The Heavenly God’s gentle voice echoed through the grand hall, yet the eight Divine Generals stared at the Heavenly God in utter astonishment, genuinely unable to believe the words that had just been spoken.
“The Ninth Divine General?”
Teng Qingshan also looked at the Heavenly God with surprise. The Heavenly God’s small eyes resembled black jade crystals, making it impossible to fathom his thoughts. Seeing Teng Qingshan hesitate, the Heavenly God continued, “Hu He, you belong to no sect or school; joining my Heavenly God Mountain will only benefit you, never harm you!”
By his side, Li Jun allowed a slight smile to surface. As the Divine Maiden of Heavenly God Mountain, she secretly wished Teng Qingshan would join her faction. Li Jun glanced at Teng Qingshan beside her.
“Heavenly God!” Teng Qingshan replied respectfully, “Though I have no sect, I do have a lineage!”
In his heart, Teng Qingshan did not wish to join Heavenly God Mountain. Despite having defected from the Guiyuan Sect, he could never forget his master, Zhuge Yuanhong, nor Zhuge Yun, Teng Qinghu, and the others. He had long ago branded himself with the mark of the Guiyuan Sect!
“Lineage?” The Heavenly God showed no surprise, maintaining his gentle smile. “For you to achieve such heights without a lineage would be the truly strange thing! Rest assured, my inviting you to Heavenly God Mountain does not require you to become my disciple! While my eight Divine Generals are all my disciples, if you join, I will not force you to take me as your master! I cultivate the esoteric teachings of the Secret Sect, and your methods are clearly different from mine. Furthermore, you have already reached the Innate Golden Core stage… reaching this level, it is impossible to change now; I would never ask you to switch to the Secret Sect teachings!”
The Heavenly God glanced toward the First Divine General, ‘Borileimu’.
Borileimu, having followed the Heavenly God the longest, immediately understood the intent and looked towards Teng Qingshan, laughing heartily, “Brother Hu He, Master is not asking you to become his disciple. He merely asks you to accept the title of Divine General! Becoming a Divine General will bring you immense benefits as you travel the world! In the future, we can spar often!”
“Haha, Ninth Divine General,” the Fifth Divine General, ‘Eri-Qier’, chimed in with a laugh. “Brother Hu He, if you truly become the Ninth Divine General, then our Heavenly God Mountain will boast nine Divine Generals, and you will be the strongest among them!”
Upon hearing this, Borileimu feigned a bitter smile, “. Junior Brother, you speak truly. If Brother Hu He becomes the Ninth Divine General, then he becomes the strongest Divine General!”
The ranking of the Divine Generals in Heavenly God Mountain was determined by the length of their service, having no relation to their actual strength.
“Hu He!” The Heavenly God looked directly at Teng Qingshan.
The entire hall fell silent. Whether the eight Divine Generals, the Heavenly God himself, or even Li Jun, all eyes were fixed on Teng Qingshan. Everyone hoped he would agree to join Heavenly God Mountain!
“I must disappoint the expectations of Senior Heavenly God!”
Teng Qingshan bowed deeply, speaking sincerely, “To be frank with the Heavenly God, I, Hu He, am about to set sail! I intend to wander the seas and temper myself through cultivation! I will not be staying at Heavenly God Mountain.”
“Becoming a Divine General will not prevent you from sailing the seas!” the Heavenly God smiled.
Teng Qingshan shook his head, his gaze drifting distantly, “Cultivating at sea is merely a path of arduous training. My lifelong pursuit is to step into the Void Realm. Once I reach that stage, I will establish my own sect, passing on what I have learned and comprehended to my disciples! This has always been my goal, which is why I cannot join any other major faction!”
“Establish your own sect?”
The eight Divine Generals were stunned, then looked toward the Heavenly God!
What status did the Heavenly God possess? He was a powerhouse of the Void Realm! An unmatched existence on the great plains! Yet today, the Heavenly God had repeatedly, with a pleasant demeanor, invited Teng Qingshan, only to be repeatedly refused! They grew worried… would their Master, the ‘Heavenly God,’ be enraged by the slight? The notion that those who are not useful must become enemies was widespread.
“Brother Hu He!” Li Jun urgently lowered her voice, urging him on.
Teng Qingshan raised his eyes to meet the Heavenly God’s gaze.
The smile on the Heavenly God’s face seemed to freeze. His small eyes were fixed on Teng Qingshan, appearing outwardly calm.
“Hu He!” The Heavenly God’s voice deepened, resonating through the hall.
“Heavenly God,” Teng Qingshan maintained a humble attitude.
The Heavenly God spoke slowly, “Reach the Void Realm? With your comprehension and talent, as long as you do not slacken, I believe you will reach the Void Realm someday! Since you wish to establish your own sect… I, as the ‘Heavenly God’ of Heavenly God Mountain, will lend you a hand! Given your relationship with Miss Li Jun, you should already be aware of the forces behind Heavenly God Mountain!”
Teng Qingshan stiffened. Although Li Jun had never stated it explicitly, Teng Qingshan understood that Heavenly God Mountain was merely one branch of that terrifying, powerful hidden force!
“My disciples here, and Miss Li Jun, are all aware,” the Heavenly God stated calmly. “On this continent of the Nine Provinces, there exists a Divine Palace named ‘Heavenly God Palace’! Apart from the Palace Master, the highest status within the Heavenly God Palace belongs to the Heavenly Gods! I am one of them.”
Teng Qingshan’s heart trembled violently upon hearing this! Heavenly God? A Void Realm powerhouse? One among many?
“No wonder Xiao Jun once told me that the power of her sect could rival the Mani Monastery!” Teng Qingshan instantly realized that this terrifying hidden force must possess more than one Void Realm expert!
“In addition to the Heavenly Gods, the Heavenly God Palace also has Guest Elders!”
The Heavenly God looked at Teng Qingshan. “The status of a Guest Elder in my Heavenly God Palace is second only to a Heavenly God. However, Guest Elders merely maintain a mutual assistance relationship with the Heavenly God Palace; they are not completely under its control! A Guest Elder can absolutely be the sovereign of another sect. Precisely because they can receive help from the Heavenly God Palace while remaining independent, the people who can become Guest Elders are few and far between!”
“Currently, my Heavenly God Palace has two Guest Elders!”
The Heavenly God’s words sent a fresh wave of shock through Teng Qingshan. He had long understood that where there is light in a world, there must also be darkness. If there were the eight supreme sects above, it was not impossible for a powerful force to hide in the shadows! It was the sheer magnitude of this force that alarmed him!
“One of these two Guest Elders is an Old Ancestor from the East Sea, a Void Realm expert! The other Guest Elder is the foremost expert among the many kingdoms of the Western Regions, secretly controlling several major realms. Although he is only at the Innate Golden Core level, in terms of strength, he is definitely capable of ranking in the top three on the Heavenly Ranking,” the Heavenly God revealed without reservation.
Teng Qingshan sucked in a sharp breath! Two Guest Elders: one a Void Realm expert from the East Sea, the other the foremost expert of the Western Regions. Neither the East Sea nor the Western Regions were considered part of the Nine Provinces, meaning they were naturally not included in the Heavenly Ranking.
“The relationship between a Guest Elder and the Heavenly God Palace is like an alliance, not a hierarchical structure. We mutually support one another!”
“I, as a Heavenly God, have the unique opportunity to choose one more Guest Elder!” The Heavenly God looked at Teng Qingshan. “Hu He, are you willing to become a Guest Elder of my Heavenly God Palace?”
Teng Qingshan held his breath. The Heavenly God truly thought highly of him! The Heavenly God Palace had only two Guest Elders, and each one was undoubtedly a formidable figure—the East Sea Ancestor, the Western King. And the third would be him, Teng Qingshan?
“Brother Hu He,” Li Jun immediately whispered urgently, “The position of Guest Elder grants power only slightly less than a Heavenly God, higher than our core disciples and the Divine Generals! You should agree to this.” The eight Divine Generals also looked at Teng Qingshan with a hint of envy.
However, they felt no jealousy! Teng Qingshan’s strength had thoroughly convinced them, and he was clearly quite young! While most Innate experts aged slowly, they could judge his approximate age from his hair and demeanor. For instance, Zhao Danchen and Borileimu, though appearing young, had silver-white hair and streaks of white at their temples, respectively.
Secondly… those approaching their natural limit carried a subtle air of decline, not the vibrant energy of youth! Though intangible, Innate experts could generally make this judgment.
“I thank the Heavenly God for thinking so highly of me,” Teng Qingshan replied with a bow. “This Guest Elder position—if I later establish my own sect, or join another faction—the Heavenly God Palace will not interfere, correct?”
“No!”
The Heavenly God nodded with a smile. “Guest Elder, as the name suggests, is a guest!”
Teng Qingshan was well aware of how terrifying it was that such a powerful force remained hidden from the world. Forming an alliance with such a dark power could only be beneficial for his future actions.
“I am grateful for the Heavenly God’s regard; I accept this position of Guest Elder.” Teng Qingshan nodded.
The Heavenly God’s smile became even more radiant. The Heavenly God, an old man who had lived for over four hundred years! Having single-handedly established Heavenly God Mountain, his insight was naturally unparalleled! He had already judged the potential of the young man before him—he would surely become another Void Realm expert in the future! For the Heavenly God Palace, gaining an ally who was a Void Realm Guest Elder could only be advantageous.
…
In the main hall of the Heavenly God Pagoda, laughter erupted as everyone congratulated Teng Qingshan! A noble Guest Elder! This demonstrated the immense value the Heavenly God placed on Teng Qingshan, considering the Heavenly God himself only had a single chance to select a Guest Elder.
“Hu He!” The Heavenly God pulled out a token, entirely jade-green, from his robes.
“This is the Guest Elder token, representing your status!” As he spoke, the Heavenly God tossed the token toward Teng Qingshan. The token floated lightly, as if carried by an invisible hand, finally suspending itself before Teng Qingshan.
Teng Qingshan reached out and caught it. Upon close inspection, the Guest Elder token was jade-green throughout, resembling jadeite in material. Holding it, a faint warmth was transmitted into his body, bringing Teng Qingshan a sense of comfort.
“The Guest Elder token is carved from a large piece of ‘Jade Heart,’ nurtured within the Jade Marrow found on a small island in the East Sea. This token is carved from a portion of that Jade Heart!” The Heavenly God smiled kindly. “Wearing it long-term can clear the meridians and nourish the spirit! Even for someone of ordinary aptitude, donning it makes opening all meridians a simple matter!”
Teng Qingshan looked at the token in his hand in astonishment? Jade Mountain? A Jade Heart nurtured in Jade Marrow?
“Ten-thousand-year Jade Marrow—just a sip can clear the meridians throughout the body! The ‘Jade Heart’ nurtured by this Jade Marrow must have even more astonishing effects. This Heavenly God Palace is truly wealthy beyond measure!” Teng Qingshan marveled internally. Compared to the Heavenly God Palace, his former Guiyuan Sect was ten or a hundred times inferior!
Li Jun, standing nearby, winked at Teng Qingshan.
Teng Qingshan smiled faintly. Becoming a Guest Elder of the Heavenly God Palace meant that when he returned from the Northern Sea Continent, the backing of the Heavenly God Palace’s hidden force would greatly benefit the Guiyuan Sect as well!
“Hu He is now a Guest Elder of my Heavenly God Palace; this matter is settled! Everyone, I mentioned the matter of ‘Heavenly Stone Island’ when I last emerged from seclusion. It is time to act now!” the Heavenly God announced.