Ye Qin scanned the assembled Golden Core cultivators in the great hall, suppressing the shock surging within him. While there were many Golden Core cultivators from the Purple Sword Palace present, he recognized hardly any of them; there were no established bonds between them. Fortunately, among the crowd, aside from the Purple Sword Palace's Golden Core experts, there were also guests from other Immortal Palaces.
Ye Qin quickly spotted Zhou Yao, Liao Xiaozhi, Jin Zhongshan, and Pan Lin among the gathered cultivators. Although they were currently at the ninth layer of the Foundation Establishment stage, they had all previously been Golden Core cultivators and were core disciples of the Immortal Palaces, granting them the qualification to be present in the Great Yin. Ye Qin brought Huangfu Bing'er over to greet them. "Brother Ye, you have finally returned!" "Brother Ye, months have passed without word; I was extremely worried!" "Junior Sister greets Brother Ye and Madam Ye!" Upon seeing Ye Qin appear, everyone revealed expressions of pleasant surprise and stepped forward to pay their respects. Zhou Yao’s beautiful eyes couldn't help but fixate on Huangfu Bing'er.
Zhou Yao was a core disciple of the Purple Sword Immortal Palace, a peerlessly beautiful woman whose spiritual root talent was exceptionally outstanding; she was usually quite proud. However, in front of Huangfu Bing'er, she showed not a trace of arrogance.
In terms of appearance and bearing, Huangfu Bing'er, clad in a simple, pale white robe, possessed a stunning beauty, ethereal and transcendent like a fairy. In terms of spiritual root cultivation, Huangfu Bing'er’s progress had been meteoric, already reaching the second layer of the Golden Core stage. Zhou Yao lightly pursed her red lips, a hundred emotions swirling in her heart.
Huangfu Bing'er seemed to sense the peculiarity in Zhou Yao's gaze, merely casting a slightly puzzled look toward her, unable to comprehend the complex nature of that look.
Ye Qin failed to notice the subtle exchange between Huangfu Bing'er and Zhou Yao. Seeing that the other four were still at the Foundation Establishment cultivation level, a wave of disappointment washed over him. During the last venture into the Langya Secret Realm, the cultivation of the other four team members had plummeted, while he alone remained unaffected. Although this was not his fault, he felt a measure of guilt for failing to preserve everyone’s cultivation.
"Brother Ye, you needn't worry about the cultivation of the four of us. We all rendered great service during the recent campaign against the Earth Clan. Each Immortal Palace bestowed upon us Golden Core Pills and generous compensation. It won't take more than a year or so for us to return to the Golden Core stage, and we may even turn misfortune into fortune, having gained an abundance of spiritual elixirs for future cultivation, allowing us to break through to the Nascent Soul bottleneck faster," Liao Xiaozhi, being perceptive, saw the melancholy in Ye Qin's expression and spoke words of comfort.
"That is good to hear. I can only hope you all can reforge your Golden Cores as soon as possible. If you lack sufficient spiritual elixirs, you can find me. As a Grandmaster Alchemist, if I have nothing else, I certainly have plenty of spiritual elixirs. I can sell them to you all at the lowest possible cost. Even for forging Golden Cores, so long as you have the raw materials, I can arrange for them to be refined for you," Ye Qin nodded, a relieved smile spreading across his face. The group of Golden Core and Foundation Establishment cultivators began to chat idly.
It was then that Ye Qin learned the Purple Sword Immortal Palace, the Guangyu Palace, the Treasure Gathering Palace, and the Ninghua Palace had all imposed a gag order on the six of them, prohibiting any further mention of the events within the Langya Secret Realm to prevent information leaks. "The Guangyu Palace and the Treasure Gathering Palace are traditional allies of the Purple Sword Palace stretching back tens of thousands of years, always maintaining close ties, supporting the Purple Sword Palace in its bid to seize the position of the Northern Sovereign of the Heavenly Dao Alliance." "Palace Master Zhou visited the Ninghua Palace a few days ago and held a private discussion with the Ninghua Palace Master; the two Immortal Palaces have also reached an alliance agreement. The disciples of our few Immortal Palaces are now all allies."
Regarding the ancient divine artifact, the Kui Niu Drum, only those involved, along with a select few high-ranking Nascent Soul cultivators from the Immortal Palaces, knew the full details. As for the myriad rumors flying around outside, every version existed, yet no one could trace the truth.
About half an hour later, the clamor of the Purple Sword Great Yin suddenly fell silent. The Golden Core cultivators within the hall seemed to sense something, all turning their gazes in unison toward a passage leading deeper inside, their expressions respectful and deferential.
The Palace Master of the Purple Sword Immortal Palace, Zhou Yu, clad in a green robe with an imposing demeanor, emerged from the rear of the great hall and approached the front. Accompanying him were three elders with white hair and beards, and one elderly woman.
Palace Master Zhou and the four elders were all wearing the solemn cultivation robes of the Purple Sword Immortal Palace; embroidered on the back of their robes were eight flying swords piercing straight into the sky, forming a mysterious sword formation. Observing the Immortal Palace insignia on the sleeves of the four elders' robes, they were revealed to be the Four Elders of the Purple Sword Palace.
The moment these five Nascent Soul cultivators appeared, the hundreds of Golden Core cultivators in the hall felt a suffocating, immense spiritual pressure envelop the entire hall and its surroundings, forbidding any hint of recklessness. The high-level Golden Core cultivators inside the hall could still forcibly withstand this pressure.
But the low-level Foundation Establishment cultivators outside the hall were already trembling in their limbs, unable to suppress the rising fear in their hearts. The spiritual pressure unconsciously emanating from the Nascent Soul cultivators was too terrifying for them.
Ye Qin gritted his teeth to bear the overwhelming spiritual pressure, but his gaze quickly swept over the four elders of the Purple Sword Palace.
"The cultivation of the Four Great Elders of the Purple Sword Palace is indeed profoundly deep. The lowest among them is at the early Nascent Soul stage, and the strongest elder is even slightly higher than the Palace Master’s cultivation, likely at the late Nascent Soul seventh or eighth layer..." "However, judging by their aged appearances, I fear their remaining lifespan is not long, with little hope of reaching the ninth layer of the Nascent Soul stage," Ye Qin thought inwardly.
Palace Master Zhou surveyed the Golden Core cultivators in the hall. Upon spotting Ye Qin among the crowd, he nodded toward him, signaling him to approach. Ye Qin understood immediately and quickly ascended the steps to the main dais. Palace Master Zhou waved his hand, using a burst of great magic power to envelop the six of them in a brilliant sphere of light, shielding their conversation from external hearing.
Palace Master Zhou pointed at Ye Qin and smiled towards the other elders, "This child is Ye Qin, from the lineage of the Purple Sword Divine Monarch of the Central Lands, possessing five-elemental spiritual roots. He retrieved the Kui Niu Drum from the Langya Secret Realm, rendering a great service. All four Great Elders are seeing Ye Qin for the first time; their sharp gazes were now fixed upon him. "Junior Ye Qin pays respects to the esteemed Elders!" Ye Qin hurriedly bowed respectfully to the Four Elders. The four elders all nodded, wearing smiles.
"Heh heh, since he originates from the inheritance of the Purple Sword Divine Monarch of the Central Lands, he is one of our own nephews. Little nephew Ye, there is no need for such formality. Allow this old man to introduce myself: I am Grand Elder Zhou Hong, the previous Palace Master of the Purple Sword Palace, now the Chairman of the Elder Council." "Second Elder Zhou Jie manages the 'Palace Suppressing Artifacts,' and so on." "Third Elder Zhou Xiang manages the 'Cultivation Classics and Instruction,' and so on." "Fourth Elder Zhou Rong is in charge of 'Punishments and Rewards,' and so on."
"From this day forward, you are the Fifth Elder of the Purple Sword Palace. Since you are newly arrived, as the newly appointed Sword Elder, we will assign you a somewhat simpler post..." "Let me think... You shall take charge of 'Decrees' for now."
The leading Grand Elder Zhou Hong, his complexion ruddy and his gaze benevolent, smiled at Ye Qin, "Do you have any points you do not understand?" "I only wonder what aspects the 'War Decree' pertains to?" Ye Qin asked with confusion.
"Disciples of the Golden Core stage and below in this Palace must hold this Palace’s Expeditionary War Decree to lead troops on a campaign. This War Decree will be under your charge to manage. In other words, all major and minor military actions of the Purple Sword Palace require you to issue the command to mobilize. If you do not issue the War Decree, no disciple of this Palace may embark on a campaign. If you issue the War Decree, then the disciples of this Palace must mobilize and are forbidden to disobey."
Ye Qin instantly understood. He recalled that he had only been able to lead his team to conquer the Earth Clan territory in the East Sea because he held the Purple Sword Palace's expeditionary token as a qualified team leader. A look of undisguised astonishment appeared on his face.
It seemed that the authority of the elders in the Purple Sword Palace was immensely weighty, perhaps even comparable to the Palace Master's status. He felt a bit puzzled: if the elders handled all the large and small affairs of the Immortal Palace, what duties were left for the Purple Sword Palace Master?
Fortunately, Grand Elder Zhou Hong seemed to have noticed Ye Qin's confusion and promptly resolved the doubt in his heart.
"Although the various Elders each have their specific duties, they spend most of their time in secluded cultivation and generally do not manage affairs personally. Instead, they select important disciples from the sect to act as proxies for their respective duties. These proxy disciples generally do not need to report every single matter to the Elders but submit their proposed opinions to the Palace Master for final deliberation and decision, handling all matters both within and without the Palace. If an Elder deems a disciple's handling of affairs to be improper, they can replace the individual at any time. If you find managing the War Decree too tedious, you may also appoint a proxy disciple from within the Palace." "The Palace Master directly governs all affairs within and without the Immortal Palace, but the selection of personnel for the various posts is determined entirely by the Elders, not by the Palace Master. Speaking of this," Grand Elder Zhou Hong suddenly fixed his gaze on Ye Qin and chuckled, "Do you feel that in this arrangement, the various Elders exert influence over the great and small affairs of the Immortal Palace from behind the scenes, significantly diluting the Palace Master's authority?" Ye Qin honestly nodded in affirmation.
"Heh heh, this is a custom passed down for hundreds of thousands of years in the Heavenly Dao Alliance, ensuring a balance of power within the Immortal Palace so that neither the Palace Master nor the Elders accumulate an uncheckable level of authority. If there were no checks and balances within an Immortal Palace, it would devolve into a Demonic Heavenly Alliance, where everything is decided solely by the Palace Master or a single overlord."
"You will learn more about the matters of the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Demonic Heavenly Alliance over time; this old man will say no more for now."
Grand Elder Zhou Hong said with a benevolent smile, "The Purple Sword Immortal Palace has been established in the East Sea for over ten thousand years, but aside from the Purple Sword Divine Monarch of the past, no other Sovereign of the Northern Region in the Heavenly Dao Alliance has emerged. Little nephew Ye bringing the Kui Niu Drum back to the Purple Sword Immortal Palace has added a decisive, paramount ancient divine artifact to our sect. Leveraging this great artifact, if the Purple Sword Immortal Palace can produce another Sovereign, little nephew Ye will have achieved immense merit! This exceptional promotion to the Fifth Elder of the Purple Sword Palace is precisely your reward for the meritorious service you have rendered to the Purple Sword Immortal Palace."
Third Elder Zhou Xiang suddenly interjected, asking, "I am in charge of the crucial immortal scriptures of the Purple Sword Palace. The Palace Master mentioned that little nephew Ye desires the latter part of the Purple Jade Ancient Scroll—the sword refining technique, 'Lesser Three Wonders Sword Formation'? Does that mean you are close to refining the preceding part, the 'Greater Five Elements Sword Formation'?" "The primordial spirit artifacts required for the Greater Five Elements Sword Formation have been refined; they still require time to nurture and enhance their power," Ye Qin did not conceal the truth.
The Nascent Soul Elders of the Purple Sword Palace likely possessed the deepest understanding of the Purple Jade Ancient Scroll in the entire East Sea; there was little need to hide anything. In the future, he could seek their guidance on how to better cultivate this Greater Five Elements Sword Formation. "What, it's already refined?"
The Palace Master and the Four Great Elders were all astonished. Ye Qin was only at the first layer of the Golden Core stage, yet he had already refined the five primordial spirit artifacts recorded in the extremely difficult upper volume of the Purple Jade Ancient Scroll—this was far too swift! The difficulty involved was exceptionally high; it was already quite remarkable for an ordinary first-layer Golden Core cultivator to possess one or two primordial spirit artifacts.