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Chapter 616: The Guardian Ruler of the Celestial Northern Prison

To Chu Liang\'s surprise, he had found one in the imperial palace. It was truly like searching high and low for something, only to stumble upon it effortlessly.

For Chu Liang, slaying a Human-Faced Xiao was far more profitable than any major evil spirit. The enchanted tools that the White Pagoda gave him had their limits, but he could get limitless returns from a Large-Headed Doll. As long as Chu Liang supplied the Large-Headed Dolls with enough pills, they could operate indefinitely.

Chu Liang slayed the Human-Faced Xiao and entered the hall. He received even louder cheers and applause than the previous two members of his team.

Just as everyone thought the Qinghong Banquet was about to officially begin, Ling Ao entered the hall too.

That was when the officials present remembered that there had been one more person left on the team. They had just assumed the Four Evils Ceremony was over when Chu Liang entered. Consequently, they gave Ling Ao some perfunctory applause, marking the successful conclusion of the Four Evils Ceremony.

Once all four members of the Mount Shu Sect team were seated, the banquet began with some appetizers, accompanied by a performance of song and dance. This time, the musician was Xue Lingxue from the South Melody Conservatory. Originally, it was supposed to be Shen Qingyan, but she had been attacked and injured, forcing the musician to be replaced at the last minute.

Chu Liang, of course, had no interest in watching the performance. Even in that crowded hall, he saw no reason to delay rewarding himself.

He had already sunk his divine sense into the White Pagoda space to greet his most beloved Human-Faced Xiao. Its imprint hovered inside an iron cell, and Chu Liang eagerly pressed "Refine."

Boom!

There was a flash of red light, and a familiar glow floated out. Chu Liang carefully caught it in his hands.

[Transcendent Form Puppet: This puppet is used to refine the host\'s transcendent form and aid in their cultivation. It consumes one Primordial Spirit Pill during the day and two at night, enabling continuous cultivation throughout the day. All developments made toward forming a transcendent form will be transferred to the host. Please be aware that this puppet is to be used strictly as a cultivation aid, and there is a risk of damage if used inappropriately.]

It\'s this familiar description and this familiar feeling again.

After receiving the information contained in the cluster of light, Chu Liang felt extremely fond of his puppets. The reason was that the innate talents of his corporeal body were only slightly above average. Without the fortuitous encounters he had experienced, he would likely only be on par with Lin Bei, no matter how hard he worked on his cultivation.

Chu Liang\'s efforts could probably only account for at most 7% of the hard work needed to achieve his current cultivation level. The efforts of the Large-Headed Dolls accounted for the remaining 93%. Without them aiding his cultivation, he wouldn\'t have had the energy or time to travel extensively. Additionally, his assets would likely be significantly reduced.

Looking at the Large-Headed Dolls circulating qi until clouds of smoke swirled around them, Chu Liang was filled with gratitude.

Keep working hard and circulating qi for me. Every ten years, I\'ll give you one day off! And you can even schedule it for whenever you want. If you go seventy years without a break, you\'ll get a seven-day vacation!

Chu Liang placed the new Transcendent Form Puppet on the ground and then pulled out a book he had prepared in advance—The Divine Nine\'s Profound Mental Cultivation Technique: The Book of the Transcendent Form.

He circulated his qi according to the qi circulation route detailed in the book, imparting the cultivation method for a Transcendent Form to the new doll. Chu Liang was already well-versed in this process. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Even before reaching the fifth realm, he had already obtained fifth-realm foundational qi through his Colorful Doll. His cultivation puppets were always one step ahead of him.

After a while, the new Large-Headed Doll lit up with a brilliant radiance. It circulated its qi using the Divine Nine\'s Profound Mental Cultivation Technique, cultivating at a pace comparable to Chu Liang\'s. This meant it would take only a few months for the Transcendent Form Puppet to cultivate a complete transcendent form.

Normally, a fifth-realm cultivator with only above-average talent would take around a year to cultivate a transcendent form, assuming they had sufficient resources and smooth progress. However, the Transcendent Form Puppet could work tirelessly day and night, all year long without ever taking a break. This made the process significantly faster.

Once the puppet\'s Transcendent Form was complete, Chu Liang would be able to enjoy the benefits of a sixth-realm transcendent form earlier, greatly enhancing all his physical attributes. Then when he advanced to the sixth realm, he would be able to enjoy the benefits of having two transcendent forms.

Chu Liang pondered this for a moment.

I could try figuring out a way to teach the Transcendent Form Puppet a different cultivation technique. I can only cultivate the Divine Nine\'s Profound Transcendent Form, but the Transcendent Form Puppet doesn\'t have the same limitation. I may be able to get even better effects if I have two different transcendent forms.

By then, with two ultimate-tier Golden Cores and two different transcendent forms... Well, I don\'t even dare dreaming that I might be able to defeat opponents of a higher realm than me, but at the very least, I would be unbeatable among those below the seventh realm.

...

While Chu Liang\'s divine sense was immersed in the White Pagoda\'s space, a commotion broke out around him, snapping him to attention.

A palace attendant announced in a shrill voice, "The Guardian Ruler has arrived!"

A towering man stepped in through the doorway. He was tall and well-built, with long, dexterous arms like those of an ape and a muscular lower back like that of a wolf. His wide face was highlighted by a high forehead and long sword-like eyebrows, bearing a striking resemblance to the reigning emperor. These were facial features that commonly ran in the Xia Family.

The man\'s eyes glowed like sparks of fire. As he looked around the hall, the civil and military officials averted their eyes. None of them dared to meet his gaze.

This was the Guardian Ruler of the Celestial Northern Prison!

His title was extremely well known across the lands, so Chu Liang had, of course, heard of him too. It was said that the Guardian Ruler had been born into the imperial family, but he did not have the Divine Fire Spirit. In the hierarchical structure of the Xia Family, having the Divine Fire Spirit made a world of difference.

For instance, the Second Prince, Sixth Princess, and Thirteenth Prince were well-known to all. However, few knew of the other imperial princes and princesses who did not have the Divine Fire Spirit. Nevertheless, the Guardian Ruler was naturally proud and independent, and he was determined to be superior to everyone else in everything.

In his youth, he had been known as the strongest among the imperial descendents of the same generation, even crushing his brothers who possessed the Divine Fire Spirit. Despite this, people had said that he would lack power when he was older and that his future achievements would inevitably fall short compared to those with the Divine Fire Spirit.

The Xia Family\'s ancestral rules forbade anyone without the Divine Fire Spirit to succeed the throne. Consequently, the Guardian Ruler had not been included in the selection process for the position of the crown prince.

In anger, the Guardian Ruler had left the imperial family and roamed the martial world for decades. It wasn\'t until he advanced to the seventh realm that he returned to the imperial court. Nevertheless, his relationship with the imperial family remained distant.

Afterward, he ventured deep into the Divine Ruins and narrowly escaped death many times. During that time, he observed an ancient Golden Crow and gained enlightenment for the Great Dao of the Ultimate Yang, allowing him to attain the Heavenly Origin.

Most of the various Great Dao originated from the Divine Ruins. For instance, that was where the founder of the Greater-Yin Cult had observed an ancient Kun[1] and gained enlightenment for the Great Dao of the Ultimate Yin, leading to the creation of the Divine Nine. The Great Dao of the Ultimate Yang and the Great Dao of the Ultimate Yin were incomparably powerful.

So, the fact that the Guardian Ruler had attained the Heavenly Origin for the Great Dao of the Ultimate Yang was a huge slap in the face for those who had looked down on him. From then on, no one dared to speak ill of the Guardian Ruler.

His status within the imperial family became equivalent to that of the Imperial Guardian[2], but he still remained unwilling to come into close contact with the imperial family. He voluntarily took on the responsibility of guarding the Celestial Northern Prison, holding the position for the past century.

The Guardian Ruler had never attended any imperial banquets or imperial court assemblies. Nevertheless, his presence at the Celestial Northern Prison was enough to suppress countless powerful figures, striking fear into the hearts of dissenters across the mortal realm.

Why, then, had he suddenly appeared at the Qinghong Banquet today?

"Guardian Ruler." The emperor immediately rose to greet him, showing him the utmost respect. "Why didn\'t you tell us in advance that you were intending to attend the banquet?"

The Guardian Ruler rarely associated with the imperial family, but it was undeniable that he was unmatched in power and status. Furthermore, in terms of seniority within the Xia Family, he greatly outranked the reigning emperor. He was also a few generations older than Imperial Guardian Mingde. Naturally, no one dared show him the slightest disrespect.

The Guardian Ruler halted at the steps leading to the throne and bowed in greeting. Then he raised his head and said, "Your Majesty, forgive my last-minute decision to attend the banquet, disrupting it."

The emperor quickly waved his hand dismissively. "Your presence here is a great cause for joy. How could it possibly be a disruption?"

The Guardian Ruler turned around to face the civil and military officials behind him. His icy gaze was so intimidating that they all lowered their heads.

The Guardian Ruler explained, "I heard news that some malicious evildoers want to wreak havoc within the palace. I came to see for myself. I don\'t know who it is that\'s so ridiculously bold... but you\'d better not let me catch you."

1. 鲲 Kun is a legendary giant fish that can transform into a giant bird, Peng 鵬. More info https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peng_(mythology) here. See translator\'s thoughts for a couple of cool illustrations posted on the Baidu entry. ☜

2. Di Nufeng\'s dad, the guardian of the imperial family. We\'re giving him a proper title now so that he doesn\'t get mixed up with the Guardian Ruler of the Celestial Northern Prison. ☜