Sovereign of the Ashes

As a cultivation world with an exceptionally long history and deep foundation, Qingyang World was every bit as prosperous as other well-known large-sized cultivation worlds in the Immortal Realm Civilization.

It had once served as the main hub for exchanges between the Immortal Realm Civilization and the Magus Civilization.

The reason those interactions had gradually declined in recent years was largely due to the Immortal Realm’s own internal problems.

Conflicts between the various factions and the Sage Court had grown increasingly intense, while the Buddhist sects were beginning to show subtle signs of distancing themselves from the Immortal Realm.

In short, unless some external threat emerged or overwhelming pressure forced them to unite, the Immortal Realm Civilization—which had continued expanding in recent years—might very well descend into civil war first.

After all, this was a civilization where the three major powers—Buddhism, Daoism, and the Yao Clan—were so powerful that any one of them alone was nearly comparable to a nascent top-tier civilization.

Among these powers, Daoism was the strongest, followed by Buddhism, while the Yao Clan ranked last.

And beyond these three, the Immortal Realm Civilization also housed countless factions and a few independent immortal courts.

The Dragon Clan, Phoenix Clan, Qilin Clan, Shamans, and the Blood Sea Asura Clan all possessed tremendous strength.

Figures such as the Great Immortal Zhenyuanzi—Ancestor of Earthly Immortals, as well as the Mount Shu Sword School, also held immense prestige throughout the Immortal Realm.

In truth, however, the chances of the Immortal Realm erupting into full-scale civil war anytime soon were still fairly low.

That was because the Buddhist, Daoist, and Yao factions—as well as the various immortal courts and sage courts—were all too deeply entangled with one another.

Even the major powers of different courts and races were bound together through an intricate web of relationships.

Take the Seven Great Sages, for example. They were recognized as the top powerhouses among the Immortal Realm’s Yao Clan, yet each one maintained ties to different factions.

The Great Sage Who Pacifies the Heavens, the Bull King, maintained close ties with the Jie Sect of the Daoist faction.

The Great Sage Who Overturns the Seas, the Flood Dragon King, shared inseparable ties with the Dragon Clan of the Great Primordial.

The Great Sage Who Confuses the Heavens, the Golden-Winged Great Peng, was closely connected to the Phoenix Clan.

The Great Sage Who Moves Mountains, the Lion Camel King, had certain ties to the Buddhist sects.

The Great Sage Who Opens the Winds, the Macaque King, frequently interacted with Nuwa Palace.

The Great Sage Who Drives the Gods, the Tamarin King, maintained a subtle relationship with Shamans of the Great Primordial.

The Great Sage Equal to Heaven had even broader connections. He maintained close ties with the Buddhist and Daoist factions, the Yao Clan, and even had some links to the Blood Sea Asura Clan.

It was said that in his younger days, this Great Sage had once forcefully entered the Reincarnation Underworld of Primordial World, though no one knew exactly why.

Yet in the end, the powerful shamans responsible for maintaining the Reincarnation Underworld did not move against him.

More importantly, this so-called “Mightiest Great Sage” also shared an extraordinarily deep relationship with the Magus Civilization.

The same went for the other Great Sages, who were known for acting without restraint, carving out their own territories, and openly challenging the major immortal courts.

One could only imagine how much more complicated the relationships among the other factions and powers must be.

Under such circumstances, if a civil war were to erupt within the Immortal Realm Civilization in the near future, how could such a war even be fought?

It would almost entirely become a self-conflict.

This was the same for the Buddhist and Daoist factions, whose conflicts had grown increasingly fierce over the past ten thousand years.

Some of their top-tier powerhouses, and perhaps even certain sage-level beings, might once have been disciples of the same master!

Moreover, respecting one’s teachers and valuing fellow disciples had always been a deeply rooted tradition within the Immortal Realm Civilization.

Because of this, the Immortal Realm had maintained this strange yet stable balance for countless years.

In truth, the title “Seven Great Sages” was no longer entirely accurate.

Strictly speaking, the Immortal Realm Civilization now had eight Great Sages.

The last of them was known as the Great Sage of Demonic Heaven, reportedly a bull yao named Li Qingshan.

His strength ranked second only to the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, and some even claimed he had already surpassed the Bull King, the Great Sage Who Pacifies the Heavens.

Perhaps because they were both bull yaos, rumors claimed that the Great Sage of Demonic Heaven shared the closest relationship with the Bull King.

There were also rumors that he maintained exceptionally close ties with the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.

As for the truth behind these claims, ordinary mid and lower-level cultivators had no way of knowing.

After all, all eight Great Sages were overlord-level existences—supreme beings who stood at the very peak, looking down upon all living things.

Within the Immortal Realm Civilization, overlord-level beings were often respectfully addressed as “Sages”.

This was an era where Sages stood side by side!

The Immortal Realm Civilization had entered an age of prosperity unlike anything in its history.

And that prosperity was still continuing to grow, showing signs of becoming even more glorious!

For the cultivators of the Immortal Realm, this was very likely the greatest era to ever exist.

The most famous Daoist palace in Qingyang World was Tianyi Palace.[1]

It was a sacred pill-refining sect renowned throughout the entire Immortal Realm.

Not only did Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul cultivators below Rank Four frequently gather there, but even Rank Four and above immortals regularly visited the palace.

Rumor had it that even sage-level beings had once come to Tianyi Palace in search of pills.

Whether those rumors were true, however, was impossible for lower-level cultivators to verify.

The current master of Tianyi Palace was revered as the Palace Master Yunmeng.[2]

She was a Great Luo Golden Immortal cultivator, equivalent to Rank Six in the Astral Realm’s power system.[3]

Palace Master Yunmeng was known for her gentle temperament and gracious treatment of others. Ever since taking over Tianyi Palace two hundred thousand years ago, she had devoted herself entirely to the sect’s growth and prosperity.

At one point, an especially daring enthusiast even published a book ranking the “Top Ten Immortal Maidens of the Immortal Realm,” and Palace Master Yunmeng was naturally listed among them.

Unfortunately for the author, he was reportedly only a Profound Immortal cultivator. Not long after the book’s release, he vanished without a trace, and no one ever heard from him again.[4]

Many suspected the poor fellow had been dealt with either by female cultivators who failed to make the list or by certain offended factions.

After all, he was only a Profound Immortal. What right did he have to decide the “Top Ten Immortal Maidens of the Immortal Realm”?

Even so, the book itself survived and continued circulating through various channels.

Putting aside personal bias, however, some people admitted that the author’s judgment was not entirely without merit.

At the very least, the ten immortal maidens described in the book truly were breathtaking beauties—women said to possess beauty capable of making fish sink beneath the water and geese fall from the sky, while flowers blushed and the moon hid in shame[5]. More importantly, they were all widely respected and beloved throughout the Immortal Realm.

Today, Palace Master Yunmeng of Tianyi Palace personally received a group of guests from the distant Magus Civilization.

Over the years, Qingyang World had maintained intermittent contact with the Magus Civilization.

The prosperity of Qingyang World came not only from powerful pill-refining sects such as Tianyi Palace, but also from its status as one of the major communication hubs connecting the Immortal Realm and the Magus Civilization.

Palace Master Yunmeng maintained friendly relations with many powerhouses from the Magus Civilization, including several overlord-level beings.

And among the group that had arrived in Qingyang World today, quite a few were already acquainted with her.

Strictly speaking, however, calling them “guests” was not entirely accurate.

This time, they had come to the Immortal Realm as representatives of the Magus Civilization to seek assistance.

More precisely, they were a diplomatic delegation.

The leader of this delegation was Tomov, a Rank Six umbramancer from the Western Archipelago.

Under Lady Bev’s orders, the delegation would meet with several influential figures within the Immortal Realm Civilization, including the Celestial Venerable Duobao, the White-Eyebrow Sage, and the Immortal Emperor of the South Pole.

Without exception, all of them were famous overlord-level powerhouses within the Immortal Realm Civilization.

Naturally, the overlord-level powerhouses the Magus Civilization hoped to win over were far more than just two or three individuals.

Once these figures agreed to lend their support, the sects and factions behind them—as well as other powerhouses tied to their interests—would likely follow suit.

Broadly speaking, the Magus Civilization’s current appeal for aid was primarily directed toward the Daoist faction of the Immortal Realm Civilization.

Translator’s Notes:

1. Tianyi Palace (天一宫) literally translates to Heavenly One Palace. ☜

2. The characters for Yunmeng literally translate to Cloud and Dream! ☜

3. The Great Luo Golden Immortal is a concept within the Daoist system of deities, referring to the Celestial Immortal in the Five Immortals System, also known as the Great Luo Immortal or Great Luo Celestial Immortal. In classifications of immortals from the Song and Yuan dynasties onwards, the Great Luo Golden Immortal was regarded as the highest state an immortal could achieve, capable of cultivating both form and spirit to perfection, free from the constraints of worldly life and death. ☜

4. Profound Immortal corresponds to Rank Five, Heavenly Immortal to Rank Four, and Quasi Sage represents the peak of Rank Six. ☜

5. The phrase “beauty capable of making fish sink, geese fall, the moon hide, and flowers blush” comes from four legendary beauties in Chinese history.

Sinking Fish refers to Xi Shi of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period (770 BC – 221 BC). It was said that while washing silk by a river, her reflection in the water was so beautiful that the fish beneath the surface became entranced, forgot to swim, and slowly sank to the bottom.

Falling Geese refers to Wang Zhaojun (c. 51–15 BCE) of the Han Dynasty. When she left her homeland to marry the Xiongnu chieftain Huhanye, she traveled north while playing a sorrowful melody on her pipa. Wild geese flying overhead were said to have been so captivated by her beauty and music that they forgot to flap their wings and fell from the sky.

Hiding the Moon refers to Diaochan during the late Han Dynasty. One night, while she was admiring the moon in a garden, drifting clouds covered the moonlight. Witnessing the scene, Wang Yun praised her beauty by claiming that even the moon felt inferior and hid itself behind the clouds.

Flowers Blushing in Shame refers to Yang Guifei (719–15 July 756) of the Tang Dynasty. According to legend, while wandering through the imperial gardens, she sighed sorrowfully over her lonely life in the palace and absentmindedly touched a flower. The flower’s leaves immediately folded inward. A palace maid who witnessed this spread the story that the flowers themselves were ashamed by Yang Guifei’s beauty and lowered their heads in embarrassment. (It was actually Mimosa lol.)

Together, these four expressions became famous throughout Chinese culture as poetic descriptions of unparalleled beauty. Check out my