier?"

"Who?"

"That man is your greatest rival—Jianxin. Rumor has it that Qu Ying is his Taoist couple. Taoist, you must be cautious. In addition, there's that green-haired, green-eyed man: Xiangx Liu from the Jiuxiao Taoist Alliance. These two are ranked first and second."

Song Lin followed the voice and indeed spotted two men radiating grim and formidable auras that made others reluctant to meet their gaze.

Jianxin and Xiangx Liu.

Song Lin committed their names to memory.

The others? No need to remember.

The third-ranked Qu Ying had already been dealt with, so the others likely wouldn't pose much of a threat.

As the feast continued, Qingchen Heavenly Master began to announce the results of the conferring of nations.

Indeed, the Eldest Prince's nation received the highest honors, while the others were merely middling.

From this perspective, Xuanzong Shangqing Taoist Alliance had gained the upper hand.

"How will the battles unfold?" Song Lin asked.

"The Heavenly Law Platform, named the Imperial Earth Altar, will serve as the arena. Each participant gets one challenge opportunity, and whoever remains on the platform at the end is declared the victor."

"In past years, the leading Taoist Alliance would serve as the main force. This time, the conferring of nations adds another element. Victory will be determined by the total number of opponents defeated by each alliance, which will decide the top three. Based on Xuanzong Shangqing or Nine Heavens Jade Tower's current scores, as long as they make it into the top three, they'll claim victory," Xuan Hee explained.

"Therefore, it's crucial to defeat them thoroughly and prevent them from holding the platform for too long," Xuan Hee added discreetly via voice transmission.

"Our strategy is clear: you take the lead. The rest of us will wear the opponents down, leaving you to stand victorious at the end," Xuan Hee said.

This mode of combat was inherently unfair. Whoever took the initial position was bound to face many challengers, while the strongest could simply wait to act later.

Still, this was a form of tempering. Strength must endure, capable of facing multiple foes without fear of prolonged battle—only then could someone be considered a master.

"Such hassle," Song Lin muttered indifferently.

"There's no other way. Their strength and advantages leave us with no choice," Xuan Hee replied bitterly.

"So, we must seize absolute victory while also ensuring that Xuanzong Shangqing and Nine Heavens Jade Tower don't defeat too many opponents. Preferably, we take them down as soon as they step onto the platform, preventing them from advancing too far?"

Song Lin roughly grasped the rules.

Although the setup seemed inherently unfair, strong individuals wouldn't concern themselves with such matters.

"Here's what we'll do… and after that…"

Xuan Hee transmitted the plan to Taixuan and Song Lin.

Song Lin didn't pay any attention; he already had a strategy of his own.

Soon, the banquet ended.

The Chief Eunuch first recited an ode to the Emperor's virtues and his noble abdication.

Qingchen glanced at everyone, smiling as he said, "Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come. Let us witness which hand the flower shall fall into this year."

"Haha, Qingchen Taoist sounds confident!"

"Skills shall speak; we shall wait and see."

The Taoist Alliance Celestial Masters exchanged words.

Qingchen raised his right hand into a faint grip.

Whoosh!

Scenery vanished, revealing a flat expanse stretching for thousands of miles.

Only twenty-one combatants remained.

A towering dharma altar resembling Mount Taishan stood before them, its platform above vast and empty.

This was the Imperial Earth Altar.

This was the arena.

Faint gazes seemed to descend from the heavens and the four corners of the earth.

The group appeared to be within some type of restriction, with spectators outside presumably able to witness the unfolding events.

Seven Taoist Alliances, twenty-one participants—all set to engage in the competition.

At the sight of the platform, none of the combatants moved.

The saying goes, "The shooting starts when the bird flies." The first to step forward would have to face the remaining twenty opponents.

Unless someone simply wanted to scrap for a victory tally or pave the way for others.

But whoever ascended first wouldn't even know whom they'd face next.

Thus, no one made a move.

Jianxin fixated on Song Lin, and Xiangx Liu fixated on Jianxin.

The strong avoided the platform; the weak dared not ascend—resulting in an impasse.

The Celestial Masters watching grew visibly impatient.

"What's going on? Is everyone so afraid of dying?" Chi Wujie remarked.

Though his disciples were weaker than the other prodigies, they were not lacking the courage to engage in combat.

Xuan Hee gestured silently at Song Lin, transmitting quietly:

"I'll go up first and take down a few people."

Xuan Hee prepared to step forward.

"Stop!"

Song Lin called out to him.

"What is it?"

Xuan Hee turned back, confused.

Whoosh!

Song Lin didn't answer but directly soared above the platform.

With a stance of dominance, he gazed down at the crowd below.

Song Lin smirked, carrying seven parts arrogance:

"This seat is in a hurry. All of you, come at me together."

If one sought to become a Celestial Master, they must build a reputation that shook the world.

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